Looking for a book to get sucked into over the Christmas period - any ideas?

Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons

The Monkey Wrench Gang

It is a fun read. One of my favorite books.

anything in the Discworld Series by Terry Pratchett.

Something by Neil Gaiman. Neverwhere is a good start. This one is terrific fun.

If you want something deeper and more perplexing, and you can handle a fairly demanding read, give Haruki Marukami a shot.

the bible .......oh i’m sorry ,,,, i thought you said “suckered into” . ;-)

Master and Commander, and then the other 19 books in the series. Both demanding and hilarious, plus there are killings and terrible frightening weather. Yum yummy.

Without Feathers and Getting Even. Oh you’ll laugh.

General Kenney Reports, by George Kenney

Robert B. Parker’s Spenser series makes great light reading if you like the “tough, but tender” private eye genre.

How about a bit of tongue-in-cheek fantasy? The Destroyer series follows the adventures of Remo Williams and Chuin. Trained in the deadly art of Sinanju by a secret US government organization (CURE), they do for America what the Constitution cannot!

Ben Elton – Other Eden or Dead Famous :D

The Hitchhiker’s Guide the the Galaxy! :D
Or one of the sequels. The series is legendary for being funny, and it’s very light reading. If there’s one you haven’t read yet, I recommend it very much.
That or anything else by Douglas Adams, I suppose.

The Barimaeous Trilogy by Jonathon Stroud (it is kind of a younger people’s trilogy, but still really good.) The vampire books by Anne Rice-Interview with the vampire, etc. Excellent! And the Harry Potter books are always a good read!!

I don’t know what your tastes are regarding ‘funny’ but you might enjoy The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and clay. It’s not too heavy or anything. But it might turn you gay.

Terry Pratchett, Douglas Adams and Neil Gaimen all have fun stuff. The Old Kingdom trilogy by Garth Nix is good fantasy to get lost in.

I second Kavalier and Clay and pretty much anything by Neil Gaiman (especially Good Omens if you want funny).

I’ve been getting totally sucked into Robin McKinley’s books lately too – but they’re less funny and more just really well-written fantasy. Sunshine is excellent, if you like vampire books, and Beauty is a wonderful retelling of Beauty and the Beast – it’s not very long, though, so you’d probably finish it quickly…

Oooh, and there’s Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett, too – also not really funny, but it’s long and wonderful and you won’t be able to put it down – I read it for three days straight and only stopped to sleep and eat!

Give a shot to Piers Anthony`s “Xanth” series. The first book is called “A Spell For Chameleon”. It’s a fantasy comedy set in a magic universe that exists alongside the nonmagic “Mundania”. The main character lives in Xanth but has no magic. He goes on a quest to find out why. Hilarity ensues.

Last Christmas I was stuck on Survivor by Chuck Palahniuk. If you want something that is cynical and funny at the same time, I would say that he is your best bet. Try Fight Club, or Invisible Monsters or maybe even Diary. I’ve read all his work and those are some of the quick reads and awesome story lines. Rant is a great read too.

Here’s a link for a synopsis: http://www.flashlightworthybooks.com/Every-Novel-Book-Chuck-Palahniuk/425

Try the Twilight series, I’ve read through it three times, and the Harry Potter series, I have seen the movies,and now I’m gonna read the books.

@babyblue

You made it through “Twilight” three times? Seriously? Without bleeding from your tear glands?

The Fresco by Sheri Tepper. One of her easiest reads, but with unexpected twists and turns.

I have to agree on the twilight series. My daughter who is 25 laughs about it . She said it is for teens but I really enjoyed it. If you can still find it in print I would suggest Keys to the Kingdom. They made it into a movie years ago and it really affected me. It centered around a priest and atheist who were best friends.

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

@janbb, first book of a trilogy that’s not finished yet, yes? I’m always interested in your recommendations, but I like to go straight through series, so I’ll wait until all three are out.

@Jeruba Did you like the Kate Atkinson ones?

I don’t know yet, @janbb. I put them on my Christmas wish list and got something else instead. So one (Case Histories) is in my post-Christmas Amazon order, on its way to me right now.