Below are some books that I’ve enjoyed that are fiction. Again, my tastes vary greatly by mood, so the books also vary quite a bit. I’ve added little tidbits of information about the books and authors. If I like an author’s work, I tend to read their entire collection if I can. Any books that are part of a series are noted. Enjoy!
“Falling For Gracie” by Susan Mallery
I’m a big Susan Mallery fan and this book is my favorite that I’ve read thus far. It’s a romantic comedy about a girl with a well-known crush on a man from her hometown. She’s at home for a while helping with a sister’s wedding and finds him post divorce. I really like Gracie’s character a lot. She’s clearly still a little shy based on her past shenanigans trying to break up her crush, Riley, and his then girlfriend. It’s a funny story with a happy ending. I read this on my Kindle and almost immediately re-read it because I loved it so much. Sometimes you need an easy and funny read. This is that book. It’s got some romance, some comedy, some general shenanigans–all in good fun. This is one of those books that I’m glad I bought, because I’ll probably read it a few more times. Good stuff.
“Everything Changes” by Jonathan Tropper
This book is my favorite Jonathan Tropper book. I read “How To Talk To A Widower” first, but this one took the cake for me. Tropper’s characters tend to be all over the map as far as being likable, funny, mean, cruel, etc. The story is not a complicated one–the main character, Zach, is going through a personal crisis and makes some interesting choices based on his fear of the future or what he’s “supposed” to do. I tend to like books with characters that make a lot of mistakes but figure things out eventually. Zach is my favorite Tropper character and I’m not really sure why that is. The book has some (dark) humorous moments, but is generally a drama. Definitely a top pick for me.
“Underfoot” by Leann Banks
This book is my favorite Leann Banks book and one that I’ve read a few times already. It’s the second in a series about the Bellagio shoe corporation. The main character, Trina, ends up with an unexpected surprise when she hooks up with a former fiance of one of the Bellagio family members. Although I liked the other stories in this series, this one was the most heartwarming and funny of the three. Banks’s books tend to showcase single women as being able to take on the challenges they are faced with in a very positive way. Although it’s a romance novel, I didn’t feel that the love interest took away from the main character’s independence. I think this is one of the reasons I like Banks’s writing so much. Not all of her books are like this, but the ones I’ve enjoyed the most tend to have very independent and smart women. A good beach read or when you need a little pick-me-up.
This book is the first in Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series. I’ve read the whole series and really enjoyed it. I’m a Morelli fan–in case you are interested. While I recommend this series, I also recommend not reading it all at once–read some other books in between. I went through the whole series back-to-back, and by 15 I was ready to punch Stephanie. I like Evanovich a lot, though. I’ve got her other series (Full Series) and some of her early romantic comedies in my library. These books, and the Plum books, are super quick reads and have some hilarious characters. I really like Evanovich’s sense of humor and it really shows in this series. Again, read the books in order otherwise it might not make as much sense, just not back-to-back. A good read any time.
“Club Dead” is my favorite Sookie Stackhouse novel by Charlaine Harris. This is the third book in the series (again, read them in order, starting with “Dead Until Dark”). One of the reasons I like this book, as opposed to the earlier or later books in the series (to date, there are nine) is that Sookie is just starting to “get” all the interesting changes in her world. Things aren’t shocking her as much any more. I’m also not a huge fan of Bill, so I’m not upset that he’s a more minor character in this book. Sookie gets into some trouble, Bubba hangs around (I love him), and Eric causes more trouble by doing what he normally does. This book is a good combination of drama, dark humor, suspense and fantasy. I don’t typically like books that have an element of supernatural to them, but this series is a lot of fun and one that I recommend often. I’m also a fan of the HBO series, although it’s very different from the books.
This is the first Austen book I read and my favorite. Her style was so fresh for the time and the characters are priceless. Initially, I read this because I wanted to read “Pride and Prejudice and Zomies” and understand it, but later I was just glad to have read it.
I don’t remember a book making me laugh more than this one did. David Sedaris is a laugh riot. I read this book during my commute and I had tears in my eyes it was so funny. It’s comprised of a number of short stories, so it’s a good read if you have a short attention span and need something funny to tide you over. At times, it can be offensive, but the book is offensive to everyone, so no one should feel left out.