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hhireno

Time for reading suggestions

hhireno
9 years ago

Yes, yes, I know many of you are all caught up in holiday related activities and don't have time for reading. But I do so I'm looking for an updated list of reading ideas.

Last night I started a book and, by page 11, said if it turns out the butler did it I'm going to be annoyed for wasting time reading this when it seems so obvious. A few pages later, when another character was introduced, I realized I had read the book before and the butler DID do it. The cover and title weren't the least bit familiar and I guess I forgot to cross it off my reading list years ago when I read it. Both my reading list system and memory are very flawed.

So toss out some books you've enjoyed in the past 6 months. I always get so many new-to-me titles to add to my library list.

Comments (35)

  • rosesstink
    9 years ago

    I don't generally read newly published works so these you may already have on your lists but I'll throw them out anyway.

    Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
    The Duke of Deception by Geoffrey Wolff
    When Captain Flint Was Still a Good Man by Nick Dybek
    The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat by Edward Kelsey Moore
    Straight Man by Richard Russo
    Kabu Kabu by Nnedi Okorafor
    Pentimento by Lillian Hellman

    That last one gets panned a lot because Ms. Hellman apparently made a lot of it up. I thought it a good read anyway.

    Happy reading!

  • funkyart
    9 years ago

    Great topic! I don't like to do christmas lists but bf struggles with gift buying so I have agreed to give him a book list .. (he's on his own with any other gifts)!

    Invisible City - a first novel by journalist, Julia Dahl. I quite enjoyed this murder mystery set in a hasidic community in Brooklyn.

    Delicious! - Ruth Reichl. I've enjoyed many of Ruth's non-fiction books. This is her first fiction-- not flawless but enjoyable nonetheless. If you haven't read her other books, I'd start with Comfort me with Apples or Tender at the Bone

    Currently reading
    Provence, 1970: M.F.K. Fisher, Julia Child, James Beard, and the Reinvention of American Taste by MFK Fisher's nephew Luke Barr. I very much enjoy his writing.. but I am not too deep into it yet.

  • tibbrix
    9 years ago

    You probably read it, if not also saw the movie, but I've just begun "Seabiscuit" by Laura Hillenbrand, and it's grabbed me from the first page.

  • Sueb20
    9 years ago

    Right now I'm reading All The Light We Cannot See, which I'm really enjoying so far.

    The Kitchen House is my favorite all time book, or maybe it's The Way The Crow Flies. Loved them both. Neither book is new, though.

    I have liked most of Anna Quindlen's books, too.

  • Annie Deighnaugh
    9 years ago

    I was upset that A&E canceled Longmire which was my favorite TV show on air, so I started reading the books by Craig Johnson...I'm finding them very good. I also managed to catch up on the latest Stephanie Plum mysteries by Janet Evanovich...the number series....I find those things laugh out loud funny. Finally, in looking through the library, I found a Fannie Flagg (of Fried Green Tomatoes) I hadn't read and it was a wonderful story as only she can tell it, called "I Still Dream About You".

    And I continue to recommend The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield, as a nice gothic mystery... I keep waiting for another novel, but so far, nothing.

    I haven't read it yet, but someone told me Billy Crystal's latest books was a hoot...Still Foolin' Em.

    And don't forget the oldies but goodies like Shirley Jackson, Daphne DuMaurier, Dashiell Hammett, et al. If you are looking for a sweet mental vacation, then check out the David Grayson books like Adventures in Contentment and Adventures in Friendship. They are available for free download on line and are sweet, gentle tales that are perfect for destressing.

  • Holly- Kay
    9 years ago

    Besides the classics that we probably have all read, I love John Irving's, A Prayer for Owen Meany and Cider House Rules. They are oldies but goodies.

    Big Little Lies by Liane Moriairty and better yet by the same author, The Husband's Secret. Just What Kind of Mother Are You? by Paula Daly.

    For very light and humorous reading I enjoyed immensely the Miss Julia series by Ann B. Ross. Again for down home humor Fannie Flagg is great.

    My favorite books though are thrillers. The late Vince Flynn wrote some great books. I also enjoy Brad Meltzer. I am currently reading, I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes.

    For mysteries try Death By A Honey Bee by Abigail Keam. It is the first in a series Death Bys.

  • tibbrix
    9 years ago

    HK, "A Prayer for Owen Meany" was my favorite book at the time. " The instrument of death." Lol.

    And of course, it being the season of the Messiah, it's an apropos book.

  • funkyart
    9 years ago

    I have found I really need to stick with light reading because by the time I retire, I may only have a page or two in me. Mysteries are perfect for this kind of reading so I'll check out some of those mentioned ..I very much enjoyed the Sue Grafton alphabet series and Janet Evanovich but at some point they just became too much of the same.

    I have the following on deck.. thumbs up/down?
    - Mr Penumbra's 24 hr Bookstore
    - 100 Foot Journey (if i read it before I give in to the movie)
    - Kitchen Daughter

  • LucyStar1
    9 years ago

    I loved The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. A description of the book says:

    From #1 New York Times bestselling author Ken Follett comes this spellbinding epic set in twelfth-century England. The Pillars of the Earth tells the story of the lives entwined in the building of the greatest Gothic cathedral the world has ever known-and a struggle between good and evil that will turn church against state, and brother against brother.

    For lighter reading, I enjoyed Miss Garnet's Angel by Sally Vickers:

    After the death of her longtime friend and flatmate, retired British history teacher Julia Garnet does something completely out of character: She takes a six-month rental on a modest apartment in Venice. She befriends a young Italian boy and English twins who are restoring a fourteenth-century chapel. And she falls in love for the first time in her life with an art dealer named Carlo.

    Juxtaposing Julia's journey of self-discovery with the apocryphal tale of Tobias and the Archangel Raphael, Miss Garnet's Angel tells a lyrical, incandescent story of love, loss, miracles, and redemption and of one woman's transformation and epiphany.

  • ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
    9 years ago

    the bryant and may series from christopher fowler ...

    i use the electronic library thru my local library.. to get real books

    see link

    ken

    Here is a link that might be useful: link

  • beaglesdoitbetter1
    9 years ago

    I love Anna Quindlen too, but my goodness are some of her books depressing (obviously, Every Last One and Black and Blue)

    Also loved Big Little Lies and The Husband's Secret (I thought Big Little Lies was better).

    I loved the first 3.5 "Knitting in the City" Books, particularly "Neanderthal Seeks Human" and "Love Hacked". These are silly cute wonderful books that are very funny, not a typical romance (although at the same time being a typical romance). Hated the fourth.

    Nick Horby (of About a Boy, High Fidelity fame) is out with a new one, which is on my to-be-read list. Jodi Picoult's new one is on my I-may-read this list, but I don't know if I can take any more of her books. I used to really love them. 19 Minutes was a great albeit very, very depressing book!

    Loved "Home Safe" by Elizabeth Berg.

    "We Need to Talk About Kevin" was a good but depressing book which they made into a truly terrible movie.

    I'm going to start "American Wife" soon, which I've heard was very good.

  • Olychick
    9 years ago

    These are my most recent faves...

    The Invention of Wings - Sue Monk Kidd

    The Ocean at the End of the Lane - Neil Gaiman

    A Tale for the Time Being - Ruth Ozeki

    Valley of Amazement - Amy Tan

    From the Kitchen of Half Truth -Maria Goodin

    The Light Between Oceans - M. L.Stedman

    Canada - Richard Ford

    The Language of Flowers - Vanessa Diffenbaugh

    The Time In Between - Maria Duenas

    The School of Essential Ingredients - Erica Bauermeiste

    edited to add two more that are probably already read by most, but I loved

    Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn - don't bother to read if you saw the movie

    Me Before You - Jojo Moyes not great literature but a very thought provoking book.

    And anything by Sherman Alexie...I'm reading his latest - a book of poems right now, but would highly recommend:

    An Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian.

    An older one that I had on my bookshelf and thought I'd read, but realized I hadn't and it was maybe one of the best books IâÂÂve ever read (right up there with Owen Meany):

    Extremely Loud Incredibly Close - Jonathan Safran Foer

    Right now I'm reading:

    The Book of Salt - Monique Truong -

    A fictional account of the Vietnamese cook for Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein in Paris in the 1930's. It is for lovers of dense, beautiful writing and language - who appreciate the journey as much or more than the destination. I'm really loving it...

    Sorry this is so long; I've been devouring books this year!

    This post was edited by olychick on Thu, Dec 11, 14 at 3:30

  • pammyfay
    9 years ago

    Ditto to "Home Safe," and others by Elizabeth Berg.
    My sister raves about Anne Tyler's books.
    A nice little no-brainer series (no sex, no violence): Jan Karon's Mitford books.

    Have you read "Bel Canto"? Loved it!
    I'm reading an oldie mystery series by Philip Craig -- takes place in Martha's Vineyard.

    Billy Crystal's book is great, but I'd recommend that you opt for the audio version (try your library). Same for Carol Burnett's autobiography. They each narrate their own books.

    How about the mysteries by Mary Higgins Clark, and the series by her daughter, Carol Higgins Clark?

    Some of the Fannie Flagg books made me laugh out loud!

    The Janet Evanovich series is starting to fade for me, but the books she writes with Lee Goldberg are kinda witty.

    A cute little book: "Mrs. Queen Takes the Train"
    And, "Joy for Beginners"

  • funkyart
    9 years ago

    Olychick.. I absolutely loved Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. It's also on the short list of books that will stay with me forever.

  • Olychick
    9 years ago

    Funkyart, we chose that for our book club recently and it was funny the different reactions....there is one woman in particular who really needs to whiz thru books and get to the end for a neatly tied up conclusion, so she hated the book - she doesn't really care about the writing, just the story. I just savored every single page and could only read a few pages at a time, because it was so wonderful; like a box of chocolates, if I ate the whole thing in a couple of sittings, it wouldn't have been as satisfying as enjoying one or two per day. I probably only finished it because it was book club, because I am notorious for not finishing books I love (including Owen Meany, The Man Who Fell in Love With the Moon, Ciderhouse Rules and a few more that are still on my bookshelf). I just love them so much I cannot bear to have them end!

    Did you read Everything is Illuminated by Foer? I LOVED that book- I laughed out loud all the way through it at his quirky style of writing it.

    sorry for the mini hijack hhinreno...

  • Annie Deighnaugh
    9 years ago

    Huh. I just remembered that I have Pat Conroy on my list...he's written so many good ones, and I've read so few...

  • awm03
    9 years ago

    funkyart, I just finished Provence, 1970. Delightful! I'd not heard of Richard Olney before.

  • funkyart
    9 years ago

    "I just savored every single page and could only read a few pages at a time, because it was so wonderful; like a box of chocolates, if I ate the whole thing in a couple of sittings, it wouldn't have been as satisfying as enjoying one or two per day."

    So beautifully said.. and absolutely my experience as well. I read it when it first came out so I could probably bring it out again soon.

    Yes-- also loved Everything is Illuminated but I haven't read anything he's written since. I do wish he'd return to fiction-- they were both such labors of love.

    (Incidentally, Everything is Illuminated made a great movie too)

  • kkay_md
    9 years ago

    Here are a few:
    Atkinson, Life After Life
    Choi, A Person of Interest
    Doerr's All the Light We Cannot See and his memoir, Four Seasons in Rome
    Ford Maddox Ford, The Good Soldier (old, but good)
    Lee, On Such a Full Sea
    Waters, The Little Stranger and The Paying Guests

    I'm not much for detective stories, but enjoyed Louise Penny's (I recommend starting with the first one and reading them in order, as the characters/setting--and the author's writing style--evolve over time).

  • hhireno
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Great, thank you for all the suggestions. I'll make a note of the titles that are new to me.

    Keep the suggestions coming, I can't always get the titles at the library so I like a long and varied list.

    ETA:
    I just made my list of titles. It's nice to be reminded of some books I've read and enjoyed and then forgot.

    Was The Kitchen House the civil war book with an Irish girl? I hated that and stopped reading about 1/3 of the way. I felt like it had every civil war cliche - beautiful slave raped by master, check; handsome slave, that loves the beautiful slave, who will be beaten &/or killed, check; evil plantation manager, check - all taking place in the first 10 pages. Many people loved it but it's made me decide I'm not interested in any more civil war books.

    Speaking of unlikable characters, I read and enjoyed Herman Koch's The Dinner because it was so unexpected. I also read his Summer house with swimming pool but finished the book thinking whoa, why did I spend so much time with such horrible character?

    This post was edited by hhireno on Thu, Dec 11, 14 at 10:09

  • fourkids4us
    9 years ago

    I love these threadsâ¦I always find something for myself to read too!

    Sue - All the Light We Cannot See was my favorite book this year. Such beautiful writing! I hope you like it.

    kkay_md, did you like The Paying Guests? I just read that but can't say I really enjoyed it. Not only was it so dark, but I felt it could have been 100 pages shorter. I didn't care for any of the characters either. Not that I need to like the characters to enjoy a book, but there just wasn't anything very compelling about it IMO. Dreary, selfish characters, dark setting, too long. It got good recommendations, so perhaps I'm just one of the few that didn't care for it very much. I see that you read my favorite book this year and did not realize that Doerr had a memoir. Thank you for pointing that out - I'd love to read it.

  • Holly- Kay
    9 years ago

    Tib, A Prayer For Owen Meany is also my fav of all times. A funny story about that. The first time I read it I borrowed it from the library. My children were still quite young and we spent many hours there. When we got into the car my DD read the last page and quickly blurted out the ending. I was so angry with her that I was seeing red. Of course it took some of the wonder out of it but I fell so in love with little Owen and it was so beautifully written that it wasn't spoiled at all by her telling me the ending. Fast forward 27 years. The same DD that spoiled the ending gives birth to her second son named Owen. A perfect example of foreshadowing IMO.

    Oly you really must finish Owen Meany. What a wonderful story.

    Two books that have haunted me since reading are, Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah, and Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay. I highly recommend them both.

  • funkyart
    9 years ago

    I have always loved John Irving-- the first I read was the first he wrote and I still love it (Setting Free the Bears). So many friends have told me I must read Owen Meany-- and I have not as yet. You all sparked me to finally put it in my shopping cart!

  • outsideplaying_gw
    9 years ago

    I am re-reading 'Wild' in anticipation of seeing the movie soon. I really loved the book the first time but it's been a while since I read it. I should probably re-read 'Unbroken' too, but I don't general re-read anything. I also just read John Grisham's 'Gray Mountain' because I read everything he writes. Same with David Baldacci for the suspense. I will probably read 'Spymistress' next because I love this kind of story. I have heard good things about 'All the Light we Cannot See', so am putting that on my list to download.

    Fanny Flagg is one of my favorite authors, so I'd recommend any of her books. Her latest (and I'm sorry I can't recall the name) was based on the first women to fly in what became the WACs.

    I also enjoy Carl Hiaason for fun now and then and also read Janet Evanovich.

  • bestyears
    9 years ago

    Some I've read over the last six months that I enjoyed (some of which came from the last "Reading Suggestions" post, LOL!)

    This Proud Heart, Pearl Buck
    Ellen Foster, Kaye Gibbons
    Best American Essays, Robert Atwan
    Lucky, by Alice Seybold
    Father of the Rain, Lily King
    The Language of Flowers by Diffenbaugh
    Poor Man's Feast by Altman
    The Art Forger, Shapiro
    The Plum Tree, Wiseman
    The Lotus Eaters by Tatjana Soli
    The Center Cannot Hold by Saks
    Crossing to Safety, Stegner

  • Annie Deighnaugh
    9 years ago

    I've also enjoyed any of the Sean Drummond books by Brian Haig (Al Haig's son).

  • salonv
    9 years ago

    Agree with many of the suggestions ( I think as the Crow Flies was suggested here previously and I read it and loved it--).
    I give up easily on books, so if they keep me hooked, that is an important feature.
    Some great reads-----and favorites: and some you might have missed:
    The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society (adored)
    One Thousand White Women (Fergus )
    The Good House (Ann Leary)
    Family Album (Penelope Lively)
    Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

  • runninginplace
    9 years ago

    Love these discussions! I already put the first book in the Longire series on hold at the library; I have never watched the tv show but the mention here got me curious. Love, love, love finding a great new series and especially one with lots of books so I can start at the beginning and binge read 'em.

    I've been in somewhat of a dry spell recently due to a combination of life-us interruptus (ie crazy busy at work) and just not being inspired. Below are the few I've read lately that I liked:

    An Untamed State by Roxane Gay -- intense, gripping but dark novel about a Haitian-American woman who is kidnapped while visiting her wealthy parents on the island. I loved this book, although again in subject matter and tone it's not a 'fun' read.

    Etta Mae's Worst Bad Luck Day by Ann B. Ross -- a Miss Julia spin off, for those who like this series you might not have caught this one but it's breezy and fun like the others.

    All Fall Down by Jennifer Weiner -- I'm not a chick lit fan but this was interesting, about a woman who seemingly has it all: fancy house, cool job, cute husband, adorable daughter and a prescription drug habit.

    Those Who Wish Me Dead by Michael Koryta -- a suspense novel about a teenage boy who witnesses a murder, is sent to hide out as an Outward-bound style wilderness camper and is then stalked by the killers. Really a nail biter, well written characters including some seriously scary criminals

    I Am Having So Much Fun Here without You by Courtney Maum -- a man living with his French wife in Paris gets caught having an affair, and tries to win back his spouse.

    You Should Have Known by Jean Korelitz -- a therapist about to publish an advice book on how women should know when their mates are straying is blindsided when....wait for it...her husband disappears after an affair that ends in murder(!)

    Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett -- finally read this one after meaning to for years. Wowza, what a story! I've got the sequel in my basket next to the bed, can't wait to dive into that one as well.

    30 Lessons for Living: tried and true advice from the wisest Americans collected byKarl Pillemer -- a truly insightful book collecting exactly what the title says. The author interviewed elderly folks, and their advice is spot on for all kinds of issues.

    Delancy: A Man, A Woman, A Restaurant, A Marriage -- by Molly Wizenberg. A follow up memoir by the author of A Homemade Life, about starting a restaurant with her spouse in Seattle. Love this writer's voice.

  • texanjana
    9 years ago

    My most recent reads:
    Shadows in the Vineyard by Maximillian Potter was really interesting, though not the best writing. If you have interest in France and/or wine, you will enjoy it.
    Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg was interesting to me as a woman.
    Yes Please by Amy Poehler was ok, not nearly as good as Tina Fey's Bossypants IMO.
    An Unnecessary Woman by Rabih Alameddine I enjoyed this one, but it is a little depressing.

    The WSJ has a whole section on books today-can't wait to delve into it!

  • thankurnmo
    9 years ago

    Bumping this thread- agree with many and will look for some of the suggestions.
    I have one that is relatively new and a very easy read with a great story-
    The Good Luck of Right Now by Matthew Quick. (he wrote Silver Lining Playbook).

  • Bumblebeez SC Zone 7
    9 years ago

    I am reading Beautiful Ruins right now and really enjoying it.

  • sable_ca
    9 years ago

    I am currently into police thrillers; they are addictive! Currently reading Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch series, set in L.A., with very good descriptions of the area and some colorful characters. Harry Bosch is the half-brother of Mickey Haller, the attorney played by Matthew McConaughey in The Lincoln Lawyer. Connelly also writes a series about Haller, who sometimes works together with Bosch.

    Other series I've enjoyed with great decripstions of place and geography:
    Lucas Davenport in Minneapolis, by John Sandford.

    J.P. "Beau" Beaumont in Seattle, by J. A. Jance. (I really love Beau)

    Fergusson and Van Alstyne in the Adirondacks, by Julia Spencer-Fleming.

  • LucyStar1
    9 years ago

    I like historical novels. I especially enjoyed Pompeii by Robert Graves which describes with a sense of doom the life and events leading up to the volcanic eruption (I read it after I went to Pompeii).

    Another wonderful book is The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett which is the story of the building of a cathedral in medieval England. The book is just teeming with life and the sense of a whole world inside the book.

  • jterrilynn
    9 years ago

    For the longest time I was into historical fiction but lately I have been branching out. I recently readâ¦

    Shift and Dust by Hugh Howey and really enjoyed the whole series. I had already read Wool this past summer.

    The three book Breath series by Rebecca Donovan is pretty good except poor EmmaâÂÂs crying got on my nerves. Although I found it a good read it was not very realistic in the sense that Emma had so much support from everyone to all friends to their mothers and fathers and acquaintances. This doesnâÂÂt happen in real life with someone from an abusive, mentally ill and addicted family. They are always many within that worry about bad influences or that some of the bad things are contagious or they canâÂÂt be bothered with riff raff. However, it had a happy ending and I love happy endings.

    Next I read Blake CrouchâÂÂs Wayward Pines series. All three books were great. The first book was very suspenseful for me and I do not deal well with suspense. Although into the future type reads were not my thing until the Wool series above by the time I got to the third book on Wayward Pines I couldnâÂÂt put it down.

    Now IâÂÂm full circle and starting on the first book of the cousinâÂÂs series of historical fiction by Philippa Gregory called The Lady The Rivers. I have read all other historical fiction by her and itâÂÂs always a good read. I especially loved the Tudor series with The Other Boleyn Girl as one of my favorites. If you are into historical fiction I would recommend Philippa Gregory books. You will have to look up the order to read as they were all written out of order.

    This post was edited by jterrilynn on Sun, Dec 21, 14 at 16:48

  • bpath
    9 years ago

    If you like books about books, Charlie Lovett has two,novels: The Bookman's Tale follows a book from Shakespeare's hand to modern day...maybe...and follows it's discovery...maybe. First Impressions follows an idea that Pride and Prejudice may have been plagiarized...maybe. (Since my theater major kid was in a Shakespeare festival this summer, and will be in P&P this spring, Charlie Lovett is now my personal oracle.)

    I'm also reading Good Dog, collection of essays and original pieces from Garden and Gun magazine. I don't have a dog, I don't hunt, but who doesn't like a good dog story? They are short, just right for a "I'm too tired for a whole chapter but a 3 page story is just right" bedtime read. One, The Sweetest Sound by Rick Bragg, is hands down the best piece of short writing I've seen in a long time.