The Quasi Official February Book Reading Game

[Geoffrey]

I hit the ground running this morning and didn't get a moment to set the thread up before now.... here's a refresher list of the selectors and selectees:

Selector	Selectee	Genres	Dealbreakers
Annalog	Geoffrey	Science Fiction; Fantasy; Alternate History; gay themed books.  You can find me on goodreads here.	No Deal Breakers
ciscokid	drenfrow	Mystery, Fantasy/Sci Fi, Science/History of Science	extreme violence/gore, extreme sadness, horror/scary stuff, You can check out my books on Goodreads: Donna's Books
djgross	ciscokid	Horror, Paranormal/Supernaturl Thrillers, Apocalyptic fiction, Some Sci Fi...my taste in books is actually pretty broad....these are just my favorites. Here's the link to my Goodreads page.	Erotica and homosexual romance. Please no long and involved books this month and nothing too expensive.  Life is pretty crazy right now.
drenfrow	KindleGirl	mystery/suspense, chick lit, contemporary fiction My Goodreads	non-fiction, religious, sci-fi space operas, dragons & swords
fadedrainbows	Geemont	Goodreads	Media Tie-In, Romance, Series (Trilogies OK), Young Adult
Geemont	jlee745	romance, a few Ya books(that I was introduced to do while playing this game), mystery  Heres a list of the few books I have read - goodreads	Exotica, Nothing dark or depressing
Geoffrey	Solace	Fantasy My Goodreads	Non-fiction; Anything very dark or sad.
hsuthard	kaotickitten	ya, christian romances,  science fiction, zombies, apocalyptic Goodreads	Erotica, M/M Romances, atheist themes
Jeff	hsuthard	Urban fantasy, female sleuths, bestsellers and mysteries.  Here is my Goodreads	overly long books.
jlee745	Annalog	Science Fiction; Mystery; Fantasy, I have an account on Goodreads	No Deal Breakers
kaotickitten	djgross	Mystery, suspense My Goodreads account	No Deal Breakers
KindleGirl	Tuttle	Fantasy, Science Fiction (primarily classic science fiction)	Love triangle as primary plot element, extremely depressing.
KingAl	Jeff	biographies, historical novels Goodreads.	erotica, impossible to believe fiction and short stories.
Solace	KingAl	Sci-fi/fantasy, Mystery/thrillers.  Here's my Goodreads	Romance
Tuttle	fadedrainbows	Paranormal Romance, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Chick Lit My Goodreads	Classics

[Geoffrey]

Annalog,
I have three choices for you.
I know Mystery is the the norm for you but how about a YA Mystery?



Second Choice is Chicklit(well Jennifer Weiner doesn't like that term)so a funny romance.



Third Choice is a Historical Novel. I was challenged to read it back in early 2011.



I hope you can find one that is a little out of the norm for you.
Sorry if I am posting in the wrong place but I had to go ahead and post not sure if I will have time to get on later.

[Geemont]

For jlee745:

1. Don't let non-fiction scare you away.  This is the story of two middle aged men with little to no outdoor experience hiking the Appalachian Trail.


2. A person with an OCD complex probably shouldn't pick burglary as a profession.  However....


3. OK, the humor is a bit black in this novel, but it won the Pulitzer Prize posthumously.

[KindleGirl]

Tuttle,

Here are my first 3 choices. I think they are definitely out of your normal but hopefully something you'd enjoy. I tried to find something under $5 and found one that I really like, but I do not read a lot of indie authors and those are usually the ones under $5 unless they are on sale. I have tried to stay as close as possible to $5.

This is the first book I read by Boyd Morrison and I LOVED it! Of course I read it before he was picked up by a major publisher, so it was still called The Adamas Blueprint when I read it.


This one is by an indie author and is $1.99. I read it and enjoyed it very much. It is the beginning of a series, but it stands fine on it's own. If you are a Prime member I believe it is one you can borrow for free. Or I can loan it to you if you wish.


This one is probably the closest to your normal fantasy genre, only it is YA. I read the whole series and although it is not my usual read, I really liked it. I had to keep reading.


If none of these are to your liking, let me know and I'll choose others from my list.

[jlee745]

Geemont I can't decide. You tell me which one you liked the best.

[Solace]

King Al, let me know if none of these appeal and I'll try again! 

[djgross]

Greetings Ciscokid!

Here are three choice - none are terribly long/involved.  I have been able to borrow Kindle books by Robyn Carr and Lisa Gardner from my library. 



A woman's fiction/romance hybrid.    Think grittier Debbie Macomber.   $4.47 Kindle. 



I love Lisa Gardner's thrillers.   This one has some elements in common with Dean Koontz.   $7.99 Kindle 



The second book in the Lady Julia Gray series can be read as a standalone. Historical mystery with some romantic elements.   $4.72 Kindle.

If none of these appeal, I have more ideas waiting...

DJ

[Jeff]

Holly (hsuthard),

You didn't mention price so here are two moderately priced books that I enjoyed. Dennis Lehane's Shutter Island is $9.99. Cormac McCarthy's No Country For Old Men is $11.99. I don't remember either of them being overly long. Please sample them first. McCarthy's lack of punctuation can be annoying. If neither appeals to you, let me know.

[Geoffrey]

Solace,  I didn't really realize how much I read could be categorized as dark or sad - or at least with elements that are dark or sad ... but I think I came up with some choices that fit the bill

The first is Pastwatch: The Redemption of Christopher Columbus by Orson Scott Card.  It's science fiction with a lot of time travel ... I've read it 2 or 3 times and I just really come away from it with a good feeling each time.



next up is Wearing the Cape by Marion G. Harmon.  This is a superhero novel that just has a great approach to superpowers and the people who have them.  I just found it a couple months ago and didn't want to put it down.



And finally, so make a nice little fun threesome, we have Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin.  it's a classic comedy serial set in San Francisco in the '70s.  It's great fun and today (and I don't know how long) it's $0.99 when the last time I looked it was $12.



I sure hope one of them hits the spot - but I got more up my sleeve if these don't float your boat.

[drenfrow]

KindleGirl, the first four books I was thinking about were all $11.99 or $12.99.  Ugh.  I thought harder and came up with these:

I saw that you read mysteries but I didn't notice any historical ones.  This is a popular series and it has a lot of humor in it.



The second one is a light read.  I can loan this one to you if you'd like.



The third one might be out of your comfort zone but it's a fascinating, quirky book.



Let me know if nothing sounds good.

[ciscokid]

drenfrow, I think I figured out this month that I read way to many books that could be considered horror books.  I'd come up with a book and then decide it might be too scary or violent. My reading habits have definately changed in the last few years.     Anyway, here's what I came up with..........

This one I managed to get for free a few weeks ago, unfortunately it is now 3.99, but free if you're a prime member. Its about a boy who is traveling, by bus, across the country to live with his grandparents.


This next one is about a woman who discovers some documents in her grandmother's house and her quest to find out more about the person mentioned in the documents and the Salem witch trials.



This one is a bit of a romance, a woman and her daughter with a mysterious past.........



Let me know if none of these work for you. 

Toni

[ciscokid]

djgross, both Virgin River and Live to Tell look interesting.  I'm in the mood for more of a lighter read at the moment so I'm going to go with Virgin River. We visited California last year and went to see the Redwoods and I think it would be interesting to read a book set in that area.  Its so beautiful there.  Thanks for the great selections. I think I'm going to put Live to Tell on my wish list for later.

Toni

[KindleGirl]

drenfrow....all good choices!  I do not believe I have ever read any historical mysteries so I am going to choose CROCODILE ON THE SANDBANK. I actually bought this book almost 2 years ago but still hadn't read it. Thanks for pushing me over the edge!

[kaotickitten]

djgross

Here are my picks for you. If none of them are to your liking I have others in mind.

This one is a paranormal/ fantasy romance centered around the Titanic.


This one is also a paranormal romance. This one has a Christian slant.


The last one is one I have recommended in this game before.



I hope I have picked one you may enjoy if not let me know.

[KingAl]

Jeff:

I have two alternate history books you might like.

This is the first in a two volume series.


This is an alternate history set about 20 years after the Confederate States of America won the "War of Secession" (Civil War.) They are about to get into another war with the United States over the CSA's purchase of territory from Mexico.


I'm not sure if you follow baseball and/or watched the recent Brad Pitt movie "Moneyball",but if you are interested, this is my third recommendation.


If none of these work for you, let me know.

[KingAl]

King Al, let me know if none of these appeal and I'll try again! 

Hi Solace

I noticed that Night Watch is number 29 in the Discworld series. Is it important to have read the earlier books first?

[Jeff]

Jeff:

I have two alternate history books you might like.

This is the first in a two volume series.

I've wanted to read this. Thanks.

[Geemont]

Geemont I can't decide. You tell me which one you liked the best.

Well, I gave both A Walk in the Woods and A Confederacy of Dunces five stars on Goodreads and Something Missing four stars. All in all, A Confederacy of Dunces is probably the best of the three, but it may not be the best for you.  I saw you liked camping on your Goodreads, so maybe you should try A Walk in the Woods

[jlee745]

I love to camp but not in a tent I prefer my travel trailer  I will read A walk in the woods as soon as I finish up Bag of Bones by Stephen King. I have the movie
recording on my dvr and can't wait to watch it. Thanks

[Solace]

KingAl,

Nope!  I've read a bunch of books in that series and in no particular order.  They all do a good job of standing on their own. 

[hsuthard]

Holly (hsuthard),

You didn't mention price so here are two moderately priced books that I enjoyed. Dennis Lehane's Shutter Island is $9.99. Cormac McCarthy's No Country For Old Men is $11.99. I don't remember either of them being overly long. Please sample them first. McCarthy's lack of punctuation can be annoying. If neither appeals to you, let me know.

I'm almost ashamed that I've never read a Dennis LeHane book, so this sounds like my opportunity knocking. I'll read Shutter Island, I'm just hoping it's not quite as "horror" genre as the movie trailers implied. I'm a huge scaredy cat, although most mystery/thrillers are just fine.

I read Cormac McCarthy's The Road and loved it, so I may sample the second one as well, time allowing. Thanks!

[Jeff]

Holly, I can't speak to Shutter Island, the movie, but Shutter Island, the book was what I'd call a psychological thriller. I can't think of anything about it that would qualify as horror.

[hsuthard]

kaotickitten, here are my picks for you! I'm going to try out some straight mysteries on you, and hope that you like them. They all have lots of broad appeal so I'm hoping that will work. If not, let me know.

The first is in movie theaters now, and is a great, fun, quick read. Stephanie Plum is the main character in the Janet Evanovich series that starts with One for the Money:



Another choice is more of a classic. Hercule Poirot in Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie is a classic Whodunit, also a fairly quick read:



Last but not least, the first in the Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher. This may appeal more to you as it features the only wizard listed in the Chicago phone book




As always, please let me know if any of these don't suit and I'll offer some more suggestions.

[Tuttle]

This is the first book I read by Boyd Morrison and I LOVED it! Of course I read it before he was picked up by a major publisher, so it was still called The Adamas Blueprint when I read it.

I've sent this sample to my kindle. It's the one I'm most likely to read from just the amazon descriptions, but I'll look at the sample soon, hopefully.


fadedrainbow,

My first suggestion is copying another suggestion this month. I wouldn't have thought of mentioning, A Walk in the Woods because of not owning it myself, but it's one I'd definitely want to recommend to someone.



You seem to like dystopians, but don't seem to have read any of the ones that made the genre big. This means the recommendation I came up with on my own is 1984.

[KingAl]

King Al, let me know if none of these appeal and I'll try again! 

I'm going with Night Watch, and if I have time, I'll read The Color Purple. Thanks!