Just went to Borders and bought...

....Sea Glass and Weight of Water I'm planning to read both for my trip to San Diego a wk from tomorrow.

The Secret History sounds interesting, but Border's didn't have any record of it...maybe I'll see if B&N has it.

I had also planned to read 1st to Die but then remembered I watched the NBC made-for-tv movie on it - I'm wondering if that ruined it for me?!

I really think that reading the book is actually better than the movie alot of times. If I were you I would still read it, sometimes the book is more detailed and more interesting. JMO.

Enjoy your new books and your trip!!

1st to die is what I call a 'formula' book. Easy to read, short intense chapters but pretty predictable. If you really like Anita Shreve and books like that - you are probably not going to enjoy 1st to die as much. I really like James Patterson but I think he has slacked off, his last few Alex Cross books and the Womens Club series are just not up to par with some of his better work. Im reading '2nd Chance' now b/c I figured I would give it another try but I still feel the same way with his new stuff - bored. Just MO.

If you havent read James Patterson early stuff, I think those books are much more interesting.

I haven't read any of Shreve's books before, but since those two were talked about here, I figured I'd give them a try. I love murder mysteries, but I do like to balance it out with a less intense thriller from time to time.

What are some of J Patterson's earlier books? The most recent of his I read was the Beach House which I really enjoyed.

Never read Beach House..is that in paperback?

Hide & Seek (by Patterson but not a series novel) was one of my favorites. I read it a long time ago so I cant say too much about it but I thought it was good.

If you havent seen the movie, Kiss the Girls was one of my favorites of Pattersons too. But the movie is aweful and ruins the book IMO.

Not sure about the Beach House - I bought it when it first came out in Hardcover. It was a perfect summer read

I would have to say that many movies made from books s*ck! The last one that I saw - I can't remember the name of it, but was about the girl from the South that had her baby in a Walmart store. I really enjoyed the book but the movie was AWFUL! It really did ruin the story line and totally glossed over important details from the book.

I haven't seen Kiss the Girls so maybe I could pick that book up.

Stef - I just went back to Borders and saw the Beach House in paperback