<p>Although I read a lot of literary fiction, when Im stressed, I just want a light, quick, popcorn book. My tastes are eclectic, but I rarely read sci-fi or fantasy. I enjoy John Grisham, Louise Penny, Stephen White, Janet Evanovich, Joy Fielding, Jan Karon, Sue Grafton, Helen Fielding, Susan Elizabeth Philips, and Jennifer Weiner, among others. I also find disaster/adventure books to be very distracting. I will soon be spending a week with my parents to get together their income tax records for the accountant, and I need some new suggestions so I can keep my sanity. So what are YOUR favorite authors/books for escapist reading?</p>
<p>“The Outlander” series by Diana Gabaldon
The “Big Stone Gap” books by Adriana Trigiani</p>
<p>I like Harlan Coben a lot (intelligent suspense novels). And this book was very gripping: [Lone</a> Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10: Marcus Luttrell, Patrick Robinson: 9780316044691: Amazon.com: Books](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Lone-Survivor-Eyewitness-Account-Operation/dp/0316044695]Lone”>http://www.amazon.com/Lone-Survivor-Eyewitness-Account-Operation/dp/0316044695)</p>
<p>Given that list, I think you would like the Maisie Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear, and the Bess Crawford and Ian Rutledge series by Charles Todd. </p>
<p>There is also a wonderful older mystery series by Emma Lathen.</p>
<p>And do you know about this site:</p>
<p>[Literature-Map</a> - The tourist map of literature](<a href=“http://www.literature-map.com/]Literature-Map”>http://www.literature-map.com/)</p>
<p>You type in an author you like, and similar authors’ names will come up.</p>
<p>The Irish Country Doctor series is light and lovely.</p>
<p>When I run out of reading, I look up a list, like the top 100 mysteries, and go through the library to see which they have and which I might like to read. Some of the old ones are very good. I particularly like Josephine Tey’s. Look up Wilkie Collins as well for really old. Heck, have you read all Conan Doyle stories?</p>
<p>A book I recommend a lot is Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clark. It’s been described as Harry Potter for adults and there is something to that because it has magic but it’s not about kids or for kids. Very long and very good read, more of an adventure story for adults.</p>
<p>It’s weird being the age I am and realizing how much stuff I’ve read and don’t even think about anymore. JB Priestley’s Lost Empires is a terrific story about a kid working for his magician uncle in music halls. I thought of that because I thought of Jonathan Strange. </p>
<p>Have you read Wodehouse? He only wrote 90+ books. They come in categories and you find the characters you like and can stick to those. I think the Bertie / Jeeves stories and books are the best. Reminds me how few good comic novels exist. And how the first 11 pages or so of Catch-22 stand out in memory. I have rarely laughed so hard while reading.</p>
<p>I really enjoyed Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.</p>
<p>NY Mom, what a fabulous toy! I love it. :)</p>
<p>I just read Gone Girl. Very good.</p>
<p>NYMom, awesome tool, and boy do they have me pegged! I popped in one of my favorites and in the close circle were five others I really like. Well done!</p>
<p>I’m glad I could introduce you guys to the literature map! I learned about it years ago, and have found quite a few new authors using it.</p>
<p>Gone Girl was really gripping.</p>
<p>I just remembered another author - Tana French. Her mystery novels are set in Ireland. They are incredibly good.</p>
<p>Another suggest - laugh out loud funny (sometimes a bit raunchy) mysteries are the ones by Carl Hiassen. *Skinny Dip *is my favorite.</p>
<p>If you want old comfort food mysteries with a bit of romance you could read Mary Stewart.</p>
<p>I’m a big fan of mysteries–they clearly fall in the category of escapist literature. If you liked Sue Grafton, you might like Sara Paretsky. Her heroine, VI Warshawski,is a private investigator (works for insurance companies) in Chicago. You don’t need to read them in order, but it helps. Another good mystery writer–P.D. James. Her earlier novels focused on police inspector Adam Dalgliesh and Cordelia Gray (a female private investigator). Her latest novel, Death Comes to Pemberly, is loosely based on Pride and Prejudice. Other mystery writers I like–Robert Parker, Dorothy Sayers, Tony Hillerman–to name a few. Have to say I didn’t care for Gone Girl, but I know lots of folks who loved it.</p>
<p>For light and funny -anything by Elinor Lipman</p>
<p>I read a lot of mysteries (some more mindless than others).</p>
<p>I particularly like Robert Crais books (his Elvis Cole Series - action packed and clever), John Sandford (quick-paced, well-written, and somewhat mindless), and Dennis Lehane. I love Thomas Perry’s books, especially his Jane Whitefield series (about a Native American woman who makes troubled people “disappear”). Michael Connelly is good, as is Laura Lippman. James Lee Burke’s books are really atmospheric (Louisiana) and full of characters. George Dawes Green is a great storyteller.</p>
<p>I know you said you don’t read sci fi or fantasy. I don’t usually read them either, but a friend recommended Justin Cronin to me - his book, The Passage, was one of "the"books of 2010. It was really good, very engrossing. I was sorry when it ended.</p>
<p>scout59: The Passage #2 (second in the trilogy) came out in Oct. Title - The Twelve</p>
<p>I really like Laurie King’s Sherlock Holmes and Mary Russell series. Start with The Bee Keeper’s Apprentice.</p>
<p>Seconding Elinor Lipman as a high-quality “chick-lit” read. Also, Laurie Colwin.</p>
<p>I used to love big, exotic historical romances as escapist reading. Like James Clavell’s Shogun, or Ivanhoe. A more recent Shogun-like book, a tad further up the ramp towards actual literature, is David Mitchell’s The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet.</p>
<p>Someone also suggested P.G. Wodehouse. He was a despicable human being, but a hilarious writer. Anything with Jeeves or Psmith is wonderful.</p>
<p>Anything by Edith Wharton (Ethan Frome is a short book of hers). </p>
<p>Also look into poetry! John Keats is a personal favorite and I also enjoy Robert Frost and Walt Whitman.</p>
<p>I enjoy Kelly Jones:
The Lost Madonna
The Seventh unicorn
The Woman Who Heard Color</p>
<p>
One of my favorite reads of recent years.</p>
<p>I also like Jasper Fforde, especially the “Thursday Next” books.</p>