Next on the TBR Pile

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by Michelle Gagnon

This post is going to be brief and entirely gratuitous.
As you might have heard, The Kill Zone is taking next week off to relax, indulge, and (at least in my case) catch up on our reading. I just tore through two fantastic books: PILLARS OF THE EARTH and WORLD WITHOUT END by Ken Follett. After immersing myself in the Middle Ages for the past few days, I’m about to tackle my TBR pile again (ideally, focusing on books with more contemporary settings). I’ll be spending a week at the beach, and would love some recommendations.

So…what have you read recently that you absolutely loved? (Or hated, so that I can take it off the pile). I’ve already tackled the summer releases of all my favorites: Lee Child, Karin Slaughter, Douglas Preston, John Sandford (and yes, I made my way through Larsson’s trilogy). Are there some hidden gems out there that I’ve missed?
Fire away…

21 thoughts on “Next on the TBR Pile”

  1. Michelle, those two Follett novels are over 1k pages each in paperback. My hat’s off to you. Currently, I’m reading NEIGHBOR by Lisa Gardner. So far, it’s excellent.

  2. I’m reading some urban fantasy by an author-friend. Okay, a friend.

    Red Hot Fury by Kasey Mackenzie

    It’s quite good, if you like urban fantasy.

  3. I’m reading THE DEVIL IN THE WHITE CITY by Erik Larson. It’s a true story that combines the story of Chicago’s World Fair with America’s first known serial killer, who preyed on numerous young women and a few men during that time. It’s chilling, and a real page-turner. It also provides a wonderful look into a part of American history that has been somewhat forgotten–the extraordinary first World’s Fair in the US.

  4. I second the nomination for DEVIL IN THE WHITE CITY. I also highly recommend Tim Hallinan’s new thriller, which I believe has just released, THE QUEEN OF PATPONG, almost certainly the best book I’ll read this year.

    (word verification = crolaiti: what they call espresso with milk in Zagreb.)

  6. I’m in the middle of Larsson’s trilogy and frankly its the best I’ve read this summer (aside from the Gatekeeper, of course *grin*).

    Impact by Douglas Prestson was an enjoyable read…if you like a tinge of sci-fi with your mystery.

  7. Tana French’s novels about Dublin’s Murder Squad are excellent. The first two(In the Woods and The Likeness) were great and I’ve heard the third (The Faithful Place) is also a page turner.

  10. Suelder: what is urban fantasy? I’ve heard of it but am not quite sure what it’s all about.

    Joe- You can definitely tell that Follett was first and foremost a thriller writer- I tore through both books, even though I’m not usually a historical fiction kind of gal. The miniseries of POTE has been somewhat disappointing, though.

    I love Tana French too- FAITHFUL PLACE was in the top three books I’ve read so far this year. And I loved DEVIL IN THE WHITE CITY, too- if others haven’t read it, move it to that top of that pile!

    Thanks for the Hallinan tip- is it available on Kindle?

  11. Loved listening to an audio of PILLARS a few years back. Captivating on the level of James Clavell’s novels. Clavell was the first huge fiction author I ever met as a young man. He was on the board of Bristol Helicopters and I met him at the grand opening of the Gulf operation. I spent two weeks flying in their helicopters taking pictures for their annual report. He was a very nice men and was a “Battle of Britain” pilot who lost a leg in that skirmish.

  13. Urban fantasy is effectively any story that has fantastical elements (mythological) in a contemporary setting. There seems to be a couple of sub genres to this sub genre as well, including: romance, mystery, and police procedural. I’m not up on all of the books that would qualify, but Charlaine Harris’s Southern Vampire Mysteries and the TV adaptation True Blood would count (vampires in contemporary Louisiana). Movie examples that qualify would be Underworld and Percy Jackson.

    Lately, this sub genre has been all about vampires. 🙂 But, it’s not limited to only vampiresk subjects. Dragons hiding under Manhattan, Cinderella magically transported to L.A., and mad scientists summoning the powers of the gods would all qualify too.

  15. Not long ago, I read STREET 8, a little-known noir novel from Douglas Fairbairn (1977). I reviewed it on my website, for those who want to know more about it.

    You know, you read a thousand obscure novels, you’re bound to turn up one gem. This is it.

  16. I just finished Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander. Really didn’t know what to expect but thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s one of those that sometimes you forget to breath during a scene and let it out with a whoosh. Prior to that I read The Time Traveler’s Wife. Wasn’t too sure was going to like it at the beginning, but it ended up sucking me in.

  17. Oh, I loved Time Traveler’s Wife- it was so extraordinary how she developed a linear storyline without a chornological timeline.

    I’ll check out Outlander, I’ve heard it’s wonderful.

    Also adding The Last Templar and Street8. Thanks again for the recommendations!

  18. If you have not already read it, you might consider THE THIRTEENTH TALE, by Diane Setterfield. Truly, it’s one of the best books I’ve read in years. Unless you’re a cheat-reader, you will not see the end coming. 🙂 A mystery surrounding a reclusive writer and her strange old house. Utterly fabulous.

    I just wish Ms. Setterfield would bring out another book–TTT apparently took her five years to write.

  19. Michelle –
    On the chance that you’re not familiar w/ urban fantasy, it’s a fantasy story set in our world. This one is set in a recognizable version of Boston, populated by warhounds (kinda like werewolves), Bastia (Egyptian cat-people) and, like the MC, the Furies, who were the enforcers of the gods.

    Sort of like a cross between a police procedural and a fantasy story.

  20. If you like books that build slowly and then send you quickly down the chute during the last one hundred pages try THE LAST LIE by
    Stephen White. If you like being led through dark rooms having no idea where you are going to be taken pick up A STRANGER LIKE YOU by Elizabeth Brundage. Or, if you like your stories dark, gory, twisted, and depressing, either DOG BLOOD by David Moody or SICK CITY by Tony O’Neill should be just the berries!Above all, enjoy yourself next week!

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