# Book Suggestions please! I'm loading my Kindle!



## Alix (Mar 5, 2012)

Just 15 more sleeps til I'm off to Panama for a week. I need some good reads for my Kindle. I don't want to break the bank, but I would like some good "beach reads". 

I've got a few things picked out, but would love some suggestions. Any thoughts? I love mystery, thriller, suspense, romance...haven't read Sci Fi or Fantasy in years, but enjoyed it when I did. Paranormal stuff is OK too. Any thoughts would be appreciated.


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## SharonT (Mar 5, 2012)

"Before I Go to Sleep" by S. J. Watson fits all of the beach read, mystery, thriller, suspense, romance categories.   It's $12.99 for the Kindle version now, which surprised me... I think the price has gone up since I got it a while back.  It will capture you.


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## SharonT (Mar 5, 2012)

"When She Woke" by Hillary Jordan is also a very engrossing novel - a "futuristic thriller" -- contains some controversial subject matter, as you'll see from the Amazon description.  My daughter and I really enjoyed it -- it's also fast-paced and a good "airplane read."
[sleeping theme unintentional]  hah


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## Steve Kroll (Mar 5, 2012)

I just finished reading "Hard Magic: Book 1 of the Grimnoir Chronicles" by Larry Correia. One of the best books I've read in a long time (it rated 5 stars on Amazon). It's an alternate history novel, but I would also classify it as mystery, thriller, suspense, romance, AND sci-fi/fantasy.

Unfortunately, I don't see it available in Kindle format.


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## CWS4322 (Mar 5, 2012)

Have you checked to see if your library has ebooks? You can get a lot of great books for your kindle (yet another gadget I now own thanks to DCers...) (or in a kindle-compatible format) through a library. I like all of Asa Larsson's books...


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## kleenex (Mar 5, 2012)

The last book I read was "Sundays Will Never Be The Same."  This may certainly not be a you book, but I fully enjoyed it.

I even got it a few days before the general public for free.


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## taxlady (Mar 5, 2012)

How about something you always meant to read. Something you could get for free at The Project Gutenberg - free ebooks


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## CraigC (Mar 5, 2012)

If your into epic fantasys, try Terry Brooks Shannara series. It begins with "The Sword of Shannara". He also writes as Terry Goodkind and has a series "The Sword of Truth", which the TV series "The Seeker" was based on.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Mar 5, 2012)

Have you read hunger games, yet Alix???  I'm reading it now, almost finished, and if I was heading out I would download the next two for the trip.


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## taxlady (Mar 5, 2012)

Have you read any of the Disc World novels by Terry Pratchett? Great stuff if you lie fantasy and British humour.


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## SharonT (Mar 5, 2012)

Free & Bargain Kindle Books | Pixel of Ink
posts new free and bargain-priced e-books every day.
The freebies are usually available for limited time only - sometimes just the one day.


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## Alix (Mar 6, 2012)

Whew, lovely suggestions folks! Let me try and answer the questions posed. 

1. Free books and library books - Kindle library books are not yet available in Canadian libraries. When Mobi books were available I was quite adept at reformatting them to work on my Kindle. My Kindle is already loaded with as many classics and other freebies as I want. I'm all over "free" and many of the free books are good reads. 

2. Terry Pratchett - Love the guy. Read all his Wee Free Men and a few Discworld. I find Discworld a bit hit and miss for me though. 

3. Hunger Games - read them all LAST trip. Good thought PF, thanks!

4. Terry Brooks - I read the Shannara series in dead tree format. I don't really want to duplicate books on the Kindle that I already own in paper format. Loved the series though CraigC, got any other suggestions? 

SharonT, I'll look at both those authors. Thanks! They sound like they would fit the bill. 

I've currently picked up:

Kitchen Confidential
A Nevada Barr that I've not read yet
Books 4 and 5 of the Song of Ice and Fire Series
A Joe Grey sample that I may not have read. 

I am still looking for about 4 more books of the fluffier variety. Song of Ice and Fire is a bit too engrossing for a beach read. I don't want to be so involved I crispify myself!


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## jabbur (Mar 6, 2012)

David Baldacci writes some good stuff.  I'm currently working through his Camel Club series.  It's political conspiracy murder mystery stuff.  He also has another book "Wish You Well" that I really loved.  It's set in the Appalachian mountains of Virginia.  A "coming of age" story but really well done.  There's also "the Grimm Curse" http://www.amazon.com/Grimm-Curse-Once-Upon-ebook/dp/B004FV5C4Y
It's a quick read but enjoyable.


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## Alix (Mar 6, 2012)

Oooo! Good call jabbur thanks! Got the Grimm one downloaded. It looks perfect.


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## CraigC (Mar 6, 2012)

Alix said:


> Whew, lovely suggestions folks! Let me try and answer the questions posed.
> 
> 4. Terry Brooks - I read the Shannara series in dead tree format. I don't really want to duplicate books on the Kindle that I already own in paper format. Loved the series though CraigC, got any other suggestions?


 
Do you like "spy" type series?
Clive Cussler
Alistair MacLean

More fantasy
Ann McCaffrey - Pern series


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## Alix (Mar 6, 2012)

Oh I loved Alistair MacLean stuff! Desmond Bagley too! I think I've read all the Clive Cusslers and yes I like that stuff a lot! Got more suggestions? Clearly we read the same stuff. 

I've done all the Pern stuff too. Those are in my bookcase though, and not on Kindle.


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## CraigC (Mar 6, 2012)

Alix said:


> Oh I loved Alistair MacLean stuff! Desmond Bagley too! I think I've read all the Clive Cusslers and yes I like that stuff a lot! Got more suggestions? Clearly we read the same stuff.
> 
> I've done all the Pern stuff too. Those are in my bookcase though, and not on Kindle.


 
Alternative History? (Fiction)
Harry Turtledove - "Guns of the South"
World War series

If you've read the other stuff, I guess "Dune" is passe'


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## Alix (Mar 6, 2012)

What's Alternative History? 

No war stuff. Ken would be stealing my Kindle. 

Dune got read many moons ago. Could be worth a reread if they're cheap on Kindle though. Good thought. Thanks.


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## Alix (Mar 6, 2012)

SharonT said:


> Free & Bargain Kindle Books | Pixel of Ink
> posts new free and bargain-priced e-books every day.
> The freebies are usually available for limited time only - sometimes just the one day.



Oh Dear Lord. You have unleashed a crazy woman! I just picked up about 6 new books. WHEE!!!


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## Linda123 (Mar 6, 2012)

Janet Evanovich, Lisa Lutz and Sue Grafton all have good series books to read. Don't know how much they are though, but you will laugh out loud at times with Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series. (the movie, One for the Money, just came out a few weeks ago).


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## Dawgluver (Mar 6, 2012)

Alix, sign up for the free newsletter, Kindle Nation Daily:

Kindle Nation Daily Digest - March 5, 2012 -- Brief Tips, Freebies and Bargain Updates

They also have exerpts.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Mar 6, 2012)

Kathy Reichs?

Jefferson Bass?

Elmore Leonard?

Ben Bova's "The Return," Shrek is advocating that one, I haven't read it yet.


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## Dawgluver (Mar 6, 2012)

Carl Hiaasen, Wally Lamb, Janet Evanovich, Jeff Dunham (All By Myselves)?


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## Alix (Mar 6, 2012)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> Kathy Reichs?
> 
> Jefferson Bass?
> 
> ...



Up to date on Kathy Reichs. Never read Jefferson Bass or Elmore Leonard. If you had to pick only one of each which would you pick?



Dawgluver said:


> Carl Hiaasen, Wally Lamb, Janet Evanovich, Jeff Dunham (All By Myselves)?



Up to date on Carl Hiaasen (oh he makes me laugh so hard!) and Janet is a possible, but her last few were not as inspiring. Explosive Eighteen is on my short list. I'm not sure about the price though. Never read either Wally Lamb or Jeff Dunham. The book title is All By Myselves?


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## PrincessFiona60 (Mar 6, 2012)

Jefferson Bass! "Carved in Bone"...the first book.

Elmore Leonard..."Get Shorty."


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## Dawgluver (Mar 6, 2012)

Elmore is fun, Jeff Dunham is a comedian/ventriloquist with an autobiography.  Loved Wally Lamb, it's been awhile.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Mar 6, 2012)

Oh!  Oh!!

Rachael Caine!


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## Dawgluver (Mar 6, 2012)

Anthony Bourdain's books make great airplane reading too.  I'm looking through my bookshelf.  Geek Love by Katherine Dunn was bizarre but fascinating.  Water for Elephants, which you've probably already read.  The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time.  Bill Bryson, The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid was hilarious.


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## Alix (Mar 6, 2012)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> Jefferson Bass! "Carved in Bone"...the first book.
> 
> Elmore Leonard..."Get Shorty."



OK on my way to look at those. 




PrincessFiona60 said:


> Oh!  Oh!!
> 
> Rachael Caine!



Hmmm, they're $10 each. I might try one. Ill Wind do you think?



Dawgluver said:


> Anthony Bourdain's books make great airplane reading too.



Got Kitchen Confidential ready to go!


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## Dawgluver (Mar 6, 2012)

Alix said:
			
		

> OK on my way to look at those.
> 
> Hmmm, they're $10 each. I might try one. Ill Wind do you think?
> 
> Got Kitchen Confidential ready to go!



Bourdain has several others, including Bone in the Throat, fiction.


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## Greg Who Cooks (Mar 6, 2012)

Steve Kroll said:


> I just finished reading "Hard Magic: Book 1 of the Grimnoir Chronicles" by Larry Correia. One of the best books I've read in a long time (it rated 5 stars on Amazon). It's an alternate history novel, but I would also classify it as mystery, thriller, suspense, romance, AND sci-fi/fantasy.
> 
> Unfortunately, I don't see it available in Kindle format.



I've just reserved _Hard Magic_ in dead tree format at my public library. I hope it's good!


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## PrincessFiona60 (Mar 6, 2012)

_Ill Wind_ is the first in a series of 9.


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## Alix (Mar 6, 2012)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> _Ill Wind_ is the first in a series of 9.



Excellent. Am I going to be spending all my Kindle dollars in one place soon? 

Dawg, have you read A Bone in the Throat?


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## Dawgluver (Mar 6, 2012)

Alix said:
			
		

> Excellent. Am I going to be spending all my Kindle dollars in one place soon?
> 
> Dawg, have you read A Bone in the Throat?



Yes.  It's a dead tree, so it was awhile ago, but entertaining.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Mar 6, 2012)

Alix said:


> Excellent. Am I going to be spending all my Kindle dollars in one place soon?
> 
> Dawg, have you read A Bone in the Throat?



Maybe, I hope you like stories about Djinn.  They are fluffy reading and i thought a lot of fun.


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## Alix (Mar 6, 2012)

Dawgluver said:


> Yes.  It's a dead tree, so it was awhile ago, but entertaining.



Its available on Kindle. I'm just not sure how many by one author I want to take. I might save it for later.  



PrincessFiona60 said:


> Maybe, I hope you like stories about Djinn.  They are fluffy reading and i thought a lot of fun.



I'm open to almost any genre. I LOVE light and fluffy. My feeling is that I do enough heavy reading to learn about all the stuff I need at work so when I read for pleasure I don't want to have to analyze anything too much. Hit me over the head with stuff please. I studiously avoid anything Oprah recommends simply as too much "work". However, she's often recommended something AFTER I've read it.


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## CWS4322 (Mar 7, 2012)

Alix said:


> Whew, lovely suggestions folks! Let me try and answer the questions posed.
> 
> 1. Free books and library books - Kindle library books are not yet available in Canadian libraries. When Mobi books were available I was quite adept at reformatting them to work on my Kindle. My Kindle is already loaded with as many classics and other freebies as I want. I'm all over "free" and many of the free books are good reads.


Are you sure that your library doesn't have Kindle books? The libraries in SE Ontario do...


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## CraigC (Mar 7, 2012)

Alix said:


> What's Alternative History?
> 
> No war stuff. Ken would be stealing my Kindle.
> 
> Dune got read many moons ago. Could be worth a reread if they're cheap on Kindle though. Good thought. Thanks.


 
"The Guns of The South" is an alternative history about our civil war. The front cover (Hard Cover) has a picture of Robert E. Lee holding an AK47. It is about an attempt by the Afrikcaaners Resistence Movement (AWB) to change the outcome of our civil war in order to keep slavery alive.


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## Alix (Mar 7, 2012)

CWS4322 said:


> Are you sure that your library doesn't have Kindle books? The libraries in SE Ontario do...



Then you are very lucky. Can you hook me up with one of them? I'll pay for a card. Can we pretend I live with you? Library name please? All the Overdrive information I can find insists that Kindle books are US libraries only. 



CraigC said:


> "The Guns of The South" is an alternative history about our civil war. The front cover (Hard Cover) has a picture of Robert E. Lee holding an AK47. It is about an attempt by the Afrikcaaners Resistence Movement (AWB) to change the outcome of our civil war in order to keep slavery alive.



Oooooh! I get it now! Hmmm. Not sure how I feel about that. I'll look it up.


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## SharonT (Mar 7, 2012)

>> I'll pay for a card.<<< 
Just curious.  Is there a fee for a library card in Canada?  In my town you have to be bristling with proofs of id and address before you can get a card, but no fee for the card.

Have you read the Diane Mott Davidson series featuring caterer and crime solver Goldy Bear Schulz?   I think they are great fun.


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## purple.alien.giraffe (Mar 7, 2012)

jabbur said:
			
		

> David Baldacci writes some good stuff.  I'm currently working through his Camel Club series.  It's political conspiracy murder mystery stuff.  He also has another book "Wish You Well" that I really loved.  It's set in the Appalachian mountains of Virginia.  A "coming of age" story but really well done.  There's also "the Grimm Curse" http://www.amazon.com/Grimm-Curse-Once-Upon-ebook/dp/B004FV5C4Y
> It's a quick read but enjoyable.



Is The Grimm Curse what the tv series Grimm is based on?

For suggestions, I really like Demon Queen and the Locksmith by Spencer Baum. A sort of modern fantasy/mystery story about some teens who stumble into super powers and through it end up involved in an old conspiracy involving the Demon Queen and a strange plateau in Arizona. It's not as cheesey as it sounds, is well paced and sort of reads like a fun dream. I also really liked The Emperor's Edge by Lindsey Burocker set in a world where technology is still mechanical and steam driven. A female patrol officer stumbles onto a mystery and accidentally ends up an outlaw. Now she has to work with the assassin she was sent to kill to try to clear her name and save the empire. It's pretty light and kind of predictable but fun.
Oh, and last time I looked at them they were both free.


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## Barbara (Mar 7, 2012)

Vince Flynn
Harlan Coban
Major Pettigrew's Last Stand, Helen Simonson
C.J. Box mysteries with character a game warden. Read in order

I do buy the pocketbooks when they are same price as kindle books


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## Greg Who Cooks (Mar 7, 2012)

purple.alien.giraffe said:


> For suggestions, I really like Demon Queen and the Locksmith by Spencer Baum. A sort of modern fantasy/mystery story about some teens who stumble into super powers and through it end up involved in an old conspiracy involving the Demon Queen and a strange plateau in Arizona. It's not as cheesey as it sounds, is well paced and sort of reads like a fun dream.



Are both of those books by Baum? Or is _Demon Queen_ by Richard Lewis? I was seeking _Demon Queen_ at my public library and that's all I found.


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## purple.alien.giraffe (Mar 7, 2012)

Gourmet Greg said:
			
		

> Are both of those books by Baum? Or is Demon Queen by Richard Lewis? I was seeking Demon Queen at my public library and that's all I found.



The entire title is "The Demon Queen and the Locksmith". There is another book that is just called "The Demon Queen" but I haven't read it and I don't remember who the autgir was when I saw it.


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## rozz (Mar 7, 2012)

Visit pixel of ink on facebook and sign up for daily updates of free kindle books. You'll save so much money. Amazon offers books for free all the time. They just don't advertise it.


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## CraigC (Mar 7, 2012)

Sorry, I'm out. The wife's romance novels are not where I'm at. Old I know but "Tarnsman of Gor".


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## Greg Who Cooks (Mar 7, 2012)

purple.alien.giraffe said:


> The entire title is "The Demon Queen and the Locksmith". There is another book that is just called "The Demon Queen" but I haven't read it and I don't remember who the autgir was when I saw it.



Thanks! Neither my Los Angeles nor Ventura Co. public libraries have copies.


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## vitauta (Mar 7, 2012)

for captivating mysteries how about some john d. macdonald, dorothy sayers or graham greene....


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## Greg Who Cooks (Mar 7, 2012)

OMG I'm glad there are other John D. MacDonald fans of his Travis McGee mystery/action series!  There are 21 novels in the series, each named after a color: _The Deep Blue Goodbye_, _Nightmare in Pink_, _A Purple Place for Dying_, ... -- the first three in the series, the whole series published between 1964 and 1985. I've realized there are probably more MacDonald novels not in the McGee series that I haven't read--and looking forward to researching which they are and reading them. (MacDonald died in '86 not long after his last McGee novel was published.)


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## Alix (Mar 7, 2012)

SharonT said:


> >> I'll pay for a card.<<<
> Just curious.  Is there a fee for a library card in Canada?  In my town you have to be bristling with proofs of id and address before you can get a card, but no fee for the card.



I pay $12/year for my card. Depends on your city. If you are not able to afford a card they will comp you one. If you are not a resident of the city often there is a "visitor" fee. 



rozz said:


> Visit pixel of ink on facebook and sign up for daily updates of free kindle books. You'll save so much money. Amazon offers books for free all the time. They just don't advertise it.



I DID! I've already got a whole bunch and I'm stoked about it!


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## SharonT (Mar 8, 2012)

Gourmet Greg said:


> OMG I'm glad there are other John D. MacDonald fans of his Travis McGee mystery/action series!


 My personal favorite is "The Dreadful Lemon Sky."   The passage where McGee's friend Meyer describes the difference in McGee running on the beach and himself running on the beach makes me Laugh Out Loud every time.   I've read all the colors.  

He also wrote "The Executioners" on which the movie "Cape Fear" was based.   But my favorite non-Travis McGee is "The Girl, the Gold Watch, and Everything."


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## SharonT (Mar 8, 2012)

Barbara said:


> Vince Flynn
> Harlan Coban
> Major Pettigrew's Last Stand, Helen Simonson
> C.J. Box mysteries with character a game warden. Read in order
> ...


 I've read the first of the C.J. Box books and really liked it.  Glad of the reminder to look for more of those.

Harlen Coben - always good value.


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## rozz (Mar 8, 2012)

Does your library offer eBooks? I've taken out a number of popular books on my Kindle for free.


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## Alix (Mar 8, 2012)

rozz said:


> Does your library offer eBooks? I've taken out a number of popular books on my Kindle for free.



Not in Canada yet. They used to offer Mobipocket books which I could convert and put on my Kindle, but when Amazon released Kindle library books Overdrive removed all the Mobipocket books. Argh.


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## rozz (Mar 8, 2012)

Rubbish. Keep heart, my library just started carrying them a few months back, and now there are thousands to browse.


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## CHAMPDAPHDAD (Mar 8, 2012)

Hello you guys I am new here. There is an app in the kindle store called wattpad the authors are amateur some of the books are really awsome and they are all free. There are like a million to browse I have read several. If you want suggested reads some of my personal favorites are - the help by kathryn stockett, saving ceecee honeycutt by Beth Hoffman. The kindle is a nifty product I bought 5 over the Christmas holidays as gifts.


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## Mel! (Mar 8, 2012)

I have just read 'No more tomorrows', by Schapelle Corby

It is a disturbing true story about a young Australian girl who was arrested for allegedly smuggling marijuana from Australia to Indonesia. 

It is shocking, because she is sentenced to 20 years in a third world prison, for a crime she may not have committed. It makes one wonder if we dont know the half of what is going on in the world, and if we should all be a lot more worried about our safety and security.


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## Alix (Mar 8, 2012)

That doesn't sound like a light fluffy beach read Mel. I think I'll hold off on that one til I get back.


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## SharonT (Mar 8, 2012)

HOW many weeks will you be away?    
Just wanted to add DICK FRANCIS to this list.


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## Alix (Mar 9, 2012)

Sharon, I'm only gone one week, but I typically read at least one book a day, sometimes more on holiday. 

Thanks for the Dick Francis recommendation. Do you have a particular title for me? I haven't been inspired by his stuff but I'm always willing to try a recommendation.


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## vitauta (Mar 9, 2012)

just don't make the mistake i made on vacation one time--getting so entranced with my reading adventure that i missed some magnificent pacific coast marvels along the path of our travels.  for this reason i am NOT recommending isaac assimov's foundation series for your vacation reads....


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## Alix (Mar 9, 2012)

LOL! I have a very LONG plane ride to contend with on both ends of the trip so I suspect there will be time for a good engrossing read there. The foundation series sounds familiar. Is it fairly old? I may have read it some time ago if so. My SF days were about 20 years ago. I still pick one up once in a while, but not as often these days.


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## SharonT (Mar 9, 2012)

Alix said:


> Sharon, I'm only gone one week, but I typically read at least one book a day, sometimes more on holiday.
> 
> Thanks for the Dick Francis recommendation. Do you have a particular title for me? I haven't been inspired by his stuff but I'm always willing to try a recommendation.


 There are two that are food and wine related... "Proof" (about a wine merchant who helps investigate the hijacking of trucks carrying spirits) (a personal favorite),  and a later one, "Dead Heat" about a caterer who must prove that the people who died at a race gathering weren't poisoned by his food.   
Two other favorites that come to mind are "Flying Finish" and "In the Frame."


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## taxlady (Mar 9, 2012)

Alix said:


> LOL! I have a very LONG plane ride to contend with on both ends of the trip so I suspect there will be time for a good engrossing read there. The foundation series sounds familiar. Is it fairly old? I may have read it some time ago if so. My SF days were about 20 years ago. I still pick one up once in a while, but not as often these days.



Yeah, that's long enough ago that you could have read _Foundation_. I just looked up Asimov - he's been dead for nearly 20 years!

Okay, now I found it: Foundation series - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


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## jabbur (Mar 9, 2012)

purple.alien.giraffe said:


> Is The Grimm Curse what the tv series Grimm is based on?



Yes which is why I got it in the first place.  They made a bunch of changes for the tv show though but the basic premise is the same.


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## Margi Cintrano (Mar 10, 2012)

*Sheer Reading Pleasure*

Good Afternoon,

From my viewpoint, recommending books could be quite subjective. However, here is a historical classic war drama that I could not put down:

Author:  Nicholas Monsarrat 

Title:  The Kappillan Of Malta

The story takes place during WWII 1940 - 1942, Malta, and tells the historical novel of a young Maltese woman and an allied Pilot during profoundly bitter times.

Have nice wkend,
Margi Cintrano.


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## Alix (Mar 10, 2012)

jabbur, I downloaded the Grimm curse. Looking forward to it.

Now the hard part will be to NOT read all these til I'm on holidays! I'll post the books I picked in a bit. I'm still making final selections.


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## Greg Who Cooks (Mar 10, 2012)

Alix you're probably going to be set for reading material until at least mid-summer, without any need to load anything more until then.

Just curious, could you say how many you've bought and how many you've found free access to? I'm thinking about my motivation to buy a reader myself.


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