# HELP! In desperate need of a Page-Turner !!



## libro (Dec 3, 2008)

I've been quite down recently because of a family member with a health condition.  During my free time I try to read, but I've had a hard time finding a really good "page-turner" that captivates me and keeps my mind off other things.  At this point, I'm not really fussy, but the usual genres I go for are literary fiction and historical fiction.  I'm open to other genre, but I'm not usually interested in science fiction or fantasy.  I also read a lot of nonfiction, but that would be too distracting for me at this time.  I need something that doesn't allow my mind to wander!

I could seriously use some help.  You know the kind of book I'm talking about ... you just can't read it fast enough and can't stop from chapter to chapter?  

I'm really open to suggestions as this point.  If you thought it was a legitimate page-turner, I'd love the recommendation.  Thank you!


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## musclehead (Dec 29, 2010)

This Present Darkness, by Frank Peretti

Also the sequel, Piercing the Darkness, by the same author.


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## KMA (Mar 11, 2009)

Unfortunately, it's not available for the Kindle, but Katherine Neville's The Eight is a wonderfully distracting page-turner. It's historical fiction with a plot in two time periods, chess, oil politics, the French Revolution, et cetera.

Mary Roach's Packing for Mars was also hard for me to put down. She is just so hilariously geeky.

Or, if you are one of the few people who haven't read The Hunger Games yet, you might enjoy it (and sequels). They have some flaws, but are fast-moving and diverting.

If you are in the mood for gloriously fast-pased space opera, try Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan books. This is science fiction that is very plot and character driven without a lot of dense technical detail. You can either start with Shards of Honor or The Warrior's Apprentice. I read each of these in one sitting because I couldn't stop.

I hope things look up soon for you and your family.


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## Belle2Be (Aug 29, 2010)

Have you read the Outlander series? It's historical-ish fiction I think, and I couldn't put them down.


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## R. Doug (Aug 14, 2010)

Just a few of my all-time favorite page turners:

_The Lion's Game_, _The Gold Coast_, _Spencerville_, _Night Fall_, and _The Charm School_ by Nelson DeMille.

_Extreme Denial_, _Burnt Sienna_, _The Protector_, and _Double Image_ by David Morrell.

_Dark Rivers of the Heart_ by Dean Koontz.

_Goldfinger_, _From Russia With Love_, and _On Her Majesty's Secret Service_ by Ian Fleming

_Thirty-Four East_ by Alfred Coppel

_Ice Station Zebra_ by Alistair MacLean


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## Daphne (May 27, 2010)

- the Poldark books by Winston Graham, set in late eighteenth century Cornwall. Not just a page turner, but addictive - there are 12 in the series, all of them excellent, except the last one, which I thought weaker. Still, 11 out of 12 isn't bad and I will eat my hat (a furry little number) if you do not find yourself completely captivated.


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## loosenuts (Jan 9, 2011)

Sara Gruen's Water for Elephants, great story and will keep you reading.


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## Ciareader (Feb 3, 2011)

It's slow to get started but I like The Coffee Shop Chronicles of New Orleans http://amzn.to/hk3oN7


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## Harry Shannon (Jul 30, 2010)

Try "Unbreakable" by Lauren Hillenbrand, amazing true story of an Olympic sprinter who became a heroic prisoner of war in WW2.


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## Lambert (Nov 12, 2010)

If you like a thriller that's real page turner then you may like Sin & Vengeance.

Lambert


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## johnmedler (Feb 1, 2011)

I just finished The Ark by Boyd Morrisson which was very good. Crazy guy finds relic from lost Noah's Ark and uses it to wipe out civilization, unless tough guy anti-terrorist hero stops him in time.

_--- edited... no self-promotion outside the Book Bazaar forum. please read our Forum Decorum thread._


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## RobynB (Jan 4, 2011)

I'm sorry to hear about your family member's health condition. Sending good vibes your way. Thanks for posting this thread (I've gotten lots of good ideas from it as well).

Since you like literary fiction, have you ever read Lionel Shriver (it's a woman)? I'd recommend _We Need to Talk About Kevin_ or _The Post-Birthday World_. The latter is pretty dense, but so, so worth it (I'm thinking if you like literary fiction, you'd be up for it). The former was a page turner for me, although I'll warn you: it's a disturbing (but brilliant) book about a mother trying to reconcile the fact her son committed mass murder in his high school (I haven't given anything away -- that's the premise). It's told through letters to her estranged husband.

Happy reading!


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## CNDudley (May 14, 2010)

Harry Shannon said:


> Try "Unbreakable" by Lauren Hillenbrand, amazing true story of an Olympic sprinter who became a heroic prisoner of war in WW2.


I second "Unbroken." Absolutely spell-binding, and all the more so because it's a true story! If it were fiction, you would throw it down in disbelief.


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## Malweth (Oct 18, 2009)

I just read Umberto Eco's "Foucault's Pendulum." The beginning is tough, but once you get past the first 1/4 it's pretty gripping. It involves historical fiction, especially revolving around the Templars (though the story itself is not historical fiction). My advice for reading this one is to pay attention, but don't look too deeply. The story builds around hearsay and isn't very linear.


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## dragonfly (Aug 25, 2009)

I am currently reading:



and loving it!!

The best book I read in 2009 was:



I could not put it down and was very sad when the thrill was over. It is a great read and not what I expected.


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## bordercollielady (Nov 21, 2008)

If you  enjoy  detective/crime - the  early  James  Patterson "Alex  Cross"  books like "Kiss The  Girls", "Along Came  a  Spider".


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## billie hinton (Jan 30, 2011)

I'd second the Outlander series, which covers many genres in one!

I just bought the first Poldark novel based on the rec here, so thank you for starting this thread. I would love a series to get hooked on this time of year!


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## Tatiana (Aug 20, 2010)

I agree with both the Outlander series and the Poldark series suggestions.  Both series are great reads.


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## MariaESchneider (Aug 1, 2009)

I don't read a lot of historical fiction, but I really enjoyed Jeff Hepple's  "The Angel of 1776"  It's light enough that it doesn't require a ton of concentration, but good in that even if you're familiar with the history, you want to find out what happens next because there's some interesting "rumors" and "myths" explored in the book.  


May all go well with your family situation.


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## libro (Dec 3, 2008)

Thanks so much for all the kind wishes and brilliant reading suggestions! I've downloaded so many samples. Now I have to go decide on which will be my first read!

It's hard to choose off the top of my head, but I felt these were page-turners at the time .... most of which are quite familiar:

     

Also, for great early American historical fiction, anything by Sally Gunning. I think I need to think outside the box a bit to "ramp up" my page-turning and include some thrillers, etc. Seems I'm always drawn to historical fiction. Thanks again, everyone.


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## JoeMitchell (Jun 6, 2010)

Have you read Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games? I thought those were really good. I still need to read the last one though.

The Hunger Games


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## MosesSiregarIII (Jul 15, 2010)

I keep hearing good things about Dan Well's series that starts with _I am not a Serial Killer_.


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## Cherilyn (Dec 27, 2010)

I third or fourth the Outlander series suggestion. The first Outlander is one of my favorite books of all time. I also couldn't put down The Hunger Games or Room.


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## Daphne (May 27, 2010)

billie hinton said:


> I'd second the Outlander series, which covers many genres in one!
> 
> I just bought the first Poldark novel based on the rec here, so thank you for starting this thread. I would love a series to get hooked on this time of year!


Hope you enjoy the Poldark. Come back and tell us. 
_Off-topic_ -I think you deserve the "most adorable book cover award" for the second book in you signature.


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## Shayne Parkinson (Mar 19, 2010)

_Possession_, by A.S. Byatt. I found it compelling.
...edited to add: and apparently not available on Kindle, sorry. Still compelling, though. As is one of my very favourite books in all the world: _Till We Have Faces_, by C.S. Lewis. Also not yet on Kindle. 

Very best wishes for you and your family member.


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## MosesSiregarIII (Jul 15, 2010)

I found a new one at B&N today that looks really fun. I think it's called _Soul Trapper_.


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

There hasn't been a lot of really great historical fiction lately, but _Wolf Hall_ is outstanding I must admit (and I am tired to the point of yawning of people writing about the Tudors, so it has to be really good to overcome that)

There hasn't been much else in the genre recently that I would recommend.


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## Joseph Robert Lewis (Oct 31, 2010)

How about some exciting classics like Shelley's Frankenstein or Stoker's Dracula? They're pretty short quick reads, and I think both are free on Kindle


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## Ciareader (Feb 3, 2011)

Joseph Robert Lewis said:


> How about some exciting classics like Shelley's Frankenstein or Stoker's Dracula? They're pretty short quick reads, and I think both are free on Kindle


Good suggestion.

I am wondering, is anyone familiar with Louise Penny and her mysteries? I'm hoping to start one of her books soon. I'm a mystery freak.


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## Jen Bluekissed (Jan 22, 2011)

--Hour of the Hunter by J.A. Jance
--Lady in Blue by Nicole Byrd
--Midnight Rambler by James Swain
--Some Girls: My Life in a Harem by Jillian Lauren
--3096 Days by Natascha Kampusch
--All Dressed Down and Nowhere to Go (A Dilbert Book)
--A Walk in the Woods by Billy Bryson


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## Neekeebee (Jan 10, 2009)

My favorite historical fiction is 
*The Sunne in Splendour* by Sharon Kay Penman, about Richard III. And, at 900+ pages, there are a lot of pages to turn!

And I also have to recommend 
*In Her Name* by Michael R. Hicks. I don't read a lot of science fiction, but this one definitely qualifies as a page-turner.

N


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## Cuechick (Oct 28, 2008)

> The best book I read in 2009 was:
> 
> 
> 
> I could not put it down and was very sad when the thrill was over. It is a great read and not what I expected.


Thanks _dragonfly_ for this suggestion, I am about half way through and really enjoying it. I defiantly think it qualifies as a page turner!


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## div (Aug 25, 2010)

Anything by Tana French or Laura Lippman....


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## jackmearl (Feb 21, 2009)

My wife has me hooked on anything by Karen Kingsbury.


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