Recommend a "hideaway" book.

Cafe Society
1

Hey there, Dopers! I am going through an extremely stressful period, and I need some escape space. Since a weekend away is out of the question, and 10 minutes here and there is all I’m gonna get, I’m looking for some fairly light, engrossing book(s) to jump into now and again.

Examples that have worked in the past are fairly diverse, but might give you some idea: Foundation Trilogy, the Harry Potter Series, the Outlander series, anything by Douglas Adams, most of Ray Bradbury.

I considered the George RR Martin books, but don’t really want to be left hanging, as I gather that’s caused a bit of anguish for a fair few people; and frankly I’ve got all the anguish I need at the moment.

So, funny is good, light is ok, but engrossing is important. I need something where the world-building is complete enough that I can dive into it for a while, you know?

I’m not looking for anything creepy, or sad, and especially not gory. I’ve had all the social awareness building I need for awhile, (yeah, reading “Precious” was probably not the best idea right now!) and frankly admit that I am looking for a little brain candy.

Intellectual would be especially lovely, but I’ll gladly settle for funny, or even just fun. A “good wins out in the end” sort of thing, you know?

Science-based non-fiction might also be good, if it’s of the enteraining sort. I’m practically at the mailbox waiting for the weekly “New Scientist” delivery.

What’ve you read that might help me escape the stress?

Thanks guys!

2

Pratchett.

Start with the City Watch sub-series. Decent police procedurals, with dragons.

3

Bill Bryson’s A Walk in the Woods. Single volume, but seriously hilarious.

4

I, Lucifer by Glenn Duncan is one of my all-time favorites. It’s not too heavy, but if black humor turns you off it might not be for you.

5

The Great Santini by Pat Conroy is a bittersweet dramatic novel, set in the household of a larger-than-life Marine pilot and his family during the Sixties. It is wonderfully written and very, very funny. I can’t recommend it highly enough.

For two good George R.R. Martin novels that are entirely self-contained and won’t leave you hanging, I’d recommend Tuf Voyaging, a very sly, funny tale about environmentalism and absolute power, and Fevre Dream, an atmospheric thriller about vampires along the Mississippi before the Civil War. Very different books; incredibly good reading.

Joe Haldeman’s Tool of the Trade, a Cold War sf thriller about a Soviet sleeper agent on the run after inventing a practical form of mind control, and All My Sins Remembered, about a distant-future spy who starts to crack up because repeated personality overlays are destroying his sense of self, are both excellent.

6

I think Lois McMaster Bujold’s Vorkosigan books would be a good choice. They’re space opera, and they’re a fun, engrossing read.

7

Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. Classic.

8

If you want to laugh a bit and read something silly, the Stephanie Plum books by Janet Evanovich start out quite good. Start at the beginning (One for the Money) because man do they get phoned in after a while.

Do NOT read George RR Martin if you don’t want anything sad. Cruelty is something of a theme.

9

Try the early works of Spider Robinson: Callahan’s Crosstime Saloon, Time Travelers Strictly Cash, Callahan’s Secret, Callahan’s Lady and Lady Slings the Blues.

10

Mercedes Lackey is my latest escapist brain-candy. Entertaining, light-weight, fantasy fluff. Lots of magic, low on gore.

For world-building, try one of the Valdemar series. For an alternate-history approach, Elemental Masters. Or the Diana Tregarde books, which remind me of mysteries, except with more magic & less murder.

Or for something less silly, C.J. Cherryh - try The Pride of Chanur or the Foreigner series. A little more chew to these, but definitely worlds that you can lose yourself in. Some of her stuff is pretty dense, but you can work on those later when you’re not as stressed. :wink:

11

The Night’s Dawn trilogy by Peter Hamilton has a fairly complete and consistent universe. It’s a bit dark at times, but very engrossing.

The Reality Dysfunction
The Neutron Alchemist
The Naked God

Much lighter is the Matador series by Steve Perry.
A good friend of mine cursed me roundly and soundly for that one. He had plans for spring break when I loaned him the series. He didn’t get around to his plans. :smiley:

The Deathstalker series by Simon Green is epic space opera.

My favorite standalone book is The Philosophical Strangler by Eric Flint. I’ve had to replace this one several times because it doesn’t get returned when I lend it out.

ETA: Just caught the prohibition on gore. Skip Night’s Dawn and Deathstalker. Sorry

12

I agree with all you say, but it goes seriously off the rails in the last few chapters. Almost ruined it for me.

13

I’m going to have to give Hamilton another try someday. I’ve got that series, and part of a different one.

I just can’t get into his stuff. I keep hearing how good he is, though.

Maybe when I’m not so stressed.

14

Seconded. That’s what I came in here to mention.

15

I’m a huge Bryson fan. I recommend his In a Sunburned Country. He describes his travels in Australia which, to this New Englander, was like visiting a different world. His take delivers humor, respect, love and awe for that unique country/continent. Upbeat and entertaining.

16

Koontz has one that might fit the bill.

17

Man I love you guys. Most of what I’d recommend is already here, and I’d add any of Carl Hiaasen’s works except there might be tadly bits of gore…always followed up by a guffaw at how it got wherever it was in the first place, but…otherwise excellent escape fiction :slight_smile: In somewhat the same Hiaasen vein, Tom Robbins will take you out of wherever you are also :slight_smile: I think the lighter humour suggestions might be better for the odd stolen time, though.

/saving the thread for reading suggestions for myself

18

If you like Hiaasen’s work, try Tim Dorsey.

19

I would also like to recommend almost anything by Terry Pratchett. If the OP is looking for a book that’s engrossing, funny, intelligent, and s/he enjoys fantasy novels, the Discworld books would be perfect. Since the OP also mentioned having to read in 10 minute spurts here and there, the Discworld books would also be good in that nearly all of them are written in sections or scenes rather than chapters. You reach a logical stopping point pretty frequently…although they can still be hard to put down!

We’ve had many threads here about the best Discworld book to start with, and there’s no clear consensus. Most people do suggest NOT starting with the first two books, The Color of Magic and The Light Fantastic, because they’re rather weak compared to the rest of the series and the setting wasn’t fully developed yet. There are several sub-series dealing with different characters, and these sub-series can be read totally independently of one another. Even within a sub-series each book stands alone, although you’ll appreciate the later ones better if you know the backstories of the characters.

I often recommend Wyrd Sisters as a good place to start – it’s sort of a skewed version of Macbeth, from the perspective of the witches. If the OP is more into mysteries or police procedurals then as silenus says the City Watch books are the way to go; Guards Guards! and Men At Arms are both good places to begin. But it doesn’t matter a whole lot which Discworld book one picks up first – I started with just what was available at my local library and continued from there.

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William Poundstone and Matt Ridley are both good.

Poundstone:
Gaming the Vote: Why Elections Aren’t Fair (and What We Can Do About It)
Priceless: The Myth of Fair Value (and How to Take Advantage of It)
Prisoner’s Dilemma

Ridley:
The Agile Gene: How Nature Turns on Nurture
The Origins of Virtue: Human Instincts and the Evolution of Cooperation
The Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature

A couple of other well-known ones to check out are Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond and Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner.