Oscraps

Book Suggestions?

Susan - s3js

Well-Known Member
CHEERY O
I have been binge-reading a ton of cozy mysteries because they are brainless and I can do them while watching TV with my Dad and still keep track of both. But they really don't stimulate my mind. I could re-read Highlander or Harry Potter or Sword of Truth or Wheel of Time, but I really want something new. I like almost all genres so I'm easy to please. I really like continuing sagas and historical novels, but I'm willing to try something new. Suggestions?
 
Meet Your Baker by Ellie Alexander. Fun bakeshop murder mystery. She also has a bookshop one that is super cute. And a beer series that was super fun. I'm waiting for the next book in all these series LOL I really like her writing. Fun, easy read, Who done it yet complete characters that aren't fluff.
Christy Barritt is another awesome writer. She has many series, some intertwine a touch but not bad.
Kate Carlisle does a fixer-upper mystery series. Learn about construction, solve murder and have fun.
I'm a sucker for a good romance (non-smut) and a good murder (not gory) and a complex keep you guessing till the end mystery. The three authors above are my most resent reads. Joanne Fluke also has a murder mystery cookie shop series. Super fun and she includes recipes.
Lauren Elliott also has a bookshop mystery series that is super good.
Jessie Gussman, There I find Rest is the first of a fast easy romance series.
Roxanne Rustand has a couple series, usually has a dog or takes place in the wilderness that are fun and easy reads.
Susan Sleeman has some amazing series that really grab you. They might take a bit more thought but still and easy fun read that pulls you in. A couple of the series also interconnect but not to the point it matters which one you read first.
Just a few ideas to get you started :giggle4: A lot of them are free with Kindle Unlimited if you have that.
 
Okay, re-read your post and if you want your mind really engaged, Kristin Hannah books, The Women, The Nightingale. Four Winds. Winter Garden will really draw you in and make you wanna reach out and touch the characters.
 
Have you read the All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness? Or Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn series? Or Leigh Bardugo’s Shadow and Bone series, or Samantha Shannon’s The Bone Season series. Those were all Fantasy series that I really enjoyed. I could add more but that’s probably enough for now
 
First of all... @Susan - s3js Susan, you read AND watch TV at the same time???

I would recommend The Chronicles of St. Mary's - the official intro says it's a humour/sci-fi series about historians traveling up and down the timeline to investigate major historical events in contemporary time. Now, yes, I know it sounds a bit meh... but it's anything but and ticks so many boxes:
  • it's super long with a spin off which is also great,
  • it's fast paced and truly funny at times,
  • it introduces a lot of known historical events with little-known details and offers thought-provoking insight into various theories of what/why might have happed,
  • there is the unexpected fun of joining the characters as they overcome challenges people would surely face when time-traveling, like clothes, language, decease, gender roles, security, toilet breaks, etc...
  • it is light-hearted enough not to plunge you into despair, yet it has everything from romance to intrigue to murder...
and no, I am not affiliated with them, nor do I receive commission for my honest review... I did not receive free copies - unfortunately, as I spent a fortune on those audiobooks. The one I haven't read (well, listened to) yet comes out in October 2025 - waaaaay too long a wait...
 
Meet Your Baker by Ellie Alexander. Fun bakeshop murder mystery. She also has a bookshop one that is super cute. And a beer series that was super fun. I'm waiting for the next book in all these series LOL I really like her writing. Fun, easy read, Who done it yet complete characters that aren't fluff.
Christy Barritt is another awesome writer. She has many series, some intertwine a touch but not bad.
Kate Carlisle does a fixer-upper mystery series. Learn about construction, solve murder and have fun.
I'm a sucker for a good romance (non-smut) and a good murder (not gory) and a complex keep you guessing till the end mystery. The three authors above are my most resent reads. Joanne Fluke also has a murder mystery cookie shop series. Super fun and she includes recipes.
Lauren Elliott also has a bookshop mystery series that is super good.
Jessie Gussman, There I find Rest is the first of a fast easy romance series.
Roxanne Rustand has a couple series, usually has a dog or takes place in the wilderness that are fun and easy reads.
Susan Sleeman has some amazing series that really grab you. They might take a bit more thought but still and easy fun read that pulls you in. A couple of the series also interconnect but not to the point it matters which one you read first.
Just a few ideas to get you started :giggle4: A lot of them are free with Kindle Unlimited if you have that.
I do have Kindle Unlimited and there is such a volume on there (pun intended) that I need a dir4ection to go. I've seen some of these, investigated a couple, got interrupted by real life and lost them when I went back! I've seen those below too, but will really have to check them out. My shoulder still gives me enough trouble that my usual pursuits are on hold for now. My Kindle reader has been getting a real workout! Thanks for these suggestions!
 
Have you read the All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness? Or Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn series? Or Leigh Bardugo’s Shadow and Bone series, or Samantha Shannon’s The Bone Season series. Those were all Fantasy series that I really enjoyed. I could add more but that’s probably enough for now
Thanks, Jane! I've read Mistborn but not the others. I'll have to check the others out. My list is growing and that's cool, I won't get lost in the Kindle store.
 
First of all... @Susan - s3js Susan, you read AND watch TV at the same time???

I would recommend The Chronicles of St. Mary's - the official intro says it's a humour/sci-fi series about historians traveling up and down the timeline to investigate major historical events in contemporary time. Now, yes, I know it sounds a bit meh... but it's anything but and ticks so many boxes:
  • it's super long with a spin off which is also great,
  • it's fast paced and truly funny at times,
  • it introduces a lot of known historical events with little-known details and offers thought-provoking insight into various theories of what/why might have happed,
  • there is the unexpected fun of joining the characters as they overcome challenges people would surely face when time-traveling, like clothes, language, decease, gender roles, security, toilet breaks, etc...
  • it is light-hearted enough not to plunge you into despair, yet it has everything from romance to intrigue to murder...
and no, I am not affiliated with them, nor do I receive commission for my honest review... I did not receive free copies - unfortunately, as I spent a fortune on those audiobooks. The one I haven't read (well, listened to) yet comes out in October 2025 - waaaaay too long a wait...
Olga, this is absolutely my cup of tea! I must go look for them.
I'll get print first then let my son know about them. We have similar tastes. He likes books he has to think about. He's reading War and Peace by Tolstoy right now and it's a real slog but he is determined to see it through.

He has a couple of friends that are severely ADHD, like he is, but fortunately, since the standard meds are super dangerous for him, his is controllable with caffeine, where theirs is not. They get the audio versions and usually one of them will loan a copy to him so he can read along and discuss the books with them. It's great therapy for all of them. Like me, he is a speed reader and has often read the whole thing while they are in the first chapter so he is prepared for their questions and observations. Both of them were still on a 3rd grade level until they started doing this and they are now just about at high school graduate level. Go team!

Thanks so much!
 
I do have Kindle Unlimited and there is such a volume on there (pun intended) that I need a dir4ection to go. I've seen some of these, investigated a couple, got interrupted by real life and lost them when I went back! I've seen those below too, but will really have to check them out. My shoulder still gives me enough trouble that my usual pursuits are on hold for now. My Kindle reader has been getting a real workout! Thanks for these suggestions!
I have a wishlist that I keep titles that interest me. That way I dont have to think, what was the book. It really helps me out since you can only borrow 10 at a time :giggle4: I think there are close to 50 books in my kindle wish list and I try to get the books at the bottom of the list since they were added first. I also keep the last book of a series in there so I know where I left off and if they add a new book I can easily find it.
 
I do have Kindle Unlimited and there is such a volume on there (pun intended) that I need a dir4ection to go. I've seen some of these, investigated a couple, got interrupted by real life and lost them when I went back! I've seen those below too, but will really have to check them out. My shoulder still gives me enough trouble that my usual pursuits are on hold for now. My Kindle reader has been getting a real workout! Thanks for these suggestions!
Susan, if you have Kindle Unlimited and your son has ADHD - you absolutely MUST read Tim Sullivan's DS Cross novels - the first 6 are included. The lead detective has Asperges syndrome and is such a refreshing take on a murder enquiry. The story is cleverly told, with twist and turns and really explores the concept of 'it's never over until it's over'. Unputdownable.
 
Susan, if you have Kindle Unlimited and your son has ADHD - you absolutely MUST read Tim Sullivan's DS Cross novels - the first 6 are included. The lead detective has Asperges syndrome and is such a refreshing take on a murder enquiry. The story is cleverly told, with twist and turns and really explores the concept of 'it's never over until it's over'. Unputdownable.
I will and I'm sure he will. Justin is godfather to many children and several are diagnosed with high functioning autism. He is totally disabled himself because of complications from Chiari Malformation decompression surgery and can't work, so he is sometimes asked to babysit them for a few days and he is SO good with them. The kids always ask for Uncle Justin because they feel safe and accepted with him. It's remarkable and amazing how well they respond and behave when he's in charge.

Thanks, Olga!
 
I have a wishlist that I keep titles that interest me. That way I dont have to think, what was the book. It really helps me out since you can only borrow 10 at a time :giggle4: I think there are close to 50 books in my kindle wish list and I try to get the books at the bottom of the list since they were added first. I also keep the last book of a series in there so I know where I left off and if they add a new book I can easily find it.
We must have been sisters in another life. I do this exactly. I am also have around 4000 books downloaded, most of them free of charge, through a newsletter I get daily tailored just for me called Book Bub. But I think I need to find a different system for the series I've read. There are too many now and I need to be able to borrow books!
 
You know, it's interesting how I came to be such a reader. I babysat almost every night of the week from age 12-17. I usually had my homework done before I went to work but needed something to do so I always took a book with me. The librarians at school and the public library knew me well. At the beginning of my senior year of high school, my literature teacher asked us to name all the books we could remember having read in the last 2 years. I know now she did it so we didn't use books we'd read before for book reports. My list topped 500 and I wasn't done. She did accept my book report on one I had read before because she saw me reading it in class and study hall. But I was really surprised at how much I read. The summer between junior and senior year was when I read Hawaii by James Michener , Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, Mein Kampf in both German and English and Karl Marx's Communist Manifesto. They were all quite a slog! I knew the last three were coming up in advanced Civics and I needed them for World Civ my first year of college. Having just completed my second year of German was a bonus. The translations are sadly lacking but some words just don't translate well. English does not have the degree of precision German does. We use the verb to know for many concepts and German has a different word for each concept which means something different.
 
My all time fav book ever "The Thorn Birds" by Colleen McCullough it is an older book but so fantastically written!!
You are so right! It's one I go back to time and again. It got me hooked on Colleen McCullough. Her books about Rome are amazing! BTW, "The Thorn Birds" mini-series is also a favorite.

My physical books are not here but I think I may have that on my Kindle reader. Must go look! Thanks for the reminder, Trudy!
 
I just read 'the nightingale from Kristin Hannah'

text from goodreads
FRANCE, 1939

In the quiet village of Carriveau, Vianne Mauriac says good-bye to her husband, Antoine, as he heads for the Front. She doesn’t believe that the Nazis will invade France…but invade they do, in droves of marching soldiers, in caravans of trucks and tanks, in planes that fill the skies and drop bombs upon the innocent. When a German captain requisitions Vianne’s home, she and her daughter must live with the enemy or lose everything. Without food or money or hope, as danger escalates all around them, she is forced to make one impossible choice after another to keep her family alive.

Vianne’s sister, Isabelle, is a rebellious eighteen-year-old, searching for purpose with all the reckless passion of youth. While thousands of Parisians march into the unknown terrors of war, she meets Gaëtan, a partisan who believes the French can fight the Nazis from within France, and she falls in love as only the young can…completely. But when he betrays her, Isabelle joins the Resistance and never looks back, risking her life time and again to save others.
 
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