Read any good books lately

[shadonjenon]

Looking for a good read for the 12 hr drive next week. Anything light, romantic, mysteries are also good.

All suggestions welcome. :thumbsup2

[lovindonald]

On my trip, I read In Her Shoes by Jennifer Weiner. I loved her Good In Bed (also just great if you haven't read it) and wanted to know what happened to a couple of the characters. Both books were great, not too heavy, kind of could happen to me thing.

[krystalleigh1]

Some of my favorite books:
The Red Tent
Wicked
Angela’s Ashes
The Secret Life of Bees
The Mermaid Chair
Walk Two Moons
Middlesex
Saving Fish From Drowning
The Time traveler’s Wife
My Sister’s Keeper

[CTPinkPrincess]

Lovers and Players by Jackie Collins. Just came out in paperback and I bought (and read it!) while stuck at Newark a couple weeks ago. It's not a sequel to any of her others, so all new characters.... :)

[bevtoy]

"The Lovely Bones"
by:
Alice Sebold.

Not light or romantic. This story is told from the view point of a deceased girl who was murdered by a serial killer. The psychological and spiritual journey of those affected by her life and death is very well done. I started reading it and could hardly put it down till I was finished.

[Plantlady]

The Glass Castle

I forgot the author. But an excellent book, that I just finished.

[powellrj]

I just finished the new Fanny Flagg book. I can't remember the name, but it was something about Heaven. It was really cute!

[EricaLovesMickey]

My Favorite Books:
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Uncle Tom's Cabin (Just finished, loved it)
"Shopaholic" Books (Great Travel books, light, and laugh out loud funny)
My Sister's Keeper (Awesome!) Actually most books by Jodi Picoult
The Memory Keepers Daughter

OK, that's enough!

[Cee]

I highly recommend "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris. I'm currently reading
another by him. I laughed so hard that my stomach hurt. "Disney Wars" is also a
fascinating read. Enjoy!

[STITCHes in TX]

Janet Evanovich. Start with "One for the Money". You will keep reading all the way to 13! Very funny!!

[tammyandtommy]

Janet Evanovich. Start with "One for the Money". You will keep reading all the way to 13! Very funny!!


I second this vote, I read the entire first 12 in two weeks! I am addicted! :thumbsup2

[mrsbug]

Anything by Whitney Gaskell. "True Love and Other Lies" is my favorite. Very light, romantic, and funny!

[kitsch4]

I love the "Shopaholic" books also. The author is Sophie Kinsella, and the first book is called "Confessions of a Shopaholic."

The Goldy Bear mysteries by Diane Mott Davidson are also fun. The first book in the series is called "Dying for Chocolate."

[minniebeth]

Ditto votes for:
My Sister's Keeper
Secret Life of Bees
Wicked
Shopaholic Books

Also, Something Borrowed, Something Blue (two separate books) by Emily Griffin
Gods in Alabama was good as well, can't remember the author.

Any other suggestions? I love to read!
Happy Reading! :)

[bbangel]

Wicked/Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister
The Life of Pi
The Kite Runner

For something a little more of the mystery side, check out Elizabeth Peters, Margaret Doody and Lindsey Davis.

[bopper]

I highly recommend "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris. I'm currently reading
another by him. I laughed so hard that my stomach hurt. "Disney Wars" is also a
fascinating read. Enjoy!
I agree with this! My favorite story was when he was describing how they tried to describe Easter to a Muslim in French class.

Translating from their French:



"Easter is a party to eat of the lamb. One too may eat of the chocolate."
"And who brings the chocolate?"
"The rabbit of easter. He bring of the chocolate"
"A rabbit?"
"He come in the night when one sleep on a bed. With a hand he have basket and foods"
"No no, in France the chocolate is brought by a big bell that flies in from Rome."
"But how does the bell know where you live?"
"How does the rabbit?"

[Dis-obrn]

My Favorite Books:
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Uncle Tom's Cabin (Just finished, loved it)
"Shopaholic" Books (Great Travel books, light, and laugh out loud funny)
My Sister's Keeper (Awesome!) Actually most books by Jodi Picoult
The Memory Keepers Daughter

OK, that's enough!
I agree with the memory keepers daughter. Such a good story. :thumbsup2

[Wigit12]

Has everyone signed up for Paperbackswap.com???
It's a must for book lovers!!!!
I agree with a lot already mentioned but I'll list some others

Most recent favorite: Vanishing Acts by Jodi Picoult (loved My Sisters Keeper also)

Also liked:
A Wedding in December by Anita Shreve
Saving Graces by Patricia Gaffney
The Lions Game by Nelson Demille
The Woman Next Door by Barbara Delinsky
Debbie Macomber's Cedar Grove series

[Wigit12]

To have and to hold by Jane Green

[digskat]

"The Lovely Bones"
by:
Alice Sebold.

Not light or romantic. This story is told from the view point of a deceased girl who was murdered by a serial killer. The psychological and spiritual journey of those affected by her life and death is very well done. I started reading it and could hardly put it down till I was finished.

ditto for this one..I'm reading it right know...very hard to put down!

[disneygal66]

Anything by James Patterson - The Alex Cross series is terrific Along came a Spider etc.

The old standby of Danielle Steel

Anything by Sandra Brown is usually light and romantic and easy to read

I love Jackie Collins but her books are usually very raunchy but sometimes you can't beat the story lines.;)

[minniebeth]

Ya know, my kids have a book club they were a part of in school where the parents and kids read books together and then we got together and discussed the books. There is a lot of great literature out there for kids that is not for kids only. They are muliti-layered books, meaning kids and adults read at different depths. Some of the books I've read through this group are great. Some I've really enjoyed are:

Kate DiCamillo books such as: Tale of Desperaux, Because of Winn Dixie,
Tiger Rising, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

The Lion Boy Trilogy

City of Ember, People of Sparks and The Prophet of Yonwood by Jeanne Deprau

The Boy Who Loved Baseball
Ruby Holler by Sharon Creech
...and of course, Harry Potter!
There are many more, but these came to me off the top of my head...

[PottersMom]

The Glass Castle

I forgot the author. But an excellent book, that I just finished.

Walls is the last name :wave:

[PottersMom]

I work at Barnes & Noble- (LOVE my job- only other place I'd consider working is Disney!)

THese are all fantastic suggestions. The Fannie Flagg book is "Can't Wait to Get to Heaven", BTW. I havn't read it , but if you like light, uplifting books it would be a good choice. Also try Jan Karon, she has a series of books set in a town called Mitford.
Janet Evanovitch seems to be a favorite- she has A LOT of books, but most are in paperback for $6-$8, so pick up the first three in her series, "One for the Money" , "Two for the Dough", "Three to Get Deadly"- they go fast, so that would probably be enough for your round trip.
My absolute must read book is "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan", by Lisa See. Another bookseller discovered it and got all of us interested. I LOVED this book! If you enjoyed Memoirs of a Geisha you will like this. It's about women in imperial China who develop a secret form of writing to communicate. (This is historically accurate and well researched, but the book is fiction). At it's core, the book is about women and their relationships and communication. EXCELLENT book.
If you don't mind a hardcover, pick up "The Thirteenth Tale" by Sittenfeld. THis is her first book , but it's a winner. Book lovers will have a soft spot for this book, b/c the main characters are rare book dealers and an award winning writer. Has a gothic feel to it, dark and mysterious. Definately a page turner.
Hope that helps! :wave2:

[digskat]

Has everyone signed up for Paperbackswap.com???
It's a must for book lovers!!!!
I agree with a lot already mentioned but I'll list some others

Most recent favorite: Vanishing Acts by Jodi Picoult (loved My Sisters Keeper also)

Also liked:
A Wedding in December by Anita Shreve
Saving Graces by Patricia Gaffney
The Lions Game by Nelson Demille
The Woman Next Door by Barbara Delinsky
Debbie Macomber's Cedar Grove series


Can canadians join? Thanks Kathy

[mickaholic4077]

If you were a Murder,She Wrote fan,they have books "written by Jessica Fletcher" that are really good. Also,if you like absolutely whacky,funny,hysterical mysterires,try the two series that Tamar Myers writes. One is set in Pennsylvania Dutch country and has titles like Wok and Roll and the other is set in Charlotte,NC(earlier books) and Charleston,SC with titles like A Penny Urned.

[mtrak17]

Not light, but very easy to read because she's a great writer: Elizabeth George (the mystery writer). Her books are completely engrossing, addicting, and nice and long - I can never wait for the next to come out! She has a detective series set in Great Britain - I think the first book in the series is "A Great Deliverance". There are always murders, etc., and I generally like "happy" things (like Disney :rolleyes: ), yet I LOVE her books!! Everyone I have recommended her to has instantly become an addict :goodvibes

Lighter romance - Julie Garwood. She has historical romances that are good and humorous!

...I think I'll have to read the Janet Evanovich books, after reading this thread... :wave2:

[Lila95]

I love mysteries written by Wendi Corsi Staub. They are nice easy reads but still very interesting. I just read "The Day that Evil Comes" by Melanie Wells and it was so good. I little erie but it keeps you on your toes. Right now I am reading the sequal "The Soul Collector".

[powellrj]

I highly recommend "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris. I'm currently reading
another by him. I laughed so hard that my stomach hurt. "Disney Wars" is also a
fascinating read. Enjoy!


I love to do David Sedaris books on tape!

[englishteacha]

Olivia Joules and the Overactive Imagination by Helen Fielding was an absolute riot! It's a mystery, a bit of a romance, and a lot of humor. I listened to it on tape and had to pause it because I was laughing so hard I couldn't hear it.

I also like the "Cat Who..." books by Lillian Jackson Braun. There are dozens of them. It's a mystery series about a man and a smart cat. :) They're an easy read, very entertaining.

I've recently been on a Janet Evanovich kick, too. Her Stephanie Plum novels are funny, with some romance and mystery thrown in.

Most everything else I read are young adult books. (I teach 8th grade.) I recently read The Princess Academy, which was wonderful. I don't remember the author, though.

[LisaG]

Like a previous poster, I love Because of Winn Dixie. Even though it is considered a children's novel, it is wonderful for adults as well. It would be a great read-aloud in the car for the whole family.

I only have time to read a few books a year, usually when I'm on vacation. This summer I read The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd because I wanted a "beachy" book for my trip to Edisto Island, SC. It was a good mix of mystery, humor, and romance.

[smidgy]

while my reading tastes are very eclectic, running from Stephen King, Dean Koontz, and Richard Laymon to Danielle Steele and John Jakes (throwing in Tolkien, of course the Harry Potter series, and perhaps Ray Bradbury) my DH and I never go on a Disney trip without a new (believe it or not) UNCLE JOHN'S BATHROOM READER! sounds stupid? It is just pages and pages of info, trivia, learning, laughing... variety. They work well on a trip because it is easy to become distracted (in the car, on the plane, in a lounge chair at the pool, in bed at the resort when you are trying to read with your eyes closed!)
you can pick up where you left off without having to reread the last 5 pages.
(we are planning our 9th trip in May,7th sans kids; now if we could only talk them into coming back with us,now that they're grown and can pay their own way)

[Wigit12]

Can canadians join? Thanks Kathy

I copied this from the www.paperbackswap.com website. Maybe sent them a note through their website. The more requests they get, the quicker they'll work this out.

We have had a LOT of requests from Canada! We have been working on shipping issues regarding the Canadian postal system. Until we work these out, we will not be able to trade across borders with our system.

Right now it's free and run by volunteers. It's absolutely awesome getting hard to find books and all of the new releases for only the cost of postage!!! I haven't bought a book in years now. :woohoo:

[mtrak17]

Olivia Joules and the Overactive Imagination by Helen Fielding was an absolute riot! It's a mystery, a bit of a romance, and a lot of humor. I listened to it on tape and had to pause it because I was laughing so hard I couldn't hear it.



::yes:: I agree - I couldn't stop laughing. The author's "Bridget Jones" books are equally hilarious; especially the second one. I enjoyed the movie versions, but, as always, the books are far superior :thumbsup2

[Mousemom]

Anything by John Grisham and I am anxious to read "Marley and Me." It looks like a fun easy read.

[EricaLovesMickey]

Anything by John Grisham and I am anxious to read "Marley and Me." It looks like a fun easy read.

I loved "Marley and Me!" That is a great book. You will really enjoy it!