When I do reader's advisory at work, one of my first questions is always "What did you like most that you've read before?"
Without knowing at least something of your taste, this is shooting in the dark. But here are a variety of authors I truly enjoy for relaxing reading, and why.
Lois Bujold - the Miles Vorkosigan saga - but start with the books about his mother "Shards of Honor" and "Barrayar". Or try Curse of Chalion - fantasy rather than SF. One of the finest books ever written, in my mind.
Dick Francis - modern horse-racing mysteries (actually from the 50's - 90's, and then co-written with his son). I always learn something interesting from him!
Megan Whalen Turner - "Thief" is the first in a YA fantasy series loosely based on medieval and ancient Greece. I read that book, and immediately flipped it over to reread, just because I couldn't believe what I had not caught during the first reading.
"Little Brother" by Cory Doctorow has a lot to say about politics and government - if you don't like fairly far left opinions, you may find it a bit hard to take, but it is also a great adventure story about a teenage boy mixed up in the aftermath of terrorism in San Francisco.
"Starship Troopers" by Robert Heinlein - forget the retarded movie - this is a great adventure story, again with the politics, but quite different from CD above - Heinlein was a libertarian.
"Name of the Wind" by Rothfuss - first in a fantasy series, it is a doorstopper, but has lots of action and adventure. An interesting boy growing up story, as usual, but it starts in quite a different way than most.
