It's like not having anything to wear, but worse!!

[colliemommie]

I have nothing to read. The shelves and shelves (and boxes) of books nonwithstanding. I staunchly maintain I have nothing to read.

Virginia Beach, for all its myriad and horrible faults, has a great public library system. So I have access to books, and actually just finished Golding's To the Ends of the Earth books and Elizabeth Howard's 4 Cazalet books. But now I am out of inspiration.

I would greatly appreciate any recommendations. I tend to lean toward science fiction and historical fiction (except for Philippa Gregory, who writes trash at the expense of history and defamed Catherine of Aragon, one of the Great Classy Ladies of History), also mysteries, biographies, and pretty much anything else. I have catholic (small c) tastes.

Thanks very much in advance!

Comments

[affreca.livejournal.com]

You may have already read these, but I have a few suggestions of decent books.

For historical fantasy, I love Judith Tarr, especially her Hound and Falcon trilogy and related Dagger and Cross/Alamut duology. Elves and the crusades, written by someone who knows her history.

I liked Freda Warrington's Court of the Midnight King. Also historical fantasy, though with a little metafiction/alternate reality.

Other historical, I recommend Barbara Hambly's Benjamin January series. It is a series of mysteries set in pre-Civil War New Orleans, with a free black man as the main character. Very nuanced views of race relations and class. Her fantasy is spotty (Dragonsbane good for balencing work and family for a female wizard, its sequels not as good).

[colliemommie.livejournal.com]

I've read Hambly, but not Tarr or Warrington. Thanks!

[jadesymb.livejournal.com]

Spin By Robert Charles Wilson is very good
Old Man's War by John Scalzi
Primary Inversion by Catherine Asaro
Pastwatch By Orson Scott Card
Nonfiction: A Short History of Nearly Everything By Bill Bryson

Twilight By Stephine Meyer is neither historical nor scifi- but my current fave book.

[colliemommie.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

I read Old Man's War and honestly didn't see why so many people like it so much.

And I generally avoid Card, he ticks me off in so many ways.

Will definitely look into the others, though!

[rockinlibrarian.livejournal.com]

Ooo, my favorite game ever, thinking up book suggestions. How up are you on recent childrens'/YA novels? Being that I currently have this dream to write a newspaper column not only highlighting the best of kids/YA books because they get so little coverage in general but also writing it to encourage adults to read them for themselves, not just buy them for their kids... so anyway, that said, hmm... you like historical fiction, have you seen Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!" which won the Newbery this year? I haven't read it yet myself, though, so can't tell you much more than that. OH! The Caldecott winner, The Invention of Hugo Cabret-- the first novel-length book to ever win the Caldecott, really interesting read, or, uh, watch-- doesn't take long because it's mostly pictures, it's historical fiction WITH touches of, not exactly science fiction but the HISTORY of science fiction, and is just so completely unique that it's definitely worth reading once.

Little Brother is YA science fiction that's got a lot of buzz lately-- it's got a lot of really interesting concepts, though the author's voice kept butting in too much for my tastes. Still, a cool read.

That's what I've got off the top of my head at the moment...

[rockinlibrarian.livejournal.com]

Not doing well with HTML tags today. Pretend only the book titles are in italics. :D

[colliemommie.livejournal.com]

Sounds good! I haven't even heard of any of these yet, but I do enjoy good fiction, no matter who it's marketed to.

Sorcery and Cecelia by Wrede and Stevermer is one of my favorites of all time, and they just republished that as YA. I think it was originally published as sci-fi/fantasy.

[rockinlibrarian.livejournal.com]

Ooo, I loved Sorcery and Cecelia too! It made me want to write a book in letters with another person! Have you read Wrede's Enchanted Forest series?

[colliemommie.livejournal.com]

My aunt lives in St. Paul. I've been getting autographed hardcovers since the year Dealing with Dragons first came out :-)

Those books make me happy just thinking about them...I feel a reread coming on.

[colliemommie.livejournal.com]

Have you read the other 2? Grand Tour was only meh (one woman was writing a personal journal and the other was being deposed, so it was very uneven and the tone wasn't consistent), but Mislaid Magician was in letters again and made me happy (plus we get James and Thomas letters too! yay Thomas!).

[rockinlibrarian.livejournal.com]

No-- actually I didn't even know there was a third one! -- but they haven't come to my libraries yet that I've noticed, which is usually the only way I ever read anything. That's weird that Grand Tour isn't in letters though-- it seemed like a perfect opportunity for it!

[colliemommie.livejournal.com]

Well, they can't be writing to each other in Grand Tour, because they're together the whole time. They tried to find another way to write the halves independently, but it just didn't work as well.

[duckduckcaboose.livejournal.com]

Have you read Libba Bray's Gemma Doyle trilogy? It's kind of historical fantasy... it's labeled "Teen" but my mother enjoyed the books as much as I did. The names of the books are "A Great and Terrible Beauty," "Rebel Angels," and "The Sweet Far Thing."

[colliemommie.livejournal.com]

I may have read the first one. Mother killed in India, boarding school, Lady of Shallot, a fire at some point in the past...is that sounding right?

That actually might not be bad for my brain drain days...I remember it being pretty much fluff.

[colliemommie.livejournal.com]

Okay, that sounded harsh. I don't use "fluff" as a bad word, fluff can be fun. Like beach reading fun.

[duckduckcaboose.livejournal.com]

The first one wasn't the best. The second and third are much more well-written, and the plot gets more intricate/interesting. In my opinion anyway.

[colliemommie.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I'll definitely give them a try!

[countrycousin.livejournal.com]

I suppose you know about

http://tor.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=blog&id=577

because it has been well publicized, but I mention it just in case.

You have until this Sunday.

And there is Baen Free Library.

[cutecoati.livejournal.com]

Have you read Rosalind Miles' "I, Elizabeth"? (i.e. Elizabeth I) One of the best books on Lizzie I I've ever read.

Also, I highly recommend Sharon Kay Penman, particularly "The Sunne in Splendour" (War of Roses, focussing on Richard III).