Recomendations for Summer Reading?

[kthomp]

I apologize in advance if this has already been discussed!

I'm looking for some good books to read this summer. We were at the beach this weekend and I really missed having a book to curl up with. Any recommendations of good books you've read or heard about?

I tend to like most fiction and romance type books.

TIA!

[jbowman]

I just finished "The True and Outstanding Adventures of the Hunt Sisters" by Elisabeth Robinson. I really enjoyed the book and thought it was well-written (don't let the chick lit cover fool you).

[anamika]

Here are some summery books I read recently - not my usual style but since having DD I can only read light and fluffy books ;) Nothing which will, perish forbid the thought, actually make me think!!!

Rosie Dunne
Bookends and anything else by Jane Green.
Can you keep a secret - Sophie Kinsella.
Matzo ball heiress
Babyville
Mine are spectacular

Some of my bookclub books - more serious stuff

The Birth of venus
Ellen Foster
Anything by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (a really good Indian author) *except* Vine of Desire
The Interpreter of maladies Jhumpa Lahiri
Curious incident of the dog in the night
Secret life of bees
The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown

DH and I have recently become *huge* Terry Pratchett fans but the only other person we know who reads him a guy from London. TPratchett is very popular there. maybe someone else on the boards is a closet TP fan :)
If you do decide to read him try The truth or Going Postal first. It's really hard to describe the books - they're kind of science fiction/fantasy in that it's set in a different world/time/era but the isues are very contemporary.
Anyway, I'm sure you'll get a ton more suggestions here,
Happy reading,

[jamsmu]

Book Club books:

Birth of Venus
The Other Boleyn Girl
Time Travellers Wife
Red Tent
Kite Runner
Curious Incident of the Dog...
DaVinci code
Secret Life of Bees
Life of Pi
East of Eden
Before You Know Kindness
Middlesex

Recent for fun books:

Note from the Underbelly (Risa Green)--totally funny chick lit
The Book Club (can't remember the author, its what I'm reading now.)

Of course, everything will be cleaned and put away by July 16 for Harry Potter

[aliceinwonderland]

Don't know if these even fit the description of summery (I'm pretty sure the second one does not), but I am now about to read The Buddha of Suburbia (British author I think, no clue if it's good, but little sister was reading last summer and I was intrigued) and "The Plot against America" (Philip Roth, whom I love) and finally the new one by Ismail Kadare (not out yet).

e.

[August Mom]

For fun, mainstream reading I love Mary Higgins Clark. Any of her novels are great. If you like romance, you would probably enjoy books by Sandra Brown. Her books are not true romances, but there are always relationships (and sex) woven in the stories. The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency is fun and good.

For serious ones:

Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult
Bee Season by Myla Goldberg
True Notebooks by Mark Salzman

[tina-t]

Bridget Jones' Diary and The Edge of Reason by Helen Fielding are funny. Even better than the movies. The Shopaholic series by Sophie Kinsella are a riot.

Others that I have read and liked:

Bel Canto
Midwives by Bohjalian
Devil and the White City
Snow Falling on Cedars
Angry Housewives Eating Bonbons
The Secret History

[ErinMC]

I'm bringing back this thread because I was just about to ask the same question! I just finished the Kite Runner (AMAZING!) and read The Secret Life of Bees last month. We're going to the beach next week though, so I need some light, fluffy reads too. Any more suggestions (besides Harry Potter)?

:-) Erin

Mom to Chase
Feb. 2004

[mudder17]

I haven't read much Terry Pratchett, but DH and I did recently read Good Omens, which is quite funny. :) But I got it in the first place not because of Terry Pratchett but because of Neil Gaiman.

I just finished reading Curious Incident and that was a great book! I've already had a couple other people read it and they loved it as well. :)

Oh, and I just started a trilogy by Carol Berg called Transformation and it was so good I finished it in a couple days. It's definitely fantasy, but it could also be considered historical fiction if you changed some of the characters' names and overlaid some magic. It's really well written and quite impressive considering it was the author's first attempt at writing. Now I have to wait for DH to finish the second book! ;)

If you like fantasy, I also LOVE anything by Robin Hobb, Orson Scott Card, and Anne McCaffrey. Of these, Anne McCaffrey is probably the easiest read, but they're all fantastic authors.


Eileen

http://www.mothering.com/discussions...ies/candle.gif for Leah

http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbo...n_gold_12m.gif , 16 months & counting


http://tickers.baby-gaga.com/t/catca..._4_Kaya+is.png

[jbowman]

Erin,

Have you ever read anything by Diane Johnson (Persian Nights, Le Divorce)? Her books are fluffy and fun!

I suggested (above in this thread) "The True and Outstanding Adventures of the Hunt Sisters"--this book is wonderful and very moving, but also quite funny! I highly recommend it!

Last summer I read this novel called "A Secret Word" by Jennifer Paddock--look it up on Amazon--I really enjoyed it.

And if you've never read anything by Nick Hornby (About a Boy, High Fidelity), get your hands on those! His books are great--he has a new one, but I have yet to read it.

And I love Jennifer Egan--her book, "The Invisible Circus" is a masterpiece IMHO, and I also liked her book "Look at Me."

HTH!