Try Gail Godwins The Good Husband; Ive read several of hers, and think its her best. I have Sawtelle on my TBR shelf and really need to read it soon. I choose books by mood as well. There are some I just can't read (still wish I could remove certain images from my mind: Fall on your Knees and Pillars of the Earth, Im looking at you!) I do agree that fiction that >well written, entertaining and inspiring stories about human perseverance. ...But fiction created to do so leaves me anguished most of the time I know exactly what you mean (see my examples above, but don't read them!) And yes, non fiction is amazing in its ability to inspire as well as entertain and teach. But good authors no how to inspire as well as entertain. I can think of many who do this. For example, I just finished Guernsey Literary Society, about the Nazi occupation of the Channel Islands, and for all the brutality, found it a splendid read. Not heartwarming or twee, as I feared, but a good read about people who do overcome great odds, and do so without bitterness, and with compassion for their fellow man. Here is a link that might be useful: Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

I'm like DiggerB, with the exception that if a magazine doesn't come in the mail or sit in a doctor's waiting room, I don't read it. Reading multiple books is a matter of matching my mood or how much time I have for a particular reading session. Alexander McCall Smith's Botswana books were great for reading in bed just before lights out, but unfortunately I got through all of them. I don't like to read anything too exciting or scary or that requires too much thought at that time. I generally have some non-fiction going, and more than one fiction book. There will be one or two beside the bed, another one in the car in case I am kept waiting somewhere or decide to eat at Einstein Bros. Bagels or some other place all alone. Another book at the kitchen table, and one in the bathroom. I also find it hard to go to the library and not come home with 5 or 6 books, or even more. Some books do fall through the cracks and get forgotten, but usually not permanently. Shantaram is one, though I was finding it interesting. It is just too big to carry around and didn't make good bedtime reading. Lonesome Dove is waiting in the wings, too. I'm sure I will get back to these two. Being a member of Paperbackswap.com also tends to make me want to read and finish the shorter books in my bookcase so I can post them and earn credits faster. Normally, if I like a book, I would prefer it to be long. But I guess it is too much to expect that all the books I like be long ones! lol

Oh, I loved Cold Comfort Farm, its even funnier when you see it on film. I also am one of the few I know who loved Bel Canto, and really didn't mind the ending - it wasn't the ending that I wanted, but it made sense. (more on the bel canto thread) I liked Headlong, but then I like books with a tad bit of fantasy thrown in. I give up on books frequently, and often can't remember the titles. I just know that inbetween my fav reads, I'll go through about five or six duds. Latest one that disappointed me was Historian. This book was so up my alley in so many ways - and by the third story within a story I tossed it aside with the rest of the library returns. Couldn't get far into Jonathan Strange, again another book that I should have loved. And Black Swan Green - I read it, but it was such a disappointment after Cloud Atlas that I was sorry I wasted my time.

Janalyn, I was travelling alone both times, the first time semi-independently (arrived there with a group I travelled with overland from Denmark and then we split up for several weeks, regrouping for the journey back). The second time I planned and travelled all by myself. I did take advantage of day tours offered by the state tourism bureaus in Jaipur and Mysore and saw some of the India that Indian tourists like to visit. On the second visit I had some Indian friends showing me around their home cities and that made a lot of difference. I think group tours are a good idea for India, especially if you have limited time. Although they tend to cost more, they save you both time and trouble. One of my colleagues recently went on a group tour to India and she did mention the crowds and dirt and poverty, but all in all she found it enjoyable. The group leader/guide made sure they weren't hassled too much and took good care of them. They covered the "Golden Triangle": Delhi, Agra and Jaipur, with Fatehpur Sikri and Varanasi, and also visited Nepal. That tour is a good introduction to northern India.