Reading Lists

So I lost the Internet AND the cable in my room. It was quite a shock to the system, but as it turns out, a blessing in disguise. Although I do miss my morning CNN reports, I've found a lot more time to get back to my reading. This week I just started Wicked by Gregory McGuire. I'm not much into fantasy stories, but so far I like what I've read.

Pretty soon I will have depleted the supply of books I brought with me from home. Here's the list of what I've read so far, in case anyone is interested in checking them out:

• The Pilot's Wife: It's well-written story that shows how a the wife of a pilot who died in a crash deals with the grief and some of her late husband's secrets.

• Where the Heart Is: It's a fairly easy read about life in middle America. Your typical story about a teenage girl who made bad decisions, but then turns her life around and gains the love and support of those around her. Hollywood turned it into a movie with Natalie Portman and Ashley Judd.

• A Bend in the Road: I have a weakness for Nicholas Sparks books, though it's not quite as sappy as The Notebook or A Walk to Remember.

• The Hours: This is more of artistically written compilation of character sketches than a plot-driven novel. It's well-written, but don't read if you're tired or depressed.

• The Queen of the Big Time: I read it on the plane. It's not memorable.

• A Danielle Steele book I can't remember the title: Don't bother. It was the first I read by her and I didn't realize how horribly simple and boring her plot lines actually are. You could fall asleep for about 50 pages and not miss a thing.

Pretty soon I'm going to hit up the used book stores for some new reads. What are your suggestions for titles or authors I should look out for?