Book recommendations sought

[saxikath]

A question for everyone out there in lj-land:

I'm going to be doing a fair bit of traveling this summer. This means I need some reading material. Any recommendations for good books to read on the beach, on the plane, etc.?

Comments

[pernishus.livejournal.com]

If you haven't read A. S. Byatt's Matisse Stories, they are worth an afternoon...

[alaria-lyon.livejournal.com]

What kind of books do you normally like?

[saxikath]

I usually seem to end up reading nonfiction (history and science, mostly) or mysteries. I recently read and enjoyed Bel Canto, though, which was a non-mystery novel.

Re:

[alaria-lyon.livejournal.com]

My favorite mystery/psychological suspense author is Jonathan Kellerman.

[chanaleh.livejournal.com]

Do you want brainless or brainful? :-) For plane and beach reading, I'm fond of mystery novels: I like Jonathan Kellerman and also Patricia Cornwell. If you're interested, I could lend you practically their entire respective series in travel-friendly mass-market format.

Also, you've read Cordelia's Honor, right?

[navrins]

I have about two-three years' worth of Alfred Hitchcock's and Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazines to unload....

Bujold (Cordelia's Honor, sci-fi/space opera/romance) is always worth a recommend. So is Spider Robinson (sci-fantasy, sorta; hard to really categorize).

For nonfiction, I'm a Daniel Dennett fan (science/philosophy: "Understanding Consciousness" and "Darwin's Dangereous Idea" are both worth a read.) (And they don't look like textbooks, so people might not look at you too funny on the beach.) Of course, non-fiction really depends on what you like to learn about.

I assume you've read The Name of the Rose?

[mabfan.livejournal.com]

Fiction: The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

Nonfiction: Ship Ablaze by Edward O'Donnell

[(Anonymous)]

Since you were reading The Princes in the Tower I would like to recommend the rest of Alison Weir's histories, if you have not already read them. I like Elizabeth I the best, but her others books are very good.

moo

-leighjen

[andyt.livejournal.com]

My current reading list is going to be being pulled from http://www.listsofbests.com -- lots of book lists, with the abilty to check off what you've read. I'm sadly lacking on most lists.

[crossfire.livejournal.com]

Have you read Robert Greene's books The 48 Laws of Power and The Art of Seduction? Really interesting historical stuff.