Hawaii - Good Hawaii novels?
tvelinsk
Apr 19, 11, 8:32 am
My Mom and I are heading to Oahu and the Big Island at the end of May. Mom is an avid reader so I would like to get her a book or two that are set on either of those two islands for Mother's Day. Any recommendations? Mystery novels would be especially welcome.
Mary2e
Apr 19, 11, 8:46 am
Hawaii by Michener...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaii_(novel)
FlyinHawaiian
Apr 19, 11, 11:18 am
I think it's out of print, but Blood and Orchids by Norman Katkov fits your mystery/crime and Hawai`i-based requirements.
JennyElf
Apr 19, 11, 11:22 am
Hawaii by Michener...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaii_(novel)
I was going to recommend the same.
Megcom
Apr 26, 11, 5:57 pm
I second the Hawaii by Michener. Also loved Moloka'i by Alan Brennert. Have fun!
FlyinHawaiian
Apr 27, 11, 11:18 pm
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8G4 Safari/6533.18.5)
Christopher Moore's Fluke is a fun little novel; a great pool or beachside read. It takes place mostly on or around Maui.
bschiek
May 4, 11, 11:30 am
I recommend Stories of Hawaii by Jack London. It is a collection of Hawaiian stories written in and about the early 20th century. The stories can provide a historical context to much of what you will see when visiting the islands.
SFOSpiff
May 31, 11, 11:11 pm
Mark Twain's letters from the Sandwich Islands (old name for Hawaii) are interesting as well.
shuckit
Jun 1, 11, 2:41 pm
I just finished Honolulu by Alan Brennert and Unfamiliar Fishes by Sarah Vowell. I'd recommend both but for different reasons. Honolulu is a historical novel about a Korea woman immigrant navigating Hawaiian life circa ~1900-1950. It's an easy read [beach read]. Unfamiliar Fishes is nonfiction and witty. It's a condensed summary of Hawaiian history from Cook to present day. It includes some present day first person narrative by the author. You learn something about Hawaiia with either book.