tammyw Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 (edited) I posted in another thread about being in a book funk (and asking for kid/parent friendly choices). Now I'd love some adult favorites. I really need to bust out of this funk!! Off the top of my head, a couple favorites from this year are below (none of them new though): - A Tree Grows in Brooklyn - Angela's Ashes - The Forgotten Garden - Uncle Tom's Cabin Edited November 21, 2011 by tammyw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammyw Posted November 20, 2011 Author Share Posted November 20, 2011 Use the search function to look at the "book a week 2011" threads. I've found some real gems conversing with those ladies. I just finished my fave book of the year today---Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann (my review is here). I read The Forgotten Garden earlier in the year and liked that too. I guess it depends what you like. On the sci fi side, I really dug The Host. If you want spiritual with a bit of humor, I recommend Breakfast with Buddha. If you want to laugh and you're not easily offended, I would go with Tina Fey's Bossypants. Or for something truly different and original, try The Art of Racing in the Rain or Mrs. Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. I've checked out some of those threads and am definitely getting some good ideas. I was finding it hard to figure out what are the favorites from those threads though! I liked The Art of Racing in the Rain (read last year) but I really loved Enslaved by Ducks and Fowl Weather (also read last year). You might want to check those out also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammyw Posted November 21, 2011 Author Share Posted November 21, 2011 Use the search function to look at the "book a week 2011" threads. I've found some real gems conversing with those ladies. I just finished my fave book of the year today---Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann (my review is here). I read The Forgotten Garden earlier in the year and liked that too. I guess it depends what you like. On the sci fi side, I really dug The Host. If you want spiritual with a bit of humor, I recommend Breakfast with Buddha. If you want to laugh and you're not easily offended, I would go with Tina Fey's Bossypants. Or for something truly different and original, try The Art of Racing in the Rain or Mrs. Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. Also, wanted to ask you, what are your top favorites from your blog list? Other than the first one you mentioned, that is. I just reserved Bossypants, The Host, and Let the Great World Spin, at my library. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lionfamily1999 Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 Crime and Punishment Anne Karenina Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6packofun Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 I *loved* Enslaved by Ducks! So funny and sweet. (Read it a couple years ago :) ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammyw Posted November 21, 2011 Author Share Posted November 21, 2011 I *loved* Enslaved by Ducks! So funny and sweet. (Read it a couple years ago :) ) Then you must read Fowl Weather, the second book by the author Bob Tarte. I befriended him on facebook because I loved his books so much. He is coming out with a new one this spring about his cats. Love his style! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6packofun Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 (edited) The Inspector Gamache series by Louise Penny. I discovered this mystery series about mid-year, but it's so much more than just mystery. Great, quirky characters and such thoughtful stories of a small town and its trials. Love it and I read them as fast as I could get my greedy hands on each one from the library! lol Some surprises: Robopocalypse by Daniel Wilson Rot & Ruin (and Dust & Decay) by Jonathan Maberry (zombies!) Edited November 21, 2011 by 6packofun add Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6packofun Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 Then you must read Fowl Weather, the second book by the author Bob Tarte. I befriended him on facebook because I loved his books so much. He is coming out with a new one this spring about his cats. Love his style! Thank you so much for letting me know that! My mom loved the book, too, so this is a nice revelation! lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiegirl Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 I have had alot of favourites from this year. To name a few, though: The Paris Wife by Paula McLain Romancing Miss Bronte by Juliette Gaul The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Bronte (can't remember the author) The Soldier's Wife by Margaret Leroy Left Neglected by Lisa Genova The Sherlockian by Graham Moore Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rwjx2khsmj Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson The Paris Wife by Paula McLain My Antonia by Willa Cather The Magician's Assistant by Ann Patchett Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson Sex on the Moon: The Amazing Story Behind the Most Audacious Heist in History by Ben Mezrich Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese Lost in Shangri-La by Mitchell Zuckoff State of Wonder by Ann Patchett Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly The Widower's Tale by Julia Glass Digging to America by Anne Tyler Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenL Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 Here's what I can think of right now... Sarah's Key by Tatania de Rosnay I Am the Messenger (Markus Zusak - also wrote The Book Thief which was fantastic as well) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hsmomto5 Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 The Book Thief. Lora in NC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 off the top of my head.... The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obsidian Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot The Help by Kathryn Stockett The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth by Alexandra Robbins Blink, Outliers and The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
East Coast Sue Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand The Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 The Strange Affair of Spring-Heeled Jack by Mark Hodder The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami A Red Herring without Mustard by Alan Bradley Fatu-Hiva by Thor Heyerdahl The Guinea Pig Diaries by A.J. Jacobs All the Names by Jose Saramago A Curable Romantic by Joseph Skibell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obsidian Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 Here's what I can think of right now... Sarah's Key by Tatania de Rosnay I also enjoyed Sarah's Key. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladydusk Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 Island of the World by Michael D O'Brien was my favorite read ... and my favorite read of the year. Astounding book. I may as well have read Tolkien for the first time this year, and was awed. Jan Karon's In the Company of Others may have been my favorite of her books ... although I understand while others may not care for it. Non-fiction, I loved Caring for Words in a Culture of Lies and The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction. Both excellent. Home-making, A Mother's Rule of Life and The Organized Heart were really good and convicting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-M- Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 Some of my favorites from this year include: ■ Feynman (Jim Ottaviani; graphic biography) ■ The Leftovers (Tom Perrotta; fiction) ■ In a Perfect World (Laura Kasischke; fiction) ■ The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction (Alan Jacobs; non-fiction) ■ A Hope in the Unseen (Ron Suskind; non-fiction) ■ Robopocalypse (Daniel H. Wilson; science fiction) ■ Things a Brother Knows (Dana Reinhart; YA fiction) ■ Model Home (Eric Puchner; fiction) ■ Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (Winifred Watson; fiction) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mothersweets Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 (edited) Nine Coaches Waiting by Mary Stewart Baby Catcher by Peggy Vincent Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand The Greater Journey:Americans in Paris by David McCullough -this one is my favorite. Are you interested in kids' books, too? One series that we found this year is The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place:The Mysterious Howling by Maryrose Wood. Lots of fun to read! Edited November 21, 2011 by Mothersweets Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CLBMom Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 I also enjoyed Sarah's Key. I loved the book and just saw the movie this weekend. It was much better then most books turned to movies. I would recommended it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in Neverland Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 Miss Peregrines Home for Peculiar Children Hunger Games Trilogy The Book of Fate The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society This is Where I Leave You Just Do Something Snow Flower and the Secret Fan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitestavern Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 I just finished Breaking Night, a true story of a girl who went from being homeless to going to Harvard. It was an amazing story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 My best read of the year has been Ann Voskamp's One Thousand Gifts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LostSurprise Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 The Makioka Sisters by Junichiro Tanizaki Classic Japanese fiction @ upper class sisters during the dawn of WWII The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat by Oliver Sacks non-fiction regarding neurology and the brain, but also questioning what 'impairment' is. Ad Hoc at Home by Thomas Kellar Complex versions of homecooked classics The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing by MT Anderson Straight up the best Revolutionary fiction I've read, and that's even without the bizzare philosophical experiment at the heart of the novel. To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Wills Time travel? Poking fun at Victorian mores? Boating the Thames? Literary quotes galore? A devilish cat and a patient bulldog named Cecil? Oh yeah. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins Final installation of Hunger Games series, deftly examines love and survival. Napoleon's Buttons: How 17 Molecules Changed History by Penny LaConteur Chemistry geeks who love history, unite! One of the best, truly full of information (not trivia). Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World by Tracy Kidder Non-fiction biography of the almost saint who runs an organization for the poorest of the poor in multiple countries, including AIDs work in Haiti, Peru, and Russia. The unbending morals we aren't comfortable with, the full reality of trying to save the world and its effect on one's life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nd293 Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 I had a really good reading year, with a lot more time than usual put into researching and choosing books. Some of the things I liked were perhaps a little obscure, but this is my list of books I could see many people enjoying as much as I did: Day After Night – Anita Diamant A Thousand Cuts - Simon Lelic The Cure for Modern Life – Lisa Tucker The Cellist of Sarajevo – Stephen Galloway The Red Tent – Anita Diamant The Housekeeper and the Professor - Yoko Ogawa And I discovered two new crime series which were both a lot of fun for different reasons: The Inspector Montalbano series – Andrea Camilleri The Flavia de Luce series - Alan Bradley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laundrycrisis Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crissy Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 The Art of Fielding (Chad Harbach) The Marriage Plot (Jeffrey Eugenides) The Leftovers (Tom Perrotta) Left Neglected (Lisa Genova) Faith (Jennifer Haigh) The Weird Sisters (Eleanor Brown) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crissy Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 I SO want to read this book. I was really taken with her other book Still Alice. I loved both of these ■ In a Perfect World (Laura Kasischke; fiction) This was one of my favorites last year. A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness I am glad to know this. It is at the top of the list on my Kindle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unicorn. Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 Looking at your list of favorites, I think you would really enjoy Alex Cross's Trial, by James Patterson. I found it to be a powerful read, and am requiring my dc to read it for history. Summary: Ben Corbett represents the toughest cases. Fighting against oppression and racism, he risks his family and his life in the process. When President Roosevelt asks Ben to return to his home town to investigate rumors of the resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan there, he cannot refuse. United by bravery When he arrives in Eudora, Mississippi, Ben meets the wise Abraham Cross and his beautiful granddaughter, Moody. Ben enlists their help, and the two Crosses introduce him to the hidden side of the idyllic Southern town. Lynchings have become commonplace and residents of the town's black quarter live in constant fear. Ben aims to break the reign of terror--but the truth of who is really behind it could break his heart. Written in the fearless voice of Detective Alex Cross, Alex Cross's Trial is a gripping story of murder, love, and, above all, bravery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammyw Posted November 22, 2011 Author Share Posted November 22, 2011 Just added a ton of books to my wish list! Thanks for sharing your favorites so far! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 I enjoyed reading Mary Stewart's Arthurian series (beginning with The Hollow Hills, 4 books....) I enjoyed Jane Eyre and Sense and Sensibility I enjoyed Frankenstein and Great Expectations (especially comparing some similar elements) I am listening to Richard Thomas read Conrad's Heart of Darkness right now and love, love, love his prose.... I am reading Guns, Germs, and Steel right now and am enjoying it immenseley, but it's not fiction.... I'm getting ready to get Javier Sierra's new book. I love his books! (The Secret Supper; The Lady in Blue; and now, the newest: The Lost Angel).... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 These are the books I liked enough to note down in preparation for this thread. :) ~The Queen of Fats: Why Omega-3s Were Removed From the Western Diet and What We Can Do To Replace Them, by Susan Allport. ~Bearing Witness: The Lives of War Correspondents and Photojounalists, by Denise Leith ~Piano Lessons by Anna Goldsworthy ~Richard Rutt's History of Handknitting. ~Sarah Addison Allen's books of cuteness :) Rosie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Negin Posted November 25, 2011 Share Posted November 25, 2011 (edited) My favorites read of 2011: The Geography of Bliss - must have read this about 3 times in the past year or so - love it. and these are interesting, since they're the last few that I have read, literally almost back-to-back. It was a good month or two! :) Confessions of a Prairie B*tch: How I Survived Nellie Oleson and Learned to Love Being Hated Middlesex The Poisonwood Bible Mindset Edited November 25, 2011 by Negin in Grenada Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Negin Posted November 26, 2011 Share Posted November 26, 2011 Stacia, how do you get all of yours to look so nice? :tongue_smilie: I want mine to look as nice as yours. :lol: :grouphug: You and my dh are my favorite computer whizzes. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 26, 2011 Share Posted November 26, 2011 Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas Safely Home by Randy Alcorn The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted November 26, 2011 Share Posted November 26, 2011 Stacia, how do you get all of yours to look so nice? :tongue_smilie: I want mine to look as nice as yours. :lol: :grouphug: You and my dh are my favorite computer whizzes. :D :lol: After much trial & error (& probably a good part of anal-retentiveness on my part), I've learned that the book cover sizes on the goodreads site & on the B&N site are (usually) good ones for posting on forums like this. (So, I pull up the book on one of those sites, right click on the photo of the cover, open the 'Properties', copy the url address, then use that address for posting the photo here.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakia Posted November 26, 2011 Share Posted November 26, 2011 The Harry Potter books (I was late to the game, lol) The Hunger Games trilogy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plansrme Posted November 26, 2011 Share Posted November 26, 2011 One I have not seen mentioned: Hotel at the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. Love this thread. Making many notes. Terri Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annie Laurie Posted November 26, 2011 Share Posted November 26, 2011 I SO want to read this book. I was really taken with her other book Still Alice. I was too. Still Alice was one of those books I thought about for days after I finished it. I didn't know she had other books out and am excited to read another book by her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Negin Posted November 27, 2011 Share Posted November 27, 2011 :lol: After much trial & error (& probably a good part of anal-retentiveness on my part), I've learned that the book cover sizes on the goodreads site & on the B&N site are (usually) good ones for posting on forums like this. (So, I pull up the book on one of those sites, right click on the photo of the cover, open the 'Properties', copy the url address, then use that address for posting the photo here.) Stacia, thank you so much. Nice to know that I'm not the only anal-retentive one :D :lol:. One I have not seen mentioned:Hotel at the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. Terri, for years, I keep adding this to my wish list and then taking it off. Not sure if I'll like it or not. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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