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  2 0 These are super popular but the Stieg Larsson Trilogy "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo", etc, etc. are pretty entertaining and satisfy your criteria to a tee. Marty Unger answered in Books & Writing about 1 year ago | Report 2 comments by Rev.Enant and infernactual… 0 0 seconded! Rev.Enant commented about 1 year ago | Report 0 0 Blah... if you want the best in this type of book get Per Wahloo... Man on The Balcony, The Laughing Policeman, etc. infernactual commented about 1 year ago | Report Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  2 0 Have you tried Anne Bishop's Daughter of the Blood? It doesn't info-dump about the world in the first 50 pages-- you have to keep reading to figure out how it works-- but it's a matriarchal society in which the god-king figure is Satan. The female characters are strong, sometimes fucked-up, and the male characters are the same. What about Jacqueline Carey's Kushiel's Dart? Sexy courtesan spy in an alternate-history Europe with a very detailed world. The first trilogy (Kushiel's Dart, Kushiel's Chosen, and Kushiel's Avatar) are great fun, the second trilogy has just as interesting characters but is a bit more formulaic, and the third and current trilogy is... best for die-hard readers. Are you into urban fantasy-type stuff? Charlaine Harris' Southern Vampire books are what True Blood is based on, and Sookie is much more fun in print. Each book is 300 pages or less, there's ten of them, and they're great kill-an-afternoon books. Patricia Briggs' Mercy Thompson books (about a mechanic in the Tri-Cities who can turn into a coyote) are also pretty good, and Mercy is not a great fighter-- she gets her ass kicked but is usually more of the run-and-hide type. These aren't quite in line with the authors mentioned, but you did want light and interesting female characters, and that's often what draws me into a series. Jessica answered in Books & Writing about 1 year ago | Report Comment on this answer Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  1 0 If you like SF and Fantasy, light reads, and interesting character development over demonstrative techobabble, then I gotta ask: Have you tried / are you open to graphic novels? Warren Ellis, Wendy Pini, Los Bros Hernandez, et al, all do a fine turn of mixing your criteria into a fine yummy feast. And they're each pretty damn consistant too. ... Otherwise, for brainless and non-epic distraction (that occasionally ends on a down note) I personally go for detective fiction. Anything from Conan Doyle to Sue Grafton. Rev.Enant answered in Books & Writing about 1 year ago | Report 3 comments by Kitts, Rev.Enant, and infernactual… 0 0 Haha, actually, I've read (and really liked) all three of those authors. I adore comics, I was just asking for books because they have a higher dollar-to-hour reading ratio. But it's a good point, and if you have a somewhat obscure graphic novel to suggest, I'd be interested in hearing. Kitts commented about 1 year ago | Report 0 0 Well POWERS isn't obscure, but it blends the best of my fav, 'detective noir', with sci-fi/fantasy and character-depth. Neil Gaiman has about a 50% consistancy IMHO, but the good stuff is REALLY tasty (see: "Time of your Life"). Frank Miller, too, though he sucks at giving females dimension (beyond bust measurements). Colleen Doran is a little more obscure, I suppose, and she does very nicely with female characters... (I just don't fall in love with her plots often enough). Pretty much any reigning female creator found at Fantagraphics is a decent bet (Jessica Abel, Ellen Forney, et al). For lighter fare, and sexy-as-fawk art, I enjoy Colleen Coover (Banana Sunday) and Chynna Clugston-Major (Blue Monday). Chynna, in particular, tickles my fancy (and her writing is a lovely snarkfest) and not nearly enough people seem to know her work. Blue Monday's 'Clover' is one of comics' greatest unsung heroines, IMO. (Best of all, most of these are readily available at the SPL, so the dollar-per-page/hour-ratio thing doesn't even have to apply) Rev.Enant commented about 1 year ago | Report 0 0 You can't beat Conan Doyle if you haven't read them then you have a treat in store. infernactual commented about 1 year ago | Report Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  1 0 I am a big fan of books that help me unwind, much for the same reason you state - read all day, serious heavy stuff, analysis etc. Try Jasper Fforde's literary detective series starting with the "Eyre Affair". Lots of literary fun, in an alt universe were literature is revered!! Time travel, more literature that I've ever read and funny too. I'm sort of ashamed to recommend them, as they are guilty pleasure for me, but I love Linnea Sinclair's books (except for downhome zombie blues which was more crap than crap). They are chicklit, SF, fun and not at all serious, but do not give you that "ooh, just ate too much junk food" feeling. Second the Charliane Harris recommendation, I love her books, she really makes an effort with her characters and her writing in general. Not just the Sookie Stackhouse series, either, try the Shakespeare ones (nothing to do with Will). If you want to travel down the chicklit path, you should try Jennifer Crusie, who writes entertaining romantic stuff. Her more recent books are lower on the romance and higher on the story line. Personal favorites are "Crazy for you" and "Agnes and the hitman". ozchick answered in Books & Writing about 1 year ago | Report Comment on this answer Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  1 0 I don't recall it having a really strong focus on female characters, but Glen David Gold's Carter Beats the Devil is a pretty fun alt-history set at the point when theater & vaudeville was about to be eclipsed by television. You could also try Connie Willis' To Say Nothing of the Dog, which is a fun time-travel story about a pair of researchers stuck in the 19th century, trying to work their way through a drawing-room farce to untangle a knot in time...both of these are really pleasant ways to spend a few hour... Brian Pitts answered in Books & Writing about 1 year ago | Report Comment on this answer Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  1 0 I'm with you - I ONLY read light books with good storytelling; my life is heavy enough. Try the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon - it's got a very hoky premis (WWII nurse accidentally travels to 1700's Scotland), but the storytelling is lots of fun and it has completely sucked me in. Penny Lane answered in Books & Writing about 1 year ago | Report Comment on this answer Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  0 0 I would totally suggest George R. R. Martin's "Song of Ice and Fire" series. They are action-packed, each chapter is narrated by a different character, and are just thrilling and unpredictable overall. The first book is "A Game of Thrones." http://seattle.bibliocommons.com/item/show/2648736030_a_game_of_thrones There are four books so far, and I guarantee you will be as impatient as all of his other fans are for the 5th book and beyond. Also, HBO is starting a series based on the books that should be awesome: http://www.earlyword.com/2010/08/09/game-of-thrones-hbo/ http://www.earlyword.com/2010/09/13/new-game-of-thrones-trailer/ mishalibrarian answered in Books & Writing about 1 year ago | Report Comment on this answer Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  0 0 Boneshaker, Clementine and Dreadnought by Cherie Priest. Strong female characters. Steampunk that takes place in Seattle and beyond. The female in Clementine is a ex-spy and quite the character. It's fun, easy, distracting reading. infernactual answered in Books & Writing about 1 year ago | Report Comment on this answer Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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