Book recommendation for newbie

Thekwango said:
I am Legend - Richard Matheson, is a very good read and relatively short too. Lost count of the number of times I've read it. Always turn to it when nothing else grabs my attention.
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Read that last year and loved it.

Captured the monotony of his life very well. And I loved the ending
 
I found trashy horror novels to be good ones. Something by the likes of Dean Koontz or Richard laymon.
 
OP,

The Peter Diamond (Peter Diamond, a modern-day police detective in Bath) series by Peter Lovesay might be worth checking out?

As already mentioned by a few, the Jack Reacher series are a good easy read.

Regards
 
Begbie said:
1984, If you haven't read it.
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A great, great book and worth the effort but an easy read?

His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman is another that comes to mind as a fairly easy read.

Carl Hiaasen and Christopher Brookmyre are another two entertaining authors - both write crime novels with lots of humour.
 
I am an exclusively fantasy reader so my suggestions are in that area:

David Gemmel books (starting with Legend) - these are easy to read books and highly enjoyable.

Brent Weeks (Night Angel Trilogy) also enjoyable and easy to read.

Of course, if you are wanting real basic to read stuff, the Rangers Apprentice series is one I usually suggest to younger people getting into reading, while I am assuming you do not fit this category, since you are just starting again after years away, it may be good for you. If adults have no problem reading harry Potter then this is fine too.
 
My current favourites are:

Wool by Hugh Howey (am on third of the trilogy but the first is very good and often 99p on kindle)
Spider Shepherd series by Stephen leather (action, crime, adventure type)
and of course the Game of Thrones series by George 'aaaaaaaargh write me another book' Martin.
 
Another recommendation for David Gemmell. Great books.

Try the Hobbit by Tolkien. If you like it, it leads onto the Lord of The Rings.

Another Suggestion is Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels. Easy to read and funny too.
 
If you're into fantasy you have to love the Drizzt books (I started with the Icewind Dale trilogy) by R. A. Salvatore.

Harder to read but a very, very good story by the same guy is the Cleric Quintet. The characters aren't as famous and it's about a cleric ... But the story is brilliant.
 
Melmac, which Pratchett novel would you recommend as a first-time reader of his?

Another vote here for Hitchhiker's Guide: it's short, fun, very clever and iconic. I'm reading War and Peace at the moment. It's rather long...
 
Edrof said:
Melmac, which Pratchett novel would you recommend as a first-time reader of his?

Another vote here for Hitchhiker's Guide: it's short, fun, very clever and iconic. I'm reading War and Peace at the moment. It's rather long...
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I suggest you start at the beginning and read The Colour of Magic and the Light Fantastic first. They aren't his best books, but they are a great intro into the discworld.

My favorites are any book with Captain Carrot, the Luggage, The Witches or Death. Oh, Cohen the Barbarian is great too. You meet him in Light Fantastic, but stars in Interesting Times.
 
Anything by Stephen King is a good place to start - he's got a nice, friendly accessible writing style (despite the things he writes about) and... Well, there's a reason he's one of the world's most successful writers; his books are ace!

I'd recommend starting on something like 'The Stand'.
 
I would also recommend the Charlie Parker series by John Connelly, crime/thriller/with a mixture of supernatural stuff based in the northeast of US.

Maybe Ian Rankin's series about John Rebus too?

And I'm a bit surprised how no one have recommended Tolkien's Lord of The Ring, or Robert Jordans' Wheel of Time.
 
As someone who read a lot as a young-ish teen, but hasn't read much since, as an adult I've gone for some Pratchett, some real life war accounts (think Bravo Two Zero), and have recently started reading one of Jon Ronson's books (Them) - it's pretty good.

Amongst that, I've re-read LotR and Hobbit. But those aren't an easy read (Tolkien's style isn't great), and a fair few sci-fi short stories.
 
Woden said:
If you're into fantasy you have to love the Drizzt books (I started with the Icewind Dale trilogy) by R. A. Salvatore.

Harder to read but a very, very good story by the same guy is the Cleric Quintet. The characters aren't as famous and it's about a cleric ... But the story is brilliant.
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quite interested in starting into these - any particular order to read them in?
 
Thekwango said:
quite interested in starting into these - any particular order to read them in?
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The suggested order had changed over time, the names of the series too, it's all one saga now.

But when I read it, I started with The Icewind Dale Trilogy ... The Crystal Shard, Streams of Silver, and The Halfling's Gem
 
Woden said:
The suggested order had changed over time, the names of the series too, it's all one saga now.

But when I read it, I started with The Icewind Dale Trilogy ... The Crystal Shard, Streams of Silver, and The Halfling's Gem
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Cheers. I'll try and get at them in that order.
 
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