Looking for a few good books to read...

[Lloyd Dobler]

I posted a few suggestions on your thread on the trip reports board...

I'd say that if you haven't read either "Da Vinci" or "Angels & Demons," and are planning on reading them both, you might as well read them in order (that is, "Angels" first). But all in all, other than a few references to the first book in the second, the books both stand alone, and you really don't need to read one before the other. I personally liked "Da Vinci Code" a little better than "Angels," but know many people who feel the other way. I think either is a good choice.

As to there being enough time for two books on a 7-day cruise, that depends on how much time you plan to read. I usually bring 4 and often at least start the 4th one on the flight home, but then, I like to read and spend the better part of sea days either on my verandah or by one of the pools reading.

 

[karebear1]

Lloyd Dobler and NCRedding- I appreciate you both posting twice! I don't know how that post ended up on the Crusie Meets Board- but it did! I thought I had originally posted on the cruise board, but I guess I didn't- and then I didn't know how to get it off, so I've just been going back and forth and checking out both threads! Thanks for sticking with me!!

 

[Dreamer04]

I read "The DaVinci Code before "Angels and Demons" and I enjoyed both immensely. "Digital Fortess", though was a bit of a letdown.

However-I don't consider any of those light reading. "Skipping Christmas" was a sweet, funny story.

 

[crisi]

I will go out of my way to recommend you not read Edith Wharton's House of Mirth. Far too depressing for vacation (my own cruise book choice).

The last book I read I couldn't put down was "Reading Lolita in Tehran" - but also too heavy for a cruise ship.

However, Pride and Prejudice is wonderful, if you've never read it.

Am currently reading "Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons" which is very enjoyable.

 

[NZ KIWI]

I think THE FIVE PEOPLE YOU MEET IN HEAVEN would be a great read for a 7 day cruise. It's a wonderfully thought-provoking book, keeps your attention, but isn't long and drawn out. It has been made into a TV movie that will air this weekend, so if you want to read the book first, don't watch the show!!
The same author, Mitch Albom, also wrote TUESDAY'S WITH MORRIE which is another superb read. Either way, no matter which book you choose, I wish you a wonderful cruise! ENJOY!

 

[pdarrah]

I would like to suggest anything by Terry Pratchett. I took his latest "Going Postal" on our cruise in October. The only problem is that Pratchett can make you laugh out loud. I have occasionally even laughed myself out of my chair - this can be a little embarassing if you are reading in public (i.e. near the pool, deck 4, etc.)

Terry Pratchett is a British author who has been very well known there, but not really promoted in the USA until recently.(His books have been best sellers in Britain for well over a decade.) Although his books are considered "Fantasy", they are actually more commentary and satire. Sort of a modern "Gulliver's Travels" (Which looks like a fantasy story and is actually social and political satire!) The books all take place on the Discworld but they aren't really a series - the order you read them doesn't matter all that much. Some characters appear in multiple books and some of the places are the same, but that is about all that makes is a "series".

If I had to pick one of his books to recommend for a cruise, it would be "Witches Abroad". But beware - I seriously annoyed my husband by reading this book during a long car trip - the laughing out loud drove him nuts!

Pamela

 

[pvangordon]

Poor romance novels. They get such a bad rap. I don't read them normally but occasionally they make great vacation fare.

A few suggestions:

Bringing Down the House - fantastic non-fiction book about the MIT card counting team that took Vegas for millions

Art of the Steal - by Frank Abagnale (from "Catch Me If You Can"), also non-fiction; it's a couple years old but still has excellent anecdotal advice on protecting yourself from fraud (I read this one on my last DCL cruise and couldn't put it down)

The Cuckoo's Egg - great non-fiction read by Cliff Stoll, a mathematician from Berkeley who caught a bunch of hackers, sort of an "average guy becomes detective and saves the world" story

John Sandford's Prey novels - gritty, graphic detective series; the best are Rules of Prey, Winter Prey, Eyes of Prey, Silent Prey, Mind Prey, and Night Prey

The Bestseller - by Olivia Goldsmith (author of "The First Wives Club"), fun fictional book about the ups and downs of the publishing world

Pillars of the Earth - by Ken Follett; not his normal spy-type thriller, but a wonderful story about the building of a cathedral in medieval times

 

[WDWCrazzyCunninghams]

I will be taking Skipping Christmas with us! My friends highly recommend it as a laugh out loud book as well. Do you think they will show the movie on the cruise? Might be fun to read the book then see the movie, while Skipping Christmas! Since my son Colton, who is in 4th grade, is required to do 36 book reports this school year...yes thirty-six, that's not a typo...we will also be taking Where the Red Fern Grows, My Side of the Mountain and probably Old Yeller. Since he is going to miss a week of school, he has already done his extra report, but if we can get another book or 2 read while traveling, we are driving, then he can write the report when we get back. Sometimes the classics are nice for easy light reading.
Michele

 

[Lloyd Dobler]

pvan-

I'd have to say that "Pillars of the Earth" is one of my favorite books of all time. I like Ken Follett, and that's far and away his best work. If you bring this one, you won't need any others, as it's probably 1100 pages. This book prompted a special trip up to St. Denis the last time I was in Paris.

 

[pvangordon]

Yes, it's one of my favorites too. It's a long book but certainly doesn't feel like it!

 

[Julanne]

It's so funny I ran across this thread today. I was just searching Amazon this morning to order something to read for our cruise Dec 26th. I had pretty much decided on a Carl Hiaasen, though I didn't know which one. Skinny Dip sounds like a good suggestion! I think his writing is the kind of thing I could pick up and put down on a moment's notice to chase my 2-year-old around without missing key plot points or character development.

As for just plain good books, though, two people here have mentioned my two favorite books of all time: Pillars of the Earth and Pride and Prejudice. Another good long epic sort of along the lines of Pillars of the Earth is Sarum - about Stonehenge. I agree with you about romance novels, and so never would have picked up my next suggestion, but it was leant to me and I read it before I realized that was its category and I loved it! It is Outlander by Diana Gabaldon and is the first in a series of five fairly long books. I loved them all. My most recent foray into historic fiction have been the books by Philippa Gregory - The Other Boleyn Girl and The Queen's Fool - both in paperback. I just ordered her new hardcover - the Virgin's Lover - but I don't think I can wait to take it on the cruise! I don't know how I got onto a whole historic fiction thing, here, I usually love mysteries! But that would take me to whole pages worth of rambling!

Happy reading!

 

[pvangordon]

A few more to add:

A Calculated Risk - by Katherine Neville, fun little romp through high finance with an outrageous plot

The Modigliani Scandal - another by Ken Follett, easy read about art counterfeiters (fiction)

The Count of Monte Cristo - one of my favorite classics that seems to suit the Caribbean locale well

The Tesseract - by Alex Garland (author of The Beach), very interesting story about different people's lives intersecting in Manila

Oh and don't forget the Harry Potter books.

*Julanne, if you like historical fiction, read Neville's The Eight. I would recommend it here, but it's a longer book and pretty dense with historical characters and intrigue in the French Revolution. Has elements very similar to the Da Vinci Code too.

 

[Masonpips]

I'd recommend the Stephanie Plum stories "One for the Money", "Two for the Dough", etc. Ms. Plum is a novice but lucky bounty hunter in the books not the author. If you like series - that one goes to book 9, I believe. They are not too long and you can get them cheap on half.com!

Another recommendation here, these are a RIOT and make me LOL with each new book

 

[Masonpips]

pvan-

I'd have to say that "Pillars of the Earth" is one of my favorite books of all time. I like Ken Follett, and that's far and away his best work. If you bring this one, you won't need any others, as it's probably 1100 pages. This book prompted a special trip up to St. Denis the last time I was in Paris.

This is the greatest thread! I LOVE Pillars of the Earth too. What a fabulous book. All of Ken Follett's are good. Ditto to James Patterson (some are pretty spooky) and John Sanford's Prey series (scary too). If you like a good scary book "The Surgeon" by Tess Gerritsen is absolutely shivering. I am married and sleep with dh everynight but was petrified to turn off the lights that night. It has to be your cup of tea, but if you like to be scared, go for it!

And although I love James Patterson, Suzanne's Diary to Nicholas had a sad reaction with me. I don't mind that, love books that make me feel sadness, emotion of any kind and/or cry.[/COLOR]

 

[bhawks9]

If you like suspense read The Taking by Dean Koontz or another good Dan Brown book is Deception Point. For adventure & suspense read Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air. Another good Krakauer book is Under the Banner of Heaven.

 

[kdicey]

MY DW highly recommends Skinny Dip she has read a few times over over again I am sure its going to be in her carry on.

 

[karebear1]

Masonpipps- the James Patterson books you were talking about being scarey- can you give me titles and are they spooky scarey or evil scarey? I don't like evil (satanic) scarey stuff. That other book you were talking about intrigues me as well- The Surgeon. Can you give me an idea about what this book is about without telling me too much?

You all have so many good ideas! THANKS SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR INPUT!! There's gonna be a lady on the 7 day Western cruise in January that has a suit case full of books if this list keeps growing!!

 

[pvangordon]

This is the greatest thread! I LOVE Pillars of the Earth too. What a fabulous book. All of Ken Follett's are good. Ditto to James Patterson (some are pretty spooky) and John Sanford's Prey series (scary too). If you like a good scary book "The Surgeon" by Tess Gerritsen is absolutely shivering. I am married and sleep with dh everynight but was petrified to turn off the lights that night. It has to be your cup of tea, but if you like to be scared, go for it!

[/COLOR]

All I've read by Patterson is Kiss the Girls, which is indeed quite spooky. Some of the scenes really gave me the chills. I'll pick up The Surgeon before I leave on Wed for my next cruise. I think I saw it at the bookstore awhile back but didn't get it since I had never read Gerritson before. Thanks for the suggestion!

 

[cwf1028]

This really is a great thread. I only read when someone hands me a book and says you should read this, it's great! I never think to read otherwise. I've take a few notes, maybe I'll even go out on my own and read! I have to say that although sad, Suzanne's Diary to Nicolas is one of my favorites. I also read and loved The Guardian, can't remember if that was Sparks or Patterson, but really good and pretty light reading and I couldn't put it down once I was half way through. I have to second a vote further back about the Harry Potter books. I read books 3, 4 and 5 back to back right after 5 came out and now I just wish 6 was going to be out in time to take in April!

 

[mmouse37]

Whoever posted about taking My Side of the Mountain for their sons's book report....I loved reading that book when I was young!!! It takes place in the mountains near our home and I was facinated by it!!!

I just order the book "A Trip to the Beach" about a couple who give up everything and start a restaurant on a Caribbean Island...I think Anguilla? I heard about it on these boards last time a thread like this was started...though it would be a good with a tropical theme!!!

I am also currently reading My Sister's Keeper and that is very good as well.

MJ