USVI-On-Line

I really enjoyed a Trip to the Beach also.

To me, Dave Sedaris is laugh out loud funny but I will second Liamsaunt, his humor isn't for everyone. If you like books on tape/dvd for driving or travelling - his are terrific.

Many of Bill Bryson's books are good travel reads, especially Neither Here Nor There and A Walk in the Woods.

MarciaMarciaMarcia wrote:jmq, thanks for the reminder. He is fun. I read Carl Hiaasen a little while ago....I can't remember the name but it was about a woman whose husband threw her overboard on a cruise. He thought he got away with it but she swam to safety and stayed "undercover" to take her revenge. Very funny, fun read. I'll check to see what else he's come up with.

I don't normally read him but I read that one - Skinny Dip.

Thanks to this thread, I just ordered 4 books on Amazon.com.

Chet wrote:Anything by Dennis Lehane (Dorcester, MA

Agreed. I just got hooked on him myself. Picked up a two books in one on the clearance shelf at Barnes & Noble - turned out to be his first two books, A Drink before War and Darkness, Take my Hand.

1/2 way through the first one I went and got the next two - Sacred and Gone Baby Gone (a movie just in theatres recently, directed by Ben Affleck). I am almost finished with Sacred now and will start Gone Baby Gone soon! I've read almost 3 books in about 2 weeks and I have two smallish children. Just like the jacket said, I resent when I have to put them down!

I'll have to check out the others you suggest.

He's most famous for Mystic River (became a movie with Sean Penn & I think Clint Eastwood directing).

liamsaunt, I second "Wide Sargasso Sea." I went through an island phase and read a ton of books that had islands as part of the theme. That was one of the best fiction books.

Cheers, RickG

RickG said "An Embarrassment of Mangoes" by Ann Vanderhoof takes you through a two year sabbatical in the Caribbean.
I LOVED that book! (probably my favorite!) I also enjoyed "A Trip to the Beach". I will have to check out some of these others too.

Thought I'd throw my .2 in since my recent reads are so different. I LOVE to read and usually don't get as much in as I would like. I like all kinds of books but I must be on an escapism kick cause I just finished Stephenie Meyer's Twilight triology based on my daughters recommendation. As far from reality as you can get and probably chick books but very good. I was shocked. She has 2 more books coming out this year and I will definitely read those as well. Also, my passion is european and ancient history so I am just about finished with The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory. Also fiction but based on Mary and Anne Boleyn at the time of King Henry the VIII's court. I saw the movie trailer at Atonement so decided to read the book. I like this book quite well so am looking forward to the movie. Totally different and total escapism but good just the same. Looking for my next read now. Wish I had more reading time, I could easily be a total bookworm!

I just thought of another that I enjoyed, "Adrift on a Sea of Blue Light", by Peter Muilenburg.

Thanks for all of the great suggestions. I picked up Nature Girl and the Broker and on also some pure fluff called Queen of Babble by Meg Cabot.

I was really tempted by some of the historical novels recently out like the other Boleyn Girl and Antony and Cleopatra by Colleen McCullough. I may have to break my own rule about keeping it light and grab one of those as well. I better get packing!

MarciaMarciaMarcia wrote:I was really tempted by some of the historical novels recently out like the other Boleyn Girl and Antony and Cleopatra by Colleen McCullough. I may have to break my own rule about keeping it light and grab one of those as well. I better get packing!

Oooh, those are my guilty pleasures! The Phillipa Gregory ones are as light as cotton candy, super easy and entertaining reads. I recommend them for the beach, definitely! I'd read The Other Bolyen Girl first.

Oooh, those are my guilty pleasures!

Me too Liamsaunt. If you haven't read it already I highly recommend In the Company of a Courtesan by Sarah Dunant. It's set in Renaissance Italy in both Rome and Venice. Not so light but a fantastic read! My husband loved it, too.

Lady Macbeth, A Novel by Susan Fraser King.

A great read. I felt like I was actually living in eleventh century Scotland.

I just finished "An Embarrasment of Mangoes (A Caribbean Interlude)" by Ann Vanderhoof.

I really enjoyed it and reccomend it to others who are up for a read with a caribbean flavor...

I just stumbled into it in my local Library when I had my kids there afew weekends ago, grabbbed it and asked my son to check it out for me (forgot my library card ).

I went back and read this thread and saw a few of you mentioned that you had read it too...

Long story short it was a fun read because it teases a bunch of my passions at once...caribbean travel, running away from my career, caribbean cooking, and learning about life through challenging adventures.

Be careful, if you are in your 30s-50s it may tempt you to ditch your career and go "native" for a while!

Just finished "Nineteen Minutes" by Jodi Piccoult. I like her books alot; they last me about 3-4 days so you'd have to pack more than 1.

This is several years old but worth looking for: "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro. Surprising when you figure out the underlying premise.

And it's quirky but one of my all time favorites is "Watership Down." I read it out loud to the kids a couple years ago, skipping over some of the offbeat asides. Yes, this is the one about rabbits, but really about leadership and rethinking class structure. Reminded me of those classroom discussions.

Not sure if anyone mentioned Barbara Kingsolver yet; "Prodigal Summer" is my favorite of hers.

chicagoans wrote:This is several years old but worth looking for: "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro. Surprising when you figure out the underlying premise.

Oh, man, I read that on St. John! I even remember where I was sitting when I figured it out, it freaked me out so much. I have to confess that I left it at the villa. It was VERY well written but I was so disturbed by the plot! It made me so sad!

I need more suggestions for my book box...it will be time to ship in two weeks. So far, I have the Alibi (for John, but I'll get to it after he reads it), Wideacre (Phillipa Gregory, because I liked her tudor books--if this series stinks someone please tell me so I don't haul it down), and Shopaholic and Baby. I need about ten more books. I'm going to pick up Lady Macbeth, that sounds like my cup of tea.

So, what else have you all been reading lately?

Related: I always bring down a lot of books--around 20 books. I normally leave them at the villa, but is there a better place to bring them? For example, does the library take donations? Is there a drop off spot for locals that do take a book, leave a book?