any of the stepahanie plum novels by Janet Evanovich are great . The 1st book is titled" One For The Money "awesome books ,there are 13 in the series.

And, of course, Don't Stop the Carnival, by Herman Wouk is a must read for anyone laying on our beaches...I mean, it's not exactly a suspense book, but it does keep your interests, and the setting is very apropos!

I'm starting Lean Mean Thirteen - barely into it, but it's great! Of course, you really have to go back to the first one to get the gist of all the jokes.

Long dead, often amusing, and my favorite author of all time - John MacDonald and the Travis McGee series. You sorta get a picture of Travis McGee and his cohort, Meyer...here's a link:

http://home.earthlink.net/~rufener/

Caveat - you don't want to be McGee's girlfriend, they all end up way dead.

More serious, set in south Louisiana - James Lee Burke and the Dave Robicheaux series.

ANYTHING by Carl Hiassen - Florida based and absolutely hilarious.

I just read "The Memory Keeper's Daughter" --- soooooo good! Very suspenseful and tear jerking.

I just started reading "The Love Season" - setting in Nantucket and it seems to have a suspenseful undertone. Too soon for me to give it a thumbs up, but it was on the top seller's shelf at Borders. It is one of those stories that takes place in one day, culminating with a dinner party. If you are into gourmet cooking, it seems to have some focus there. The main character owned a fabulous retaurant on Nantucket, but doesn't anymore...

I loved reading "Desiring Paradise" on STJ, since it was about a couple moving to STJ from the states and what happened when they got there.

"Midwives" is excellent. I read it a few years ago. Couldn't put it down.

Funny story "Fluke" by Michael Moore (for those who like insane fantasy).
Liked Jimmy Buffet's "A Salty Piece of Land". (both of these stories revolve around the sea).

When I'm on vacation, I like the lighter side of reading.

More serious,
"The Old Man and the Sea", by Hemingway is worth a re-read.
"In the Heart of the Sea" (The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex) - non-fiction- by Nathaniel Philbrick is excellent.

Hey, DC, isn't "Fluke" by Christopher Moore? Not Michael? His style is very much like Carl Hiaasen and the rest of his books are just as good as Fluke, IMO....

Marty you are so-ooo right. He's one of my favs, can't believe I called him by the wrong name.
I must be "sicko".

Amen to Don't Stop the Carnival but then I was staying at Hotel on the Cay when I read it... which is not so loosley portrayed in the novel... but parts of St Thomas too and any Carib island for that matter are portrayed.. Glad someone said that another novel was not Micheal Moore's. I wouldn't even read his obit...but could possibly be convinced to dance on his grave. I read Michner's Caribbean two years ago while on the islands. You need more than a couple days for that one but has some great historical perspective. Salty Piece of Land is fun too.

Any of Patricia Cornwell's books. I've read them all very quickly and loved them!

A few of my suggestions:

Snow Fower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

Life's a Beach by Claire Cook

Baby Proof by Emily Griffin

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

I recommend the Lagoonieville series
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/105-6051873-0314837?initialSearch=1&url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=lagoonieville

I've read the first 3 and am waiting for the 4th in the series to come out. They are all really fun reads.

I *loved* The Lovely Bones! But it was quite a downer.

I've heard Baby Proof is good too.

If you consider your dog (dogs) to be family members, as I do, then these books will make great reads.

Lost & Found by Jacqueline Sheehan

Merle's Door: Lessons from a Free Thinking Dog by Ted Kerasote

I'll have to try those, as my dogs are just furry 4-legged children. 😉

Mia, have you read "For Bea" by Kristen Von Kreisler? Such a great story about a rescued beagle who was in a "lab."

Lovely Bones seems like a downer - I started it on vacation but had to put it down because it was too "deep" for vacation. I'm not sure I want to pick that one up again - too dark.

Folks-I'm going light, light, light in my reading choice. Nothing taxing -pure amusement. Janet Evanowich seems to fit. Don't Stop the Carnival was absolutely the best. I laughed out loud many times. Highly recommend to anyone who loves the VI and understands the life. Thanks for the varied suggestions.

let us know what you think of Janet Evancvich's books . Im starting on 13 when we leave for St Thomas in 2 weeks .

I suggest the "#1 Ladies Dectective Agency" series. Delightful books, set in Africa but I find the speech patterns and "proper culture" similar to people I've met here in St. Thomas.

Gari,
I haven't read "For Bea"....but thanks for the suggestion, I love books about human/animal relationships.
Happy to hear you also enjoyed The Lovely Bones. I found it to be more touching than sad and the promise of hope lit the darkness, especially for parents who have experienced the ultimate tragedy....mia