DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Everything Else... Books to read

Thanks for the recommendation. I saw the movie in the late 90s but had no idea it came from an adaptation. The movie was okay, but I'll definitely check out the novel. I had never even heard of the author.

The 2 volume complete Doyle collection is on my shelf. I can always go back to it after a few years.

Great books seldom turn into great movies. There are a few important exceptions (imo).

What your post got me to thinking about was the younger generations and if they are reading novels at all anymore (paper or otherwise). I read constantly when I was a kid and loved a few different genres. I spent a lot of time holed up in my room and going through Heinlein, Thurber, etc...

It was a while I got my first girlfriend.

It's hard to imagine kids now-a-days being inclined or patient enough to actually sit still and remain focused to get involved in reading good writing. (The downfall of students' writing and reading comprehension skills in general?). Maybe I'm wrong.

I still go back to Brautigan, Vonnegut, Farina, H. Thompson, etc.

It's a challenge to talk about books with anyone anymore.

Thanks for the post.

I am not exactly sure what you mean by younger generations, so I might be off w/this comment. My son and daughter are avid readers, especially my son. They are in their mid-30s. They are a younger generation in my mind...LOL. Not sure if you think so???

As a former teacher, I can tell you a lot of kids don't like to read. Video games, phones, and social media rule their lives.

I came from a family of avid readers. My wife is a huge reader. I have always loved to read. I still do. I am not as much into the popular authors as some others, but I like authors like Chris Bohjalian, Greg Illes, Karen Slaughter when I want something gritty, etc. They are somewhat popular.

I have had Kindle Unlimited for years and I enjoy exploring writers that haven't yet made it. I've found some decent writers like Ruth Ware, Kate Atkinson, etc. It's not deep reading, but they are quick and rather enjoyable. Surprisingly, Kristan Hannah [not sure about the spelling] is a rather magnificent wordsmith. She paints vivid pictures w/her words. A lot of men won't enjoy her work, though. The stories are rather emotional and she works hard to put emotions front and center. I always do enjoy how she can craft words together, though.

I have an advanced degree in English, so I read most of the classics. I took a course on John Milton one year and it was as difficult of a course as any I ever faced. I have a degree in mathematics, as well........so that is saying something.

I love reading far more than watching a movie or show. It's so easy to immerse oneself into the story and actually live it. Rather than watching, you are participating in the story itself. Also, my wife and I agree that reading has been key in our escape from poverty and allowing us to live comfortably.

A few months ago, my wife and I were finally blessed w/our first grandchild. I've already started a library for her and my daughter and son-in-law read to her each and every day. Hopefully, this beautiful child will also love and cherish the gifts that books bring to our daily lives.

Thanks bone. My daughter had 3 miscarriages and we were giving up hope. During this last pregnancy, the ultrasound revealed fluid on the back of her neck. That indicates Down syndrome. Thank God that she was born healthy and she is ahead of all the benchmarks for her age. She will be exposed to the world of literature. Reading is a gift on so many levels.

Enough about my story, but I think it would be cool if we keep this thread going. We can share books, authors, genres, etc that we appreciate and hopefully learn from one another. Thanks for starting this thread.

this is perfect timing for me as I've been looking for new books to read... I'm going to grab the first couple in the series to see how they go.

If you're looking for something new, and haven't yet read it, I strongly recommend 'The Passage' trilogy by Justin Cronin.
It's a slow burn at the outset, but once the disparate threads start to come together, it takes off. Each of the three volumes are just over 800 pages; it is truly an epic-length story.

I love history and biographies. Especially the “Killing” stuff (Lincoln, JFK, etc). Anything on American history send my way!

Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72 by Hunter Thompson is a good one.

I don't necessarily agree with his political viewpoint; but it's comprehensive, very well written and extremely funny.

This is an excellent book that you may like.

https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Empire-of-the-Summer-Moon/S-C-Gwynne/9781416591061

You might want to try this book and if you like the author's writing style [I do] you can read his book about JFK.

Embers of War: The Fall of an Empire and the Making of America’s Vietnam
by Fredrik Logevall

And...

JFK: Coming of Age in the American Century, 1917-1956
by Fredrik Logevall

Or perhaps you can read them in reverse order.

Perfect timing for me as well.

Just downloaded "The Relic" to my Kindle using my library card. Fits the mold of the kind of fiction I've been into lately.

Books I've really enjoyed over the last year or so:


Then She Was Gone: A Novel – Lisa Jewell
Fifteen-year-old Ellie Mack was the perfect daughter. She was beloved by her parents, friends, and teachers. She and her boyfriend made a teenage golden couple. She was days away from an idyllic summer vacation, with her whole life ahead of her. And then she was gone.

Now her mother, Laurel Mack, is trying to put her life back together. It's been 10 years since her daughter disappeared, seven years since her marriage ended, and only months since the last clue in Ellie's case was unearthed. So when she meets an unexpectedly charming man in a cafe, she is surprised at how quickly their flirtation develops into something deeper. Before she knows it, she's meeting Floyd's daughters - and his youngest, Poppy, takes her breath away. Looking at her is like looking at Ellie. And now the unanswered questions she has tried so hard to put to rest haunt her anew...as well as some new ones about Floyd and Poppy....


Which prompted me to read another novel from Jewell...


The Family Upstairs: A Novel
Gifted musician Clemency Thompson is playing for tourists on the streets of Southern France when she receives an urgent text message. Her childhood friend, Lucy, is demanding her immediate return to London.

It’s happening, says the message. The baby is back.

Libby Jones was only six months old when she became an orphan. Now 25, she’s astounded to learn of an inheritance that will change her life. A gorgeous, dilapidated townhouse in one of London’s poshest neighborhoods has been held in a trust for her all these years. Now, it’s hers.

As Libby investigates the story of her birth parents and the dark legacy of her new home, Clemency and Lucy are headed her way to uncover, and possibly protect, secrets of their own. What really happened in that rambling Chelsea mansion when they were children? And are they still at risk?

Jewell’s novels have been praised as “sure to please fans of Ruth Ware and A.J. Finn” (Library Journal), and her latest is no exception. The Family Upstairs will keep you guessing until the very end.

Both great thrillers / page turners. Both are rather dark and edgy... Author has a natural knack for endearing you to complex characters as you whittle away at what really makes them tick; while trying to fit them into their place in the 'mystery'.



One Second After (A John Matherson Novel, 1) – William R. Forstchen
(The author has a Ph.D. from Purdue University with specializations in Military History and the History of Technology. This series has been lauded by experts as a very accurate description of what, and how quickly, events would come to pass after an EMP has been deployed)

New York Times best selling author William R. Forstchen now brings us a story which can be all too terrifyingly real...a story in which one man struggles to save his family and his small North Carolina town after America loses a war, in one second, a war that will send America back to the Dark Ages...A war based upon a weapon, an Electro Magnetic Pulse (EMP). A weapon that may already be in the hands of our enemies.

Months before publication, One Second After has already been cited on the floor of Congress as a book all Americans should read, a book already being discussed in the corridors of the Pentagon as a truly realistic look at a weapon and its awesome power to destroy the entire United States, literally within one second. It is a weapon that the Wall Street Journal warns could shatter America. In the tradition of On the Beach, Fail Safe and Testament, this book, set in a typical American town, is a dire warning of what might be our future...and our end.

The John Matherson Series
#1 One Second After
#2 One Year After
#3 The Final Day

Terrifying, and terrifyingly realistic "account", of how quickly we would devolve into a chaotic society, short on resources and long on tribal defense and resource protection -- by any means necessary.

Within one second, and for years to come, there will be: No electricity. No electronics. No Computers. No internet. No phones or cell phones. No TV. No Post Office. No telegraph. No airplanes or airlines. No trains. No busses or trucks or cars (unless they are pre 1975 points ignition cars or old diesels). No gasoline. No water. No medicine. No hospitals. No food. No heat. Democracy becomes a show of hands in the town square... and you're probably voting on whether to hang or imprison the insurgents. I'm currently reading book #2 "One Year After".



American Dirt: A Novel - Jeanine Cummins
Lydia lives in Acapulco. She has a son, Luca, the love of her life, and a wonderful husband who is a journalist. And while cracks are beginning to show in Acapulco because of the cartels, Lydia’s life is, by and large, fairly comfortable. But after her husband’s tell-all profile of the newest drug lord is published, none of their lives will ever be the same.

Forced to flee, Lydia and Luca find themselves joining the countless people trying to reach the United States. Lydia soon sees that everyone is running from something. But what exactly are they running to?


This is the best book I've read in a very long time. It's been called "a modern-day Grapes of Wrath"... for many good reasons. Gives you a different perspective on immigration by taking you down to the level of one family, and the people they meet along the way. Helps you realize that while this is a "problem" on a national scale, every individual has a story to tell. I'll just let others give you the pulse...


“I devoured the novel in a dry-eyed adrenaline rush.... A profoundly moving reading experience.”
―The Washington Post

“The story is masterfully composed of timeless elements: the nightmare logic of grief, the value of human kindness, the power of love to drive us to do the unimaginable…Cummins proves that fiction can be a vehicle for expanding our empathy.”
―Time

“American Dirt just gutted me, and I didn’t just read this book―I inhabited it.... Everything about this book was so extraordinary. It’s suspenseful, the language is beautiful, and the story really opened my heart. I highly recommend it, and you will not want to put it down. It is just a magnificent novel.”
―Oprah Winfrey

“This novel is a heart-stopping story of survival, danger, and love…”
―The New York Times

“Heartfelt and hopeful, American Dirt is a novel for our times. Thrilling, epic, and unforgettable...”
―Esquire

“This tense, illuminating novel takes off like a rocket...”
―People (Book of the Week)

“American Dirt is a literary novel with nuanced character development and arresting language; yet, its narrative hurtles forward with the intensity of a suspense tale. Its most profound achievement, though, is something I never could’ve been told…American Dirt is the novel that, for me, nails what it’s like to live in this age of anxiety, where it feels like anything can happen, at any moment.”
―NPR’s Fresh Air

“Propulsive.”
―Elle

“American Dirt is an extraordinary piece of work, a perfect balancing act with terror on one side and love on the other. I defy anyone to read the first seven pages of this book and not finish it. The prose is immaculate, and the story never lets up.... On a micro scale―the story scale, where I like to live―it’s one hell of a novel about a good woman on the run with her beautiful boy. It’s marvelous.”
―Stephen King

I read both of those Jewell books. They are part of that group I mentioned earlier. Not deep, but quick, entertaining reads.

American Dirt sounds interesting to me. I might give it a go.

One Second After sounds intriguing, but it looks like it might have the potential to depress me.

I remember reading The Once and Future King by T.H. White when I was in 7th grade. I think it's an adult book, but I remember being fascinated by that book. It's a retelling of the Arthurian legend that is divided into different parts. I think there are four of them. The genre is intriguing, because it's Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Mythology, and Classic Literature.

My favorite section was when young Arthur was under the tutelage of Merlin the Magician. Again, I was in 7th grade and I imagined myself as Arthur and living all the marvelous wonders that Merlin exposed him to.

The other three parts were well written, but the female characters were not very nice and Arthur was ultimately portrayed as almost pathetic and Sir Lancelot was the star. I remember how much that disappointed me because Arthur was such a likeable young fellow during his formative years. His personality change did not quite make sense to me.

With that said, I would encourage anyone to read this classic story. It's full of wonderment, sage advice, and is beautifully written.

RELIC was amazing.

Great read, great characters, great suspense. Intelligent to the point of being very believable. I loved it.

Probably watch the movie... then start the sequel. It was a pleasant surprise to see there is a sequel.

I can see that happening. Already downloaded Reliquary.

Kind of weird that Pendergast wouldn't be included in the movie. I do like to watch the movie (if available) shortly after I read a book. I'm always intrigued in how they go about the adaptation.

Thanks for sending me down the rabbit hole. 🤣

Hey, thanks again.

GREAT series. Book six (Dance of Death) on hold at my digital library right now. About half-way through Brimstone I read something about it being #1 of a trilogy within the series. Wasn't prepared for the cliff-hanger at the end lol. Waiting rather impatiently.

Really enjoyed the "breakaway" in Still Life with Crows. Loved Corrie and her ability ('bird's eye' view) to give us a different perspective on Pendergast's quirks. After that, it was great to return to see the characters you already know; and how they have changed and grown. Getting to really know D'Agosta was the treat in Brimstone.

What a wonderfully crafted series!

Richard Brautigan - In Watermelon Sugar

Richard Farina - Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up To Me

Hunter Thompson - Campaign Trail '72 or Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

Kurt Vonnegut - Sirens of Titan

Robert Heinlein - Stranger in a Strange Land

Biography:
Jaco: The Extraordinary and Tragic Life of Jaco Pastorius (Bill Milkowski)

Bone sent me down a rabbit hole with the Pendergast series. I read all 22 books in just under 10 months. After spending most of my life reading mostly non-fiction, I've gone on a tear reading fiction almost exclusively. Particularly thriller and horror (although the boundaries of these as genres are basically endless).

I ran across this author by chance and borrowed his collection of short stories from the library on a whim. That lead directly to this book and a few others from him. This is the masterpiece, in my mind, but the fact is: there will be more. He's gifted, and now he's putting out material at a rate that rivals King. He's been compared to King by many, I think he's a slightly better writer but maybe not quite the same story-teller yet. It won't be long. There are times when you have to set this one down and just stop and breath, it's rare that a book will do that to me, American Dirt comes to mind. Masterful prose is the best description.


Come With Me
by Ronald Malfi

Aaron Decker's life changes one December morning when his wife Allison is killed. Haunted by her absence—and her ghost—Aaron goes through her belongings, where he finds a receipt for a motel room in another part of the country. Piloted by grief and an increasing sense of curiosity, Aaron embarks on a journey to discover what Allison had been doing in the weeks prior to her death.

Yet Aaron is unprepared to discover the dark secrets Allison kept, the death and horror that make up the tapestry of her hidden life. And with each dark secret revealed, Aaron becomes more and more consumed by his obsession to learn the terrifying truth about the woman who had been his wife, even if it puts his own life at risk.


"Malfi is a modern-day Algernon Blackwood... I'm gonna be talking about this book for years"
JOSH MALERMAN, author of Bird Box

"A must-read for fans of Stephen King. Come with Me is so damn good, truly chilling and suspenseful, yet also hauntingly nuanced"
Christopher Golden, author of Ararat

"Come with Me is Malfi's masterwork – a haunting, heartbreaking novel about grief and secrets. Utterly engrossing and terrifying. Highly recommended!"
Brian Keene, author of The Rising

“Shines as both a nightmare journey of shadows and secrets, and a poignant testimony to love and loss. I read it in a single day because I had no other choice: it’s that damn good.”
Richard Chizmar, author of Gwendy's Button Box

“An unsettling world filled with the kind of detail and insight that evoke early Stephen King. . . an elegant, twisted, gripping slow-burn of a novel.”
RT Book Reviews, 4.5 Stars Top Pick

“Creepy prose . . . with plentiful hair-raising enigmas and copious gore.”
Publishers Weekly

Malfi artfully fits the reader’s head in a noose and s-l-o-w-l-y begins to take out the slack. Take a deep breath. You’ll need the oxygen
The Day

I thought you mentioned something in this thread. Check this out, makes you want to punch someone right in the face, wait til you see the shock in their eyes, and then give them one more quick one for good measure.


who owns film rights to the pendergast series?

Answer

Paramount Pictures owns the film rights to the Pendergast character and series. They acquired these rights when they made the movie "The Relic" in 1997, even though the character of Pendergast was omitted from that film adaptation.
This ownership has caused some complications for potential adaptations:
Paramount sent a cease and desist letter to Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child when they were in talks with a streaming service about making a show.
According to reports, Paramount has stated they have no plans to use the character, but they also won't allow others to do so.
This situation has prevented other studios from developing Pendergast projects, despite fan interest in seeing the character on screen.
As of 2025, there have been no successful attempts to bring Pendergast to film or television, largely due to Paramount's ownership and apparent reluctance to develop or release the property.

j/c

If you're into mystery novels and thrillers Harlan Coben is my favorite author of that genre. He's written more than 25 best sellers.

Several of his books have been adapted into screen plays and limited series many of which are available on Netflix. But as per usual with any great author, once you read the book the screen adaptation never does it justice.

Thanks Bone and Pit. Got those both on my short list.

Edit: Looks like The Woods would be a good stand alone to start with from Coben. Then I can chase down the screen version on Netflix.

If you like this style, I recommend Phillip Kerr and his Bernie Gunther series. Kerr was a British author as well. 'March Violets' is the first book in the series.

If you're into thrillers, then you MUST check out the 'The Gray Man' series by Mark Greaney.
There are 14 books total (newest just release two months ago) and I have been binge reading them all since September. I'm currently on book 13 and it has been worth every. single. page.

The first book was turned into a screenplay and the 2022 movie "The Gray Man" with Ryan Gosling. The movie was ok, but the books are truly great (IMO).

I'm on book 97 since Feb. 12 of 2024. Lisa Scottoline, Barbara Hinsk, Kimberly Belle are some, I feel, lesser known authors. Very good. Baldacci, Frieda McFadden, of course Grisham, Patterson. Also, Cait Quinn. Clive Cussler and many ohters.

I read Stephen King’s latest short story (2023) collection a few weeks back - You Like it Darker - and I can safely say the maniacal old sonofabitch hasn’t lost a thing. His imagination and ability to draw you into a story still astounds me.

Talk about goats? He is one.

I like History books.

Polk, by Walter Borneman is excellent. A well written, compelling book about a transformational President most people don't know a thing about. Possibly the most influential one term President in our history. Polk was our 11th President.