Book Recommendations

[SherriAnt]

@GreekGeek, my public library does these in a bingo format, and makes different ones for different ages. I'm not a very adventurous reader, so I never do finish. 

[Bunty]

@Athena   Here are a few more possibilities :

Carla Kelly (Libby's London Merchant)  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/k/carla-kelly/libbys-london-merchant.htm

Jo Beverley  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/b/jo-beverley/

Mary Jo Putney  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/p/mary-jo-putney/

Kate Ross (She is mystery but Heyer like I think)  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/r/kate-ross/

Possibly I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/s/dodie-smith/i-capture-castle.htm

[Athena]

On 1/8/2018 at 3:20 PM, GaT said:

I'm not a romance reader, but Georgette Heyer wrote a bunch of mysteries which I enjoy very much. Sayers is also good.

I'm not actually a big romance reader either, but I think it's that ability to craft characters in interesting and/or historical settings which Heyer and Agatha Christie and other mystery authors are good at. Looking forward to more Heyer mysteries and trying out Sayers too. Thanks!

 

On 1/8/2018 at 6:54 PM, Bunty said:

As a Heyer fan, I would recommend Patricia Veryan.  Her books are unfortunately out of print but you should be able to track some down through the library and used book stores.  They have a great blend of romance, history, and adventure you rarely find anymore.  Here is an article that talks about them and what order to read in :

http://fadedhat.blogspot.com/2014/02/helga-recommends-patricia-veryan.html

 

Those blog post really made me interested in Veryan. My library has a few of her books but not all of them and out of order. I think I'll be able to find some on ebook though.

 

On 1/8/2018 at 9:17 PM, DearEvette said:

I've read authors who might have one or two books that seem Heyeresque but rarely anyone with a complete bibliography that reminds me of her stuff.

I do think Stella Riley comes close.  She writes historical fiction with a liberal dash of romance.  She also has some novels that are strictly romance.  Her Rockliffe series to me is very Heyer in spirit.

Mary Balogh has a ridiculously deep backlist and she writes very differently across books, but Slightly Dangerous had a very Heyer feel as does her The Lady With The Black Umbrella

I'll try the Rockliffe series on ebook. Thank you.

 

1 hour ago, Bunty said:

@Athena   Here are a few more possibilities :

Carla Kelly (Libby's London Merchant)  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/k/carla-kelly/libbys-london-merchant.htm

Jo Beverley  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/b/jo-beverley/

Mary Jo Putney  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/p/mary-jo-putney/

Kate Ross (She is mystery but Heyer like I think)  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/r/kate-ross/

Possibly I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/s/dodie-smith/i-capture-castle.htm

Thank you for this list! I will definitely peruse it. I read I Capture the Castle many years ago and did enjoy it.  

[DearEvette]

@Athena if you like mystery then I second the recommendation of Kate Ross.  Her Julian Kestrel series is great.

[Zola]

As an outsider looking in, I am quite fascinated by Donald Trump, I should quickly add that I am not a supporter or advocate of POTUS, but he really has lit-up the media with all sorts of wild stories over the years. But trying to find a news media site that offers a purely objective review of the guy and his past, is proving quite challenging. 

There are plenty of books out there about him and is many peccadilloes (true or alleged) , but again trying something balanced and interesting is proving difficult. 

Can anyone recommend a couple of books that offer some semblance of interest? I really wouldn't know where to start looking quite frankly. 

Thanks

[OtterMommy]

1 hour ago, Zola said:

As an outsider looking in, I am quite fascinated by Donald Trump, I should quickly add that I am not a supporter or advocate of POTUS, but he really has lit-up the media with all sorts of wild stories over the years. But trying to find a news media site that offers a purely objective review of the guy and his past, is proving quite challenging. 

There are plenty of books out there about him and is many peccadilloes (true or alleged) , but again trying something balanced and interesting is proving difficult. 

Can anyone recommend a couple of books that offer some semblance of interest? I really wouldn't know where to start looking quite frankly. 

Thanks

This is a hard one because I honestly don't think there are any books about him, specifically, that are what you are looking for.  In all honesty, though, I chalk this up to there not being enough distance.  What I've noticed is don't start getting the objective-ish books about any president until they've been out of office for a while.

Are you interested in learning about him specifically or about the sort of world that led to where we are now?  If it is the second, there are several books out there that might fit the bill, although none of them are about Trump.  Hillbilly Elegy is one that people mention, although I would recommend going into that knowing as little as possible about beforehand--only because some of the talk about it paints it to be something that it isn't.  I enjoyed it, but was sort of baffled because it was nothing like what I felt I was led to believe.

[Zola]

41 minutes ago, OtterMommy said:

This is a hard one because I honestly don't think there are any books about him, specifically, that are what you are looking for.  In all honesty, though, I chalk this up to there not being enough distance.  What I've noticed is don't start getting the objective-ish books about any president until they've been out of office for a while.

Are you interested in learning about him specifically or about the sort of world that led to where we are now?  If it is the second, there are several books out there that might fit the bill, although none of them are about Trump.  Hillbilly Elegy is one that people mention, although I would recommend going into that knowing as little as possible about beforehand--only because some of the talk about it paints it to be something that it isn't.  I enjoyed it, but was sort of baffled because it was nothing like what I felt I was led to believe.

Thanks for the feedback. I knew it might be a tough call. I know he's still got 2 or 3 (or perhaps even 6 or 7) more years left to run as POTUS, and as you say it would be far too early looking for books on his presidential legacy (although I look forward to them with great interest). 

And as to your question: I think the man himself, where he started and how he ended up as the president. I have seen some books that cover that, but looking at some of the reviews, they seem to be quite skewered to either side of the political spectrum in terms of "objective" writing. I suppose i could settle for one of those as a last resort. Btu it would be nice to read some vanilla :)

[Captain Carrot]

On 1/16/2018 at 3:38 PM, OtterMommy said:

This is a hard one because I honestly don't think there are any books about him, specifically, that are what you are looking for.  In all honesty, though, I chalk this up to there not being enough distance.  What I've noticed is don't start getting the objective-ish books about any president until they've been out of office for a while.

This actually reminds me of Chernow's biography of Grant. Lost Cause historians got a two for one deal by demonizing him as he was the general that defeated Lee and the president during the bulk of reconstruction. So it's only the past few years that we've gotten some honest looks at a flawed but good man that helped save the country. I recommend Chernow's book for a view of the war and reconstruction that's unsullied by Lost Cause rhetoric. That said it can be a difficult read. As an example, I didn't realize how whitewashed my view of reconstruction was until reading about the actions of white supremacists after the war. 

[SmithW6079]

On 1/16/2018 at 4:26 PM, Zola said:

Thanks for the feedback. I knew it might be a tough call. I know he's still got 2 or 3 (or perhaps even 6 or 7) more years left to run as POTUS, and as you say it would be far too early looking for books on his presidential legacy (although I look forward to them with great interest). 

And as to your question: I think the man himself, where he started and how he ended up as the president. I have seen some books that cover that, but looking at some of the reviews, they seem to be quite skewered to either side of the political spectrum in terms of "objective" writing. I suppose i could settle for one of those as a last resort. Btu it would be nice to read some vanilla :)

I haven't read it yet, but Rick Wilson wrote a Trump book.

Everything Trump Touches Dies: A Republican Strategist Gets Real About the Worst President Ever

[Haleth]

10 hours ago, stewedsquash said:

I am thinking about starting Sue Grafton's alphabet series. Does anyone know if you can read them out of order? Are there references that would spoil a previous letter book? If I read "I Is For Innocence" will I know how the "B" book ends for instance? The "I" book has shown up as a freebie on my BookBub account is the reason for the interest.

They probably should be read in order but you don't have to normally.  Sometimes a plot point from a previous book carries over to the next one, but Grafton does a pretty good job summarizing what happened.  I usually couldn't remember the previous book so well and it was never a problem when she refers to something that occurred earlier in the series.  This would happen in the B plotline and wouldn't really be relevant to the current mystery.  But yes, Kinsey might reminisce about a case and spoil it for you.

Edited August 4, 2018 by Haleth

[Hanahope]

I learned the other day about the movie The Girl in the Spider's Web, which is based on the book of the same name, which is a Lisbeth Salander/Mikael Blomkvist  book written by David Lagercrantz.  I found out that Lagercrantz was tapped by Stieg Larsson's family to continue his story line, instead of using Larsson's partner, who actually had Larsson's notes for additional books.  And there's another novel too, The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye.

I was wondering if anyone has read these and if they are a good as the first three, or mere shells just using the names.

[Athena]

On 11/1/2018 at 1:06 PM, Hanahope said:

I learned the other day about the movie The Girl in the Spider's Web, which is based on the book of the same name, which is a Lisbeth Salander/Mikael Blomkvist  book written by David Lagercrantz.  I found out that Lagercrantz was tapped by Stieg Larsson's family to continue his story line, instead of using Larsson's partner, who actually had Larsson's notes for additional books.  And there's another novel too, The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye.

I was wondering if anyone has read these and if they are a good as the first three, or mere shells just using the names.

Larsson's family and official estate did go against Larsson's partner. They entered a publishing deal to continue the successful franchise. Who knows if we will ever see anything of the original work Larsson was working on before his death. 

I read The Girl in the Spider's Web. It was OK. I feel like Lagercrantz did capture a lot of Lisbeth's character, but everything else was less memorable. While I read and enjoyed some elements of the original trilogy, I didn't love everything about them. I did find Lisbeth's character fascinating but the plots and Mikael were weaker. With Spider's Web, this was even more of an issue. I can't even remember much from the book. I don't think Lagercrantz elevated the franchise, but some people seem to like them more or just as much.

[Haleth]

I completely agree, Athena.  It was meh.  Nowhere near as good as the original trilogy.

[GaT]

Has anybody read the Diane Fallon series by Beverly Connor? It sounds like something I would like, but I thought I would ask if anyone recommends it.

[DearEvette]

42 minutes ago, GaT said:

Has anybody read the Diane Fallon series by Beverly Connor? It sounds like something I would like, but I thought I would ask if anyone recommends it.

I read the first one and kept meaning to go back and read the rest.  I enjoyed it quite a bit.  Here is a my review for it on Goodreads.

[GaT]

41 minutes ago, DearEvette said:

I read the first one and kept meaning to go back and read the rest.  I enjoyed it quite a bit.  Here is a my review for it on Goodreads.

Thanks, I think I'll give it a try, & it looks like it comes in mass market paperback form, so yay!

[HazelEyes4325]

So, I'm in need of some recommendations for my husband.  We do Jolabokaflod on Christmas Eve, and he's the hardest one to buy for.  He reads one or two books a year and won't continue with anything that doesn't grab him in the first couple of pages.  Clive Cussler is a favorite of his, but he can't remember what he's read and hasn't and I've accidentally gotten him books he had already read in the past, so I'd be best to stay away from him--although a readalike would be best.  He does like historical fiction or books that involve history.  

Thanks in advance for any ideas!

[Bunty]

9 hours ago, HazelEyes4325 said:

So, I'm in need of some recommendations for my husband.  We do Jolabokaflod on Christmas Eve, and he's the hardest one to buy for.  He reads one or two books a year and won't continue with anything that doesn't grab him in the first couple of pages.  Clive Cussler is a favorite of his, but he can't remember what he's read and hasn't and I've accidentally gotten him books he had already read in the past, so I'd be best to stay away from him--although a readalike would be best.  He does like historical fiction or books that involve history.  

Thanks in advance for any ideas!

You can use Literature Map for suggestions of similar authors.   Just put in Clive Cussler and other authors will populate the map.  The ones closest to Cussler are supposed to be the best choices.

https://www.literature-map.com/

 

Also if you go to his page on fantastic fiction at the bottom Cussler recommends some authors

https://www.fantasticfiction.com/c/clive-cussler/

Edited December 15, 2018 by Bunty
edited to add

[auntlada]

Try NPR's book concierge. https://apps.npr.org/best-books-2018/

[HazelEyes4325]

Wow, thanks guys!  I'm going to look into these sources now!

[Danny Franks]

18 hours ago, HazelEyes4325 said:

So, I'm in need of some recommendations for my husband.  We do Jolabokaflod on Christmas Eve, and he's the hardest one to buy for.  He reads one or two books a year and won't continue with anything that doesn't grab him in the first couple of pages.  Clive Cussler is a favorite of his, but he can't remember what he's read and hasn't and I've accidentally gotten him books he had already read in the past, so I'd be best to stay away from him--although a readalike would be best.  He does like historical fiction or books that involve history.  

Thanks in advance for any ideas!

I'd recommend Joseph Kanon. He writes 20th century, period spy/thriller novels. The Good German is probably his most famous book, but most of the rest are really good too. My favourites are Los Alamos and The Prodigal Spy.

[Minneapple]

Looking for recommendations for a long flight I have coming up! I'm pretty open on what I like. Thrillers, YA, fantasy, regular literary fiction. I love fairy tale adaptations. Just something that's not too heavy with likeable characters. 

[dubbel zout]

Ken Follett's early thrillers (Eye of the Needle, The Key to Rebecca, Triple, The Man from St. Petersburg, among others) are fantastically entertaining and quick reads. His historical novels are slogs for me, as I never like it when book characters are basically Zelig, i.e., find themselves at all of the major historic events.

Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy is also wonderful. It's classified as YA, but like all good literature, age of the reader is basically irrelevant.

ETA: If you can find any of Peter Dickinson's mysteries (I think most are sadly out of print), they are definitely worth reading. He was a remarkable writer.

Edited March 28, 2019 by dubbel zout
another rec

[Minneapple]

I've always meant to read the His Dark Materials but never got around to it. Perhaps now is the perfect time. Thanks @dubbel zout!

[Black Knight]

9 hours ago, dubbel zout said:

ETA: If you can find any of Peter Dickinson's mysteries (I think most are sadly out of print), they are definitely worth reading. He was a remarkable writer.

He was also Robin McKinley's husband. His stroke, followed by his death in 2015, unfortunately completely stopped her writing career. She used to put a book out every couple of years. She released the first of a planned trilogy, Pegasus, in 2010, and then a standalone (Shadows) in 2013. She was working on the sequel to Pegasus when Dickinson suffered his stroke. She's not even updated her blog since last summer, so it seems she's still having a very hard time of it. I hope things get better for her.

Back on topic - Minneapple, I would recommend Barry Hughart's Bridge of Birds to you. It's got everything - fairy tale elements, high adventure, an intriguing mystery, lots of humor, some romance, and a spectacular ending.

[Minneapple]

11 hours ago, Black Knight said:

Back on topic - Minneapple, I would recommend Barry Hughart's Bridge of Birds to you. It's got everything - fairy tale elements, high adventure, an intriguing mystery, lots of humor, some romance, and a spectacular ending.

Ooh that sounds like fun. Thank you!

[blackwing]

On 12/14/2018 at 9:50 PM, HazelEyes4325 said:

So, I'm in need of some recommendations for my husband.  We do Jolabokaflod on Christmas Eve, and he's the hardest one to buy for.  He reads one or two books a year and won't continue with anything that doesn't grab him in the first couple of pages.  Clive Cussler is a favorite of his, but he can't remember what he's read and hasn't and I've accidentally gotten him books he had already read in the past, so I'd be best to stay away from him--although a readalike would be best.  He does like historical fiction or books that involve history.  

Thanks in advance for any ideas!

Just stumbled across this thread.  @HazelEyes4325, what did you end up choosing?  I know it's too late for Christmas, but if you are looking for suggestions for next year, it sounds like your husband could have similar reading tastes to mine.  I like Clive Cussler (even if he no longer writes the books that get published with his name on it) and most anything in what I loosely call the "men's adventure" genre.  Cussler books tend to be fairly formulaic... there's generally some historical treasure/secret that gets lost to time until the modern day heroes uncover it, usually in connection with trying to prevent some evil megalomaniac from taking over the world.  The most similar authors to Cussler I have found that write in this vein are Andy McDermott and Chris Kuzneski.  McDermott's books feature an American archaeologist named Nina Wilde and a British ex-military muscle named Eddie Chase.  His books are great fun, there are at least 12 of them.  Chris Kuzneski's team of Payne and Jones is great as well.

For pure adventure, which doesn't involve historical artifacts or history, I think that Matthew Reilly is the king of the action thriller.  His books read like they could be movie scripts and some elements are so creative and astounding that I often find myself imagining that they were actual movies.  James Rollins writes action thrillers that usually have an element of both scientific and historical basis.  I think of him as the successor to the late Michael Crichton.

For historical fiction... the king of historical fiction to me is John Jakes, hands down.  Start with "North and South" and the other two books in the trilogy.  Then the 8 book series "The Kent Family Chronicles" tracing one family from its roots in 18th century England to modern day America (I think, it's been a while).  He also has some other series and standalones.  I believe he is still alive but he must be close to 90 and his last book was published almost 15 years ago.  They never said he officially retired, but it's too bad because he never did finish his last ambitious series about a Chicago family, it ended with only two books.

Ken Follett is one of my favourite authors.  Many of his books are historical fiction, including two series.  "The Pillars of the Earth" is my favourite book of all time and considered a modern day classic.  It's about the building of a cathedral in 12th century England and the intertwined lives of the people of the town.  There were two subsequent sequels set in the same town featuring the descendants of the original residents, one was set about 150 years later and the most recent one was set in Elizabethan times.  Neither was as good as "Pillars" but not much is in my opinion.  "Pillars" and the second book "World Without End" were both made into TV miniseries not that long ago.  Follett's other books are thrillers, some set in historical settings (seemingly often World War II) and some in modern times.  You can't go wrong with anything by Follett.

Hope this helps.

[Jeanne222]

Great topic for us readers!  Just getting ready to read An American Family.  Finishing Dreams Of Joy!

[Vapor]

The Returners (2019) https://www.amazon.com/dp/1091608997

It's a modern fantasy story blending supernatural elements with character-driven drama, some light comedy, romance, and action/adventure.

After a steady diet of fantasy/supernatural TV that skates by the question, Returners offers a decent reason for why 203498230 different "mysterious death" incidents can happen every couple weeks without almost anyone noticing how completely abnormal that would be for those towns.

There's a big cast and unusual storytelling that plays with your perception of events, which can be fun once you see the bigger picture.

[Snow Apple]

On 3/28/2019 at 10:51 AM, Minneapple said:

Looking for recommendations for a long flight I have coming up! I'm pretty open on what I like. Thrillers, YA, fantasy, regular literary fiction. I love fairy tale adaptations. Just something that's not too heavy with likeable characters. 

For a YA fairytale adaption, I recommend Kill Me Softly by Sarah Cross. A teenage girl runs away from her guardians to her deceased parent's hometown and find the residents are a bit unusual. A bit magical in the fairytale sense. 

There's a sequel but I haven't read that yet.

[festivus]

On 3/28/2019 at 10:51 AM, Minneapple said:

Looking for recommendations for a long flight I have coming up! I'm pretty open on what I like. Thrillers, YA, fantasy, regular literary fiction. I love fairy tale adaptations. Just something that's not too heavy with likeable characters. 

I hope I'm not too late to give you a couple of recs. You said you like YA so here are two I really love:

I'll Give You The Sun This book is just beautifully written, probably my favorite of any new YA I've read.

Grasshopper Jungle This one is just fun and weird and when I was reading it I could already see it being made into a movie.

I suck at summaries so that's why I left the links so other folks could tell you about the books better than me!

[Minneapple]

Thanks @festivus! Never too late for a book recommendation!

[KillingAdam]

On 1/16/2018 at 2:22 PM, Zola said:

As an outsider looking in, I am quite fascinated by Donald Trump, I should quickly add that I am not a supporter or advocate of POTUS, but he really has lit-up the media with all sorts of wild stories over the years. But trying to find a news media site that offers a purely objective review of the guy and his past, is proving quite challenging. 

There are plenty of books out there about him and is many peccadilloes (true or alleged) , but again trying something balanced and interesting is proving difficult. 

Can anyone recommend a couple of books that offer some semblance of interest? I really wouldn't know where to start looking quite frankly. 

Thanks

It's tricky because Trump has literally spent his entire life LYING about EVERYTHING. The ghostwriter on his book The Art of the Deal said it was one of the worst experiences he's ever had as a ghostwriter, because Trump:

1) Literally has a five second attention span

2) EVERYTHING is The Best/Greatest/Most EVER

That being said, Katy Tur's book Unbelievable: My Front Row Seat to the Craziest Campaign in American History gives a great flavor as to what it was like for a non-politics based reporter to cover Trump's campaign from the beginning.

[KillingAdam]

The Beastie Boys Book by the two remaining Beasties with additional material from friends/collaborators.

I have Licensed to Ill which is see no so fondly as the peak of the Boys 'frat bro' period and am not a fan of much if any of the rest of their ouvre.

HOWEVA, I was DE-FUCKING-LIGHTED by this book. It is sweet and charming and well written and funny and IT HAS AN ACTUAL COOKBOOK WITHIN THE ACTUAL BOOK FOR NO ADDITIONAL COST.

Such a deal.

It's the story of a group of guys who formed a band and wanted to make their way in the record business ON THEIR TERMS and were given the freedom to do so and succeeded moderately magnificently. It's also about growth, specifically about  3 guys who were once seen as the absolute worst stereotypical misogynistic frat bros imaginable, and who lived that life unapologetically for several years but who grew out of that and into more or less mature family men.

The best book I read in 2018.

Beat the Reaper by Josh Bazell is a novel about Peter Brown who is an intern at the worst hospital in Manhattan. except that's a cover, because Peter is really Pietro Brwna who was a hitman for the mob. Intrigued?

[thomasdown92]

Macbeth by William Shakespeare. After a lot of persuading from my significant other, I finally read this classic (not a big Shakespeare fan) and I found it to be a compelling read. The characters, the motifs, the blind ambition in Macbeth makes it a literary gem that everyone keeps raving about. I guess I was a little late to catch up on Macbeth...

[BlackberryJam]

9 hours ago, thomasdown92 said:

Macbeth by William Shakespeare. After a lot of persuading from my significant other, I finally read this classic (not a big Shakespeare fan) and I found it to be a compelling read. The characters, the motifs, the blind ambition in Macbeth makes it a literary gem that everyone keeps raving about. I guess I was a little late to catch up on Macbeth...

It’s sacrilege but sometimes Shakespeare is tedious. Valuable to have read, but tedious. MacBeth is not tedious. It’s one of my three favorites.

[Starleigh]

On 1/8/2018 at 1:45 PM, Athena said:

Any other fans of Georgette Heyer recommend some similar style of writing and light reads? A few years ago, I managed to read all of Heyer's Regency/Georgian romances and while some were better than others, the whole experience was fun. I haven't really read her mysteries so I could start there, but I like the light tone of her romance novels. I was considering some Dorothy L. Sayers as well but I know they may not be similar at all. Thank you! 

If you still looking for good, similar type  regencies, I would recommend Marion Chesney. 

[WendyCR72]

I just started reading Anne Stuart's new novel. I know her best from the House of Rohan historical romance series she wrote. This one is more contemporary...sort of. The newest book is titled Return To Christmas, about a lonely marketing executive [in 2020] with no family and a love of New York - and Macy's Department Store. Somehow, upon entering Macy's doors to cheer herself up after fighting off an unwanted advance at work, she is inside the store - in 1947. And she meets the hero of the tale, a former WWII soldier and Macy's window dresser who doesn't know what to make of the heroine, yet, becomes fascinated by her.

As I said, I just started reading this, but I already love the ambience of 1940s New York, the terminology, fashions, and all. (My grandparents grew up around that era, so this book hits a sort of sentimental spot for me.)

And I have a feeling I am in for another Anne Stuart tortured hero, which she seems to excel at. So if you like time travel, romance, and/or the 1940s? Try this. I really like it so far, and I bet you will, too.

[Serrah Miles]

I recommend Sookie Stackhouse novels! I really fell in love with it, bought all the books and I can read it for number of times! No wonder it's a best selling book!

[peacheslatour]

I just finished The Death of Mrs. Westaway and found it extremely underwhelming. Can anyone recommend a better book in a similar vein?

[catlover79]

Upon the passing of Caroll Spinney, I recommend his 2003 memoir. It goes into his childhood, how he got into puppetry at age 12, how he met Jim Henson and got Sesame Street, how he found lasting love as a divorced father of small children and much more. ❤

[OtterMommy]

Hey all...I'm looking for some book recommendations for my daughter.  She's in 5th grade (11 in a few weeks) but she reads at an upper high school level (or as high as her testing will indicate).  One of her goals is to read more "challenging" books but we're having trouble finding ones that are challenging and appropriate.  She's not at all into romance and doesn't want anything "girly"...and she's only 11 so YA romances are out.  She does enjoy fantasy novels and mysteries and has read all of Rick Riordan's books already and, of course, the entire HP series (multiple times).  At her age I had completely different interests and I'm still not a huge fan of fantasy, so I'm not much help here.  Hence, I'm turning to all of you...any suggestions?

[dubbel zout]

@OtterMommy, has she read anything by E. Lockhart? They aren't romance per se, but there is some boy stuff. There's the Ruby Oliver quartet, Fly on the Wall, The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks (great even for adults), Genuine Fraud, We Were Liars (these last two are mystery-adjacent and more adult, but suitable for an older YA reader). My favorite of these is Frankie Landau-Banks—it's a hoot and very clever.

[Dani-Ellie]

Ottermommy, if you can still find Kathryn Reiss' standalone books, those were a favorite of mine at your daughter's age. I liked ghost stories and mysteries and Reiss was right up my alley; she plays a lot with time in her stories, the past touching the present and such. My favorite book of all time is actually her Time Windows (about a girl who moves into an old house and finds she can watch the lives of the people who lived there before her through the windows of an old dollhouse left in the attic by the previous occupants).

[peacheslatour]

2 hours ago, OtterMommy said:

Hey all...I'm looking for some book recommendations for my daughter.  She's in 5th grade (11 in a few weeks) but she reads at an upper high school level (or as high as her testing will indicate).  One of her goals is to read more "challenging" books but we're having trouble finding ones that are challenging and appropriate.  She's not at all into romance and doesn't want anything "girly"...and she's only 11 so YA romances are out.  She does enjoy fantasy novels and mysteries and has read all of Rick Riordan's books already and, of course, the entire HP series (multiple times).  At her age I had completely different interests and I'm still not a huge fan of fantasy, so I'm not much help here.  Hence, I'm turning to all of you...any suggestions?

The Lord of the Rings trilogy, I can't recommend them enough. Also the Earthsea Trilogy by Ursula K. Le Guin.  Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, Scott Adams (Hitchhikers Guide "trilogy") and Mallory's tales of King Arthur would all be appropriate. I envy her, I wish I could read these things again for the first time.

[OtterMommy]

Thank you all for your recommendations!  As I said, I was not (and pretty much am still not) a fantasy reader, so I didn't really know where to start with this and her elementary school library really doesn't have much at her level.  Her birthday is coming up, so I may pick up a few more books for her.

One note about the LotR trilogy.  I think she would *love* them but her father is insisting on reading them *to* her and her little brother and, well, let's just say reading aloud in an entertaining manner is not his strong point.  So, I need to work to convince him to let her read them on her own!

ETA: I just purchased her a book off of each of her posts (Frankie Landau Banks, Time Windows, and The Wizard of Earthsea).  And, yes @Dani-Ellie, at least some Kathryn Reiss books are still in print!

[peacheslatour]

22 minutes ago, OtterMommy said:

Thank you all for your recommendations!  As I said, I was not (and pretty much am still not) a fantasy reader, so I didn't really know where to start with this and her elementary school library really doesn't have much at her level.  Her birthday is coming up, so I may pick up a few more books for her.

One note about the LotR trilogy.  I think she would *love* them but her father is insisting on reading them *to* her and her little brother and, well, let's just say reading aloud in an entertaining manner is not his strong point.  So, I need to work to convince him to let her read them on her own!

ETA: I just purchased her a book off of each of her posts (Frankie Landau Banks, Time Windows, and The Wizard of Earthsea).  And, yes @Dani-Ellie, at least some Kathryn Reiss books are still in print!

Oh, you've got to convince him to let her read them herself. It's one thing to have The Hobbit read to you because it's a short, fairly simple tale but TLotR is such a deep, elaborate immersion into another world, a person really needs to be alone and able to really focus, without any distractions. I hope she likes The Wizard of Earthsea, those books get weirder and weirder as you go through the series. Such fun!

[Bort]

@OtterMommy, does she like sci-fi, or just fantasy? Because I read the hell out of books by Charles Sheffield as a kid. 

[OtterMommy]

Just now, kariyaki said:

@OtterMommy, does she like sci-fi, or just fantasy? Because I read the hell out of books by Charles Sheffield as a kid. 

I believe she's more fantasy than sci-fi, but I will check with her!

[Anduin]

5 hours ago, OtterMommy said:

Hey all...I'm looking for some book recommendations for my daughter.  She's in 5th grade (11 in a few weeks) but she reads at an upper high school level (or as high as her testing will indicate).  One of her goals is to read more "challenging" books but we're having trouble finding ones that are challenging and appropriate.  She's not at all into romance and doesn't want anything "girly"...and she's only 11 so YA romances are out.  She does enjoy fantasy novels and mysteries and has read all of Rick Riordan's books already and, of course, the entire HP series (multiple times).  At her age I had completely different interests and I'm still not a huge fan of fantasy, so I'm not much help here.  Hence, I'm turning to all of you...any suggestions?

The Hobbit and Narnia books are very old, but still good. But I'm not into YA, so I don't know what else is out there.