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I loved Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen.

If you are a John Grisham fan, his new series .. "Ford County" comes out today.

I just finished "The Associate" by him, and I highly recommend it.

I would recommend one of the Patrick O'brian novels, which were the basis for the relatively recent movie Master and Commander with Russel Crowe.

The novels are set in the Napleonic period and follow two characters in the English Navy. Absolutely first rate writing and often very funny. There's also a fair amount of action, and I personally would have loved these novels at 13, though the prose can be a bit challenging at times (very educational to boot).

You could start with the first novel, Master and Commander, but I would probably recommend starting with Desolation Island, which is shorter and has very gripping action.

Anyway, if you enjoy stepping into another time, this is a great author, who really immersed himself in that culture.

ps Technically, these books do form a series, but since O'Brian wrote them over a thiry year period (he died a few years back), it's sort of a misleading way to describe them: sort of like describing the Parthenon as a "building".

[This message edited by rayhicks at 6:39 PM, November 2nd (Monday)]

If you like Sci-fi/fantasy, you and your son would like the Maximum Ride series by Patterson. and you don't have to wait for sequels and there are lots already published!

Elizabeth Berg. I discovered Elizabeth Berg after seeing "Say When" recommended on here. That one is about infidelity (fiction).

She has about 15 books that are not infidelity related. They are about women's friendships, relationships in families....just very real and her style of writing touches my heart.

I was compelled to write her a letter saying how much I love her books!

You should try her

i see "twilight eyes" already mentioned/ good book. another Dean Koontz book that i love is "watchers" great for dog lovers.

i loved "the lovely bones" and it's coming out as a movie, so i would read it before i saw movie. the beginning is a little tough, but it's one of my all-time favorite reads. and "kite Runner"

I second the Elizabeth Berg recommendation. I read "Open House" and so much of what the character there is going through resonated with me. It's hard for me to get the cheating off of my mind, so this fiction was helpful in that it distracted me and was therapeutic. I am reading "Say When" now.

Compartmented

Another Elizabeth Berg fan here. "Pull of the Moon" was my favorite.

I recommend The Forgery of Venus, I am a harsh critic and a snob when it comes to most best sellers, as I think reading them is like eating junk food. His novels are exciting, but not just plot driven. His characters are fascinating and believable. I also loved his Tropic of Night and Valley of Bones.

Another recommendation is you like scifi/fantasy.

Any (or all) of the Incarnations of Immortality series by Piers Anthony. There are seven in all.

On A Pale Horse (Death)

Bearing An Hourglass (Time)

With A Tangled Skein (Fate)

Wielding A Red Sword (War)

Being A Green Mother (Nature)

For Love Of Evil (Satan)

...And Eternity (God)

Though it's a series, each book is a stand alone. The idea behind it is each of the main characters isn't a force as such but an officeholder. An officeholder of Time, War, Death, etc.

I just finished Taft by Ann Patchett. It's the first time I've ever read this author and I really liked it.

Just read Freedom by Jonathan Franzen, and, wow... an amazing story-teller. Lots of depth.

I hadn't yet read The Corrections, and started it up immediately.

anything by James Patterson so long as it's not co-authored. I particularly enjoy his Alex Cross series.

Hey! Reading is great!

If you have any skills that you want to improve, look for books on working on your craft.

Otherwise,

1.Stephen King books (horror) but fast read. His first book "Night Shift" is really good!

2. John Grisham-The confession

3.Hell's corner-David Baldacci

4.Stephen King- Full Dark, no stars

5. Life-Keith Richards (rolling stones)

6.Moonlight Mile-Dennis Lehane

7.Ken Follett-Fall of Giants

8.Rachel Ray's Look+Cook-Rachel Ray

9.Nicholoas Sparks-Safe Haven

10. The Help-Kathryn Stockett

11.For colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf-Ntozake Shange

12.Fannie Flagg-I still dream about you

13.James Patterson-Don't Blink

14.Jonathan Franzen-Freedom

15.Sh*t my Dad says-Justin Halpern

16.Diary of a wimpy kid do it yourself book-Jeff Kinney

I gave you an array of a mixture of topics. Please Enjoy!

I am reading "The Hunger Games" books - after my 16yr old son finishes them.

Just started the first one and I was hooked by chapter 1.

My older son and I trade Stephen King and Dean Koontz books.

I also enjoyed Water for Elephants (might be too adult for a 13 yr old).

I LOVED Wally Lamb's books.

It's old, but A Tree Grows In Brooklyn by Betty Smith is just absolutely fabulous.

From about.com: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is a coming-of-age story. It's a tragic and triumphant book about Francie Nolan, as her family struggles with poverty, alcoholism, and the brutal realities of life for an Irish-American family in Brooklyn, New York City.

Charlaine Harris has several awesome books. Sookie Stackhouse - True Blood on HBO, but the books are so much better and not at all like the vampire porn on HBO. Sex yes, porn no. Tess Gerritson, of course John Sanford and Patricia Cornwell. If you like historical romance, Phillipa Gregory, The Other Bolyen Girl and others. And of course, Jane Austin, live Pride and Prejudice and Emma. Robin Hobb, gosh, so many...

I really enjoy the Sookie Stackhouse books - they're intriguing and fun reads. Much, much better than the True Blood series IMO.

The Stephanie Plum books are fun, fun reads, laugh-out-loud (literally) funny.

If you like historical mysteries, the Anne Perry books (both the Monk and Pitt series, sett in different parts of the Victorian era in England) are terrific. Anne Perry's WWI novels, which are not mysteries, are really, really good too. Margaret Frazier (Dame Frevisse) writes mysteries set in medieval England, and they are incredibly well-researched and interesting. I believe that all of these are stand-alone AND there are lots of them, so you don't have to wait impatiently for the next one until you've finished them all. Both of these authors make the time in which they are set come absolutely to life. I feel like I am there when reading these books.

Contemporary mystery: Margaret Maron (the Judge Knott books) are terrific and all are stand-alones IMO. I'm currently devouring the Inspector Gamache books by Louise Penny (set in Quebec).

Carl Hiaasen novels are not in a series, and they're really good - and funny.

Other mysteries -

Nevada Barr novels are mystery/thrillers, almost all of which are set in Nat'l Parks. Her main character is a park ranger, and Ms. Barr herself was a Nat'l Parks ranger for many years. Her descriptions of the Parks are pure poetry. Although in a series there are a bunch of them already (15?), so you have awhile until you have to wait for the next ones.

Other genre fiction (romance, horror, sci-fi, western) are all outside my "realm of expertise" LOL.

Happy reading!

Another funny series is the Queen Betsy books by MaryJanice Davidson. Undead and Unwed, Undead and Unemployed, etc. She is the queen of vampires, set in Minneapolis - a lot of fun!

If you like mysteries, there are two good Swedish series about crime. One series starts with The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson and the earlier series: The couple originally planned the series as a sequence of ten novels collectively titled The Story of a Crime. The novels revolve around a team of police investigators led by Martin Beck.

Roseanna (Roseanna, 1965)

The Man Who Went Up in Smoke (Mannen som gick upp i rök, 1966)

The Man on the Balcony (Mannen på balkongen, 1967)

The Laughing Policeman (Den skrattande polisen, 1968) (Edgar Award, Best Novel, 1971)

The Fire Engine That Disappeared (Brandbilen som försvann, 1969)

Murder at the Savoy (Polis, polis, potatismos!, 1970)

The Abominable Man (Den vedervärdige mannen från Säffle, 1971)

The Locked Room (Det slutna rummet, 1972)

Cop Killer (Polismördaren, 1974)

The Terrorists (Terroristerna, 1975)