Summer reading

[alwaysamy]

I just finished The Thirteenth Tale, by Diane Setterfield. WOW. One of the best books I've read in years. It's everything a novel should be, in the most old-fashioned sense of the word, and her style is timeless -- there are no pop culture references here, no mentions of TV or the Internet, or even cell phones. It could be set anytime in the last thirty years or so, and in the end it doesn't matter *when* it's set.

It's got everything -- ghosts, twins, madness, incest, a crumbling old estate, a governess, a secret baby, and most importantly books themselves. The power of story here is the point, and it's magnificent.

I'm finishing up The Sweet Far Thing, by Libba Bray, right now -- I have no idea why it took me so long to get to this book, which is the third in her series. After that, I'm wide open, and remembering what summer usually means to me when it comes to books.

For years, of course, some lucky summers meant a new Harry Potter, and almost every summer means a new Julia Quinn and/or a new Nicci French -- light, sexy or suspenseful beach reads. There's no more Harry (::sobs bitterly::), and I think I've grown out of Quinn and French, much as I liked them in the past.

Any recommendations?

Comments

[spectralbovine.livejournal.com]

Ooh, awesome, someone else on my flist is reading The Thirteenth Tale, and I've been waiting to hear what she thinks. I keep seeing it, and it looks pretty awesome, but I haven't heard from anyone whether it's actually good. Thanks for the rec; I'll put it on my List.

[amy37.livejournal.com]

What, no recs for *me*?

::pouts::

[spectralbovine.livejournal.com]

I have so many recommendations! What are you looking for?

[amy37.livejournal.com]

No clue, really! I'll have to take a look over there.

[forodwaith.livejournal.com]

If you like Nicci French, have you ever tried Minette Walters? She's another excelelBritish suspense writer, slightly grittier. I love The Ice-House for its portrait of strong female friendships. (The fact that a young Daniel Craig played the hot policeman in the BBC adaptation didn't hurt, either.)

[amy37.livejournal.com]

Oh, I've read all of hers! I didn't love the last one (as in, didn't even finish it) but The Shape of Snakes and even the older ones, like The Ice House, were FABULOUS.

[forodwaith.livejournal.com]

The other mystery author I always recommend is Giles Blunt, but I can't remember if I've mentioned him to you before. Start with his series books set in Northern Ontario -- the one about the ice storm is my favourite -- not his later stand-alones.

[amy37.livejournal.com]

A new *series* is exactly what I need, too. Thank you!

I love Deborah Crombie, as well, but I'm all read up with her until the next book comes out. And sadly, Ruth Rendell is getting hit or miss for lately. I could never finish The Rottweiler, and I think I've missed one or two since.

I do want to get her new Barbara Vine book when it's in paper, though (or at the library).

[paksenarrion2.livejournal.com]

Have you ever read any of the J.D. Robb In Death series? If you haven't, I highly recommend them. There are *thinks for a second* 35 or 36 books so far so that should keep you busy for a while :D

[amy37.livejournal.com]

I read the first one a looooong time ago. Good idea!

[cass404.livejournal.com]

There's no more Harry (::sobs bitterly::)

My goal is to finish reading Book 6 before the movie comes out. ::nods::

[ex-fashioni.livejournal.com]

Try Elizabeth Hoyt's Four Soldier's series. Regency set, but not twee, very sexy, and with a great mystery arc. There are three books out so far, book four (which I am SO looking forward to) is coming out in November.

[amy37.livejournal.com]

Are they romances or mysteries?

Have read Kate Ross? She wrote four WONDERFUL Regency-set mysteries. She died, though.

[ex-fashioni.livejournal.com]

Romance, but the mystery is woven in there rather nicely. What I like best though is that her characters are real. They're damaged, fucked up characters and the soldiers, they've got real demons from their time in the colonies. (They were raided by the French and their Native allies and it weren't pretty-- the mystery has to do with the idea that there was a traitor in the English regiment.) And actually, they're not purely regency-set-- they're earlier-- 1765.

If you want a pure mystery series that I'm also enjoying a ton, try the Sebastian St. Cyr mystery series by C.S. Harris. I got one of the books as part of my RITA finals box and loved it.

Oh, oh, oh... also-- The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley. (Might have a different title, since it was a Brit pubbed book--) Big, huge, meaty half-contemporary/half-historical, set in Scotland, but not Culloden-era. Earlier. Fascinating book and really well-written.

[amy37.livejournal.com]

Yeah, maybe the St. Cyr, but the first one is just not my thing anymore. Thank you for reccing, though!

And the Kearsley sounds really interesting.

[stephl.livejournal.com]

I'm finishing up The Sweet Far Thing, by Libba Bray, right now

The end made me cry and cry and cry.

I've been reading Diana Peterfreund's Secret Society Girl Series, which are a lot of fun.

Also lots of YA books, including an assload of Scott Westerfeld's books -- Peeps (entertaining), The Uglies series (very engaging), and The Midnighters series, which I LOVED.

[amy37.livejournal.com]

I have Peeps! Started it and put it down for reasons I've forgotten, and then ... forgot about it entirely. Good call!

I do love Gemma. And this last one is so nice and meaty. Oh, and I STILL have to send you that book back! Damn.

[stephl.livejournal.com]

I have Peeps!

I'm trying to make a "hanging with my peeps" joke, and failing.

I love my local library. I go there, on average, twice a week. My currently checked-out stuff is: a Sneaker Pimps CD, a Madeleine L'Engle book, a book about Edward VIII/Wallis Simpson, and Melusine (since her last book came out earlier this year, I need to re-read the first 3 in order to remember what in the hell was going on).

I STILL have to send you that book back! Damn.

No rush -- if I needed it, I would have told you!

[amy37.livejournal.com]

I saw you asking about Edward and Wallis in Lit -- I've got a bio of Louisa May Alcott *and* her father I want to dig into, too (it won a Pulitzer, apparently).

I also ... need to pay my library fine. The original Lament of the Buffista.

[stephl.livejournal.com]

I also ... need to pay my library fine. The original Lament of the Buffista.

Ha! I just paid mine yesterday! (They let you check out stuff if it's under $10, which it was, but then every time you check out, they remind you about the fine. The library I ordinarily use has self-checkout [which RULES], and so the computer reminds me, but there's an option to pay later, which I always select. But yesterday I went to a different branch, with no self-checkout, and the real live librarian hit me up for the $$$. Since I'm very susceptible to guilt, it worked.)

[amy37.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'm over my limit.

Oh, and I also still need to read Savage Beauty, the one about Edna St. Vincent Millay. I have been in the mood for bios lately, too, so.