ATTENTION READERS!!! Need good book suggestions, please
 

I LOVE to read but some of my favorite authors have been slipping lately :( so I need some suggestions for good authors/books. I like fiction, suspense novels, chick lit, etc., ya know....like mindless reads. I try to avoid non-fiction, historical books, and classic literature and only read something like that if I HAVE TO.

Here's the deal...I'm going to be having surgery sometime in September :( and I'm going to be stuck in a hospital bed for 3-4 days. Then I get to recover at home but I need INTERESTING books to read to pass the time. Books that are so good that I don't want to put them down...like I have to keep reading because I want to find out what happens. I've given up on James Patterson...his stuff is not as enjoyable to read as it used to be. I already read all of the Harry Potter books and some of Sophie Kinsella books...

Can anyone help me???? Please :)

I have a literature degree, so if you change your mind about classic stuff, I can point you in the direction of some good ones! LOL...

A book that came out a few years ago "Drowning Ruth" is a great one that I could not put down. I haven't found much newer stuff that I can get into.

Janet Evanovich is funny as hell. Here is a list of a few of my personal favoriets. I am a big mystery, suspense buff. I know what you are saying about Patterson. Patricia Cornwell has gone the same way as well. Anyhow here are some of my favoriets:

Janet Evanovich
Patricia Smiley
Sue Grafton
Faye Kellerman
J.D. Robb (Nora Roberts Mystery Line)
Nora Roberts
Kay Hooper
Karin Slaughter
Robert Parker
Lisa Gardner
Tess Gerritsen
Iris Johansen
Linda Howard
Diane Mott Davidson
Jennifer Cruise
Nancy Martin
Mary Janice Davidson
Charlaine Harris
Kate White
Linda O. Johnston
John Saul
Leean Sweeney

I have a good few more but I figured that would give you a head start...lol.

Hope the surgery and recovery goes smoothly

well, if you like some anne rice, i love her mayfair witches series. it's a little odd, but you either love her or hate her. i haven't read any of her christian based stuff. i also like alot (but not ALL) of her vampire series.

if you like werewolves and other were-animals, you might enjoy Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series. it can be pretty sexy stuff ;)

East of Eden by Steinbeck is the only book that has ever made me cry real tears...

for some sexy fantasy i like Katherine? Carey...Kushiel's xxx and etc. it's also a series. (it's not romance fantasy...or um...costume play fantasy!!)

If you haven't read the Mitford series by Jan Karon, I would highly recommend it. There are 7 books altogether and they are a good read. Also, the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (all 4 of them) are a great read even if you aren't a teenage girl!!!!!

I hope your surgery goes well and is uneventful!!!

I've been reading a lot of M.J. Rose lately. The "Butterfield Institute" series is a bit racy (Dr. Snow is a therapist that deals in sexual disfunctions and such) but good! I don't have any of them here at work to tell you the titles but I think one of the latest is "The Venus Fix". Try to start with the first one though. Not necessary but helpful when she talks about past things and characters occasionally.

I love 18th/19th century literature, so I'm biased.

But what about:

Smilla's Sense of Snow (SOOOOO good)
I Know This Much Is True
In Her Shoes
The Historian (supposedly EXCELLENT, can't put it down type stuff)

I'm a paranormal romance sucker and read it about 2 books aday on my freetime (I love it so much!).. if you haven't read any Chrisine Feehan books (lots of romance/action) and of course Sherrilyn Kenyon, Laurell K. Hamilton, and Angela Knight. I have many of their books. I had over 500 books total of romance but i gave them away to friends in our small little book club since I've stopped reading so much. I still have a few left for free, you just need someone to pay shipping.

Dean Koontz.....he's all i read. His new paper back the Husband has been pretty hard to put down.

But you should read "watchers" first. It's about an amazing golden retriever & trust me you will cry, I balled like a baby.

My other favorites by him are "From the corner of his eye" & "false Memory" the odd thomas & frankenstein series by him are also very good.

I've TRIED to read classic lit, believe me. I received recommendations for 'Tender is the Night' and got EXTREMELY bored after pg 40ish. Started reading 'Exit to Eden' but never finished it. I DID like it though so at some point I want to go back and finish it. Not sure if that's the book I want to read post-op :rolleyes: . I bought 'Lolita' because a friend recommended it but I haven't picked it up, yet. One of my friends in grad school recommended a ton--Pride and Prejudice, Atlas Shrugged, The Fountainhead (she liked Ayn Rand) but after she told me that she LOVED 'Great Expectations' and I wasn't a fan, I was a bit skeptical about her recommendations LOL :D
I guess I'm not TOTALLY anti-classics because there are a few that I liked but I'm just not sure I can get into them post-op. What did you have in mind?

ME too But I have ran out of books to read of his :)


James Patterson is Great and if you like medical thrillers Robin Cook :)
But as soon as Dean gets another out I am on it.
I Loved Watchers.. and also

Intensity... this one gave me scary dreams LOL

I found these books got great reviews, but I haven't read them myself to say:


4. Northern Lights by Nora Roberts. Roberts has written dozens of novels, but this is one of her all-time best. Set in the Alaskan wilderness, this unforgettable tale features murder, mystery, quirky characters, and of course, romance and a surprise ending. A spot-on portrayal of small-town life and the powerful bonds of community make this an extraordinary summer read.


5. Good in Bed by Jennifer Weiner. This first novel from super-popular Jennifer Weiner is perhaps the funniest and most poignant of them all. When Candace Shapiro learns that her ex-boyfriend writes an advice column called "Good in Bed" for a new women's magazine, she is mortified. Cannie's trials and tribulations -- weight troubles, men troubles, job troubles -- will ring all too true. Don't miss this talented author's debut novel -- it'll have you laughing out loud between reaching for your hankie.


7. Can You Keep a Secret? by Sophie Kinsella. Imagine confiding intimate details of your life to a handsome stranger sitting next to you on a plane, thinking you'll never see him again. Imagine learning that he is, in fact, your new boss. This flirty, funny, fast-paced romance will have your beach chair neighbors wondering what you keep laughing about while your nose is stuck in this addictive book. Fabulous fluff, the quintessential escapist summer read.


A thriller: Shutter Island
In the summer of 1954, U.S. Marshalls Teddy Daniels and Chuck Aule visit Shutter Island off the Massachusetts coast to visit a maximum-security prison and institution for the criminally insane. They are there to investigate the apparent escape of a woman named Rachel Solando, although her escape seems impossible. Teddy and Chuck discover that illegal experiments are being conducted on the prisoners under the auspices of fighting the Cold War. As an approaching storm reaches hurricane strength, Teddy's past comes back to haunt him and nothing appears to be what it seems anymore. Dennis Lehane's novel is a dark, suspenseful story that will keep you guessing until the end. The Washington Post says of Shutter Island, "It is enough to say that the novel is brilliantly conceived and executed, and that its shocking outcome kept me awake, deep into the night, as I began to grasp what the author had done to my innocent mind -- and he will do it to yours, too, if you let him."

I LOVED Anne Rice in college. I read all of her Mayfair Witches books and Vampire Chronicles. They stared to get boring after a while, though. I think I stopped at Vampire Armand...

I haven't finished East of Eden yet but I will at some point.

ANYTHING by Jodi Picoult is amazing. By far My Sister's Keeper is the best one. I've read Picture Perfect, Salem Falls, My Sister's Keeper, Second Glance, and The Pact.

Also, Nicholas Sparks is awesome too. I'm reading Dear John right now and it's really good. He wrote The Notebook and A Walk to Remember. I also read The Guardian which was so good.

Needless to say, I love reading. I am on my ninth book of the summer. But seriously, try those 2 authors, you won't regret it!:)

I read I Know This Much is True...I LOVE Wally Lamb. She's Come Undone is my FAVORITE book :)

They sound pretty good. I read Can You Keep a Secret earlier in the summer...I was LMAO :p

Thanks everybody...I didn't realize I'd get such a quick response--I can't keep up :). I'll have to check out all of these recommendations in the next few weeks and stock up.

Thanks for the well wishes. I can't exactly have my laptop in the hospital when I'm stuck there for a few days. I probably wouldn't have internet access...

I have spend boocoo bucks buying his out of print books off of ebay. I have almost everything he's ever released....over 60 now.

That's great you already read one on the list and enjoyed it!...maybe the others are just as great...have a fun time reading, it's such a great escape to be caught up in a good book!!...

I love Jodi Picoult. I highly recommend her books. She is cross between chick lit and suspense as her books always have some twists to them. I have several of her books if you want me to send you one or two. I usually give my books away since I don't reread. If you are interested, pm your address. I will also have to look at home and see which ones I have...I think I have The Tenth Circle and My Sister's Keeper.

Well you let me know I have Hundreds of paperbacks I can send you some;) any time I'll even pay shipping for you :)

LOL me too;) even a few of his worte under another name ;)
Only one I am missing is intensity. I barrowed it out and didn't get it back..
I do like the earlier stuff better though:)

I will agree with you about Great Expectations, as well as other Dickens books. A lot of people give Dickens more credit than he really deserves. Personally, I find the plots very contrived. If you put it into the context of the era in which they were written and their serial nature, you can appreciate them for the purpose they served at the time, but as for deep or thought-provoking...you're better off looking elsewhere.

I never read Tender is the Night, but I have read The Great Gatsby several times and have written a few papers on it. Fitzgerald's short fiction is a lot of fun to read. Hint about Fitzgerald: there is so much there, that his books (and short stories) require several reads to really catch it all. Example, the short story: "Babylon Revisited." Read it once, then read it again, and I guarantee you will change your mind about Charlie.

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is a great read.

If you're looking for something different, Louise Erdrich writes beautiful Native American fiction, and Tracks is a really great book written from shifting perspectives.

wow!! another LKH fan.
did you like or hate micah? i thought it was a waste...too short!! i read some of her fairy series, but didn't get into it as much.

I absolutely love reading and go through books like toilet paper...Here are a couple of suggestions!

The Devil Wears Prada and Everyone Worth Knowing--Lauren Weisberger

Any book by Mary Higgins Clark--Mystery/suspense...very easy, page-turners...Little Girl in Blue (I think is her newest in paperback is really good)

Marley and Me--David Grogan--in the middle of reading this one and I absolutely love it, its like a memoir but very cute...I'm sure you've heard about it!

Bergdorf Blondes and Debutante Divorce--Plum Skyes--Funny I call it rich B**** novels haha...along the same lines as The Devil Wears Prada.

Also in that genre...The Second Assistant--Mimi Hare and Clare Naylor!

Nicholas Sparks--all of his books are good romantic novels!

Gosh there are so many great books...I can't even think of them all...I know you said you already started reading the Shopaholic Series, I would suggest reading the ones you haven't because they are all very good.

And I know you said you already read all the Harry Potters but it might be fun for you to read them all 1-7 again in a row and see how everything forshadows and stuff...If I had the time I would love to sit down and do this :)

I loved Marley and Me...I cried and cried...I was a pathetic mess reading that book.
I also read the Devil Wears Prada and some Nicholas Sparks books. Seems like we have similar taste in books...I also go through them like toilet paper. Especially since I don't work during the summers, I have plenty of time for books.
I was actually thinking about re-reading the harry potter books but some people already think I'm over the top when it comes to those books...wouldn't want them to know that they are actually right ;) :p

Haha...I completely understand my boyfriend does not understand how I can just re-read the Harry Potter books over and over again, but honestly they never get old or repetitive they are just so well-written.

OH I forgot a couple of books the Da Vinci Code and the one that was published before that one are also really good. I have also heard good things about the Historian but haven't actually read it myself.

My sister's best-friend growing up wrote a very funny but short book called "Men Are Like Underwear" you can order it online at www.menarelikeunderwear.com. They don't sell it in stores because she had it independently published, but it is very funny. Compares types of underwear to types of men!

I'm trying to think what other books that I have read that you might like...hmm let me think and I will post again.

I'm only about half way through with Marley and Me...I work 40 hours a week and at night spend most of my time taking care of Lucy...but everyone tells me it's really sad, I've only hit one really sad part, so I don't know what's in store for me.