Beach reading?

These recommendations are more like entertaining instead of trash.

Fool's Run by John Camp. And any of the Fletch series by Gregory McDonald.

Rick Olson's Maui Whispers--perfect trashy beach reading.

Candace Bushnell's books are great beach reads. She is the author behind the Sex and the City series.

I find Patricia Cornwell books to be good for beach reading as well. They're quick crime/mystery reads that are interesting.

>>I also love the Miss Julia books - and the Mitford series - altho I am afraid to make the orange cake in the last one b/c it may kill any desire I might have to ever lose weight!<<

It's really, really good, though.... ;-)

Lee Ann

For those who might like to sit by the ocean with a nice drink or beer at hand and contemplate the disasterous effects of the ocean on peoples' lives, let me suggest Lawrence Kusche's THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE- SOLVED, the only book of the genre worth reading. By doing a little bit of detective work, Kusche solves nearly all the "strange occurences" that some unknown force in the Bermuda Triangle somehow caused.

My thanks to JJ5 and LovesItaly for your suggestions, I appreciate your kindness!

My ideas...
I too agree about the Mitford series, they are unlike no others, just good, happy books, a book tht makes you want to live there and long for a day when life was that simple. I read the first five and then stopped because that was all there was at the time, I should pick up the next books in the series now, I have heard there is more now.

One of my all-time favorites, but not a trashy beach read is "Memoirs of a Geisha" Arthur Golden is an excellent author, I wish he would write another, you just find yourself unable to put this one down.

Midnight In The Garden of Good and Evil, a must read especially if you are traveling anywhere near Savannah.

And my selection for a beach read, although not trashy is Julie & Romeo, it is a funny lighthearted book about a not-so-young couple that starts "going steady" and how their families react to it. It is a quick read, I found it very funny.

For another kind of easy to follow book, I enjoyed The Horse Whisperer.

I love Tracy Chevalier books, they are book and quick reads.

Michael Faber's The Crimson Petal and The White, one to sink your teeth into.

And another for lighter but smart reading is the Kay Scarpetta series by Cornwell. Forensic science at it's best. Start with Postmortem, her first, and work you way through every one. Marino, Kay, Lucy, they will all become your best friends. I wish I had another series like hers to read, although like I said in an above post, I am enjoying the beginnings of Patterson's Lindsey Boxer books very much and just what I need right now! Easy, but interesting!

One last one, I really enjoyed Wally Lamb's I Know This Much Is True, but did not like his other, She's Come Undone. I Know This Much is dark but has alot of sarcasm, even though it is bleak, it did makes me laugh because he just works his way through it wih sarcasm, I should read that again. She's Come Undone was just too dark for me.

I love it every spring and summer when someone starts one of these book threads as to bring a new book along to travel. Thanks flygirl.

Safe journey, T.

Tiff, Memoirs of a Geisha is one of my all time favorites, too. Fabulous book.

For those of you who like Patricia Cornwell, try Kathy Reichs. Her character, Tempe Brennan, is a forensic anthropologist based in Charlotte and Montreal, so there is a travel element. At one point in each book you'll get creeped out by some aspect of forensic science.

Yes, Carolyn, it is Carolyn Hart's Annie Darling I was thinking about. And the baker-sleuth is Joanne Fluke's series featuring Hannah Swensen. Recipes are usually included.

This thread is great! Half.com thinks so too since everytime somebody mentions one I might like I sprint over to see if it's available. On the other hand, our letter carrier is getting a little testy.....

And how are you finding those flight manuals, Flygirl? Did ground school ever leave you feeling overwhelmed like I am at the moment? I was feeling so positive at the beginning of the week too. Sigh.

April - hang in there! once you start flying it will all click - reading can be dry. What I'm doing now is mostly review and at some point I gotta tackle the AIM/FARs. (ugh).

if you get a chance, buy Rod Machado's private pilot book. he's a hoot! he spells it out clearly and jokes a lot too - and if he comes into your area for a speech, go to it! it's like a comedy routine - a lot of war stories, along with good advice. His last "seminar" was called "How not to be on the 11 o'clock news". ha ha ha (my ground school instructor also had a dark sense of humor, he'd start each class with "a new way to kill yourself in an airplane". watch out for those flat spins!!)

another good one to get is Stick and Rudder. It was written in the 40s, believe it or not, but the basics still apply. I may actually read that one again, it's good to dip into once in awhile.

what I did in ground school was get up each morning at 6 AM and read until 730 AM then got ready for work. and some studying in the evenings too - and wkds of course. it's only 6 weeks - set a timer for yourself and go! it's well worth it.

Tiff, so sorry about your Dad. :-( and your recent loss too. I'll take a look at my bookshelves to see if I can reco anything that sped by as I read it.

y'all will laugh, but I've narrowed it down to two books to pick from. One is "Out of this Century" which is Peggy Guggenheim's autobiography (never did finish it, started it, set it aside but picked it back up again this week - she's funny!! she came from a crazy and colorful family too.) a quote - when her mother accepted Mr. Guggenheim's hand, the telegraph to the family should have read "Florette chooses Guggenheim smelter" but instead the telegraph said "Guggenheim smelt her". ha ha. so far it appears to be a collection of nuttiness about her family.

the other choice: "Moab is my washpot" which is Stephen Fry's autobio. I'll likely just take Peggy's b/c then I'll finish it for sure.

I'm not a big fan of murder mysteries most of the time, but I do enjoy Nevada Barr's. Every book is set in a different national park. Good, easy reading...and a bit of armchair traveling at the same time!

Thanks for the encouragement and tips, Flygirl! I needed that. (Our ground school is 10 weeks.) Guess I should get myself in the air. Everyone says so. 'How not to be on the 11 o'clock news' - I love it.

Great post! Definitely the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon.

Oh how could I have forgotten the trash beach reads of all time- the long, long running Archie McNally series by Lawrence Sanders. Join Archie on the beach and in all of his escapades. And grow to love his Mom & Dad, as well. It's cocktail time in the library at the McNally's residence promptly after Archie's late afternoon swim. And you'll get invited to all the Palm Beach supper club and private parties afterwards, as well. I always wonder what Archie and Binky will be wearing this time.

Will Connie ever get him to put a ring on her finger? Or is everything too perfect for the rascal or herself to want to change a thing, except his fidelity quotion. Someday we may know. But Archie never seems to age, or forget a pretty face either. Oh to have a man with such artistic sensibilities and yet such macho around!

Beach reading:
anything by Tim Dorsey
Hunter S. Thompson's The Curse of Lono - also recommended for anyone planning a trip to Hawaii

ElendilPickle - Thanks for the encouragement about the cake - I may give it a try at Easter when I have a houseful to help eat it!
All of the Margaret Truman books - with each one set in a different "landmark" of Wash DC are also entertaining and almost educational.

well, it's decided, and I did take both books above. I figure I'll finish at least one and start on the other.

Tiff, didn't have a chance to look for books last night, but one that sprang to mind as a fun quick read was Bridget Jones Diary - the first one - even if you already saw the movie it was cute.

bon vwoy-a-gee! that's all folks.

What about the Alexander McCall Smith No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series? They are so much fun!

Shirley, I agree.