I enjoyed Major Pettigrew's Last stand, and The Art of Racing in the Rain. I have been very remiss in reading lately. Too much golf I think.

The best I have read lately.
The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeanette Walls

I just read Ten Thousand Saints for my book club, and I thought it was really good. I'm pretty sure everyone in our book club liked it.

I just finished reading The Help, also! Sorry I don't have any recommendations for you but I just wanted to say I really enjoyed The Help. Now I really want to go see the movie!

I am in the middle of re-reading Shogun by James Clavell....first read it in 1975.
I think you might enjoy it because it takes place in Japan.....lots of early history.
It is about 1300 pages long......

I am currently reading The Jefferson Key by Steve Berry, he has a nice collection of books that are good.
The Jefferson Key

Thanks for giving me ideas! Carol, I read Shogun years ago. I remember liking it but not much else. I may have to pick it up again. Going to check out all the titles mentioned on Amazon. Thanks again.

For a super light and fun read I recommend Janet Evonoviche's Wicked Appetite.

The Glass Castle, recommended by Ron is very good...a true story. Ten Thousand Saints made me think of One Thousand White Women. Also, I'd Know You Anywhere by Laura Lippman.

Oh goodness, where to begin! Loved, loved, loved the Hunger Games trilogy. Didn't think it would be my cup of tea, but after the first page, I literally couldn't put it down! Room: A Novel, was very, very good. For light reading I enjoyed Dixie Divas, a mystery spoof with some goofy characters. Let me see, I'll think of some more in a bit....

I've been on a real J.A.Jance kick lately- I'm really enjoying her Sheriff Joanna Brady books. They take place in Bisbee, AZ and are easy to read and the characters are good and interesting and they keep me from doing other things, because all I want to do is read 'em.

I just finished "The Fifth Servant" by Kenneth Wishnia. It's a murder mystery set in the Jewish ghetto of 16th-century Prague. Very good.

The Help is a wonderful book...it's not a childrens book. It's about "help" aka cleaning women. The setting is in Mississippi in the early 1960's.
I just finished "I'll Walk Alone" by Mary Higgens Clark and now I'm reading "Leah's Wake". Both great books!

The Help is a fantastic book, and the movie is great, too. Hubs and I both read the book first, then saw the movie. Loved both. We saw previews for War Horse in the "coming attractions" when we went to the movie of The Help and it looks really good. Not out until Christmas, though, so maybe I'll read the book first.

Other good books (in my opinion), some of which have already been mentioned...

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. One of the most incredible books I've ever read. You cannot get through the whole thing without tears.

Dixie Divas by Virginia Brown -- some laugh out loud moments. Some of the "expressions" were ones I haven't heard in I-don't-know-how-long. Loved it.

Also loved the sequel, Drop Dead Divas. Again, laughed out loud at times and long-forgotten expressions.

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. Haven't seen the movie, but the movie "teasers" seen during commercials on TV looked good, and when I saw it was available as a Kindle book I bought it. Like The Help, it's a book that you can't wait to finish but don't want to end.

Another can't-wait-to-finish-but-don't-want-it-to-end is The Mill River Recluse by Darcie Chan.

Any book by J.A. Jance. She has different "series," and I do recommend reading each series in order.

I started reading Lisa Gardner's books based on recommendations from folks here at the Table. I started with Alone, the first in her "Det. D.D. Warren series," and have read the whole series, in order. Then I read her "FBI Profiler series," in order (the first one is The Perfect Husband) and I've read two of the three in her "standalone" books. All of her books are great and just when you think you've "got it figured out," you find out you're wrong.

I bought Jaycee's book, just because I wanted to support her, after her long ordeal.

A Stolen Life, by Jaycee Dugard

But it is hard to read. That Phillip was/is a MONSTER

Eileen, I know The Help isn't a children's book. I never said it was???

we listened to 1000 white women on audio on our trip to holland MI last november. My husband and I both thought it was really good.

I've read almost everything y'all have mentioned. A member of our book group suggested Jacqueline Winspear to me. She writes the Maisis Dobbs mysteries and she suggested they be read in order. I'm on #4.Our book group is reading "The Immortal Life of Henriette Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot--it's a true story and I'm going to start it today when I finish the Maisie Dobbs book.

There's a web site called Readinggroupguide.com that has monthly updates on favorites, and most requested. It's interesting and I get recommendations from there.

Oh, you might like Lee Child's books - Jack Reacher is the main character, I'd read them in order if you can. Killing Floor is the first one.

And Vince Flynn's, too. Mitch Rapp is his character. Woody, Mum and I have read every book by both authors, one right after another, they're so good, action-packed.

I'm in the middle of a rather strange non-fiction book by Rebecca Skloot. The title is The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks and it's the story of the woman whose cells were harvested without her family's knowledge and thus launched the medical revolution in the 1950's. It isn't dull reading as one might expect! I just finished J.A. Jance's latest book. As usual, it was a quick, entertaining read. I'm going to the post office to pick up Jaycee Dugard's book this morning.

Before I read "The Help" I read "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks". I found parts of it very interesting and others very boring.

I'm making a list from all your recommendations, thanks again.

I second BenGardening's recommendation on One Thousand White Women: The Journals of May Dodd. Fascinating.

I also recommend Sarah's Key and Shadow of the Wind.

Jodi-

Hi, hope you don't mind if I join in. I used to post on the KT about a hundred years ago. Went with mimi when she started her new forum and spike started charging.

Flamingo, If you like Lee Child and Vince Flynn, you should like Brad Thor. Scot Harvarth is his main character. He works for a number of government agencies from the first book on. Probably better read in order.

You would doubtless also like my cousin's books. His name is Randy Wayne White and he writes about a marine biologist named Doc Ford who was previously a black ops agent for the government. He leaves government service, moves to Sanibel Island Fl, lives in a stilt house and opens a marine biology business but is always geting pulled back into action; sometimes by the government sometimes by his friends. Doesn't really detract if they aren't read in order.

"One Second After" by William R. Forstchen is also a great read if you like this type book. It is about a small town in NC and how they cope after an EMP attack. Really made me stop and think about a lot of things I'd never considered before.

Off subject here, but I have a question for Flamingo regarding Lee Child's books. I love the plots and the character but it really bugs me that he doesn't change clothes, especially his underwear, everyday. Is it just me or have you thought about it? ;^)

Fl gypsy, I love Randy Wayne White's books. I found them at our local library and read two or three of them and then forgot his name.
Thanks for the reminder.

Technically, I didn't "read" Jaycee's book. I listened to the audiobook, read by Jaycee. I think that made it even better for me. I know Nancy and Phillip Garrido personally (worked with them at the convalescent hospital for quite a few years, but haven't seen them in more than 10 years now) and it still amazes and sickens me that I could know these people and not really know them at all. It was kind of weird though, when Jaycee quotes Phillip or Nancy, I could actually "hear" their voices saying those words. It's difficult to say that I enjoyed the book or that it was a good book, because what happened was truly horrible, but it did hold me riveted.

And I read Room: a novel a couple of months ago, because it reminded me of the DuGard case in a lot of ways. I really liked it, too. See, I can say "like", because it was fiction, LOL.

I also recently finished reading Water for Elephants and loved it.

fl-gypsy, Hi! I've probably read 80% of your cousin's books, we like them very much. We have relatives on Pine Island, "Doc's" neighbor island, and cousin Joannie has met your cousin Randy, said he's very nice and got a book autographed.

Reacher washes his clothes out at night, when he can, doesn't he, and he buys new, cheap clothes often, right? No, I actually hadn't thought about it, but thanks a lot, that's ALL I'll think about from now on, ew! lol

Thanks for the tip about Brad Thor, I'm writing that down right now!

Carol and Flamingo, Randy also wrote, I think about 6 or 8 books (when he first started out), under the name Randy Stryker. I'm sure you would also enjoy those.

Flamingo. your cousin Joannie is right; Randy is a very nice man. His mother and my father are "double first cousins". For those of you not from the "South", that means that thier mama's and daddys were brothers and sisters making the offspring "double first cousins". I believe it was "Hunters Moon" that he dedicated to those "double first cousins".

I know Reacher showers regularly and I hope he washes his clothes every night or so but that's not the impression I got. I don't know why, but that is something that has bothered me since the first book I read. I never could figure out why the author couldn't let him at least carry a backpack with a couple pair of clean underwear. ;^)

I've read all of Winspear's 'cozy mysteries'. I liked "The Help" too, but it needed tighter editing. Like the mother and son colaborations -- nom de plume is 'Charles Todd'. Wish S. J. Rozan would bring out a new book.

I usually puzzle out who-done-it, but this one had me guessing until the very last chapters: "Think of a Number" by John Verdon. It's his first book; there's another out.

Liked "The Upright Piano Player" -- can't recall author -- maybe Abbott?

I just went to Barnes and noble online to get a couple books after looking at this post...The Mill River Recluse was .99 today!

If you like a good medical mystery thriller, Sleeper by Barry Friedman is an excellent read.

I am now reading The Help and just loving it. Having lived in the Deep South it really brings back a lot of memories.

yesterday when I checked the Barnes and Noble discounted ebooks list there were some very good ones on for a dollar or so. I check that list often.

I have mentioned her before but so worth mentioning again, Anne George and her Souther sisters mystery series, they are hilarious and addicting. Anne passed away a few years ago so the list is limited. I tried to read them in order.
Anne Carroll George

One of my favorite authors is Patricia Cornwell, I just love that Dr. Scarpetta!

Right now I am reading The Roots of Obama's Rage. Fascinating.

I also want to read Dick Cheney's In My Time.

I just started reading "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot, yesterday. So far it is very good reading. It was one of my $.25 books from a rummage sale.

Sue