USVI-On-Line

You guys helped em so much before my trip last year that I had to come back and get your help again I need some books to take on my vacation again next month. Here are the types of books I like:

1. Real stories about people living in/moving to the islands. I loved Desiring Paradise!

2. Romance....not the Harliquin type though! I like books from Danielle Steel, Fern Michaels, ect.

3. No real mysteries.....not my thing. However, I have real, and enjoyed, all the Jodi Picult books.

My problem is I read so fast that I go through authors fast. I like funny, easy reading books as well as books that make me think....like Jodi Picult. Can anyone give me any ideas? Thanks!

This is a non-fiction series written by a man who followed his girlfriend (later his wife) to an atoll in the Pacific. It is not a vacation move, they are living and working in rather dire conditions but in an island paradise. The books are laugh out loud funny -

The Sex Lives of Cannibals: Adrift in the Equatorial Pacific

http://www.amazon.com/Sex-Lives-Canniba ... 145&sr=1-1

Did you read A Trip to the Beach and An Embarassment of Mangos? Both are good.

Driving over Lemons about moving to Spain was good.

Here are some that I've enjoyed or made me think in the past year:

Fiction
The Help by Kathryn Stocket
Little Bee by Cleave
Sarah's Key by deRosnay
Water for Elephants Gruen
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer
Kris Radish novels

NonFiction
Three Cups of Tea
Half the Sky

If you have not read "An Embarrasment of Mangoes" I highly recommend it. There is also a sequel, "The Spice Necklace."

I recently read the new Hiaasen book, "Star Island," which was a light read, though not as funny as "Skinny Dip" in my opinion.

I read An Embarrasement of Mangos and a Trip to the Beach on my vacation last year(and LOVED them both) and I just pre-ordered the sequal The Spice Necklace this morning off Amazon! That will be coming in Feb:)) I also ordered these books this morning off Amazon:

1. Getting Stoned with Savages: A trip through the islands of Fiji....I WILL make it to Fiji SOMEday

2. Life on a Rock

3. Pursuit of Paradise:Memoir of a Bahama Mama

4. Hurricanes and Hangovers: and other tales and loose lies from a coconut telegraph

5. A Rotten Person Travels the Caribbean: A Grump in Paradise Discovers that Anyplace it's Legal to Carry a Machete is Comedy Just Waiting to Happen (Travelers' Tales)"


I will also look into your all's other ideas! Thanks for the help....I KNEW I could count on you all:))

Herman Wouk; Don't Stop the Carnival
http://www.amazon.com/Dont-Stop-Carniva ... 0316955124

liamsaunt wrote:If you have not read "An Embarrasment of Mangoes" I highly recommend it. There is also a sequel, "The Spice Necklace."

Oh boy! A sequel! I didn't know that! I'm hitting up Amazon tonight!! LOVED "An Embarrasment of Mangoes" and didn't want it to end!!

+4 or whatever on "Embarassment". Ann has a great way with words. Looking forward to reading "Spice", even though I can't cook to save my life.

Other recommendations are:

"Seasoned by Salt" by Mashaw & MacClintock. Similar to Embarassment, but also different; and

"Island" by Thomas Perry. A bit far-fetched, but fun.

Its named "A trip to the Beach" by Melinda Blanchard
Its a true story of a couple from New England who decide to move to the island and open their drean rest.

You might like:

"Two Years in the French West Indies" by Lafcadio Hearn

"The Violins of Saint-Jacques" or "The Traveller's Tree" by Patrick Leigh Fermor

"Hot Country" or "Love and the Caribbean" by Alec Waugh

"Between Two Worlds" by Simone Schwarz-Bart

"Swimming in the Volcano" or "Easy in the Islands" by Bob Shacochis

"A Trip to the Beach" by Melinda and Robert Blanchard

"Crossing the Mangrove" by Maryse Conde

"A State of Independence" by Caryl Phillips

"Jumping Ship" by Kelvin Christopher James

"Back on Tuesday" by David Gilmour

"Digging Up the Mountains" by Neil Bissoondath

TM

I have just started reading some of Jane Greene's books. I like her style-pretty lite reading, good for the beach.
mricco

Have you read any of Maeve Binchy?

She's an Irish author who writes really interesting stories of families and communities, usually in small town Ireland or the city life of Dublin. She's really good at weaving a lot of people together, and usually bases her books from the female perspective so there's some light romance. Some of her books have some overlapping characters (if I remember) so if you try her out, pick up one of her earlier ones first.

http://www.maevebinchy.com/

I enjoy Jodi Picoult very much also, so you might like Binchy as well; she's not deeply serious, but it's not fluff either.

Hope you enjoy!

Have you read the Virgin River series by Robyn Carr?
I also really like Sherryl Woods. Fun, easy reads.

It's not the islands but years ago I enjoyed "A Year in Provence" by Peter Mayle. It's a light read with fun characters, written by a man who moved to southern France with his wife.

I also recently read Water for Elephants and loved it. Just finished The Little Book by Selden Edwards and enjoyed that too, tho it doesn't necessarily fall into your categories.

For a book that makes you think, you might enjoy "The Known World" by Edward Jones.

liamsaunt wrote:If you have not read "An Embarrasment of Mangoes" I highly recommend it. There is also a sequel, "The Spice Necklace."

Mangoes just rubbed me the wrong way. that didn't stop me from reading it 3 times. Something about the author just grinds my gears.