What is a good book to read this winter break?

Question

So I am at the end of yet another semester and have a month off from school till next semester. Does anyone have any suggestions for a good read?

I like drama, memoirs, fiction, mystery... not that into fantasy or horror though. So no Lord of the Rings or Stephen King... I like more thought provoking books!

OK, I'm ready for suggestions now if anyone has any! Thanks!

Funny books are always fun too! I like a good laugh!

Answer 1

"The Cask of Amontillado" by Poe. Read with a single candle flickering and a glass of dry red on the side. Happy trails.

Answer 2

Try SIGN OF THE CROSS by Chris Kuzneski, blows Da Vinci Code totally away. Or if you like this genre, try The Last Templar by Raymond Khoury another really good read. Of course, if you like older books, that fit the times they were written, you might try KING SOLOMON'S MINES by H. Rider Haggard. Which leads up to the thought of where, exactly King Solomon's mines really were. About the only thing I can get is that they were about 120 marches from the southernmost large city in Egypt. Since a march was anywhere from 20 to 50 miles a day, your guess is as good as anyone's.

Answer 3

You seem to be implying that "The Lord of the Rings" is not a thought provoking book.. It is not just about elfs and orcs fighting, there are some real themes and symbolism that have a lot of meaning. I get annoyed every time I tell someone they saw the movie and they act like I wont stop playing with my star wars figures or something. A lot of it was written from Tolkiens' experiences in England living thru World War I and later Nazi Germany in World War II, and a lot of the main themes are based on those experiences. The real story is actually dark and serious, not a childrens bedtime story.

But to answer your question. "The Catcher in the Rye" is worth reading along with "1984", and "Animal Farm".

Answer 4

If you read The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold) as was suggested, you might want to check out her memoir, Lucky.

Clan of the Cave Bear is pretty good - I haven't had much luck getting through the sequels. I also like vampire stories and have enjoyed most Laurell Hamilton books.

And if you like Dan Brown (Da Vinci Code), you might like Deception Point, Angels and Demons (I liked this prequel better) and Digital Fortress.

Answer 5

A bizarrely thought provoking book would be 'The Madness of a Seduced Woman', by Susan Fromberg Schaeffer. It sounds like a romance novel, but it's not. I swear it. It's at least worth a look.
Other really good books are; 'I, Lucifer' by Glenn Duncan, 'Go To The Widowmaker' by James Jones, and 'Cabaret: A Roman Riddle' by Lily Prior, just to name a very few. If you need any more suggestions, send me a note! *smile*

Answer 6

Read any books by Kathryn Reiss! She writes excellent thought provoking time-travel mysteries. I especially liked Sweet Miss Honeywell's Revenge! Kind of long but really, really good! Or read any of the Dollanganger Family series by V.C. Andrews beginning with Flowers in the Attic (there are five total I think). I couldn't put it down! It was amazing!

Answer 7

I would suggest "Me and My Shadows: A Family Memoir by Lorna Luft. It is a good book with a lot of great pictures. It is a book that reads as though the author is in the room talking to you. I love memoirs and this is a good one. ( Even if you're not a Judy Garland fan) It touches you. It really is good.

Answer 8

For One More Day by Mitch Albom or his other 2 books are The 5 People You Meet in Heaven and Tuesdays with Morrie.
All great books that will not disappoint you. Happy reading!

Answer 9

If you want to read something funny, try any of Janet Evanovich's books. They are funny ( I laugh out loud) and have a mystery with them. Try any of the Stephanie Plum series. There are 12 in all right now and she is still writing.

Answer 10

Skipping Christmas - grisham
Anything by James Patterson - Kiss the Girls, Along came a spider
The Lovely Bones - can remember author

Have a good Christmas

Answer 11

The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards... it's about a doctor who winds up delivering his own babies in a snowstorm... twins... and when he sees that the little girl has Down Syndrome, he instructs the nurse to take her to an institution and tells his wife the baby died. Does the nurse follow his directions? What happens to the baby in the years that follow? How does this memory haunt the doctor?

It's a fascinating book... hard to put down... many read it in "one gulp" into the wee hours of the night... it's just so beautifully written...

Also Sam's Letters to Jennifer by James Patterson. I won't tell you one word of this one... it's a must read and you'll have to walk through it yourself... again, just beautifully done...