lets talk fiction
07-19-2011, 01:23 PM
#41
Super Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Cleveland OH
Posts: 3,220
Originally Posted by DogHouseMom
I enjoy listening to books (as well as reading) and I recently started listening to the classics ... Dickens & Christie to name two recent authors. So much better hearing them than reading them. If you pick up an English book to read, one of my favorite narrators is Simon Vance.
I also love listening and reading books by author MC Beaton. She has two series, Hamish McBeth (Scot), and Agatha Raisin (English). Hamish is a small town Police Constable, and Agatha is a retired PR agent now running a detective agency. They're both funny, and quick reads.
For a more serious mystery try PD James and her Adam Dalgliesh series. He's a Chief Detective in London and works on "high profile" crimes.
If the English language interests you as well, listen to "An Adventure in English" as it chronicles the evolution of the English language from Celt through today, and even covers other English speaking countries. Origins of many of the words we use today, and how they changed over the years. Reading it won't do it justice as you wouldn't get the inflections of the vowel changes that were made, you have to hear him speak the differences.
I also love listening and reading books by author MC Beaton. She has two series, Hamish McBeth (Scot), and Agatha Raisin (English). Hamish is a small town Police Constable, and Agatha is a retired PR agent now running a detective agency. They're both funny, and quick reads.
For a more serious mystery try PD James and her Adam Dalgliesh series. He's a Chief Detective in London and works on "high profile" crimes.
If the English language interests you as well, listen to "An Adventure in English" as it chronicles the evolution of the English language from Celt through today, and even covers other English speaking countries. Origins of many of the words we use today, and how they changed over the years. Reading it won't do it justice as you wouldn't get the inflections of the vowel changes that were made, you have to hear him speak the differences.
07-19-2011, 03:00 PM
#43
Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Essex, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 75
i love the series.. by Diana Gabaldon..am anxiously waiting her next novel. i didn't think the last was too bad, but not up to snuff with the others for sure..
Originally Posted by gypsyquilter
try the outlander, it is pseudo-historical fiction and also a bit of time travel, an odd set of attributes for a book! it is a great series, except for the very last book (was a major disappointment, but I wont give you a spoiler on the ending)
07-19-2011, 03:02 PM
#44
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: british columbia
Posts: 938
Thanks so much everyone for your input. Unfortunately I have read many of the authors you have suggested, PD James, Barbara Pym, Rosamund Pilcher, Kate Morton, MC Beaton, Dick Francis, Ken Follett and James Herriot (my all time favorite) but have not tried Caroline Kingston, Elizabeth Chadwick, Val McDermid, Katie Ford, Jacqueline Winspear, or the book Larkrise to Candleford. So I have much to look forward to thanks to all of you.
Here's a couple of suggestions I haven't heard mentioned yet for those of you who have any interest. Have any of you read Lilian Beckwith? She has a number of books which are set in the Hebrides and are short reads but quite charming. One other author who comes to mind and is quite popular so many of you may have already heard of her is Maeve Binchy. I have found her earlier works more enjoyable than her more recent efforts, such as Circle of Friends (my favorite) and The Glass Lake and The Copper Beech. Enjoy!
Here's a couple of suggestions I haven't heard mentioned yet for those of you who have any interest. Have any of you read Lilian Beckwith? She has a number of books which are set in the Hebrides and are short reads but quite charming. One other author who comes to mind and is quite popular so many of you may have already heard of her is Maeve Binchy. I have found her earlier works more enjoyable than her more recent efforts, such as Circle of Friends (my favorite) and The Glass Lake and The Copper Beech. Enjoy!
07-19-2011, 03:23 PM
#45
Super Member
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Northern New Hampshire
Posts: 1,936
I don't have any suggestions for novels for you but I do the same things only I read mystery/suspense novels that take place in New England. It helps me rememeber the times I spent there for over 40 years.
07-19-2011, 03:40 PM
#46
Super Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Beautiful Briery Mountain in WV
Posts: 2,551
Originally Posted by ahafun
You are a kindred spirit!
I'm a longtime Anglophile also...have only spent time in England twice and in Scotland twice. I love reading British fiction. The authors listed here that I'm familiar with are great - especially D. E. Stevenson....try Elizabeth Goudge (hard to find even at Alibris). I'm to explore some of the authors mentioned here that I'm not familiar with.
Another good mystery writer was Margery Allingham..her main detective is Albert Campion - BBC did a series of episodes which have been shown on PBS here in USA.
So many good ones!
I'm a longtime Anglophile also...have only spent time in England twice and in Scotland twice. I love reading British fiction. The authors listed here that I'm familiar with are great - especially D. E. Stevenson....try Elizabeth Goudge (hard to find even at Alibris). I'm to explore some of the authors mentioned here that I'm not familiar with.
Another good mystery writer was Margery Allingham..her main detective is Albert Campion - BBC did a series of episodes which have been shown on PBS here in USA.
So many good ones!
07-19-2011, 04:13 PM
#47
Junior Member
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Des Moines, Iowa
Posts: 170
I liked the Shardlake series too, set in Henry VIII's time.
For easy reading I enjoy regencies. Mary Balogh's written some good series (my favorite was the Bedwyn series) or Nicole Jordan. (Now, these won't qualify as Nobel Prize winners but they burn a few hours and "take you away" to a different place.) And better than Barbara Cartland.
For easy reading I enjoy regencies. Mary Balogh's written some good series (my favorite was the Bedwyn series) or Nicole Jordan. (Now, these won't qualify as Nobel Prize winners but they burn a few hours and "take you away" to a different place.) And better than Barbara Cartland.
07-19-2011, 04:15 PM
#48
Junior Member
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Des Moines, Iowa
Posts: 170
Oh--and I really liked the Peter Wimsey detective stories by Dorothy Sayers. The 1920s and 1930s were such an elegant time. I always thought that the late Roddie McDowell would have made the perfect Lord Peter Wimsey.
07-19-2011, 05:39 PM
#49
Super Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Wisconsin
Posts: 1,510
Forever Amber by Kathleen Winsor. It was first published in 1944 and is touted as the historical romance that started the historical romance trend. The story takes place in England in the 1600's and is bawdy but very interesting
Hope you like it!
Hope you like it!
07-19-2011, 06:01 PM
#50
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 697
there is a movie out now, or going out ? called "snow flower and the secret fan". Set in an historical Chinese period. I have a hard time w/ Chinese/ Asian culture somehow, its too alien or something, anyway didnt want to see it.
Before this, Id listened to an interview with the writer on NPR, still didnt want to read it.
Today, I ran into the book (a sort of "catch and release" thing - you find it in public, read it and then "set it free" in a public place for someone else to read) - thought it was God's way of saying - "look, the Chinese are my humans too, learn about them!", so I picked it up and started to read and I cant put it down! Very interesting. It centers around women, and a language they invented for writing to each other in a specific area of China. The language was passed from woman to woman over 1000 yrs.
The book is much deeper than this, and very interesting to say the least. sharet
Before this, Id listened to an interview with the writer on NPR, still didnt want to read it.
Today, I ran into the book (a sort of "catch and release" thing - you find it in public, read it and then "set it free" in a public place for someone else to read) - thought it was God's way of saying - "look, the Chinese are my humans too, learn about them!", so I picked it up and started to read and I cant put it down! Very interesting. It centers around women, and a language they invented for writing to each other in a specific area of China. The language was passed from woman to woman over 1000 yrs.
The book is much deeper than this, and very interesting to say the least. sharet
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
pinkberrykay
Main
7
02-15-2012 03:18 PM
Annaquilts
Main
11
07-05-2010 09:42 PM
