Thought I'd get a thread started where we can all put down some of our favorite books that will give other's ideas on what to pick up for summer readers while sitting on the beach or a relaxing day in the backyard...

Here's mine:

- Confessions of a Shopaholic (followed by Shopaholic takes Manhatten, then Shopaholic ties the Knot)
- Lovely Bones
- The Pelican Brief (its old, but one of my faves)

Those are some that I've read, and I'm wanting to read:

- The Devil wears Prada
- Trading Up
- Girls' Polker Night

I'm so bad, I don't read. While I love reading, I haven't been able to find time to read a book in years. I love Danielle Steel and VC Andrews though

I am in the process of reading the Purpose Driven Life.. I have mixed emotions about it but for the most part I am enjoying it! I've always liked the notebook and and of course juicy romance novels!!

I'm one of those people who usually has at least two books and several magazines going at a time -- I just can't get enough to read. I'm insatiable! Right now I'm reading The Master Butchers Singing Club by Louise Erdrich for fiction, and The Art of Happiness by the Dalai Lama for nonfiction. Both are absolutely excellent and I'd wholeheartedly recommend them! (For magazines, the current frontrunner is FitnessRX for Women, with Health a not-so-distant second. Love 'em both!)

Maybe I'll return with a short list of some of my faves.

Great thread, Brooklyn! (And may I say it's nice to see you back! )

I read like a maniac! My taste is very diverse. I can go from something about the meaning of life to a nice romance novel. I will have to work up a list of my favorites. My all time favorites are The Dune series by Frank Herbert. Now, those are some books that any reader can take a message from. I'm not even a sci-fi fan, but those books just rock my world and then some!

here's my favorite, yet again:

good in bed by jennifer weiner

i'll also suggest some other fun light reads:

summer sisters by judy blume
angels by marion keyes
sushi for beginners by marion keyes
can you keep a secret? by sophie kinsella

these are all fun chick lit books.

Girls Poker Night is a great read!

I've also liked
The Pink Slip
Best Friends
Mr Maybe
See Jane Date
and several others that I can't think of off the top of my head.

Great thread!

Daners - it's so good to see you!!!

Gretchen: Purpose Driven Life.. changed my life (my signature is from that book) If you can.. do the book with a friend.

Good thread - I need to find a new book to read.

Dana- I am actually reading it with 3 others. Its interesting because we are all getting something a little different from it..

OK...I'll admit it...I pretty much only read romance novels. Every now and then Ill read a non fiction book on Civil War History or something, but mainly novels and magazines. Wow... I really need to expand my library to include some worthwhile reading materials! But, I really like to do needle crafts more than reading. Ive usually got a lapfull of yarn crocheting something, or cross stitching, or scrapbooking, or sewing, or painting something. Im a sucker for most " old fashioned " hand crafts. I read crochet patterns all the time...does that count?

I just finished "Angels & Demons" by Dan Brown (he also wrote "The DaVinci Code"). They're both really fun, easy-to-read books ... thriller/mystery fiction books, both surrounding some concepts from Catholicism.

I like to read historical fiction. One author's name is Margaret George. She wrote books about Mary Queen of Scots, King Henry VIII, Cleopatra, Mary Magdalene, etc. I haven't read all of them but Mary Magdalene is on my list for later this summer. Rosalind Miles wrote a book called "I, Elizabeth" which was about Elizabeth I - actually I read this one twice.

I've read a couple by Edward Rutherford (he has those big Sarum, Russka, London etc. novels). And I read an interesting one about the last Tsar of Russia, though I can't remember what it was called... And I'm about half way through "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich" by William Shirer (though this is a really detail intensive book, so I've been about half-way through forever, but someday I will finish!).

I'm also a bit of a fan of science fiction fantasy, though it's been years since I sought out any new authors. When I was younger, one of my favourite fantasy authors was David Eddings.

Dana - Did I miss something while I was gone? A BABY is on the way? :baby: CONGRATULATIONS! (or CONGRATULATIONS, depending on the case. )

As for books....Sarah, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Louise Erdrich! I thought I was the only person who read her books! No one around here has really heard of her.

Dana - I would suggest " The Lovely Bones" by Alice Seabold, its been on the bestseller lists for over a year now and I can totally see why... Its amazing, really tugs at your emotions..

Keep the Ideas coming ladies - this is great! I've written down tons of ideas...

Celina - I also liked The Lovely Bones. Another one is Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts.

I am reading two books right now. The Return of the King By Tolken and The Rough Riders by Theodore Roosevelt. I had to take a break after reading the first two books in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy so that is when I started the Rough Riders. It's a very interesting book on the Spanish American war.

My favorite book is Jubal Sacket by Louis Lamore. I also love reading Charles Dickens.