Smart, light fiction--recommendations?

[Duodora]

Well--the title says most of it! Preferably not sci-fi or fantasy, just because I've been overdosing on it lately--but pretty much any genre would be welcome. Chick lit is definitely fine in theory, but my few forays into that genre have met with disapointment/disgust (maybe I just didn't know where to start?)--but I'm sort of looking for something along those lines of lightness.

Any recommendations would be most welcome Thank you!

[tompe]

Georgette Heyer, P. G. Wodehouse, Donald E. Westlake, Amanda Cross, Janet Evanovich, ...

[Sparrow]

Anne Tyler, Robertson Davies

[IceHand]

Chick lit:
Eileen Cook: "Unpredictable"
I got it for free, it was a Rewards Dollars special on Books on Board (not anymore though). It's a very funny and light-hearted novel about a woman who tries to get her boyfriend back. By the way, I'm usually not into chick lit.

Not chick lit:
Richard Paul Evans: "Finding Noel"
A nice and short Christmas story, if I remember correctly. The protagonist could have been a bit more active, but it's still a nice story.

Young adult fiction:
Jennifer Ziegler: "Alpha Dog" and "How Not to Be Popular". Humorous and about believing in oneself.

Sarah Dessen: "Lock and Key" and "Just Listen". Not as light-hearted as the other books I've recommended, but still quick and nice reads. "Lock and Key" is about a girl who has been abandoned by her mother and starts to live with her older sister. Now she needs to learn to open up and trust other people again. "Just Listen" on the other hand describes the struggle of a girl who has been rejected by her friends at school. She meets a boy who's rumoured to be a violent guy, but strangely he's listening to music all the time without talking to other people.

[pilotbob]

How about stuff like:

I Am America and So Can you - Colbert
Engufled In Flames - Sedaris
How to Really Stink at Golf - Foxworthy

???
BOb

[Katiesue]

I love Anthony Trollope. He was a British writer in the 1800's so all of his 'stuff' is public domain and there are a good number of his books posted here at Mobile Read. To me, his books 'read' a lot like Jane Austen, but lighter....like quality Chic Lit!

[Elsi]

Pulp fiction is probably good for a laugh. Dr. Drib has been posting some here for the Sony Reader -- he downloaded from www.munseys.com and reformatted to his own specifications. Munseys offers all their books in MobiPocket format suitable for reading on your Cybook.

Also how about some classic detectives like Sherlock Holmes, Fu Manchu, or Richard Hannay.

Fairy Tales and Folk Tales can be good, light reading. How about all the "color" books by Andrew Lang? Most of them are here at MobileRead, including The Blue Fairy Book, The Orange Fairy Book, and The Olive Fairy Book. Lang also published The Red Romance Book for the olders.

Lots of books intended for young adults also make fun and relaxed reading. There's Tom Swift, Doctor Dolittle, Anne of Green Gables, and Heidi.

Patricia has posted some books that might easily fall into the category of early "chick lit". Take a look at The Professor by Charlotte Bronte, The Princess Priscilla's Fortnight by Elizabeth von Arnim, or Diary of a Provincial Lady.

[Duodora]

Thanks for the suggestions! Although I do have to say--this just reinforces the fact that there isn't enough time to read everything I'd like to!

Originally Posted by tompe

Georgette Heyer, P. G. Wodehouse, Donald E. Westlake, Amanda Cross, Janet Evanovich, ...

These look great! I swiped a couple of Wodehouse off of this site, and wishlisted an Amanda Cross (Honest Doubt) and a Heyer (Black Sheep). Hmm, I've been sort of going back and forth with the Stephanie Plum series--but I'll give it a shot!

Originally Posted by Sparrow

Anne Tyler, Robertson Davies

Oohhh thanks for the reminder! I've been meaning to read the Accidental Tourist for a long time I couldn't find a ton about Robertson Davies' books--but from what I can see they look good. I don't think they're available as ebooks though But that just means they go on my list of "non-ebook books to read"

Originally Posted by IceHand

Chick lit:
Eileen Cook: "Unpredictable"
I got it for free, it was a Rewards Dollars special on Books on Board (not anymore though). It's a very funny and light-hearted novel about a woman who tries to get her boyfriend back. By the way, I'm usually not into chick lit.

Not chick lit:
Richard Paul Evans: "Finding Noel"
A nice and short Christmas story, if I remember correctly. The protagonist could have been a bit more active, but it's still a nice story.

Young adult fiction:
Jennifer Ziegler: "Alpha Dog" and "How Not to Be Popular". Humorous and about believing in oneself.

Sarah Dessen: "Lock and Key" and "Just Listen". Not as light-hearted as the other books I've recommended, but still quick and nice reads. "Lock and Key" is about a girl who has been abandoned by her mother and starts to live with her older sister. Now she needs to learn to open up and trust other people again. "Just Listen" on the other hand describes the struggle of a girl who has been rejected by her friends at school. She meets a boy who's rumoured to be a violent guy, but strangely he's listening to music all the time without talking to other people.

The Eileen Cook looks great! I'd be a little worried about picking it up without a recommendation--but with one (especially from someone who usually isn't into the genre) I'll give it a shot; it looks like a lot of fun!

Finding Noel looks like a rainy day story (or a good one to save for Christmas this year...as I'll be halfway around the world from my family *sigh*) Thanks for the recommendation!

I never thought of venturing into young adult, but that's a good idea I'll check out Alpha Dog and How Not to be Popular.

I think I'll wait for now on the Sarah Dessen. They look like great books--I'll definitely come back to them when I'm in the mood for something a little bit more serious.

Originally Posted by pilotbob

How about stuff like:

I Am America and So Can you - Colbert
Engufled In Flames - Sedaris
How to Really Stink at Golf - Foxworthy

???
BOb

I'd definitely never thought of...I don't know what you call the genre. But yes!! Especially the Colbert looks great! Thank you!

Originally Posted by Katiesue

I love Anthony Trollope. He was a British writer in the 1800's so all of his 'stuff' is public domain and there are a good number of his books posted here at Mobile Read. To me, his books 'read' a lot like Jane Austen, but lighter....like quality Chic Lit!

Yup--already downloaded several Trollope books to my ereader--and I'm a big fan of Jane Austen, so it's nice to hear them compared And quality chick lit sounds perfect! Any suggestions as to where to start?

Originally Posted by Elsi

Pulp fiction is probably good for a laugh. Dr. Drib has been posting some here for the Sony Reader -- he downloaded from www.munseys.com and reformatted to his own specifications. Munseys offers all their books in MobiPocket format suitable for reading on your Cybook.

Also how about some classic detectives like Sherlock Holmes, Fu Manchu, or Richard Hannay.

Fairy Tales and Folk Tales can be good, light reading. How about all the "color" books by Andrew Lang? Most of them are here at MobileRead, including The Blue Fairy Book, The Orange Fairy Book, and The Olive Fairy Book. Lang also published The Red Romance Book for the olders.

Lots of books intended for young adults also make fun and relaxed reading. There's Tom Swift, Doctor Dolittle, Anne of Green Gables, and Heidi.

Patricia has posted some books that might easily fall into the category of early "chick lit". Take a look at The Professor by Charlotte Bronte, The Princess Priscilla's Fortnight by Elizabeth von Arnim, or Diary of a Provincial Lady.

Hmm, munseys.com didn't seem to be working--any ideas? I'll try again tomorrow!

Some of the detective stories sound good--and I've never read any of them. Would you recommend starting with Sherlock Holmes or Fu Manchu?

The Fairy Tales sound great I just downloaded a couple of them!

Good idea about the young adult books! It would be fun to re-read some of those young adult classics and sort of see if/how my perspective has changed. I remember loving Anne of Green Gables--wonder if I still will?

Just downloaded those last three you recommended! I loved Jane Eyre, but haven't read any others of Charlotte Bronte--and the other two books look great!

Also--thanks for linking to the books!

-----

Woah that got long. Thank you all so much for the suggestions--I can't wait to get started!

[Katiesue]

Deciding where to begin with Trollope is a challenge. The good news is if you find you like him, you have a lot of good reading to look forward to.

I've read five of his books so far and my favorite to date is "Can You Forgive Her". This book is the first of the Palliser Novels. The next in the series is "Phineas Phinn" which is also very good. I recommend beginning with these.

Also another thought, I recently read "Old Goriot" by Balzac and loved it also. Haven't read anything else by him yet, but he was also very prolific like Trollope.

[Xenophon]

Smart. Light. Hmmm....

Chick-Lit:
Jennifer Crusie -- Start with either "Welcome to Temptation" or "Agnes and the Hit Man" Both are in paper. Bits? I dunno... But they have smart dialog, fun and funny characters and situations, snappy dialog, etc. Loads of fun.

S.F. (I know you said not, but...):
David Drake & Eric Flint: "Belisarius I: Thunder at Dawn" Yeah, it's SF. Yeah, there're battles. There's also loyal bodyguards dissing their general; a "slave" who 'gently educates' his prince...

"We were not even informed!" snapped the Prince.
Immediately, Ousanas slapped him atop the head.
"Imbecile suckling! When lion invite you to share lunch, accept. Or would you rather be lunch yourself? Babbling babe!"

...and lots and lots of other fun. And it's in bits for cheap over at webscriptions.net.

Historical romance (regency, in this case):
Almost anything by Georgette Heyer. I suggest "The Grand Sophy" or perhaps "The Unknown Ajax" as good places to start.

Xenophon

[tompe]

Originally Posted by Xenophon

Historical romance (regency, in this case):
Almost anything by Georgette Heyer. I suggest "The Grand Sophy" or perhaps "The Unknown Ajax" as good places to start.

One of my favorites and a good book to start with is Frederica.

[Leep]

Originally Posted by Duodora

Well--the title says most of it! Preferably not sci-fi or fantasy, just because I've been overdosing on it lately--but pretty much any genre would be welcome. Chick lit is definitely fine in theory, but my few forays into that genre have met with disapointment/disgust (maybe I just didn't know where to start?)--but I'm sort of looking for something along those lines of lightness.

Any recommendations would be most welcome Thank you!

I just finished "Marley & Me" which I downloaded from my public library ebook collection. If you like dogs, it was humorous and very well written.

cheers

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by Duodora

I'd definitely never thought of...I don't know what you call the genre. But yes!! Especially the Colbert looks great! Thank you!

I don't know either... Humor/Satire.

If you like those I also have some John Hodgman (I am PC guy) on my wish list. _The Area of My Expertise_ doesn't have a Kindle version but Fictionwise has it. Although the $14 price seems a little step when Amazon has the pbook for $4.99.

BOb

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by Katiesue

I love Anthony Trollope. He was a British writer in the 1800's so all of his 'stuff' is public domain and there are a good number of his books posted here at Mobile Read. To me, his books 'read' a lot like Jane Austen, but lighter....like quality Chic Lit!

I, too, love Anthony Trollope's work. (I have about 3 boxes of literary criticism - along with Dickens - that I couldn't bring with me to Peru at this moment.)

Trollope is certainly "smart," but he's not "light." (EDITED: He's not light in his themes. I find his writing no more difficult than contemporary fiction.)

I have a huge admiration for Victorian novels. Trollope's characters (unlike Dickens), are not characatures of types, but more delineated as individuals.

I think, however, that Charles Dickens would make a better 'read.' I certainly find his writing more accessible (and has more entertainment value) than Trollope's work. Trollope's prose was often very plodding and pedestrian, whereas Dickens was (and remains) a pre-eminent prose stylist, his writing fresh and vibrant and alive.

Both are important Victorian writers and, in my view, completely different in their aims as artists. However, although their work is entertaining, the artistry and the issues they both deal with transcend this limited and limiting framework of Entertainment as a definition.

Don

P.S.: As Katiesue mentions, there is a HUGE number of Trollope and Dickens already on MobileRead.

[Duodora]

Originally Posted by Katiesue

I've read five of his books so far and my favorite to date is "Can You Forgive Her". This book is the first of the Palliser Novels. The next in the series is "Phineas Phinn" which is also very good. I recommend beginning with these.

Also another thought, I recently read "Old Goriot" by Balzac and loved it also. Haven't read anything else by him yet, but he was also very prolific like Trollope.

Sounds good--I downloaded "Can you Forgive Her" and will start with that one.

And wow--Prolific is a good way to describe Balzac! I've never read anything by him, but I downloaded Old Goriot Thanks for the suggestions!

Originally Posted by Xenophon

Smart. Light. Hmmm....

Chick-Lit:
Jennifer Crusie -- Start with either "Welcome to Temptation" or "Agnes and the Hit Man" Both are in paper. Bits? I dunno... But they have smart dialog, fun and funny characters and situations, snappy dialog, etc. Loads of fun.

S.F. (I know you said not, but...):
David Drake & Eric Flint: "Belisarius I: Thunder at Dawn" Yeah, it's SF. Yeah, there're battles. There's also loyal bodyguards dissing their general; a "slave" who 'gently educates' his prince...

Historical romance (regency, in this case):
Almost anything by Georgette Heyer. I suggest "The Grand Sophy" or perhaps "The Unknown Ajax" as good places to start.

Xenophon

Oh don't get me wrong--I love sci fi/fantasy--I just feel like I've been reading it almost exclusively lately *sigh.* But those four or so lines of Belsarius I made me hop on over to Baen and buy it! Darn you Baen and your DRM-free extremely well priced ebooks! Thank you

I'll check out Jennifer Cruise--I looked for ebooks and couldn't find any--but I'll check them out in paper!

Thanks for the suggestions on where to start with Georgette Heyer! Both of those books look like a lot of fun!

Originally Posted by tompe

One of my favorites and a good book to start with is Frederica.

That one looks nice too! Thank you

Originally Posted by Leep

I just finished "Marley & Me" which I downloaded from my public library ebook collection. If you like dogs, it was humorous and very well written.

cheers

I'm a huge dog lover...the problem is, and I know this sounds childish, I really hate it/can't handle it if the dog dies in the end--and with so many books about pets, that's exactly what happens. As to keep this thread spoiler-free...I'll send you a message about it! (yes, I know I'm lame...)

Originally Posted by pilotbob

I don't know either... Humor/Satire.

If you like those I also have some John Hodgman (I am PC guy) on my wish list. _The Area of My Expertise_ doesn't have a Kindle version but Fictionwise has it. Although the $14 price seems a little step when Amazon has the pbook for $4.99.

BOb

Haha, satire or humor makes sense

The Areas of My Expertise looks good--booksonboard has it for $12--still a little pricey (I still can't figure out why some ebooks are so cheap and some are significantly more than a normal paperback), but it's not too bad! I can't wait to get started on that one too, thank you!

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

Trollope is certainly "smart," but he's not "light." (EDITED: He's not light in his themes. I find his writing no more difficult than contemporary fiction.)

I think, however, that Charles Dickens would make a better 'read.' I certainly find his writing more accessible (and has more entertainment value) than Trollope's work. Trollope's prose was often very plodding and pedestrian, whereas Dickens was (and remains) a pre-eminent prose stylist, his writing fresh and vibrant and alive.

Don

P.S.: As Katiesue mentions, there is a HUGE number of Trollope and Dickens already on MobileRead.

Thank you--I already have 5 or 6 Trollope on my cybook--waiting to be read I've read the first page or two of each, and they look great--I definitely like his writing style.

I see what you mean about the distinction between light in content and light in hm...reading difficulty. I suppose I should have elaborated somewhere earlier in the thread--but I'm mostly looking for books that I can read sort of bits and pieces here and there (and possibly waiting several days in between bits) and still follow/enjoy.

I have to say I'm a little bit leery of Dickens--although admittedly that's because of sort of a bad experience with Great Expectations in high school. Do you have any suggestions of particular books? I'd definitely like to give him another chance. Thank you!