Okay, I'm in need of suggestions for beach reads for my upcoming trip. Have had my fill of Grisham, Robb/Roberts, Hiaasen and Evanovich. Any suggestions?
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Okay, I'm in need of suggestions for beach reads for my upcoming trip. Have had my fill of Grisham, Robb/Roberts, Hiaasen and Evanovich. Any suggestions?
I just started the new Dan Brown novel "Inferno". Stayed up half the night reading it. Its as good as Da Vinci Code. I have also been reading a bunch of the Jack Reacher novels. All good.
"WALK GOOD" Travels to Negril Jamaica by Roland Reimer . The best book about Negril! Trust me. Get it used or new on Amazon. If you are a true Negrilian, you will appreciate this book. Respect Mon' "Rock'n'Roll Farmer"
I loved reading Walk Good while in Negril.
Michael Connelly is very good also Jeff Long
Have you read any of the Lee Child Jack Reacher series? Some of my favorite beach reads, and there are a bunch of them!
Just ordered two of the Lee Child/Jack Reacher series and also ordered Descent and Deeper by Jeff Long, which sound really good but hoping I won't have any trouble sleeping after reading. Also ordered Inferno by Dan Brown, but it's on back order, so hopefully it will get here before I leave. Read Walk Good many years ago and enjoyed. So along with the Keith Richards bio Life and An Embarrassment of Mangos, think I have enough good reading for my vacation. Thanks so much for your suggestions!
Rasta Heart: A Journey Into One Love by Robert Roskind 4.7 out of 5 stars on Amazon.
Hey Maryann,
All depends on where you're coming from and where you want to go. Some of my favorite books while on Negril Beach, usually in a shady spot. Hemingway, Islands In The Stream is great, Old Man In The Sea a quick seaside classic, Far Tortuga by Peter Matthiessen is another Caribbean read, Papillion by Henri Charriere which is far better than the movie (which by the way was filmed in large parts in Jamaica) is an awesome read. If science fiction is your thing the K-Pax series by Gene Brewer is both interesting and thought provoking and again better than the movie (although that was pretty good too). My favorite of all time is Ken Kesey's One flew over the cuckoo's nest or another Kesey classic, Sometimes a great notion. Now if you really want to get crazy try Carlos Castaneda's Don Juan series, of course you'll have to see Miss Brown and have some tea to fully understand his content. Some of the books might be difficult to find but maybe you're local library has them. Again not knowing how thought provoking you want to get just some suggestions. Hope this helps!!
A good read - The Last Resort, by Douglas Rogers (a true story about a backpackers resort in Zimbabwe owned and operated by the authors parents).
http://douglasrogers.org/books.html
I found The Old Man and the Sea (will be my first time reading Hemmingway), The Last Resort, and Far Tortuga at the library last night. It was too late for me to order Rasta Heart from Amazon and I couldn't find it at the library, so I'm going to keep that in mind for my next trip. Have already read the Don Juan series (loved). Started reading Jeff Long's The Descent last night and had a hard time putting it down. Might be finished with those books before I even leave! Thanks so much for the suggestions!
p.s. After starting The Descent, I'm thankful to be staying on the beach because this story takes place in caves. Should have probably started it when I got back because it kind of freaks me out!
I Started "A Pirate Looks at Forty" By Jimmy Buffet years ago, I'm sure he'll be ^5 by the time I finish it....lol
Too much going on for me to read in Jamaica.
I did read "A pirate looks at 40" It was not bad. You just have to get in Jimmy's frame of mind I guess, and go with it. The Neil Young autobiography was good. Hippe Dream or something like that it was called. The Gregg Allman book was good too. Would like to get the Rod Stewart book next. Best regards..."Rock'n'Roll Farmer"
Hi Maryann,
Glad to see you found Old Man and The Sea and Far Tortuga, please post your impressions when finished. While in Negril be sure and check Miss Brown and have a big portion of her World Famous Tea. Enjoy your trip!!
Regards,
John
Personally, I'm a big fan of any of Jonathan Kellerman's Alex Delaware books; ditto Robert Parker's Spencer books. Reading "Disposable People" now... a story, more an auto-biograpgy of sorts, of a young boy growing up in rural Jamaica written by his adult self. It's not the first book of this type I've read yet still keeps me engaged & wanting to read more.
Happen to read The Columbus Affair by Steve Berry the week before I went to Negril.
I've read a few of his, ad didn't realize it had Jamaica connection.
Dan Brown-ish "true history of Columbus" = Was Jewish and left the Ark of the Covenant in Jamaica.
Partly set in Blue Mountains and discusses the Maroon people.
Maryann,
The Old Man in the Sea was written by Hemingway when he lived in Cuba. It's an easy but great read. He was a huge fisherman. If you're ever in Key West there is a Hemingway museum that was his old house. Be patient with Far Tortuga as it has some slow spots but all in all I think you'll enjoy it.
"Gone Girl" When you think you have figured it out, the next chapter turns your theory upside down.
Hi Maryann,
How was your trip to Negril and what did you end up reading while you were there?
Anything Clive Clussler...or Mule: My Dangerous Life as a Drug Smuggler Turned DEA Informant by C.A. Heifner. I really good adventure.. The Jamaica Triangle..available in the shops at hi lo...
Authors:
James Patterson - all time favorite (including his "Women's Murder Club" series).
Janet Evanovitch - love her. Makes me laugh out loud.
Currently reading "Maneater" by Gigi Levangie Grazer - pretty funny. Reminds me of "Sex in the City."
Have been meaning to report back but still trying to finish all the books. The Jeff Long Descent books are scary, so didn't take those on the trip. Finished the first one before I left, though, and it was very good. LOVED The Old Man and the Sea by Hemmingway. Have since gone back to the library and checked out A Movable Feast. Working right now but will try to post more this weekend. Thanks again, everyone, for turning me on to all these great reads. Had a very relaxing trip. Sad to be back but planning my next get-away.
"Don't Stop The Carnival" by Herman Wouk (author of the Caine Mutiny) is a funny book about a
New York theater agent who buys a hotel on an imaginary Caribbean island. Some of the zany things
that happen do remind me of Jamaica.
Warning: Written in the early 60's so not "politically correct" by today's standdards.
Maryann,
Happy to hear you had a relaxing trip and that you loved The Old Man and the Sea. You should read, when time allows "Islands In The Stream" which was published after Hemmingway died. The movie version starring George C. Scott is pretty good but doesn't scratch the surface of the book.
unbroken,by laura Hillenbrand.excelent book.took me 2 trips to Chicago to listen to it.Release date: November 16, 2010
On a May afternoon in 1943, an Army Air Forces bomber crashed into the Pacific Ocean and disappeared, leaving only a spray of debris and a slick of oil, gasoline, and blood. Then, on the ocean surface, a face appeared. It was that of a young lieutenant, the plane’s bombardier, who was struggling to a life raft and pulling himself aboard. So began one of the most extraordinary odysseys of the Second World War.
The lieutenant’s name was Louis Zamperini. In boyhood, he’d been a cunning and incorrigible delinquent, breaking into houses, brawling, and fleeing his home to ride the rails. As a teenager, he had channeled his defiance into running, discovering a prodigious talent that had carried him to the Berlin Olympics and within sight of the four-minute mile. But when war had come, the athlete had become an airman, embarking on a journey that led to his doomed flight, a tiny raft, and a drift into the unknown.
Ahead of Zamperini lay thousands of miles of open ocean, leaping sharks, a foundering raft, thirst and starvation, enemy aircraft, and, beyond, a trial even greater. Driven to the limits of endurance, Zamperini would answer desperation with ingenuity; suffering with hope, resolve, and humor; brutality with rebellion. His fate, whether triumph or tragedy, would be suspended on the fraying wire of his will.
Hey, thanks for the Jack Reacher - looks great. Also try Defending Jacob & ROOM - great, fast reads. Enjoy!
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold