The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Follow the story of Santiago, a shepherd's son, who fantasizes of grander adventures than his current situation warrants. Then one night he dreams that he must go to the Pyramids in Egypt to seek his fortune. Along the way he meets, a gypsy, a king, a thief, a merchant, a beautiful girl and finally the alchemist. Some mean to help, others to hinder him, but eventually Santiago must look inside to find truth in life.
It is an incredible journey, with set backs and hardship but also enlightenment and success. Written like a fable or parable, it is very inspirational and applicable to all. The book will not take long to read, but it is one that you will want to return to again, for further insights. The book was originally written in Portuguese, and has been translated into more than 50 languages.

Joy In The Morning by Betty Smith

I recently posted about one of my favorite books, A Tree Grows In Brooklyn.  This book is by the same author, and is a very good read as well.  It is about a very young, just, married couple.  He is a college student in the midwest and she joins him, from Brooklyn.  It is about her efforts to adjust to a totally different life in a totally foreign culture.  It is about their first year of marriage.  Smith really captures the ups and downs of newlywed life, the insecurities, the financial struggles, and the effort to mesh two different lives together.   She really captures what it is like to love someone. It is a gem.  

Daddy Long Legs by Jean Webster

If you are looking for a quick short read, I would recommend this story.  It is not quite long enough to be be called a novel, but not quite short enough to be called a short story.  Anyway it is about an orphan girl in the early 1900's that receives money, anonymously,  from one of the orphanage's trustees to go to college.  It is a collection of her letters to her sponsor about her college life and it is charming.  It is a very quick read (two hours, tops) and you can read it for free online here.  I first read this in junior high, remebered it last year and read it online once while my baby napped.  I love it.

The Host by Stephenie Meyer

Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away.

Our world has been invaded by an unseen enemy. Humans become hosts for these invaders, their minds taken over while their bodies remain intact and continue their lives apparently unchanged. Most of humanity has succumbed.

When Melanie, one of the few remaining "wild" humans is captured, she is certain it is her end. Wanderer, the invading "soul" who has been given Melanie's body, was warned about the challenges of living inside a human: the overwhelming emotions, the glut of senses, the too vivid memories. But there was one difficulty Wanderer didn't expect: the former tenant of her body refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.

Wanderer probes Melanie's thoughts, hoping to discover the whereabouts of the remaining human resistance. Instead, Melanie fills Wanderer's mind with visions of the man Melanie loves—Jared, a human who still lives in hiding. Unable to separate herself from her body's desires, Wanderer begins to yearn for a man she has been tasked with exposing. When outside forces make Wanderer and Melanie unwilling allies, they set off on a dangerous and uncertain search for the man they both love.
from http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/thehost.html

I read this in about two days. It is not the best book ever written, but, I like it. I thought it was entertaining. It is not too sci-fi and I think it is better writing then Twilight. It is a fun read if you don't expect too much.