Grassroots Booksports? :)

A.K.A., read any good books lately? I've been on a Michael Crichton bender lately and, sadly, it is drawing to a close since I will soon have read every fiction book he has written.

His works I've read so far: Jurassic Park

The Lost World (I love Ian Malcolm!)

The Andromeda Strain (Not my favorite, but still enjoyable.)

Sphere (It is much better in book form than film.)

Congo (Also much better as a book than movie.)

Disclosure

The Terminal Man

Pirate Latitudes (I absolutely devoured this book, loved it!)

Timeline Airframe (Really enjoyed this one as well.)

I've read tons of other books by tons of other authors across all sorts of genres. The guys at work are huge into Jack Reacher and Mitch Rapp but that sort of stuff just doesn't do it for me. It seems like the same book over and over. Tough guy kills bad guys and hooks up with the hot chick(s). Blegh.

I've stepped away from M.C. for the moment to delay the inevitable and am currently reading "The Town" by Chuck Hogan. Really digging that one. The regional dialect really draws me in. Lately I've really been drawn toward stories written about a blend of plausible reality and/or science fiction. Not necessarily action-packed. So, there are only a few more fiction books written by my dear Mr. Crichton that I have yet to read. The end is fast approaching. Is there an author out there who would make a suitable surrogate Michael Crichton? Or, failing that, any book recommendations?

If you're a big MC fan, I suggest Robin Cook. He's not as good as MC's best but he's better than MC's worst. He reads very much like early MC stuff, but with a specifically medical bent. Coma and Outbreak are probably his most famous works.

I hadn't heard of him. I'll have to look into that one!

Would anyone like to read the book "No Time To Lose: The Fast Moving World of Bill Ivy"? He was a motorcycle racer. http://www.amazon.com/No-Time-Lose-Moving-motorcycling/dp/1899870210

I'd gladly drop it in the mail for the next person to enjoy. I'll even pay, if you agree to pay to have it mailed to the next person!

As a guy who owns the full reacher and mitch rapp series i might be off but i really enjoy steve berry, cj box, web griffin, william johnstone, stuart woods, and the like. The elvis cole novels are pretty good, theres alot out there. I rotate between books consisting of mostly ass kicking and series that are more based in logic and figuring out the crime.

The Drop, by Dennis Lehane (Mystic River, Shutter Island, Gone Baby Gone, etc.) Wonderfully written. Movie was fantastic, too.

The Bourne books by Robert Ludlum are phenominal.

stories written about a blend of plausible reality and/or science fiction

Isaac Asimov? I Robot and the foundation series are also excellent.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Kadrey

This guy wrote the "Sandman Slim" series. I enjoyed it immensely, less scifi and more supernatural. Which leads me to: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neil_Gaiman

Another hugely talented writer, "American Gods" is a must read.

KyAllroad wrote: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neil_Gaiman Another hugely talented writer, "American Gods" is a must read.

Plus one on Gaiman. The Ocean at the End of the Lane and The Graveyard Book are two of my all-time favorite books.

If you like history, I'm reading The Aviators now (not to be confused with that Leo DiCaprio movie). Lindbergh, Rickenbacker, all the early greats... it's pretty fantastic if you're interested in the history of aviation. Another recent favorite was The Girls of Atomic City--all about the Manhattan Project.

Margie

Thanks for all of the input!

Yes, I love books about history. The wife kept telling me to read "The long Gray Line" by Rick Atkinson and I'm glad she insisted. Phenomenal book. My father is a Vietnam Vet so it really spoke to me.

I need to jot down all of these books and authors and hit the local book store!

Jed, it sounds like we have similar taste. Try Blake Crouch. I have read the Pines trilogy, Abandon, and Snowbound. They were all good and different enough to not feel like he was rehashing the same story over.

Also NOS4A2 by Joe Hill. The author is Stephen Kings son. He writes like his dad but more twisted. This book makes Christmas scary.

Tim Powers has been my author of choice lately. "On Stranger Tides" is a fantastic pirate book that has a lot of mystic/magic/voodoo goings on. They robbed a lot of it for the last POTC movie of the same name which I have not seen, but don't skip the book because of it.

I also just finished a trilogy of his in books "Last Call" / "Expiration Date" / and "Earthquake Weather" that was phenomenal. Set in the more or less modern west coast they are urban fantasy based around the influence of ancient archetypes as seen in the Tarot deck and the Fisher King myths, with some ghosts and greek gods thrown in for good measure. Really well written and they'll mess with your head a little about how you see the world. If you liked Gaiman's American Gods, at least the first book is a must read.

"This is where I Leave You" and currently in the middle of "Ciderhouse Rules". Trying to go through the classics. I may grab the copy of Secret Garden or Frankenstein from the book loan shelf at work next.

Still waiting for Winds of Winter...

Andy Weir, The Martian.

There are a number of mystery/crime thriller authors out there that base their novels in or around their home cities. I've worked my way through most of John Camp's Prey series, which are about a detective based in Minneapolis/St. Paul, but there are other authors with book series centered in Detroit, Chicago, LA, etc.

Get yourself some Neal Stephenson.

Plausible(ish) sci-fi: Snow Crash, Seveneves

Historical fiction: Cryptonomicon (also really, really long)

Glad Marjorie liked my suggestion of "the Ocean at the End of the Lane." Beautiful piece of writing.

Marjorie Suddard wrote:

KyAllroad wrote: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neil_Gaiman Another hugely talented writer, "American Gods" is a must read.

Plus one on Gaiman. The Ocean at the End of the Lane and The Graveyard Book are two of my all-time favorite books.

+2. Although I prefer American Gods. "Good Omens" is my favorite book of all time. Which brings me to my current reading list.

I'm devouring Terry Pratchett novels right now. We just passed the 1 year anniversary of his death.

Don't leave out "The Great Tain Robbery", pretty good read.

Might want to try Jack Finney "Time and Again" and "Assault on a Queen". These are old and read as such( he also wrote invasion of the body snatchers), not as smooth as these million novels a year authors.

Fredrick Forsythe "The Veteran", "Icon", "Odessa File" and "The Day of the Jackal".

I can't get into Gaiman for some reason. Though Pratchett is fun.

Lately I've been reading "My Struggle" by Karl Ove Knausgård - it's been mundane and mind blowing at the same time. It's hard to explain why - the books are basically the just the memoirs of an average Everyman, told exceptionally well, and pulling no punches. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who isn't into "Big L" literature, but if you're a fan of introspection, pick it up.

Seconding the Neil Stephenson reccomendation! I've also read every Pratchett book I can lay my hands on. A couple of favorite personal sci-fi authors are Larry Niven, especially "Lucifer's Hammer" and the Ringworld series, and Alfred Bester. And now for something completely different, if you like creative wordplay and reality-twisting, check out Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next books.

I'd suggest you get a goodreads account. I love this book rating website/app that when you have rated 20+ books starts suggesting new books. With over 500 books logged, I've enjoyed every suggestion they've made in the last 3 years. I'm a little disappointed they got bought by someone (Amazon I think). On the other hand, I haven't noticed any changes since they were bought two years ago.

I just finished StarCrossed by Elizabeth Bunce and really enjoyed it.

Try some graphic novels? "Gunsmithcats" by Kenichi Sonoda is great and "Empowered" by Adam Warren is darkly funny.

"Cannonball" by Brock yates is a must if you haven't

In reply to travellering:

I have read "Lucifer's Hammer" and I whole-heartedly agree, it was a great book.

I zipped through some Asimov mystery/sci-fi short stories recently and really enjoyed them. You could tell he had fun writing them and there was usually a little author's note preceding each story that made it feel like he was speaking to you. I'm a big fan of the quirkiness of Wendell Urth.

I've read and enjoyed Nelson DeMille's "John Corey" series, as well as the late Vince Flynn's "Mitch Rapp" series. But my all-time favorite author is W.E.B. Griffin. In fact I'm in the middle of re-reading his series "The Corps," about the Marines in WWII, which I originally read fifteen years ago. He's a great writer who not only creates superb historical fiction with excellent characters and plots, but he also crafts the best sentences and paragraphs I've ever read. Sometimes I go back over a paragraph just to appreciate his writing skills. He isn't for somebody looking for a thrilling action packed quick-read futuristic Sci-fi or fantasy novel. But if you appreciate good writing skills as I do, along with an excellent story, I recommend his work. (His earlier work up until around 2005 is better than what he has done in collaboration with his son more recently).

I've been enjoying "The Expanse" series by James Corey. I haven't seen the ScyFy series based on it but I've heard good things about that as well.