Second, "The Wedding," by Sparks. I also liked "The five people you meet in heaven," by Mitch Albom.

I like to read the insides of my eyelids.

Nicholas Sparks has a website, www.nicholassparks.com There is a message board also. I have every novel he has ever written. Anxiously awaiting the next one!! ***kim***

Am I the only one who reads Janet Evanovich? If you like quirky, hilarious characters a la TV's "Six Feet Under" or "Northern Exposure" you should love her mysteries. The best ones are the those that have numbers in the titles. Just a warning though...if you start with "One For The Money" you'd better pick up the next one as well. They're addictive!

Last year while relaxing in Abaco, Bahamas, I loved reading "Step Ball Change" by Jeanne Ray...
a light hearted, quick read... laughed histerically in the hammock...
a great book to pass on.

Has anyone read the new Ann Rule book? I've heard it is about Oregon and Hawaii. Sounds interesting? Any opinions on this book? ***kim***

I also love the Janet Evanovich books. Perfect for a vacation. Also the Anne George mystery series. It features two sisters -- just hilarious. The Harry Potter books are great as well, if there is anyone left who hasn't read them. They are definitely to be enjoyed by adults as well as kids.

Kimamom,

I read the new Ann Rule book and it was just as good as her others. For every other author, I wait until the book comes out in paperback, but Ann Rule I buy the hardback. I was not disappointed in her newest.

I just finished "Da Vinci Code," "All He Ever Wanted," and "Plant Life," which I would recommend, especially "Plant Life." This is a novel by Patricia Duncan, a NC writer, about a small town in NC in which the main place of employment is a textile plant. It is infinitely insightful and enjoyable and even if you have never had the 'southern experience' you will be able to relate to these generations of women. A great read. I could hardly put it down.

Hey jlb, all your books are in my library as well! Last trip I took to Florida I had fun reading "A Trip to the Beach" by the Blanchards. It's about their trials and tribulations opening a restaurant in the Caribbean. Great recipes too!

Love this thread and look forward to it every year. I snap up anything and everything by Marian Keyes--especially 'Watermelon' and her newest, 'Sushi for Beginners.' Fannie Flagg's 'Standing in the Rainbow' makes me nostalgic for a time and place that I never knew. Isabel Wolff's 'Out of the Blue' is a good read. Jane Heller writes some of the best beach books around and I'll miss Olivia Goldsmith's humor but look forward to her last book coming out posthumously (can't remember the name).

Tess,

Sounds like we have similar taste in books. I love Marian Keyes - haven't read Sushi for Beginners yet. I'll have to order it from the library consortium. Standing in the Rainbow was wonderful too. I wish Fannie Flagg was more prolific (sp?). Welcome to the World Baby Girld was terrific too. I never knew there was such an issue as what was described there. I didn't guess the main character's "secret" at all.

I love these book recommendation threads. Thanks to Loisde especially for "Plant Life" I'm going to check out that book.

My recommendation is to head to the local thrift shop and buy a bunch of paperbacks that you won't mind leaving behind. Tons of best sellers from not too far back there.

I loved, The Woman's Number One Detective Agency & Tears of the Giraffe. The books are based in Africa, a warm and sunny read for the beach.

kimamom...ann rule is great. i read "heart full of lies" and it was very interesting. it's a true story about a couple, based in oregon and hawaii. maybe that's the one you meant.

Bennie,
lol--your post sent me to the library to check out Welcome to the World Baby Girl. It's been a few years so it's time for a re-read. I'm with you--wish Fannie Flagg would publish books more often.

Tesws - it looks like Flagg has a new book coming out in Nov - you can pre-order it on Amazon. Looks like a Christmas book a la Skipping Christmas by Grisham.

Something else you might enjoy is Cold Sassy Tree- life in the south at the turn of the century and Leaving Cold Sassy. Not new books but very interesting and well written.

I'll second the recommendation for "Cold Sassy Tree" - I read it several years ago, and loved it. I just finished reading "Tepper Isn't Going Out" by Calvin Trillin, and found it very funny and entertaining.

the queen bee of mimosa branch by haywood smith is an easy read with humor and great characters.

I also love Janet Evanovich for beach reads, very funny. Kind of like Sue Grafton's Kinsey Milhone books, but funnier and a bit raunchier.
I just finished "Last Car to Elysian Fields," a New Orleans murder mystery which was great. "Fay" by Larry Brown is a wonderful southern novel, not exactly uplifting but a very meaty story.

All of these sound great!! I'm off to Costco tonight to stock up on around six different novels for the next couple of weeks!! Keep the suggestions coming!! ***kim***