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Best Fiction Recommendations

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klewis

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I love both fiction and non-fiction and thought this might be a good place for PSers to recommend good fiction reads. I hope you have some to suggest too.
Here are 2 from New Zealand.

Sing to me Dreamer by Shonagh Koea
Koea is a NZ author who has won numerous awards for her writing. This book is, in my opinion, her best and it''s told in Koea''s usual, unusual style. It has been out of print for a while but has just now been beautifully reprinted.

Margaret returns to NZ from her life in India to settle her deceased mother''s estate. As she sorts through her mother''s belongings the story of how and why left NZ unfolds in a humorous and poignant story that has a very satisfying end. It''s kind of fantastic yet coldly realistic and really deserves a big
I have always had 2 copies of this book - one for myself and one to lend.


The Mesmerist by Barbara Ewing.
Ewing is another NZ writer based in London.
The Mesmerist is set in Victorian London and it''s the story of 2 washed up actresses, in their 40''s - too old for their profession - who decide to turn their hand to mesmerism, a craft that has been in their family for some time and was in use in hospitals prior to the use of anesthetic. This is a hard book to descibe but it''s a great story and an easy read, one of those books that are so descriptive that the time and place becomes real.
 

vespergirl

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My favorite book that I have read in a long time is Fault Lines by Nancy Huston.
"Huston''s novel is a profound and poetic story that traces four generations of a single family from present-day California to WW II¨Cera Germany. Fault Lines begins with Sol, a gifted, terrifying child whose mother believes he is destined for greatness partly because he has a birthmark like his dad, his grandmother, and his great-grandmother. When Sol''s family makes an unexpected trip to Germany, secrets begin to emerge about their history during World War II. It seems birthmarks are not all that''s been passed down through the bloodlines. Closely observed, lyrically told, and epic in scope, Fault Lines is a touching, fearless, and unusual novel about four generations of children and their parents. The story moves from the West Coast of the United States to the East, from Haifa to Toronto to Munich, as secrets unwind back through time until a devastating truth about the family''s origins is reached. Huston tells a riveting, vigorous tale in which love, music, and faith rage against the shape of evil."

I just finished The Brief, Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz, and that was great.

Right now I am reading The Road by Cormac McCarthy, and it''s very dark, but so incredible moving and well written. I recommend it, but it will haunt you.
 

dragonfly411

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Memoirs of a Geisha
Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn (READ THEM READ THEM READ THEM FANTASTIC)
The Secret Life of bees
Circle of Friends
The Sword of Truth Series by Terry Goodkind
Wuthering Heights
Watership Down
100 Years of Solitude
Life of Pi
Jurassic Park
 

klewis

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Vespergirl - I tried to buy Faultlines today but couldn''t - I live in a small town- but I''ve ordered it. Thanks for the recommendation.

Dragonfly - Yes, Life of Pi, I absolutely loved it. I found some people didn''t quite see the ending in the same way as I did.
 

vespergirl

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Date: 3/24/2009 1:16:38 AM
Author: klewis
Vespergirl - I tried to buy Faultlines today but couldn''t - I live in a small town- but I''ve ordered it. Thanks for the recommendation.

Dragonfly - Yes, Life of Pi, I absolutely loved it. I found some people didn''t quite see the ending in the same way as I did.
Life of Pi is one of my favorite books too.

Also, The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet is great - a glimpse at the life of working class people in England during the Middle Ages, and how their lives were controlled by the aristocracy and the Church. I believe it''s the best selling book ever in Germany except for the Bible.

I also really liked A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. It''s life in Afghanistan under the Taliban from a women''s perspective - even my husband liked it, and that''s saying something (he''s not a big reader).

Another great one is The Mists of Avalon, by Marion Zimmer Bradley if you''ve never read it. It''s a spin on the Arthurian Legend written from a women''s perspective.
 

princesss

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The Glass Palace by Amitav Ghosh
Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
(I''m cursing myself for already packing up my bookshelves right now...there are so many books I love. Ugh. I can see the covers in my head, but not the titles.)
Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga
Life of Pi by Yann Martel (for a lot of fun, Google "Tsimtsum")
 

misskitty

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I just glanced at my bookshelf, and there are two entire shelves filled with Dick Francis books, so I will obviously recco his work. He''s kind of a niche author -- horseracing themed mystery novels -- but I feel like I''ve learned something new with each book, and they''re always interesting (even if some are predictable).

I''ve also recently gotten into Terry Pratchett''s novels. Sci-fi/fantasy mixed with witty and goofy humor.
 

Blackpaw

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I loved Mists of Avalon too!! I like a good subversive take on popularised legends and that novel is amazingly well executed.

I also really liked The Famished Road by Ben Okri. Set in what i assume is Lagos, Nigeria its about a young boy, a spirit child, who''s natural instinct is to return to the world of spirits, but who decides to stay on earth with his family. Its amazing, i dont even have words to describe it.
 

violet3

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Books (fictional) that i have enjoyed in the last five years or so were....

Plainsong - Kent Haruf
Never Let Me Go - Kazuo Ishiguro
The Time Traveler''s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
The twilight series if you would like to get your mind off anything real - not well written, but an addictive quick read. - stephanie meyer
The curious incident of the dog in the nighttime - MARK HADDON

i''ll try to think of some others too - i love the suggestions from everyone!
 

Smo

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violet3, I loved the Time Travellers Wife, Twilight and the Curious Incident of the Dog at Midnight. I will have to try out Plainsong (I couldn't get into never let me go).

I really like, the Girl in Time Square by Paullina Simons, The Girls by Lori Lansens and the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris .

I would love to hear some more recommendations as well, I guess you could say I like books I can escape into, especially those with a good love story.
 

klewis

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The Other Hand by Chris Cleave.

The book begins with Little Bee, a Nigerian girl who, having spent 2 years in an immigration detention centre in Britain, is being released. Allowed to make a free phone call, Little Bee calls an English couple that she met on a beach in Nigeria. As a result of her call the husband commits suicide, but not for the reasons you might think. A great story. I believe Nicole Kidman has just bought the film rights.

Vesper girl - I''m not finished reading Faultlines yet but I''m so enjoying it, thanks.
 

makemepretty

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I''ve read The Poisonwood Bible a couple of times, I enjoyed it.
Time Travelers Wife
Memoirs of a Geisha
Jodi Picoult is a great author.


I really like Ceceila Aherns books. Read Thanks For the Memories in a couple days. Wish You Were Here was pretty interesting too.
 

AGBF

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I, also, loved The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. I also loved The BeanTrees by her. I remember Jesus Loves Tires from the latter :).


AGBF
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stacy

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I''ve been going back and re-reading some classics that I had to read for class in high school. I just finished "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath and I really enjoyed it this time around. Also "The Catcher and the Rye" by Salinger, "Breakfast at Tiffany''s" by Truman Capote, and, my all time favorite, "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee. It seems like as a full-grown adult, these books mean so much more to me now!
 

Brown.Eyed.Girl

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I''m currently reading Dies the Fire by S.M. Stirling. It''s really interesting. It fits into sci-fi I think, because of the premise (in a single moment, the entire world''s electronics, modern conveniences, all technology, stops working), but it''s really interesting because it focuses heavily on the sociological changes that happen once people realize that nothing (cars, phones, stoves, etc.) works, and they''ve been reduced to a similar set of circumstances as the Middle Ages.

At the same time, I''m also reading The Merry Monarch''s Wife, by Jean Plaidy (story of Charles II''s queen, Catherine of Braganza). Very interesting - I love reading historical fiction. Most of the books I read usually focus on Tudor England, but I find Charles II to be pretty fascinating, and lately, I''ve also been really interested in the War of the Roses (just finished reading Vanora Bennett''s Figures in Silk, which I recommend highly).
 

Brown.Eyed.Girl

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Date: 4/8/2009 12:37:43 AM
Author: misskitty
I just glanced at my bookshelf, and there are two entire shelves filled with Dick Francis books, so I will obviously recco his work. He''s kind of a niche author -- horseracing themed mystery novels -- but I feel like I''ve learned something new with each book, and they''re always interesting (even if some are predictable).


I''ve also recently gotten into Terry Pratchett''s novels. Sci-fi/fantasy mixed with witty and goofy humor.

Just wanted to say I ADORE Terry Pratchett''s books. I''ve read all but one of his Discworld books (I think I''ve only missed The Last Hero) and there really isn''t a bad one. Although I love the books that follow the Witches and the City Watch the best. Followed by Rincewind. And the Tiffany Aching storylines are fun too, although they''re aimed more for the Young Adult audience.
 

klewis

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Date: 5/20/2009 6:31:36 AM
Author: Brown.Eyed.Girl
I''m currently reading Dies the Fire by S.M. Stirling. It''s really interesting. It fits into sci-fi I think, because of the premise (in a single moment, the entire world''s electronics, modern conveniences, all technology, stops working), but it''s really interesting because it focuses heavily on the sociological changes that happen once people realize that nothing (cars, phones, stoves, etc.) works, and they''ve been reduced to a similar set of circumstances as the Middle Ages.


At the same time, I''m also reading The Merry Monarch''s Wife, by Jean Plaidy (story of Charles II''s queen, Catherine of Braganza). Very interesting - I love reading historical fiction. Most of the books I read usually focus on Tudor England, but I find Charles II to be pretty fascinating, and lately, I''ve also been really interested in the War of the Roses (just finished reading Vanora Bennett''s Figures in Silk, which I recommend highly).


Dies the Fire sounds like a fascinating read- I''m going to look for it.
If you like British historical fiction you might like this author
/alisonweir.org.uk She has written historical non-fiction and has recently written historical fiction and has received great reviews for her work
 

Brown.Eyed.Girl

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Date: 5/21/2009 5:46:36 AM
Author: klewis
Date: 5/20/2009 6:31:36 AM

Author: Brown.Eyed.Girl

I''m currently reading Dies the Fire by S.M. Stirling. It''s really interesting. It fits into sci-fi I think, because of the premise (in a single moment, the entire world''s electronics, modern conveniences, all technology, stops working), but it''s really interesting because it focuses heavily on the sociological changes that happen once people realize that nothing (cars, phones, stoves, etc.) works, and they''ve been reduced to a similar set of circumstances as the Middle Ages.



At the same time, I''m also reading The Merry Monarch''s Wife, by Jean Plaidy (story of Charles II''s queen, Catherine of Braganza). Very interesting - I love reading historical fiction. Most of the books I read usually focus on Tudor England, but I find Charles II to be pretty fascinating, and lately, I''ve also been really interested in the War of the Roses (just finished reading Vanora Bennett''s Figures in Silk, which I recommend highly).



Dies the Fire sounds like a fascinating read- I''m going to look for it.

If you like British historical fiction you might like this author

/alisonweir.org.uk She has written historical non-fiction and has recently written historical fiction and has received great reviews for her work

It is really amazing, but a bit bleak (because of the subject matter). But I highly recommend it. I just found out it''s the first part in at trilogy, and I''ve already bought the second book.

I haven''t read Alison Weir''s work, although I''ve heard good things about her. I will definitely check out some of her fiction stuff- thanks!
 

canuk-gal

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HI:

Just finished "Bloodletting and other Miraculous Cures" (Lam).. Enjoyed it.
Am current rereading "The Alexandria Quartet" (Durrell). I always get something new out of it...
"Handful of Dust" (Waugh) was very interesting.
"Beware of Pity" (Zweig) also great food for thought....

cheers--Sharon
 

lala2332

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thursday next series by jasper fforde the first one is called the the eyre affair.Just started re-reading them and they are so funny and original.
 

radiantquest

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Memoirs of a Geisha
A Beautiful Mind
Digital Fortress
Go Ask Alice

Alot of you might disagree but I really did like the Da Vinci Code
 

Scarabnight

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I love anything by Anne Bishop. She is a fantasy author and is all-around amazing!!



Vespergirl, have you read "Kite Runner" also by Khaled Hosseini? And who knows, if your husband liked "Thousand Splendid Suns," then he maybe he''ll also like that one.
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