The Lemon Fool

Blake Crouch: Pines (1st book of Wayward Pines trilogy).

(And I am the one who is firmly stuck with The Girl on the Train, heavy-going, lost interest half-way)

The Girl on the Train
Just started that - trouble is, I've got several others 'on the go'

Most Chandler books that I have read while on holiday, many Asimov, Heinlein, AC Clark and Bradbury books.

About the first 6 or 8 Pratchett Discworld books which lead to loss of sleep.

Many others when on holiday.

Slarti

The first John Grisham book I ever read - `The Firm'.

We were on a skiing holiday, and unusually for me I'd gone to bed before midnight as it was a relatively early start.

I'd picked the book up at the airport, and thought I'd have a quick read before I went to sleep.

It was one of the best page turners I'd ever come across, and I finished it at about 5:30 am!

Anthem by Ayn Rand

I am not a fast reader but anyone can read this interesting little dystopian novella in one day due to it being so short.

D.L.

Almost everything by Michael Moorcock (except Gloriana). Fantasy writing without the padding which fills so many books nowadays.

Most books by Joe Haldeman, particularly "The Forever War" and "Mindbridge".

Walter J. Williams "Hardwired" (the Cyberpunk novel IMHO, especially since it heavily influenced the role playing game). William Gibson's Sprawl Trilogy is another quick Cyberpunk read, though not as good as Hardwired.

Everything by M. C. Beaton, especially the Agatha Raisin cozy murder mysteries and Hamish Macbeth series. The Agatha Raisin TV adaptation is much closer to the books than the BBC's Hamish Macbeth

Michael Herr's "Dispatches" is the best Vietnam War book by miles and is just about doable in a day (parts of it appeared in Apocalypse Now and Full Metal Jacket).

As others have said, anything by Asimov. Turning the Foundation novels into a TV series required huge chunks to be added to the books.

So many to suggest.

If you haven't read "Snow crash", do. I especially like the idea that you get an apology from the mob if your pizza is late. For those who don't know he sort of invented the Metaverse in this book.

On the fantasy side, can I suggest "The 13'th Witch". The central character was the central character of "Operation Jigsaw", a thriller. However his life seems to have turned decidedly strange.

Want something even more lite, "Her royal spyness". I can really recommend the audio book. The lady reading it does a great job.

Something more funny? What about "Welcome to Nowhere", or Smithy gets his revenge. Sure it's a short story extended to make a book, but should we ignore it because of that.

Just about anything by Loise McMaster Bujold has to be worth a read.

As I said so many to suggest.

SalvorHardin wrote:Almost everything by Michael Moorcock (except Gloriana). Fantasy writing without the padding which fills so many books nowadays.

Did you ever see the film adaptation of "The Final Programme"? It's certainly something

servodude wrote:

SalvorHardin wrote:Almost everything by Michael Moorcock (except Gloriana). Fantasy writing without the padding which fills so many books nowadays.

Did you ever see the film adaptation of "The Final Programme"? It's certainly something

Yes. Totally bonkers but entertaining (having a few beers helps). It makes "Zardoz" seem a bit more normal in comparison

One day they'll make an Elric film or TV series...

SalvorHardin wrote:

servodude wrote:

SalvorHardin wrote:Almost everything by Michael Moorcock (except Gloriana). Fantasy writing without the padding which fills so many books nowadays.

Did you ever see the film adaptation of "The Final Programme"? It's certainly something

Yes. Totally bonkers but entertaining (having a few beers helps). It makes "Zardoz" seem a bit more normal in comparison

One day they'll make an Elric film or TV series...

I nearly mentioned Zardoz in my post because they share a certain 70s UK sci-fi "charm": but Zardoz is one of my absolute favourites despite everything (or most) about it

-sd

I suppose there are so many books that might be in that category it can be hard to find. Often you start and it either hooks you or it doesn't.

Often you pick up a book and it unexpectedly drags you in.

I found that after being handed one of the Jack Reacher books by Lee Child whilst sat around the pool on holiday. It makes it easier having the time available.

Since then I've looked forward to having more, there are 20+. Even booking holidays after the publication of new ones so as to have a free day.

I have others that I'm still half way through errr two years ago when I started. I suppose if you get to know a particular author great.

I don't know if the downside of kindles is, just not seeing a front cover picture that makes you look a little further.

Which reminds me I still have a Reacher not started but it's Lee Childs brother that has taken over and comments online suggesting it not as good.

Ill let you know if it's a oner if I ever get it started. I hope it is

Wuthering Heights!

I was doing Eng Lit as a subsidiary subject at uni, and I'd been required to present a seminar paper on this stupid boring lump of 19th century chick-lit. I felt really resentful, as though I'd just been arbitrarily sentenced to a week in prison.

Eventually I could put off the dread task no longer, so I opened the damn thing, drew a deep sigh, and started reading. And turned the page, and then another, and another.... Turned out that this Bronte woman knew a thing or two about how to hook a reader. Surprise, surprise.

But not as surprised as I was when the day came to present my paper. My tutor was off sick, and sitting there in his place was Prof. Richard Hoggart ("the Uses of Literacy", https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Uses_of_Literacy). A living legend, and proper Yorkshire too. Couldn't have been better!

BJ

There are some classics that are easily devoured in one evening, preferably with a decent bottle of something
'The Strange Case of Dr.Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' is one

AleisterCrowley wrote:There are some classics that are easily devoured in one evening, preferably with a decent bottle of something
'The Strange Case of Dr.Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' is one

Oh yes, I read Conrad's Heart of Darkness one evening in a corner of the student's union bar, washed down by somewhere between three and five pints of Ansells. It isn't an extensive work (barely 40,000 words/100 pages/two hours), but its looming, darkly threatening import was dramatically enhanced by the alcohol.

I've often wondered how different I would have found the story if I'd been drinking Newcastle Brown instead? (Regarded as a street-fighting man's beer at that time.) Or some Belgian Trappist brews? (Dammit, at least it would have been the right country for the Congo.) Whereas a six-pack of Budweiser would probably have had me humming the Beach Boys, which would have cancelled out the experience altogether.

BJ

Ansells?!
The horror! The horror!

Just a quick note (18/2/2022). It seems that Amazon are offering "Snow Crash" which I mentioned as one of their Kindle daily deals for 99p today.

Not as cheap as 'The Strange Case of Dr.Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' can be obtained, but still a bargain.

I confess though that I didn't remember it as 448 pages, so it might take more time to read than I remembered.

While sunning myself on Lake Garda and having run out of my usual non-fiction stuff, I remember reading "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" in two hours - but it isn't very long.

I also remember standing outside Smiths at 08.30 opening time to buy a copy of Tolkien's The Silmarillion on UK publication day, and being thunderstruck reading page 1 as I finally realised the genesis of Tolkien's monumental backstory. Definitely not a one-day read.
I would love to see it filmed, but it isn't filmable as it stands.

Sounds like I am alone in slowing my reading down if I really like something in order to savour it. If it's a book that figuratively is in one eye and out of the other, and I have time to kill, then I will read it very quickly, but those aren't the books I would recommend to anyone.

MM

MaraMan wrote:Sounds like I am alone in slowing my reading down if I really like something in order to savour it. If it's a book that figuratively is in one eye and out of the other, and I have time to kill, then I will read it very quickly, but those aren't the books I would recommend to anyone.

MM

I would not say that you are alone, just that many on this thread like to read fast.

There is something called "Deep reading", that I understand brings it's own joy. Personally I'm a huge fan of plot and struggle with the concept of deep reading, but I am aware that the concept exists and that some get great joy from how the image is constricted from simple words printed on a page. Words that carry multiple meanings and subtexts.
Here is a link that I found.

https://www.goalcast.com/what-is-deep-reading/

The idea of stopping reading, as suggested, just doesn't sit well with my desire to find out what happens next. Likewise stopping to make notes. I do however re-read entire books.

One of the reasons that I like Bujold, is that she manages to condense things down. Such that a simple sentence can evoke a vista or a moment in time, and then the plot moves on. The image of a horse eating roses*, on the journey to find who killed an infant child comes to mind. A single sentence, that didn't distract from an urgent investigation.

*The mountains of mourning: short story.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/297 ... f-mourning

I read most books in a day. Unless they’re very long or complete rubbish.

My recommendation, Alfred Bester. Demolished Man and The Stars my Destination. Written in the 50s but timeless sci-fi.

More recently I’ve been reading the Brother Hermitage books by Howard of Warwick. Amazon were marketing them as “the new Pratchett”, which I thought was setting them up for a fall, but they are very funny and good whodunnits. Not quite Pratchett, but a passable substitute nonetheless.

Gryff