I read a lot during the summer. Does anyone have any good books they want to recommend?

I've just started "Good In Bed" by Jennifer Weiner. I've only read the first chapter and am enjoying it already. Has anyone else read it?

One classic I like, but it's a pretty dark, is The Picture of Dorian Gray. I'm actually going to go look for it at the library because I enjoyed it so much the first time I read it (however this was YEARS ago, so I can barely remember the story line) but yeah, if you are looking for something on the darker side but still really good I would recommend that one.

I loved Good in Bed! Anything by Jennifer Weiner is a good read. I also just read Plum Skye's The Berdof Blondes and I really enjoyed it. I am currently reading her second novel which is good as well, The Debuante Divorce. Happy reading!

I pretty much only read books by Stephen King. I am a junkie, a dark and scary junkie. But I love them! I really must branch out. LOL

Kerri

Oh god, where to start? Anything by Isabelle Allende, House of the Spirits is a good place to start. Anything by Bill Bryson. The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (all five books in the the (increasingly inaccurately named) trilogy (yes you read that right)). Wicked. Wicked again. Time's Arrow by Martin Amis (the story runs backwards - it's trippy and deep but still a quick, fairly easy read). If on a Winter's Night A Traveller by Italo Calvino - It's a little tougher to get through, but totally worth it. Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides. I could keep going...

I recommend The Kite Runner. I enjoyed it so much I've just bought his new book. I love all the books by Harlan Coben and he has a new one out, The Woods (but it isn't his best IMO). I really like Jodi Picoult and I have a couple on my nightstand that I need to read.

Kite Runner is great, I second that, although its not necessarily a light beach read.

I like Jodi Picoult her book "my sisters keeper" is a great one, and I like Nicholas Sparks, my favorite book of his is "the Wedding." They both had me crying my eyes out

I'm still reading "Good In Bed" but I went to the library and got "Something Borrowed" and "Something Blue" by Emily Giffin. They look like 2 good reads.

I saw that the guy who wrote "The Kite Runner" has a new book out it's getting good reviews.

What a great thread! I LOVE to read! I am reading "Super Mom Saves the World" the second in a series by Melanie Lynn Hauser. It's a fun, quick read.

Is "The Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy" appropriate for a 10 year old?

I third (or fourth?) The Kite Runner - I didn't realize he had a new book - can't wait to read it. For those who love The Kite Runner, I suggest A Fine Balance, by Rohinton Mistry, and I also really enjoyed Three Day Road by Joseph Boyden (both Canadian authors).

Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy is TOTALLY appropriate for a 10 year old - in fact, that's the perfect age to start. It's one of those books that's fun on a whole bunch of levels, its just a good silly yarn but its also insanely satirical and has lots of political and social commentary worked in - very British. At 10 she or he will have fun with it, and get enough of the subtext to make it worth it, without feeling overwhelmed at all. There's no sex or romance at all except for the fourth book in the series, and even that is VERY tame - about as clean as it is possible to get, no real description - and gives you actual warnings! If you feel he/she isn't ready for that, stick with the first two or three books - they're the best, anyway.

"Good in Bed" was definitely my favorite summer read a few years ago. Actually, I've enjoyed all of Jennifer Weiner's books. I must admit to being a huge "chick lit" fan...I guess having to read ALL the classics in college as an English major has forced me to rebel.

I strongly recommend the author Jane Green. Her book "Jemmina J." was fantastic and "Mr. Maybe" was truly a laugh out loud kind of treat. Her others are pretty good, but those two are probably her best.

"Can You Keep a Secret?" by Sophie Kinsella was also a very good read. She is better known for her "Confessions of a Shopaholic" series, which does a poor job at showcasing her true talent...at least in my humble opinion.

I can't keep my head in a novel lately. I've started a couple and just set them aside. But I should have something for sitting on the deck in the evening, so I might pull out Thin for Life by Ann Fletcher again.

Has Debbie Macomber written anything new lately? I used to worship her but have not appreciated her last three series at all!

Phoebe - I agree with Jodi Picoult - I've read a few of hers and they were all good. Her latest one- I think - is called Nineteen Minutes - it's about a small community where a high school shooting takes place. Very good.

Also, The Birth House by Ami McKay is very good - about midwives vs doctors in the WW1 era.

As Treighsie said - great thread - I read a lot and am always looking for something new.