For a bit darker variation of the Harry Potter / CS Lewis Narnia genre - try Philip Pullman's The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass. A very different take on the ideas of good and evil. Some religious groups have condemned his books as heresy. The first two are good while the third (Amber Spyglass) I thought a bit too ambitious - but you need to read all three. Pullman has just gotten a movie making deal.

"A Soldier of the Great War" by Mark Helprin fits with several of your criteria. <BR><BR>Great story, well developed characters, and engaging. Covers the life of the main character, as told in retrospect by him, about his life in Italy before, and just after, World War I. Only lesson in the book is to focus on the natural beauty and aesthetics around us.<BR><BR>BTW, Kitchen Confidential is a good read in the non-fiction category.

Question: If a book is a no-brainer, how could it also be a page-turner?

Simple entertaining easy reads.<BR>Anything by Nevil Shute. Suspense , history , romance , humour they have it all and easy to "fall into".

I enjoy Anne Perry's Victorian mysteries and Barbara Michaels/Elizabeth Peters' books. Also, Rosamund Pilcher's books are good. I recently read Starting Over by her son, Robin, and it was good too.

Another vote for Nelson DeMille, just finished The Lion's Game, about mid-eastern terrorist, very timely. Great read. I also love Rosemund Plicher, also recently read Winter Solstice, beautifully written. She absolutely paints pictures with words!

Anything by Rosamunde Pilcher or "The Pilot`s Wife" or "Fortune`s Rock" by Anita Shreve! Love Bill Bryson, too.

All oldies ... Another vote for Pat Conroy - Love all of his books but Beach Music is my ALL time favorite. Also, Nelson DeMille - The General's Daughter & The Gold Coast. Both are captivating from the very beginning. And, last but definitely not least by a long shot ... a great book to enthrall you - Stephen King's 'The Stand'. A long and much enjoyed read (great for a transatlantic flight).

Excellent recommendations here. I second (or third) Diana Galbaldon's Highlander series, but make sure to read them in order; Ken Follet's Pillars of the Earth, or anything else by him; Rosamunde Pilcher's The Shell Seekers; anything by Rosalind Laker, especially To Dance With Kings (about Versailles), The Golden Tulip (about Amsterdam), The Venetian Mask (about Venice). They are considered historical romance, but without sex. The Winner by David Baldacci is definitely a page-turner. Anything by Nelson DeMille, however, I think you should avoid The Lion's Game while traveling -- there is a bit more reference to terrorism than you may want on vacation.

Just thought of another excellent novel about 17th Century Amsterdam, Tulip Fever.

A second for Nevil Shute. I remember sitting in the back yard as a teen reading On the Beach, my mother calling me to do the dishes, and my thinking, "Why bother--the world's going to end anyway."

Glad to see I'm not the only Nelson DeMille fan out there!<BR><BR>How about Patrick Robinson -- his books are almost prophetic. Very spooky. There's the one about the American sub being captured by the Chinese, the planes exploding in the sky (well, maybe that's not the one to read on your flight...) They're technical enough to be interesting but not nearly as technical as Clancy's. You know who does what, so it's the chase that's so engrossing. Loaned one to my friend and she couldn't put it down (even read it during a pedicure).<BR><BR>I'm a huge Harry Potter fan -- but buy them in an English language bookstore Europe (you get the British edition). BTW, am I the only Harry Potter fan who won't see the movie?

The suggestions have been great. I've actually gone and bought the first three Harry Potter books. Now, I just have to hide them from myself until my trip. Thanks for the Bryson suggestion too. Will order those books on Amazon; I had trouble finding them at the bookstore,

topping for Judith

Judith...<BR><BR>Bryson is in most of the larger bookstores I've been to. He is usually in the travel section, under travel narratives, or something like that. I've seen his books at airport bookstores too, in the travel section.<BR><BR>Enjoy your books!

I was glad to see the British writer Ruth Rendell mentioned as a must-read for mystery fans (Lori!!). She also writes as Barbara Vine. Her misteries are set up in contemporary England (especially London) and are outstanding suspense and storyline. <BR><BR>As far as mystery, "The Secret History" from Donna Tartt was also really, really good. <BR><BR>Also, a book called "The Plague Tales" by Ann Benson, about how an archeological field research in London unleashes the virus that caused the Plague at a time when antibiotics have become obsolete. The story runs paralell with the story of a Medieval doctor who is trying to stop/cure the Plague epidemic ravaging his French city. At the end both stories intertwined for a great and surprising ending. Interestingly enough, this was the first Ann Benson mistery book. She was a tourist in London when she got the idea for this book after witnessing people doing work in what had been a burial ground for Plague victims.

"Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates" by Tom Robbins - offbeat and funny.

My favorite book is 1984 by George Orwell. I can't put it down once I start reading it.

For popular fiction I don't think you can beat Stuart Woods.

I find anything by Susan Isaacs fun (discoverd her after seeing movie "Compromising Positions") Also all Patricia Highsmith's books about "the Talented Mr. Ripley" will keep you turning las paginas! And tho she is in a much loftier league than the above, I can never put down a book by Alice Munro.

Grandma, I second the 'Talented Mr. Ripley' and I do hope you saw the film, the location shots in Italy were fabulous!

Grandma, I'm with you on Susan Isaacs. Compromising Positions was a hoot and her other books are good reads, too.

Hi, My vote goes to Matt Reilly's Ice Station. Takes place in Antarctica. World governments are all positioning themselves for rights to the ice station in order to claim an umknown structure determined to be located beneath it. I call it the commando book. The protagonist, Schofield, has to deal with many dastardly situations to both stay alive and maintain the station for the USA. Many twists and turns. What more can one man do? A word of warning...the first few pages feel like sci-fi, then there is a sudden turn thriller/espionage.<BR><BR>Everyone I lend it to cannot put it down.<BR><BR>linda

Anything by Maeve Binchey is good and entertaining , (Ireland background)...though I like Rosamond Pilcher perhaps a little better (Scotland and England).

- The Chatham School Affair by Thomas Cook<BR>- Los Alamos by Joseph Kanon<BR>- mysteries by Ian Rankin (take place in Scotland)<BR>- Berkut by Joseph Heywood<BR>- Bone People by Keri Hulme<BR>- Zero to the Bone by Mary Willis Walker

Several come to mind....<BR><BR>Michael Dibdin: Aurelio Zen detective novels (set across Italy in various locations - Naples, Rome, Tuscany, Venice etc.- and very, very good: an insight into Italian mores laced with acidic humour and just the right amount of nastiness).<BR><BR>Allan Massie: The Roman Series: "Caesar", "Augustus", "Tiberius", "Nero's Heirs". Historical novels which illuminate the treachery and intrigue of Roman Politics. Covering similar ground to Robert Graves' masterpieces "I, Claudius" & "Claudius the God" but IMHO more of a page turner.<BR>Julian Rathbone: "The Last English King" about the Norman Conquest of England and the downfall of King Harold. Spell binding!<BR><BR>Also for laugh out loud moments, light hearted fun you can't go wrong with any PG Wodehouse (I particularly enjoy the Jeeves & Wooster stories and Blandings Castle series), Tom Sharpe's "Wilt", "Porterhouse Blue" and other titles (ribald comedy by the Wodehouse de nos jours - do not read if easily offended!) and finally the late, great Douglas Adams' "Hitchikers Guide To the Galaxy" series - a trilogy in five parts. If you don't end up getting strange looks when reading those titles from the constant guffaws you're emitting then there's something wrong - or you're sat in the bath.

Dead Man's Walk by Larry McMurty (Lonesome Dove characters' younger days). Very good. Also "Drawing of the Three" by Stephen King. Second of a series - considered science fiction but my favorite. Last but not least, "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" (forget author - think Smith).

other ideas?

Just finished a couple of books by Anita Shreve: &quot;The Last Time They Met&quot; and &quot;The Pilot's Wife&quot; and enjoyed both of them.<BR><BR>I haven't read all of the replies so perhaps I'm repeating someone's suggestion but I also really like books by David Sedaris, particularly &quot;Me Talk Pretty One Day.&quot; There's a hilarious section with him trying to communicate in French before he really has a good grasp of that language.

&quot;See Jane Run&quot; Kept me up all night reading. Don't recall who wrote it---read it 10 years ago!

Judith,<BR><BR>The latest bio of Pres. Bush, authored by David Frum, will no doubt satisfy the former, but I have real concerns about its page-turning potential.

&quot;The Lovely Bones&quot; would definitly qualify as a page turner/can't put it down book. Anything by Joy Fielding (who wrote &quot;See Jane Run&quot;)is good. I enjoy all the Jeffrey Deaver mysteries as well as Kathy Reichs' (a new and better Patricia Cornwell). My husband started Patrick O'Brian's Captain Aubrey series on a trip several years ago and was instantly hooked.

Geez...<BR><BR>I'm surprised no one has suggested John le Carre. His earlier books are terrific. Sadly, his later efforts are only echos of his greatness. The &quot;Tinker, Tailor...&quot; trilogy is nothing short of brilliant and nemero uno is &quot;Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy&quot;; simply the best spy novel ever written. The only caveat is that it requires you to bring your brain along for the ride.<BR><BR>Enjoy.<BR><BR>You're welcome.

Not exactly a no-brainer but I think it is a brain-stunner - Seven Years in Tibet by Hienrich Hesse (or something like that) - forget the drippy Brad Pitt movie.

Hi Judith, &quot;The Beach House&quot;, by Mary Alice Monroe, great read, very touching. In another vein, thriller/chiller, &quot;Blindsighted&quot; by Karin Slaughter, also by Karin, but verrrrry dark, &quot;Kisscut&quot;. I also likes Lisa Gardner's &quot;The Survivors Club&quot;and &quot;the Perfect Husband&quot;, by Lisa is a classic thriller IMO. <BR>Judy

One of the best books of last year - The Weather in Berlin - A Novel by Ward Just

Just finished reading &quot;The Lovely Bones&quot; by Alice Sebold; it grabs you from the start and doesn't let go. Admittedly, it may not be the type for a light vacation read. It's definitely a page-turner with a unique plot --- it's the story of a young 14-yr old girl who was raped &amp; murdered and is now in heaven telling her story.<BR><BR>After flying thru that book, I'm now reading the novel &quot;Bel Canto&quot; by Ann Patchett. It's set in South America and is about a kidnapping ... well, again, maybe not the best if you're traveling outside the country. It's got a diverse group of characters that are being held captive by the revolutionaries.

The Master and Margarita by Michail Bulgakov is a book I keep rereading. Not a no-brainer but certainly a page turner.

I love taking mysteries/suspense novels with me on trips. Those with a touch of humor, such as books by Carl Hiaasen, Tim Cockey, and Anne George are great and engrossing. Christopher Reich and Kathy Reichs are good as well.<BR>In other genres, the Miss Julia books by Ann Ross are pretty engrossing and Bill Bryson or P.J. O'Rourke are amusing and interesting.

Dont' read a book on a long plane trip! Especially a good book you can't put down. You will arrive totaly jet lagged and waste the first day of your holiday.<BR>Watch the boring movies still they send you to sleep, when you wake up, drink water, do your exercises, go back to sleep.