I know many of you here will feel my pain. My pool of favorite authors has been shrinking, as folks like Barbara Hambly and our own Jim Hetley can't sell the books they've got waiting (and that I'm urgently waiting for....).
I need some suggestions for new favorite authors, ones whose books I can find at used bookstores, hopefully in large quantities ;-). As it is, I am rereading and rereading and rereading books I read a short time ago.
I tend to prefer women authors, or at least female lead characters. I like books that drop you right into the action, rather than books with long leadins and descriptions. My favorite genre is fantasy (I do NOT like hard science fiction), followed by mystery.
I've tried and disliked Katherine Kurtz, Ngaio Marsh, Robin Hobb.
Any ideas? I will happily provide BOYCs for anyone who tries to help.
<desideria1...@gmail.com> wrote: >My favorite genre is fantasy (I do NOT >like hard science fiction), followed by mystery.
But it's worth noting that she very much enjoyed (and is rereading) the Miles Vorkosigan yarns.
-denny- -- "...our dignity, our free institutions and the peace and welfare of this and coming generations of Americans will be secure only as we cling to the watchword of true patriotism: 'Our country--when right to be kept right; when wrong to be put right.'" - Carl Schurz, in 1899
> I know many of you here will feel my pain. My pool of favorite authors > has been shrinking, as folks like Barbara Hambly and our own Jim > Hetley can't sell the books they've got waiting (and that I'm urgently > waiting for....).
> I need some suggestions for new favorite authors, ones whose books I > can find at used bookstores, hopefully in large quantities ;-). As it > is, I am rereading and rereading and rereading books I read a short > time ago.
> I tend to prefer women authors, or at least female lead characters. I > like books that drop you right into the action, rather than books with > long leadins and descriptions. My favorite genre is fantasy (I do NOT > like hard science fiction), followed by mystery.
> I've tried and disliked Katherine Kurtz, Ngaio Marsh, Robin Hobb.
> Any ideas? I will happily provide BOYCs for anyone who tries to help.
> Desideria
T.A. Barron....harder to find but REALLY good. Fantasy Patricia Briggs....Excellent...Fantasy Mary Daheim......Mystery Barbara D'Amato.......wonderful.....Mystery Charles DeLint of course.........Fantasy Carole Nelson Douglas.......Mystery Esther Friesner naturally.........Fantasy Greg Iles.....WOW........Mystery Johnathan Kellerman........psychologist who solves mysteries Marian Keyes......comedy?.....hilarious Irish author...not myst or fant. Madeleine L'engle....wonderful....Fantasy and other..bks have serenity. Sharyn McCrumb........terrific historical mysteries Robin McKinley.....terrific Fantasy/Fairy Tales Margaret Maron......fabulous....Mystery Barbara Michaels.....spooky suspense Elizabeth Moon...excellent Fantasy Marcia Muller.....can't put down....Mystery Sara Paretsky.....very fun....Mystery Dana Stabenow......amazing protagonists.......Mystery
Will that do for now? I know some of those will be "already knowns". I can always ask Meaghan & Janet at work for more recommendations.
Denny Wheeler wrote: > On Sun, 02 Nov 2008 18:01:29 -0800, Desideria > <desideria1...@gmail.com> wrote:
>> My favorite genre is fantasy (I do NOT >> like hard science fiction), followed by mystery.
> But it's worth noting that she very much enjoyed (and is rereading) > the Miles Vorkosigan yarns.
> -denny-
Well yeah. Those are hardly hard science fiction. So they fit into the same mental space as a good fantasy in that the science (not that those have any) does not block ones enjoyment of the story.
On Sun, 02 Nov 2008 21:36:59 -0500, Ree <g...@teksavvy.com> wrote: >Desideria wrote: >> Hi, all!
>> I know many of you here will feel my pain. My pool of favorite authors >> has been shrinking, as folks like Barbara Hambly and our own Jim >> Hetley can't sell the books they've got waiting (and that I'm urgently >> waiting for....).
>> I need some suggestions for new favorite authors, ones whose books I >> can find at used bookstores, hopefully in large quantities ;-). As it >> is, I am rereading and rereading and rereading books I read a short >> time ago.
>> I tend to prefer women authors, or at least female lead characters. I >> like books that drop you right into the action, rather than books with >> long leadins and descriptions. My favorite genre is fantasy (I do NOT >> like hard science fiction), followed by mystery.
>> I've tried and disliked Katherine Kurtz, Ngaio Marsh, Robin Hobb.
>> Any ideas? I will happily provide BOYCs for anyone who tries to help.
>> Desideria
>T.A. Barron....harder to find but REALLY good. Fantasy >Patricia Briggs....Excellent...Fantasy >Mary Daheim......Mystery >Barbara D'Amato.......wonderful.....Mystery >Charles DeLint of course.........Fantasy >Carole Nelson Douglas.......Mystery >Esther Friesner naturally.........Fantasy >Greg Iles.....WOW........Mystery >Johnathan Kellerman........psychologist who solves mysteries >Marian Keyes......comedy?.....hilarious Irish author...not myst or fant. >Madeleine L'engle....wonderful....Fantasy and other..bks have serenity. >Sharyn McCrumb........terrific historical mysteries >Robin McKinley.....terrific Fantasy/Fairy Tales >Margaret Maron......fabulous....Mystery >Barbara Michaels.....spooky suspense >Elizabeth Moon...excellent Fantasy >Marcia Muller.....can't put down....Mystery >Sara Paretsky.....very fun....Mystery >Dana Stabenow......amazing protagonists.......Mystery
>Will that do for now? I know some of those will be "already knowns". I >can always ask Meaghan & Janet at work for more recommendations.
>Ree
Gives me a starting point!!!
I've read Patricia Briggs and really like her books with Mercy Thompson, but not the others so much. Madeline L'Engle I read long ago and really like. Sharyn McCrumb--you and I have discussed her at some length ;-). Robin McKinley--I think I've read all of them. Barbara Michaels/Barbara Mertz/Elizabeth Peters--I've read all, esp. the Elizabeth Peters.
I'll look into the others, thanks! What can I purchase for you?
On Sun, 02 Nov 2008 18:01:29 -0800, Desideria wrote: > Hi, all!
> I know many of you here will feel my pain. My pool of favorite authors > has been shrinking, as folks like Barbara Hambly and our own Jim Hetley > can't sell the books they've got waiting (and that I'm urgently waiting > for....).
> I need some suggestions for new favorite authors, ones whose books I can > find at used bookstores, hopefully in large quantities ;-). As it is, I > am rereading and rereading and rereading books I read a short time ago.
> I tend to prefer women authors, or at least female lead characters. I > like books that drop you right into the action, rather than books with > long leadins and descriptions. My favorite genre is fantasy (I do NOT > like hard science fiction), followed by mystery.
> I've tried and disliked Katherine Kurtz, Ngaio Marsh, Robin Hobb.
> Any ideas? I will happily provide BOYCs for anyone who tries to help.
Desideria <desideria1...@gmail.com> wrote: >I know many of you here will feel my pain. My pool of favorite authors >has been shrinking, as folks like Barbara Hambly and our own Jim >Hetley can't sell the books they've got waiting (and that I'm urgently >waiting for....).
>I need some suggestions for new favorite authors, ones whose books I >can find at used bookstores, hopefully in large quantities ;-). As it >is, I am rereading and rereading and rereading books I read a short >time ago.
>I tend to prefer women authors, or at least female lead characters. I >like books that drop you right into the action, rather than books with >long leadins and descriptions. My favorite genre is fantasy (I do NOT >like hard science fiction), followed by mystery.
>I've tried and disliked Katherine Kurtz, Ngaio Marsh, Robin Hobb.
>Any ideas? I will happily provide BOYCs for anyone who tries to help.
If you've already read the Miles Vorkosigan books, try the Familias Regnant books by Elizabeth Moon. Look it up in Wikipedia to get the list of books. Suggestion: skip the first two books, and start with _Winning Colors_. If you like the rest of the series, _then_ go back and read the first two for background.
And if you like those, you can go on to her Vatta's War books, starting with _Trading in Danger_.
Other stuff I've enjoyed: The Vlad stories by Steven Brust (start with Jhereg & Yendi)
The Company novels by Kage Baker (start with _In the Garden of Iden_) Eleanor Arnason (sociological SF)
And, if you like fantasy and haven't read _Bridge of Birds_ (but don't bother with any of the sequels). IMHO, this is the finest piece of fantasy since Tolkein.
Also on my favorites list, _Tex and Molly in the Afterlife_ by Richard Grant. Again, the sequels probably aren't worth bothering with. Well, maybe _In the Land of Winter_, if you can stand the middle part where horrible things(*) happen to the main character and her daughter. (*) Defined as Child Protective Services
I have some singleton books at home, that's about it for semi-reliable authors. Nowhere near as many as there used to be.
Another useful thing if you have time: go to Amazon.com and create yourself a userid. No need to even give them a credit card until/ unless you decide to buy from them. Then go to "my account" and "improve my recommendations" and start rating books that you've read. After you've done 100 or so, they'll get pretty good at recommending books you're likely to enjoy.
Desideria wrote: > On Sun, 02 Nov 2008 21:36:59 -0500, Ree <g...@teksavvy.com> wrote:
>> Desideria wrote: >>> Hi, all!
>>> I know many of you here will feel my pain. My pool of favorite authors >>> has been shrinking, as folks like Barbara Hambly and our own Jim >>> Hetley can't sell the books they've got waiting (and that I'm urgently >>> waiting for....).
>>> I need some suggestions for new favorite authors, ones whose books I >>> can find at used bookstores, hopefully in large quantities ;-). As it >>> is, I am rereading and rereading and rereading books I read a short >>> time ago.
>>> I tend to prefer women authors, or at least female lead characters. I >>> like books that drop you right into the action, rather than books with >>> long leadins and descriptions. My favorite genre is fantasy (I do NOT >>> like hard science fiction), followed by mystery.
>>> I've tried and disliked Katherine Kurtz, Ngaio Marsh, Robin Hobb.
>>> Any ideas? I will happily provide BOYCs for anyone who tries to help.
>>> Desideria >> T.A. Barron....harder to find but REALLY good. Fantasy >> Patricia Briggs....Excellent...Fantasy >> Mary Daheim......Mystery >> Barbara D'Amato.......wonderful.....Mystery >> Charles DeLint of course.........Fantasy >> Carole Nelson Douglas.......Mystery >> Esther Friesner naturally.........Fantasy >> Greg Iles.....WOW........Mystery >> Johnathan Kellerman........psychologist who solves mysteries >> Marian Keyes......comedy?.....hilarious Irish author...not myst or fant. >> Madeleine L'engle....wonderful....Fantasy and other..bks have serenity. >> Sharyn McCrumb........terrific historical mysteries >> Robin McKinley.....terrific Fantasy/Fairy Tales >> Margaret Maron......fabulous....Mystery >> Barbara Michaels.....spooky suspense >> Elizabeth Moon...excellent Fantasy >> Marcia Muller.....can't put down....Mystery >> Sara Paretsky.....very fun....Mystery >> Dana Stabenow......amazing protagonists.......Mystery
>> Will that do for now? I know some of those will be "already knowns". I >> can always ask Meaghan & Janet at work for more recommendations.
>> Ree
> Gives me a starting point!!!
> I've read Patricia Briggs and really like her books with Mercy > Thompson, but not the others so much. Madeline L'Engle I read long ago > and really like. Sharyn McCrumb--you and I have discussed her at some > length ;-). Robin McKinley--I think I've read all of them. Barbara > Michaels/Barbara Mertz/Elizabeth Peters--I've read all, esp. the > Elizabeth Peters.
> I'll look into the others, thanks! What can I purchase for you?
> Desideria
Ginger ale is always good. Check out Dana Stabenow's Kate Shugak novels first...she wrote those before the other series so there were more of them last I checked...and Kate is really something else....wait'll you see the scar across her throat!
>> I know many of you here will feel my pain. My pool of favorite authors >> has been shrinking, as folks like Barbara Hambly and our own Jim Hetley >> can't sell the books they've got waiting (and that I'm urgently waiting >> for....).
>> I need some suggestions for new favorite authors, ones whose books I can >> find at used bookstores, hopefully in large quantities ;-). As it is, I >> am rereading and rereading and rereading books I read a short time ago.
>> I tend to prefer women authors, or at least female lead characters. I >> like books that drop you right into the action, rather than books with >> long leadins and descriptions. My favorite genre is fantasy (I do NOT >> like hard science fiction), followed by mystery.
>> I've tried and disliked Katherine Kurtz, Ngaio Marsh, Robin Hobb.
>> Any ideas? I will happily provide BOYCs for anyone who tries to help.
>Desideria <desideria1...@gmail.com> wrote: >>I know many of you here will feel my pain. My pool of favorite authors >>has been shrinking, as folks like Barbara Hambly and our own Jim >>Hetley can't sell the books they've got waiting (and that I'm urgently >>waiting for....).
>>I need some suggestions for new favorite authors, ones whose books I >>can find at used bookstores, hopefully in large quantities ;-). As it >>is, I am rereading and rereading and rereading books I read a short >>time ago.
>>I tend to prefer women authors, or at least female lead characters. I >>like books that drop you right into the action, rather than books with >>long leadins and descriptions. My favorite genre is fantasy (I do NOT >>like hard science fiction), followed by mystery.
>>I've tried and disliked Katherine Kurtz, Ngaio Marsh, Robin Hobb.
>>Any ideas? I will happily provide BOYCs for anyone who tries to help.
>If you've already read the Miles Vorkosigan books, try the Familias >Regnant books by Elizabeth Moon. Look it up in Wikipedia to get the >list of books. Suggestion: skip the first two books, and start with >_Winning Colors_. If you like the rest of the series, _then_ go back >and read the first two for background.
>And if you like those, you can go on to her Vatta's War books, >starting with _Trading in Danger_.
>Other stuff I've enjoyed: > The Vlad stories by Steven Brust (start with Jhereg & Yendi)
> The Company novels by Kage Baker (start with _In the Garden of Iden_) > Eleanor Arnason (sociological SF)
> And, if you like fantasy and haven't read _Bridge of Birds_ (but > don't bother with any of the sequels). IMHO, this is the finest > piece of fantasy since Tolkein.
Ah. Thanks!
> Also on my favorites list, _Tex and Molly in the Afterlife_ by > Richard Grant. Again, the sequels probably aren't worth bothering > with. Well, maybe _In the Land of Winter_, if you can stand the > middle part where horrible things(*) happen to the main character and > her daughter. > (*) Defined as Child Protective Services
*snicker* I've read Miles, remember? Terrible things happen with Mark especially, too. ;-)
>I have some singleton books at home, that's about it for semi-reliable >authors. Nowhere near as many as there used to be.
>Another useful thing if you have time: go to Amazon.com and create >yourself a userid. No need to even give them a credit card until/ >unless you decide to buy from them. Then go to "my account" and >"improve my recommendations" and start rating books that you've read. >After you've done 100 or so, they'll get pretty good at recommending >books you're likely to enjoy
Huh. Okay--I can do that, especially as I already have the account there!
Barry Gold wrote: > Desideria <desideria1...@gmail.com> wrote: >> I know many of you here will feel my pain. My pool of favorite authors >> has been shrinking, as folks like Barbara Hambly and our own Jim >> Hetley can't sell the books they've got waiting (and that I'm urgently >> waiting for....).
>> I need some suggestions for new favorite authors, ones whose books I >> can find at used bookstores, hopefully in large quantities ;-). As it >> is, I am rereading and rereading and rereading books I read a short >> time ago.
>> I tend to prefer women authors, or at least female lead characters. I >> like books that drop you right into the action, rather than books with >> long leadins and descriptions. My favorite genre is fantasy (I do NOT >> like hard science fiction), followed by mystery.
>> I've tried and disliked Katherine Kurtz, Ngaio Marsh, Robin Hobb.
>> Any ideas? I will happily provide BOYCs for anyone who tries to help.
> If you've already read the Miles Vorkosigan books, try the Familias > Regnant books by Elizabeth Moon. Look it up in Wikipedia to get the > list of books. Suggestion: skip the first two books, and start with > _Winning Colors_. If you like the rest of the series, _then_ go back > and read the first two for background.
> And if you like those, you can go on to her Vatta's War books, > starting with _Trading in Danger_.
Elizabeth Moon also has the wonderful trilogy about Paksenarrion -- Sheepfarmer's Daughter, Divided Allegiance, and Oath of Gold. Or just buy the single volume -- The Deed of Paksenarrion. Strong female lead and saga worthy of Tolkein.
On Sun, 02 Nov 2008 18:56:45 -0800, Desideria wrote: > On 03 Nov 2008 01:36:57 GMT, Catherine Fiorello > <cathynos...@nospam.starbeast.net> wrote:
>>On Sun, 02 Nov 2008 18:01:29 -0800, Desideria wrote:
>>> Hi, all!
>>> I know many of you here will feel my pain. My pool of favorite authors >>> has been shrinking, as folks like Barbara Hambly and our own Jim >>> Hetley can't sell the books they've got waiting (and that I'm urgently >>> waiting for....).
>>> I need some suggestions for new favorite authors, ones whose books I >>> can find at used bookstores, hopefully in large quantities ;-). As it >>> is, I am rereading and rereading and rereading books I read a short >>> time ago.
>>> I tend to prefer women authors, or at least female lead characters. I >>> like books that drop you right into the action, rather than books with >>> long leadins and descriptions. My favorite genre is fantasy (I do NOT >>> like hard science fiction), followed by mystery.
>>> I've tried and disliked Katherine Kurtz, Ngaio Marsh, Robin Hobb.
>>> Any ideas? I will happily provide BOYCs for anyone who tries to help.
>>> Desideria
>>Have you tried Diana Gabaldon?
> Not yet! Does she do fantasy or mystery?
> Desideria
There's a bit a magic time travel, and sometimes a mystery to solve, but it's mostly historical romance. But they are long, lush novels and I love them.
>> I know many of you here will feel my pain. My pool of favorite authors >> has been shrinking, as folks like Barbara Hambly and our own Jim >> Hetley can't sell the books they've got waiting (and that I'm urgently >> waiting for....).
>> I need some suggestions for new favorite authors, ones whose books I >> can find at used bookstores, hopefully in large quantities ;-). As it >> is, I am rereading and rereading and rereading books I read a short >> time ago.
>> I tend to prefer women authors, or at least female lead characters. I >> like books that drop you right into the action, rather than books with >> long leadins and descriptions. My favorite genre is fantasy (I do NOT >> like hard science fiction), followed by mystery.
>> I've tried and disliked Katherine Kurtz, Ngaio Marsh, Robin Hobb. >> Any ideas? I will happily provide BOYCs for anyone who tries to help.
>> Desideria
> Carole Nelson Douglas.......Mystery
Seconded. Especially the Midnight Louie series. (If you're not familiar with them, Louie is a hardboiled detective tomcat in Las Vegas.)
Also: Patricia McKillip -- Fantasy Charlotte McLeod (aka Alisa Craig) -- Fun, "screwball" mysteries. Elizabeth Scarborough -- I especially liked her "Tales From the Seashell Archives" cycle Rita Mae Brown -- the "Mrs. Murphy" Mystery series (Mrs. Murphy is also a cat.) Carolyn G. Hart -- I prefer her "Death On Demand" mysteries to the "Henrie O." series, but YMMV. Charlaine Harris -- I liked her "Aurora Teagarden" mysteries and her "Shakespeare" series, as well as a couple of her one-shots that I've read, but for the life of me, I can't get interested in the "Sookie Stackhouse" series.
Of course, one of my favorite strong female characters is written by a man: "Modesty Blaise", by Peter O'Donnell.
-- Rowan Hawthorn
"Occasionally, I'm callous and strange." - Willow Rosenberg, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"
>Barry Gold wrote: >> Desideria <desideria1...@gmail.com> wrote: >>> I know many of you here will feel my pain. My pool of favorite authors >>> has been shrinking, as folks like Barbara Hambly and our own Jim >>> Hetley can't sell the books they've got waiting (and that I'm urgently >>> waiting for....).
>>> I need some suggestions for new favorite authors, ones whose books I >>> can find at used bookstores, hopefully in large quantities ;-). As it >>> is, I am rereading and rereading and rereading books I read a short >>> time ago.
>>> I tend to prefer women authors, or at least female lead characters. I >>> like books that drop you right into the action, rather than books with >>> long leadins and descriptions. My favorite genre is fantasy (I do NOT >>> like hard science fiction), followed by mystery.
>>> I've tried and disliked Katherine Kurtz, Ngaio Marsh, Robin Hobb.
>>> Any ideas? I will happily provide BOYCs for anyone who tries to help.
>> If you've already read the Miles Vorkosigan books, try the Familias >> Regnant books by Elizabeth Moon. Look it up in Wikipedia to get the >> list of books. Suggestion: skip the first two books, and start with >> _Winning Colors_. If you like the rest of the series, _then_ go back >> and read the first two for background.
>> And if you like those, you can go on to her Vatta's War books, >> starting with _Trading in Danger_.
>Elizabeth Moon also has the wonderful trilogy about Paksenarrion -- >Sheepfarmer's Daughter, Divided Allegiance, and Oath of Gold. >Or just buy the single volume -- The Deed of Paksenarrion. >Strong female lead and saga worthy of Tolkein.
>'wyrm
I've read a bit of 'Paksenarrion' online, and it has somewhat grabbed me, but not all the way. I'll go back and read more and see if I change my mind!
>> On 03 Nov 2008 01:36:57 GMT, Catherine Fiorello >> <cathynos...@nospam.starbeast.net> wrote:
>>>On Sun, 02 Nov 2008 18:01:29 -0800, Desideria wrote:
>>>> Hi, all!
>>>> I know many of you here will feel my pain. My pool of favorite authors >>>> has been shrinking, as folks like Barbara Hambly and our own Jim >>>> Hetley can't sell the books they've got waiting (and that I'm urgently >>>> waiting for....).
>>>> I need some suggestions for new favorite authors, ones whose books I >>>> can find at used bookstores, hopefully in large quantities ;-). As it >>>> is, I am rereading and rereading and rereading books I read a short >>>> time ago.
>>>> I tend to prefer women authors, or at least female lead characters. I >>>> like books that drop you right into the action, rather than books with >>>> long leadins and descriptions. My favorite genre is fantasy (I do NOT >>>> like hard science fiction), followed by mystery.
>>>> I've tried and disliked Katherine Kurtz, Ngaio Marsh, Robin Hobb.
>>>> Any ideas? I will happily provide BOYCs for anyone who tries to help.
>>>> Desideria
>>>Have you tried Diana Gabaldon?
>> Not yet! Does she do fantasy or mystery?
>> Desideria
>There's a bit a magic time travel, and sometimes a mystery to solve, but >it's mostly historical romance. But they are long, lush novels and I love >them.
I will vouch for her books being wonderful. Note that I do *not* read romance novels as a matter of course. Never cared for romance novels at all. But I do love history, and stories about things that could plausibly have happened, and I enjoy stories involving time travel. Gabaldon's Outlander series is chock-full of great action, interesting factual material woven into the background of the story, very lifelike characters, and the romantic element is integrated so skillfully into the plot that it is *never* gratuitous, nor does it ever smack of the sickly-sweet stuff that turned me off the romance genre clear back in my teens. Claire (the protagonist) is such a strong woman to begin with, and being thrown two centuries into the past and having to deal with living in a world in which women are not regarded as strong people only serves to make her stronger. Jamie (the male lead) is likewise a strong person in his own right, with an endearing vulnerability about him in only those areas where it serves to make him more human and more accessible. The obstacles the two of them come up against - including, at times, each other - make for a stirring sense of urgency that never diminishes, not even over the span of several books (this is a series). Be sure to read them in the order of their publication, for otherwise the story won't make sense. That order is as follows: Outlander (1991) • Dragonfly in Amber (1992) • Voyager (1994) • Drums of Autumn (1997) • The Fiery Cross (2001) • A Breath of Snow and Ashes (2005)
>>> I know many of you here will feel my pain. My pool of favorite authors >>> has been shrinking, as folks like Barbara Hambly and our own Jim >>> Hetley can't sell the books they've got waiting (and that I'm urgently >>> waiting for....).
>>> I need some suggestions for new favorite authors, ones whose books I >>> can find at used bookstores, hopefully in large quantities ;-). As it >>> is, I am rereading and rereading and rereading books I read a short >>> time ago.
>>> I tend to prefer women authors, or at least female lead characters. I >>> like books that drop you right into the action, rather than books with >>> long leadins and descriptions. My favorite genre is fantasy (I do NOT >>> like hard science fiction), followed by mystery.
>>> I've tried and disliked Katherine Kurtz, Ngaio Marsh, Robin Hobb. >>> Any ideas? I will happily provide BOYCs for anyone who tries to help.
>>> Desideria
>> Carole Nelson Douglas.......Mystery
>Seconded. Especially the Midnight Louie series. (If you're not familiar >with them, Louie is a hardboiled detective tomcat in Las Vegas.)
>Elizabeth Scarborough -- I especially liked her "Tales From the Seashell >Archives" cycle
Own all her non-serious stuff. Next time I see her, I'll pass on your praise. She has a website, btw, and sends out monthly newsletters. Let me know if you'd like the website addie.
>Rita Mae Brown -- the "Mrs. Murphy" Mystery series (Mrs. Murphy is also >a cat.)
Think I read a Sneakie Pie Brown mystery and didn't like it much, but I'll give her another try.
>Carolyn G. Hart -- I prefer her "Death On Demand" mysteries to the >"Henrie O." series, but YMMV. >Charlaine Harris -- I liked her "Aurora Teagarden" mysteries and her >"Shakespeare" series, as well as a couple of her one-shots that I've >read, but for the life of me, I can't get interested in the "Sookie >Stackhouse" series.
>Of course, one of my favorite strong female characters is written by a >man: "Modesty Blaise", by Peter O'Donnell.
On Sun, 02 Nov 2008 21:38:28 -0500, Ree <g...@teksavvy.com> wrote: >Denny Wheeler wrote: >> On Sun, 02 Nov 2008 18:01:29 -0800, Desideria >> <desideria1...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>> My favorite genre is fantasy (I do NOT >>> like hard science fiction), followed by mystery.
>> But it's worth noting that she very much enjoyed (and is rereading) >> the Miles Vorkosigan yarns.
>> -denny-
>Well yeah. Those are hardly hard science fiction. So they fit into the >same mental space as a good fantasy in that the science (not that those >have any) does not block ones enjoyment of the story.
Ya know, I've never read any *good* hard SF in which the science blocked my enjoyment of the story.
Of course, for me the primary factor in defining hard SF is "the science is reasonably feasible given what we know now[1]."
And of course there's a lot of good speculative fiction which is really neither fish nor fowl--the fantasy purist calls it SF, and the SF purist calls it fantasy. I'd put most if not all of McCaffrey's stories in that class, and some of Heinlein, notably _Glory Road_ and _The Number of the Beast_. (_Job_ is, in my mind, clearly in the 'fantasy' genre--much more so than is _Glory Road_; after all, everything that appears magic in it is the product of the advanced science in Star's 20 Universes.)
-denny- -- "...our dignity, our free institutions and the peace and welfare of this and coming generations of Americans will be secure only as we cling to the watchword of true patriotism: 'Our country--when right to be kept right; when wrong to be put right.'" - Carl Schurz, in 1899
> I know many of you here will feel my pain. My pool of favorite authors > has been shrinking, as folks like Barbara Hambly and our own Jim > Hetley can't sell the books they've got waiting (and that I'm urgently > waiting for....).
> I need some suggestions for new favorite authors, ones whose books I > can find at used bookstores, hopefully in large quantities ;-). As it > is, I am rereading and rereading and rereading books I read a short > time ago.
> I tend to prefer women authors, or at least female lead characters. I > like books that drop you right into the action, rather than books with > long leadins and descriptions. My favorite genre is fantasy (I do NOT > like hard science fiction), followed by mystery.
> I've tried and disliked Katherine Kurtz, Ngaio Marsh, Robin Hobb.
> Any ideas? I will happily provide BOYCs for anyone who tries to help.
> Desideria
Have you tried Karen Robards? She writes mysteries and I think she's good.
<desideria1...@gmail.com> wrote: >I tend to prefer women authors, or at least female lead characters. I >like books that drop you right into the action, rather than books with >long leadins and descriptions. My favorite genre is fantasy (I do NOT >like hard science fiction), followed by mystery.
No fantasy hints from me - not really my kind of books, although I loved Ursula Le Guin's Earthsea trilogy, and I read some Tanith Lee as well.
>I've tried and disliked Katherine Kurtz, Ngaio Marsh, Robin Hobb.
>Any ideas? I will happily provide BOYCs for anyone who tries to help.
But I do love mysteries, I don't really care for female lead characters, nor for female writers. Just some names I enjoy(ed) reading, I leave the research up to you <eg>:
Minette Walters Faye Kellermann Elizabeth George (especially the Lynley/Havers novels) Ruth Rendell Nicci French Alex Kava John Connolly Ake Edwardson Henning Mankell Sue Grafton Patricia Cornwell Laurie R. King P.D. James
Hmmm... a lot of women after all.
Have fun! An espresso please, strong and sweet ;o)
-- "Bad habits are like a comfortable bed, easy to get into, but hard to get out of."
]I tend to prefer women authors, or at least female lead characters. I ]like books that drop you right into the action, rather than books with ]long leadins and descriptions. My favorite genre is fantasy (I do NOT ]like hard science fiction), followed by mystery.
You might look up, in used book stores, stories about Jirel of Joirey. Printed back in the 1950s, she was a strong female character who had a small kingdom, and didn't see the need of a male king sharing it with her.
> I know many of you here will feel my pain. My pool of favorite > authors has been shrinking, as folks like Barbara Hambly and > our own Jim Hetley can't sell the books they've got waiting > (and that I'm urgently waiting for....).
> I need some suggestions for new favorite authors, ones whose > books I can find at used bookstores, hopefully in large > quantities ;-). As it is, I am rereading and rereading and > rereading books I read a short time ago.
> I tend to prefer women authors, or at least female lead > characters. I like books that drop you right into the action, > rather than books with long leadins and descriptions. My > favorite genre is fantasy (I do NOT like hard science > fiction), followed by mystery.
> I've tried and disliked Katherine Kurtz, Ngaio Marsh, Robin > Hobb.
> Any ideas? I will happily provide BOYCs for anyone who tries > to help.
> Desideria
Robert B. Parker. He's best known for his SPENSER series, which became a dreadful TV show SPENSER: FOR HIRE. But the books are excellent. And one of his other series features Sunny Randall, a former Boston police officer making her own way.
Parker is a great read; he's one of my top choices these days. I also like James W. Hall.
What about Agatha Christie? Especially her "Miss Marple" stuff? (:-) And her "Tommy & Tuppence" stuff?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "The Canvas Canary" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ (I love to paint, sing, am blonde & a bit flighty:)
http://www.angelfire.com/nc/canvascanary ***************************** "Creative minds are seldom tidy." --Anon. ***************************** "I'm out of bed, and dressed; what more do you want?!" --Anon.
> I know many of you here will feel my pain. My pool of favorite authors > has been shrinking, as folks like Barbara Hambly and our own Jim > Hetley can't sell the books they've got waiting (and that I'm urgently > waiting for....).
> I need some suggestions for new favorite authors, ones whose books I > can find at used bookstores, hopefully in large quantities ;-). As it > is, I am rereading and rereading and rereading books I read a short > time ago.
> I tend to prefer women authors, or at least female lead characters. I > like books that drop you right into the action, rather than books with > long leadins and descriptions. My favorite genre is fantasy (I do NOT > like hard science fiction), followed by mystery.
> I've tried and disliked Katherine Kurtz, Ngaio Marsh, Robin Hobb.
> Any ideas? I will happily provide BOYCs for anyone who tries to help.
> Desideria
In the last month I've read and enjoyed the following:
The Secret Life of Bees - Sue Monk Kid - lovely lyrical story - out soon as a movie.
The Englishman's Boy - gritty historical about the Cypress Hills massacre and early Hollywood - Guy Vanderhaeghe - very good
Sweetness in the Belly - Camilla Gibb - Giller Prize nominee - European girl raised in Ethiopia and Ethiopian civil war - read it in three days - very good
A Darker Justice - Sallie Bissell - 2nd in a series - reminded me of Rita Mae Brown's fox hunting mystery. Am now looking for the first one
Uncle Tungsten - Oliver Saks - non-fiction autobiography of a scientific boyhood - loved it
What about the (imo, not-so-hard science-fiction) Zenna Henderson's "The People" stuff?
Very cool. :-)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "The Canvas Canary" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ (I love to paint, sing, am blonde & a bit flighty:)
http://www.angelfire.com/nc/canvascanary ***************************** "Creative minds are seldom tidy." --Anon. ***************************** "I'm out of bed, and dressed; what more do you want?!" --Anon.
> I know many of you here will feel my pain. My pool of favorite authors > has been shrinking, as folks like Barbara Hambly and our own Jim > Hetley can't sell the books they've got waiting (and that I'm urgently > waiting for....).
> I need some suggestions for new favorite authors, ones whose books I > can find at used bookstores, hopefully in large quantities ;-). As it > is, I am rereading and rereading and rereading books I read a short > time ago.
> I tend to prefer women authors, or at least female lead characters. I > like books that drop you right into the action, rather than books with > long leadins and descriptions. My favorite genre is fantasy (I do NOT > like hard science fiction), followed by mystery.
> I've tried and disliked Katherine Kurtz, Ngaio Marsh, Robin Hobb.
> Any ideas? I will happily provide BOYCs for anyone who tries to help.
> Desideria
Oh, I forgot - Edith Partager (Ellis Peter's real name). Her non-Cadfael mysteries/historicals are wonderful. Also her Detective Felse/Inspector Felse mysteries under the Peter's name.
|
