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Easy Book Suggestions?

R

Robotman

New Member
I like reading, but have a hard time concentrating on anything too complicated. I guess I'm more of a brainless reader (beats TV, eh?!). I was wondering if some people can suggest some books / authors that might fit what I would enjoy.

For example, I like Dan Brown books because the chapters are short, the reading is easy, the stories are suspensful and the plots are simple (although almost too simple at times).

Another example book I also really enjoyed was the "Life of Pi". It was a very creative book also with short chapters. Never read a book quite like it.

So, I guess my criteria are:

* Short chapters, easy reading
* Story has some creativity / interesting trivia in it
* Various genres .. historical fiction, adventure, sci-fi, fantasy

Any suggestions are welcomed!

Thanks.

John
 
Hmm... in the fantasy genre I guess Harry Potter is the first thing that comes to mind. I really enjoy these books, and find them very easy to get through. You may also like to try David Eddings and his Belgariad series. The first book is Pawn of Prophecy. The language is pretty easy, and although there are a lot of characters as you go along they are introduced slowly rather than in one big groups. I really enjoyed these books, and the short chapters end on a high note, usually, which makes you want to read on. There is also a fair bit of humour, which makes them much easier to relate to than other fantasy books. This might help you get into that genre more.

Where's Shade? He might have some neat suggestions here...
 
I never heard of the "pawn of prophecy" so I will check that out. I also haven't read any of the Harry Potters despite their popularity. I definitely like the fantasy themes.

For some reason, I guess I'm drawn more to the adult-oriented easy-to-read books. Maybe because I have four kids and like to escape from kid stuff when reading! Or maybe their is just more of a "realistic" edge to the adult-targeted fiction where the author doesn't have to cut out adult-level themes because of the kid readers' understanding of the world.

I'm trying to think of any kid-oriented books I read that I liked. "Ender's Game" comes to mind (is that kid-oriented or just had a kid in it?). It's been a while since I read that. I rememer it definitely had some deeper thought provoking themes in it even though the characters were kids.

More suggestions?
 
I recommend Hey Nostradamus! by Douglas Coupland. I'm not sure if it has short chapters - it's made up of four people telling their stories, but each of the four sections is broken up into smaller scenes. It's short, easy to read, original, interesting and moving, and one of those rare books where everyone I know who has read it, of all different reading tastes, has loved it.
 
I would suggest Armor by John Steakley. It's about a group of soldiers who are trained to use a type of bio armor and then are sent to fight an alien species of giant insects. It's definitely full of action and quite a page-turner.
 
Ah... I've read "Illustrated Man"... can't remember what it is about, but I remembered I liked it. :)

The other suggestions are interesting and different... thanks for all the ideas!
 
Stephen King has a couple of books that are short stories. One's called Cat's Eye I believe. I'll have to do a search for the other one I remember reading, but forget the title. Have to do that later...

His short stories have become some great movies. Stand By Me and Shawshank redemption were both adapted from short stories by King.

edit: "Night Shift" and "Skeleton Crew" are the two books of short stories I was thinking of by King. Cats Eye, I think was the movie adaptaion of a few of these short stories. "Night Shift" is great, fun reading.
 
Daniel Keys' Flowers for Algernon, Solzhenitsyn's One Day in the Llife of Ivan Denisovich, and Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby are all really great and very easy reads.
 
Kookamoor said:
You may also like to try David Eddings and his Belgariad series. The first book is Pawn of Prophecy. The language is pretty easy, and although there are a lot of characters as you go along they are introduced slowly rather than in one big groups. I really enjoyed these books, and the short chapters end on a high note, usually, which makes you want to read on. There is also a fair bit of humour, which makes them much easier to relate to than other fantasy books. This might help you get into that genre more.
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Great suggestion, Kookamoor! The Belgariad was one of the first things I ever read that wasn't a Marvel or DC comic book. I can relate to where you are, Robotman. I didn't have the ability to read anything too complicated for a while there, now I devour 500-page novels on a weekly basis.

Another series I read in my novice reader days was The Pliocene Exiles Saga by Julian May. Book 1 is titled The Many-Colored Land. It's a great blend of Sci-Fi and Fantasy.
 
Robotman, like fantasy you say? I say pick up A Wizard of Earthsea, by Ursula Le Guin. Or Robin Hobb's Assassin't Apprentice, a recent read thanks to the people here, which I enjoyed. Nothing terribly deep, but terribly entertaining and a wonderful read.

ds
 
Pearl S. Buck's The Good Earth is a simplistically written, memorable story. I wouldn't say the chapters are especially short, but they certainly don't drag on either.
 
I recommend "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" by Mark Haddon and "Metamorphosis" (Die Verwandlung) by Franz Kafka.
 
Wow... a lot of familiar titles are being suggested! I've read almost everything suggested in my high school english classes. All classics. Maybe time to go back and reread some things.

I've been trying to remember the title of the "Good Earth" for years! Every time I tried explaining the plot to someone, they'd look at me funny. Finally someone mentioned the title and it rang a bell!

I was thinking more about the fantasy suggestions. They all seem "kiddy" to me. Is it just my imagination, or maybe by default "fantasy" is generally more kid-oriented? I think I honestly like the sex, murder, intrigue elements of stories which seem to parallel "real life" a little more. I definitely do like fantasy/adventure, but I'd have to put "sex, murder, and intrigue" on my list of criteria, too...

It's also good to hear that I'm not condemned to a life of reading 2-page chapters books. Ha. I think I'm just really busy and don't like to have to think too much about what I'm reading. Probably why I like Dan Brown right now. Every few pages ends with a cliff-hanger so I can set the book down and pick it up later...

Thanks for everyone's ideas so far...
 
Robotman said:
I was thinking more about the fantasy suggestions. They all seem "kiddy" to me. Is it just my imagination, or maybe by default "fantasy" is generally more kid-oriented? I think I honestly like the sex, murder, intrigue elements of stories which seem to parallel "real life" a little more. I definitely do like fantasy/adventure, but I'd have to put "sex, murder, and intrigue" on my list of criteria, too...
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I can see where you'd get the idea about fantasy being more kid-oriented but there are actually great fantasy/sci-fi works out there that are definitely targeted towards adults. For example George RR Martin's "Song Of Ice And Fire" series is filled to the brim with death, politics and sex. The reason I had suggested Armor earlier is because you had mentioned action and an easy read. Although it's definitely not award winning literature :D it's kind of fun and maybe in the vein of Starship Troopers or something like that. I would second The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time and would add the Civil War Trilogy by Jeff Shaara (Gods And Generals, The Killer Angels, and Last Full Measure) Also I highly recommend Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry. Granted, it could never be described as short but I guarantee that you will not be able to put it down! Honestly one of the best books I have ever read!
 
If you like Dan Brown then have you tried authors such as Clive Cussler. James Patterson, John Grisham, Raymond Chandler, and Harlan Coben? The last is particually good if you like murder/mystery stuff.
 
hiya from new england...!
i am currently reading andy kaufman revealed, just finished the curse of lono and considering delving into neil peart's ghost rider...i am thinking that perhaps something a little lighter may be needed after all that..any suggestions?

thanks
 
You should try something by Ken Follett. He wrote historical fiction as well as some thrillers. Short chapters and easy to read. I loved 'The Pillars of the earth', although the length can be discouraging. 'The eye of the needle' would be a good strating point, I guess.
'The five people you meet in heaven' by Mitch Albom is also a short and easy read.
And did you ever read something by Agatha Christie? I enjoy her books a lot.
 
Dick Francis. I like to say of him that all the reader is required to do is to pick up the book and open it to the first page. He does the rest.
 
I would have to suggest James Patterson for murder mysteries and Matthew Reilly for adventures. Both easy to read, and if they get a bit too technical, it's not important that you understand every little bit of it.
 
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