What is a good book to read... I have a few days to kill?

Question: What is a good book to read!.!.!. I have a few days to kill!?

I want to read something interesting that will hold my attention- but also makes me think!. BUT I don't really want to get into something that is part of a series, ya know!? I don't want to read it and then not get to read the rest for a long time!. I want the book to just be able to stand on it's own!. Thanks!Www@QuestionHome@Com

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:

Read "The Time Traveler's Wife" by Audrey Niffenegger

I just finished reading that- it was so interesting! I might compare it sort of to the feeling of The Notebook--- but different for sure!. It was so good and happy and sad and strange and everything!. A book that you could cry to, if you wanted to!. I find that it definately can stand on it's own and was a great read!.

The novel tells the story of Henry DeTamble (born 1963), a librarian at the Chicago Newberry Library, and his wife, Clare Abshire (born 1971), an artist from a wealthy family who makes paper sculptures!. When 20-year-old Clare meets 28-year-old Henry in 1991, he has never seen her before, although she has known him most of her life!. Clare's past is still in Henry's future!. Henry begins to experience the events in Clare's childhood at the same time that he experiences life with the adult Clare in the present!.

also as it happens to be- they are making this book into a movie for later this year- the lead character will be played by Rachel McAdams!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

The Twilight Series is extremely good!. The order of the books are Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse and soon coming out, the last book, Breaking Dawn!. Believe me, when I heard of the book, I wasn't so sure but now I have read Twilight about 7 times in the last week!. I am always researching it on the internet!. It even is ranked higher than the Harry Potter series in the NY Times bestsellers list!. Another reason it is good is because you wouldn't have to wait because the 4th and final book is coming out in August!. It is kinda a romantic, fistion, horror-ish series but it is really good!. (even 4 people like me who r suckers 4 romance and who starts crying at sad parts)Www@QuestionHome@Com

If you want something that will make you think about current issues, try Jodi Picoult's books!. I've only read "Nineteen Minutes", about a school shooting, but it was a real 'page turner'!. she has about 4 billion, but they aren't a series that relate!.
My favorite book, which is definitely interesting, is Laurie R King's "The Beekeeper's Apprentice"!. while is is the first in a series, it stands alone well also!. it has it's own coherent plotline not dependent on reading the others to get the conclusion or anything like that!. It's about a girl who meets and befriends retired sherlock holmes!.!.!. it's great!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

It's a fable about following your dreams!. The style of writing is simplistic (but very beautiful), with correlations to that of The Little Prince, fairy tales, or spiritual writings!. The novel is narrated by an omniscient narrator and the book is widely known and loved!. I definitely recommend this book!.

It's a stand-alone novel with just under 170 pages!.

The writing is simple and clear--not juvenile!. It's entertaining and brings a message for the reader!. I found this book to be very motivational/inspirational!.

I definitely recommend it!. Happy reading!Www@QuestionHome@Com

I could go all out and recommend a thousand books, but one particular favorite of mine seemed to fit your criteria!. The Host, by Stephenie Meyer was extremely good!. You may be Stephenie Meyer-aphobic after all the 12 year olds raving madly about Twilight, but give it a try!. It's a thick sized book but it won't take you more then a few days to read!. Not part of a series!. You have to pay attention, but it grabs hold of you so that it isn't a chore!. It definitely makes you think, my mind was working the entire time!. Give it a try!Www@QuestionHome@Com

I love Meg Cabot (Heather Wells & Queen of Babble) and Sophie Kinsella's (Shopaholic [soon to be movie] & Remember Me) Emily Giffin (Something Borrowed & Something Blue, Baby Proof) books!. I am in the process of reading Jennifer Weiner's (Good In Bed & Certain Girls) books!. They are all great authors!

For a young adult/teen I recommend Meg Cabot's young adult books!. She is the best author!. also best selling!. She wrote tons of books including the Princess Diaries (Movies based on her books), Mediator (upcoming movie), 1-800-Missing (TV show based on her books), Jinx, Airhead and more!. She has adult books too, so you can grow with her!.

If you want more info or any of the authors website's email me!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
("Amir, the main character in Khaled Hosseini’s novel The Kite Runner, witnesses the racially motivated sexual assault of his friend/servant Hassan, perpetrated by a gang of neighborhood bullies!. Hassan is a Hazara, a minority ethnic group of Shi'a Muslims!. He is attacked by a group of Pashtun boys, lead by Assef, a young boy who heavily identifies with Hitler’s doctrine!. After this attack, Amir feels deep guilt and shame, which causes him to shut Hassan out of his life!.
Amir attempts to move on with his life!. He tries to be the son his father always wanted, but is constantly reminded of Hassan!. Even after he and his father, Baba, flee Afghanistan during the Russian occupation and find a new home in America, Amir still cannot rid himself of his memories and regret!.
Amir flees to America, marries an Afghan woman, and becomes a successful writer!. Yet, a walk in the park after a phone call from Pakistan, reminds him of the joy he felt as a child in Afghanistan kite running with Hassan!.
Kite running, in which children attempt to cut down each other's kite strings, is a popular winter pastime among Afghan children!. Kite strings are coated with glue and broken glass, allowing the strings to slice through another kite’s string!. A kite runner is a child who runs after and retrieves the kites after they are cut!. The greatest prize a kite runner can earn is retrieving the last kite cut during a tournament!.
The last happy moment Amir and Hassan share occurs when Amir wins the winter kite tournament as his father watches!. He sends Hassan, his kite runner, to fetch the last kite so that Amir can present it to his father!. When Hassan goes kite running, he is attacked!.
As an adult, Amir is presented with the opportunity to make things right!. He receives a call from Rahim Khan, his father’s friend, who requests that Amir travel to Pakistan to see him!. During this meeting he tells Amir that Hassan is his half brother!. He also tells Amir that Hassan has been killed by the Taliban!. Hassan’s son, Sohrab, is still in Afghanistan, and Rahim Khan asks Amir to return to Kabul to save Hassan’s son!.
Amir decides to travel into Taliban ruled Afghanistan in order to exorcise the demons of his past!. Eventually, Amir finds Sohrab and brings him back to America, finally putting to rest his feelings of guilt and inadequacy!.")

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Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult
("In this emotionally charged novel, Jodi Picoult delves beneath the surface of a small town to explore what it means to be different in our society!.
In Sterling, New Hampshire, 17-year-old high school student Peter Houghton has endured years of verbal and physical abuse at the hands of classmates!. His best friend, Josie Cormier, succumbed to peer pressure and now hangs out with the popular crowd that often instigates the harassment!. One final incident of bullying sends Peter over the edge and leads him to commit an act of violence that forever changes the lives of Sterling’s residents!.
Even those who were not inside the school that morning find their lives in an upheaval, including Alex Cormier!. The superior court judge assigned to the Houghton case, Alex—whose daughter, Josie, witnessed the events that unfolded—must decide whether or not to step down!. She’s torn between presiding over the biggest case of her career and knowing that doing so will cause an even wider chasm in her relationship with her emotionally fragile daughter!. Josie, meanwhile, claims she can’t remember what happened in the last fatal minutes of Peter’s rampage!. Or can she!? And Peter’s parents, Lacy and Lewis Houghton, ceaselessly examine the past to see what they might have said or done to compel their son to such extremes!. Nineteen Minutes also features the return of two of Jodi Picoult’s characters—defense attorney Jordan McAfee from The Pact and Salem Falls, and Patrick DuCharme, the intrepid detective introduced in Perfect Match!.
Rich with psychological and social insight, Nineteen Minutes is a riveting, poignant, and thought-provoking novel that has at its center a haunting question!. Do we ever really know someone!?")

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First They Killed My Father by Loung Ung
("Loung Ung was five years old in Cambodia at the start of the Pol Pot Regime!. Her father was a middle-class government worker, and thus a prime target for the Khmer Rouge!. Loung, her parents, and her many siblings had to flee their home, setting out with no warning and no destination!. They had to leave almost everything behind and pretend to be a farming family to avoid capture, but were eventually sent to a work camp!.
After a string of work camps, Loung and her family had almost grown used to the constant hunger and tiredness, the fear of and separation from every other member of their villages, and to hiding their emotions so as to not appear weak!. Soon, Loung’s teenaged brothers, Khouy and Meng, and sister, Keav, were sent away to a different work camp!. Keav died shortly after her arrival!. Then Loung’s father was taken away and killed!. Loung’s mother forced Loung, her sister Chou, and her remaining brother Kim to run away, leaving herself and her baby daughter Geak behind!. Loung and Chou, too afraid to split up as they had been ordered, arrived at a child work camp where they stayed together until Loung was sent to a different camp to be trained as a child soldier!. Soon, Ma and Geak are assumed to be dead, because the soldiers 'took them away'!. ")

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The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
( "Jeannette Walls grew up with parents whose ideals and stubborn nonconformity were both their curse and their salvation!. Rex and Rose Mary Walls had four children!. In the beginning, they lived like nomads, moving among Southwest desert towns, camping in the mountains!. Rex was a charismatic, brilliant man who, when sober, captured his children's imagination, teaching them physics, geology, and above all, how to embrace life fearlessly!. Rose Mary, who painted and wrote and couldn't stand the responsibility of providing for her family, called herself an "excitement addict!." Cooking a meal that would be consumed in fifteen minutes had no appeal when she could make a painting that might last forever!.
Later, when the money ran out, or the romance of the wandering life faded, the Walls retreated to the dismal West Virginia mining town -- and the family -- Rex Walls had done everything he could to escape!. He drank!. He stole the grocery money and disappeared for days!. As the dysfunction of the family escalated, Jeannette and her brother and sisters had to fend for themselves, supporting one another as they weathered their parents' betrayals and, finally, found the resources and will to leave home!.
What is so astonishing about Jeannette Walls is not just that she had the guts and tenacity and intelligence to get out, but that she describes her parents with such deep affection and generosity!. Hers is a story of triumph against all odds, but also a tender, moving tale of unconditional love in a family that despite its profound flaws gave her the fiery determination to carve out a successful life on her own terms!.")

All of them are my favorites!. First They Killed My Father is a real tear-jerker, and I guess Kite Runner is also!. Nineteen Minutes is greeeeat and I love her writing style, and it really maks you think and question things!. The Glass Castle is a great story, sad when you think about it!.
They're all adult books and none are part of a series!. I'd have to say my favorites in order are
1!. Nineteen Minutes
2!. The Kite Runner
3&4 (tied) First They Killed My Father and The Glass Castle!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

nicholas sparks: THE GUARDIAN, a bend in the road, nights in rodanthe, a walk to remember, the notebooks, the wedding

jane austen: sense and sensibility, emma, PRIDE AND PREJUDICE

Daphne Du Maurier's Rebcca is great, suspenseful and mysterious

Isabel Allende: City of the Beasts

Harper Lee: To kill a MockingbirdWww@QuestionHome@Com

try any one of Sarah Dessen Books like

Lock and key
Someone Like You
That Summer
Dreamland
Keeping the Moon
This Lullaby
The Truth about Forever

^^ all are seprate books none are novels on there own none have a series she has more but i cant think of the restWww@QuestionHome@Com

tHE oUTSIDERS

PLEASE ANSWER
http://answers!.yahoo!.com/question/index;!.!.!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan PatonWww@QuestionHome@Com

From the Corner of His Eye by Dean KoontzWww@QuestionHome@Com

I read this book called things not seen!. I liked it a lotWww@QuestionHome@Com