# Seeking book (novel) recommendations for an upcoming vacation **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 19, 2017, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-book-novel-recommendations-for-an-upcoming-vacation/784754 "2017-04-19T01:48:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2017, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-book-novel-recommendations-for-an-upcoming-vacation/784754/1 "2017-04-19T01:48:44Z")
The last dozen or so books I’ve read have been biographies, but I’m going on a cruise soon and I’d like to bring along a novel or two. So I am looking for recommendations. If you do offer up a suggestion, please kindly give a reason or two why you admire the work. My main requirement is that the book should be well written. I love reading novels where I pause and re-read a sentence just to experience it again. I don’t have patience for clunky writing, puddle-deep characters, or anything that appears amateurish or cheesy in any way. I am open to most any genre, although I am not a fan of fantasy (especially) or, to a lesser degree, sci-fi. That said, here are some authors I admire: John Irving Mark Helprin Richard Ford Michael Chabon Cormac McCarthy Don DeLillo Richard Russo And some I greatly dislike: Dan Brown Suzanne Collins Pat Conroy Stephen King (anything after ‘Misery’) Mitch Albom Looking forward to hearing your suggestions. Bonus points if you provide an Amazon link 🙂 Thanks! mmm ---
**Author:** ![Sefton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Sefton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sefton)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2017, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-book-novel-recommendations-for-an-upcoming-vacation/784754/2 "2017-04-19T02:33:50Z")
[Shantaram](https://www.amazon.com/Shantaram-Novel-Gregory-David-Roberts-ebook/dp/B002U5HKZ6) by Gregory David Roberts is a finely-wrought novel about an Australian criminal hiding in Bombay. I enjoyed it immensely. You might like Alan Furst’s novels, which center on the lives of spies in WWII. These aren’t typical espionage novels – they’re more like “slice of life” novels involving spies. Many find him wordy and occasionally boring, but I think Alan Furst is a fine writer and the first novel is [Night Soldiers.](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001LOEG5E) ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2017, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-book-novel-recommendations-for-an-upcoming-vacation/784754/3 "2017-04-19T03:04:51Z")
Ursula K. Le Guin has some of the best prose in the fantasy/scifi arena. If you want to try the best of a genre you’ve not had much luck in, you could give something like **The Dispossessed** a shot. Or, wanna go with modern horror, starring werewolves? **The Last Werewolf** has beautiful prose surrounding appalling violence. Want a little more realism? **LA Confidential** , by James Ellroy, is everything it’s cracked up to be; or Mario Puzo’s lovely homage to his immigrant mother, **The Fortunate Pilgrim**. Finally, go old-school: if you’ve not read **The Count of Monte Cristo** or **Treasure Island** , both are gorgeously-written adventure stories. The former remains my all-time favorite book and is unlikely to be dislodged; if you’ve seen movie versions of it, ignore them. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2017, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-book-novel-recommendations-for-an-upcoming-vacation/784754/4 "2017-04-19T12:19:58Z")
Take Stieg Larsson’s “Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” trilogy. Very intelligently written, lots of action, gripping characters. Like any book, it’s a lot better if you haven’t seen the film. Also, Michael Ondaatje’s “The English Patient”, another I’d highly recommend. They’re not just mindless page-turners, you have to think about what you’re reading. ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2017, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-book-novel-recommendations-for-an-upcoming-vacation/784754/5 "2017-04-19T15:00:55Z")
[The Fool’s Progress](https://www.amazon.com/Fools-Progress-Honest-Novel-ebook/dp/B006MH2SK0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1492613501&sr=8-1&keywords=a+fools+progress) is my standard answer to that question. Edward Abbey’s somewhat autobiographical novel about a dying man returning to his home and reliving parts of his past. Beautifully written, parts of it are like poetry, loves lost, the majesty of nature,and parts are Abbey railing against the way modern society has changed America. [Gospel, A Novel](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DA733WC/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1) by Wilton Barnhardt is a very interesting search for a missing first century gospel by a young student and her alcoholic mentor. As a a plus they are both fairly big books. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2017, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-book-novel-recommendations-for-an-upcoming-vacation/784754/6 "2017-04-19T15:16:37Z")
Thanks for the replies. I’ve read ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’ and was underwhelmed. I have read ‘The English Patient’ as well and enjoyed it. I’ve seen the film version of ‘L.A. Confidential’ and thought it was great, have not read the book. ‘Night Soldiers’ looks interesting and is certainly in the race. I am intrigued by ‘The Count of Monte Cristo’ and am seriously considering it. As of this point, though, I am leaning toward ‘The Fool’s Progress’. Based on a few Amazon reviews I scanned, this may be just the ticket. mmm ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2017, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-book-novel-recommendations-for-an-upcoming-vacation/784754/7 "2017-04-19T15:31:06Z")
I’m currently enjoying James Rollins. The best way I can describe him is a less douchey Dan Brown. He delves into history and conspiracy kind of things, but in a much better way. Plus he ends every book with the true things, his sources, and the things he flat makes up. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2017, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-book-novel-recommendations-for-an-upcoming-vacation/784754/8 "2017-04-19T15:34:05Z")
I very much liked Eye Of the Needle by Ken Follett. About a German spy in England in WWII. > **[Eye of the Needle: A Novel - Kindle edition by Follett, Ken. Literature &...](https://www.amazon.com/Eye-Needle-Novel-Ken-Follett-ebook/dp/B00USC3SUY)** > > Eye of the Needle: A Novel - Kindle edition by Follett, Ken. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading Eye of the Needle: A Novel. ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2017, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-book-novel-recommendations-for-an-upcoming-vacation/784754/9 "2017-04-19T16:45:58Z")
_All the Light We Cannot See_, by Anthony Doerr. It’s a concise and engrossing story of two kids in France (and Germany, but mostly France) in WWII, caught up in a war they don’t like and don’t understand. It’s a very personal and character-driven story wrapped up in a solid narrative and can be viewed as a very early kind of technology race. By concise, I do not mean breezy. This is seriously great literature. It won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2015. To me, it sounds just like what you are looking for. [All the Light We Cannot See](https://www.amazon.com/All-Light-We-Cannot-See/dp/1476746583) ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2017, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-book-novel-recommendations-for-an-upcoming-vacation/784754/10 "2017-04-20T21:48:33Z")
> [@Lamar\_Mundane](#): > > _All the Light We Cannot See_, by Anthony Doerr. It’s a concise and engrossing story of two kids in France (and Germany, but mostly France) in WWII, caught up in a war they don’t like and don’t understand. > > It’s a very personal and character-driven story wrapped up in a solid narrative and can be viewed as a very early kind of technology race. > > By concise, I do not mean breezy. This is seriously great literature. It won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2015. To me, it sounds just like what you are looking for. > > [All the Light We Cannot See](https://www.amazon.com/All-Light-We-Cannot-See/dp/1476746583) Thank you. This will get serious consideration. mmm ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2017, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-book-novel-recommendations-for-an-upcoming-vacation/784754/11 "2017-04-20T22:44:54Z")
I’m a big fan of _[The Sisters Brothers](http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9850443-the-sisters-brothers)_ by Patrick deWitt. It reminded me of a much easier-to-read Cormac McCarthy book. I’ve also advocated in other threads for _[Station Eleven](http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20170404-station-eleven)_ by Emily St. John Mandel, about a traveling troupe of Shakespearean actors and musicians who put on shows in small towns after a flu has wiped out most of the population, because “survival is insufficient.” It’s beautifully written with great characters, and I think you’d like it given your appreciation for Michael Chabon and Cormac McCarthy. Continuing the slightly depressing theme, _[Blindness](http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2526.Blindness)_ by José Saramago (translated) is an amazing story about the collapse of social structures when a blindness epidemic results in people quarantined in a former mental hospital. It has many thematic similarities to _Lord of the Flies_. ETA: oops, forgot you wanted Amazon links. I’ll never swap those out in the 5 minute edit window, but Goodreads has a link to Amazon on each page. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2017, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-book-novel-recommendations-for-an-upcoming-vacation/784754/12 "2017-04-20T22:57:47Z")
Genghis Khan making of the modern world. Yes he was a warlord, yes he made his place in history but I wasn’t prepared for how forward thinking he was. A real page turner. > **[Amazon.com: Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World: 9781491513705: Jack...](https://www.amazon.com/Genghis-Khan-Making-Modern-World/dp/1491513705)** > > Amazon.com: Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World: 9781491513705: Jack Weatherford, Jonathan Davis: Books ---
**Author:** ![ioioio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ioioio/32/316_2.png) [@ioioio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ioioio)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2017, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-book-novel-recommendations-for-an-upcoming-vacation/784754/13 "2017-04-20T23:42:05Z")
My first thought was Richard Russo, but I see he’s already on your list. Have you read [_Everybody’s Fool_](https://www.amazon.com/Everybodys-Fool-Novel-Vintage-Contemporaries/dp/0307454827/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1492731448&sr=8-1&keywords=richard+russo+everybody%27s+fool) yet? If not, re-read [_Nobody’s Fool_](https://www.amazon.com/Nobodys-Fool-Richard-Russo/dp/0679753338/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1492731539&sr=8-2&keywords=richard+russo+everybody%27s+fool) and then read _Everybody’s Fool_. Delicious. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2017, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-book-novel-recommendations-for-an-upcoming-vacation/784754/14 "2017-04-21T00:54:36Z")
> [@ioioio](#): > > My first thought was Richard Russo, but I see he’s already on your list. > Have you read [_Everybody’s Fool_](https://www.amazon.com/Everybodys-Fool-Novel-Vintage-Contemporaries/dp/0307454827/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1492731448&sr=8-1&keywords=richard+russo+everybody%27s+fool) yet? If not, re-read [_Nobody’s Fool_](https://www.amazon.com/Nobodys-Fool-Richard-Russo/dp/0679753338/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1492731539&sr=8-2&keywords=richard+russo+everybody%27s+fool) and then read _Everybody’s Fool_. Delicious. I’ve read and loved ‘Nobody’s Fool’. Was unaware of ‘Everybody’s Fool’. Thanks! mmm ---
**Author:** ![Banksiaman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banksiaman/32/3334_2.png) [@Banksiaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banksiaman)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2017, 8:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-book-novel-recommendations-for-an-upcoming-vacation/784754/15 "2017-04-21T08:49:46Z")
Being on a boat I would perhaps suggest Aubrey-Maturin novels of Patrick O’Brien, but if you get hooked you might end up being accused of being unsociable or asking for lobscouse for dinner. One series I’m hoping to revisit from the beginning is the Dalziel and Pascoe detective novels of Reginald Hill. It starts with A Clubbable Woman. I found them beautifully written police procedurals, some darkly funny, but mainly tracking the evolution of a friendship over a couple of decades, a bit like Aubrey-Maturin, come to think of it.