You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion

Hi, just wondering if anyone had a recommendation for a good trilogy/series I can get my teeth into. Something in the historical fiction genre or not adverse to a bit of historical fantasy. I read Jean M Auel's 'Clan of the Cave Bear series about 15 years ago which i loved and again Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series about 3 years ago and looking for something along these lines? any suggestions welcome.

Do you like Stephen Lawhead? He wrote Hood, Scarlet and Tuck (Robin Hood but based in Wales). He also wrote the Song of Albion trilogy (I read the first one and really need to re-read it and finish the trilogy). I liked Hood (same thing; read the first one and need to read the rest). If that is not your thing, I will think of some more.

Oh, I thought of another one - The Welsh Trilogy by Sharon Kay Penman. This is an exceptionally good series and I recommend it highly.

Description:

With The Reckoning (#3) acclaimed novelist Sharon Kay Penman brings her epic trilogy of 13th-century England and Wales--begun in Here Be Dragons (#1) and Falls the Shadow (#2)--to a magnificent conclusion. As part of a monumental saga, or standing on its own, the dramatic story of England's warrior king, Edward I, and his determination to control Wales is serious English historical fiction at its best.

Wanda wrote: "Oh, I thought of another one - The Welsh Trilogy by Sharon Kay Penman. This is an exceptionally good series and I recommend it highly.

Description:

With The Reckoning (#3) acclaimed novel..."

Wanda, many thanks. I've never read any Stephen Lawhead but these books look excellent. The welsh trilogy also really appeals and i may try that first.. I seem to be going through a book a day at the minute and just in the mood to lose myself in a realy good series...

Glad I was able to offer some recommendations you like, Jennie. The Welsh trilogy is my all-time favorite. There are also books by Dorothy Dunnett which you might like. She has two series, the Lymond Chronicles, and the Nicolo series. Each of those has 7 or 8 books to the series. They take a little bit to get into the story but when you do (around page 50 or so), the pages seem to turn themselves.

Happy Reading!

Wanda

I would highly recommend The Deptford Trilogy by Robertson Davies. They are Fifth Business, The Manticore, and World of Wonders. They are about magic, politics, the study of saints, religion, psychology, circus acts, - the second novel, The Manticore was my least favourite, but the last one nicely ties everything together. I have heard that the Salterton Trilogy is also good and I have them on my TBR list. Fifth Business is one of my all time favourite reads (I just loved the narrator)and makes an excellent stand alone novel. Very different from both Clan of The Cave Bear (which I also read and enjoyed) and Outlander, yet excellent historical fiction.

Brenda wrote: "I would highly recommend The Deptford Trilogy by Robertson Davies. They are Fifth Business, The Manticore, and World of Wonders. They are about magic, politics, the study of saints, religion, ps..."

Oooh! They sound good. I wonder if they are available in the States?

Hi Jennie, There is a great series by Sarah Donati, Lake in the Clouds and a few more. It was wonderful and I'll probably read the series again. It has American and Native American history.

Wanda: If you ever do manage to get a copy of Fifth Business (and read it) I'd be very interested to hear what you think! I'm going to try and look up the Welsh Trilogy you mentioned... thanks for the suggestion and thanks Jennie too - this has been a great thread.

Brenda wrote: "Wanda: If you ever do manage to get a copy of Fifth Business (and read it) I'd be very interested to hear what you think! I'm going to try and look up the Welsh Trilogy you mentioned... thanks fo..."

Guess what?!?! I found it at Barnes & Noble. It is all three books in one. I have a coupon for 15% off so I am ordering it. I probably will not get to read it until some time in July or August (I have another book ahead - The Last Queen by C.W. Gortner) and then I am packing up my house and moving to Ft. Benning, GA (Home of the USArmy Infantry) to finally be with my husband. It's been almost two years and I think it is about time, too. So, I will remember you, Brenda, and I will post my thoughts if you don't mind waiting until July or August. But, I promise I will do it - it will just take a little bit of time.

Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe series is excellent. The books are more episodic, so you can read Sharpe's Eagle (the first one published) and then read Sharpe's Triumph (published much later, and chronologically before Eagle) and there's not really a problem. I haven't read anything else by Cornwell yet but both of the aforementioned Sharpe books were excellent so I'd recommend them. Cornwell also writes in the King Arthur time period.

If I'd read more historical fiction in the past years I'd help you out more, but I figured I'd mention Cornwell, in case some of his books interest you. :)

Wanda wrote: "Brenda wrote: "Wanda: If you ever do manage to get a copy of Fifth Business (and read it) I'd be very interested to hear what you think! I'm going to try and look up the Welsh Trilogy you mention..."

Wow ... two years ... good luck with the move.. happy re-uniting, I wish you and your husband all the best.

Brenda wrote: "Wanda wrote: "Brenda wrote: "Wanda: If you ever do manage to get a copy of Fifth Business (and read it) I'd be very interested to hear what you think! I'm going to try and look up the Welsh Trilo..."

Thank you, Brenda. Your kind words mean a lot. But, guess what? He leaves again in October/November for 18-24 months. So, I will get lots of reading and knitting done (again!).

Many thanks for all thew suggestions. they all look excellent and have all been added to my TBR. The Deptford trilogy looks very intriguing, Brenda - I think i may start with that first.

Anne, I have read the Bernard Cornwell sharpe series (and a few others of his) and enjoyed them. Many thanks.

Jennie wrote: "Many thanks for all thew suggestions. they all look excellent and have all been added to my TBR. The Deptford trilogy looks very intriguing, Brenda - I think i may start with that first.

Anne, ..."

Good choice, Jennie. The Deptford trilogy caught my eye, too. Unfortunately, I won't be able to read it until July/August. Please share your thoughts. Thanks.

Hi Jennie, I'm new here so these may have been mentioned at one time or another somewhere in this Group.
I'm currently reading The Josephine Bonaparte Collection The Many Lives and Secret Sorrows of Josephine B., Tales of Passion, Tales of Woe, and The Last Great Dance on Earth (called the Josephine B. Trilogy) and am finding it to be a very good story. It's Josephine Bonapart's story, told in diary form, starting from her 13th birthday.
Another series is the Camulod series by Jack Whyte. The first book is The Skystone.
If you enjoy a bit of fantasy/wizardry, there's the Sword Of Truth series, which starts with Wizard's First Rule. I've read the first two books and thoroughly enjoyed them. I've heard that the story starts to drag a bit in the middle (there are about 8 books in the series) and then picks up again at the end but I can't verify that yet.

Brenda, I have The Deptford Trilogy on my bookshelf. I should bring it out and start it soon. I quite enjoyed the 2 Roberson Davies books I've read.

Petra, Many thanks. I have recently started to get into the fantasy genre (I am currently reading Priestess of the White from the age of the five trilogy)so the camaloud series appeals and i have added it to my TBR list.

I have also ordered the deptford series from amazon and looking forward to it arriving.

ACK!! I can't believe I have forgotten until now!

If you want an AMAZING series to sink your chompers into you have got to read the Bas-Lag books by China Mieville.
Perdido Street Station
The Scar
&
Iron Council

These are amazing books. I can't recommend them enough, but they aren't for everyone. It seems that you either have mad love or mad dislike.

Jennie (or anyone else), have you considered Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast trilogy? Not exactly historical fantasy, but it has a historical feel, albeit in a somewhat parallel world.

However, if you do read them and enjoy Titus Groan and then Gormenghast, think carefully before reading Titus Alone as it is VERY different in style, location, apparent time period... in fact, in every way. The first two are amongst my favourite dozen books, but the third wouldn't make my top 100.

Heather/CFSR, many thanks! both look very interesting! Also added to my TBR list. I now have some amount of trilogies to work my way through. I love this group!

There's also the Australian Trilogy by Bryce Courtenay. The books are: The Potato Factory, Tommo & Hawk 46 Copy Bin Wand Solomon's Song.
I'm a big Bryce Courtenay fan and really enjoyed this trilogy.

For those looking for a good laugh try the Barrytown trilogy - Roddy Doyle. They are so much fun, plus they made good movies.

John wrote: "For those looking for a good laugh try the Barrytown trilogy - Roddy Doyle. They are so much fun, plus they made good movies."

I recently bought this series for a cheap price at a local used book store that was going out of business. Glad to hear you enjoyed it!

I've just found this thread and see that it hasn't been at all active. As for trilogies, I've got a great recommendation for historical fiction: the Raj Quartet. It is actually 4 not 3 and there is also a 5th book that is unrelated by the same author: Paul Scott. It deals with the end of British rule in India and takes on World War II very believably. The first in the series is . Very good set.

Some great suggestions here. Another one I was thinking of was a series by Edward Rutherfurd. The Princes of Ireland and The Rebels of Ireland.

I just finished The Hunger Games trilogy. The first book is our July read, and I would recommend that people read the entire trilogy. I finished all three books in less than a week. It is compelling and very hard to put down.

Janice wrote: "I just finished The Hunger Games trilogy. The first book is our July read, and I would recommend that people read the entire trilogy. "

Very popular books, I know, and I'm looking forward to the July discussion. However, I would suggest reading the first book before deciding whether to buy the other two. (I have just read the first, and will leave it at that. I expect I'm in a minority, but I am probably not alone.)

That's what I did - read the first book and then immediately downloaded the other two.

Dystopia is not everyone's cup of tea, and you likely aren't alone Cecily. I'm looking forward to your participation in the July discussion. It should make for an interesting one.

I remember when my book club read To Kill a Mockingbird. Everyone loved it and there was very little discussion. Yet when we read Never Let Me Go, nobody liked it and there was a very lively discussion.

Janice wrote: "...Dystopia is not everyone's cup of tea, and you likely aren't alone Cecily...."

I enjoy reading dystopias; I meant that I appear to be in a minority in finding one volume of The Hunger Games sufficient. ;-)

Anyway, my point was that regardless of genre, it's generally a good idea to read one of a series before committing to the whole set.

I agree that divided opinions usually lead to more interesting discussions. Roll on July...

I'm in total agreement, Cecily. It's very rare that I will buy the entire series before reading the first. That has to be the benchmark as to whether or not one would be interested in the remainder of the series.

Read the Gone books!Gone
They are really good and there is four in the series right now and two more on the way

Janice wrote: "...I remember when my book club read To Kill a Mockingbird. Everyone loved it and there was very little discussion. Yet when we read Never Let Me Go, nobody liked it and there was a very lively discussion. "

I've tried to find the discussion of Never Let Me Go, but I can't find it.

I've just finished reading it and I was very disappointed. I thought it was a ridiculous story that is increasingly badly told (my review is here: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...). Does anyone want to defend it and tell me what great insights I missed?

Cecily wrote: "Janice wrote: "...I remember when my book club read To Kill a Mockingbird. Everyone loved it and there was very little discussion. Yet when we read Never Let Me Go, nobody liked it and there was a ..."
I agree that it wasn't good. Nobdy seemed to behave like rational human beings - even if you had brainwashed people from birth that they were born to be donors, why no hint of rebellion. A total lack of emotional engagement - or maybe that's the point, the only way to live such a life is to be totally switched off.

Absolutely. And even more fundamentally, the time and expense of breeding and raising the donors for up to 30 years would be enormous; a society that could accept that could probably accept forced "donation" from criminals and other undesirables: much quicker, cheaper and easier.

Cecily wrote: "I've tried to find the discussion of Never Let Me Go, but I can't find it.
..."

I don't know if there was a discussion of Never Let Me Go here on YLTO. It was my real life book club that read and discussed the book. Sorry, I didn't make that clear.

The Gemma Doyle Trilogy by Libba Bray is amazing! Books include: , , and .

Jada wrote: "The Gemma Doyle Trilogy by Libba Bray is amazing! Books include: , , and ."

I have the first book on my wishlist.

I've just picked up this thread again and see lots more suggestions. Excellent! I love a good series/trilogy ..... something i can lose myself in for days on end ..... sometimes a solitary book just isn't enough. Thanks folks. Keep the great suggestions coming!!

Go immediately and read Sandra Gulland's Josephine trilogy!

By August, there should be a complete Margaret Atwood trilogy:
Oryx and Crake
The Year of the Flood
and finally
MaddAddam: A Novel