Kidlit Posted October 9, 2023 Share Posted October 9, 2023 I want to read something interesting, character-driven, and somewhat complex. What I'm imagining is something like an LM Montgomery novel, but not, because I've read all of those (and almost all of them more than once or twice). It can be a kids' book but only if it's for older kids/teens. I'm thinking of something hefty, like maybe A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Recommendations, anyone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted October 9, 2023 Share Posted October 9, 2023 Joy In The Morning, by the same author, is also good. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katy Posted October 9, 2023 Share Posted October 9, 2023 That sounds like an excellent idea. I can't think of anything, but I'm interested too... Maybe you should write it? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scholastica Posted October 10, 2023 Share Posted October 10, 2023 Shadows on the Rock by Willa Cather? A Girl of the Limberlost by Gene Stratton-Porter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kassia Posted October 10, 2023 Share Posted October 10, 2023 Maggie-Now is also very good (by Betty Smith). I thought it was just as good as A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted October 10, 2023 Share Posted October 10, 2023 Christy by Catherine Marshall. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidlit Posted October 10, 2023 Author Share Posted October 10, 2023 11 minutes ago, Katy said: That sounds like an excellent idea. I can't think of anything, but I'm interested too... Maybe you should write it? I wish I could! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidlit Posted October 10, 2023 Author Share Posted October 10, 2023 4 minutes ago, scholastica said: Shadows on the Rock by Willa Cather? A Girl of the Limberlost by Gene Stratton-Porter. I haven't read that particular Cather, but I do love Girl of Limberlost and Freckles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidlit Posted October 10, 2023 Author Share Posted October 10, 2023 3 minutes ago, Carol in Cal. said: Christy by Catherine Marshall. One of my favorites, as well as Julie by Catherine Marshall. ❤️ 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidlit Posted October 10, 2023 Author Share Posted October 10, 2023 29 minutes ago, Carol in Cal. said: Joy In The Morning, by the same author, is also good. 3 minutes ago, Kassia said: Maggie-Now is also very good (by Betty Smith). I thought it was just as good as A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. I have only read Tree in Brooklyn by Smith. I'll be on the lookout for these! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wintermom Posted October 10, 2023 Share Posted October 10, 2023 I was fascinated by the amazing descriptions of the characters in Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. Each charactor gets their own chapter. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidlit Posted October 10, 2023 Author Share Posted October 10, 2023 2 minutes ago, wintermom said: I was fascinated by the amazing descriptions of the characters in Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. Each charactor gets their own chapter. Made my way through that one a few years ago. It was worth it! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marbel Posted October 10, 2023 Share Posted October 10, 2023 Station Eleven ❤️ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidlit Posted October 10, 2023 Author Share Posted October 10, 2023 I thought of another one I love very much that is in that coming of age/bildungsroman vein--The Yearling by Rawlings. ❤️ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidlit Posted October 10, 2023 Author Share Posted October 10, 2023 Just now, marbel said: Station Eleven ❤️ Loved that one, too! But I haven't read anything else by St John Mandel. Any more recs by her? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted October 10, 2023 Share Posted October 10, 2023 The Plover by Brian Doyle. 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scholastica Posted October 10, 2023 Share Posted October 10, 2023 Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry. Not a young girl, but beautiful. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Governess Posted October 10, 2023 Share Posted October 10, 2023 I Capture the Castle? The Heart is a Lonely Hunter? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scholastica Posted October 10, 2023 Share Posted October 10, 2023 How Green Was My Valley by Richard Llewellyn. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scholastica Posted October 10, 2023 Share Posted October 10, 2023 Charis and the World of Wonders by Marly Youmans. Really great read. Intense at times, but satisfying. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidlit Posted October 10, 2023 Author Share Posted October 10, 2023 7 minutes ago, scholastica said: Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry. Not a young girl, but beautiful. I adore Hannah and Jayber Crow! I think I've read one more by Berry--maybe the other Coulter one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidlit Posted October 10, 2023 Author Share Posted October 10, 2023 8 minutes ago, The Governess said: I Capture the Castle? The Heart is a Lonely Hunter? I haven't read I Capture the Castle in nearly twenty years. Thanks for the reminder! I've never read Heart Is a Lonely Hunter. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidlit Posted October 10, 2023 Author Share Posted October 10, 2023 5 minutes ago, scholastica said: How Green Was My Valley by Richard Llewellyn. I don't think I've ever read it, or if I have, it was when I was a young adult. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidlit Posted October 10, 2023 Author Share Posted October 10, 2023 3 minutes ago, scholastica said: Charis and the World of Wonders by Marly Youmans. Really great read. Intense at times, but satisfying. Never heard of it. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidlit Posted October 10, 2023 Author Share Posted October 10, 2023 12 minutes ago, Stacia said: The Plover by Brian Doyle. Another I've never heard of. Thanks! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bookbard Posted October 10, 2023 Share Posted October 10, 2023 Have you read Cold Comfort Farm? Brilliant funny and warm. The Greenwing & Dart series is wonderful - warm, set in a similar Anne of Green Gables time, except it is fantasy and dragons. But there is a lot about poetry, which I just love. Start with Stargazy Pie and don't do the 'extra novellas' until you're done with the main books. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kassia Posted October 10, 2023 Share Posted October 10, 2023 I love threads like these. 🙂 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cintinative Posted October 10, 2023 Share Posted October 10, 2023 Count of Monte Cristo? 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junie Posted October 10, 2023 Share Posted October 10, 2023 I recently read Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng. It was a really good coming-of-age story that I happened to see on a display at the library. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucy the Valiant Posted October 10, 2023 Share Posted October 10, 2023 Moon Over Manifest? 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TechWife Posted October 10, 2023 Share Posted October 10, 2023 Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford is a delight. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidlit Posted October 10, 2023 Author Share Posted October 10, 2023 1 hour ago, bookbard said: Have you read Cold Comfort Farm? Brilliant funny and warm. The Greenwing & Dart series is wonderful - warm, set in a similar Anne of Green Gables time, except it is fantasy and dragons. But there is a lot about poetry, which I just love. Start with Stargazy Pie and don't do the 'extra novellas' until you're done with the main books. Both of these are new to me titles. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidlit Posted October 10, 2023 Author Share Posted October 10, 2023 1 hour ago, cintinative said: Count of Monte Cristo? This is one I've never read! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cintinative Posted October 10, 2023 Share Posted October 10, 2023 1 minute ago, Kidlit said: This is one I've never read! Oh you have to read it then!! 🙂 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidlit Posted October 10, 2023 Author Share Posted October 10, 2023 1 hour ago, Junie said: I recently read Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng. It was a really good coming-of-age story that I happened to see on a display at the library. I read Little Fires Everywhere and Our Missing Hearts but not this one. I really loved Our Missing Hearts. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidlit Posted October 10, 2023 Author Share Posted October 10, 2023 1 hour ago, Lucy the Valiant said: Moon Over Manifest? Read this one and loved it when it first came out ❤️ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidlit Posted October 10, 2023 Author Share Posted October 10, 2023 20 minutes ago, TechWife said: Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford is a delight. Read this one years ago and enjoyed it ❤️ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vida Winter Posted October 10, 2023 Share Posted October 10, 2023 I love to recommend books by Kate Morton. Try The Secret Keeper. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidlit Posted October 10, 2023 Author Share Posted October 10, 2023 4 minutes ago, Vida Winter said: I love to recommend books by Kate Morton. Try The Secret Keeper. I think I've read everything she's written! I need to double check, though. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted October 10, 2023 Share Posted October 10, 2023 2 hours ago, Kidlit said: I want to read something interesting, character-driven, and somewhat complex. I'll recommend The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold. "A man broken in body and spirit, Cazaril returns to the noble household he once served as page and is named secretary-tutor to the beautiful, strong-willed sister of the impetuous boy who is next in line to rule. It is an assignment Cazaril dreads, for it must ultimately lead him to the place he most fears: the royal court of Cardegoss, where the powerful enemies who once placed him in chains now occupy lofty positions. But it is more than the traitorous intrigues of villains that threaten Cazaril and the Royesse Iselle here, for a sinister curse hangs like a sword over the entire blighted House of Chalion. And only by employing the darkest, most forbidden of magics can Cazaril hope to protect his royal charge -- an act that will mark him as a tool of the miraculous . . . and trap him in a lethal maze of demonic paradox." Regards, Kareni 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidlit Posted October 10, 2023 Author Share Posted October 10, 2023 @Kareni, you always recommend new to me titles! Thank you! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terabith Posted October 10, 2023 Share Posted October 10, 2023 Chaim Potok's novels come to mind. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidlit Posted October 10, 2023 Author Share Posted October 10, 2023 14 minutes ago, Terabith said: Chaim Potok's novels come to mind. I've read The Chosen and Davida's Harp. Do you recommend another? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4kidlets4me Posted October 10, 2023 Share Posted October 10, 2023 East of Eden My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath The Hearts Invisible Furies by John Boyne The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin- I will say I had a big problem with the plot of this one but overall the book is well written Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbutton Posted October 10, 2023 Share Posted October 10, 2023 I really liked Everything Sad is Untrue. My kids (teen and YA) ate it up and have told DH that he has to read it. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidlit Posted October 10, 2023 Author Share Posted October 10, 2023 4 minutes ago, kbutton said: I really liked Everything Sad is Untrue. My kids (teen and YA) ate it up and have told DH that he has to read it. Oooh! I listened to the audiobook of this one and loved it! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidlit Posted October 10, 2023 Author Share Posted October 10, 2023 (edited) 9 minutes ago, 4kidlets4me said: East of Eden My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath The Hearts Invisible Furies by John Boyne The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin- I will say I had a big problem with the plot of this one but overall the book is well written I haven't read a single one of these titles! I haven't read Steinbeck in YEARS. I was actually trying to remember the name Ferrante earlier tonight, so thank you for that! Edited October 10, 2023 by Kidlit 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storygirl Posted October 10, 2023 Share Posted October 10, 2023 Check out books by Amor Towles. I recommend The Lincoln Highway, but A Gentleman in Moscow is also great. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidlit Posted October 10, 2023 Author Share Posted October 10, 2023 Just now, Storygirl said: Check out books by Amor Towles. I recommend The Lincoln Highway, but A Gentleman in Moscow is also great. I listened to the audiobook of Gentleman and loved it. I had forgotten about The Lincoln Highway. Thanks! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidlit Posted October 10, 2023 Author Share Posted October 10, 2023 I just thought of another couple I LOVED--True Grit by Portis and News of the World by Giles. So good! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.