Book recommendations

This is the place for book recommendations, maybe a short review. No chat, and please include Amazon links.

The Green Mile. Simply a great novel.

Waiting for the Barbarians by JM Coetzee.

V. disturbing, but well written. Can lend.

I just finished The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon and loved it. It's long though.

Can also recommend Philip Roth's Human Stain--amazing depth and resonance of characters. Okay, wait. That's long too.

Lessee. . .

I know! Anything by David Sedaris. My fave is Me Talk Pretty One Day. It's a bunch of semi-autobiographical short stories that are so outrageously funny you don't know whether or not to believe him. I pick it up every now again for a quick belly laugh. Holiday on Ice is a good Sedaris book for the season. And I can loan to you when I see you at the GNO on Saturday.

I recommend "Zoya's Story: An Afghan Woman's Struggle for Freedom" by Zoya and "Who Moved My Cheese? An Amazing Way to Deal With Change In Your Work and In Your Life" by Spencer Johnson. I can borrow you the last one.

David Lodge: I would recommend one of his books called 'Thinks...'

2nd Bridget Jones book (The Edge of Reason).

'Passing Time in the Loo (volume 1)'.

It describes itself as follows: "[PTITL] offers two-page distillations of over 120 books".

...haven't read it myself...it hasn't even made it's way to the loo yet!!!

A load of stuff by David Lodge: booker prize winner that writes page turners as easy to read as Stephen King.

Latest book by Donna Tartt: Little friend (excellent) her debut novel 'Secret History' was the best book I ever read.

2 classics: Heart of Darkness (Apocalypse Now) by Conrad and Madame Bovary be Flaubert.

Also read a huge book by Dean Koontz and felt cheated: avoid at all costs.

If you are after a Bridget Jones type of book then try 'Water-Mellon' by Marian Keyes, it is a totally hilarious book, acutally most of her books are excellent but Water-Melon is one of the best.

For something a little more serious but equally as brilliant, The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory is just fantastic. I really could not put it down.

i ended up, in a trade, with a book called "Invisible Monsters" by Chuck Palahniuk, same guy who wrote "Fight Club". it's a very interesting and werid story, but i couldn't put it down.

also, i have "Memoirs of a Geisha" by Arthur Golden. i haven't read it yet, but i've had several people tell me it's great...not too short though.

Okay short and light books:

1) Girls Guide to Fishing and Hunting by Melissa Bank
2) Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin
3) Le Divorce and or Le Mariage by Diane Johnson
4) The Princess Bride (Good Parts Version) by William Goldman

Books I haven't read but get thumbs up from respected people who like the genre:

5) Any book by Marian Keyes
6) Get Your Tongue Out of My Mouth, I'm Kissing You Goodbye! by Cynthia Heimel--author of titillating titles such as But Enough About You, If You Leave Me, Can I Come Too? and When Your Phone Doesn't Ring, It'll Be Me. (and it was a guy who told me he thought this hilariously funny)

And, a book that's been in my Amazon cart for over a year now:
7) Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Macquire. But at 406 pages, it ain't so short. And I think it doesn't fit the light and easy requirements.

ermm... I have been re-reading adam smith's "wealth of nations"

felt I needed an injection of free market economics...

(PS: not a joke)
(PPS: in terms of more lighthearted reading, I recommend "the life of pi" by yann martel)

The Hurricane: The Turbulent Life & Times of Alex Higgins - Bill Borrows,
Addicted - Tony Adams,
Hitler: A Study in Tyranny
The Racing Post

Agree with Michnic, Sedaris is great.

Warming stories I've re-read and recommend lately: Cannery Row & Sweet Thursday, Steinbeck

The Da Vinci Code Dan Brown - The writing is crap but the story and background are brilliant and fascinating. Deservedly on the NY Times Best Seller list.

High Fidelity Nick Hornby at his best (also made into a superb movie though brits tend to get pissed that the locale was moved from London to Chicago). Anything by Nick Hornby is worth reading IMHO, but as a yank I just plain don't get Fever Pitch.

Demon Haunted World Carl Sagan - briliant. Should be required reading for all students.

"The Reader" by Berhard Schlink.It´s translated into I think 26 different languages.The original version is called "Der Vorleser".It´s a weird but really good read.Its deals with Vergängensheitbewältigung ( For those of u in the grey thats basically how the generation after 1945 dealt with the guilt of their forefathers ) and is also semi autobiographical. Its short enough, really interesting and not too demanding. Read it!