Summer reading

The Help sounds good, but I'm one of those super sensitive types who was scarred for life from reading The Kite Runner. Everything scars me. I keep waiting for my skin to thicken, but it never does.

I'm looking at:
The Lipstick Jungle by Candace Bushnell
Guilding Lily by Tatiana Boncompagni
Love and Money by Michael Thomas
 
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If you are at all interested in history/biography then I recommend The Knife Man by Wendy Moore. It's "the remarkable true story of John Hunter, a maverick surgeon who was as renowned and respected in Georgian England as he was feared and reviled."
 
Also, for something on the light side, Jen Lancaster's books are laugh out loud funny.

I've read her first three:

Bitter is the New Black: Confessions of a Condescending, Egomaniacal, Self-Centered Smartass,Or, Why You Should Never Carry A Prada Bag to the Unemployment Office

Bright Lights, Big Ass: A Self-Indulgent, Surly, Ex-Sorority Girl's Guide to Why it Often Sucks in the City, or Who are These Idiots and Why Do They All Live Next Door to Me?

Such a Pretty Fat: One Narcissist's Quest to Discover If Her Life Makes Her Ass Look Big, or Why Pie Is Not the Answer

I'm currently reading her fourth:

Pretty in Plaid: A Life, a Witch, and a Wardrobe, or, the Wonder Years Before the Condescending,Egomaniacal, Self-Centered Smart Ass Phase
 
Lipstick Jungle was really good. I am currently reading the Lifes a Beach by Clare Cook. It is a very easy read.

I also like James Patterson and Jackie Collins.

Have a great vacation and I love your new avatar. :)

Jenn
 
I disagree that Elinor Lipman writes chick lit, it's not that at all. She writes about odd characters in different social situations with different social mores. Not all her stuff is equally good. Her latest is her best: The Family Man. And that one is very funny.

Carl Hiassen: very funny stuff. Try Skinny Dip.

TGIB: excellent book.

Sue Grafton's series with the PI Kinsey Milhone are very good: loved the first one, "A is for...." can't remember what now!

Also in the detective genre, pick up the Tess Monaghan PI series by Laura Lipman. All her books are set uniquely in Baltimore, deal with its history and political problems as Tess solves crimes and deals with the people in her life and how to manage her personal relationships. Lipman is one of the best crime writers today, no serial killer stuff, way more interesting and idiosyncratic than that. Loads of her books have won awards for crime writing. It's intelligent stuff, but not "literary" so it's not going to give you a headache on holiday!

Sorry, but Candace Bushnell's writing is dull and lacklustre. If you want to be put to sleep by cardboard characters you really couldn't give a toss about.......

Clare
 
The Help has a happy ending, I'm happy to say.

I also agree with the suggestion of Skinny Dip by Hiaassen.

One of my very favorite books is The Shipping News, but I'm not sure it is vacation reading material.
 
I may be in the minority here, but I'm almost done with the Twilight series and can barely put the books down :eek: It is very fast & easy reading, which is perfect for when you do not feel like thinking :p
 
Love, love, love the Twilight series, also couldn't put them down...only problem is that there are no more...I wish there were like 10 more books cause now I don't want to read anything else or know what else to read!!!
 
Sarah Strohmeyer

My summer reading has been from author Sarah Strohmeyer. I just saw one of her books at Barnes and Noble a few weeks ago and bought it because there's a beautiful cupcake on the cover (go ahead, laugh). Anyway, I liked the book and bought 3 more by the same author and I'm on the 3rd book now. Very, very, light and fluffy reads. Quick reads too, and I'm laughing.

The titles include: Sweet Love (cupcake cover), The Sleeping Beauty Proposal, The Cinderella Pact, and The Secret Lives of Fortunate Women.

Perfect beach books - not serious at all.

I also love all of Nelson Demille's books. They're a bit more serious/mystery/adventure, and some border on conspiracy theory, but the four that feature Detective John Corey are especially great!

Happy reading!!
Carrie
 
lulubell said:
Love, love, love the Twilight series, also couldn't put them down...only problem is that there are no more...I wish there were like 10 more books cause now I don't want to read anything else or know what else to read!!!
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IKWYM, I'm almost halfway through "Breaking Dawn" and I'm trying to slow down because I'm going to be lost once I'm done reading it. I've even become one of those obsessed tweens (yep, I'm 38) waiting for New Moon the movie in November :eek: Check out www.newmoonthemovie.com ;) I might be moving onto the True Blood series next, but it may be too adult for my adolescent mind :p
 
welch said:
My summer reading has been from author Sarah Strohmeyer. I just saw one of her books at Barnes and Noble a few weeks ago and bought it because there's a beautiful cupcake on the cover (go ahead, laugh). Anyway, I liked the book and bought 3 more by the same author and I'm on the 3rd book now. Very, very, light and fluffy reads. Quick reads too, and I'm laughing.

The titles include: Sweet Love (cupcake cover), The Sleeping Beauty Proposal, The Cinderella Pact, and The Secret Lives of Fortunate Women.

Perfect beach books - not serious at all.

I also love all of Nelson Demille's books. They're a bit more serious/mystery/adventure, and some border on conspiracy theory, but the four that feature Detective John Corey are especially great!

Happy reading!!
Carrie
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If You like these then you need to read her bubbles series she wrote with Janet Evanovich they are hillarious. There are 4 books I believe but I can't remember the first one.
 
How about the JD Robb I call them the "In Death" series. Harlan Coben Bolitar series or John Sandford his "In Prey" Series. I have read all the first ones and love them. These are murder suspense I think sandford may be a thriller.

How about Joann Fluke ahe has a dessert line of murders.

I read Shoe Addicts Anonymous very cute and I have the next one by Beth Harbinson also. I think it is Diary of a Shoe Addict.

Of Course the Janet Evanovich Stephanie Plum Series AWESOME!!!!!
 
Yes, I second the recommendation of Harlan Coben's Myron Bolitar series. Excellent books, great characters and hilarious!

Clare
 
Anything by Richard Russo (especially Straight Man).

I recently finished Eat, Pray, Love (loved it) and have now started Three Cups of Tea (which is non-fiction).
 
toughYrun said:
Also, for something on the light side, Jen Lancaster's books are laugh out loud funny.

I've read her first three:

Bitter is the New Black: Confessions of a Condescending, Egomaniacal, Self-Centered Smartass,Or, Why You Should Never Carry A Prada Bag to the Unemployment Office

Bright Lights, Big Ass: A Self-Indulgent, Surly, Ex-Sorority Girl's Guide to Why it Often Sucks in the City, or Who are These Idiots and Why Do They All Live Next Door to Me?

Such a Pretty Fat: One Narcissist's Quest to Discover If Her Life Makes Her Ass Look Big, or Why Pie Is Not the Answer

I'm currently reading her fourth:

Pretty in Plaid: A Life, a Witch, and a Wardrobe, or, the Wonder Years Before the Condescending,Egomaniacal, Self-Centered Smart Ass Phase
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Elaine, the titles alone are hilarious!! Are the books as good as the titles?
 
NY25 said:
Eat, Pray, Love (loved it) and have now started Three Cups of Tea (which is non-fiction).
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I'm reading the "answer" to Eat, Pray, Love. It's the guy's version, called Drink, Play, F^*k. Instead of Italy, India, and Indonesia, he goes to Ireland, Vegas, and Bangkok! You might want to check it out!
 
Tete, that is absolutely hilarious! How is it?

Clare, I'm really surprised to learn that there's a whole mystery series I'm not the least bit aware of! I have been researching it, and it sounds excellent. Would you recommend starting with the first book from 1997, or jumping in with the latest?

Thank you all so much! I've been researching all of your suggestions. Too bad I only have one week away! I'll probably finish the first book in the airport though, as my DH likes to get there super early. Hopefully, I'll get through two more during the week.

This is a great thread!
 
Nora Roberts is always great, or her books published under J.D. Robb.

I love anything by Laurell Hamilton or Kim Harrison, but those are vampires. If you like True Blood, the books are really good. They are by Charlaine Harris.
 
nancy324 said:
Elaine, the titles alone are hilarious!! Are the books as good as the titles?
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Nancy,

Yes, the first three books are hilarious. The fourth is good enough, but not so much that it excuses purchasing it in hard back (as I did). I'm about 3/4 done and I've been enjoying it, but it doesn't quite stand up to the first 3.
 
I'm liking it more than I did EPL, but, then again, she lost me after she left Italy in that book. (Loved her description of pizza and all the other food!!!) I kinda wanted to scream at her and say, "Stop whining! Most of us don't get to take a year off to travel the world to get over a break-up and then make a fortune writing about it!"

The guy's version is pretty irreverent, and he doesn't take himself quite as seriously as she did. I just finished Ireland, which was just a drunk-fest! He just started gambling in Vegas, and I'm REALLY looking forward to Thailand!:eek:

It's fine for this type of book, but, let's face it, I'll probably forget about it two weeks after I finish it. (Much like I imagine he has forgotten most of the bodies in Bangkok!) Yeah, so it's basically one-night-stand kinda literature.

Don't buy it; I'll give you my copy when I see you!!!!:p
 
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