Joy at Home Posted December 17, 2009 Share Posted December 17, 2009 I need suggestions. I can't find the last thread that had lists of everyone's favorite reads. Suggestions? These are the last three I've read: A Confederacy of Dunces To Try Men's Souls The 300 Year Leap Thanks!! Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GWOB Posted December 17, 2009 Share Posted December 17, 2009 The last three I read were: The Help by Katherine Stockett The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth S_______ I LOVED The Help. Wonderful book. The other two were great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
i.love.lucy Posted December 17, 2009 Share Posted December 17, 2009 Can you enlighten a little more on genre and type of book you like? Obviously I know about Confederacy of Dunces, but not the others and thought it would save a look-up and be more accurate if you describe what you like. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joy at Home Posted December 17, 2009 Author Share Posted December 17, 2009 Can you enlighten a little more on genre and type of book you like? Obviously I know about Confederacy of Dunces, but not the others and thought it would save a look-up and be more accurate if you describe what you like.:D I like to pick different works of fiction, sometimes from Honey for a Woman's Soul. I love historical fiction, but really anything someone has read and loved. Someone on here recommended Kristen Lavransdatter, so I have that in my Amazon cart, but looking for other great reads before I decided. Thanks!! Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joy at Home Posted December 17, 2009 Author Share Posted December 17, 2009 The last three I read were: The Help by Katherine Stockett The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth S_______ I LOVED The Help. Wonderful book. The other two were great. Thanks for the suggestion - I just ordered The Help - looks great. thanks! Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teamturner Posted December 17, 2009 Share Posted December 17, 2009 A few months back I read and loved The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. It is historical fiction about WWII, a mixture of the horrors of that event with whimsical and humorous situations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
i.love.lucy Posted December 17, 2009 Share Posted December 17, 2009 Ok, now I have an idea of what you'd like. I also loved Guernsey Literary. I just finished Innocent Traitor by Alison Weir - it's about the life and reign of Lady Jane Grey. I LOVED it. It's a fiction book, but the author is a well known non-fiction historical writer and so I felt like the book was accurate. I've just begun The Illuminator. Set in feudal 1300's England. I'm an Anglophile through and through. So far it's quite good. I also recently read The Book of Splendor, very, very good. And People of the Book - excellent about an ancient Jewish book through generations. I am still waiting for The Thirteenth Tale from the library, it's supposed to be excellent, about an author who makes up her life story several times. One I just picked up at the library today is Portrait of an Unknown Woman by Vanora Bennett. Had to get it as it came in off hold and I might just drop The Illuminator to start it! Also on my list to read: (I keep a list to look for books when I go to the library) The Hummingbird's Daughter - about 1800s Mexico Beneath a Marble Sky - about the Taj Mahal Lavinia - by Ursula LeGuin, about Troy and Rome Blood of Flowers - about 17th c Iran Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet - about WWII Japanese Americans Gift of Rain - abt China When we were Gods - abt Cleopatra HTH!:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarawatsonim Posted December 17, 2009 Share Posted December 17, 2009 (edited) I just read Dissolution by CJ Sansom. It is a historical mystery than takes place in Tudor times. The sleuth is a hunchback lawyer named Mathew Shardlake. I just began the second in the series today, and I think there are four books as of now. I asked for the rest of them for Christmas. Now to see if hubby was listening.........He will probably forget the titles and just get me a gift card for Amazon.:glare: Edited December 17, 2009 by sarawatsonim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kokotg Posted December 17, 2009 Share Posted December 17, 2009 Anne Tyler: Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant, Accidental Tourist, or Celestial Navigation Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joy at Home Posted December 17, 2009 Author Share Posted December 17, 2009 Ok, now I have an idea of what you'd like. I also loved Guernsey Literary. I just finished Innocent Traitor by Alison Weir - it's about the life and reign of Lady Jane Grey. I LOVED it. It's a fiction book, but the author is a well known non-fiction historical writer and so I felt like the book was accurate. I've just begun The Illuminator. Set in feudal 1300's England. I'm an Anglophile through and through. So far it's quite good. I also recently read The Book of Splendor, very, very good. And People of the Book - excellent about an ancient Jewish book through generations. I am still waiting for The Thirteenth Tale from the library, it's supposed to be excellent, about an author who makes up her life story several times. One I just picked up at the library today is Portrait of an Unknown Woman by Vanora Bennett. Had to get it as it came in off hold and I might just drop The Illuminator to start it! Also on my list to read: (I keep a list to look for books when I go to the library) The Hummingbird's Daughter - about 1800s Mexico Beneath a Marble Sky - about the Taj Mahal Lavinia - by Ursula LeGuin, about Troy and Rome Blood of Flowers - about 17th c Iran Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet - about WWII Japanese Americans Gift of Rain - abt China When we were Gods - abt Cleopatra HTH!:D Oh my gosh, my Amazon cart is so full now! I honestly don't know which one I'm going to start first. Thanks for all the great suggestions. The Illuminator looks very good. BTW, have you read Pillars of the Earth? It's set around the same time, I think. Thanks for all the great suggestions! Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenL Posted December 17, 2009 Share Posted December 17, 2009 I haven't started this yet, but I have a dear friend who INSISTS I read The Book Thief (can't remember the author right now). It can be found in regular literary fiction and teen fiction. She said it is the best book she's ever read, and she is an avid reader. I trust her opinion explicitly. I read The Thirteenth Tale and really liked it. It's serious, and some say depressing, but I really enjoyed the main character's story. I asked for The Help for Christmas. Other than that, I'm really fond of Jodi Picoult's books, so I usually recommend her. Nineteen Minutes, My Sister's Keeper, and Second Glance are my favorites. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
historyfun Posted December 17, 2009 Share Posted December 17, 2009 I just read Mao's Last Dancer, an autobiography by Li Cunxin, who grew up during China's Cultural Revolution. At age eleven he was chosen to study ballet in Beijing...far away from his family. It was an enjoyable and VERY interesting read that I have been recommending to everyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
i.love.lucy Posted December 17, 2009 Share Posted December 17, 2009 Oh my gosh, my Amazon cart is so full now! I honestly don't know which one I'm going to start first. Thanks for all the great suggestions. The Illuminator looks very good. BTW, have you read Pillars of the Earth? It's set around the same time, I think. Thanks for all the great suggestions! Lisa Lisa, I have not yet read Pillars. It's on my bookshelf right now. It's just so huge that it's intimidating me. I'm just worried I don't have that kind of time! I'm one of those people that can read until 4am if a book is good enough. I have to force myself to stop reading. I also have A Suitable Boy and am intimidated by that one too!:001_huh: Happy reading!!! BTW, most, if not all, of my suggestions are at my library. Can you try that route? I know I'd never be able to afford to read 1/2 as much as I do without the library! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PiCO Posted December 17, 2009 Share Posted December 17, 2009 I recently read The Zookeeper's Wife. Set in WWII Poland, true story. Very thought provoking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joy at Home Posted December 17, 2009 Author Share Posted December 17, 2009 Lisa, I have not yet read Pillars. It's on my bookshelf right now. It's just so huge that it's intimidating me. I'm just worried I don't have that kind of time! I'm one of those people that can read until 4am if a book is good enough. I have to force myself to stop reading. I also have A Suitable Boy and am intimidated by that one too!:001_huh: Happy reading!!! BTW, most, if not all, of my suggestions are at my library. Can you try that route? I know I'd never be able to afford to read 1/2 as much as I do without the library! Oh please, please, read Pillars and don't let the size discourage you. It's one of the few books I re-read every 5 years or so. It is sooooo good. Blessings, Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TN Mama Posted December 17, 2009 Share Posted December 17, 2009 I recently read Same Kind of Different As Me by Ron Hall. One of the best books I've read in a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joy at Home Posted December 17, 2009 Author Share Posted December 17, 2009 I recently read Same Kind of Different As Me by Ron Hall. One of the best books I've read in a while. Thanks. I just put this in my cart. Looks very good. Blessings, Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted December 17, 2009 Share Posted December 17, 2009 I just read Mao's Last Dancer, an autobiography by Li Cunxin, who grew up during China's Cultural Revolution. At age eleven he was chosen to study ballet in Beijing...far away from his family. It was an enjoyable and VERY interesting read that I have been recommending to everyone. I've had that recommended to me, but haven't read it yet! As for the OP, here are some books (some repeats from previous posters too) I recommend: "The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak "Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster" by Jon Krakauer "Bel Canto" by Ann Patchett "Middlesex" by Jeffrey Eugenides "The Historian" by Elizabeth Kostova "The Sparrow" by Mary Doria Russell "People of the Book" by Geraldine Brooks "Eat, Pray, Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert "Into Africa: The Epic Adventures of Stanely & Livingstone" by Martin Dugard "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls "Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress" by Dai Sijie "1776" by David McCollough "I, Claudius" by Robert Graves "The Daughter of Time" by Josephine Tey "The Beekeeper's Apprentice" by Laurie R. King "The Professor and the Madman" by Simon Winchester "Daughter of Fortune" by Isabel Allende "Galileo's Daughter" by Dava Sobel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngieW in Texas Posted December 17, 2009 Share Posted December 17, 2009 Books I've read in the past 2 weeks: Graceling - YF fantasy, 1st in series, 2nd book comes out in January Demon Ex Machina - adult fantasy, but clean enough for teens, 5th in series Cybermage - YF fantasy, 3rd in series Skies of Pern - adult fantasy, many books in series, can't even figure out how far out this one is Weyrs of Pern - adult fantasy, many books in series Malice - JF fantasy, 1st in series Down the Rabbit Hole - YF mystery I read a mix of fantasy and sci fi. Occasionally I read books in other genres, but most of what I read is fantasy/sci fi. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in Neverland Posted December 17, 2009 Share Posted December 17, 2009 Recently: The Thirteenth Tale was excellent The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was only OK The Book Thief is excellent The Help is next on my list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie Laurie Posted December 17, 2009 Share Posted December 17, 2009 I just finished Uncle Tom's Cabin (I had actually never read it) and U is for Undertow by Sue Grafton. I liked Guernsey Literary Society too, another I enjoyed was Memoirs of a Geisha. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted December 17, 2009 Share Posted December 17, 2009 How about Dissolution, by C J Sansom? It's a detective mystery set in Henry VIII's reign. Very atmospheric. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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