Book Recommendation Request

[the_rck]

I still, of course, have no idea when my surgery will be. My sister has mentioned the possibility that they'll want to do an MRI before the surgery, since my breasts are very dense, just to make sure they're not missing anything. The thing about that is that a breast MRI has to be done during an approximately ten day window in a woman's cycle. My next period will start some time between the 20th and the 10th (I'm pretty irregular). I'm not sure how long after that the MRI would be. I was really hoping that the surgery could be very, very soon so that I could put the whole thing out of my mind and not spend weeks and weeks stressing out.

I am thinking, though, that I may want to buy some e-books to put on my e-reader, assuming I can actually find the power cord for it. I have a lot of fics on there, but I think I'm going to want very specifically light reading. If I weren't expecting to have difficulty holding something as heavy as a hardcover book, I'd probably just put holds on a couple of dozen non-fiction books that sound interesting, but I don't think that will work.

So I'm looking for recommendations. I've put together two lists of authors. The first is authors that I currently can always read without anxiety issues. The second is authors I usually like and can sometimes read without anxiety issues. I don't claim that everything on this list is high art or necessarily anything but popcorn/cotton candy reading.

Romances and mysteries are exceedingly hit or miss for me. I like middle grade books but often end up not finishing them because I identify more strongly with the parents than the protagonists.

The authors I can pretty much always read:

Donna Andrews (fluffy, funny mysteries)

Nancy Atherton (fluffy pseudo-mysteries where everyone is actually a good person)

Larry Gonick (graphic novels on history and science and various other non-fiction subjects)

Kerry Greenwood (Phryne Fisher mysteries and Corinna Chapman mysteries)

Diana Wynne Jones (highly varied MG and YA fantasy)

Janet Kagan (two stand alone SF books and a Star Trek novel)

Katharine Eliska Kimbriel (one SF series and one fantasy series)

Jayne Ann Krentz/Jayne Castle/Amanda Quick (romantic suspense, often with psychic powers. If you've read one, you know exactly how all the others will go.)

Mercedes Lackey (I've mostly read the Valdemar books, so if I don't have any other ideas, I'll get a bunch of her other books. Assuming I can deal with that much of one author's tics.)

Emma Lathen/R.B. Dominic (mysteries. The Lathen books center on financial matters with a hero who's a banker. The Dominic books center on politics with a hero who's a congressman.)

James H. Schmitz (SF with overly competent but vastly enjoyable female characters)

Ursula Vernon (I adore Dragonbreath, Castle Hangnail, and Digger)

Patricia Wrede (fantasy)


Authors I can only sometimes read:

Mary Balogh (Romance. I have no idea why some of these work for me and some really, really don't.)

Anne Bishop (Fantasy. I run into trouble with the over the top torture bits and the oh, oh, I'm so dark and angsty and miserable bits. I've only read the Black Jewels stuff. I've tried starting other series and bounced right off them, so now I don't even try.)

Steven Brust (Fantasy. I can read most-- but not all-- Vlad books and very little else)

Lois McMaster Bujold (SF and fantasy. I couldn't read the second Sharing Knife book, and I couldn't read Captain Vorpatril's Alliance)

David and Leigh Eddings (Fantasy. I hated The Redemption of Althalus, and I would have to be paid an extremely large sum to reread the first two books of The Elenium. I've enjoyed everything else in a pleasant I-don't-have-to-worry-about-this sort of way. The characterization is all surface, but it's surface I can move along fairly pleasantly as long as I don't think too hard about anything underneath.)

Eric Flint (not generally his fantasy. Other stuff depends on co-author. I liked the first handful of 1632 books, but they're too much now. I like the series that starts with Boundary, and I really, really like Mother of Demons. I think the Belasarius stuff appeals to me mostly because it's a time period I knew a lot about going in.)

Dorothy Gilman (Espionage/mystery. I prefer the older books to the newer ones. I feel like she lost energy around the time of The Hong Kong Buddha. I also never really fell in love with anything but her Mrs Pollifax books. The other stuff was okay, but it wasn't as good.)

Georgette Heyer (Romance. I'm not keen on her mysteries. I like the energy and the fun, but I don't deal very well with characters getting embarrassed/humiliated, so there are some books I stalled out on. I love A Civil Contract, Frederica, The Unknown Ajax, and The Talisman Ring.)

Nina Kiriki Hoffman (Fantasy mostly. I disliked Catalyst hugely, and I wasn't comfortable with A Silent Stir of Bones. Beyond that, I find Hoffman's books generally comforting.)

Tanya Huff (Fantasy. Not the vampires, shapeshifters, or milSF.)

Jane Lindskold (SF and fantasy. Early books only. She lost me mid-way through the Firekeeper books.)

Alexander McCall Smith (Mysteries, sort of. No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency only and not the most recent of those.)

Kelly McCullough (Fantasy. Ravirn series, specifically. I bought the first of his current series, but it was too dark for me to finish.)

Robin McKinley (Fantasy. Older books mainly. I don't think I've liked anything since Sunshine, and I was iffy on that.)

Tamora Pierce (Fantasy. I only had trouble with the Beka Cooper books and Battle Magic)

Daniel Pinkwater (Middle grade. Fantasy maybe? SF maybe? Not the stuff aimed at really little kids. I like the middle grade stuff-- The Snarkout Boys, Lizard Music, Alan Mendelson, etc.)

Rick Riordan (Middle grade/YA fantasy. I often read the first and last thirds of his books and then extrapolate the events in the middle)

Lisa Shearin (Fantasy. I stopped dead in the middle of her first series. I'm not sure why. I liked the characters and the voice, and the books moved along rapidly. I think it was, at least in part, that the story arc never seemed to advance at all.)

Wen Spencer (SF and fantasy. I couldn't read Endless Blue because I'm afraid of water, and I haven't yet finished the Tinker series. I don't know if I will as I keep looking at the books and trying to find something else to do.)

Mark Walden (Middle grade, supervillains. The H.I.V.E. series mostly works for me.)

Manly Wade Wellman (Fantasy. The Silver John stories mainly are what work for me, the short stories are better than the novels.)

Sherryl Woods (Romance. Some of her romances work for me. Others, I bounce right off of. I can't predict it.)

Roger Zelazny (Fantasy, SF. I love some, like some and don't much like others. I'm particularly fond of the first Amber series, A Night in the Lonesome October, Lord of Light, and Doorways in the Sand.)

Comments

[laurajv]

Hm. I overlap with you in some areas & not others, and I'm not sure what will make you too anxious.

Right now, I am recommending (to anyone who will listen to me for longer than 2 seconds) "The Goblin Emperor", by Katherine Addison. I would call it YA. Summary: the unfavorite, half-goblin 4th son of the Elvish emperor unexpectedly inherits the throne. Shenanigans ensue. Maia, the main character, is the main appeal of the book, to me: he's a sound-hearted, awkward person who has no idea how sweet and charming he is.

I would also recommend, with some reservations, Patricia McKillip. Her fantasy is evocative, creative, and lovely; for me she kind of occupies a space between Diana Wynne Jones and Ursula K LeGuin. The reservations are because sometimes her books have had bits in the that wrecked me (one of the main characters in "In the Forests of Serre" is a man grieving for his wife and child, for example) and her early work I found a touch uneven & hard to follow (The Riddle-Master trilogy especially.) But "Od Magic", "Ombria in Shadow", "The Forgotten Beasts of Eld"...those I loved, and were happy beach & bedtime reads for me.

[iamshadow]

The Decoy Princess and its sequel Princess at Sea by Dawn Cook are really fun.

I love Kristen Britain's Green Rider series (though I've only read the first three). If you like Tamora Pierce and Mercedes Lackey, you'll probably like Green Rider.

I'm a big fan of Garth Nix's fantasy works. The Old Kingdom trilogy is amazing, but might be a little dark for you right now, so maybe try the Keys to the Kingdom series.

I adore Michael Pryor's Laws of Magic series. Think teenage Sherlock Holmes fused with an alternate universe Edwardian Britain that's got magic and steampunk science.

My friend, copperbadge, has written a number of books in a few different genres that I absolutely love. His books are either free or really cheap in digital form, depending on the format. You can find his author page HERE.

Don't feel obliged to read any of these - if you poke around on Goodreads and decide from the summaries that they aren't your thing, feel free to disregard. I just thought a few of those authors might be unfamiliar to you, since they're lesser known and/or Australian. :)

Re: Mercedes Lackey, I think some of the Bardic Voices books might be a bit grim for you right now. The Dragon Jousters quartet is good, but I honestly can't remember the tone of them; it's been a while since I read them.

[transposable_element]

Do you know of Frances Hardinge? She's a relatively new English fantasy writer who seems to be little known in the U.S. She's tremendously inventive, both in terms of her fantasy conceits and her language; she has published seven novels in the last ten years, and only two of them share the same world and characters. I've now read all of her published novels, and especially recommend Fly By Night, Twilight Robbery (Fly Trap in the American edition), and A Face Like Glass. Her other books may be a bit too dark for you right now, especially Gullstruck Island (The Lost Conspiracy in the American edition) and her most recent, The Lie Tree.

I second the recommendation of The Goblin Emperor.

I was going to recommend Cherry Wilder's Rulers of Hylor trilogy, but it doesn't seem to be available in ebook form! Drat.

Since you mention Pat Wrede, I presume you're aware of the Sorcery and Cecilia books, which she co-wrote with Carol Stevermer. That puts me in mind of Mary Robinette Kowal's Regency fantasy books, which are very different in tone (somewhat darker and more serious, also more romantic). The first is Shades of Milk and Honey (which is a terrible title and I have no idea why it's called that!). There are five books in the series, which is now complete.

[kyrielle]

You may want to check if your library has an e-lending program, though usually you can't take out very many books at the same time from those. But for trying a new author or series, it might be handy.

Re Mercedes Lackey - I like most of her books, but while her books-in-series are similar enough to be cookie-cutter, she isn't always similar across series. The urban fantasy can be hard because she uses the miserable-orphan trope in *our* world, in ways that...well, hurt to read (I think - it's been a while - that the Diana Tregarde books are an exception). The Bardic Voices series has some hard moments, but overall feels more like Valdemar to me in terms of tone. The Brainship series is awesome IMO, but more Anne McCaffrey influence than Lackey, IMO. Dragon Jousters is good but I'm at a loss what to compare it to. I quite like the Elemental Masters books, and because they're recasting fairy tales, you have somewhat of an idea of what you're getting into. The Obsidian Universe is very, very different - I can see her hand in it, to be sure, but I suspect that was more James Mallory than her - and fairly dark, IMO.

I'm not sure, but:

You might like Ellis Peters' Brother Cadfael books (mysteries, and the detective is a monk). It's a fairly large series and I remember it being consistent in tone/characterization, so if you like a couple, you'll probably enjoy most or all of them, I'm guessing.

Things that I love and find rereadable, that may or may not overlap and I'm not at all sure of, but listing in case: Michelle Sagara's Chronicles of Elantra, beginning with Cast In Shadow; Marion G Harmon's Wearing the Cape series, beginning with Wearing the Cape. Possibly Amy Thomson's _The Color of Distance_.

I don't know if you'd enjoy Ruth Reichl's books - which are mostly memoirs and about nothing like what we've been discussing - but I've enjoyed them a lot. Though Delicious!, her novel, covers some rough subjects and may not be as good a choice as the semi-non-fiction (she freely admits she dresses up th details, so I can't call it pure non-fiction).

[ken-3k.livejournal.com]

I doubt I have much to offer for fiction, as my tastes are somewhat darker than yours. Though I do like James H. Schmitz and Emma Lathen from your always-readable list.

Light non-fiction always appeals to me:

Tom Standage, "A History of the World in 6 Glasses." Breezy summary of world history as seen through beer, wine, distilled spirits, coffee, tea and Coke. Standage has a number of similar books which I have not read.

Colin Woodard, "American Nations." Proposes a division of 11 cultures in North America and how those cultures shape history and politics.

As far as book weight goes: the AADL Friends store at the main branch has a generous supply of 50-cent mass market paperbacks in mysteries and SF. (I don't know about their YA selection.)

[egelantier.livejournal.com]

i've really liked rose lerner's romance - they're like an updated take on heyer, very fresh and lovely and full of appealing characters.

[the_rck]

Someone I read (possibly you) mentioned Lerner earlier this week, and I now have my library's one and only book by her. It's called In for a Penny. If I like it, I will seriously consider her other books for post-surgery reading.

[egelantier.livejournal.com]

it's an adorable book! it's kind of an homage-fixit for heyer's civil contract, only with added class issues. the characters are literally the sweetest.

[(Anonymous)]

Her books are quite fun. Though I have to admit my heart still belongs to Heyer.

[anderyn.livejournal.com]

T. Kingfisher is Ursula Vernon's pen name for her more grown up fiction. It seems of a piece with her ya stuff.

[the_rck]

I did know that. I just hadn't really thought about it. I'll definitely put those books on my list of things to buy. They've been there for a while, anyway, but I pretty much never buy ebooks, so I haven't done anything about them.

[lady-of-mists.livejournal.com]

With Lackey, she has a series with James Mallory that I've enjoyed -- about magic and such. I can't remember if it is the Shadow Series or the "To Light a Candle" series. They have a lot of elves and demons and such in them. I don't think there are any shapeshifters, but it's been a LONG time since I read them.

I like her elemental masters series too. "The Fire Rose" was really good. It's "historical" fantasy as the setting goes and they are adaptations of fairy tales in approximately 1800s to the early 1900s -- I don't think she's gotten to World War I yet (but I'm not reading them for that sort of thing). Usually light romance in those. NOTE that there are shapeshifters in at least some of them -- the one that I just read (Blood Red) was about werewolves.

Oh, and the Lackey ones with the kingdoms with the fairy godmothers are good... extremely light.

Umm, for sci-fi, I like the Timothy Zahn books about Star Wars... he's very detailed and has awesome characters.

I love Victoria Holt novels too... The Fire Opal and Seven for a Secret were ones I liked.

I also went through a Gothic romance phase with some Reader's Digest condensed books this summer. Kind of fun for a change. :)

[the_rck]

I was specifically thinking of the Elemental Masters books and the fairy tale books for Lackey.

I'll see if the library has any Victoria Holt so I can try before I buy. They might not because they've been weeding out stuff by older authors (all of the Madeleine Brent just vanished one summer).

I think Scott has the Zahn Star Wars books, so I'll take a look.

[lady-of-mists.livejournal.com]

Then I can highly recommend those series of Lackey -- they have a different feel from Valdemar, but they are still comfortable places to be with strong characters (male and female).

The first of the Mallory/Lackey series I enjoyed because of all of the world building -- they have their own magic system going on and there's a neat kind of ranger character in that first series.

And yeah, Victoria Holt is definitely old-school romance, but they might have it? Just because her works are very influential in the genre, I think. Gothic romances are fun reads.

I'm trying to remember the name of the first one, but it is about Luke, Leia, Han, Winter (so awesome), and Grand Admiral Thrawn. Ah, yes, Heir to the Empire. :) It's a blue covered book, came out in 1991 and I remember it was one of my first "grown-up" Star Wars books.

[the_rck]

I think you will be amused-- I clicked on a link on the catalog record for a Victoria Holt book from 1980, and this is what popped up:

"Demonstrates how a cognitive perspective on the way in which individuals with autism think and learn may be applied to particular curriculum areas. The text sets out principles of pedagogy and illustrates their application."

Somehow, I think that got attached to the wrong book in the database.

I got a laugh out of it, but I still have no idea at all what the book's actually about.

[lady-of-mists.livejournal.com]

LOL! I really doubt that has anything to do with a romance novel. It might be useful for people that I know, but it has nothing to do with heroines with mysterious backgrounds. ;)

I also realized that I was reading a different sort of Lackey last night (and goodness, do I have a lot of Lackey). The Free Bards? It's a trilogy of novels under one cover (it was re-released by Baen). Basically the first one is about the adventures of a girl who wants to be a bard and runs away from a (not very good) home to do so. There's some Celtic influence to it and a ghost story element.

Apparently, I tend to go toward the beginning of the hero/heroine's quest books as the ones that I like best.

I enjoyed a very old book when I was younger that was about the American First Ladies. It was non-fiction, but very fun to read. The author really brought the women to life.