Summer Reading lists - not for kids!

[rkandmjsmommy]

Huge Jodi Picoult, I am obsessed with her books, I only have 3 more to read then I dont know what I am going to do

 

[Bren's Mom]

Most of my favorites have already been mentioned...and I have to say that Jodi Picoult ROCKS!!

I'll also add Emily Griffin's books. I just finished reading her latest 'Love the One You're With'. It was delightful!

And for op, if you're not aware, many libraries have a hold system. Mine utilized the Library ELF system and I can search for books online, place holds on them and they call/e-mail me when they're in. Whenever a publication date is set for a new book they enter that book into the system so I can actually place a hold on it several months before it's released...and usually I am able to read it within a month of its release date. (I have having to wait! Especially when a new Picoult book comes out!!!)

 

[HopingToGetEngaged]

I would agree with the Sophie Kinsella books. Being a shopaholic myself, I loved them! I just recently found out that "Sophie Kinsella" is actually a pseudonym. The author's real name is Madeleine Wickham. I'm not sure if any of her other books are good, but I think that I might check some out!

 

[ardig123]

Another funny female dominated series is Sarah Strohmeyer's Bubbles series. Bubbles in Trouble, Bubbles in Charge, Bubbles Unbound, Bubbles Abroad. Almost as funny as JE.

The Bubbles series is great! Not sure if you know but Strohmeyer has written other books that are very good as well...

*The cinderella Pact
The Sleeping Beauty Pact
The Secret lives of Fortunate Wives....

And she has another coming out this month which I have not read yet... Sweet Love.

 

[OceanAnnie]

Wally Lamb has two excellent novels (both were Oprah selections): "She's Come Undone" and "I Know This Much Is True"

Jodi Picoult has some good stuff. I loved "My Sister's Keeper". It's currently being made into a movie starring Cameron Diaz and Dakota Fanning.

I agree! I read both of Wally Lamb's books above. Really enjoyed them. She's Come Undone was written from a woman's perspective. It was really interesting how he approached it! I had to remind myself "he" not "she" wrote it!

I started reading Jodi Picoult's, Change of Heart. It's good! And I'm in the middle of Santa Cruise by Mary Higgins Clark. Santa Cruise is a good light read.

 

[nunzia]

I work part time at hastings and we get a free paperback a week. I have discovered so many great authors!
Tops: Lee Child, Nelson DeMille, Dennis LeHane (not to be confused with the Left Behind series guy..this one wrote Gone Baby Gone and Mystic River, but the best IMO is Shutter Island), Dean Koontz, Kay Hooper, Iris Johansson (mysteries, not romance) Joseph Kanon..and so many more! I've been there seven years, so you can imagine my papberback stash.

 

[Stitch And Friends]

I'm also a huge Jodi Picoult fan! Nineteen Minutes is next on my list. Although I have to agree with some of the previous posters some of her stuff isn't always light reading. If you are looking for more "fun" reads, Lauren Weisberger is great for that. I've read the Devil Wears Prada and Everyone Worth Knowing and enjoyed both. I also have her new one Chasing Harry Winston on my list as well.

 

[familyfirsttimer]

Another J odi Picoult fan here! Also The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini and Namesake, Jhumpa Lahiri. these are books that I would have NEVER chosen myself but thoroughly enjoyed. Not chick lit.

We had a previous book suggestion thread that you may no have seen, here is the link. It is not that old and there were a ton of good sggestions.
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1569767

Keep 'em coming, I'll be on the beach in 3 weeks!!!!

 

[Hayloburger]

I have recently discovered historical fiction.....and have been reading all of Phillipa Gregory's works (Other Boleyn Girl, Constant Princess, etc)..It is really amazing to read about these real people and to know that 500 years later, we can still visit these castles that they lived in. I am becoming quite knowledgable on Tudor England and now I am ready to move onto earlier English history.

A good way to "research" or discover new books is Amazon.com, if you search your author's name...Amazon will bring up not only your author, but other recommendations that other's have read in your genre. Amazon also has the favorite lists, where people suggest their favorites (like this thread) and give you a synopsis. After spending an evening searching on Amazon, I now have a list of 50 novels that I want to read!!

I just read "Girl with a Pearl Earring".....about the Dutch painter and his subject....it was a quick read, 220 short pages.

 

[Clancycat]

Love Janet Evanovich, too! Also agree about the Bubbles series...if you like S. Plum, you'll like Bubbles .

I read a ton of mysteries, most are by women authors with female characters. Here's a partial list of some of my faves...

Kate White
Sue Grafton
Diane Mott Davidson
Laurien Berenson
Susan Conant
Tess Gerritson
Kathy Reichs
Patricia Cornwell

I browse thru my local bookstore or surf Amazon.com to get ideas about what new books are out there. Then I request the books from my library online. They send me an email when the books are available for pickup. I love the library!

Happy Reading

 

[Worfiedoodles]

I had to add my favorite authors (in addition to the amazing Ms. Evanovich!):

Katherine Hall Page -- mystery series around a chef and her family
G. A. McKevett -- Mystery detective
M. C. Beaton -- Agatha Raisin (retired ad person mysteries)
Elizabeth Peters -- Egyptology and murder adventures set in the 1890s -1920
Julia Quinn -- romance series
MaryJanice Davidson -- funny vampire queen and her adventures
Katie MacAlister -- everything supernatural you can imagine, including dragons who masquerade as people, very funny!

 

[DebMcDonald]

I enjoy Danielle Steele and Sandra Brown

 

[nunzia]

..oh..how could I forget Elizabeth George!! Great writer...and Stephen King has gotten weirder and weirder, but still a good read.

 

[japajsm]

My favorite romance author is Debbie Macomber. I've been hooked on her books since the first time that I read one about 10 years ago.

 

[kwhite1022]

Debbie Macomber and Nora Roberts are two of my favs....but Ive read everything they have put out...took me 3 summers, but they were great reads.

Can someone tell me what types of books Janet Evonich and S Plum write? Are they at all similar to Macomber and Roberts? I found Macomber after asking for some other writers in that vein, and have been very happy with the reading.

I use Ebay to by series of books, it really works great for me. I do the library for everything else.

Great thread.

 

[spalady]

Right now I am reading ~ love the one you're with by emily giffin. its a great summer read.

I also love Debbie Macomber but I've read them all. She does have the Cedar Cove series #7 due out in September. I can't wait.

 

[Disneefun]

My favorites are:

Diana Gabaldon's outlander series (the Lord John books aren't bad, but outlander is better)

Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Series (Yes, it's marketed as YA, but the stories and the romance are fab. for any age.) Also liked The Host which is separate from the series.

And I second Marian Keyes, Sophie Kinsella, and Mary Kay Andrews.

For the person who was wondering about Sophie Kinsella writing under the name of Madeline Wickham: I've read her books written as Madeline Wickham and didn't find them as good. They seem stiffer and a little more serious to me -- not as much fun and harder to read because the "flow" isn't there. They aren't bad, but I can see why they were written first and then she changed her name to write the next ones. Madeline Wickham is her real name and I'm betting those first books didn't sell well so when she came up with the Shopaholic series that was better, her agent or publisher told her to change her name to get around earlier lackluster sales. When she hit it big as SK, they re-released the older books to capitalize on her fame. But they still aren't as good, IMHO.

 

[jrandtysmom]

I like Debbie Macomber as well but I've read all of her books. I like some of the Nora Roberts and I love Nicholas Sparks as well. Are any of the authors mentioned above similar styles to the books written by these authors? Last summer I liked reading "The Pilot's Wife" by Anita Shreve as well.

 

[SnowWhite607]

I have read all of Philippa Gregory's stuff and loved it. I just finished "The Last Wife of Henry VIII" by Carolly Erickson. Very good also.

Some of my favorites are:
Philippa Gregory
Jodi Picoult
Anita Shreve

The Kite Runner is fabulous as well as the Life of Pi. I am in a book club and we have read both of those. We are reading The Glass Castle next month.

I also run an online book club and we are always looking for new members! We have lots of book talk, we do an author of the month and we do buddy reads with friends and discuss them. We do challenges and see how many books we can read as a team, etc. If you are interested, please PM me! I leave on vacation on Sunday but will be back on the 25th. We would love to have some readers join us!

 

[SnowWhite607]

The Red Tent was another favorite of my book club.