Best Books...I Need a Good Read

The Sookie Stackhouse Series is GREAT! Have you seen True Blood on HBO? OMG! It is outstanding...can't wait till it starts again and I am bummed that I have read all the books and that there are no more...my hubby even read all the books with me...they are very good, quick reads! ~If you choose to go with these, I recommend you buy at least the first 2, if not 3, books in the series because you will go thru them really fast and be bummed when you finish one and don't have the next one ;)

I loved the 'Dexter' books...although they are pretty gory.

The Twilight series was better than I thought...really it's a pretty good love story...way better than the movies.

I liked all the Lisa Gardner books too...these are suspense thrillers with an FBI profiler and police officer couple as the main characters!

Good Luck!

If you like historical fiction, anything by Phillipa Gregory. She wrote "The Other Boleyn Girl". I just read "The White Queen" which is set in the times of the War of the Roses, written from the perspective of the wife of Edward IV.
Tracy Chevalier wrote "Girl with a Pearl Earring" which I enjoyed.

Kathryn Stockett -"The Help"

I could not put it down,, I laughed, I got mad, and I got scared.. I cared about all of the characters..

John Irving's "A Prayer for Owen Meany" or "The Cider House Rules"

John Kennedy Toole -"A Confederacy of Dunces"

If you like suspense -anything by Harlan Coben or Jonathan Kellerman -Lee Child is great too.

I love Stephen King -especially "It" and "The Stand"

Anita Diamant "The Red Tent"

Wally Lamb "She's Come Undone" "I Know This Much Is True" or "The Hour I First Believed"

Kathryn Stockett -"The Help"

If you're into somewhat suspenseful, humorous romps anything by Carl Hiassen is fantastic and Tim Dorsey writes in the same vein. I also love James Lee Burke -his Louisiana stories and his western novels are incredible.

If you like offbeat stuff that's often hilarious -Tom Robbins. My favorite is still "Another Roadside Attraction" but "Jitterbug Perfume" is a close second!

James Patterson!! Love all of his books except Season of the Machetti. I even read an interview that someone did with him & he said that particular book was his least favorite.

He is an awesome thrill writer. He gets you so involved in his characters, you can't put the book down. You are scared out of your boots at some points waiting to see what will happen next. Your heart will be pounding, Crazy, but true. You can look at the book jacket and it will tell you which is first (they are sort of a series) but you can read them out of order and he catches you up to speed. You will find yourself in love with his writing almost immediately if you love mystery/ suspense.

anything by nora roberts her current series the bridal quartet has 4 books. but you might as well get all 4 of them as soon as you start one you will be hooked.
anything by the following authors
kay hooper
janet evanavitch
elizabeth lowell
jayne ann krents
david baldacci
jude deveraux
judith mcnaught

"The Shack" - DEFINITELY!!

I have been completely immersed and addicted to Ted Dekker lately. I am on the third series, all about the same/similar characters and settings (modern world and 2000 years in the future - and characters that can go between realities). I started with one book (on CD) and at first thought, "No way. I am returning this ASAP." I ended up leaving it in the CD player and soon I was hooked!

Some of the series I have read (well, heard anyway) and enjoyed (and in the order I have heard them):
Showdown series: "Showdown," "Saint", "Sinner" <~~~ Can read in any order
The Lost Books series: "#1: Chosen," "#2: Infidel","#3: Renegade," "#4: Chaos", "5: Lunatic," "#6: Elyon"
The Circle series: "Black," "Red," "White," "Green" <~~~ I am on this series now - one more to go!

If you aren't into trilogies, Dekker's books "Thr3e" and "Kiss" are also good ones. (I am sure they all are, those are just the ones I have read!)

Kathryn Stockett's "The Help". I got the book on CD from the library and started listening to it in my car. By the end of the first chapter, I was so engrossed I nearly had an accident. Had to bring the CDs home and listen on my computer. Got nothing done and stayed up late til it was finished.

Please read Water for Elephants before the movie comes out. The book moved me to tears, and I am afraid that the film will concentrate more on the human romance aspect and not so much of the sweeping historical context of circus life during the Depression.

Steig Larsson's Millenium series is FANTASTIC!!!!! The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest. I am sad I'm done reading them...they're very good.

Can you stand one more vote for "The Help"? And another for "Water for Elephants"?

And the Stephanie Plum books by Janet Evanovitch (don't we all wish we could choose between Joe Morelli & Ranger?). I also like the Spenser novels by Robert Parker, too, for mindless who-dunits.

"The Art of Racing in the Rain" was FABULOUS! And "I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti" was a quick read and funny (I'd call it a beach read) -- with some good recipes, by the way. Also, if you like really, really good historical fiction, "Killer Angels", about the Battle of Gettysburg during the Civil War is a terrific book -- truly fascinating.

Let us know what you chose & what you thought of it. Always looking for a good book...
Enjoy!

Depends on what you like. Did you get into Twilight? If so, there's a great series I'd recommend by Suzanne Collins called The Hunger Games. Very entertaining. They are quick reads because they are young adult fiction. The other two books are the Mocking Jay and Catching Fire. You can read part of the first chapter if you look them up on Barnes and Noble.com to see if you like it before you buy it.

I love all four of the Dan Brown books. It feels like you've taken a trip of Europe after you've read some of his books! His descriptions are awesome, and the amount of research that must go into his books is mindboggling... I feel smarter after I've read them! And they are GREAT suspense thrillers! The Da Vinci Code, Angels and Demons, etc...

The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls. I don't usually read nonfiction, but this is an AMAZING memoir.

1000 Splendid Suns, written by the author of The Kite Runner.

Why not go for a classic, like Wuthering Heights? I was surprised how much I liked it. I just started reading The Count of Monte Cristo -- a surprisingly easy and engrossing read.

The Help is an amazing read. Also just read This is Where I Leave you by Jonathan Tropper - it was great. Just started the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series. Have heard a lot of great things about the series.

I love this question.

"Garlic and Sapphires" by Ruth Reichl - it is her memoir from the time she was the restaurant critic for the NY Times.

"The Pleasure is All Mine" by Suzanne Pirret - absolutely hysterical novel

"Cleopatra: A Life" by Stacy Schiff - just started reading this one and can't put it down

I enjoyed "the Shack" it's a very interesting tale about losing a loved one, but how one finds happiness again.. it's deep, spiritual and gets you thinking about all sorts of things... I loved it..

perfume, by patrick suskind. Its haunting.Its about a baby that is birthed then abandoned by his prostitute mother at a fish market. he then is raised in orphanages because no one will take him in because he doesnt have that "sweet baby smell", he then makes it his lifes mission to try to harness the power of scent through perfumes made from real life things. He encounters a virgin that has a special scent. The story just gets wild and sinister from there on.

If you like historical fiction I'd say go with Ken Follets "Pillars of the Earth and the sequal "World Without End." Also, I'm finishing up his new book called "Fall of Giants."
My all time favorite is "Pillars of the Earth", I've read it more than once.

I'd like to put in a vote for "Forever Amber" by Kathleen Windsor. It has been out for many years and is just so good. It's a historical drama and is full of action, romance, you name it. I saw a few mentions below of "A Prayer For Owen Meany"--one of my all time favorites! And "Pillars of the Earth" was great. I can also recommend "The Kite Runner" and "A Thousand Splendid Suns," but keep in mind they were both quite emotionally wrenching. If you like crime-type books, one of my favorites is "The Alienist" by Caleb Carr.

I am not a reader, but after watching Twilight on one of the movie channels one night last March because there was nothing else on, I was hooked on the series. I had always heard everyone say how the books are so much better than the movie. So, I went to the library and checked out Twilight. COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN! Stayed up way to late many nights and let housekeeping slide, because I couldn't put them down. One of my co-workers had the other books of the series, so I borrowed them from her and had them all read within a month. I have since re-read all of them but New Moon. (Don't know why I haven't re-read it yet.) As soon as The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner came out, I snapped it up. It's the companion book to Eclipse. I have also enjoyed reading the movie books on how they made the movies, very interesting on how technical everything is in the movie making business.

Of course all of this lead to an obsession of Robert Pattinson. When we went on vacation this summer, I checked out Water for Elephants from the library to take with me. The movie for this book is due out April 15, 2011. OMG, the book is UNBELIEVABLE! Could not put it down either. I could totally see each actor in the characters of the book. I CANNOT wait to see the movie. I have not re-read this book, though I am dying to. But I am waiting until it is re-published in March with the movie tie-in on the cover. Sarah Greuen (the author) has a new book called Ape House. I enjoyed it, though not as much as WFE. It was a little harder to read, I thought, because it has so many different characters within the story.

My mom has gotten me Bel Ami as a Christmas present. It's another Robert Pattinson future movie. I read the first few pages of it on Amazon, and it had me intrigued.

I have always enjoyed reading Mary Higgins Clark novels. The chapters are short, so if you don't have a lot of time in a span to read, they are good. You don't have to stop mid-chapter because of the short chapters.

I admit, I began reading Twilight on an airplane a few years ago, and then very enthusiastically spent the rest of the summer finishing the whole series. I know it's a teen series, but it's really very entertaining.

I also love all the Vince Flynn books. He's a little like Tom Clancy, theme is political/terrorism, but with really vivid tough characters.There is an order if you get into the series and follow the characters, revolving around the lead character, Mitch Rapp. I can't remember the title of the first book. The newest one out now is actually a prequel, I believe (its on my Christmas wish list!)

"The Passage" by Justin Cronin is very good. If you like that vampire/sci fi/end of the world genre. I'm much more into that than the typical women's book club novels.

I read tons and so I have many suggestions:
These are young adult:
Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater (Linger is the sequel)
Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick (Crescendo is the sequel)
Twilight Series by Stephenie Meyer (Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn)
The Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (Catching Fire & Mockingjay are the sequels)
Life as we knew it by Susan Pfeffer (The Dead and the Gone & This World we live in are the sequels)
Percy Jackson Series by Rick Riordan
Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling

Adult:
The Sookie Stackhouse Series by Charlaine Harris
The Black Dagger Brotherhood by JR Ward (Romance with vampires)
The Clan of the Cavebear by Jean M. Auel (there are 5 books out now)
The Host by Stephenie Meyer
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

I know there's more but that's probably enough for you.

I absolutely recommend The Help!!! I was torn between reading as fast as I could and savoring it.
Easily my favorite book of 2010!

Start reading the Millennium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson. They're sooo good, I was sad when they ended :(

If you haven't read the Eclipse series, that's a good one... If you have read them, and enjoyed them, try The Host... It's by the same author but it's a completely different story. (Stephanie Meyer)

I loved The Help. It has been on the best seller list for over a year. It is about several young southern housewives in the 1940's as told by the maids. Hilarious but serious at the same time.

I like Debbie Macomber and Margaret Maron books. I've also read quite a bit of Sheryl Woods and find her enjoyable.

Carry Me Home by Sandra Kring. It's an amazing book.

Charlie St. Cloud by Ben Sherwood. I'm watching the movie now and it's pretty good, but the book is amazing. Quite a few parts made me tear up. It could be because my dad died just under 2yrs ago, or it could be just because it's a great book.

I second Stieg Larson trilogy (girl w/ dragon tatoo, etc.)! so good you cannot put down!

Child 44
The Last Child
Down River
A Prayer for Owen Meany
Peace Like a River

I think it depends on what types of stories you enjoy. If you like adventure and romance anything by Julie Garwood is great. She has everything from historical mystery/romance to modern day cop thrillers. 2 of my favorites are Ransom (historical) and Kiljoy (modern).

If you like sci fi thrillers, Dean Koontz is my favorite. He has plenty to choose from, and though he is in the horror category he is not as dark as Stephen King (whom I also enjoy).

When I need a new book I go to half price books and start reading covers.

Hope you find some you like!

My Sister's Keeper...LOVED IT...tear jerker.
If you like football, The Blind Side.

two authors ... if you want fun girlie like you are being told a story by your british best friend at a coffe shop Sophie Kinsella ... if you want a good mystery futureistic and a little steamy at spots JD Robb, "In Death" series.

It's been out for a while but I would still highly recommend Eat Pray Love. It's easily my all time favorite.

Nicolas Sparks books are all great.

My daughter (turns 16 on 12/27) introduced me to a series of books she loves.

They are by Katherine Applegate.... #1 Beach Blondes, #2 Spring Break, #3 Tan Lines and #4 Christmas

They are basically a story of some high school Jr/Sr gilrs on these trips, the relationships they encounter and how they deal with them.

Honestly, they are a bit on the younger side but they are interesting and I keep reading because they are a part of the conversations we have daily about what's going to happen, etc and wonder why she made that choice, etc and wow look at the consequesnces of those choices...

Basically....a good thing for us that also helps keep our open lines of communication WIDE open because we are going through so trying times with the driving lessons, maturity for license, etc. They just keep those doors open.

I have enjoyed all of them so far!! We are both on #3, she is slightly ahead of me because she takes the book to school.

I have to second the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. Yes, the books are long, but I loved them so much I usually finished them in about two to three weeks. Best series I've read in a very long time.

Lonesome Dove is one of the best books in the world.
Animal Dreams and Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver are beautiful, lyrical, and amazing.
The Harry Potter series is so good, you won't believe it's written for kids/young adults. Seriously. I had no idea what I was missing, and I couldn't put them down. My daughter watched a lot of TV while I was going through those!
The Twilight series is completely fun and addicting....beware trying to read those and focusing on ANYTHING else...you won't be able to stop reading until they're done. It's like eating your favorite decadent food, not very healthy, but really really good, except in this case you never get full.
Have a great vacation!

I really like the Sookie Stackhouse books, also Lovely Bones was really good. There are just so many. I reccommend you join goodreads.com its a great way to find really good books and has helped me find many. Also lauri Notaro has many books and they are all great, she is hilarious.

My latest very GOOD read was "The Cop Who Wouldn't Quit" by Rick Nelson. The one before that was "The Girl Who Fell From the Sky" by Heidi Durrow. Have fun!

The Help, no doubt about it, best read of last year for me! I took it on our vacation and I could not stop reading it!!!

I absolutely loved Raising the Perfect Child Through Guilt and Manipulation by Elizabeth Beckwith. Thought it was hilarious. I found it at the Bee Cave Library, so check your nearest library. Have fun!

Bestselling SERIES are usually a great bet, for obvious reasons.

A few of my favorite series from every genre, alphabetical by genre and then randomly, because I'm just not feeling perky enough to alpha by author:

________

FANTASY
________

The Belgariad - David Eddings - Fantasy / Epic

Twilight - Stephanie Meyers - Modern Fantasy: Vampires... surprisingly addictive

Sookie Stackhouse/ Southern Vampire Chronicles - Charlain Harris -Modern Fantasy: Vampires
((If you watch TrueBlood... btw... the books and series are quite different, done on purpose to keep each set of fans guessing))

Heralds of Valdemar - Mercedes Lackey - Fantasy / young adult

________

FICTION
________

Jack Ryan series - Tom Clancy - Fiction / military-political-espionage

Millenium series / Girl with _______ - Steig Larson - Fiction

Stephanie Plum books (wold's worst bountryhunter) - Janet Evanovich - Fiction / humor

___________________

HORROR/SUSPENSE
___________________

Dean R Koontz
Stephan King

_______

HUMOR
_______

Lipschtick - Gwen Macsai

________ - Dave Barry (really, anything by him)

Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams

__________

MYSTERY
__________

Amelia Peabody Mysteries - Elizabeth Peters - Mystery/ Historical Fiction

Nero Wolfe Mysteries - Rex Stout - Mystery (fascinating in part because they were written from the depression until the 60's... so they *almost* count as historical fiction as well. I think there are maybe 70 books in this series? Quick reads).

________

SCI/FI
________

Dragonriders of Pern - Anne McCaffrey - Sci Fi (not fantasy, promise)
(first series of books ever about people riding dragons, btw. Prior to Anne, dragons were the bad guys... like vampires were the bad guys prior to twilight & trueblood. One would occasionally find friendly dragon or vampires prior to those 3, of course, but the "standard" was dragons were to be slayed. The series has lasted for over 40 years and has 21 books and counting in it)

Stainless Steel Rat books - Harry Harrison - SciFi / Criminal Hero

Friday or Stranger in a Strange Land - Robert Heinlein - Sci Fi (okay, neither is a series, but the author is so prolific, they "count")

There are quite literally hundreds more... and genres I'm leaving out... but since there are a couple hundred books in that list, I'll stop here.

The Host
Twilight series
Eragon series
The Hunger Games series
Enchantment by Orson Scott Card
Upon Eagles Light and Chase the Wind by Clover Autrey
The Belgariad series by David Eddings
The Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind (Legend of the Seeker tv show show was based on these books)

if you like the Twilight type thing, here is a site that tells of several other books that appeal to the same type of audience, adult wise:

http://tv.msn.com/mom-pop-culture/guilty-pleasures-twilig...

Another vote for "The Help" by Stockett. =) Also, I found "Zeitoun" by Eggers quite interesting. It's about Hurricane Katrina, but not quite what you expect. "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Hosseini was heartbreakingly phenomenal. "Three Cups of Tea" by Mortenson was inspiring. It recounts his journey to become a champion for schools and education in the rural regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan.

here's another vote for the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon...
once you get into the first one you won't be able to put it down and the books can literally keep you reading for the next year. I love devouring a novel so much, so it's wonderful when a series is so long and the books in the series are so big. the best!
I'm actually reading the series again.... it's that good!

The Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon
American Gods by Neil Gaimon
The Life of Pi by Yann Martel
Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella
The Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin, Nicola Kraus

I agree with Lynn...
Anything by Nicholas Sparks!

There are so many responses, sorry if this is a repeat.

The Twlight series books are AWESOME. I felt so stupid checking them out of the library as they are in the teen section LOL!! But they are so good!

Memories of a Geisha.....absolutely amazing...and I am not a book reader....but this one I could not put down. I will pick up 30 books to read and not finish....I read this almost in one day....bought the movie and read again....

Greg Iles - Anything he writes is great. Every book I've read is set in the same town even though they aren't necessarily "series" they have reoccurring characters. The town seems a character in itself. Set in Natchez Mississippi, it has a southern feel.

EVERY book has hit the Best Sellers list too!!

His books are written from female and male points of view which are equally convincing , and he is a very descriptive writer. Completely sucks you in, be prepared!

-Blood Memory
-The Devil's Punchbowl
-True Evil
-Third Degree

http://www.gregiles.com/books.htm

After reading the other suggestions I want to read "The Shack", I have met the writer and his family several times and they are really great! Never had a clue how "big" the book was. I always hear it mentioned when he/they are around, never thought twice about it. Funny how life comes full circle....LOL

I just finished "The Leisure Seeker" by Michael Zadoorian. It is about an older couple who throws caution to the wind and takes a road trip to Disney against the advise of their children and doctors. The book does have a serious slant but their travels are filled with many humorous adventures. I laughed outloud several times.

It might be a perfect book for a trip!

Any book by James Patterson. For a serious mystery I liked Patterson's Alex Cross series.

I also liked the book "The Lake House" by James Patterson, it's not related to the movie of the same name. It's a bit (sci-fi) but the writing is so good, you get pulled in and want to stay there.

Janet Evanovich series of the Stephanie Plum books for humor and mystery. Great family dynamics and Grandma is a hoot!

Stieg Larsson books, The Girl who Kicked the Hornets Nest and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (my daughter & daughter in law loved these 2 books they are age 28 & 30.)

I'm currently reading a mystery series by Dick Francis, which focuses on horse racing, and the jockey's, owners, breeders etc.... set in England.

my go to series is JD Robb (aka Nora Roberts) the IN DEATH series.

It is set in NYC in the future but is basically a cop drama with some romance in it. some bad language and some sex scenes, and the main character is a surviour of incest. It is easy to read but not too easy. The mystery part isn't obvious fromthe beginning like some are. It is really good engaging and makes you think but not seriously heavy that it would cause crazy debate.

gosh i don't think i did a great job of selling this but i would highly recommend them.

Another series i like that is a historical romance spy series. Lauren willig is the author and some of the titles are the PINK Carnation, the Masque of the BlackTulip, Again i like the mystery part and the romance is cute lots of miscommunication pretty easy to read it switched back and forth from present day to England at the time of the french revolution.

what ever your tastes i hope you find somethign great!

The Forgotten Garden - Kate Morton. Keeps you guessing till the very end.

wicked, the life and times of the wicked witch of the west.... an adult take on a childrens tale, seriously good read! I read that and then found the rest of his books, son of a witch was good too. Geoffrey magquire (sp)

Anything by Nicholas Sparks!

Here are some of my favorites...

Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon (seen this one mentioned several other times here)... basically a historic time travel romance. It is by far my all time favorite series! The books are long, but they really suck you in!

Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer... It took me a LONG time before I gave in and read the books, once I did I couldn't put them down! Like another reply, I started the first one on a plane trip and then spent my whole summer (actually just that first week) reading the rest of the books.

A Game of Thrones... first book in the Song of Ice and Fire series. HBO is currently filming this and it will start airing in February. This is an awesome fantasy series!

Anything by Philippa Gregory... she has 6 or 7 books centered around the Tudors.

My latest favorites are "The Hunger Games" series. So Good! Like the kind you can NOT put down. To try and shortly sum it up it's about the future. Basically the government has taken control of the world and in order to keep everyone inline and not revolt they hold the hunger games every year where they pick people to go in an area and fight to the death. Of course the star girl in the book is picked along with a guy who is in love with her and well it gets pretty intense. There is fighting, a love triangle, revolting, war, comic relief etc. But just a waring if you get the first book you'll want to have the second "Catching Fire" with you too cause you'll want to start it right away. So get that book and you won't be sorry. Promise :)

Every Last One by Anna Quindlen.....good even though you know something bad is going to happen, can't stop reading
The Personal History of Rachel DuPree by Ann Weisgarber- hooked me on the first page
The Number One Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith- based in Africa- there is a whole series. All quick reads but entertaining characters and a mini African safari
The Help- fabulous and historical
have fun!

Third vote for Diana Gabaldon's book Outlander and the series that follows.

If you like adventure, Clive Cussler books are just plain fun! The Dirk Pitt novels are my personal favorite.