I love books, and I will read just about any book I can get my hands on. But I also love hearing what other people are reading

I am also getting a Nook for our anniversary so am in need of ideas to fill it with!

I just burned through the Sookie Stackhouse books by Charlaine Harris. Zero substance but good reading nonetheless.

I'm a HUGE Stephen King fan. I love his work because he skews reality just enough for it to be terrifying, but no so much it ceases to be believable. Even in spite of his genre, he spins a good yarn and is an exceptionally good writer. His characters are well-fleshed out and he has a descriptive style that doesn't go overboard with details. I LOVE that because it's easier to get lost in the story and forget that you are reading, but the picture he paints for the reader is still wonderfully vivid.

My two favorites of his (so far) are "Bag of Bones" and "Duma Key". I recommend either of these books especially to a King noob. They are both straight-up ghost stories with lots of interesting twists and turns, a bit of a moral message (intended or not) and surprising emotional depth and content. He makes you care very deeply about his characters.

Another favorite of mine Dean Koontz (I LOVE the horror genre!). He is also a wonderfully gifted story teller, but his writing style is a bit more flamboyant than King's. Some prefer him for this reason and I think most of the time it works for him, but once in awhile it's a little too much for me. It can slap me back into the reality of "oh, yeah, I'm reading". Koontz is an avid dog-person, and dogs (especially Golden Retrievers) often make at least a cameo appearance in his books. Sometimes they are main characters ("Taken", "The Longest Evening of the Year" and "False Memory" come immediately to mind). Dobermans were (apologetically almost) in cahoots with his antagonist in "Intensity", though in the movie they used GSDs.

My sister turned me on to Alice Hoffman, and I'm really starting to appreciate her as well. I love her connection with nature in New England and her imaginative and magical story lines. She also portrays women as powerful and deeply spiritual people that are easily relate-able and real.

I'm a book-aholic and have books EVERYWHERE in my apartment, in bookcases, in stacks on the floor, in storage, in boxes in my closet etc. Oh how I would love a nook!

"My sister turned me on to Alice Hoffman, and I'm really starting to appreciate her as well. "

Isn't she great?

I agree with you about Stephen King. Supermarket fiction or not, he's such a good writer. What an ear for dialogue!

I read a lot. Mostly best seller stuff, but I like thriller, mystery, espionage, intrigue type books best. I read some dog & horse training books also. I read more as entertainment than anything else; so I generally read fiction. I have gone thru about 20 books in the last 3 months. Here's a few of them:

The Search/Nora Roberts -boy meets girl, not usually my cup of tea...but woman is an S&R trainer, and setting is Orcas Is. in Washington State. Was a fun read.

ETA...I have a 2nd generation Kindle & download most of what I read to it, these days. I love the ease & portability of the device. Since I just use it for reading...I don't need the more sophisticated model or I pad. I believe that most newer books are able to be loaded on it.

Happy reading :-)

Whisperers/John Connolly- thriller set in Maine. Good read.

The Killing Room/John Manning- thriller also set in Maine. Good if you like the world of spirits. I liked it.

The Scent of Rain & Lightning/Nancy Pickard -mystery/thriller set in Kansas. A little different then I would usually pick, but I liked it.

The Thinking Dog-Crossover training/Gail Tamases Fisher Page

I also read books by David Baldacci, Jonathan Keller, James Patterson (I like his quick staccato writing style),Lisa Gardner, Ken Follet & other repeat bestselling authors’ books. Robert Ludlum is my all-time favorite author. Another longtime favorite was Dick Francis’s mysteries set around the race track. He's was an ex-steeplechase jockey turned sports writer, turned novelist. I used to read allot of Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Robin Cook, but not so much anymore. Also Patterson & Booths dog training books.

 Quote: Kristel Smart

I'm a HUGE Stephen King fan. I love his work because he skews reality just enough for it to be terrifying, but no so much it ceases to be believable.

Me too, I have been eyeing his new one, it looks good and meaty, like it might last me longer than a week. But it isn't out in cheap paperback yet so I am waiting.

 Quote: Kristel Smart

I'm a book-aholic and have books EVERYWHERE in my apartment, in bookcases, in stacks on the floor, in storage, in boxes in my closet etc. Oh how I would love a nook!

The new ones are 149, which I am totally willing to pay to help keep my house less cluttered and maybe save a few trees. I too have books everywhere and in every room.

I just finished reading 'The Girl Who Played with Fire', which is the second in a trilogy by Swedish author Stieg Larssen. These books were published posthumously, and are among the best detective fiction novels that I have read. Great character development and clear writing style, even though it has been translated from Swedish to English.

The first one, 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' gets off to a slow start, but it's worth it. The second one had me hooked right from the beginning...

http://www.stieglarsson.com/

They are Fabulous aren't they!
I may spring for the hardcopy of the third one just to see what happens. I agree about the first one, but I read the second one in a weekend, carried it around the house with me.

 Quote: kristel smart

I'm a HUGE Stephen King fan.

Me too!
I can re-read his books over & over.

I love yardsales...i can pick up a bunch of books by author's i normally wouldn't look at and try them out.
but i always come back to the KING (stephen, not elvis)
The Stand & It are my favourites.

but right now im reading "the perfect storm" by: Sebastian Junger
It's an easy read.

 Quote: Jennifer Lee

They are Fabulous aren't they!
I may spring for the hardcopy of the third one just to see what happens. I agree about the first one, but I read the second one in a weekend, carried it around the house with me.

Yes, the second one was one of those novels that you don't want to end. I'm looking forward to reading the 3rd one...

(and who of us wouldn't like to have just a little more Lisbeth Salander in us! )

My favorite Stephen King Novel's are the Stand, and the Gunslinger series..minus the crappy last couple of novels he wrote too many years later IMO.