I need something to read at the beach!

[CantGetFooledAgain]

I'm looking for fiction, something entertaining and thoroughly engrossing. A page turner, if you will. Can be a thriller, or something funny, or something moving.

To give you an idea, here are some of my past faves, that I would recommend to anyone, any time:

Nick Hornby: About a Boy
Nick Hornby: High Fidelity
Nick Hornby: How to be Good
Richard Russo: Straight Man
Richard Russo: Empire Falls
Jonathan Franzen: The Corrections
Scott Turow: (Everything of his has been great)
Andrew Klavan: True Crime
Frederick Forsyth: The Day of the Jackal (and others)

...and yes, "The Da Vinci Code". I liked it, allright?

So, can anyone help me out?

[Phillycat]

1. Try The Corrections, by Jonathon Franzen

Or anything by John Irving.

[CantGetFooledAgain]

4. I love The Corrections

One of my all-time faves. I tried "Strong Motion" but couldn't get into it.

Maybe some John Irving would be good. Thanks for the suggestion! :toast:

[Phillycat]

9. I love Hotel New Hampshire and Owen Meany myself

Happy reading, enjoy the beach! :D

[terrya]

2. Michael Connelly's "Lincoln Lawyer"

Just came out in paperback. A courtroom drama. Very readable. A good page turner that's perfect for the beach. Trust me. :-)

[mikeytherat]

3. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - Robert Pirsig

For lighter fare, check out "The Areas of My Expertise" by John Hodgman - it is a riot!

mikey_the_rat

[CantGetFooledAgain]

5. ZAAMM is another of my all-time favorites.

I've read it three times.

Thanks for the suggestion. :toast:

[mikeytherat]

10. Check out "Lila," which was the "followup" to ZAMM

Not as great as ZAMM, but still a good read.

mikey_the_rat

[CantGetFooledAgain]

19. Yep, been there, done that too.

I had some more trouble with that one. He seems to get lost in the details of his philosophy. I really want to hear more about enlightenment.

[azmouse]

6. My ideas.

The Plot Against America by Philip Roth

The Green Mile by Stephen King

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

[genie_weenie]

7. The Stranger by Camus...

[malta blue]

8. Pillars of the Earth - Ken Follett

A real page-turner.

[CantGetFooledAgain]

14. This got some very positive reviews on Amazon

I'll try it. Thanks, Malta! :toast:

[malta blue]

15. Sure thing...and he is in the process of writing a sequel too

Enjoy...

Where are you going, BTW?

[CantGetFooledAgain]

17. We go pretty much every year...

...to Emerald Isle, which is on Bogue Banks, which is part of the southern Outer Banks of NC.

A quiet family-type beach, where you can rent a nice house and just take it easy.

I'm really looking forward to it this year!

[malta blue]

20. Sounds great...I am on my way to the beach this weekend

also...off to visit my mom in the Dominican Republic.

Have a great vacation!

[MissHoneychurch]

11. Matt Ruff "Set This House in Order"

I just finished it. I think it is his best book so far. Very interesting read.

[latebloomer]

12. anything by Jonathan Kellerman

His Alex Delaware series about the psychologist/sleuth, is wonderful!

[Burma Jones]

13. Carter Beats the Devil, by Glen Gold

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/product-description/0786867345

A great light read......

[SteppingRazor]

16. Given the books you listed...

I'd maybe suggest some Elmore Leonard.

[CantGetFooledAgain]

18. Yes, I forgot about him.

I've read so many of his that I've forgotten which ones I've read! They are very entertaining, but they also tend to be somewhat similar to one another.

Someone similar is Carl Hiassen. I think I'm really looking for something just a little more substantial this time around.

[SteppingRazor]

22. Hey, you said beach reading!

"Substantial" and "beach reading" aren't supposed to go together! :)

If you like Hiaasen and Leonard, though, I'd recommend Tim Dorsey -- great stuff.

If you want substantial, I'd recommend the books Empire and Multitude by Antonio Negri and Michael Hardt. They're the Das Kapital and Communist Manifesto of our times.

[CantGetFooledAgain]

24. You're right about the beach reading...

I'm definitely looking for something fictional, but maybe a little more towards the literary than Elmore Leonard. I will check out Tim Dorsey though, and the other two for when I'm looking for something more serious.

Thanks for the recommendations!

[greatauntoftriplets]

25. Tim Dorsey is a laugh riot....

The imagination that man has!

:rofl:

[Arugula Latte]

21. One that is entertaining and kinda messes w/ your mind in a good way

is "The Time Traveler's Wife" by Audrey Niffenegger. I was definitely engrossed. Plus, I liked the time traveler because he would take advantage of his abilities to occasionally do things like catch a Violent Femmes concert he'd missed the first time around ...

[martymar64]

23. Anything by Kerouac

I recommend Dharma Bums or On the Road.

[AlCzervik]

26. Thank you for Smoking, imo it is hilarious.

[av8rdave]

27. Anything by Vonnegut

Timequake and God Bless you Mr. Rosewater are two of my favs. Oh yeah, and Jailbird.

[Katina]

28. if you liked DaVinci, try Angels & Demons

by Brown. It was actually the first book and it was better than DaVinci Code.

[CantGetFooledAgain]

29. Yep, read that too, and enjoyed it a lot.

I agree, it's probably superior to Da Vinci. And it would make a great movie.

[Katina]

30. ok, then try

Barbara Freethy's "Don't Say A Word" or "Taken"

You could also try Anne Rice's "Christ the Lord"...no vampires in it.

[redqueen]

31. Anything by David Sedaris...

he's a joy to read.

If you want engrossing but not so much with the fastness, try Pynchon's Mason & Dixon... delightful but dense.

[CantGetFooledAgain]

32. Sedaris was last year for me.

I read "Me Talk Pretty One Day", which was hilarious. Then I read "Naked", which was also good but not quite as LOL funny.

I've read or tried to read everything Pynchon has written. I think it's over my head. I alwayss feel like I'm missing something important. But I appreciate that he is a great writer.

I kind of get the same feeling from Don DeLillo. Maybe I'll try again someday.

Thanks for the recs! :toast:

[Avalux]

33. Hypocrite in a Pouffy White Dress - Susan Jane Gilman

I just read this and it cracked me up; great read. Might be too girlie for ya though. :shrug:

[yellowdogintexas]

34. Have you read any Jeffrey Deaver? OH Daniel Silva is just

fantastic: The English Assassin, The Kill Artist, The Mark of the Assassin and The Unlikely Spy ...awesome if you like Frederick Forsyth or Robert Ludlum you will like this guy.

and if you have not read Robert Ludlum you should.

Also: CArole Nelson Douglas,,the Midnight Louie Mystery SEries..starts with CatNap, best enjoyed in order.

Janet Evanovich, great beach reading

both Jonathan and Faye Kellerman are great,

and I just discovered a new author team, Kathleen and Michael Gere..they specialize in Native American fiction.

[CantGetFooledAgain]

35. Wow, thanks!

Thanks for all the great recommendations. I've now gone from not having enough to read, to having too much!

I knew that DU'ers would come through!

[RetroLounge]

36. Mysteries of Pittsburgh

Michael Chabon...

Quite good.

RL