Can Anyone Recommend A Good Book To Read While Cruising

[mamaofami]

Has anyone read a really great book that they would recommend? Need something for my upcoming cruise and don't want to count on the ship's library.

[Rhea58]

Water for Elephants - Sara Gruen (sp?)

[peaches from georgia]

There are many, but without knowing more about your tastes, I would recommend the current bestseller A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini (author of The Kite Runner. It is rated ***** by every reviewer I have read and my book club loved it.

[advocado]

If it's a long (really long) cruise, how about "Crime and Punishment", by Dostoevsky;)

[advocado]

double post...

[welovetocruise1234]

Ken Follets "The World without End" 1000 pages and an incredible novel. I finished it in 2 days!

[tomc]

Plain Speaking, by Merle Miller, the (auto)biography of Harry Truman.
The Idiot's Guide to... (Pick your title from this orange and white series; all are good.)
The Last Log of the Titanic. Can't find my copy at the moment. It's a thorough examination of the original testimony with a few surprises, each backed up. *Highly* recommended.

[mamaofami]

Thanks. Keep them coming. I read the Kite Runner and thought it was the best book I've ever read. Also read Splendid Suns. Not as good as his first.

[NoNoNanette]

Are you a follower of the "Lucky Santangelo" books from Jackie Collins? There's a relatively new one out:

DROP DEAD BEAUTIFUL

(I love trashy romance novels on a cruise...this Lucky series has been going on for YEARS, and is great fun).

If you're into HORROR, I highly recommend just about anything from BENTLEY LITTLE. He's my favorite.

Do you have time to join the Literary Guild before the cruise? They offer great incentives to join. :)

[NoNoNanette]

*dupe

[mrblack]

There are many, but without knowing more about your tastes, I would recommend the current bestseller A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini (author of The Kite Runner. It is rated ***** by every reviewer I have read and my book club loved it.

You must have read the Kite Runner--I thought the ending was a bit abrupt--is A Thousand Splendid Suns set in Afghanistan too? Our book club is going to be reading I think it's called 'Bookseller of Kabul' Mary Ellen

[advocado]

If you liked Frederick Forsythe ("Day of the Jackal"), John Le Carre and Graham Greene, you'll love a series of books in the same genre and style, by Daniel Silva. They should be read in order of publication because of common thread in all of them. First was "The Kill Artist". Then "The English Assassin", followed by "The Confessor", and others. They are quick reads and engaging. Also, informative.

[FinelyRetired]

mamofami:

The Namesake, Jhumpa Lahiri. Wonderful.

For a cruise, however, might I suggest a "lighter-weight" book loaded on your MP3, or a taped book? I say this because, when cruising or on vacation on the water, I find it difficult to concentrate on the printed word....AND feel cheated from enjoying the view IF I do get engrossed. So, I have enjoyed a Grisham, Higgins-Clark, if well narrated, that way. I plan to scrounge up a Dorothea Benton Frank next time........ I improved my listening skills and didn't spoil the view.

Just a thought.

Martha

[FinelyRetired]

duplicate.....

[hybrn8]

just finished "Bridge of Sighs" - wonderful storyteller!

[mamaofami]

mamofami:

The Namesake, Jhumpa Lahiri. Wonderful.

For a cruise, however, might I suggest a "lighter-weight" book loaded on your MP3, or a taped book? I say this because, when cruising or on vacation on the water, I find it difficult to concentrate on the printed word....AND feel cheated from enjoying the view IF I do get engrossed. So, I have enjoyed a Grisham, Higgins-Clark, if well narrated, that way. I plan to scrounge up a Dorothea Benton Frank next time........ I improved my listening skills and didn't spoil the view.

Just a thought.

Martha


Thanks. Read The Namesake and I agree, it was wonderful. DH likes to listen to his books, but I like to read them. It never keeps me from looking at the view.

[localady]

Thanks. Read The Namesake and I agree, it was wonderful. DH likes to listen to his books, but I like to read them. It never keeps me from looking at the view.

Me either Carol, my best time at sea is on the balcony reading a fantastic book. I also loved The Namesake, it's a really great read!

[bicker]

Has anyone read a really great book that they would recommend? Need something for my upcoming cruise and don't want to count on the ship's library.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/21R3KY3DQ4L._AA115_.jpg
I highly recommend The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. From Amazon.com's review: If your pulse flutters at the thought of castle ruins and descents into crypts by moonlight, you will savor every creepy page of Elizabeth Kostova's long but beautifully structured thriller The Historian. The story opens in Amsterdam in 1972, when a teenage girl discovers a medieval book and a cache of yellowed letters in her diplomat father's library. The pages of the book are empty except for a woodcut of a dragon. The letters are addressed to: "My dear and unfortunate successor." When the girl confronts her father, he reluctantly confesses an unsettling story: his involvement, twenty years earlier, in a search for his graduate school mentor, who disappeared from his office only moments after confiding to Paul his certainty that Dracula--Vlad the Impaler, an inventively cruel ruler of Wallachia in the mid-15th century--was still alive. The story turns out to concern our narrator directly because Paul's collaborator in the search was a fellow student named Helen Rossi (the unacknowledged daughter of his mentor) and our narrator's long-dead mother, about whom she knows almost nothing. And then her father, leaving just a note, disappears also. As well as numerous settings, both in and out of the East Bloc, Kostova has three basic story lines to keep straight--one from 1930, when Professor Bartolomew Rossi begins his dangerous research into Dracula, one from 1950, when Professor Rossi's student Paul takes up the scent, and the main narrative from 1972. The criss-crossing story lines mirror the political advances, retreats, triumphs, and losses that shaped Dracula's beleaguered homeland--sometimes with the Byzantines on top, sometimes the Ottomans, sometimes the rag-tag local tribes, or the Orthodox church, and sometimes a fresh conqueror like the Soviet Union.
Although the book is appropriately suspenseful and a delight to read--even the minor characters are distinctive and vividly seen--its most powerful moments are those that describe real horrors. Our narrator recalls that after reading descriptions of Vlad burning young boys or impaling "a large family," she tried to forget the words: "For all his attention to my historical education, my father had neglected to tell me this: history's terrible moments were real. I understand now, decades later, that he could never have told me. Only history itself can convince you of such a truth." The reader, although given a satisfying ending, gets a strong enough dose of European history to temper the usual comforts of the closing words. --Regina Marler

[MoreMilesPlease]

For really light entertainment Ilike the Stephanie Plum novels by Janet Evanovich. The first one is called One for the Money. Or the Amelia Peabody mysteries set in Egypt by Elizabeth Peters. Both of these series really need to be read in order to fully appreciate the characters

The Source by James Michner is really good. I am not a Michner fan but this book is one of my all time favorites.

Also:
Sarum
The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (all 4 or 5 books in the triology :p )
For really light, light reading the Getting Old Is Murder, and the other books on the series (this is great depending on your age and if you have ever lived in Florida)
For social/political satire fiction try Boomsday, Little Green Men, and my favorite Florence of Arabia

[peaches from georgia]

You must have read the Kite Runner--I thought the ending was a bit abrupt--is A Thousand Splendid Suns set in Afghanistan too? Our book club is going to be reading I think it's called 'Bookseller of Kabul' Mary Ellen
Yes, it is set in Afghanistan and is the story of 2 women from the time period of the Kite Runner up until present day. You really get the picture of what this country has suffered for so many years and still is. Liked it better than the KR. Don't know the 'Bookseller' book you mention, but will look it up.

[FinelyRetired]

Thanks, bicker:

The Historian has just moved up to my 5 next top reads!

Martha

[drdentist]

I love this thread since I have to pick my book club pick next month. Last month we read Angry Housewives eating Bon Bons by Lorna Landvick. We all liked it. We also loved Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. Hope that helps. Amy

[drdentist]

I love this thread since I have to pick my book club pick next month. Last month we read Angry Housewives eating Bon Bons by Lorna Landvick. We all liked it. We also loved Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. Hope that helps. Amy

[Mary Ellen]

I also love reading the Amelia Peabody mysteries set in Egypt by Elizabeth Peters. I greatly enjoyed Sarum and the one on Russia by the same author, but possibly both are a little involved for a cruise. I like something I can easily pick up and put down again. For long plane flights, more involved helps keep me from getting bored.

However, I'd be extremely reluctant to take a book on a cruise just because someone on the Internet liked it. I'd be asking my friends (who have similar reading tastes) what they recommend, not strangers. Being stuck with a book that I don't enjoy would be awful. When Oprah first mentioned her book club, I thought it would be nice to read something different, but her suggestions were WAY too depressing for me. I've heard she's lightened up recently, but.....

That said, as I write, I'm loading books on to my MP3 for our imminent departure. Since the books have to appeal to DH too, I'm loading books by W.E.B. Griffin, Daniel Silva, Jack Higgins and Stephen Coonts.

[KLLund]

I also loved Kite Runner and Thousand Spendid Suns

but for a wonderful book that is a bit different I recommend "Love in the time of Cholera" by Gabriel Garcia *******

or for pure entertainment and lots of laughs .. anything by Carl Hiaasen

[Coral]

I read this on my HAL cruise last month:

Escape - by Carolyn Jessop

http://www.amazon.com/Escape-Carolyn-Jessop/dp/0767927567/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1200869496&sr=8-1

Sort of timely with the trial at the end of last year. It was sort of scary that this type of situation is occurring in the US today. One of the best non-fiction book I have read in a long time.

[Sailorgirlseattle]

Instead of recommending certain titles to you, I'll recommend what I like to do when I'm traveling ... go to a well-stocked bookstore and find books set in the area you'll be visiting. For example, when we cruised to Alaska, I took several books that were set in at least one of the towns/general areas that was on our itinerary. I also took a mystery set ON a cruise ship in SE Alaska. When I'm in a port (or visiting a town on a road trip) I like to visit a small locally owned bookstore and ask about local authors or books set locally. It really adds to the experience of being in a place and reading about it at the same time.

One time, I was in my tent at the campground at Lake Quinault on the Olympic Peninsula of Wash State reading The Ya Ya Sisterhood ... while there, I read the passage where the main character was staying in a cottage on Lake Quinault and she walked to the little sundries shop PASSING THE VERY CAMPGROUND I WAS IN reading the book! That was VERY COOL, and very unexpected. A little surreal too.

Anyway, this approach has served me well. I keep the popular "book lists" for my reading at home.

[Sailorgirlseattle]

Grre .... double post. Sowwy.

[Stakeout]

if anyone likes mystery series type books ..and you want good fast reading...

...any of the James Patterson's Alex Cross series .. and his Woman's Murder Club series.. Stuart Woods' Stone Barrington and Holly Barker books... John Sandford's Prey series...Robert Parker's Spencer-PI books ... Lee Child's Jack Reacher .. Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch ... Patricia Cromwell's Kay Scarpetta....

[Stakeout]

sorry.. double post

[muffin]

Here are a couple of wondeful books in my opinion. The first is by Greg Mortenson and is called Three Cups of Tea. It is a fantastic book about Greg and his work in Pakistan/Apghanistan,,really gives you hope. The sub title of the book is One mans fight against terror, one school at a time. Everyone who has read it reports they truly loved it.

Secondly, a book entitled Infidel by Ayaan Ali. Disturbing, but amazing. Somolian born Muslim woman who became dutch citizen and member of parliament there. Truly eyeopening to hear her point of view of all the present difficulties. Really makes yo think a lot, and opens a lot of discussions!!

[mrblack]

...However, I'd be extremely reluctant to take a book on a cruise just because someone on the Internet liked it... When Oprah first mentioned her book club, I thought it would be nice to read something different, but her suggestions were WAY too depressing for me. I've heard she's lightened up recently, but......

I think this is a great thread and I'm making some notes for our book club and my 18 day cruise coming up. I agree with comments about Oprah...it's probably not fair but in our group we say no books for our club from Oprah. But a friend of mine who is in another book club loves reading from her list...good thing we're all different!:D Mary Ellen

[cccole]

I love the Clive Cussler, Higgins-Clark, and Evanovich books. They include mystery, adventure, and humor.

[ILoveScotland]

There's a thread started several years ago that has close to 30 pages of ideas of books to read while cruising. I've gotten some good ideas there as well as made some suggestions.

Here's the link:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=67422 (http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=67422)

[Azure Moon]

The series by PJ Tracy (mother and daughter writing team).

Thriller/crime.

Book #1 Monkeewrench (this was their first book and was highly praised -for good reason! Excellent.)
Book #2 Live Bait (good)
Book #3 Dead Run (excellent)
Book #4 Snow Blind (good)

[Indycal]

For any dog lovers, this is a great book! I laughed, I cried, and I look at my dogs a bit differently now!


Merle's Door: Lessons from a Freethinking Dog
by Ted Kerasote (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/103-6747397-6371824?%5Fencoding=UTF8&search-type=ss&index=books&field-author=Ted%20Kerasote)

[Robin7]

For any dog lovers, this is a great book! I laughed, I cried, and I look at my dogs a bit differently now!


Merle's Door: Lessons from a Freethinking Dog
by Ted Kerasote (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/103-6747397-6371824?%5Fencoding=UTF8&search-type=ss&index=books&field-author=Ted%20Kerasote)

"Speaking" of dog books (heh), I love, love, LOVE "Marley and Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog" by John Grogan. My whole family read it and laughed and laughed and cried and cried. Maybe it's because we have a yellow lab who is arguably the world's second-worst dog. :) We thought the book was wonderful, though.

Robin

[MoreMilesPlease]

I second the Carl Hiaasen books. But I lived in Florida for many years and that might have increased my enjoyment.

Quick easy reads but good are the #1 Ladies Detective Agency series set in Botswana by Alexander McCall Smith. Very intertaining.

I agree that I would not go out and buy a book just because someone here said to. But I think that asking for others advice is a good thing. I always read these type threads because it introduces me to some books I have never heard of. I may not like all of them (thank goodness we're all different) but I could never find some of these just wandering a bookstore. I have read some great stuff this way.

Another thing is to look at the Barnes and Noble clearance books on-line. You can often pick up a book for $2 or $3 if it looks interesting. This is only when you have a lot of time to puruse the site!

[billroddy]

I'm reading "A Civil Action" by Jonathan Harr. The Cleveland Plain Dealer called it, "The Legal Thriller of the decade." and the Washington Post, "You probably will not be able to put it down."
Two of the nation's largest corporations stand accused of causing the deaths of children.
The movie with the same name starring John Travolta is based on the book.
You won't be sorry.
Bill

[Jemery]

One book and one series that I'll recommend,
Seaspray and Whisky by Norman Freeman; his account of crossing the Atlantic as the radio officer of a disreputable freighter carrying a cargo of whisky with a dipsomaniacal crew, and
Murder on the... by Conrad Allen, a series of books with the name of an ocean liner following Murder on the. His two detectives are hired by various ocean liner companies to keep the peace on board ship, and solve crimes before reaching port.
-John

[Sailorgirlseattle]

One of my very favorite books of recent years, and one that I think everyone should read, is called All Over Creation, by Ruth Ozeki. It's set in Idaho and it deals with all sorts of issues (health, social, financial, reproductive) centering around genetic engineering and farming. One couple are farmers who can barely make ends meet and play with GE potatoes and deal with repeated miscarriages which may or may not be caused by heavy chemicals involved in traditional farming. Another couple are elderly, mixed race, and one is a devoted organic seed saver/purveyor. Their daughter returns home with her three children, each with a separate father. AND, to really mix things up, a band of new-age hippies/activists come to town to study with the organic seed saver and to protest the planting of GE potatoes. It's really a GREAT read ... she makes a compelling STORY of it all, while exploring a hotbed of issues.

[mamaofami]

Thanks for the many suggestions. Armed with the list, I will now make my way to Borders and my local library and see what I come up with. Thanks again!:)

[Norm174]

I liked "What Time is the Midnight Buffet". It's not very long and a fun book to read for cruising. The author Chester (?) posts on Cruise Critic periodically.:D

[kryos]

Are you a follower of the "Lucky Santangelo" books from Jackie Collins? There's a relatively new one out:

DROP DEAD BEAUTIFUL

(I love trashy romance novels on a cruise...this Lucky series has been going on for YEARS, and is great fun).

Thank you for posting that. I looooove Jackie Collins' books ... but somehow am often hesitant to admit to it. :)

I too love a nice trashy novel ... especially when on vacation!

Blue skies ...

--rita

[NoNoNanette]

I knew that SOMEONE would eventually admit to liking her stuff, Rita! ;)

Her sister isn't too bad.... I've got a couple of Joan's novels, too.

Vacations are the PERFECT time to read trash! I agree! :)

[IllinoisAuthor]

Hi,

I mostly read mystery, romance, and a bit of urban fantasy. I enjoy books with humor and interesting relationships the most.

Some of my favorite urban fantasy authors are: Kelly Armstrong, Kim Harrison, and Patricia Briggs.

For romance I love Jennifer Cruise, Mary Kay Andrews, and Susan Elizabeth Phillips.

In mystery Diane Mott Davidson, Charlaine Harris, and Margaret Maron are wonderful.

Or, you could try my books. My current one is called Murder of a Botoxed Blonde. It takes place at a spa, but I did the research for it at a spa on a Celebrity Cruise ship.

Best,
Denise Swanson

[HokiePoq]

I just finished John Grisham's Playing for Pizza. It is different from his other books as it is about a washed up NFL quarterback who goes to play in Italy. The travelogue and food descriptions are worth the price alone. Enjoyable read. Like another poster, I enjoy Jennifer Cruise, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, and Janet Evanovich.

[HokiePoq]

Jennifer Crusie...sorry about the misspelling.

[Coral]

\

Or, you could try my books. My current one is called Murder of a Botoxed Blonde. It takes place at a spa, but I did the research for it at a spa on a Celebrity Cruise ship.

Best,
Denise Swanson

How cool that we have a few authors on CC!

[CPeters40]

Hi,

I mostly read mystery, romance, and a bit of urban fantasy. I enjoy books with humor and interesting relationships the most.

Some of my favorite urban fantasy authors are: Kelly Armstrong, Kim Harrison, and Patricia Briggs.

For romance I love Jennifer Cruise, Mary Kay Andrews, and Susan Elizabeth Phillips.

In mystery Diane Mott Davidson, Charlaine Harris, and Margaret Maron are wonderful.

Or, you could try my books. My current one is called Murder of a Botoxed Blonde. It takes place at a spa, but I did the research for it at a spa on a Celebrity Cruise ship.

Best,
Denise Swanson
I mostly read mystery, romance, and a bit of urban fantasy. I enjoy books with humor and interesting relationships the most.

Some of my favorite urban fantasy authors are: Kelly Armstrong, Kim Harrison, and Patricia Briggs.

For romance I love Jennifer Cruise, Mary Kay Andrews, and Susan Elizabeth Phillips.

In mystery Diane Mott Davidson, Charlaine Harris, and Margaret Maron are wonderful.

Or, you could try my books. My current one is called Murder of a Botoxed Blonde. It takes place at a spa, but I did the research for it at a spa on a Celebrity Cruise ship.

Best,
Denise Swanson[/quote]

Hey, that sounds like a fun book--I'll have to look that up.
You know, I just got off a 7 day cruise, and I really never had much of a chance to read. There's just so much fun activities to do on the ship, and then by doing those, I meet so many great people, and then we always get together, and then there's no time for reading! I can always read at home. Just too much fun meeting and talking to cruise ship people.
Having said that, I did get through "Elvis by the Presley's" from the ship's library, which is mostly pictures, but lots of good commentary from Priscilla and Lisa Marie and family.
Also, the last book I read, if you are a Gone with the Wind fan, was Rhett Butler's People by Donald McCaig.
Those 2 books by Khaled Hosseini (Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns) are even better on the CD audio version, especially the first, which is read by the author.
But on a Cruise ship, I really would rather have light reading, like Jacky Collins, or celebrity biographies. Last year's cruise I read Jennifer Weiner
(Good in Bed, Little Earthquakes, and Goodnight Nobody). Well, actually I just watched the movie, Good in Bed, on the movie channel, and read those 3, after I got home.
Have a great cruise!
Chris
Zuiderdam Jan 08
Oosterdam Jan 07
Volendam Jan 06
Galaxy Jan 05

[mrblack]

Quick easy reads but good are the #1 Ladies Detective Agency series set in Botswana by Alexander McCall Smith. Very intertaining.

These are perfect reads for a cruise--pretty light but leave you with a really good feeling about the characters and endings. Also good but a little more serious by the same author are 'The Sunday Philosophy Club' and 'Scotland Street' I really enjoyed Scotland Street--a mystery but very plausible ending and it could have happened that way.:D

[Copper10-8]

Two books that will make you laugh, guaranteed and also have a "connect" to Holland America Line:

1. The Captain's Log by Johannes "Hans" Mateboer

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51g7csLaEvL._AA240_.jpg (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/images/0975948709/sr=8-1/qid=1200983426/ref=dp_image_0/105-0460227-5971613?ie=UTF8&n=283155&s=books&qid=1200983426&sr=8-1)

2. The UnDutchables by Colin White and Laurie Boucke
An Observation of the Netherlands, Its Culture And Its Inhabitants

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/516Q1PG1Z6L._AA240_.jpg (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/images/1888580321/sr=1-1/qid=1200983522/ref=dp_image_0/105-0460227-5971613?ie=UTF8&n=283155&s=books&qid=1200983522&sr=1-1)

[Copper10-8]

Or, if you are into a series called "Images of America" with lots of pics (pics are good;) )

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51QCIeCctaL._AA240_.jpg (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/images/0738547948/sr=1-1/qid=1200983681/ref=dp_image_0/105-0460227-5971613?ie=UTF8&n=283155&s=books&qid=1200983681&sr=1-1)

[Cinder Again]

If you are taking an Alaskan cruise this year, try "The Last Run: a true story of rescue and redemption on the Alaska Seas" by Todd Lewan. It really is gripping. I have a book on the Antarctic I am taking on my South American cruise this week. Can't wait to start it!
I go to the used book store before I leave on a cruise and buy some books I don't mind leaving behind as I finish them. Then others can benefit, and my suitcase has room for gifts home!

[Golfette]

Many interesting books and viewpoints mentioned here. Thanks Mamafami and everyone else.

I'm a voracious reader. I usually ask people who interest me what they recommend. Often, I'm surprised at what they like, but I've found some very intriguing books that way that I would never have picked for myself.

I can recommend The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. It is currently #1 on the NY Times list of fiction. I chose it after reading the 1st few pages in a book store because the theory intrigued me. It is a story narrated by a murdered 14 year old looking down from heaven. That premise sounds terribly depressing, but it is not at all. It is very interesting and quite different.

Also, I like to read older books that I may have missed when they were popular or don't really remember. The Cider House by John Irving is wonderful. The characters are fully fleshed out and very believable. You'll remember them for a long time. Also the ending is good and very fitting for the story, something you don't find very often.

Speaking of endings, I threw My Daughter's Keeper across the room after reading the ending. What a copout!

[PCruzer]

It's an older book, but did you read "Envy" by Sandra Brown. I thought it was great.

[peaches from georgia]

Speaking of endings, I threw My Daughter's Keeper across the room after reading the ending. What a copout!
I think you mean 'My Sister's Keeper', don't you? Jodi Picoult. ;)

[Golfette]

I think you mean 'My Sister's Keeper', don't you? Jodi Picoult. ;)

Yup, I sure did. Thanks for straightening out any confusion. Did you read it and have the same reaction?

[yiddishkopf]

Deciding which books to take on a cruise is more perplexing to me than deciding which clothes or shoes to take. I loved A Thousand Splendid Suns in addition to The Kite Runner -- also saw the Kite Runner movie and thought it was outstanding.

For mysteries, I recommend books by Michael Collins. Faye Kellerman or Rochelle Krich, especially her Molly Blume series.

An outstanding book is Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides--I read it a few years ago on a cruise and still think of it as a very powerful novel. Right now, I am reading In the Time of Butterflies and it is also an excellent read.

I have 2 of the Augusta Phillipe books about Tudor England saved for our Osaka to Vancouver cruise -- one is The Other Boyelyn Girl and one is The Queen's Fool. It is a long flight so I need a thick, good book.

We have a local used book store that often has excellent choices, so I leave a trail of books in airports or I trade them on the ship.

Happy cruising and happy reading to all.

[Jsipes]

TITANIC WOULD BE A GOOD CHOICE

[SeaRay48]

If you are cruising to Alaska, take along Jon Krakauer's " Into the Wild". Even if you have seen the movie, the book is a grear read especially if you are taking HAL's land package traveling near Mt. McKinley

[frchteaze]

Deciding which books to take on a cruise is more perplexing to me than deciding which clothes or shoes to take.

An outstanding book is Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides--I read it a few years ago on a cruise and still think of it as a very powerful novel.

I second Middlesex. It was my favorite selection from our book club this past year. I also loved The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls. Middlesex is a bit long, but both are completely engrossing.

Currently, I'm reading Then We Came to the End. I'm only a few chapters in and already I'm hooked. Very, very good so far.

I'll just go do my happy Kindle dance now that I don't have to worry about which books to bring along for my upcoming cruise. I can take them all! :D Keep those suggestions coming!

[BM64]

Yup, I sure did. Thanks for straightening out any confusion. Did you read it and have the same reaction?


I sure did read it and had the same reaction but I have to admit I'm addicted to her books. I would put a vote in for Jodi Picout's books, I did really like Plain Truth, Nineteen Minutes and The Pact. I did not care for Tenth Circle. She has a new one coming out March 4th and have preordered it for my March cruise on the Noordam.

[martini cruiser]

I like to read novels/non fiction set in the areas I'm traveling to, or on board ships.
Examples:

Murder on the Oceanic- 1 of 7 of Allen Conrad's murder mysteries set aboard ships.

Death Cruise- Crime stories on the High Seas, Lawrence Block various authors-All the stories contained in Death Cruise are set aboard cruise ships.

Hawaii- for Hawaii, tales of the South Pacific for the South pacific Cruise by James Michener


Out of Africa- on Safari, plus W Smiths books set in South Africa

Under the Tuscan Sun- Mayes, when I went to Italy.

1000 Days in Venice- De Blasi, when in Venice, plus there is a series of Murder Mysteries based in venice by Donna Leon.

Journey to the South: A Calabrian Homecoming Hawes when I took a cruise that included southern Italy

These are just a few examples, I like to plan my vacation reading as much as I do the trips!

Martini Cruiser

[peaches from georgia]

Yup, I sure did. Thanks for straightening out any confusion. Did you read it and have the same reaction?
I was afraid if anyone was interested in your recommendation they would be looking for the wrong title. :) My book club read My Sister's Keeper last year, loved it, except for the end. It was like she didn't want to take an ethical stand either way, so she chickened out with this ending. However, I do love Jodi Picoult and think she is perfect for cruise reading. Also, if anyone is a Sue Grafton fan T is for Trespass is out and is one of her best in a long time.

[mamaofami]

Has anyone read::confused:

Lost in the Forest, Sue Miller

The Senator's Wife

Bridge of Sighs

Empire Falls

[Golfette]

I was afraid if anyone was interested in your recommendation they would be looking for the wrong title. :) My book club read My Sister's Keeper last year, loved it, except for the end. It was like she didn't want to take an ethical stand either way, so she chickened out with this ending. However, I do love Jodi Picoult and think she is perfect for cruise reading. Also, if anyone is a Sue Grafton fan T is for Trespass is out and is one of her best in a long time.

I'm glad you corrected my title - no problem. I think we like the same books. I love Grafton's books also.

I guess a lot of people had the same reaction to the ending of My Daughter's Keeper. BM64, I agree wholeheartedly with your thoughts as to Picout's ending. I also "enjoy" her books ... can't help but get involved.

[michmike]

have you been looking at my bookshelf? Heartily second all your author recommendations. Also second the recommendation someone made early on re the Daniel Silva books.

Can't recommend Wilbur Smith highly enough. A wonderful author of historical fiction.. Try his egyptian series (warlock, river god, the 7th scroll etc.. or his trilogy re the settling of south africa (birds of prey, blue horizon and monsoon) Great reads.

Also try anything by Robt Ludlum, David Baldacci, Stephen Frey, Christopher Reich, Randy Wayne White, Vince Flynn, Nelson DeMille, Tess Gerritsen (just finished the Bone Garden and it was quite good).

If you are a foody try any of the books by the NY Times food critic, Ruth Reichl (Tender at the Bone, Comfort Me w/ Apples, Garlic and Sapphires).

Sigh.... so many books, so little time...

[richmon]

I rarely read books anymore due to a torn viscera. However I can recommend
perusing www.HuntressReviews.com in the categories that interest you. The site is run by a friend of mine. I have several that she has suggest that I'll be taking with me. Most of them have been out for several years and are in paperback.

The Four Redheads of The Apocalypse a short comedy

Dead End by Judith Skillings a whodunnit

How to Marry a Millionaire Vampire a romantic comedy

[mamaofami]

OK. And thank you all. Armed with this extensive list, I will make my way to the local library or Borders and pick a few. It will NOT be TITANIC as someone suggested. :)

[ANSalberg]

I'm reading "Alibi" by Karon and enjoying it- the scene is 1946 Venice, Italy.A mystery set in the few years after the end of the war and involving "survivors". If you've ever been to Venice -the map is an easy one to follow and FUN. Good for BOTH sexes but probably appeal more to guys!
Author of "The Good German"
Anne

[dam1050]

A few books of fiction I've recently read and would recommend are: "Critical" by Robin Cook, "True Evil" by Greg Iles & "Proof Positive" by Phillip Margolin.

For more of a nautical theme, you might wish to read "Sailing Away from Winter - A Cruise from Nova Scotia to Florida and Beyond" by Silver Donald Cameron, "An Embarrassment of Mangoes - A Caribbean Interlude" by Ann Vanderhoof, "So, We Sold Our House and Ran Away to the South Pacific" by Gordon Cope, or "The Happy Isles of Oceania - Paddling the Pacific" by Paul Theroux. All quite enjoyable. :)

[mamaofami]

Anyone read Intrepretation of Murder ? My DD suggested it.

[mamaofami]

OK. I've made my selections, keeping in mind that I've already read many of the suggested books.

1. Eat, Pray, Love

2. The Glass Castle

3. The Sea (suggested by someone in the bookstore)

[cccole]

I am starting my collection of summer vacation books and remembered this thread. I couldn't remember ALL of the suggestions and thought others might enjoy the recommendations!! Cherie

[shotei]

A great book to read WHILE you're cruising is "Sailing Alone Around the World" by Joshua Slocum. He was the first person to successfully do it starting in 1895 and ending in 1898. His story is a compelling one and opens up a different reality of "cruising".

Marc

[dwbias]

Another great read: "I Simply Cannot Fathom This" by the captain of the Titantic....leaves you with a somewhat "sinking" feeling.

[gebo]

:p One summer, tired of graduate work, I asked the librarian for a book for the fun of reading. She recommended, A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy O'Toole. If you read it, be sure to read the forward.

[yiddishkopf]

I haven't read all the postings so I may be repetetive, but on our recent Kobe to Vancouver cruise, I read two Augusta Phillipe books -- The Other Boyelyn Girl and The Virgin's Lover. I have The Queen's Fool at home and will start it soon. If you like books about China, read Snowflower and the Secret Fan. In fact, if you like books about China, read anything by Lisa See or Anchee Min.

I concur with other recommendations for The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns.

[S&M in Pgh]

Don't stop the carnival by Herman Woulk (sp)

and

Salty Piece of Land by Jimmy Buffett

Both offer a funny if somewhat tilted look at life in the Caribbean.

If you have ever thought about chucking it all and moving to the islands, read these first.

Mike

[peaches from georgia]

..... I read two Augusta Phillipe books -- The Other Boyelyn Girl and The Virgin's Lover. I have The Queen's Fool at home and will start it soon. If you like books about China, read Snowflower and the Secret Fan. In fact, if you like books about China, read anything by Lisa See or Anchee Min.

I concur with other recommendations for The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns.
Hardly agree with your recommendations. I've read them all. However, The Other Boleyn Girl, The Virgin's Lover, and The Queen's Fool are written by Philippa Gregory. :)

[Richard in Panama]

Mama, From my perspective, depends on where you are going on your cruise . . . I've posted a list of books that are "recommended reading" for various itineraries at http://richarddetrich.wordpress.com/richards-must-read-travel-books/

Some of these books will make your trip much more meaningful.

HAL ships have good libraries, but . . . if you're around HAL ships a lot . . . it's pretty much the same library on each ship.

Regards, Richard

[koolforkatz]

I havent yet read it yet but based on someone else's recommendation just ordered The Six Wives of Henry VIII by Alison Weir online. If you go to Amazon you will see it's got nothing but positive reviews.

One of my old time favourite books is Fall On Your Knees by Ann-Marie MacDonald. A real page turner.

[peaches from georgia]

Hardly agree with your recommendations. I've read them all. However, The Other Boleyn Girl, The Virgin's Lover, and The Queen's Fool are written by Philippa Gregory. :)
LOL. What I meant to say was that I 'heartily' agree with the recommendations. My typo I think gives the opposite meaning. :eek:

[fmax]

I like this thread, I'm actually looking for new authors/books to read.

The philip Pullman trilogy (Golden Compass) are good - much better than the recent movie.

For detective books, my british background is showing, I love Quintin Jardine and Ian Rankin. mind you I also like J.D. Robb (more futuristic) and also James Patterson and Jeffrey Deaver.

And for light reading, irish authors, Maeve Binchly, Cathy Kelly and Marian Keyes. Also Sophie Kinsella, Joanna Harris

I agree that for an easy read, #1 Ladies Detective Agency are good books. I've also read the Philosophy Club and Scotland Street books by same author.

i think, like some of the other posters, I preferred Kite Runner to A thousand splendid suns.

I read Eat, Pray, love but I didn't love it. There were some parts I liked but there was just something about it I found annoying, can quite put my finger on it. I think I liked Glass Castle at the time I read it but it just didn't seem to stay with me, I keep forgetting I've read it.

Three cups of tea by Mortenson, Greg is on my list to read along with a Donna leon book as they're set in Venice and I was there last year and absolutely loved it.

frances

[cactuslady]

If you're going anywhere in the tropics, might as well have fun learning about that large region's history, legends and oddities --

Latitude Zero: Tales of the Equator, by Gianni Guadalupi and Antony Shugaar.

Covers everything from conquistadors and cities of gold, to the mysterious connection between the Amazon and the Orinoco, to the search for the source of the Nile, to Stanley and Livingston, to Krakatoa, to the Nude Baroness . . .

(Read "The Path Between the Seas" BEFORE your transcanal cruise. It's a hefty volume, and would threaten to cut into your bingo/trivia/bread pudding/spa time if you attempted to get through it quickly. But well worth the effort.)

[mamaofami]

I've already been on my cruise and did take some of the suggested books with me. But, I wound up having a very interesting experience in St. THomas. We visited the synagogue and met the cantor and her husband who took us back to their home. The cantor is a breast cancer survivor and her husband wrote a series of emails to friends and family back in 2000 to keep them updated on her condition. He published them in a book called Only DIane and he gave me a copy. I read it on the remainder of the cruise because I couldn't believe that this vibrant woman I met in 2008 was once so very sick. It was kind of like knowing the ending but having to find out all the details that led up to it.

[muffin]

just a gentle correction... Greg Mortensons book, Three cups of Tea, is a brilliant book, but has nothing to do with Venice...it is set in Afghanistan.
It is probably on my " Best Five books I have ever read", list...as a documentary.
Glad to see this thread up again... can never read too many books!

[Betsy's Mom]

The Donna Leon book mentioned in the same sentence as Three Cups of Tea is set in Venice, try and read the post again:) The Donna Leon series is wonderful and getting lots of "play" these days.
B.

[bookworm0911]

Water for Elephants is one of the best books I have read and it would be wonderful to take on a cruise.

[tomtal]

Just finished reading two wonderful books, both by Australian authors. I'm from the UK but note that The Book Thief by Maarkus Zusak has reviews from New York Times, Washington Post and USA today. A remarkable book. The other one is People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks who won the Pulitzer Prize for her second novel, March. Los Angeles Times gave a review of this one so I would assume that you can get it in the USA. Both books most unusual and very, very interesting.

[yiddishkopf]

Tomtal's recommendation of People of the Book is a great suggestion. I read it just before our recent cruise (Kobe to Vancouver) and thought it was an amazing book. What a great researcher the author, Geraldine Brooks is. As mentioned above, she wrote March and another excellent read Year of Wonder.

[travel guy]

"Eagle Eye: Bird of Prey and the Neighborhood Cat"

Or

"Black Bear, Brown Bear: Hibernating with Cute, Cuddly Killers"

[cruznon]

I enjoy Nora Roberts for light reading on a cruise. I'd recommend her KEY and GARDEN trilogies.

[geocruiser]

Hi

We are going to Alaska 6/26/09 on Noordam. So I wanted to read about the gold rush. I brought Good Time Girls, Gold Rush Women, I Married The Klondike and Klondike Fever. So far I read Good Time Girls. It was mainly about the life and times of the woman in the fast lanes of life. True accounts. I now am in the middle of reading Gold Rush Women. It is more about the respectable women of the gold rush. One of my favorite lines from the Good Time Girls is" The men mined the mines and the women mined the miners"


Maria

[vbmom87]

I just resurrected this link from my bookmarks since I am finalizing my cruise buying and packing. This was a great idea for a thread. I am off to the bookstore with my list. I am just trying to decide how I can pack all the books I need to bring already...way too much stuff...Milepost, Alaska Cruise Companion, Folder of notes, reservations, city info, etc. Just don't know where I will put it all.

Thanks to all who contributed to this great list.

[CinWin]

I'm in agreement with Bookworm0911 about "Water for Elephants". It is very entertaining and a perfect read while cruising.

[CDRMark]

Anytrime my opinion is solicited I recommend Undaunted Courage by Stephen Ambrose. The story of the Lewis and Clark expedition.
I am still in awe, and I read it eight years ago.
Cheers
Mark

[Sailorgirlseattle]

Ok, I suffer from CRS syndrome ... did I post this recommendation already? For the Alaska cruises, especially those going through the Inside Passage: Passage to Juneau by Jonathan Raban. It's a true-life travelogue about the author's journey on his small sailboat from Seattle to Juneau through the IP and all its islands. What's really cool about it is, he is researching (and sharing with us) the history of the area and the native peoples ... so lots and lots about Captain Vancouver and his expedition, and the native cultures that were here at that time. Very cool book!