You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
Follow on from the Do you read? thread, I need some new easy reads. Stuff like:
Iain Rankin (Rebus), Lee Child (Jack Reacher), Michael Connelly (Bosch), Terry Pratchet (Discworld), Andy Weir (the Martian etc), Douglas Adams etc. but I've read all those. What lonely-bloke-making-his-way-in-an-uncaring-world/planet/universe/disc-on-an-elephant series do you recommend?
Was going to recommend Bosch but you've already listed them. I've finished all the Bosch and Rene Ballard for now so I'm moving onto Mickey Haller, etc.
"Johnson at 10"
Go round the second hand shops and see if you can dig up some of Eric Ambler's books.
+1 for Brookmyre, and for more similar fare, Carl Hiaasen is worth a read - but not with coffee and keyboards.
Came here to say Brookmyre.
I enjoyed Mike Carey's Felix Castor series.
If you like Pratchett and Adams then how about Robert Rankin? Jasper FForde, Tom Holt...
Sebastian de Castell. +1 for Brookmyre. JD Kirk. Caimh McDonnell. Stuart Macbride.
Robert Harris for really readable books that have real substance.
If you like Michael Connelly and Lee Child try Robert Crais; Elvis Cole and Joe Pike series
I'm about to start on the Patrick O'Brien Aubrey-Maturin series, it was highly recommended to me.
+1 for both Brookmyre and Robert Rankin. Tom Holt can be hit or miss. Neil Gaiman, maybe?
Oh, and Jasper Fforde. Not a single duff book yet, except The Constant Rabbit, of course.
John Scalzi, try some of his his novels (fuzzy nation/agent to the stars) if you want a taster before embarking onto old mans war & other series
That's a pretty eclectic mix so....
Len Deighton - the Bernard Samson trilogy of trilogies. Think John le Carre but more likable characters and easier reading. I'd not call it blokelit but not hard graft either.
Robert Galbraith (JK Rowling) - regardless of what you think of Harry Potter (I loath them) or her views on trans (I'm not going there here) the Cormoran Strike books are completely different and if you like Rankin/Rebus, you'll probably like these too.
Mark Billingham too in the crime genre. And Denzil Meyrick - again crime but very easy reading.
Oh and the Peter May Black House trilogy - It helps if you have a soft spot for the Outer Hebrides but they are quite gripping and move along at a good enough pace.
Mick Herron - Slow Horses/Slough House series
Connelly is very good, Bellingham was good but then got a bit unbelievable with his plot lines, Herron - two good stories and then a bit meh (and unbelievable).
Richard Stark’s Parker series are great as are the more modern Gary Disher and S A Crosby
Someone on here recommended the Dresden Files a few years back- based on that list of authors I’d suggest it’s well worth a go.
A second for Flashman.
I don’t understand this ‘guilty pleasure’ concept; you read books, or listen to music you enjoy, irrespective of whatever some other asshole thinks! Their opinion is irrelevant and meaningless, unless they’re a reactionary Xtian Nationalist with powers to dictate what a public library can or can’t have on its shelves.
I’m currently reading Arthur Ransom’s ‘We Didn’t Mean To Go To Sea’, one of the ‘Swallows and Amazons’ books, and I don’t give a shit what anyone thinks, they’re stories set very much in a particular place and time in British history, between the wars, and can and should be seen in that context.
Next up I may start reading ‘Glamour Boys’, about Chippenham’s Gay MP and his associates just before WW2, and his reactions to Hitler’s rise in Germany and their subsequent reaction and attempts to encourage Churchill to fight against the rise of Nazism.
Stuart MacBride's Logan McCrae or ash Henderson series. Great characters, gritty but funny too
Have been reading Mike Gayle for some years now. Always enjoy his books.
Some of Jeffrey Archer's books are good. First Among Equals for one.
Colin Bateman's Divorcing Jack would fit the OPs requirements I'd think. I remember it being very funny.
Elmore Leonard? Such an easy read, yet great dialogue and cool stories. So many made into films/TV. Went back to his Westerns recently, years after snobbishly dismissing them and they are great too.
+1 for Elmore Leonard . They're the only books I re-read, I make a little note in the covers to make sure I don't go back to the same one too soon. Occasionally I get bored of reading and will kickstart the habit by picking up one of those old Elmore Leonard paperbacks.
Stuart MacBride’s Logan McCrae or ash Henderson
+1 for these.
These are brill, thank you. Starting with Christopher Brookmyre. Have read quite a lot of Carl Hiaasen.
Wow @countzero 🤣 Think most people know what I meant by guilty pleasure it though!
Michael Connelly was excellent, he's created a universe across his characters - would recommend reading his stuff in strict chronological order if you are starting from scratch. Bit gutted I caught up.
Lee Child definitely started phoning it in on the Jack Reacher books, I gave up once his brother starting writing them.
Another vote for Flashman.
I’m about to start on the Patrick O’Brien Aubrey-Maturin series, it was highly recommended to me.
I found these pretty dull.
Brookmyre's description of prison inmates still makes me laugh out load about 15 years on. Love his stuff.
I enjoyed Flashman for a book or so then it just started to annoy me. Dunno why and I appear to be in the minority.
Jasper Fforde is a +1 for me. Mostly as it's one of three authors both my wife and I enjoy reading (the other two being Pratchett and Richard Osman)
Read quite a bit of John Scalzi and he defo meets the brief.
Good thread this as off on hols next week and need to fire up some kindle reading (or re-reading)
Ben's Aaronovitch's Rivers of London series is very easy and compelling reading.
Good call that. Novella's are good as well. Just listened to 'What Abigail did last summer' having read it a couple of years back. Very good.
Starting with Christopher Brookmyre.
Point of note is that there are series with recurring characters, and standalone novels. You can read them out of order but you'll likely get more out of a series if you start at the start. I chose one at random (largely because it was the greatest book title I'd ever seen) and it felt like I was missing some history.
There's a bibliography on Wikipedia which explains.
Late to the party, but I've just finished Money, by Martin Amis. I don't know about "guilty", but it's funny as **** from start to finish. An out and out pleasure.
John Grisham
I've always assumed in literary circles he's sneered upon but anything I've read of his, I've enjoyed massively and read again. And he's not even my usual type of book. I read very little fiction, mainly history and factual books, but anything of his I've read has always been a real page turner
largely because it was the greatest book title I’d ever seen
A Big Boy Done It And Ran Away?