I heard people mention Jodi Picoult too.
I personally like James Herriot as my Chicken Soup, if you like animals, try James Herriot. Will warm your toes off
Or for more literary choices, Louis de Bernières Captain Correlli's Madolin made me cry and laugh at the same time. (Ignore the movie, IMHO, it wasn't even close to the voice of the book)

This post has been edited by Persephone: Feb 15 2012, 02:47 PM