Thanks for all the recommendations. These are for a girl who's been having a lot of problems, and her aunt, like me, is from the "when the going gets tough, the tough read books" school.

Second the rec for Marion Chesney. Those are fun.

I'm reading a fantastic book right now -- The Rift, by Walter J. Williams. It's not quite sci-fi (takes place in the present day, no fictional science in it at all), but it's shelved there because that's where his other books go. It's about a fictional major (8.9) earthquake along the New Madrid fault that essentially takes out the entire Mississippi valley, and follows what happens to various groups of refugees. I'm only about halfway through -- it's over 900 pages -- but it's one of the most satisfying reads I've had in a while.

I haven't read The Rift yet, but I can highly recommend pretty much any of Walter Jon Williams' stuff. In fact, I've started in on the first book club book and it strongly reminds me of WJW's Metropolitan and the follow-up, City On Fire. I've liked many of WJW's books, especially Aristoi. He is so deft, he writes in many different styles. I've been enjoying his recent hard-boiled Space Opera books, Dread Empire's Fall, as well.

WJW biblio

Oh, thanks for the heads-up! I love WJW.

I've been enjoying his recent hard-boiled Space Opera books, Dread Empire's Fall, as well.

I haven't read those yet, but I really enjoyed both Hardwired and Voice of the Whirlwind.

In fact, I've started in on the first book club book and it strongly reminds me of WJW's Metropolitan and the follow-up, City On Fire.

Huh. Maybe I'll check it out, then.

Ginger, maybe Amanda Quick? I loved those romances at that age. I admit I can't remember how explicit her sex stuff is. Jude Deveraux has some period ones too that are really good, but again, same caveat regarding the sex.

I loved Kavalier and Clay for it's use of language. I think Chabon has a wonderful knack for picking the right evocative words, that other writers might not choose in the same circumstance.

Kavalier and Clay is one of those books that I couldn't wait to get home from work so I could read more and find out what happened next. And the man does things with the English language that are supernatural in their brilliance.

I love it. (Though the Antarctica section could have been 2 chapters, and I would have been a lot happier.)

I thought of Amanda Quick, but her stuff is explicit enough that I would've felt the need to hide it from my mother at that age.

I forgot that Aristoi was WJW. We just finished a game based on Hardwired, and I'd forgotten how much I liked that book. Need to read more of this author.