Looking for a good book for Me to read to B.

[Janey]

I really like the Song of Ice & Fire series (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Song_of_Ice_and_Fire) by George. R. R. Martin. I like it so much that I wanted B to read it too so we could talk about it. However, I knew that the only way I could get B to take the time to read this series is if I read it to him, so that's what I do. Almost every night before bed, I read a chapter, or a half a chapter, depending on how rhythmic his breathing becomes when I'm reading (Are you sleeping? / No. / Are you sure cause you're breathing like you're sleeping. / I'm okay; keep reading. / Oookayyy... / *snore*).

It has a problem, though: We're on book 4, there will eventually be 7 books and book 5 isn't out yet. It took him three years to come out with book 4, and it was so big that he had to chop the book in half so we're actually on book 4.0.

In any case, I'm looking for another book (or even series!) to pass the time until book 5 comes out. He tends to like sci-fi & fantasy but I think i could get him to branch out into mysteries or something if they were 'gritty' enough.

Any suggestions?

[villanelle75]

I read all of the Harry Potter books out loud to my DH and he really enjoyed them. We started out dating long distance and I would read him a chapter over the phone every night, then I read one to him in person, and I even made books on tape to send to him when he was deployed. Anyway, they are simple,easy reads and DH liked thema lot.

[looch]

I had tried this with DH a few years ago, and it just didn't work! I wanted DH to switch off with me and read to me, but he wasn't into it. I like the idea of the Harry Potter books, we'll have to try again over the summer!

[Janey]

Villanelle - B thinks the Harry Potter series is a great idea. So I think that's what we'll do. Thanks! :D

[charliezangel]

I'm going to assume that B is your DH?? if so, I'm bumping this to say that Stphen King's "The Dark Tower" is probably the best fantasy series I have ever read. It will most definetly keep him awake. I find myself waiting to get home from work during the day just so i can snuggle up and read more of this captivating story. There are 7 books in the series, and no waiting for those of us who start it now because the last one finally came out 2 years ago.

I'm on my second round and up to book # 4. If you end up reading it, don't look at the Dark Tower thread here because there are quite a few spoilers.

[Janey]

Yep - B is my DH. I will suggest The Dark Tower to him and see what he thinks. Thanks Charliezangel! :D We're about 3 chapters away from being done with our current Song of Ice & Fire book. If you haven't read those - you should. They're amaaazing!

[charliezangel]

I'll defiently give them a shot. I'm alsways looking for more books to read, especially fantasy...lord knows i need to escape my world right now.

[sarahbear2005]

Sara Douglass (http://www.saradouglass.com/overview.html) writes some good stuff - hitorical fantasy fiction... really well written, her first and second series are a little... odd, i like the others better

Terry Goodkind (http://www.terrygoodkind.com/) is a really good author also, unfinished series as yet but still a good read and theres like 7 or 8 books so far and a new one coming out soon.

[Amuse Bouche]

I would suggest the Darkover Series by Marion Zimmer Bradley. There are absolutely tons of them, but they sound similar to the Ice and Fire ones -- Science Fiction meets fantasy, with interesting cultural clashes between "magic" and "science" and some interesting feudal structures.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darkover_series

[JamBray]

Oooo I love the Song of Ice & Fire series, although I wasn't as thrilled with the 4th one as I was the other three, so I'm hoping the next one will be better.

Anyway, a few chapter books that you and your DH might like are the Song of Albion Trilogy (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0745924662/qid=1151631388/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/104-6595816-2566322?s=books&v=glance&n=283155) and The Celtic Crusades (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0061051098/qid=1151631473/sr=1-2/ref=sr_1_2/104-6595816-2566322?s=books&v=glance&n=283155), both by Stephen R. Lawhead. Also the Outlander (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0440212561/qid=1151631564/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/104-6595816-2566322?s=books&v=glance&n=283155) series (6 books in all) by Diana Gabaldon. Although there is an amazing romance in these books, the story is amazing and not sappy at all.

[Janey]

Yay JamBray! So glad I'm not the only one who loves ASOIAF around here. :D I agree about Book 4 ... I am thinking it would have been better if he had just chopped it in half chronologically. The story is just getting huge. I love that it is so big and complex (I think he does it in such a good way!), but don't love the three-years-between-books thing. :rolleyes:

Have you read the Dunk & Egg short story in Legends III (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0812566645/qid=1151633178/sr=1-3/ref=sr_1_3/002-7475066-4611242?s=books&v=glance&n=283155)? I really liked it. I felt so bad for Dunk at one point that it made me cry. :o

We're on the very last chapter of book 4 now. Turns out, B's starting to read The Expectant Father, and I'm reading Great Expectations. ;) But I'm still keeping an eye on this thread for what comes next. We can't read about fetuses and hormones every night!

I asked this same question on a tiny message board I read where there's about 10 of us who played Ultima Online together and like to keep in touch. Just in case anybody else was looking for books like this... I'll give their answers to the same question:

Assassin's Apprentice (The Farseer Trilogy, Book 1) (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0553374451/002-7475066-4611242?n=283155) by Robin Hobb
and
The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever (The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant) (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0006473296/sr=8-1/qid=1149341117/ref=sr_1_1/002-7475066-4611242?%5Fencoding=UTF8) by Stephen Donaldson

[JamBray]

Yup, I picked up "A Game of Thrones" on a whim in one of the used book stores around here, and got hooked! :) I agree that the story is getting huge, so do sort of wish that he'd whittle it down just a little, because one of my biggest disappointments about Book 4 is that he left out so many of my favorite characters. I know that they're supposed to be more prevalent in the next one, but I would still have liked a tiny bit on them, you know? There was also waaaay too much traveling going on and not enough action, like in the last three. Oh well, I just hope that the next one is better, and yeah, doesn't take him years to come out with. :rolleyes:

I've never heard of the Legends books, so I think I'll have to add those to my list. :)