The Sword and Laser discussion

I'm about to head from California to east Indonesia which takes about 3 days of flights and layovers. I have Feast of Crows, Horns, and a few other books ready to go, but so often especially after the first 12 hours of flight to stay focused on anything too deep. What books have you found are enjoyable page turners (possible guilty pleasures) that can help pass the time?

Fifty Shades of Grey

Memoirs Found in a Bathtub
Infinite Jest

Story of the Eye

R. Scott Bakker's Disciple of the Dog, G. Willow Wilson's Alif the Unseen, Steve Martin's The Pleasure of My Company, David Morrell's The Brotherhood of the Rose, Jasper Fforde's The Big Over Easy, James Sallis' Drive, Iain M. Banks' Transition, Kim Newman's Anno Dracula

For me, especially as things devolve as I'm on a plane longer and longer, I need things that I can miss things without really missing them. Most of the books that do that would fall out of the genre. One in the genre would be Ready Player One, and if it's your thing Daemon and Freedom (TM) (I hated those last 2 but I'm in a very small minority here).

Outside if the genre, I'm a sucker for mystery-thriller type books and especially like the Andy Carpenter books and the Ceepak books. I also really enjoyed Bossypants. :D

Seriously, I would recommend the Jim Butcher Dresden Files series, starting with The Dresden Files: Storm Front, Volume 1: The Gathering Storm, Guido Henkel's Jason Dark series, which is like a supernatural Sherlock Holmes, and Jeff Lindsay's Dexter series.

I enjoy audiobooks for long flights so I can rest my eyes and still engage my brain. Some of my favorites are the Tiffany Aching series by Terry Pratchett starting with Wee Free Men, Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde (not to be confused with the book above), Dresden Files read by James Marsters, and anything read by Simon Vance. He does an excellent James Bond.

terpkristin wrote: "For me, especially as things devolve as I'm on a plane longer and longer, I need things that I can miss things without really missing them. Most of the books that do that would fall out of the genr..."

Exactly. That series is my consistent and great dirty pleasure.

I usually go for the thriller of the month or a mystery...Robert B. Parker was my main stay for that for a long time.

Ala wrote: "Memoirs Found in a Bathtub
Infinite Jest"

Infinite Jest as a 1/2 brain read? I applied my full brain and I think I only made it a dozen pages in. :)

clen cook's Garrett files.. uf of a sort, great humour, appropriate amount of suspense, and some kickass action.. I always go for these if I'm in the mood for something I know what is..

Mike Resnick for me is in SF one of my go to author for quick enjoyable reads that don't require that you pay close attention.

Jim Butcher's Dresden novels or a stack of 1960s/70s James Bond rip-offs like Nick Carter or Sam Durell, esp. if I can find ones that are set where I'm traveling to (which is pretty easy with potboiler spy novel series containing hundreds and hundreds of books). Those spy novels are all like 120 pages and can be read in the same amount of time it would take to watch a film adaptation of them.

I really enjoyed Zero Sight by B. Justin Shier

Below was my goodreads review of the book


Great book by and independent author

"...Frankly I didn't know what to do with myself. I was sitting buck-naked on the floor ten yards from the most beautiful thing I had ever set eyes on. She was washing the blood of three dead men out of her hair - and I was pretty sure she was humming a show tune..."

If the above quote does not make you want to pick up this book immediately, then you must be crazy. Sharp dialog interlaced with subtle background humor (Las Vegas as a not just a cultural wasteland, but a Magic one too?) make this a fun read.

Dharmakirti wrote: "Infinite Jest as a 1/2 brain read? I applied my full brain and I think I only made it a dozen pages in. :)"

Actually, once I got past the first hundred pages or so, and got used to the flow and the language, it did go much more smoothly. Maybe not half-brain, but 3/4-brain... ;) Even more so as I realized what was going on...

I just read,The Apocalypse of Enoch by Shane Moore and it was a very nice afternoon read. I love his take on an old monster, yet going a very traditional route.

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15...

Well you asked for half-brain, so none of these would win any awards from the high brow folks, but I bet you'll keep turning pages and having a blast:

Ready Player One
80's nostalgia, massive MMO rules the world, geekfest and fun adventure.

Monster Hunter International
Think like an 80's action movie. The physics just don't make sense (outside the gun play, which is described lovingly) but you don't care, he fist fights a werewolf!
Storm Front
Detective who is also a wizard, and has a talking skull, which is actually a spirit of knowledge who is trapped in the skull.

Quick and fun reading at it's finest.

Mab wrote: "clen cook's Garrett files.. uf of a sort, great humour, appropriate amount of suspense, and some kickass action.. I always go for these if I'm in the mood for something I know what is.."

Those are great too!!

Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death; The Vicious Vet; The Potted Gardener. starts a hilarious guilty pleasure series.

I find I always enjoy reading books aimed at younger readers on plane rides, because they're usually happier in tone and plane rides make me grumpy. Also, easier to read.

And on that note, I will recommend The Adventures of Captain Underpants by Dave Pilkey.

I recommend Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris. It's the first in the Sookie Stackhouse series upon which the True Blood tv show is based.

NMC wrote: "Ready Player One for sure. Takes a quarter of the brain at most. Don't forget The Da Vinci Code and the whole Rhapsody: Child of Blood series."

Good call on Elizabeth Haydon's Symphony of Ages series. Very entertaining!

Richard Kadrey's Sandman Slim novels are a real no brainer. Just pure unadulterated popcorn novel, the equivalent of an eighties action film.

Joshua wrote: "Richard Kadrey's Sandman Slim novels are a real no brainer. Just pure unadulterated popcorn novel, the equivalent of an eighties action film."

+1 here

Halfway thru calibans war and i have to give a vote to james sa corey

Lee Child's One Shot was pretty fun.

R. Scott Bakker is 1/2 brain? His text seems pretty dense.

Simon Green's Nightside series. Discount Armageddon by Seanan McGuire. And I must second the rec for Larry Correia's Monster Hunter International.

ladymurmur wrote: "Simon Green's Nightside series

That was always a favorite of mine. Was sad to see it end. I need to make time to try his latest series.

Rob wrote: "That was always a favorite of mine. Was sad to see it end. I need to make time to try his latest series."

The Secret Histories (Eddie Drood) books (The Man With the Golden Torc etc.) are entertaining. The Ghost Finders series (Ghost Of A Chance etc.) don't do as much for me for some reason -- I think it's something to do with the 3rd person narration vs. 1st person. But that's just me.

Nobody mentioned original Conan by Robert E. Howard? It is classic :)

For myself, I'd also mention Edgar Rice Burroughs' John Carter of Mars and/or Tarzan books, but you could just about burn through the entire Mars series in three days.

Joseph wrote: "The Secret Histories (Eddie Drood) books (The Man With the Golden Torc etc.) a..."

Yea. Those are the ones I meant. Glad to hear they are entertaining. He had Eddie show up at the end of Nightside and I think I read that John Taylor and Walker both show up in Secret Histories.