Can anyone recommend a fiction book or author?

[Sunday21]

Hi Saints,

Am sick at home ...again! Can anyone recommend a fiction book or author? If it is a currently published book, I can probably download it from my library. Am hoping for no explicit sex or violence! No F words! Surely there is some fiction left that a saint can read. Hoping to hear from you!

[Lakumi]

The Hobbit, as lousy as the movies were, the book is pretty fun and light

[applepansy]

All of J.R.R. Tolkien.

Clive Cussler

Tom Clancy

Robert Jordan - Wheel of Time Series (Mr. Jordan passed away so Brandon Sanderson finished the last book.

Brandon Sanderson

Weiss and Hickman (Hickman is LDS)

[Wingnut]

I'm currently reading The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho. I've never read it before, but it's been on my "to read" list for a long time. I was hooked by the time I even finished the prologue, which is only about 1 1/3 pages long. The prose is so lyrical and beautiful. It's mesmerizing to read.

What genres do you generally like? Are you on Goodreads?

[Guest]

If you're sick, you probably would want something light to read. Tolkien can be a headache.

I just finished Divergent. It's light reading. The target audience is High School level so the sentences are short, the prose is simpler, the descriptions are not as intricate, and the story is captivating enough to keep you turning pages. It's just short enough to be read in one long sitting and does not require much brain twisting but does give you something to think about if you want to.

If you haven't read Harry Potter, that's another light reading on the first 3 books.

If you want something with more emotional investment with lots of uplifting spiritual stuff, A Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom is highly recommended.

[applepansy]

Dean Koontz

Maeve Binchey

hmmmmm.... mind just went blank again.

Love Harry Potter

Oh.... The Inkheart series. Author: Cornelia Funke

Christopher Paolini (books are Erogon, etc.)

hmmmmm....blank again

[Guest LiterateParakeet]

Fablehaven!!! It's a "family" book...I mean written for children but so fun for adults too. I'm on the fifth book now, and it has been a great ride!

[jerome1232]

Orson Scott Card

2nding Brandon Sanderson

2nding Robert Jordan

[Maureen]

My recommendations are:

The Black Sheep (Penguin Classics): Honoré de Balzac, Donald Adamson

The Poldark Novels

Editing to add: All books by Jane Austen.

M.

Edited March 12, 2014 by Maureen

[The Folk Prophet]

Dickens

C.S. Lewis (Narnia)

Lloyd Alexander (Prydain series)

[Lakumi]

This would be the perfect time to start trying to sell my own junk but I wouldn't recommend them to any LDS people lol

[Quin]

  Sunday21 said:

Hi Saints,

Am sick at home ...again! Can anyone recommend a fiction book or author? If it is a currently published book, I can probably download it from my library. Am hoping for no explicit sex or violence! No F words! Surely there is some fiction left that a saint can read. Hoping to hear from you!

Young Adult Fiction & Classics as whole genres!

Friends in publishing were complaining about 15 years ago that all,of the "talent" had moved into YA... Which means that there's actually an awful lot of amazing writers in the genre (and long ago enough for things to be serialized). But it also means that here's a lot of tripe over there, as well. Because writers follow trends, too, and when publishers are buying YA like it's coming Ito style, a lot of garbage floods the market, right along with the great stuff. (Like sciFi, before it).

In YA, you've actually got every sub genre (fiction, sciFi, fantasy, mystery, romance, etc.) so there's usually something for everyone. You can even look up favorite / well known authors

- (Kathy Reichs & James Patterson both write YA in the sci-fi vein, while Grishm sticks with law, Horrowitz with Spies, etc.)

Anything over 70 years old (in the US) is free at Free ebooks - Project Gutenberg

Which is pure awesomeness.

In that vein, older mysteries & westerns, while not classics... Follow older rules (no swearing, sex, etc.).

- Clearly, Sherlock Holmes.

- The Nero Wolf (by Rex Stout) mysteries start in the 1930s, so they're only just becoming free. But they're also on kindle, etc. They're light (mostly murder mysteries, I should caveat), and there are about 50 of them!

- Louis L'amour westerns number around 100!

Historical Fiction is hit or miss.

Sometimes, like with Elizabeth Peters, the author follows old rules, and sometimes they follow new rules to the point of being pornography. Then you've got authors like Bernard Cornwell, in his Sharpe series that are a totally borderline PG-PG13 depending on the book.

- The Amelia Peabody mysteries / Elizabeth Peters are SET in the 1890s-1920s, and first person, follow older prose rules of decorum. They're lighthearted, fun, and totally addictive. Sneaky books, I was warned that Od be unimpressed with the first half / take it or leave it, and up till 2am finishing. Yep. For something like the first 10 books. I can set it down at any point in the first half, and CANT set it down after. So I get comfy after about a 1/3 & settle in. Granted, the author was an archeologist in the early/mid part of the 1900s, so that also helps.

Older/Newer SciFi.

Sexual ideologies are often brought up (hullo Heinlein), but most allude at most, and swearing is always morphed (Shards, Frak, Frell, et al). I say older/newer, because I like female characters with brains, which the older-older ones almost universally lacked. Still... Genre heavyweights off the top of my head are Issac Asimov, Andre Norton, Arthur C Clark, Orson Scott Card, Harry Harrison, Ray Bradbury, Anne McCaffrey, Robert A Heinlein. I haven't read everything by all of em, but I've read most at one point.

Q

Edited March 12, 2014 by Quin

[Guest]

You know what I miss reading... Barbara Cartland Historical Romances. I can't find her stuff in the library. I had a whole slew of her books when I was in high school (12-15 years old). I didn't take good care of them (paperbacks). I should have.

I started reading them after Prince Charles/Princess Diana Wedding. It was one of the biggest events of my young years and I was glued to the TV and dreamt of marrying Prince Andrew for years... hah.

Anyway, Barbara Cartland is one of my favorite authors.

[Windseeker]

If your interested in an Adult (Age not subject matter) Paranormal Mystery with a little romance thrown in I would recommend Patricia Briggs. It's classified as Urban Fantasy. Her series is based on a part Native American girl (Mercy Thompson) who happens to be a skin walker that can turn into a Coyote at will. When she was a child she was dropped off and raised by a were-wolf pack. The Pack leader is centuries old (but looks young) and a good guy. The other series she writes is Alpha and Omega and it's about the pack leaders son and his wife. The setting is that were-wolves, vampires, witches and all other supernatural creatures have finally come out of the closet. So the pack, who works with the police, get's pulled in to resolve issues that the government/police can't handle. The only issue with this series is their covers, always showing Mercy looking sexy. But her character certainly doesn't envision herself that way, she's kind of a tom boy (auto mechanic). So ignore the covers the books are safe.

My wife who mainly reads lots of non-fiction, and when it comes to fiction loves Dean Koontz really likes the series. My good friend (also a former Bishop) really enjoyed the series. There is no language issues and the romance is PG-13. So if your looking for non-fiction containing adult characters and issues without while keeping it tame it's a great series.

Edited March 12, 2014 by Windseeker

[Guest]

  Windseeker said:

If your interested in an Adult (Age not subject matter) Paranormal Mystery with a little romance thrown in I would recommend Patricia Briggs. It's classified as Urban Fantasy. Her series is based on a part Native American girl (Mercy Thompson) who happens to be a skin walker that can turn into a Coyote at will. When she was a child she was dropped off and raised by a were-wolf pack. The Pack leader is centuries old (but looks young) and a good guy. The other series she writes is Alpha and Omega and it's about the pack leaders son and his wife. The setting is that were-wolves, vampires, witches and all other supernatural creatures have finally come out of the closet. So the pack, who works with the police, get's pulled in to resolve issues that the government/police can't handle. The only issue with this series is their covers, always showing Mercy looking sexy. But her character certainly doesn't envision herself that way, she's kind of a tom boy (auto mechanic). So ignore the covers the books are safe.

My wife who mainly reads lots of non-fiction, and when it comes to fiction loves Dean Koontz really likes the series. My good friend (also a former Bishop) really enjoyed the series. There is no language issues and the romance is PG-13. So if your looking for non-fiction containing adult characters and issues without while keeping it tame it's a great series.

OOOH! I love this series!

[Backroads]

The book I am geeking out on currently is "These Broken Stars". It's light, it's fluffy, it's well-written and has this Space Titanic meets Lost quality. No sex, a few "hecks" and "dangs" but nothing more extreme.

[prisonchaplain]

Ted Dekker's The Circle series: Black, Red, White & Green. He explores God's love and the reality of good vs. evil through fictional writing that is fast-paced and suspenseful. His Heaven's Martyr series is good also, as well as the books Blink and Thr3e.

[Connie]

George MacDonald

[carlimac]

Alexander McCall Smith is a clean author- you can even find his books in Deseret Book. I've read almost all of the "Number 1 Ladies Detective Agency" series and a few of his others- the one in Scotland- can't recall the name right now.

I've tried to read Josi Kilpack's mystery novels but can't get into them for some reason. But I know several women who love them.

Shannon Hale- Goose Girl, Princess Academy, etc.

I also recently read a book by Susanna Kearsley called "The Winter Sea" that I loved.

"These Is My Words" and the two follow up books by Nancy Turner are enthralling.

"The Secret Life of Bees"- one of my favs but might have some swear words.

"The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" - fascinating and heart breaking all at once

"Funny in Farsi-Growing Up Iranian in America" by Firoozeh Dumas

"Peace Like a River" by Leif Enger Oh my goodness what wonderful writing!! But quirky as all get out. "So Brave Young and Handsome" is good, too.

"Plain and Simple: A Woman's Journey to the Amish" by Sue Bender Wonderful!!

Any of the Elm Creek Quilters series if you're into that kind of thing

Edited March 13, 2014 by carlimac

[Rice]

Haruki Murakami.

He has such imagination it's amazing!

[Dravin]

If you don't mind going old school I recommend Asimov.

[Wingnut]

Dragon Slippers, by Jessica Day George, is a great story and a quick read, though it's not geared toward adults. If anything, it's toward tween girls, but it's not too tweeny. :)

[Guest]

Okay, so which one did you pick?

[Irishcolleen]

The Irish Century series by Morgam Llywelyn is great and also anything by Jeff Shaara. Both are historical fiction about real people and events and are very well researched. Even though we know how the events turn out, they still have you at the edge of your seat. It gives insight not only to the events, but to the personalities and emotions that shaped the events.