What Book Would You Recommend for Summer Reading?

Chabon, Hornby, Sedaris
Light, fast, and very entertaining

My recommendations for entertaining books:
- The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas: it may be a classic, but it's very funny and entertaining
- The Princess Bride by William Goldman: the movie but even better!
- The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco: very interesting look at abbey life. Also: murder mystery!

I highly recommend Water For Elephants if you haven't read it already. Very brilliantly written.
The Time Traveler's Wife, as well.
Oh and The Host! It's written by Stephenie Meyer, who wrote the Twilight YA series, but this one is for adults and is very entertaining.

Got my hands down with Shogun for the moment, written by James Clavell. The main character Jhon Blacthorne from 1600's England crashes into Japan, and messes up with an already rising conflict. Just about to finish the second book out of four (the book is split up so you don't sit with an 800-pager, at least mine is.)

Also, I could recommend the Earths Children series by. Jean M. Auel, which is FRIGGIN AWESOME!!!! A cro magnon girl, Ayla, is picked up by a tribe of neanderthals, and tells about the conflicts in brain vs instinct and how Aylas brainpower completely outmatches even the tribe's shaman a young age, and what happens when she uses a weapon she's not allowed to even touch.

Then, there are four more books, the second book on hold until I've finished Shogun and Larry Nivens Ringworld series (the Halo games takes part inspiration from this). Distant future, a couple of humans and some aliens crashes on a huge ring-shaped structure with a star in the center, and explores it.

Well, wanna know more, wikipedia's over there.

Cat's Cradle By Kurt Vonnegut. He's the bestest author ever

I read Snuff by Palahniuk yesterday, it was pretty funny and a quick read. Ill second the Sedaris recomendation. Also, anything by Christopher Moore is a good, light read.

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. Don't be tripped out by the fact that it's technically sci-fi. It's an excellent, engrossing, fun read.

I work as a games artists, so there is brisk trade in Audiobooks in the industry.

The entire Lee Child canon did the rounds.

And while they are frothy and enjoyable the one thing that really began to Grate was this line

"Reacher said nothing"

It must appear a couple of thousand times.

I would recommend "A Prayer For Owen Meany" by John Irving, or "The Crow Road" by Ian Banks

I completely agree with all of these recommendations!! :) You guys rock!

I would recommend any book by Kurt Vonnegut.

I myself am attempting to read War & Peace. The last time I tried I could'nt get through all of it..

Ah, Vonnegut - yes, excellent recommendation but I think I've read all of his books.

I've read Ender's Game (and the sequel? I can't remember). That was good.

House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewsky (the narrative style of the book makes it possible to actually browse back and forth if you don't feel like reading straight through)

Resource Wars by Michael T. Klare - an objective look at the likely causes of wars in the 21st century, written before 9/11 or the global warming cult started dominating politics.

Skinny Legs and All by Tom Robbins - an odd romance story about religious fanaticism, war in Israel, and modern art

Geez, does anybody read anything from this century? :D

I'll go with Edwin Shrakes "Custer's Brother's Horse". That's a great book.

Clive Cussler has a new one out. Those are fun. The Plague Ship or something like that.

Jeff Shaara has a new WWII book out. It's long, but those are mostly easy to read - page turners! If you like the American Revolution novels, his series "Rise to Rebellion" is the first should be required reading in High School or even 8th Grade.

If you're up for comics, go read the Hellboy books. Fascinating stories, fun characters, great art. /nerd

If you're looking for something humorous, I'd say go for Christopher Moore's "Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal". Easily the funniest book I've ever read.

If you're looking for something a little more dramatic [but still not too heavy], go for The Mistress Of The Art Of Death by Ariana Franklin. I just finished it last week, and it was pretty good.

Or, if you feel up to something non-fiction that WON'T bore your head off, try The Dead Travel Fast by Eric Nuzum. That link actually has a teaser from the first chapter, so it will give you an idea of the author's take on a very dark subject.

Enjoy!

"The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss

Brilliant first novel. I really look forward to more from him.

I would like to reiterate Tonya's recommendation of Water for Elephants... excellent book! I also loved The Thirteenth Tale it keeps you guessing until the end. And a personal all time favorite? The House of Spirits by Isabel Allende. She's an amazing story teller.

if you like murder mysteries, Donna Leon has a series that takes place in Italy. it's not a thriller, sometimes seems slow-going, but it's intriguing, and if you know anything about Italian culture (my dad is Italian) it's often pretty darn funny.

I would highly recommend 'Shantaram' by Gregory David Roberts. Reads like a Thriller, has an excellent storyline, fantastic backdrop and best of all, it still holds it's own on terms of meaning and depth against the best of them out there!

If you want something shorter and more manageable I would recommend anything by Cory Doctorow (craphound.com), mostly short novelettes, fast paced, techie topics and well worth the read.

And if you find that you are too lazy to read yourself head over to podiobooks.com and find anything by Mur Lafferty. Great writing, great voice!

Enjoy :)

Little Brother by Cory Doctorow is the best book I've read all year. For those of you who don't have $12 to spend you can read it for free at http://craphound.com/littlebrother/download/

I agree with the above...anything by Vonnegut, Ender's Game is great.

My favorite author is John Irving--love this man's perverted look at life.0

Try 'Last Laughs: The 1986 Mystery Writers of America Anthology.'
Crime can be have a lighter side. It's mischief with a wry twist! I found the stories very entertaining. (You can get it through Amazon, and elsewhere.)

The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher.
The series starts with Storm Front.
They're fast paced fantasy/thriller/mysteries about the only wizard in the Chicago yellow pages. They're great. They're page turners that will have you laughing and trying to figure out whodunit.

Dumas (no mather what, I'd recommend "La reine margot") and Clavell (any) and "The Name of the Rose" . "Papillion" by Henry Charriere would be my bet, true story by French innocently sentenced for life time in the bagno in French Guyana, not willing to accept that verdict...

I would recommend On The Road by Jack Kerouac and The Road by Cormac McCarthy (the author who wrote No Country for Old Men). Similar names aside, On The Road is a very entertaining book that supposedly defined a generation, and The Road is a story set in post-nuclear war America about a father and his son traveling across the country.

Kurt Vonnegut is also highly recommended and if you haven't read Slaughterhouse 5 or Cat's Cradle, you can't go wrong doing so. =)

I'm currently reading the new James Bond book 'Devil May Care' by Sebastian Faulks. And he's done well, I feel like I'm reading Ian Fleming.

Besides that, I can't recommend Terry Pratchett enough. My favourite book of his is a few years old, it's called 'Night Watch'.

Oh, and if you're up for giving it a review, I'll send you my book when it comes out - It's a comedy called 'Land of the Dead'.

I have attempted War and Peace almost every summer for the past few years, have never gotten very far on it. But alas, I will try again!

I just finished "Atlas Shrugged' by Ayn Rand. It is extremely long (1200 pages of small print), but it is a cracking good story and very thought provoking. I found myself skipping a lot of the wordy parts to get to the next descriptive scenes.

Another good one I read recently is "The Monsters of Templeton" by Lauren Groff

On a Lighter note, any book in the Flashman series by George MacDonald Fraser

Here's a new author you'll like: Dave Diotalevi. His new book, Miracle Myx, has one of the most intriguing characters you'll ever encounter. He's Myx Amens, survivor of two near-death experiences, owner of a photographic memory, and victim(?) of a fascinating condition known as synesthesia. For the uninitiated, that means Myx experiences the world differently from you and me--he smells colors, sees sounds, and tastes the inner workings of the minds of the people he encounters. Very, very weird. But also very, very entertaining. These skills also come in handy when Myx goes about investigating unsolved murders like the ones that set off the plot in Miracle, Massachusetts. Full disclosure: Dave and I are both published by Kunati Books--but I'd recommend this book anyway.

Duma Key - Stephen King, but then again, why should it matter who i put down for the author?

also, if you have the resources to find a copy,
Eight O'Clock in the Morning, by Ray Nelson

"Siddharta" from Hermann Hesse.

Agree with the commenter who suggested Ender's Game, although only if you get it from the library. After buying and reading the latest Orson Scott Card paperback, a jingoistic, neo-conservative piece of tripe, and then reading some of his more recnet essays online, I've sworn off him for good. Ugh... awful.

I just reread Cat's Cradle, another good suggestion I'll second. Anything by Vonnegut is good.

Cormac McCarthy's The Road is a good suggestion, but very, very dark. I loved it, but I love post-apocolyptic books.

I kow you asked for light... but I absolutely have to suggest The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan. It's an amazing read, and if you care about where your food comes from it will pull you in from the beginning. It never gets preachy, at least in my opinion, and I found it incredibly informative.

m.

OK, if it's going to be last century books, "A Fine Balance" by Rohinton Mistry is a book I've read, listened to, and listened to AGAIN.

You can't go wrong with any book by Neal Stephenson.

/These recommendations may take you all summer to read if you are drinking while reading. They are about 800 pages each.

I do agree with most everything already stated. And I'll add if you want light, if you want summer, then I can recommend James Frey, Bright Shiny Morning.

I don't care about morality, dude can write. I enjoyed this book so much I was sad to realize that I had sailed through it in three days.

I have two recommendations, since I'm not exactly sure where your taste lies. They are at sorta opposite ends of the dark fantasy spectrum

1) Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

People have been telling me to read a Gaiman book for ages. I figured it was about time to try one. I stumbled onto this one (like you) at the library. The world has a lot of similarities to the pun-filled world of Xanth. However, I liked how Gaiman didn't try to EXPLAIN London Below, it just was, and you figured it out or not, like the main character must have had to. Light reading.

2) The Black Company by Glen Cook

These days Hollywood coats everything with so much sugar it's no wonder Americans are fat and diabetic. If you're the sort of person who likes Anime because it doesn't always have a "happy ending" then this is a book to pick up. The series follows a rag-tag and generally not-so-nice group of mercenaries as they just try to get by. Heavy reading, though not long as individual books go.

Well, there's the one I always recommend, no matter who asks -- The Master Li books by Barry Hughart. The first one is Bridge of Birds, a Novel of Ancient China. Number Ten Ox's village is afflicted by a plague that affects two things: silkworms and children. He takes the village's money and tries to find a sage to discover a cure -- instead, he runs into Li Kao, a 90-year old drunk whose shop is marked by the sign of a half-closed eye.

Light, fast, short, funny, and full of more information about ancient China than you can shake a stick at.

"My surname is Li and my personal name is Kao, and there is a slight flaw in my character."

For a fun, offbeat read that's sneakily educational, check out Through the Arc of the Rainforest by Karen Tei Yamashita. It's all about how humans interact with each other and the environment, but it's also a very funny and very engrossing novel. Perfect summer read, IMHO!

If you enjoy light reading, particularly for the summer, just to kinda "drift away", I'd recommend "Jonathan Livingston Seagull" by Richard Bach (yaya). Really depends what you like, though. I loved Guevara's "Motorcycle Diaries" one Summer, "Lady Chaterly's Lover" the next, know what I mean? ;)

There are some great modern authors listed and some great classical authors listed...

If you want to look smart in a coffee shop and be entertained and read something deep without being hard to read:

Hemingway

He is always deeper than he seems, he is always easy to read, he is always a good choice.

"Vertical Run" by Joseph Garber!
Non stop action and one big mystery driving the plot.
Why is EVERYEONE suddenly trying to kill David Elliot?!

Wow, its neat in itself the like-minded people who frequent this website. Many of the selections people have already made I would also endorse.

What I haven't seen yet is:

Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

The Year of Living Biblically by A.J. Jacobs (hilarious!)

and if you want to get *really* light, my comic book recommendations are:

Asterix and Obelix by Goscinny & Uderzo

Beatiful Stories for Ugly Children by Louapre & Sweetman

lastly,

a book on tape from the library

The Count of Monte Christo by Alexandre Dumas was amazing, though I never read the book proper...

Wow - I read the post and thought "someone reads the same stuff I do!" anfd then I read the recommendations...nothing in that mindset except Miracle Myx and Duma Key (which I've already read - 2 thumbs up).

Harlen Corben - "Hold Tight" is what I'm reading now. I want to get to the new Jeffrey Deaver and the newest Prey book by John Sandford. I'm still trying to decide on whether to read Jonathan Kellerman's Compulsion.

THAT's light reading! Those, and the local history books I been sidetracked on.

Maybe I should try proofreading too :)

I just discovered two authors I really enjoyed.

In the international thriller genre Alex Berenson's The Faithful Spy and Ghost war are excellent.

In crime noir, The Takedown by Patrick Quindlan is one of the best in years.

I also second Christopher Moore, Bite Me kept me LOL the whole way through.

Hah! Harlan Coben is like the M. Night Shyamalan of literature - I read his book a while back and my head just asplodes with all the plot twists...

I love Asterix and Obelix, Tintin, and other comics but I'm afraid I've gotten too old to read comics. Oh, sorry, graphic novels. :)

Believe it or not, I've read "Vertical Run" - grabbed it at random from the library shelf. I finished it, so it wasn't bad, but because I'm not able to tell you anything about it, that means the book wasn't all that memorable to me.

One author I'd like to recommend is John Sandford (the Kidd series, not the Prey series). It's about a computer hacker who, well, gets into and out of trouble.

And to Victor Fricke: I don't think Ayn Rand belongs in the "summer reading" category! :)

My favorite series of all time:
A Song of Ice and Fire by George RR Martin
Series begins with A Game of Thrones.
There are currently 4 books out and each one was very interesting.
Series is currently being adapted by HBO. Great summer read. Check it out!

Being a not-quite-hardcore bookworm, I recommend reading books by James Rollins (I recommend reading "Map of Bones", "Black Order", and "The Judas Strain" in that order, since their all connected).

You can also go for an all-time fave of mine: "Musashi", by Yoshikawa Eiji. Set aside some serious reading time though, since it's long yet satisfying, especially for one with an interest in (classic) Japanese culture (like me).

Happy reading!

Oops! Almost forgot. Also try the Abhorsen series (aka Old Kingdom series) of books by Garth Nix. Interesting read if you like fantasy novels in medieval settings.

It deals a lot with necromancy, though, so I don't recommend it if you're not into that for various reasons. (AFAIK some religions abhor that sorta thing...)

lolita by vladimir nabokov. sure, it might not be fit for everyone, but it is one hell of a summer book.
the whole thing is like one perpetual summer told by humbert in a long stream of consciousness.
wonderful.

I'd recommend Bob Harris' "Prisoner of Trebekistan." It's the most insightful and thought-provoking airplane read I've ever had to fortune to come by, so much so that it's the sort of book I'm recommending to pretty much everyone. Harris writes about his stint as one of the winningest contestants on Jeopardy!, but he doesn't brag--he sometimes gets by on the skin of his teeth, and has to resort to some...unconventional means to keep his recollection of lists of information in order.

If you like fantasy then, Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. Can't wait for book 12 to come out next year.

Any of the 30 or so books from Wilbur Smith....historical adventure fiction. Pure Awesome.

To Say Nothing Of The Dog by Connie Willis.

Extremely funny, takes place in bureaucratic future England and prim and proper Victorian England, but the main characters are anything but businesslike.

Oh, and it involves time-travel, since you seem to be open to sci-fi (per your above comments).

"stiff: the curious lives of human cadavers" by mary roach.

this one is a really fun read!

OK, I'm trying not to get too heavy so I'll avoid anything to do with the Holocaust or anything too complicated science-y or thick theology-y.

Ten Recommendations:

1. _Outwitting History: The Amazing Adventures of a Man Who Rescued a Million Yiddish Books_ by Aaron Lansky (I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It is the alltime coolest memoire EVER. It is a quick read, not too deep, but oh so very, intensely worthwhile --- it's one of my top 3 favorite nonfiction books of alltime. I LOVE THIS BOOK. Seriously. Please read this book. Please. I LOVE THIS BOOK. You'll laugh. You'll cry. Etc., etc. I LOVE THIS BOOK!!!)

2. 3 books: _The Cartoon History of the Universe I, II, and III_ all by Larry Gonick (highly recommended educational THICK comic compendiums -- exquisite. I recommend Gonick's wacked sense of humor. Read them in any order.)

3. _The Good Earth_ by Pearl Buck (an accessible literary classic that is a MUST read (beautiful book, rivetting story -- it will weave itself into your mind and soul)

4. _Microserfs_ by Douglas Coupland (geek classic, fluff, quick read and delightful)

5. any of Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse Southern Vampire novels (pure fluff -- but GOOD fluff, zero intellectually redeeming value but oh so charming and suspenseful) My favorite entry in the series is _Club Dead_.

6. _The Search for God_ at Harvard by Ari Goldman (comparative religion lite - easy afternoon's read but good for ye ole thinking processes, very good writing - Goldman has a great way with words)

7. _The Monkey's Raincoat: Linked Poetry of the Basho School with Haiku Selections_ by Sarumino translated by Lenore Mayhew (pure beauty in small, breathtaking doses)

8. _Coal Miner's Daughter_ by Loretta Lynn (her autobiography from back in the 70's -- worthwhile read with poignant, earthy insights)

9. _The Serpent and the Rainbow_ by Wade Davis (Voodoun. The movie is an abomination - the book is the real deal. If you like it, I can recommend some more academic, heavier tomes on the subject.)

10. _We Had Everything But Money_ from Reiman Publications and its sequel _When the Banks Closed, We Opened Our Hearts_ from Reiman Publications (first hand accounts of life in America during The Great Depression -- extremely edifying, intriguing, worthwhile reads -- in bitesized chunks -- GOOD stuff)

Here is a good list, not sure if you will like any of them but oh well.

1. A Confederacy of Dunces...I read this when I was 16 and still think it is one of the best collections of characters ever. This is good if you like black, weird comedy.

2. Jurassic Park/Lost World...It is always better to read the book, and these two are no exception. I guess it might be that I like dinosaurs, but they are a easy escapist reads for the beach.

3. After Dark (by Haruki Murakami) this book is a bit more involved, but if you have a love for Japan (which I get from the pink tentacle posts) I think you will like this book...or any of his books for that matter.

4. Me Talk Pretty One Day, super funny short stories...good quick read.

5. Howls Moving Castle...sure it is a childs book, but it is one of my favorite. So if you happen to like fantasy then its a great option.

and I forgot to say The Glass Castle...very goos non fiction account!

OH, and let me add another rocking memoire, please:

_Brainiac_ by Ken Jennings

Seriously. Good book. You will laugh your ribs sore. I reread it a couple of times, read favorite passages aloud to friends, and passed it along for friends to enjoy. GREAT summer read. Perfect for exactly that: a summer read.

World War Z by Max Brooks: A brilliant mockumentary of the Zombie War, sharp, funny, biting political satire. And ZOMBIES. You can never go wrong with zombies.

And anything by Terry Pratchett, which is ostensibly fantasy, but also, brilliant satire and exquisitely crafted comedy. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discworld#Novels)

I just started reading "The Collected Stories of Arthur C. Clarke" in memory of the great writer.

I am also in the middle of the "Malazan Empire" books by Steven Erikson.

:)

Try Skullduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy for something a little different.

Robert Parker's western Resolution for something traditional.

And anything by David Gemmell (heroic fantasy) or Tamara Pierce (especially her latest, Terrier - for girl power).

Replay by Ken Grimwood. Good yarn about what happens after a middle aged man who has a heart attack suddenly wakes up and discovers it is twenty-five years earlier but he has his adult memories intact.

Harry Turtledove is a prolific author of several interesting alterate history novels. My favourites are his novels about a alien invasion attack on planet earth flawed by bad timing. The aliens unfortunately decided to come when planet earth was armed to the teeth- World War II. Turtledove also wrote civil war novels about the south defeating the north, and novels about Japanese occupation of Hawaii in World War II. This guy has some imagination.

Lamb by Christopher Moore
everyone I've lent this book to has not been able to stop themselves from laughing, audibly.

Caramelo by Sandra Cisneros is really good too, not a book for laughs to the same extent

I like funny, frothy novels in the summer. I think you would love The Reavers by George MacDonald Fraser(he also wrote the Flashman novels) The Reavers is a derring-do novel from a different era(well sort of a different era...other eras silently creep into the 17th century) A casket of jewels, an accidental murder, an estate at risk, and a plot to overthrow the king are all part of the story. Lady Godiva makes an appearance as does Bonny Gilderoy(think of Johnny Depp on a horse). You must read this one.

Any of Ben Rehder's books will keep you laughing all summer. His latest in the Blanco County, Texas Mysteries is called Holy Moly and it involves the discovery of a new dinosaur skull on the property being readied for the church of one of those creepy Televion ministers. The finder ends up dead by backhoe(it's later found out he really died by arrow.) A half dozen folks hope to cash in on the money that the skull would fetch. Infidelity, murder, mayhem, and new love from an unlikely source play a part as well. Look him up on the web. http://www.benrehder.com

If you like thrillers try Yxta Maya Murray's two novels. Queen Jade is the 1st one. Her newest is called The King's Gold. Dynamite. If you liked DaVinci Code and all of the others that followed, you'll love this one and it's so much better.

The Monsters of Templeton by Lauren Groff is a wonderful read. A young woman, thinking she's pregnant goes home to Templeton(think Cooperstown which is what the town is fashioned after and the author's hometown). On the day she arrives home a large monster surfaces in the town lake, causing quite a stir as you might imagine. It serves as a catalyst for the rest of the story which involves the young woman looking for answers to a few questions and finding them by the end of the book. The author is a born storyteller.

For any comedy readers out there, the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy is always a good set to read. If you're going to pick it up, be sure to get the Ultimate version with all the books in one.

For sci-fi readers, I suggest the original I, Robot by isaac Asimov. It's a good book, but is in no way like the movie. The book is more about irony and the transparency of human logic, so if you are looking for action, this won't be right for you.

Finally, for any fantasy readers, I suggest the Rhapsody trilogy and the The Deed of Paksenarrion by Elizabeth Moon.

Man you have to check out Matthew Reilly. action galore i8n all his books. I'd start with ice station and work through the other in that series, or go for the classic scifi like one set in new york library - contest. or do the whole indiana jones style action with temple. he just gets better and better and it's action from page 1 and hard to put down. not bad for an aussie writer who had trouble getting published. he now rules the action catagory of books with suspense, action, heart stopping emotional roller coaster! - http://www.matthewreilly.com/

Harlen Coben is great! You have to read his Myron Bolitar series. A former Basketball player turned sports agent who somehow gets involved in solving crimes his clients get involved in. The wit and humor in these books are brilliant and the mystery's keep you turning the pages.
Deal Breaker is the first in the series and my favorite.

The Xanth series by Piers Anthony has got to be my all time favorite. Due to its severely punnish nature it must be set in a land where magic IS and the mundane isn't. Anthony has more than one title for each letter of the alphabet including Air Apparent, Xone of Contention, Swell Foop,and at least 26 more.

On a more serious (but fun) note, anything by Anne McCaffrey (especially the PERN series) cannot be put down before finishing or using your nose for a bookmark.

I also found Orson Scott Card's books to be a good read but somewhat stilted. A "new" book I picked up is The Warlock In Spite Of Himself by Christopher Stasheff, wonderfully written, funny, fast and a good read.

Enjoy your summer of books, they're good for your head.

How am I the first one to suggest Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy? And I mean all five books in the trilogy. ;) I love them.

Seconding/thirding Ender's Game.

Also, American Gods by Neil Gaiman.

My top picks are the Stephenie Meyer books Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, and The Host. She has a brillaint way of writing that sucks you straight in. Twilight, New Moon and Eclipse are a vampire series that have enough action for the boys and enough romance for the girls. There is going to be a fourth book in the series called Breaking Dawn that is coming out on August 2. I also like Water for Elephants which is a really nice story. I am currently reading Snuff.. I am not sure if I like it enough to recommend it. My favorite summer reads are The Hitchhiker's Series by Douglas Adams, any Neil Gaiman book, Terry Pratchett writes a nice series called Discworld. I love Alice in Wonderland. It has such a different view point reading it as an adult than a child. Anything by Augusten Bourroughs, Hunter S Thompson, Kurt Vonnegut.. Have a great summer everyone :)

I love this thread! You are all reminding me of so many

Why have just Pratchett or only Gaiman when you can have 'em both - Good Omens is a fun read

Alex, one is never too old for comics. Read The Watchmen, its a classic

*... reminding me of so many great books and authors* ^

so happy to see Musashi listed. my most favorite book ever!!!!! Ice and Fire (GRR Martin) is a great series - if you don't mind waiting YEARS for the next book to come out. Lolita is the perfect summer read. But all of these are extra long.
For a quick enjoyable read: The Sun Also Rises, Hemingway. Microserfs (Coupland) is another great suggestion but if you've read JPod it's basically the same book. Quick non-fiction that reads like fiction - The Ghost Map by Steven Johnson - a great book if you like maps and cholera (and who doesn't, really?)

I agree with the Hitchhiker Guide series - those are classic (read every single one except the last one - is it any good?)

Don't forget Isaac Asimov - the Foundation series is probably the only set of books I've read twice. The Robot series are also a gem.

For the supernatural lover, the Odd Thomas series by Dean Koontz is fun.

Thanks to Dust, I'm now so intrigued by Barry Hughart's Master Li series.

Here's the synopsis of Eight Skilled Gentlemen:

Master Li, the Sherlock Holmes of a mythical China, struggles with a bizarre mystery involving the murdering of mandarins, as evidence points to the Eight Skilled Gentlemen, long-dead shamans who engage demon-dieties to perform their evil deeds

I think I'll check him out!

Me and a few friends have been sharing a book back and forth with about 5 people called Rant, By Chuck Palahnuik. He is also known for writing Fight Club, so hopefully you are not easily grossed out.

In the Heart of the Sea, by Nathaniel Philbrick. Its the real life story that inspired Moby Dick. One of the best Non Fiction books out there!

You should read Bad Move, by Linwood Barclay. It's a mystery about a science-fiction writer named Zach who moves his family to the suburbs because he thinks it will be safer than their old neighborhood. Zach's the kind of dad who sets up scenarios to teach lessons to his kids and wife on the dangers of their careless ways. Taking from a shopping cart a purse he believes to be his wife's leads Zach to all kinds of sordid goings-on in his "safe" new neighborhood. It's hilarious!

If it hasn't been mentioned yet..

"Dirty Jokes and Beer" Drew Carey.

A very funny autobiography mixed with really funny dirty jokes.

Crime: James Ellroy, Michael Connelly, Joe R. Lansdale
SciFi: Alastair Reynolds: Revelation Space
Contemp.: Bruce Wagner, Cormac MacCarthy (Suttree)

My favourite books ever:
"On Love" and "On Romance" by Alain de Boton
"The Unbearable Lightness of Being" by Milan Kundera
"Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand
"A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaleed Khomeini
"The Time Travelers Wife" by Audrey Niffenegger
"1984" and "Animal Farm" by George Orwell
"Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley
"Slaughterhouse Five" by Kurt Vonnegut
"The Stranger" by Albert Camus
"The Little Prince" by Antione de Saint Exupery
...goodness, I just realized I could keep going on and on so I will stop.

"Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell" by Susanna Clarke.

Full of magic and people with wigs :D

This one's free on the internet:

A Lawyer Presents the Case for the Afterlife

http://www.victorzammit.com/book/4thedition/index.html

If you're still reading this far down the list, then you can't do better for a short burst of inspiration than Whatever You Think, Think the Opposite by Paul Arden.

Neil Stephenson's Baroque Trilogy are great fun, informative and have the advantage of being three very big books so this question shouldn't arise again for a while.

Half-cock Jack is a hero for any age

Siddhartha, by Herman Hesse. (all of his books are amazing)

and Blindness, by Jose Saramago.

I love Who Do You Love by Jeanne Thompson. It is a collection of wonderful short stories. Perfect bite sized pieces for a summer read. I also love all of the Elizabeth Peters and Barbara Michaels books.

Geeklove, by Katherine Dunn
Every page holds a treasure in this weird story about sideshow freaks. It invokes Todd Browning's Freaks and questions the nature of family. Even if it is unnatural.

If you haven't, you must read Dune (Frank Herbert). If you have, read it again.

Any of the Odd Thomas books by Dean Koontz:
Odd Thomas
Forever Odd
Brother Odd
Odd Hours

Since gas is so expensive, why not read about someone else's travels instead of spending the money to take your own trip. I personally love comedic travel stories. My favorite are by J. Maarten Troost. His two books are "The Sex Lives of Canibals: Adrift in the Equatorial Pacific" and "Getting stoned with Savages: A Trip Through the Islands of Fiji and Vanuatu". Don't let the titles scare you, his experiences will have you laughing out loud while you read (better take these out of the library).

I recommend anything from Clive Cussler, but start with "Sahara" (don't watch the movie because they ruined the whole thing, Penelope Cruz not withstanding). Also, try Nelson DeMille (read the various series in order) and any of Bill Bryson's work. These collections should get you through the summer. Good Reading!

I just finished off "Jonathen Strange & Mr Norrell" by Susanna Clarke. I'd highly recommend it. I also agree with Hezzawezza - Dune is a fantastic read. I'm currently reading "Spook Country" by William Gibson.

I've read Clive Cussler but all I remember from it was how he liked vintage old cars, expensive cigars and single malt scotch. Can we say, tax write off for "research?" ;)

Dune - now that's a book! The first one was awesome, but I haven't kept up with the subsequent books in the series. Come to think of old sci-fi novels that I've read, I really liked Rama and other books by Arthur C. Clarke, and Hyperion (the first one) by Dan Simmons.

@onecrazymomma: Nothing by Albert Camus belong in anyone's summer reading list, except maybe a masochist. :)

I started "Spook Country" by William Gibson but couldn't for the life of me finish it - I know he became a legendary author for Neuromancer (read that too) but I couldn't understand a sentence he wrote ... (happened when I was reading Neuromancer too)

A few I always recommend

Seabiscuit: An American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand
all about the famous racehorse.

Angela's Ashes: A Memoir by Frank McCourt
an irish boy growing up in extreme poverty- makes you realize how fortunate you really are.

Holy Blood, Holy Grail by Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh, and Henry Lincoln
what is the mystery of the Holy Grail?

and
The Holographic Universe by Michael Talbot
discusses whether the universe is a giant hologram and what is conciousness.

The Yiddish Policemens' Union by Michael Chabon was the best piece of fiction I've read in years. Superior!

I can't believe no one mentioned TC Boyle! I've enjoyed just about everything he's written, but my favorite is Drop City, about hippies trying to move back to the land and failing.

Into the Wild is also a great quick read. It's also about a kid trying to move back to the land and failing, though this is a true story.

Roddy Doyle is a fun read in Irish brogue; I especially liked Patty Clarke Ha Ha and the Barrytown Trilogy (the latter was made into second rate movies, but the book's worth reading)

Try a more obscure Vonnegut, God Bless You Mr Rosewater is hilarious.

And for a really light yet entertaining read, #1 Ladies Detective Agency is a hoot, about a woman in Botswana who starts a detective agency and the odd, small incidents she investigates.

i love this thread! i already had my summer reading picked out, but now I've got another whole list!

Well...sci-fi = Richard K. Morgan's Altered Carbon (cyber-noir!!)

The Road by Cormac McCarthy
anything by Kurt Vonnegut
One Hand Clapping by Anthony Burgess
Anything by Peter Hamilton (sci-fi)
Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson (contains the most detailed description of Cap'n Crunch fetishism ever)

Happy Reading!

Van said "Replay" by Ken Grimwood. Yes! Just the perfect summer read! I can't believe there hasn't been a movie yet.

"Devil In The White City" - great story about the Chicago World's Fair and America's first serial killer H.H. Holmes.