After Nancy Pearl's suggestions -  I need to hit the consignment shop for another bedside table.

Conversation # 1
This reader likes to read what's popular (Oprah).
Learning/discovering - about people (including the author) and places - seems to be important, as well.

I would recommend Wild by Cheryl Strayed.
Like Eat, Pray, Love, it is the story of a young woman who puts herself in a challenging environment in order to find herself. Strayed's descriptions of the people and the natural world she encounters on the Pacific Coast Trail would appeal to this reader and it would be a good discussion book for the bookclub.


Coversation #2
This reader wants a fast-paced, unsentimental, (possibly gritty) vampire book.

 I'd recommend Anne Rice's Interview With The Vampire which though descriptive, so not necesarily action-packed, is a compelling, dark read.
Atmospheric old New Orleans is the back drop  to the story of  these jaded, all-too-human vampires.

Or if they are looking for something more contemporary,  I'd recommend Charlaine Hariss' Sookie Stackhouse series which is a bit lighter but lacks the saccharine teen romance.


Conversation #3
The reader appreciates that this book is a tru-life adventure story.
Adversity makes it interesting.

I would recommend Into Thin Air,
which is a fast-paced read about a deadly trek up to the summit of Everest.
That the author was part of the party makes it even more compelling.