Read "The Help" and Loved It, So I Am Ready for Your Next Suggestions Mamas <3 - Arlington,TX

Room is a good suggestion. Just FYI it was written before Jaycee Duggard came out so it's not based on that but there are similarities. I'd be interested in reading her story too.

Also, try...
Midwives
The Thirteenth Tale
Memoirs of a Geisha
She's Come Undone
Where the Heart Is

Those are some of my faves that are quick reads and easy to get into from the beginning!

I loved Water for Elephants by Sarah Gruen. It was an amazing book. I also just finished Good Things I Wish You by Manette Ansay it was also very good.

The Red Tent by Anita Diamant

I loved 'The Help' too - it took me a little while to get into it once I did I couldn't put it down! I still need to see the movie.

I'm going to make note of the suggestions you receive - I'm always looking for a good read! Our church has a book club but it meets Monday evenings and usually before my husband gets home from work. Last month they read The Painted House by John Grisham - I'm just starting it now but I heard it was pretty good.

They made "The Painted House" a Hallmark movie! It was pretty good and was pretty close to the book!

Do want to read "The Help!"

But, just got 3 of the Janette Oke books in the "Love Comes..." series. Lady told me that the books fill in a lot of the spots the Hallmark movie kinda skipped!

Crooked letter Crooked letter by Tom Franklin

Mudbound by Hillary Jordan

I LOVED the girl with the dragon tattoo set. Also,
Children of Another God (The Broken World series) was really good, and the first book is free on Kindle! I just finished "a child called it", it is good, but very heart wrenching.

House Rules by Jodi Picoult
Room by Emma Donoghue

Last week, I read Jacee Dugard's book in ONE sitting. Disturbing, but inspiring!

I recently read 'The Wayward Apprentice', 'Poison: A Novel of the Renaissance', and 'Vestal Virgin' on my Kindle. They weren't spectacular but they were good. My mom just sent me a bunch of Ruth Downie books that she says are good. The Sandalwood Tree was decent. Old, but good: 'Pillars of the Earth', 'The Physician', 'The Journeyer' (if I recall this has quite a few, um, *vivid* sex scenes so if that bothers you steer clear).

I haven't gotten around to reading 'The Help' yet but it is on my list.

Did you already read "Water For Elephants"? Very good.
Also anything by Anita Shreve or Jodi Piccoult. Can't go wrong.
A more in-depth book--but fascinating: Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet

Just read "The Room" . Amazing.
By Emma Donoghue.
Read it in 2 days.

I loved "Water for Elephants"
"Sarah's Key"- great story about the round up of French Jews in 1942 by the French Police.
"The Paris Wife"- Centers around Hadley Richardson who was Ernest Hemmingways first wife and their years in Paris.
I tend to lean more towards the historical fiction and classic literature
I love all works by Jane Austen as well.

Great suggestions, I'm reading The Night Circus right now, it is a real page turner. I love books by Jodi Piccoult, Lorna Lanvik, Jennifer Weiner. All good authors for a "light" read. I read "What Alice Forgot" this summer, it was thought provoking. "Winter's Garden" was my book clubs last read, it was historical much along the lines of "Sarah's Key". Anything by Tawni O'dell is good, she writes about coal mining communities and families...good stuff. Happy Reading!

Anything by Francine Rivers you will love. THE MARK OF THE LION series by Rivers was definitely my favorite trilogy.

I also really love The Help! Then Hunger games series is excellent. It is deisturbing but really cant put it down type of books! I know I have read some other good ones but I am drawing a blank! I will get back to you!

Two that I just finished reading recently were excellent!!

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
Sarah's Key

My teenage daughter turned me on to two series of books. The Twilight Series (Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn) and the Hunger Games series (Hunger Games, Catching Fire, Mockingjay). For more "adult" books, I really liked the Stieg Larsson books (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played With Fire, The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest). Have fun!!

I've read The Help and seen the movie. I'm usually critical of the movie when I've read the book first. This movie was quite close to the book and I enjoyed it without going back in my mind to the book.

I've been reading a lot of Barbara Freethy lately. Really good books, lighter read, but page turners. I've read just about every suggestion on this list (LOVE to read) one that I really did not like that someone mentioned was Crooked Letter Crooked Letter, the book was just over 200 pages and could've told the story in about 100. Won't read anything by him again. The Hunger games are great as well as the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series. I just finished The Clifton Cronicles by Jeffery Archer, pretty good, first in a series. If you haven't read Kane and Able by him, really good book. Happy reading!

I just finished The Help today also, enjoyed it and thought it was a great book.