h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

If you like light girlie sh.. I mean stuff, that makes you laugh, then Wendy Holden's books (Fame Fatale, Simply Divine, Bad Heir Day et al) should fit the bill.

Lori Foster does a good detective story, with erotic overtones (Mills an Boone, she ain't!)





For some good fantasy, I recommend;

Terry Goodkind, 'Wizards First Rule', the first in the 'Sword of Truth' trilogy.

If you like gritty American detective Patricia Cornwall stuff, Sara Paretsky's VI Warshawski books are good especially Killing Orders (set in the Catholic Church) and Deadlock (Set in the world of Great Lakes shipping)

too both of the above

Memory jog.... now where is the latest Patricia Cornwell, but not 'Isle of Dog(?), wasn't a Kay Scarpetta, and showed badly.......

If you haven't already read it try Joseph Heller's Catch 22 - read it on my last holiday. Not a beachread bonkbuster but brilliant anyhow

Anything by Christopher Brookmyre has me roaring, but some of the earlier books you might find to be a little UK-centric. Shouldn't affect how much you enjoy them (they are often clever thrillers as well as being funny, exciting etc) but you might not get some of the swipes at british political parties/figures.

Will come back when I have thought of some more...

k

I hate to say this, but some of Jeffrey Archer's books are actually pretty good.

I recommend you start with Not A Penny More, Not A Penny Less, and then try some of his compendiums (compendia?) of short stories. I found those perfect holiday reading.

B

I like 'Chick Lit', they make up 80% of my book collection, I do have some classics.

If you don't want to take a lot of books to see you through 2 weeks on the beach try Gone With The Wind, it took me all summer

Carter Beats The Devil, by Glen David Gold. I recommended it on one of those other book threads a while back, but I've just finished reading it again and it's at least as good now as it was then.

Also, Jasper Fforde's The Eyre Affair is hugely entertaining, as is its sequel Lost In A Good Book. There's a second sequel too, but I've not read that yet.

There's 4 thursday next books The Eyre Affair, Lost in a Good Book, The Well of Lost Plots and the one that came out on monday which is Something Rotten, they're all really good

I second Carter Beats The Devil. Top book!

RF

Ah yes - Thusrday Next - I remember someone recommending those on the radio.

I can't recommend them enough they are really good, one of the reviews for Something Rotten says "Douglas Adams would be proud" and I think he would

It might not be quite a holiday fiction reading, but it surely is light to read and very, very funny: i suggest as holiday reading Bill Bryson books. They are funny, intersting and can give a lot of ideas of places to travel or views of different cultures.

Well I would suggest the works of Neil Gaiman (esp Good Omens, which he did with Terry Pratchett (already mentioned in this thread)), Orson Scott Card (Ender's Game, Ender's Shadow, Speaker for the Dead, and Pastwatch: The Redemption of Christopher Columbus), and even though its not a book per se the Lone Wolf and Cub manga is pretty good. Ever read Ursula K. Le Guin's Left Hand of Darkness? Its a little heavy, but I'd imagine a pretty good beach book...

I just got a wad of short stories by Franz Kafka. Some of the short stories are not so short and some make no sense, but by and large they are sheer brilliance.

I refuse to go anywhere near Artemis Fowl. "Stand back, human, you do not know what you're dealing with"? My cheese-o-meter reached critical levels. I had to have a lie down and read some Pratchett.

Having picked up "Espedair Street" when in England last week, I've now read it and absolutely loved it - so thanks to all who recommended that. You must have been quite forceful for me to still remember it after all that time!

Espedair Street is one of my favourite Iain Banks books. I've bought it and given it as a gift any number of people. And yet, strangely, never owned a copy myself.

RF

...and we all know which book Reddyfreddy will NOT be recommending you read on holiday.

B

Or anything else by Dan Brown, for that matter!

RF