Good Book?

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jessimacar
jessimacar Posts: 291
in Chit-Chat
Whenever I find myself with some extra time on my hands I love to read. I was hoping for some book suggestions.

I'm 22 and a recent college grad. I tend to read romance/"chick-lit" or mystery/crime books, both in one if possible! I tend to completely lose myself in a good love story, I'm a romantic at heart!! Lately I've read a lot of my Mom's sappy Danielle Steel, which I don't mind, but they're all starting to sound the same. I like Nora Roberts, Janet Evanovich, and other similar romantic authors. I haven't bothered reading anything more substantial since before college, when I had more time. I'm just looking for easy reads now that I'm busier.

Does anyone have any suggestions for a romantic, funny mystery book? Lol.

Oh, I forgot to mention - while I do enjoy a period romance or drama from time to time, I avoid fantasy books.. I can't get into them.

Replies

  • Liatush
    Liatush Posts: 627 Member
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    bump
  • lbvancura
    lbvancura Posts: 3
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    I just finished a good one called A Vintage Affair. Nicholas Sparks, Sandra Brown are good ones too. The mystery/romance ones by Sandra Brown are good. I read Smoke Screen not that long ago. Also Elin Hildebrand (The Island, The Blue Biestro) is really good too.
  • StaceyA21
    StaceyA21 Posts: 3
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    Try Joy Fielding as well...she has a lot of good ones that are easy reads with mystery/romance in them :)
  • lilRicki
    lilRicki Posts: 4,555 Member
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    I love Amanda Quick...she's a good writer...Sandra Brown is also a good writer. I've been reading the trilogy "the girl with the dragon tattoo"...those are intensly good...
  • HeatherShrinking
    HeatherShrinking Posts: 805 Member
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    Okay, not quite chick-lit. But the Hunger Games series is SOOOOOO Good! Everyone I have recommended it to has loved it. It is an easy read since they are technically young adult books.

    Or else Million Little Mistakes and Pretty Little Mistakes are fun. They are choose-your-own-adventure books for adults. In Pretty Little Mistakes you start out choosing collage or job and Million Little Mistakes you just won the lottery.
  • recgirl
    recgirl Posts: 6
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    I really enjoyed "Eat, Pray, Love". The book, not the movie. :)enjoy!
  • nicholastar
    nicholastar Posts: 2 Member
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    sounds like you have very similar taste to me when it comes to books.

    I've just read a couple of Marian Keyes books (anybody out there and watermelon) and would recommend both. They are romantic, easy reading and comical. A proper "Chick" book. Sorry now mystery/crime involved tho. If you want one of those i can recommend James Patterson, in particular Four Blind Mice.

    Happy reading
  • CallejaFairey
    CallejaFairey Posts: 391 Member
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    idk if they are still being made, but i remember back when i was a teen, my grandmother started reading these silhouette shadows books. they were romance/mystery/fantasy. i am not a romance book kinda girl, but i enjoyed them. you should take a look and see if you can find any, most likely you will have to look for used copies, as i read them 15 or so years ago.

    oh, and something way more recent. look for Heather Graham novels, specificly ghost shadow, ghost night, and ghost moon. don't let the ghost part of the name fool you, as i found out there aren't really any ghosts (which led to a bit of disappointment on my end). i would class them as mystery/romance for sure. i can't help out much more than that, i am a fantasy girl, hence my slight disappointment with the heather graham novels. not that they weren't good, they just weren't that little bit of fantasy i thought they would have.
  • godblessourhome
    godblessourhome Posts: 3,892 Member
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    i highly recommend j.r. ward and nalini singh. they are two of my favorite authors.

    a book that is coming out in june that is not-to-be-missed is 'a courtesan's guide to getting your man' by cleleste bradley and susan donovan. it is fantastic!

    'not that kind of girl' by susan donovan was cute and good. i was not expecting to like it and i fell in love with the characters.

    'skin heat' by ava gray was a keeper.

    'ascension' by caris roane is worth taking a look at.

    my friends all love kresley cole. i think she is okay, but not my fav.

    melissa mayhue wrote a cute book - 'a highlander's homecoming'.

    karen marie moning has a highlander series that is great.

    christina dodd, victoria alexander, julia quinn, galean foley, sabrina jeffries, stephanie laurens, lisa kleypas, jo beverly, and mary balough are all authors i recommend if you love historicals.

    'dukes to the left of me, princes to the right' was fairly good (i forget who the author was).
  • edorice
    edorice Posts: 4,519 Member
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    I just finished reading a book called Timeless by Alexandra Monir. It has time travel, romance, and chapters regarding the 30's and 40's. So it's a bit of a period peice. I really enjoyed the book.
  • sarahs440
    sarahs440 Posts: 405
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    The Hunger Games were great! Anything Jodi Picoult. I seem to have the same taste as you. I read on average 3 books a week. I'm telling you, get a Jodi Picoult book! lol. 19 Minutes was amazing. The Pact. Change of Heart. Anything by her!
  • meanness67
    meanness67 Posts: 366 Member
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    Robyn Carr - Virgin River Series as well as her other books

    LaVyrle Spence has a lot of really good ones. I have read all of hers and didn't find any that I didn't like.

    I agree with you on Danielle Steele...all seem the same after reading a few.
  • Voncreepy2
    Voncreepy2 Posts: 1,450 Member
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    Sophie Kinsaellas Confessions of a Shopaholic Series. That being one that went movie, but they are lighthearted romance and this girl just has the worst luck and gets herself into so many messes. I laughed outloud which does not happen to me much when reading. They are not a typical read for me but I enjoyed all of them very much.
  • jessimacar
    jessimacar Posts: 291
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    Thanks everyone! I just read Nicholas Sparks - Dear John today. I haven't seen the movie yet, so I could still read it. I cannot read a book after I've seen the movie. I tried to read Confessions of a Shopaholic today, but I kept comparing it to the movie as I read it.. So The Notebook and A Walk to Remember are out too! Lol. I just downloaded a whole list of Nicholas Sparks books, so I'll have to look into all these others too!! Thanks again!
  • skinnyjeans13
    skinnyjeans13 Posts: 179
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    Everyone HAS to read 'One Day' by David Nicholls!! It's fantastic; funny, sweet, emotional british chick-lit perfection!
  • HungryMom
    HungryMom Posts: 280
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    I am currently reading Water for Elephants. It is a period drama with romance, and I am enjoying much more than I thought I would.
  • BunnybeeJG
    BunnybeeJG Posts: 344 Member
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    I work at a bookstore and basically am always looking for a book that will see me through til the last page. A few suggestions I would give would be

    Room by emma donoghue section fiction literature

    Still missing by chevy stevens section mystery thriller

    The dead path by stephen m irwin section horror

    Paint it black by janet fitch <
    very sad one of my favorites section fiction literature

    All unquiet things....can't remember the author its something w a j and you can find it in young adult fiction

    The switch by sandra brown section mystery thriller

    Faithful place tana french section mystery thriller

    They all have elements you might like and it might help you find it easier in the bookstore knowing the sections. I'd write a few brief summaries but I just woke up and I don't know how well my brain is working yet.
  • Shannon023
    Shannon023 Posts: 14,529 Member
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    I love Amanda Quick...she's a good writer...Sandra Brown is also a good writer. I've been reading the trilogy "the girl with the dragon tattoo"...those are intensly good...

    I've just started them too. :smile:
  • s2kute4u
    s2kute4u Posts: 3
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    I agree 'Water for Elephants' was fantastic. I know it's been a bestseller for awhile and I tend to shy away from things that get too popular. Anyway, with the trailers out for the movie I realized it was different than I expected so I got it. I was HOOKED. It's a true romance that leaves you on edge. I loved it.

    'Room' was suspenseful enough but isn't a romance (kind of the opposite actually). It's super easy to read because a Five year old is narrating.

    'Secret Daughter' was great by Shilpi Gowda (another bestseller). Most of it takes place in India which I found interesting.

    As per Jodi Picoult books. I'm not into uber romance so I steered toward the more unusual. I found 'My Sister's Keeper' had me hooked. Also I enjoyed 'Tenth Circle'. I have a weird fascination with the Amish and other odd cultures so I really enjoyed 'Plain Truth'. But my favourite was 'Keeping Faith' which is a little odd but good.

    I hate the library and deadlines so I bought all those Jodi Picoult's. I gave them to Aunt Chris so ring her up and ask her if she still has any of them if one sounds interesting.

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