readers advisory for all discussion

This is going to be a much broader request than my previous ones, but summer is approaching (only 6 more days of grading and then I'm free!) and I am soliciting suggestions for fun reading. I am looking for something that will be unrelated to work (so no women's SF about actual science, please), that will not be depressing or bleak (though sadness is okay), and that will fairly quickly draw me into its universe and/or characters.

What are the best books that you've read that fit these fairly broad criteria?

okay. i don't know if any of these will grab you - maybe once you glance over this list, you will want to refine your query a little, in case i am way off base, but these are books i enjoyed...

Instant Love: Fiction

short stories that connect and map out a lifetime of the relationship-choices of several women. not chick lit, just really good entertaining, true-feeling stuff.

The God of Animals

a young girl's coming-of-age on a floundering horse ranch; her misplaced first love and her coming to terms with her wayward older sister, her haunted, bedridden mother, and her father trying to keep it all together.

Serena

macbeth in a logging town. this one is darker than the other two, and more densely written. it is definitely something that grabbed me from the beginning, but it is not a beach read - there is some intense writing here.

The Monsters of Templeton

a woman finds herself unexpectedly pregnant, and returns to her hometown to figure out what she's going to do, and to press her mother into telling her who her own father is. plus, a lake monster. light magical realism, a very well-told story and likable, flawed, characters.

Salamander

just fun. fun-for booknerds fun. like borges for kids, even though this is not a teen book. it is about books as objects and possibilities. it is a fast-paced adventure story that will occasionally slow you down to marvel at it.

The Piano Man's Daughter

this one is also pretty densely written. it is one of those sprawling family narratives with unveiling of family secrets. a multi-generational irish-canadian family story. findley is a very poetic writer, i think he should be more widely read.


if none of these sound good, i can suggest more, just tell me what aspects of these you aren't wild about.

Okay, so all of those sound really great. I've been considering Monsters of Templeton for a while, but the others are new to me.

At this moment, Salamander sounds most like what I want. Not too heavy and maybe more fantastic.

Excellent, thanks! I will definitely check out the fantasy books first. Of Blood and Honey looks really interesting and Wildwood Dancing reminds me that I recently bought another book by Marillier. If I can find it, maybe I'll start there.

Also, Gaudy Night has been on my list for a while but I keep forgetting about it. This will bump it up the list a bit. :-)

Blacklands
A really good british crime novel about a little boy trying to find the body of his uncles on an english more by writing to the man that killed him. kind of depressing yes but interesting.


Amphibian
it's a really fun book about a little boy who wants to save the world starting with his classes pet frog. But it's definitely a book written for adults.

Customer Service
just a really funny satire about modern technology and a super quick read.

Lovers or Something Like It
a milan kundera esuqe book about love and relationships.

Politics
a really funny book about the politics of a threesome.

Thanks! Blacklands and Amphibian look particularly interesting to me right now - will be adding them to the list. :-)

Gaudy Night is wonderful.

the book i'm reading now feels like a fun, light summer read, if the combo of globe-trotting book hunters & alexandre dumas & satanism sounds fun & summery to you: The Club Dumas

the book i'm reading now feels like a fun, light summer read, if the combo of globe-trotting book hunters & alexandre dumas & satanism sounds fun & summery to you"

You know, it actually does. Adding it to my list of books to look for at the library.

hey - summer is over! did any of these work out for you, or was it a terrible summer?

You know, most of these looked really interesting and made my to-read list but I ended up giving in to other temptations first (I was more braindead than I thought I'd be for the first third or so of the summer). So this was useful for future reading but hasn't panned out yet. Maybe next summer. :-)

yeah, i squandered my summer, too. oops!