MamaBearTeacher Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 I tend to like books about women, relationships, emotion but I would rather nothing too sad. I would like something contemporary that is not too heavy that I can read in the middle of the night when insomnia strikes but I am still very tired. Something meaningful, that will let me grow a bit; nothing too silly or frivolous. I recently read The Time Traveler's Wife and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and liked these. I would prefer to stay away from crime, mysteries, history, politics. :bigear: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
applethyme Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 A year on Ladybug Farm? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 Margaret Drabble's work? I think The Middle Ground is the best fit for what you said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom25girls Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 Joy for Beginners by Erica Bauermeister. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkholland Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 I just read a book by Kristen Hannah that was pretty good and meets your criteria :) It is called Home Front Great middle of the night read! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrganicAnn Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 On the best contemporary writers I know is Barbara Kingslover. I'd say "Prodigal Summer" has the least sadness. A lot of her books have some sadness. If you don't mind and Irish writer Maeve Binchy writes about relationships with a little sadness and some humor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamaeast Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 I agree with a lot of those choices. I really like Barbara Kingsolver, but I find her too thought-provoking for late night reading. If you're looking for something fun and easy, I love anything by Sophie Kinsella. Super easy to read, laugh out loud funny. I wish I were better about remembering titles and authors! I read a ton and can never remember what's what later. I should keep a list. :) I also recently read Water for Elephants and that was good, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pink and Green Mom Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 The Widow of the South, by Robert Hicks (I'm currently reading this one; based on the true story of Carrie McGavock) The Winter Sea, by Susanna Kearsley (favority book I read this year) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FairProspects Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 If you haven't read Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet yet, it is really worth the read. I'm also enjoying Rules of Civility right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nd293 Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 Have you read anything by Lisa Tucker? I really enjoyed Once Upon a Day and The Cure for Modern Life. Either would meet your criteria. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 Garden Spells Finding Love at the Dairy Queen Winter Bloom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinder Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 The Shop on Blossom Street by Debbie Macomber--definitely relationship-y Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momtoamiracle Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 I was also going to suggest Debbie Macomber's Blossom Street series. Read most of those in the middle of the night! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TechWife Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 Left Neglected by Lisa Genova The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows Calico Joe by John Grisham (any Grisham, actually) The Wednesday Sisters by Meg Waite Clayton To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee Look Again by Lisa Scottoline Gilead by Marilynne Robinson The Things that Keep Us Here by Carla Buckley Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford How to be a Hepburn in a Hilton World by Jordan Christy (non-fiction) The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls (memoir) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsBasil Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 I'll second Garden Spells and say that anything by that author, Sarah Addison Allen, fits the bill. Someone on here recommended her to me when I was looking for a good book and I've loved all of her books. I think Garden Spells is my favorite thoug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deacongirl Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 Isabel Allende. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissad2 Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 I love anything by Dorothea Benton Frank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 We'll Have the Summer A very touching novel about a husband, wife, and some horses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 Sugar Daddy by Lisa Kleypas "From Booklist Money is tight while Liberty Jones is growing up in Welcome, Texas, but somehow she and her mother Diana manage. Having good friends like Miss Marva, Lucy Reyes, and especially Hardy Cates, on whom Liberty has a crush, helps. Then tragedy strikes and Liberty must take care of her younger sister and find a way to support them. Hard work and determination get Liberty through cosmetology school, then, while working in a Houston salon, she meets wealthy older businessman Churchill Travis, who offers her a job as his personal assistant. At first Liberty is reluctant to accept, especially since Churchill's son, Gage, seems to think she's a gold digger. Then, just as Liberty is settling into her new life and her initially frosty relationship with Gage is heating up and turning romantic, Hardy Cates, her first unrequited love, reappears. New York Times best-seller and RITA Award winner Kleypas moves from historical romance into contemporary women's fiction with an emotionally compelling and superbly satisfying tale of family, friendship, hope, and love. Writing with wit, wisdom, and warmth, Kleypas has created a book to treasure. John Charles Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved" Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FeFe Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 I love anything by Dorothea Benton Frank. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhonda in TX Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 Gods in Alabama by Joshilyn Jackson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 I always recommend The #1 Women's Detective Agency series. They are not too heavy, and they always end well. At the same time, they have some depth to them, and are humorous and poignant at the same time. They take place in Africa. I just can't speak highly enough of them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolphin Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 I just finished Half Broke Horses and really enjoyed it. It is a memoir written by the ladies granddaughter. It was a really interesting slice of history, the lady comes of age during WW1 in the Arizona, New Mexico area. Most people are still riding horses. Coming of age Being a more independent woman in a man's time modernization etc... It was a good, quick, and pleasant read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dharmacat Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 More readers should be aware of her. Her books include: A History of Women The Gardens of Kyoto Where She Went I wouldn't characterize her books as "sad", but they make you think, especially about the status of women (including as mothers). They are also bitingly funny at times. She is a real questioner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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