Reading Prompt #1

1.                   I am looking for a book by Laurell K. Hamilton. I just read the third book in the Anita Blake series and I can’t figure out which one comes next! 

The next book in this series is The Lunatic Café.

2.                   What have I read recently? Well, I just finished this great book by Barbara Kingsolver, Prodigal Summer. I really liked the way it was written, you know, the way she used language. I wouldn't mind something a bit faster paced though.  

I would recommend Anthill by Edward O. Wilson or The History of Bees by Maja Lunde.

3.                   I like reading books set in different countries. I just read one set in China, could you help me find one set in Japan? No, not modern – historical. I like it when the author describes it so much it feels like I was there! 

I would recommend The Street of a Thousand Blossoms by Gail Tsukiyama.

4.                   I read this great mystery by Elizabeth George called Well-Schooled in Murder and I loved it. Then my dentist said that if I liked mysteries I would probably like John Sandford, but boy was he creepy I couldn't finish it! Do you have any suggestions?

I would recommend books by Ruth Rendell or Louise Penny because their writing styles are very similar to Elizabeth George.  They explore complex cases, are psychological in nature, and have well-developed characters such as police, investigators and regular civilians.

5.                   My husband has really gotten into zombies lately. He’s already read The Walking Dead and World War Z, is there anything else you can recommend?

I would recommend any of the following: The Zombie Autopsies by Steven Schlozman, I am Legend by Richard Matheson, or The Rage by Pierre Boisserie.

6.                   I love books that get turned into movies, especially literary ones. Can you recommend some? Nothing too old, maybe just those from the last 5 years or so.

I recommend Gone Girl, A Walk Among the Tombstones, The Monuments Men, and Wonder

7.                   I love thrillers but I hate foul language and sex scenes. I want something clean and fast paced.

I would recommend The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith or The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman.  Both of these titles are part of a series, these are the first of the series.

I typically find books to read by looking at the recommendations and ratings of my friends on GoodReads.  We all have similar tastes in genre, so I trust their judgment.