mom2tbcnm Posted May 27, 2010 Share Posted May 27, 2010 I am in a reading rut. I need something good. What are your favorite books, the ones you always recommend? Thanks for the help, Katty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenL Posted May 27, 2010 Share Posted May 27, 2010 Gosh, I don't think I have just ONE... I love so many books for a variety of reasons... I'll give a few that came to the top of my head. The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini (sp?) Peace Like a River by Leif Enger Anything by Jane Austen The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand Night by Eli Weisel Little Women by Louisa May Alcott The Giver by Lois Lowery (youth fiction) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aggieamy Posted May 27, 2010 Share Posted May 27, 2010 I guess I have a low maturity level but books I love to read and reread are favorites from my childhood: The Secret Garden All Harry Potter books Sherlock Holmes PD James mysteries Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debora R Posted May 27, 2010 Share Posted May 27, 2010 I have so many favorites that they fill boxes and boxes! Here's a few... C.J. Cherryh - Rusalka, Cyteen Patricia Briggs - Moon Called (and the other Mercedes Thompson books) Benedicte Newland - And God Created the Au Paire Robin McKinley - Beauty, Rose Daughter, Spindle's End H.M. Hoover - This Time of Darkness Jane Yolen - Sister Light Sister Dark, Briar Rose Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mejane Posted May 27, 2010 Share Posted May 27, 2010 The Shipping News and To Kill a Mockingbird are the only two novels I own. :001_smile: My aunt just recommended I read The Help. She said it was excellent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted May 27, 2010 Share Posted May 27, 2010 However, my favorite book is "The Lord of the Rings." Before I read that in 7th grade, my favorite book was "The Diamond In The Window." If you have not read that, I recommend it, even though it's a middle school book. Other books I have enjoyed during the last few years include: "The Fire and The Staff"--but only a die hard Missouri Synod Lutheran would love this like I do. "Eat, Pray, Love"--OK, I don't AGREE with this author, but the book is so interesting and well-written that I don't care "Girl Meets God"--This one is very Christian and thoughtfully so "The Ladies' Auxiliary"--This one is about an orthodox Jewish community in Memphis, TN, and is extremely well-written. Fiction "My Year of Meats"--Hard to explain, but very good. Fiction Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted May 28, 2010 Share Posted May 28, 2010 Phantom of the Opera is a good one if you're in a rut :) Rosie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gpsings Posted May 28, 2010 Share Posted May 28, 2010 The Sacred Romance Hinds Feet in High Places The Left Behind books Anything by Ted Dekker or Frank Peretti or both... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skadi Posted May 28, 2010 Share Posted May 28, 2010 I don't know if I can pick a favorite book of all time, but I think Watership Down by Richard Adams would come close! I read that book every single year. North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell is a lovely book. Wives and Daughters by the same author is a close second. I always recommend Elizabeth Gaskell to people who love Jane Austen. :) Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card is my favorite book in the sci-fi genre. The Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind is awesome fantasy. I really enjoyed C.S. Forester's Horatio Hornblower series, if you like historical naval warfare that's similar to Russel Crowe's Master and Commander. Any non-fiction by Bill Bryson is phenomenal. I especially liked A Walk in the Woods, which recounts his experiences on the Appalachian Trail. A Short History of Nearly Everything is a fascinating history of scientific discovery. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pretty in Pink Posted May 28, 2010 Share Posted May 28, 2010 Any of the Poirot novels by Agatha Christie. These are my most favorite books. Jane Austen. And I'll second Night by Eli Weisel. It is excellent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted May 28, 2010 Share Posted May 28, 2010 I second A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini In fact, this is SO GOOD Amazon got permission to have an excerpt on their website (I have never seen such a promotion and positive feedback on Amazon before). Hosseini's Kite Runner is also good. A Thousand Splendid Suns is the "girl" book to Kite Runners "boy" book. I also recommend, in a lighter vein, all the Amelia Peabody series of detective fiction set in Eygpt over 100 years ago by Elizabeth Peters. They are too fun, and I am rereading them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaT Posted May 28, 2010 Share Posted May 28, 2010 I will second The Giver. Another favorite of mine is Til We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis. My favorite series right now by a current author is Outlander and the books that follow by Diana Gabaldon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted May 28, 2010 Share Posted May 28, 2010 Some of my absolute faves: The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad books by Terry Pratchett The 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear by Walter Moers Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie Other faves: Bel Canto by Ann Patchett Dancer by Colum McCann I, Claudius by Robert Graves The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester Sleeping in Flame by Jonathan Carroll books by Kinky Friedman (funny murder mysteries) books by Jasper Fforde Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twigs Posted May 28, 2010 Share Posted May 28, 2010 Charlotte Bronte - Jane Eyre Robin McKinley - The Hero and the Crown; The Blue Sword Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hsmom3tn Posted May 28, 2010 Share Posted May 28, 2010 I have way too many favorites, but I always recommend these: Favorite memoirs: The Glass Castle, by Jeannette Walls; and Night, by Elie Wiesel Favorite funny book: Can You Keep a Secret?, by Sophie Kinsella Favorite coming-of-age story: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, by Betty Smith Favorite classic: Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen; and To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee Favorite book that I have read-aloud to my DC: Calico Captive, by Elizabeth George Speare Favorite "fluff": The Twilight Saga, by Stephenie Meyer; and The Host, by Stephenie Meyer not sure what category this would be in, but I loved A Long Way Down, by Nick Hornby Favorite tear-jerker: The Time Traveler's Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger Favorite (adult) Historical Fiction: The Queen of Subtleties, by Suzannah Dunn Favorite (children's) Historical Fiction: Ben and Me, by Robert Lawson I know I've read other books that I really, really enjoyed, but those are the ones that stand out the most in my mind. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gandpsmommy Posted May 28, 2010 Share Posted May 28, 2010 I can't pick just one favorite, but here are some I really like: The Complete Works of Jane Austen (especially Emma and Pride and Prejudice.) Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte almost anything by Edith Wharton Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout Middlemarch by George Elliot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TCB Posted May 28, 2010 Share Posted May 28, 2010 I have recently discovered Herman Wouk and am really enjoying all of his that I've read. And if you're the type who doesn't want a good book to end then his are the one's for you because they are wonderfully long and yet wonderfully interesting. I started with "The Winds of War". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fivetails Posted May 28, 2010 Share Posted May 28, 2010 My favourite book series at the moment is the Sookie Stackhouse series (aka: Southern Vampire series) by Charlaine Harris. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thescrappyhomeschooler Posted May 28, 2010 Share Posted May 28, 2010 (edited) Some of my favorites include: A Prayer for Owen Meaney by John Irving The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley The Winter of Our Discontent by John Steinbeck All the Harry Potter Books Edited May 28, 2010 by thescrappyhomeschooler added Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Virginia Dawn Posted May 28, 2010 Share Posted May 28, 2010 The ones I read over and over: The Hobbit Lost Horizon The Count of Monte Cristo The Foundation Trilogy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeidiKC Posted May 28, 2010 Share Posted May 28, 2010 The Help by Kathryn Stockett The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick Born on a Blue Day: Inside the Extraordinary Mind of an Autistic Savant by Daniel Tammet To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommydearest Posted May 28, 2010 Share Posted May 28, 2010 Twilight :blush5: The Scarlet Letter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted May 28, 2010 Share Posted May 28, 2010 (edited) The Shipping News and To Kill a Mockingbird are the only two novels I own. :001_smile: You only own two novels? Really? Even for the kids? Not to go all OT, but I don't know anyone who only owns two novels! lol Edited May 28, 2010 by LibraryLover Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted May 28, 2010 Share Posted May 28, 2010 So many! Jude the Obscure Beloved To The Lighthouse Babe, The Gallant Big Matilda The Grapes of Wrath (I am a huge fan of all the 'California novels') The Posionwood Bible The Color Purple Rebecca One Hundred Years of Solitude The Scarlet Letter Emma To Kill a Mickingbird Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone Jane Eyre Pride & Prejudice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NanceXToo Posted May 28, 2010 Share Posted May 28, 2010 My favorite series right now by a current author is Outlander and the books that follow by Diana Gabaldon. Me too. Love, love, love those books. I've read them more than once, I cannot wait for the next one to come out, and I recommend them to everyone. Great books! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiegirl Posted May 28, 2010 Share Posted May 28, 2010 I don't think I could write down all of my favourites but my favourites so far from this year are: The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley The Man Who Loved Jane Austen by Sally Smith O'Rourke (I wouldnt' classify this as a favourite but it is a good fluff read.) Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mejane Posted May 28, 2010 Share Posted May 28, 2010 You only own two novels? Really? Even for the kids? Not to go all OT, but I don't know anyone who only owns two novels! lol :D Yes! I did a big purge a few years ago, and donated most of my books to the library; kept only the two I read over and over. I do have a few more NF books. My kids have their own small collections. We have a great library system in CT, so I figured I'd let them store the books for me. I'll probably regret it when we move to a tiny town with no books. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrayAlice Posted May 28, 2010 Share Posted May 28, 2010 I thought this would be a good thread to reply to for the first time since I love to read. Some of my favorites include.... A Winter's Tale by Mark Helprin Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck The Red Tent by Anita Diamant Kristen DD 4y old and starting PreK in August DS 2y old and leaving a wake of destruction wherever he goes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FriedClams Posted May 28, 2010 Share Posted May 28, 2010 The most recent could-not-put-it-down book for me was The Help. It was fabulous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted May 28, 2010 Share Posted May 28, 2010 I am in a reading rut. I need something good. What are your favorite books, the ones you always recommend? Thanks for the help, Katty The best nice, light-reading fun (humorous too) book I've read in a long time has been this one: Whatever You Do, Don't Run: True Tales of a Botswana Safari Guide by Peter Allison A really eye-opening one I'm finishing up right now is: Open Lands : Travels Through Russia's Once Forbidden Places by Mark Taplin I highly recommend both. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnTheBrink Posted May 28, 2010 Share Posted May 28, 2010 The Shipping News and To Kill a Mockingbird are the only two novels I own. :001_smile: My aunt just recommended I read The Help. She said it was excellent. TKaM is my all-time favorite book. And, I'm waiting on The Help to come out on paperback. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heidi @ Mt Hope Posted May 28, 2010 Share Posted May 28, 2010 The Little French Girl by Anne Douglas Sedgwick Watership Down The Count of Monte Cristo The Giver Perelandra by C. S. Lewis To Kill a Mockingbird The Harvester (Gene Stratton-Porter) A Year in Provence Our Hearts Were Young and Gay The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins (or The Woman in White) North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell Children's: The House of Sixty Fathers by Meindert DeJong I Am David by Ann Holme From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freeindeed Posted May 28, 2010 Share Posted May 28, 2010 I have several: To Kill a Mockingbird 1984 The Shack The Cross and the Switchblade Where the Red Fern Grows (yes, even as an adult) The Notebook The Wedding Mere Christianity Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gooblink Posted May 28, 2010 Share Posted May 28, 2010 A couple of years ago I read the entire Sherlock Holmes collection - fabulous!! Anything by Anne Tyler - love her work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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