I nearly dropped the ereader off the bed a few times when I fell asleep reading, that's why I made that holder for it, it's harder to slip out of my hands and less slippery.

I like Sandra Brown's books, too, Pink. Also, Linda Howard's. New to me right now, Joy Fielding. Just finished "She's Not There" and it was a real page turner.

Susan I read "On Writing" years ago. I didn't enjoy it. And I have read and loved almost everything Stephen King has written.

Thanks, alisande. I think the words I used were a quick reaction to what seemed foreign thoughts to me. Exposure to conversation or reality involving sex and profanity are everyday experiences for many, gore less so. Story-relevant content of this type in a book or movie is not objectionable to me. I figured the difference in perspective was maybe because of age and gender.

As my new hero pink mama said, I'm just a kid. Yes, mid-sixties.

Seems I'm late to the reading room....again. :-) I'm having a rather eclectic summer...finishing up the last few books on long lists of favorite authors, etc. Lately...I'm buried in Brad Thor's books. He might have an appeal for you, Snidely. Having just finished his "Blowback"...I'm literally in the middle of "Takedown"...nearly having a sleepless night last night because I couldn't separate myself from its pages. His fiction is so near the realities of today that it offers an appealing incite [to/for me] of our current world balance of peace and power. Prior to Thor...I was deep in the bowels of any Scott Turow mystery courtroom drama I could find with "Innocent" being one of the last of his books I read. I have one more Thor on my shelf..."Fallback"...and then I'll have to hit the book markets again. Mid summer is municipal tax time around here and not a very good time for me to be in need of new reading material. LOL I may end up revisiting some of my favorite...and well read...authors in my home library until the demand for my coins eases up.

Nora Roberts..Obsession. Very good.

On another readers forum the word "cozy" is often used to describe a mystery. Help me understand that application please.

Anne, have you read the late Vince Flynn's books, the Mitch Rapp books? And the Lee Childs books, Jack Reacher is the main character.

Wikipedia has a very good explanation of the term "cozy".

Oh goodie! New suggestions! Thanks so much, Flaming. I'm so glad you mentioned Vince Flynn. I haven't read anything of his but while I was window shopping last night...I saw that he was suggested as an author I might like. Haven't read Lee Childs either...but again...it popped up as a suggestion. Although I seem to be familiar with the character name Jack Reacher. Heaven only knows why. Is Jack Reacher that guy on the TV show...24 hours...something? I'm not into TV much but I seem to remember hearing that name. But...with the current fog in my upper region these days...I have a cluttered collection of misinformation. LOL

I might have ignored the book dealership...but I'm not going to ignore your recommendations. As soon as I have a few free coins...I'm going to start with Vince Flynn. Any suggestions where to begin?

Again...thank you...thank you...thank you, Flaming. With the reading of the last of Turow's books...I was beginning to panic wondering where to go next. You've just made my day! :-)

Pink, do you remember "Murder, She Wrote?" That show was a good example of the cozy mystery. Cozy mysteries are often set in small towns, and sometimes involve cooking, knitting, quilting, or a festival of some sort. B&B's are a frequent setting. You're unlikely to encounter sex or sophisticated language in a cozy mystery. They tend to be classic whodunits.

I'm not very fond of them, but in the past I read quite a few because I thought I could write one. But it's no fun to write something you don't particularly like. I still think the genre sounds appealing, and wish they didn't bore me. I did enjoy Angela Lansbury's TV show though.

Anne-ct, I also recommend the Vince Flynn series of Mitch Rapp books. I would suggest starting with the first book, American Assasin. Reading the books in the order they were published lets the reader follow particular story lines and characters.

I also liked the Jack Reacher series by Lee Child beginning with Killing Floor. I'm looking for the last two books in this series. I always suggest starting at the beginning of any series because my brain tends to lose track of characters along the way. :-)

TulsaRose is right, start at the beginning. One of the Lee Childs books was made into s movie. Unfortunately, it stars Tom Cruise as the huge, hulking Jack Reacher (what a laugh!) and they changed the name of the movie from One Shot to (Tom Cruise is) Jack Reacher. Maybe that's why it sounds familiar. I refuse to watch the movie, TC is the last person in Hollywood that should play Reacher.

Im happy you are pleased with the suggestions. Our library here carries all the books and my whole family loved them all.

Here's a great source for finding books in order of their publication dates.
http://www.stopyourekillingme.com/C_Authors/C_Authors.html

I am going through a quartet of books by Elena Ferrante and I just love them. I have read the first two of the four and have the other two on hold at the library. It's about two girls growing up in Naples and the writing is just beautiful. Elena Ferrante is a made-up name and no one really knows who the real authoir is.

Tulsa and Flaming...You two are terrific! I always like to start at the beginning. Just like you Tulsa...I like to keep up with the character's evolution. Not always possible but I try. In some cases...the older books aren't always available....even at my library. But I've found all sorts of sites to dig for them. :-)

Flaming...that web site is fantastic. I've been struggling with Barnes & Noble...who used to list multiple volumes in edition order...but who now have gotten too lazy to always accommodate my desires. Maybe it's because I don't buy much from them these days. LOL

We have the same attitude about TC. LOL Personally...I can't begin to imagine what he'd do to a role like Reacher [You're right! I may have connected the name through some advertisement of the movie]....or Thor's Harvath character. Of course...the last movie I paid to see was Paint Your Wagon...LOL...so that'll give you some idea of what a cinematic dinosaur I am. On the other hand...I swear I've read almost every book ever printed. LOL I don't think I would be able to read a book and then go see the movie. I think my mind's eye is so much better than some casting directors selection.

Thank you both for your help. It's so appreciated. After I pay my taxes...one of my book buying sources is going to be very happy. :-)

Another site to locate books by copyright date is https://www.fantasticfiction.com/

That is a wonderful site, Phyllis. I've just spent the last 15 minutes cruising around its contents...and...with very little encouragement...I could spend a lot more time than 15 minutes there. Maybe tomorrow! :-) It's going to rain and I'm momentarily caught up on the weekly necessities.

Thank you so very much. How have I managed not to find these sites over the years?! What a wealth of information....and not just copyright order. It's a gem!

I just finished another book called "Working Stiff" . It s true account of a Medical Examiner's fellowship in NYC. Wow it was good. Of course there are some gory descriptions of how people died but it was really interesting! The author is Judy Melinek. She was working in NYC during the World Trade Center disaster and it is quite touching reading her description of it and how it affected her office.

Have a descriptive word for TC, but can't use it here. This is a great forum so have to wonder why I had to check all the way back to #5 to locate it.

I just started two nonfiction books. One is Saving Sammy, about a 12-year-old who suddenly developed severe OCD symptoms and whose condition was eventually found to be caused by strep, and cured with an antibiotic. The other is Midnight in Broad Daylight, about brothers, born in America to Japanese immigrants. When Pearl Harbor was attacked, one brother was in the U.S. and the others were in their mother's ancestral home, Hiroshima.

I recently listened to the audiobook version of Midnight in Broad Daylight and really loved it. Wonderful book that gives two different perspectives of WW II in Asia.

Great thread! I'll use it the next time I go to the library. I ran out of books while on vacation and read Harry Potter 1 and 2. Might read the third next. The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake is on order from the library.

165 comments - and here we are waaay down on the list.

What with the prevalence of factory farms and horrid animal abuse, it behooves each of us to read "When Elephants Weep (The Emotional Lives of Animals" by Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson and Susan McCarthy.

Jane Goodall says:"This is not only an important book, it is marvelous! If animals could read they would be filled with joy and gratitude to the authors - as I am. It is scholarly, vivid, and compelling. Please read it."

Please take time out from your usual favorite reads and read this book. Even if you are an animal lover, some of the facts will amaze you.

Pink

Just finished William Kent Krueger's "Iron Lake" and enjoyed it tremendously. Stayed up one hour past bedtime to finish it!

I thought I had posted about "series" books, but can't find it, so I'll do so now I do like to follow the characters to see how they grow....or not! I read all of the Maisie Dobbs books until the latest, as well as Deborah Crombie's Gemma and Kincaid and the favorite of all being Peter Robinson's Inspector Alan Banks series.

Mystery Lovers - try Fern Michaels "Tuesday's Child".

I needed a break from all the thrills and chills...so I've tackled Gregory David Robert's first novel of almost 1000 pages...Shantaram . I'm about halfway through it now and expect...time allowing...that I'll finish it this coming week. Taken in part from The Wall Street Journal review..."Mr. Roberts was compared to everyone from Melville to Hemingway." with this, his first book. Copyrighted in 2003 and, admittedly [by Roberts] being autobiographical...I, personally, think it's a work of art...authentically describing Bombay in depth with the pen of a poets heart. Do I recommend it? Yes. But...I warn...one must make a personal commitment to it. Aside from being heavy in actual weight [and I have the paperback version at 2 lbs.]...it's heavy in the life messages that permeate its pages. If it's to your taste...you'll be drawn into page after page of the man's commitment to life, love and lessons learned....some excruciatingly painful and some so touching that you'll find yourself standing next to him in awe.

Whatever you personally find in its pages...I can almost guarantee that you'll never forget this tome.

anne_ct - how can one resist what with your wonderful report?

If you decide to take this tome on as your next reading project, Pink...I'd be most interested in your review. I suspect that there aren't many who've read it because it is rather daunting in size if for no other reason. If I were to classify its genre...I'd put it next to my copy of One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez It's more modern in its venue but the author has presented the reader with a deeply diagnostic view of Bombay and its inhabitants. Each page, each chapter teases me on to the next and I have a feeling that once I've completed it...I won't be satisfied with lesser material for quite a while. It's basically a tale of a man's brutally honest struggle to evolve and survive. It kept me glued to its pages into the wee hours of this morning while a violent thunder and lightening storm raged around me and I suspect it will do the same tonight.

Wonderful review. Thanks!

Last evening I finished a book that I would never have selected on my own. A friend brought October Sky first published as Rocket Boys to me. Thinking that this would be a book for young boys, I had never read it nor seen the movie based on it. What I found was a true delight. Reading this book sometimes made me laugh out loud and then other days it brought me to tears. It is based on the author's life and experiences. I highly recommend it.

Thank you, Nanny.

To think that I bought this magnificent literary creation for $1 at my library's semi-annual book sale simply amazes me. It was obvious that the donor had never opened it's cover...but despite its foreboding appearance...it called to me. Then it sat on my library shelf for months...until it called to me again. I've always believed that there are hidden treasures all over the world if we just keep our eyes...and minds...open. Like sweet_betsy...I know I just discovered one.

Haha, anne, there are also uncouth slobs around like me who don't enjoy books containing life messages or profound insights. We are on the outside of the groups of those more literarily oriented souls. We can only observe and admire the books the thinking classes choose. For that reason, your description is as useful for me as for anyone else, but maybe for a different reason.

I say that with only admiration and not a stitch of sarcasm or criticism. I struggled in English classes in HS and college because I was born without the symbolism-sighting and -interpreting bone that so many others have.

When I read a book, I don't want to think too much, or have any profound meanings. I'm blazing thru the Women's Murder Club mysteries by James Patterson. He's so good, with anything he writes.

Well...Howdy, Elmer. Wacha doin in the library on such a fine California day? Don't trouble yourself over likes and dislikes. In my world...each to his own. My library has a healthy collection of everything...just as varied as my music collection. And...depending on my mood at the time...I enjoy it all...from cozy English to deep philosophical renderings. If you've read this thread from the beginning...you'll see proof of that. At the moment...I'm getting an education about Bombay...and investigating the intricacies of an others mind. By the end of the week...I may be back in the thrills and chills aisle...or in the courtroom with a newly purchased...old-copyright 1987...Scott Turow novel...Presumed Innocent.

Variety is the spice of life. To me...it matters not what is read as long as it's enjoyed...and appreciated.

Jas...I read the first few Women's Murder Club mysteries and probably would have read them all if...at the time...I could have purchased them for $1 each. I enjoy James Patterson's works, too...and still have a bucket list of some of his novels that I have yet to read. His novels take up serious shelf space here in my home. He's a prolific writer.

I do have one entirely personal problem with serial writers...as I call them. After a while...I get bored with the characters. It has nothing to do with the authors, their writing skills or their material. It's just one of my quirks. The characters become too predictable. I have to give them a rest. Sometimes I go back to finish a sequence. Sometimes not. I love Daniel Silva's writing talent but after 17 editions of the adventures of his favorite character, Gabriel Allons...I've had enough and I don't think I can ever read another one. But who knows. I try never to close my mind to anything.

In the meantime...Shantaram and I shall grow in wisdom. At the moment...I need to lose myself in someone else's evolution.

Like Anne, I tire of characters in a series, however much I may have liked the first five or six books. (Maisie Dobbs is an example.) The author eventually struggles to create plausible tension about the character -- and is observed doing it! We stopped reading Daniel Silva for this reason; his art restorer has now *incredibly* survived at least two bombs too many.

DH and I recently struggled with, but completed, I Am No One by Patrick Flanery. The protagonist is unlikeable. The plot is, however, proven daily with every new privacy breach reported.

We're currently reading A Hero of France, Alan Furst's most recent novel. I'm a little disappointed -- probably because he's written similar WWII books that I liked better. (The Polish Officer was a favorite.) I've barely started, but I'm already noting rations of sex scenes. I've decided to see them as actual 'rations', given the times.

I struggled in English classes in HS and college because I was born without the symbolism-sighting and -interpreting bone that so many others have.

I haven't followed the latter part of this thread very closely, but I can't pass up a rare opportunity to agree with Elmer. I always glazed over during class discussions of symbolism. I didn't get it then, and I don't get it now. This doesn't mean I think symbols don't exist; I just don't see them, and that's okay with me.

I remember giving an oral interpretation of one of Emily Dickinson's poems. I thought I did a good job, and my teacher agreed--but then added, "You're wrong." I said, "How do you know? She's dead. Maybe this was exactly what she had in mind." :-)

One author who I really tired of quickly was Danielle Steel!!!! Her earliest works were the best and I enjoyed a few of those. Then she became senseless and immature.

One of my favourite authors of all time; again a mystery writer was Sidney Sheldon.

alisande, I'm sure you and I agree on more things than you would expect.

I was having a discussion about my "blindness" with a family friend not too long ago. A lawyer with an English degree magna from a top school. Her reaction was - "Most symbolic interpretation is made-up BS. If it's truly symbolic and indirect, any well-reasoned and well- expressed argument consistent with the symbols identified is the right answer. It's never just one."

Hearing that that lifted a life-long burden from my shoulders (just kidding). But I thought it was interesting to know.

It is interesting, and I wish I'd had that statement in college to wave in front of my teacher!

It was just one person's opinion. But for me, as with most of us, when I hear advice I like, I stop asking for opinions.

Just finished The Life and Times of Mickey Rooney by Lertzman and Birnes. My goodness, such goings on out there in Movieland. A real scandalous page turner---just goes to prove that things haven't changed much in that respect.

Now reading a far different type of book. A Hero Of France by Alan Furst is set in Paris 1942 and tells a riveting story of those who helped, and those who didn't, outwit the German occupiers. As always, when I read these kinds of books, I wonder what I would have done. We all think we would be noble but the consequences were so terrible.

I started SHANTARAM, but it wasn't for me. Many others have liked it a lot.

Now I'm reading and loving THE PIANO TUNER by Daniel Mason. I'll for sure check to see if he's written anything else. I think this was his first.

On another thread someone mentioned ISAAC'S STORM by Erik Larson about the hurricane which hit Galveston 1900. I got it from the library, so it will be next on the list.

I finally finished The Prophet. Words to live by.

I am just about in the middle of Jodi Picoult's "Handle With Care". I really like her books, she is very good at what she does, shows how everyday people handle life altering situations. I always feel like I've learned something, too.

Joan Eileen, you might also like "The Nightingale" by Kristen Hannah. It also takes place in France during World War II. She is another of my favorite authors, I've read a number of her books, including "True Colors" . I thought it was the best yet until I read "The Nightingale" , it has far surpassed any previous book. In my humble opinion, anyway.

Rusty

Socks, I read Isaacs Storm and just LOVED it. Hard story, but good. I am now reading Second Glance by Jodi Picoult. I have tried a few of her books and have not enjoyed them except for A Change Of Heart, which I truly loved. So she is off of my author list but then a friend gave me this one, a really early book of hers. So far, so good.

I just finished Sue Monk Kidd's Invention of Wings and it was wonderful.

Rusty, I have read The Nightingale and enjoyed it. I avoided it for a while as I thought I didn't like her books but found it very entertaining.

I just can't keep up with you guys. My want to read list is getting longer and longer. I finished What the Dead Know which someone recommended up thread. I really enjoyed it. I am a fan of Sue Monk Kidd and agree that Invention of Wings is a good read.