The daughter of a friend of mine is looking to start reading again. She's an adult and she doesn't like mysteries.
I'm thinking of recommending anything by Jodi Picoult or Nicholas Sparks. My friend told me she thinks her daughter would like romantic dramas or just dramatic fiction. I know, I know. All fiction is dramatic. Moving on.
Apart from those two authors I was thinking:
The Red Tent
The 19th Wife
The Help
Any other ideas?
Umm...
ReplyDeleteYou could go classic and suggest things like Pride and Prejudice. I've never been able to get through it, but just about every other girl I know seems to love it. Anything by Oscar Wilde, especially his plays. He's witty and fun enough to make up for the cultural and language differences and still be easy reading.
Where The Heart Is surprised me with how good it was. I didn't expect much, but I liked it a lot. Wicked is amazing, if she likes fairy tale stuff and might like the twist on it.
Try the Marcus Didus Falco books by Lindsey Davis - they are brilliant.... and great fun. I've got all of them on audio whatsit (I dont know - its a tiny thing that I can plug earphones into so I can sew and listen at the same time).... currently waiting for her latest book to be published - should be a cracker.
ReplyDeleteYou've never read all of Pride and Prejudice? Really? Wow. Have you seen the old BBC version of it with Colin Firth? Very, very nice. *wipes drool off of chin*
ReplyDeleteHmmm...maybe the Bridget Jones Diary books? Those're cute for a one read.
Wicked! I forgot about that one. And I think I should put A Thousand Splendid Suns on the list and The Kite Runner. Those are both excellent. I haven't heard of Where the Heart Is.
ahavah,
ReplyDeleteOh, I've heard that's a really good series. It's on my list to pick up after I finish the series I'm reading right now.
Really. :) I had some friends try to show me the BBC version, hated it. It's one of the few books where I hated even the Wishbone version. It's bad when even an adorable puppy dressed up as the lead character can't make me like it a little.
ReplyDeleteWhere the Heart Is was one of the books with the Oprah's Book Club stamp on it. Normally I avoid those, the few I've tried haven't impressed me, but a friend gave me this one so I gave it a shot. It's about a pregnant girl named Novalee whose idiot boyfriend abandons her at a Wal-Mart on the way to their new home. So she lives in the store for awhile, gives birth there, and the community sort of adopts her and her life starts coming together, then has more problems, then comes together again, etc. It's a cute light read, and was made into a movie with Natalie Portman awhile back. Decent film.
Danielle Steele seems popular for some. Anna Quindlen. I think I've read one of each of those, but I remember them fitting the romantic/dramatic description.
ReplyDeleteA lot of people I know like "Redeeming Love" by Francine Rivers. I also like her Mark of the Lion trilogy. It's set in ancient Roman days and take a bit to get into the story, but I loved it.
I liked Leota's Garden by FR too. It deals with the subject of euthanasia that some might not like, but I did.
I have to second Redeeming Love, it's one of the few 'Christian novels' that I really really loved.
ReplyDeleteANYTHING by Jodi Picoult, I'm like, addicted to her books. I do also enjoy most of Nicholas Sparks stuff, and yes, I do realize I'm like a month late, but I 'tagged' the post wrong, so it didn't go on my comment list :(
The Thornbirds was also really good, if I remember correctly.
The Kite Runner (as mentioned already, but I wasn't a big fan of A Thousand Splendid Suns).
Ok, from my favourites list on Shelfari (I picked just the ones that seem relevant):
The Time Traveller's Wife
The Handmaid's Tale
Everything is Illuminated
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
Thr3e
Pretty much anything by Paulo Coelho
Philip Pullman His Dark Materials Trilogy
Atonement