I loved a book called Crow Lake. It's a Canadian author so not sure if you can get it in US. but it's worth looking for.

<i>Searching for Hassan</i> by Terence Ward. Non-fiction. It's about an American family that returns to Iran (they lived there pre-Revolution) to find their family's former cook. A fascinating glimpse of an ancient culture currently in transition.

I prefered it to <i>Reading Lolita in Tehran</i>.

Steve Martin's <i>Shopgirl</i> is also in paperback now. It is different than I expected from him (I'm a huge fan of his writing as well as his acting)--funny, but very, very sensitively written.

SuzieC, I just started reading Terry Pratchett last week. I can't think of the name of the book, but it's the one in which the suitcase has legs. I'm not sure it's my cup of tea (I'm not big on SF), but it certainly offers an interesting take on traveling and tourism!

Funny: if haven't read: Lucky Jim Kingsley Amis

if you are female: Shopaholic Sopohie Kinsella

brilliant, perfect, not long: Elective Affinities - Goethe

thanks somebody for the Janet Juska reference. Somebody told me about that book a few years ago and I couldn't remember the name of it or author.

Just finished &quot;The curious incident of the dog in the night-time&quot; by Mark Haddon.

I really enjoy &quot;The No.1 ladies' detective agency&quot;series by Alexander McCall Smith.

Time Traveler's Wife, The Devil Wears Prada, and Paris to the Moon

I keep trying to shill the works of Tim Sandlin. No one but me seems to read his stuff, but they are (to me) quirky, semi-trashy comedic genius.

I also recommend just about anything by Kurt Vonnegut. Especially his lesser-known novels like <i>Mother Night</i> and <i>Jailbird</i> or <i>God Bless you, Mr. Rosewater</i>.

Just my 2 cents...

I think we read the &quot;Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time&quot; by Mark Haddon in about 2 days, I really enjoyed it.

&quot;The curious incident of the dog in the nighttime&quot; by Mark Haddon is a startling book to read - funny in places at a first glance, then again, probably tragic - and then possibly still a little bit of tongue in cheek. Lovely read.

&quot;The last juror&quot; by John Grisham is not the typical Grisham crime story, but a rather interesting novel with some diligence invested by the author to develop real characters. Worthwhile reading.

Aduren, you mentioned that you loved &quot;Pillars of the Earth&quot; by Ken Follett. Our book group read that book after it was highly recommended by Donna Cross, author of &quot;Pope Joan,&quot; when our book group had a phone chat with Donna. Anyway, that's a roundabout way of saying that you might enjoy &quot;Pope Joan&quot; -- it's a novel about the (according to legend) only female pope. Somewhat overly romanticized, but still very interesting, and everyone in our group found it a good read. If you go to her web site (www.popejoan.com) and click on the link about the NY Times article on Donna -- that is our book group featured in the article.

You might try The Magic of Provence by Yvonne Lenard. Also Victorine, about a woman in France who runs off to indochina to be with her lover. Also, liked No Reservations, by Alice Steinbach.

Has anyone read Skinny Dip by Carl Hiaasen ?
I almost got that tonight at B&amp;N then I started to get Patricia Cornwells newest...I will try to read on my flight on Monday ... testing to see if I still get airsick when I read LOL
Should I warn fellow passengers ?

Me Talk Pretty by Davis Sedaris.
My son gave it to me to read on the plane, and the other passenges beside me thought I was strange when I laughed so much. A thumbs up book.

I love it when these reading threads come up and it turns out that all these Fodorites are also avid readers( how DO we have the time?).

I was also going to suggest anything by David Sedaris, but the risk is keeping your seatmates awake all night while you snort with laughter.

JudyC and Scarlett, I thought &quot;The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time&quot; was fascinating, too!

How about Eats, Shoots &amp; Leaves? It's lightweight and funny. I enjoyed that. Another favorite was The Other Boleyn Girl. And I loved The Pillars of the Earth.

I enjoy all kinds of literature - reading is one of the joys of life. So many books so little time! Jack London and Ernest Hemingway are 2 of my favorite writers. Not just because of their great works, but of their own lives. They led lives that rivaled any adventure book you would want to read. Traveling to sites associated with them has added a lot to my travels.

Quirky titles I like include-

My Lead Dog was a Lesbian - Brian Donoghue.

Tim Cahills' books are very good.

Jaguars Ripped my Flesh
A Wolverine is biting my leg.
Pecked to Death by Ducks.

Great suggestions!

I second &quot;The Time Traveller's Wife.&quot; Easy to read, but totally engrossing!

Annette

A Brief History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson. Brilliantly written, should be required reading for every person on this earth.

For something lighter; Angels &amp; Demons and Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown.
Harry Potter definitely!

Jaques Pepin, &quot;The Apprentice.&quot;

<u>War and Peace
Ulysses
The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire</u>