DH and I usually have a large stack of "to read" books at this time of year. This year we're down to only a few so I thought I'd come here for suggestions. He reads to me while I do needlework.
We've just finished a visit to Henry VIII's court via Phillipa Gregory's The Other Boleyn Girland enjoyed it a lot. Have watched the BBC version and have on deck the US version of the movie based on the book.
I'm in the midst of the Kathy Reichs series on which the TV show "Bones" is based. They are fun reads also but don't lend themselves to being read aloud.
We love mysteries, thrillers and even time-travelers like Diana Gabaldon.

Husband & I are both tremendous readers & book collectors. For Christmas, we unknowingly both surprised each other with Kindles - lol - but I haven't yet decided whether or not I'm going to keep mine. I'm definitely a "real" book lover & don't find myself really getting into the Kindle as much as my husband.

Although I haven't had a lot of time lately to read, I'm enjoying my annual trek through "Murder for Christmas", an anthology of short mystery stories by well-known past mystery authors. I read it every year for Xmas (along with Dickens' Christmas Carol) as sort of a tradition. It's out of print, but if you can come across a used copy somewhere I think you'd enjoy it.

(Oh, & I liked "The Other Boleyn Girl" too! )

Kalico, your husband reads to you? What a lovely thing. I used to read poetry to bride in bed at night. When I was a kid, my father, who worked for a US Senator (Prescott Bush of all people), read us the Congressional Record to put us to sleep. What kind of deal is that?

Anyway, I'm in the middle of a John Grisham novel.

I'm an avid reader of books. After reading this post I ordered 3 of Kathy Reich's books from amazon. I have read all the Cornwell books so this author is right down my alley. Didn't realize she is the "Bones" author. I love that show and even watch the reruns.

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - NOT the NewSouth Books edition.

A friend of mine wrote today a wonderful piece concerning this new edition. He wrote it with considerable authority and you can see it here.

I can't wait to re-read this American classic.

Good idea for a forum post this time of year, kalico!

Bill

I've been working through all of the David Baldacchi novels. The nursing home where my dad lives has a really nice library and I get a new book almost every week. I have already finished all of the Kathy Reichs and Patricia Cornwell novels. I also enjoyed the JD Robb novels which is about a futuristic crime solving police lieutenant woman. JD Robb is a pseudonym for Nora Roberts but the novels are completely different.

E.E. "Doc" Smith; 3rd book, "Galactic Patrol", (c) 1937.

A space opera of sorts. Lovely and out of time in that it was written pre-television and computing was done by card sorting.

"Whadda woild!"

Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc by Mark Twain
Separation of Power by Vince Flynn
and 2 others that would cause too much turmoil to mention, so I won't!


Dirt

I love John Grisham for escape so I picked up The Innocent Man which is a true story, legal thriller. Had to switch it to morning reading. It was keeping me up at night, not because it's a page turner, but because it was giving me scary dreams. I mean I know the legal system is corrupt but geez....

I'm also reading A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry. I love good Indian literature.

I almost had to boycott this thread because of the mention of the dreaded south american river and it's products -- they make my life a nightmare every Thanksgiving to New Years, but I couldn’t resist. I love to read, which is a good thing since I can't get anything but a slow progression of still shots on TV since the switch to digital.

Veggi gal, I enjoy Cornwell as well. Up until recently, I've only read the later books. Just last month I went back to read some of the earlier ones (“Cruel and Unusual” and “Unnatural Exposure”). Her earlier style is so different I almost wonder if some of the newer stuff is a ghost writer (ala Stephen King, Tom Clancy). The early ones are first person and Kay is more flawed than in the later books. I’ve got her “Black Notice” packed for airplane reading.

I just finished Cherokee Nation and the Trail of Tears by Purdue last week – a good read – I liked how it started out with some of the Cherokee creation stories, but not as in-depth as I would like, so I have Trail of Tears, the Rise and Fall of the Cherokee nation by Ehle on hold at the library. If anyone knows of a book that is a collection of Native American legends, I'd love a recommendation.

I’m in the middle of reading “Truman” by McCullough, but I’ve been in the middle of reading it since summer. I’ve loved all of his books (John Adams, 1776, Mornings on Horseback, Path Between the Seas, and especially his collection of short stories Brave Companions), but I just can’t warm up to Truman. I may have to set it aside and read his Johnstown Flood or The Great Bridge to warm back up to his writing. I just saw that he has a new book out In The Dark Street Shineth: a 1941 Christmas Eve Story that looks really good.

Also just reread The Good Earth by Buck and The Scarlett Letter.

I’ve just picked up “So Much For That” by Shriver from the library today but haven’t cracked the pages yet. And am anxiously awaiting my chance at “The warmth of other suns : the epic story of America's great migration” by Wilkerson (I’m like 4th in the library wait list.)

Does anyone know of any good nonfiction books on the subject of Chinese history (especially from 1930s onward)? I’m kind of on a China kick these days – just read “Waking The Dragon” (which was really more a printed lecture with a very strong anti-China slant) and watched a couple of documentaries on modern China. I’ve even tried learning some Chinese with the Mango tool available online from the library – I must say that I am failing miserably at that task!

My husband read the Shogun series and was unavailable until he (heavy sigh) finished. He tried sake..while soaking in a hot tub..thought we'de never get the tub back. He loved that series.
I loved Janet Evanovich. She wrote a bunch of the funniest books. Her character is an out of work bounty hunter. I read the first one on a cross Atlantic flight..laughing out loud during the entire flight. They thought I was nuts.
And the stewardess kept asking me if I needed a drink..lol..lol

I just finished a couple of Leon Uris novels, Armageddon and A God in Ruins. Non-fiction just finished was The Doctor to the Dead, which is a compilation of stories/legends of the macabre in Charleston, SC.
I've promised myself that I will re-read John D. McDonald's Travis McGee series this winter.
Have on the bedside to begin: Flush by Haiisen.
I enjoy Cornwell and Reichs too.
Catie: You might look into the works of Robert J. Conley, a Cherokee author. He bases lots of his books on Cherokee lore and tells a lively tale. His books are based both in historic and prehistoric settings.

Wow, thanks for all the replies. Lots of excellent suggestions. I'll be cruising the used book store on my trip to town with a list.

Peter, yes DH began reading aloud to me while he was laid up from an accident when Spring Cleaning time came. As I cleaned and polished the knotty pine paneling he read me Winter's Tale. When we moved to the country and no longer had TV, it became a nightly ritual during the winter months. My father read to me every night when I was a child. Those are my earliest memories of my father, reading to me or to the entire household during the winter months while we worked on hobbies like jigsaw puzzles or sewing.
Veggie Gal, we loved the Cornwell books too. They're good read-alouds.
Bill, Sounds like fun. We reread several Twain books a few years ago. Did a whole winter of juvenile fictions that we hadn't read in 50 years! Thanks for the link. I agree.
Brown, I will include David Baldacchi novels in my list.
Dirt, Come on, 'fess up and tell us the other two.
Desertwoman, That gave me nightmares as well. I'm a Grisham fan as well. We read Playing for Pizzarecently. A really different Grisham work but fun.
Catie, You might enjoy the biography of Wilma Mankiller, the first woman chief of the Cherokee. She was an amazing lady. They have a tool for learning Chinese? Wow...DH and I took two semesters of Chinese, attempting to learn to speak and write it. I think I may have retained 20 or so words of the spoken language but couldn't write it or read it at all anymore.
Claude, I'll add Janet Evanovich to my list. Sounds like fun.
Granny, I really enjoyed Armageddon. I picked up a book while in Charleston that was a fun read. On Folly Beachwas a really good beach read.
DH reminded me that I have a birthday coming up so I'll be compiling my list with your help. Thanks!

Dirt, fess up. You love the suspense, but your admiring public wants to know the titles.

CatieJayBee,

If you like books about Native Americans you might also like "Bury my heart at Wounded Knee".