stephanier.1765 Posted February 13, 2023 Share Posted February 13, 2023 ...for the library reading challenge I'm participating in. So far, searching Google hasn't popped up with anything that looks enticing. I picked up My Beautiful Friend but I've already that and would rather read something new. Any ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hannah Posted February 13, 2023 Share Posted February 13, 2023 (edited) 'Fiela's Child'by Daleen Matthee - translated from Afrikaans. She also wrote 'Circles in the Forest' Edited February 13, 2023 by Hannah 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted February 13, 2023 Share Posted February 13, 2023 Heidi 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forty-two Posted February 13, 2023 Share Posted February 13, 2023 Kristen Lavransdatter, by Sigrid Undset Laurus, by Eugene Vodolazkin The Hammer of God, by Bo Giertz Secondhand Time: The Last of the Soviets, by Svetlana Alexievich 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephanier.1765 Posted February 13, 2023 Author Share Posted February 13, 2023 3 minutes ago, forty-two said: Kristen Lavransdatter, by Sigrid Undset Oooh, that was a good one! It's sorely tempting to read that one again. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted February 13, 2023 Share Posted February 13, 2023 The first novel that popped into my head is One Hundred Years of Solitude (Cien años de soledad) by Gabriel García Márquez, but you've probably already read this classic? Bill 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephanier.1765 Posted February 13, 2023 Author Share Posted February 13, 2023 12 minutes ago, Spy Car said: The first novel that popped into my head is One Hundred Years of Solitude (Cien años de soledad) by Gabriel García Márquez, but you've probably already read this classic? Bill I have. It was a really good one too. That's part of my trouble finding something. All the really good, well known ones are books I've already read or, even worse, the library doesn't carry them or they cost a lot because they are older books. And the lesser known ones aren't really enticing, at least the ones I've found so far. I'm still sorting through the ones up thread. They all look so good, but the ones I've checked so far, my library doesn't carry and they cost a lot to buy. I'm still hoping though. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lanabug Posted February 13, 2023 Share Posted February 13, 2023 The Awakening of Miss Prim by Natalie Sanmartin Fenollera. One of my all-time favorite books! It is a little bit romance, a little bit philosophy, and fits really, really well with home education. From the description on Good Reads: "In this #1 international bestseller, a young woman leaves everything behind to work as a librarian in a remote French village, where she finds her outlook on life and love challenged in every way. When Miss Prim, an independent, accomplished young woman, reads an ad in the newspaper seeking a feminine spirit to work as a librarian in the lush countryside of France, she finds herself compelled to apply. Little does she know what kind of world she is about to step into. Miss Prim dutifully accepts the job and begins organizing her employer's vast library. A knowledgeable, mysterious gentleman with very specific opinions about life, he challenges Miss Prim's seemingly unshakeable disposition. And as she becomes familiar with the other townspeople, she begins to realize that the surprising lifestyle of the town awakens amazement, perplexity, and even disdain in her. For in this tiny corner of the world, a flourishing colony of exiles have settled into a simple, rural existence, living around great literature, intellectual discussions, family, and sweet indulgences. Their peculiar and unconventional ways slowly test Miss Prim's most intimate ideas and fears as well as her most profound convictions. She quickly comes to realize that her advanced degrees did little to prepare her for the lessons she's being taught the least of which is a lesson in love. Set against a backdrop of steaming cups of tea, freshly baked cakes, warm fires, and lovely company, The Awakening of Miss Prim is a delightful, thought-provoking, and sensitive novel that gives rise to theories about love and companionship, education, and the beauty of every passing moment." 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephanier.1765 Posted February 13, 2023 Author Share Posted February 13, 2023 5 minutes ago, lanabug said: The Awakening of Miss Prim by Natalie Sanmartin Fenollera. One of my all-time favorite books! It is a little bit romance, a little bit philosophy, and fits really, really well with home education. From the description on Good Reads: "In this #1 international bestseller, a young woman leaves everything behind to work as a librarian in a remote French village, where she finds her outlook on life and love challenged in every way. When Miss Prim, an independent, accomplished young woman, reads an ad in the newspaper seeking a feminine spirit to work as a librarian in the lush countryside of France, she finds herself compelled to apply. Little does she know what kind of world she is about to step into. Miss Prim dutifully accepts the job and begins organizing her employer's vast library. A knowledgeable, mysterious gentleman with very specific opinions about life, he challenges Miss Prim's seemingly unshakeable disposition. And as she becomes familiar with the other townspeople, she begins to realize that the surprising lifestyle of the town awakens amazement, perplexity, and even disdain in her. For in this tiny corner of the world, a flourishing colony of exiles have settled into a simple, rural existence, living around great literature, intellectual discussions, family, and sweet indulgences. Their peculiar and unconventional ways slowly test Miss Prim's most intimate ideas and fears as well as her most profound convictions. She quickly comes to realize that her advanced degrees did little to prepare her for the lessons she's being taught the least of which is a lesson in love. Set against a backdrop of steaming cups of tea, freshly baked cakes, warm fires, and lovely company, The Awakening of Miss Prim is a delightful, thought-provoking, and sensitive novel that gives rise to theories about love and companionship, education, and the beauty of every passing moment." Yay, the library has this one! From the description, it looks like this one was written especially for me. Thank you! So many of these looks so good. I'm still trying to work out ways to get some of these others without having to pay too much because they look like books I'd love too. Thanks everyone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted February 13, 2023 Share Posted February 13, 2023 36 minutes ago, stephanier.1765 said: I have. It was a really good one too. That's part of my trouble finding something. All the really good, well known ones are books I've already read or, even worse, the library doesn't carry them or they cost a lot because they are older books. And the lesser known ones aren't really enticing, at least the ones I've found so far. I'm still sorting through the ones up thread. They all look so good, but the ones I've checked so far, my library doesn't carry and they cost a lot to buy. I'm still hoping though. The Tin Drum by Gunter Grass? Crime and Punishment (or Notes from Underground [much shorter]) by Dostoevsky? The Master and Margarita by Bulgakov? Cancer Ward by Solzhenitsyn? This Earth of Mankind by Pramoedya Toer? Hunger by Knut Hamsun? The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende? Children of the Alley (or anything) by Naguib Mahfouz? Cities of Salt by Abdul Rahman Munif? The Plague (or The Stranger) by Albert Camus? Death on the Installment Plan (or Journey to the End of the Night) by Céline? Anything by Thomas Mann or Franz Kafka? Bill 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marbel Posted February 13, 2023 Share Posted February 13, 2023 (edited) Have you read anything by Emile Zola? Many of his books are bleak, but they are beautifully written. My favorites are L'Assommoir (the drunkard), The Ladies' Paradise, and Germinal. ETA: Whoops, I see you found something. Well, I'll leave this here anyway for someone else, or future use. Edited February 13, 2023 by marbel 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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