Novels for a Rainy Sunday Afternoon

dragon wench · Post by **dragon wench** » Wed May 19, 2004 5:32 pm

There exists a certain category of books that fits somewhere between 'light or 'escapist' reading and 'anxiously profound'. These are the types of books I enjoy reading on a rainy weekend day with a large pot of peppermint or Earl Grey tea beside me.

My favourites include:
Even Cowgirls Get the Blues - Tom Robbins
Rebel Angels - Robinson Davies
The World According to Garp - John Irving
A Prayer for Owen Meany - John Irving

Other suggestions?

Xandax · Post by **Xandax** » Thu May 20, 2004 1:03 am

I rarely read literature that is not in some way connected to computers/IT/programming.
The last book of such I read and just finished, was a prosaic retelling (in danish) of Dante's Commedia.
Strange, but intriguing, piece of work that one

Rob-hin · Post by **Rob-hin** » Thu May 20, 2004 2:28 am

Finally a book corner here at SYM

Great books I like:
- Raymond Feist, The Riftwars saga
- Robin Hobb, The Farseer Trilogy
- JRR Tolkien, Lord of the Rings (d'uh)
- Frank Herbert, Dune (the first book, the rest is a bit dull)

Danbacksli · Post by **Danbacksli** » Thu May 20, 2004 7:11 am

I like fantasy, big surprise.

The Sword of Shanara by Terry Brooks
October Sky by Homer Hickam
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

dragon wench · Post by **dragon wench** » Thu May 20, 2004 9:03 am

@Rob-hin

I like some fantasy books myself actually, LOTR and The Hobbit. I also have read read Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time Series which I enjoyed.
If we're speaking lighter fare, I particularly like crime fiction. Ian Rankin and Michael Dibdin both weave a great tale, and are skilled writers

RandomThug · Post by **RandomThug** » Thu May 20, 2004 9:47 am

The Rum Diary - Hunter S. Thompson
Survivor - Chuck Paliahauk (Fight club author)
Salamandrastron - Heh Im a dork

soundoff · Post by **soundoff** » Thu May 20, 2004 3:49 pm

For me..the perfect rainy day book is the perfect mystery. favorite authors include:

patricia cornwell
michael connelly
james patterson
jan burke
sue grafton

werebeargoddess · Post by **werebeargoddess** » Thu May 20, 2004 4:03 pm

I tend to read fantasy novels. I've read quite a few of Terry Brooks's Shannara books, as well as a few books by Mercedes Lackey. LOTR and The Hobbit are both among my favorites. And I've read just about all of Tamora Pierce's books, too.

Robnark · Post by **Robnark** » Thu May 20, 2004 4:05 pm

well I'm shallow, so I like cheerful books when it's a miserable day. I'm currently reading the marvellous No.1 Ladies Detective Agency series by Alexander McCall Smith.

Rob-hin · Post by **Rob-hin** » Fri May 21, 2004 5:06 am

Originally posted by dragon wench
@Rob-hin

I like some fantasy books myself actually, LOTR and The Hobbit. I also have read read Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time Series which I enjoyed.
If we're speaking lighter fare, I particularly like crime fiction. Ian Rankin and Michael Dibdin both weave a great tale, and are skilled writers

The hobbit wsa fun too indeed.

My friends are also entousiastic about the Wheel of time, when I finish with The Snakewars by Raymond Feist I think I'll start with those.

So far I mostly read fantasy books, perhaps I'll try crime fiction later. Which one of Ian Rankin and Michael Dibdin do you recommend?

Kaitsuburi · Post by **Kaitsuburi** » Fri May 21, 2004 7:34 am

Originally posted by dragon wench

The World According to Garp - John Irving

Great one

I am very partial to the LoTR trilogy in connection with rain; I read it for the first time over five rainy April days on a mountain retreat when I was 13.

Some other favorites for a rainy afterrnoon are:

A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole

:
Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Murakami Haruki;
Great Expectations by Charles D_ickens;
The Three-Cornered World (Pillow of Grass) by Natsume Soseki.

-kaitsuburi

dragon wench · Post by **dragon wench** » Fri May 21, 2004 9:29 am

@Rob-hin,
It's really hard to recommend any one in particular they are all very good, but Ian Rankin's Rebus series is probably a great place to start, here is a description: http://www.ianrankin.net/pages/books/rebus_features.htm

Here is an interview with Michael Dibdin:
http://www.januarymagazine.com/profiles/dibdin.html
Much as is the case with Ian Rankin, I would suggest reading Dibdin's Aurelio Zen series in the order they are written, Ratking and Vendetta are his first two Aurelio Zen novels.. I especially enjoyed Vendetta, but all of them are great.

What I like with both writers (especially Dibdin) is that the prose is wonderful, this is a rare thing with a genre like crime fiction.

@Kaitsuburi,
I really enjoyed Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, the combination of the fantastic and gritty reality were incredibly refreshing. If you like Murakami you may also want to check out The House of Spirits by Isabel Allende.
Here is a review: http://www.enotes.com/house-spirits/5206
Very different to Murakami, but there are some similar elements.

Gwalchmai · Post by **Gwalchmai** » Fri May 21, 2004 10:06 am

It seems these days, all I ever read are books to my kids... Junie B. Jones, Magic Treehouse, Ramona the Pest, etc...

I've picked up Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey, which is supposed to be quite good, but I haven't done more than crack it open. I think all the French-sounding words are scaring me...

Kaitsuburi · Post by **Kaitsuburi** » Fri May 21, 2004 10:22 am

Originally posted by dragon wench
If you like Murakami you may also want to check out The House of Spirits by Isabel Allende.
Here is a review: http://www.enotes.com/house-spirits/5206
Very different to Murakami, but there are some similar elements.

I keep hearing good things about that book, but I never get around to reading it !! I'll push it up to the top of my reading list

Has anyone here attempted reading Thomas Pynchon? That would be an anti- relaxing Sunday afternoon reading experience LOL. His books are really confusing; very dense and complex with occasional gems of brilliance interspersed throughout. I like V. and Gravity's Rainbow, though I can't say I can make too much out of either of them. I guess I am still too young for them or something...

-kaitsuburi

Georgi · Post by **Georgi** » Fri May 21, 2004 6:17 pm

Originally posted by werebeargoddess
And I've read just about all of Tamora Pierce's books, too.

I read a few of those when I was a teenager, from what I recall they were pretty good.

I decided about a year ago to read a bit wider (than just Tolkien) in the fantasy genre. One of the things I notice is that fantasy authors just hate writing single books... how many trilogys etc there are! Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time is up to ten books now, isn't it? One of the things that has put me off starting it, really. I read all five books of David Eddings' Belgariad, which was quite nice light-hearted fantasy. But I found when I started another of his series that he seemed to fall into the same pattern of stock characters, which put me off a bit.

I managed to find second-hand copies of a couple of books recommended by Fable in various threads round here - The King of Elfland's Daughter by Lord Dunsany, and The Worm Ouroborus by ER Eddison, both of which I would recommend although the style is a bit archaic, especially the latter.

One I really liked was the first volume of The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever by Stephen Donaldson. I like that the main character is something of an anti-hero, a leper who is transported to a fantasy land when he is knocked unconscious, and is never really convinced that the following events aren't all just in his head. I haven't got around to reading the second one yet though.

At the moment, I'm reading the latest Harry Potter.

smass · Post by **smass** » Fri May 21, 2004 8:03 pm

Hmm...I read mostly sci-fi and nonfiction. One book from my youth that I often re-read (about once a year) is "Watership Down". I never seem to tire of the book and it inspires me every time I read it.

der Moench · Post by **der Moench** » Fri May 21, 2004 8:49 pm

Speaking of reading on a rainy Sunday afternoon ... when else would one read?

If it's sunny, get out!

I've read a goodly bit in my 700 years, but there are few authors that I can point to and say: I'd read their books again, anytime. A few of my favorites have been mentioned, though: Charles D!ckens (especially The Pickwick Papers), Tolkien, Heinrich Heine, PG Wodehouse, and JK Rowling all stand out on my shelf as authors I could dive into and enjoy at any moment. (Though Tolkien for me is specifically an autumn tradition - I read LotR once per year, usually starting in late September.)

Peace.

Georgi · Post by **Georgi** » Fri May 21, 2004 8:58 pm

Originally posted by der Moench
Speaking of reading on a rainy Sunday afternoon ... when else would one read? If it's sunny, get out!

If it's sunny, I like to go and lie on the green in the sun and read

I enjoy JK Rowling's books, but I don't think they have much re-read value for me.

der Moench · Post by **der Moench** » Fri May 21, 2004 9:05 pm

Read in the sun? Nah! I'm a frisbee playin' monk!

I think the reason I like to re-read Rowling is that the books are so light. I have a basic aversion to deep thought, dontcha know?

And they also have a rather positive outlook. I mean, there are bad guys, yeah, but Rowling does little things to make the books very appealing in a homey sort of way - like talking about food a lot, and calling squashy chairs squashy chairs ... it's fun.

Peace.

werebeargoddess · Post by **werebeargoddess** » Fri May 21, 2004 9:17 pm

Originally posted by Georgi

At the moment, I'm reading the latest Harry Potter.

I loved all five of the Harry Potter books. I started reading them in 3rd grade, and by 4th grade, I had read the first four. It's funny, because one of my friends and I had both gotten the 5th Harry Potter book at the same bookstore on the same day and close to the same time. We were just talking and stuff while aur moms waited in line to buy them And what's funny is that I finished the book within two or three days, yet my friend, as far as I know, is still reading it.