Favorite "Fluffy" Reads For Summer!

tneah

Cathlete
Good Mornin' All!

I recently returned from 3 days of what felt like nonstop air travel x(
but finally got the chance to remind myself how very much I love to read! I powered through two books in three days and thought I would share them with you, they were so much fun.

So for all you readers out there..."The Starter Wife", it was great! I think it was made into a mini-series starring Debra Messing which I did not watch, but the book is so much fun. Hollywood wife-the nipped and tucked kind, with nothing to do but get her highlights done, gets dumped by Hollywood husband after 10 years of marriage, she lets herself go and loves it, then meets the love of her life later on....its cute!

"Bright Lights, Big Ass"-Jen Lancaster. Ok, she is my new favorite smart ass! She is the anti-Carrie Bradshaw.:7 Love the book, it is hilarious, read it in one day!

Went to the bookstore yesterday to get her "Bitter is the new Black", and of course a copy of "Pride and Predjudice" just so I wouldn't feel too "fluffy!":p

What are your favorites?
 
RE: Favorite

tneah-I'm a huge fan of mystery, so every summer, I read TONS of mystery fiction. Last summer, I went thru the entire number series of Sue Grafton and the entire alphabet series by Janet Evanovich (or is it the other way around? lol). This summer, I'm reading thru Harlan Coban's series. Right now, I'm waiting on my library to get the next 2 of his books for me, so I'm currently reading an Agatha Christie book...I've never read any of hers so I thought it might be interesting to see what all the hype is about her!

The rest of the year (specifically, the school year), I read more current releases that are chosen by my book club. I just got done reading an older book (chosen by a memeber) called Animal Dreams by Barbara Kingslover.

Gayle
 
RE: Favorite

I am reading a cute book, don't know if its fluff, but it is LOL funny and different. The Spellmen files by Lisa Lutz. I also just finished an older book by Lorna Landvik called Your Oasis on Flame Lake.

Deanie
 
RE: Favorite

I'm reading Barbara Kingsolver's, "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life," and Christopher Buckley's "Boomsday."
 
RE: Favorite

I'm really into Frank Peretti books right now. He write Christian Fiction that deals with the Supernatural... demons vs angels sort of stuff. He reminds me of a Christian version of Dean Koontz. Great reads that you just can't put down!

I love Harlan Coban too!! His books are a ton of fun as well.

Lynn M.
 
RE: Favorite

I love fluffy books by Jane Green. I always love reading Nick Hornby. Of course, I'm dying for the new Harry Potter. But the funny thing is, I really love reading more serious fiction during the summer. I have many fond memories of reading Anna Karenina by the pool a few summers ago! This summer I hope to find time to start reading Proust in French. And I also have Middlemarch on my list. But I'm sure I'll try to squeeze in some fun chick-lit too.

Amy
 
RE: Favorite

Gayle,
You love mysteries and you've never read Agatha Christie? I'm shocked! I'm horrified! I'm so jealous! LOL. I've read them all, a few times over, and I wish they could be all new and shiny:) Which one are you starting with? Have you read any Dorothy L. Sayers or Sherlock Holmes? I love all of those as well and have read the new "Holmes/Mary Russell" novels by Laurie R. King. So fun!

In terms of new mysteries I'd have to rec. Julia Spencer Fleming. Her first novel "In the Bleak Midwinter" won ALL six of the mystery awards when it first came out. The first novel to ever do so. She's written, I think, 5 or 6 in total, all in the same small town in upstate NY. She does a wonderful job.

For all the other readers, recently I've also really enjoyed:

"Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen---About a man's life during the Depression as the vet for a traveling Carnival. (I'd just finished watching all of HBO's "Carnivale" on DVD and needed more!)

"The Master Butcher's Singing Club" by Louise Erdrich---Not a fluff book, but one of the best I've read in a very, very, very long time.

"The Memory of Running" by Ron McLarty ---I'm not even sure I can describe this one. It was so very subtle, funny, sad, true. I loved it.

"The Evidence Against Her" by Robb Forman Dew (it's a woman with a very unusual name). This one starts out simply, but it creeps up on you. You think it's about one thing and then BAM!

"The Fingersmith" by Sarah Waters---This one is just great. It's like Dickens with all (all the mystery, twists and turns, and secret connections), but with all the sex and real life put back in. I loved every second of it.

"The Ghost Writer" by John Harwood---He's an Australian born writer and the novel takes place there and in England. It's very well written and interweaves one family's past with ghoststories written by one of the family.

"Grotesque" by Natsuo Kirino---It's kind of murder mystery about two Japanese sisters

"Cruddy" by Lynda Barry---If you haven't read this it's an amazing work about a young girl whose father is a serial killer and the fall out from that.

Today is perfect sitting in a chair in the sun and reading weather too :7

Mattea
 
RE: Favorite

Amy,

I love Nick Hornby. Which ones have you read? The only book of his that I wasn't that fond of was "How to Be Good." It just didn't flow as naturally as his other stuff. Last summer I read "Fever Pitch." Even though I know little about English football, it still had me laughing out loud in places.
 
RE: Favorite

Hi TeTe!

I think I've read everything but Fever Pitch. I'm probably biased against it because I saw the movie and thought it was so terrible. But I will probably read it one day. Most recently I read a collection of columns he wrote for some English literary journal (forget the name). The collection is called "The Polysyllabic Spree" I think, and there are several columns in which he talks about soccer, and I too was surprised that I found this entertaining. Normally I don't understand or want to understand anything about sports! Basically, he could write instructions on how to put together IKEA furniture and I'd love it.

And you know what, I loved "How to be Good"! I actually read it twice. I don't know, I just thought it was hilarious. The story certainly wasn't at all realistic, but I enjoyed him taking on a woman's voice. I agree that the book is pretty odd for him, and maybe it doesn't flow like his other stuff, but I found it so funny that I guess that doesn't bother me. And I liked the unresolved ending too. Oh, and I really loved "A Long Way Down"- that one is probably my fave.

Amy
 
RE: Favorite

Loved "A Long Way Down," but I think "High Fidelity" is my favorite. All those music references. DH has the same musical taste as the main character. Not to mention that one of our favorite record stores used to be just like the one in the book...you almost felt like you needed a membership card to get in. I liked the movie a lot, too, but would love to see a British version.

sorry to hijack... I'll stop now!
 
RE: Favorite

I just finished reading Visions in Death by J.D. Robb. I never wanted to put the book down! I found out that it's a book in a series and now i'm buying them all! If you like suspense/thriller - serial killer type books then this one is for you!

Barbara
 
RE: Favorite

I haven't read a good fluffy book in a while. The older I get, the more difficult it becomes to identify with some of the 20-30 something heroines. I did enjoy most of the Shoppaholic books.

Gayle, I love Grafton and Evanovich. I think there is a new Stephanie Plum book due out very soon. Have you read on of Dick Francis books? Love them! Also, Elizabeth George's series is one of my favorites.

Mattea, I liked the Laurie R King Sherlock Holmes books and hope she does more. I just finished Water For Elephants and enjoyed it a lot.

Right now I'm reading Ursula, Under. It's very good, but I've been so tired when I finally get a chance to sit down and read, that it's taking my forever to finish. I'm thinking of rereading The Grapes of Wrath this summer. I read it about 30 years ago and wonder how I'll view it differently now. I know, not fluffy.
 
RE: Favorite

Oh, tneah, thank you for starting this! I don't have time to read the thread now, but I can't wait to read every word this evening. Your books sound hilarious! :D
 
RE: Favorite

Hi Barbara,
I'm a huge fan of JD Robb too. I usually don't like futuristic settings but she's great at making it seem believable. I think I've read every book in this series--her dialogue cracks me up but the mysteries are what suck me in. I love Nora Roberts other stuff too--she's my all time favorite mind-candy writer.

Jonahnah:)
 
RE: Favorite

I LOVED The Starter Wife.....in fact I'm on my way to the library to get Maneater right now. But between them I read The Nanny Diaries and In her shoes. I recommend them both as well! I am really into Chick Lit right now....very entertaining but easy to put down when the kids need me.
 
RE: Favorite

Okay, this is definitely not a light and fluffy book but it was really good. It's called "Come Back" by Claire and Mia Fontaine. I read it in two days.

Of course, anything by Jodi Piccoult is great.

Emily Giffin is good as well.
 

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