About a month ago, Annje posted brilliantly about books she had read and asked for recommendations for her “to read” list. I was green with envy over her comment section.
I buy a lot of books as gifts this time of year and I have a life goal of starting and maintaining a list of books that I have read and those that I plan to read. I bought a brand new pretty notebook just for this list. Oh, how my heart loves pretty notebooks. And lists. And books. This is possibly my favorite thing to do ever, keep lists of things I love on pretty paper.
Of course, I want your help. I’m shamelessly stealing Annje’s idea. My list is below. I can not tell you how much I would LOVE it if you would put all/some of your favorite books in these categories in the comments, or just your favorite book, or the book you would most like to read in the next three months or the book you read most often to your children. Any book you love.
Books I’ve read more than three times: The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien; Jitterbug Perfume, Tom Robbins; Exodus, Leon Uris; The Witching Hour, Anne Rice.
Author that blows me away with brilliance: Jose Saramago (esp., The Gospel According to Jesus Christ and Blindness).
Authors I choose again and again: Tom Robbins, Isabel Allende, Ann Rice, Joanne Harris (oh, I know, she’s fun, don’t even get snobby on me ;-), Barbara Kingsolver.
I’m currently reading: What is the What by Dave Egger.
Best books I’ve read this year: Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann and The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz.
Could not finish classic: The Jungle by Upton Sinclair.
Could not finish modern: The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie.
Most lovely (enjoyable) read this year: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.
Best book I’ve ever read: I’m not sure. The book I recommend the most often is The Bone People by Keri Hulme.
Guilty pleasure: Ann Rice (esp. The Witching Hour series); Rosamund Pilcher.
Best preschool age book: We love the bat books by Brian Lies.
Best elementary school/early chapters: The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles, Julie Andrews Edwards.
Best tween: Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling; Madeleine L’Engle.
DON’T SEE THE MOVIE FIRST: Push by Sapphire.
Book tons of people loved that I hated: Eat, Pray, Love, Elizabeth Gilbert; The Elegance of the Hedgehog, Muriel Barbery.
Best classic: Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen. (And yes, I am a sucker for the BBC miniseries; I know it’s period, Matt, that’s why I love it. Men in breaches. Yum.)
Classic every American should read: Native Son by Richard Wright.
Best children’s classic: The Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett; Ann of Green Gables series by Lucy Maud Montgomery.
Best nonfiction: I don’t read any nonfiction. I enjoy Oliver Sacks and I want to read Nelson Mandela’s biography.
Okay! Your turn! Pretty please with sugar on top?!
Read Beach Music by Pat Conroy. He's a great author and that's his best (in my opinion).
the coffee trader
cathedral on the sea
pillars of the earth
city of thieves
those are just a few of the books I've read recently…enjoy!
I'm going to suggest some Canadian lit that I love: "Sweetness in the Belly" (Camilla Gibb), "The Handmaid's Tale" (Margaret Atwood), "Fugitive Pieces" (Anne Michaels), "The English Patient" (Michael Ondaatje), "Life of Pi" (Yann Martel), "A Fine Balance" (Rohington Mistry), "Republic of Love," (Carol Shields).
Happy Reading!
The Passage – Justin Cronin
Anything by Tad Williams (he is my favorite) – Green Angel Tower series is neat
The Girl of the Sea of Cortez – Peter Benchley
The Talisman – Stephen King / Peter Straub (The Dark Tower series by Stephen King is also great)
I would highly recommend:
Time Travelers Wife – Audrey Niffenegger
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle – Wroblewski
Water for Elephants – Gruen
Empire Falls – Russo
My favs growing up were:
Eloise
The Brambly Hedge Books
and the Country Bunny and the Little Golden Shoes
My son's favorites are currently:
Giraffe and a Half
Brontorina
and A Pie Went By
I can't wait to see what everyone else suggests!
The best book Dave Egger has written is Zeitoun (prounounced zay-toon). It's about post Katrina New Orleans. Definitely read it. I've also read What Is The What. What do you think of it?
First of all … just have to say … you are a woman after my heart … I LOVE books, lists, and pretty notebooks to keep my lists in. Oh. My. Yes.
However … I read almost exclusively non-fiction. I guess I need a lot of help, since I'm a "self-help" junkie. :)
:) :) :)
Children's classics not to be missed:
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
The Betsy-Tacy books
And for adults: any book of essays by David Sedaris
Expecting Adam (Martha Beck)
Are you saying that you want non-fiction recommendations, or that you refuse to read non-fiction? I read mostly memoirs (preferably humorous). Devil in the Details (Jennifer Traig), Why I'm Like This (Cynthia Kaplan), Hypocrite in a Pouffy White Dress (forgot author's name), just to name a few…
Some of my favorites are:
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
Kite Runner, and A Thousand Splendid Suns, both by Khaled Hosseini
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
The last couple of good books I've read:
Room: A Novel by Emma Donohue
Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
Enjoy!
Liz G.
All time favorite book (read at least a dozen times in my life) – "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn". If you haven't read it, you absolutely must.
Other favorites –
The Red Tent
Gone With the Wind (and the movie doesn't count…the book is infinitely better)
Water for Elephants
The Harry Potter Series
A Prayer for Owen Meany
Cider House Rules
Sense and Sensibility
Book Thief
I'll try to add more as I think of them!
All-time fav: The Handmaid's Tale. Not too far behind: The Poisonwood Bible.
You've got quite a few of my picks on your list already. But I'll add a few.
I've been reading William Gibson a lot lately. I've just finished the Sprawl Trilogy (Neuromancer, Count Zero and Mona Lisa Overdrive) but I'd recommend Pattern Recognition and Spook Country. I marvel at how he weaves a story together, I've read most of Gibson's work more than three times and will probably revisit many more times.
I adore Michael Ondaatje; there's a paragraph in the English Patient that blows me away; It describes a bisected lime, the visual is stunning. Running in the Family and Anil's Ghost are both beautifully written.
I am always looking up Terry Pratchet in the library and Nick Bantock's art/fiction books are well read in my personal library.
I would also highly highly recommend The Tattooed Map by Barbara Hodgson it's a gorgeous book that reads like a personal travel journal that takes a fantastical path
By far the best and most favourite preschool books here are the Bing Bunny Books by Ted Dewan (you just can't go wrong with a dog poo reference) We also love love love Mo Willems' Pigeon books and his Elephant and Piggie series.
We've recently started the Peanut on short chapter books, her favourite series are the Ivy and Bean books, and we've also added some classics by Roald Dahl to the mix.
I recently read Austen's Emma for the first time. I also love the spin off "Jane Fairfax"
Okay, I'm going to skip the adult fiction, I think our tastes are too different. I love simple, predictable, escapism romantic fiction. Right now I'm devouring anything by Robyn Carr.
For kids however, there's a topic I could go on forever about. My kids have loved the Ramona books by Beverly Cleary as well as the Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing series by Judy Blume. They also all enjoyed the Little House and the Prairie series and the Lucy Rose series. We also loved The Moffatts.
Picture Books? The Frances Stories are wonderful. Jon, Paul, George and Ben, 17 Things I'm Not Allowed to do Anymore, Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel, The Secret Science Project that Almost Ate My School, Lily's Purple Plastic Purse, A Mother for Choco, Julius the Baby of the World, Goodnight Gorilla, Can't You Sleep Baby Bear, The Giant Jam Sandwich, The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish, The Seven Silly Eaters, Strega Nona, Shel Silverstein (anything) and Jack Prelutsky. We read a LOT. :)
Oops! I forgot Winnie the Pooh.
Okay, one more, sorry, I promise I will cease with the hijacking of your comments. My kids have all loved Charlotte's Web too.
Two that are on my To Read List are
The Help and Room (although I don't know if I could read anything too sad about a five-year-old boy.
I read Water for Elephants too and actually liked it, though I have a penchant for animal stories. See also: Jane Goodall's books. *lurve*
So glad you had The Book Thief listed. Loved it too.
If you like historical fiction, I enjoy Katherine by Anya Seton. Green Darkness is another of hers I enjoyed.
OOoo! The Help was a good book! I second that recommendation.
Of course, Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series if you're in the mood for a good romance. It makes Twilight look ridiculous. Wait, it does that on its own. I really don't enjoy romance books anymore, but Outlander is the exception. Such a rich and more realistic romance story.
I love Jane Eyre.
I also enjoyed A Beautiful Mind, but it's nonfiction and probably only enjoyable to those who wonder how people go crazy.
I liked the Bridge to Terabitha and thought the way The Spiderwick Chronicle book starts off was very unique.
Have I listed enough? Because I could always go dig through my bookcase for ones I've forgotten to mention.
Oooh-this is fun!
These are my favorites; I've read them each many, many times. They're like old friends:
-A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
-The Awakening
-The Sixteen Pleasures
-The Mysteries of Pittsburgh
Another great author to check out is Ursula Hegi. I recently discovered her and devoured all of her books in the last year.
My favorite kids books are the Ramona series by Beverly Cleary and the Fudge series by Judy Blume. My kids adore these. For a lower brow read, try the Captain Underpants series by Dav Pilkey or Junie B. Jones. They are a lot of fun.
I'm going to have to read some of the suggestions that people gave you!
Truda
The Tenderness of Wolves by Stef Penney. First book I've read in a long time that, after I finished it, I missed the characters.
I have several friends who have read and loved American Wife, by Curtis Sittenfeld. I haven't read it yet because I hate Prep, so I'm skeptical.
I will likely be back with more.
I am going to follow these comments closely! Great post!
Barbara Kingsolver is one of my favorite authors, but you've probably read all of her stuff.
For period books, The Other Boleyn Girl is great.
I loved almost all of the Pat Conroy books, and second the recommendatin for Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series. It's romance meets a tiny bit of sci-fi and history and even some science thrown in. Sounds bad, but really is good!
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo series was really good IMO.
If you're at all interested in Asia, you may want to try the James Clavell books (esp. Noble House). They're really long, but definitely page-turners.
For mystery I have been reading a lot of Lisa Gardner.
A great preschool book for this time of year is Room On The Broom – we've been reading it multiple times per day since we checked it out from the library.
Great topic!
Here's my list!
Books I've read more than three times: None! I get it the first time.
Author that blows me away with brilliance: Toni Morrison, Hemingway.
Authors I choose Again and Again: OMG, how is that different from authors that blow me away?! Ok, I just thought of one–Nick Hornsby. Love him.
I'm Currently Reading: Freedom, Jonathan Franzen
Best books I've read this year: Alexa Stevenson's Half Baked, Jean Kwok's Girl in Translation. I also love Freedom.
Could Not Finish Classic: Henry James' Golden Bowl
Could Not Finish Modern: Let the Great World Spin.
Never Read it, but I'm sure I'll hate it: Eat, Pray, Love, The Help, Stones from the River
Oh! I wasn't done. I love, love Wuthering Heights. So romantical.
All I have to say is that I am so happy you read the Book Thief. Wasn't the language just beautiful! Zusak is such a wordsmith. I absolutely love that book and recommend it to everyone!
ooooo I'm excited about this..
Some favorites already mentioned: Room, The Help, and any David Sedaris or Augusten Burroughs essay collections; and Edgar Sawtelle
Other ones I like..
A Dog's Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron; it totally made me view my dog in a different light
Still Missing by Chevy Stevens; similar to Room
I like Anita Shreve books, too.
Story Sisters By Alic Hoffman
Summer Sisters By Judy Blume
yes, I read books without the word sister in them.
Times traveler wife
Pillars of the earth
Any Mauve Binchey but Glass lake and Penny lane.
I could go on for days. I'm not happy with out a book in my hand.
I loved Anne of Green Gables when I was a young girl- I read every book. Also, Little Women!
Books I have loved as an adult: The Stand by Stephen King, Life of Pi, Memoirs of a Geisha, The Kite Runner, The Counte of Monte Cristo, Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons (I love all Lorna Landvik books), anything by Chris Bohjalian, Jodi Picoult and Julia Alvarez.
I love to read and wish I had more time for it!
My Year of Meats by Ruth Ozieki (sp?) is my favorite adult book. I second the Time Traveler's Wife.
Kids' books: The Seven Silly Eaters (Mary Ann Haberman or Hoberman)
The Muddle Headed Wombat (Ruth Park)
Bread and Jam for Frances
Books and lists – how could I ignore this?
Read in the past couple of weeks:
* The Help
* Room
* Hotel at the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
* Sudden Weight of Snow
* One Mississippi
Books I can return to again and again:
* The Outlander series – something about a man in a kilt
* Lord of the Rings
* The Hobbit
* Hamlet (yup, I do love Shakespeare)
* Poisonwood Bible
* Time Traveller's Wife
Authors I love:
* Jane Urquhart
Other books on my favourites list:
* Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood
* Memoirs of a Geisha
* No Great Mischief
* In the Skin of a Lion
* Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister
* Family Matters
* Life of Pi
* Navigator of New York
* Secret Life of Bees
* The Kite Runner
* Five People you Meet in Heaven
* Ursula Under
* Freakonomics
* The Stone Carvers
* The Other Boleyn Girl
* Pope Joan
* The Birth House
* The Good Earth
* The Book of Negroes (known as No One Knows My Name in the States)
* The Thirteenth Tale
* Still Alice
A Prayer for Owen Meany and The Passage…I saw those titles mentioned in comments already and definitely recommend them, too. If you decide to add some nonfiction, I strongly suggest Mary Roach's books (Stiff, Bonk, and Packing for Mars). She's creative and fun and puts a humorous slant on her subjects.
I'm in the middle of about five books right now (just started and finished David Sedaris' tonight, but it's a short one)(also, I strongly recommend David Sedaris!), and when I go up to bed tonight, I'll be taking "Never Let Me Go" up with me and am enjoying where this story is going.
I might pick from your list….
some good ones there.. just so little time for reading.
:)
Helen
I am pretty sure that you are my long lost twin, but I wish you were my next-door-neighbor so that we could have playdates and talk about books. I have a dozen pretty notebooks…my latest is for my (mostly aspirational) weekly goals and this is what it says on the front: "She packed up her potential and all she had learned, grabbed a cute pair of shoes and went out to change a few things." It's by Curly Girl Designs and I am in love with it. Here are my books:
Books I've read more than three times…as a girl: The Little Princess (Burdett), as a teen: The Thorn Birds (McCullough), as a twenty-something: I Know This Much is True (Wally Lamb). Now I'm 37 and I have too many books on my nightstand to re-read anything.
Author that blows me away with brilliance: (see authors I choose again and again)
Authors I choose again and again: Anne Lamott (best author you are not reading), Nick Krystof (of the NYT and also book Half the Sky), Jodi Picoult (although I need a break in between her books)
I'm currently reading: The Art of Happiness in a Troubled World (the Dalai Lama)
Best books I've read this year: The Help, A Reliable Wife (Robert Goolrick), Half the Sky (Krystof and WuDunn)
Could not finish classic: Anna Karenina (Tolstoy). I really, really wanted to love it.
Could not finish modern: Heartbreaking Work… (Eggers)
Most lovely (enjoyable) read this year: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. (read it last year and loved it).
Best book I've ever read: I'm not sure. I love so many books.
Guilty pleasure: Twilight (a sugary donut that makes me feel bloated after)
Best preschool age book: anything by Todd Parr or Richard Scarry or Jamie Lee Curtis, Big Black Bear (Yee)
Best elementary school/early chapters: Magic Treehouse series (Osborne)
Best tween: Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, The Hunger Games
DON'T SEE THE MOVIE FIRST: Push by Sapphire (agreed!), also My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult
Book tons of people loved that I hated: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series
Best classic: East of Eden (Steinbeck), also Pride and Prejudice
Classic every American should read: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Smith) — LOVE!
Best children's classic: The Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett; Ann of Green Gables series by Lucy Maud Montgomery.
Best nonfiction: I LOVED Life Lessons (Kubler-Ross/Kessler), I Thought It Was Just Me, But It Isn't (Brown), Half the Sky, and the happiness book I'm reading now.
Sorry for taking up so much comment space! Libby
The Original Sin
The Mask of Time
both books by Marius Gabriel
they are historical mystery thrillers–amazing detail–really paints a picture
One of the best childrens chapter books I've ever seen is Where The Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin. It's for older children (ages 7 to 9 or so), but oh my lands is it one to remember. We are currently reading it with the Tongginator at bedtime.
Another China book (this time for adults) that I found fascinating was Wild Swans by Jung Chang.
jitterbug perfume??? i've never heard anyone else so much as mention that book. *swoon*
…will be back with a full answer tomorrow. sleep calls now.
xo
I can't believe you stole my idea! I am the only blogger in the history of blogging who has ever asked for book suggestions ;-) No, really, thanks for the linky-love! There are a lot of books I love that are already listed so I am going to try to think of something new… but in the mean time:
couldn't finish: the diary of anais nin (wanted to, just couldn't)
am reading slowly: Blindness by Saramago (it is so unpleasant to read, I can only do it in small spurts)
Books I loved as a kid: the Dorrie the witch series
Children's books we love now: anything by Denise Flemming especially Barnyard Banter and Pumpkin Eye (perfect for Halloween). Anything by Calef Brown.
I will suggest some Spanish language authors– I love short stories by Jorge Luis Borges (his book Fictions) and Julio Cortazar (maybe collected short stories) Jose Lezama Lima — Paradise
Also love Jeanette Winterson
Not book related, I love lists in notebooks too!
Since you have more readers, I am going to come back later and add to my list
I never comment but had to second The Bone People — I met Keri Hulme a few years before she died and it was . . .a shift in my life. And, yeah, I hated Eat, Pray, Love. Love your list, love your writing.
This author will blow you away with his writing – seriously.
Carlos Ruiz Zafon –
"Shadow of the Wind"
I could create a long list – but I really want this to stand out because I think it's such a GREAT read! Enjoy! :)
Novels: Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout, Little Bee by Chris Cleave
Children's books: Zen Shorts by Jon J Muth, Fletcher and the Falling Leaves by someone, and The Pink Refrigerator by someone else. All 3 of these kids books say so much more than what they seem to be saying. Such good stuff, and beautiful illustrations in the Muth book.
I LOVE these kinds of lists – but I find it so hard to pick favorites… Especially when I know I'm forgetting something really good. Also I'm totally fried from the day and a little drunk (SHHH! Don't tell anyone…) So I think I'll just have to throw a few randoms out there:
Could not finish: Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand (I actually did finish it – but only as a recorded book and I tuned out for minutes at a time. And – what a surprise! – I never seemed to miss anything since the last person who was talking was STILL talking).
Guilty pleasure: Jane Greene (no idea why – but I just lap it up!), Rosamund Pilcher (totally agree – I could even put this in the read the books again and again category), Maeve Binchy, Marian Keyes, Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series (fantsy/sci-fi nerd), Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series (aren't you writing Romance? These are a must read!), Harry Potter (more read it again and again – Hogwarts is my happy place).
Best preschool age book: P.D. Eastman books: The Best Nest, Go Dogs Go and Leo Le Sieg (aka Dr. Seuss): Come Over to My House. Also love the longer bedtime books like Babar and Curious George. Does Eloise count as preschool (or is that straight up novelty for grownups?). Oh and MADELINE!
Best elementary school/early chapters: All the E. Nesbit stories (magical!) and Edward Eager (who references E. Nesbit in my favorite: Half Magic), All of a Kind Family by Sydney Taylor, Maud Hart Lovelace books: Betsy-Tacy series, Laura Ingalls Wilder books (I desperately wanted to live in "the olden days" while growing up), the Sabriel series by Garth Nix
Best tween: Harry Potter (total Harry Potter nerd – cried when it was over), The Golden Compass, etc. by Phillip Pulman (I put this under tween because I think they're a bit too old for Elementary school) – so brilliant and beautiful and heart breaking.
Book tons of people loved that I hated: The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks. I kept waiting for it to be amazing and it just annoyed me. Especially how he went on and on about how they shared this wonderful life together "full of love and laughter." No idea what they were laughing about – no one ever said anything funny in that book…
Best classic: I loved Sense and Sensibility (but ALL Austen will do thank you very much). I'll also be a cliche and say The Catcher in the Rye because, sorry, it was just really effing good – especially when you're twelve. I really enjoyed all of Salinger's books and loved how Franny and Zoey was basically a conversation between two between two people on either side of a shower curtain.
Best children's classic: I'm agreeing with yours (The Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett; Ann of Green Gables series by Lucy Maud Montgomery.) and adding the other children's books above (are they classics? I think so.)
Best nonfiction: Love Augusten Burroughs. Though I think Running with Scissors was the last of his books I read… But I guess some would dispute the "nonfiction" category?
Funny – some of my favorite books and authors don't even come up here…I also love Tom Robbins (Jitterbug Perfume was my favorite by the way)and John Irving. There are so many…and so many randoms that I recommend to people. For example, I read Geek Love by Katherine Dunn right after I graduated college and I still think of it often.
The sad thing is that I really don't read much anymore. Takes me months to get through a book. The recorded books help…but blogging has been a big factor in this neglect (probably #2 after children). Now I feel like reading – but I'm really tired (and drunk) so I think I'll go to sleep instead.
You all rock. I may have to take pictures of my notebook book list for you. It's going to be a thing of beauty.
LOVE this post and idea. Might steal it one day (when I have/make time to read again!)
My very, very, very favorite-most book of all time is The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. Picked it up in London on vacation (prekids) and could NOT put it down. Read it multiple times. Even got my Matt to read it and he was equally enthralled. Enjoy!
I , too, love lists and little pretty notebooks. They are scattered around the house, here at my desk, in the little bedside chest, kitchen.. I buy little notebooks everywhere I go, when other people are shopping for "souvenirs" on vacation, I am in the museum gift shop, buying small notebooks for gifts and for myself.
I will admit to being a bookworm and as I have gotten older, I am no longer interested in reading things because they are on "Best" lists or because they have a "message" .. I read to be transported to another world, time, place.. and I generally like that world to not be too full of tragedy.
Therefore, I cannot tell you how much I disliked the Kite Runner as an example of not filling my mind with more sadness than necessary. Yes, there are parts that are uplifting but the basic sadness there ruined everything else for me.
I am an Anglophile, as well as a lover of mysteries .. I credit my mother with taking me to the library as a child and starting me on Wuthering Heights and Rebecca and they are still my all – time favorites.
I read to be transported to another time and place.
I live here and now, I don't feel the need to read someone's angst regarding their lives.. I tend to compare and say… "Oh yeah? wait til I tell you about mine ! "
I love Charles Todd .. ( the authors are a son and mother ) Mysteries taking place right after the First World War in England.
I read all of Minette Walters books.. The Dark Room, etc.
I really like Daniel Silva and his Gabriel Alon ..
I was not interested but living here, English language books are scarce, we ( husband and I) read the Stig Larson series, Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and I was surprised I enjoyed it so much.
If you want to read something fascinating about a subject near and dear to your heart lol …
Elizabeth Marshall Thomas, The Social Lives of Dogs.
Amazing and a slight tear jerker.
OK.. that is it for now. I had a home in the US with a real library.. I am going to do one here too.
Send me books ! :)
I , too, love lists and little pretty notebooks. They are scattered around the house, here at my desk, in the little bedside chest, kitchen.. I buy little notebooks everywhere I go, when other people are shopping for "souvenirs" on vacation, I am in the museum gift shop, buying small notebooks for gifts and for myself.
I will admit to being a bookworm and as I have gotten older, I am no longer interested in reading things because they are on "Best" lists or because they have a "message" .. I read to be transported to another world, time, place.. and I generally like that world to not be too full of tragedy.
Therefore, I cannot tell you how much I disliked the Kite Runner as an example of not filling my mind with more sadness than necessary. Yes, there are parts that are uplifting but the basic sadness there ruined everything else for me.
I am an Anglophile, as well as a lover of mysteries .. I credit my mother with taking me to the library as a child and starting me on Wuthering Heights and Rebecca and they are still my all – time favorites.
I read to be transported to another time and place.
I live here and now, I don't feel the need to read someone's angst regarding their lives.. I tend to compare and say… "Oh yeah? wait til I tell you about mine ! "
I love Charles Todd .. ( the authors are a son and mother ) Mysteries taking place right after the First World War in England.
I read all of Minette Walters books.. The Dark Room, etc.
I really like Daniel Silva and his Gabriel Alon ..
I was not interested but living here, English language books are scarce, we ( husband and I) read the Stig Larson series, Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and I was surprised I enjoyed it so much.
If you want to read something fascinating about a subject near and dear to your heart lol …
Elizabeth Marshall Thomas, The Social Lives of Dogs.
Amazing and a slight tear jerker.
OK.. that is it for now. I had a home in the US with a real library.. I am going to do one here too.
Send me books ! :)
Books, yay!
Books I've read more than three times: The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood; Life of Pi by Yan Martel; Feast of Love by Charles Baxter
Author that blows me away with brilliance: Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Authors I choose again and again: Margaret Atwood; David Mitchel; Sara Waters; Ha Jin
I'm currently reading: Little Bee by Chris Cleave; Nurture Shock by Po Bronson
Best books I've read this year: Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout, The Hunger Game Trilogy by Suzanne Collins; Little Bee is shaping up to be amazing
Could not finish classic: War and Peace (blech)
Could not finish modern: Elizabeth Costello by J.M. Cotzee
Most lovely (enjoyable) read this year: Olive Kitteridge
Best book I've ever read: Wow, HARD. I guess I'll go with One Hundred Years of Solitude.
Guilty pleasure: The Sookie Stackhouse series
Best preschool age book: The pigeon books by Moe Willems; Martin's Big Words by Doreen Rappaport (really opens the way to discussing race and equality with children.)
Best elementary school/early chapters: Ramona Quimby, Age 8 by Beverly Cleary
Best tween: The Books of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau.
DON'T SEE THE MOVIE FIRST: The Shipping News by Annie Proux
Book tons of people loved that I hated: The Davinci Code; The Happiness Project
Best classic: The Color Purple by Alice Walker
Classic every American should read: The Grapes of Wrath.
Best children's classic: Where the Wild Things Are
Best nonfiction: Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
I , too, love lists and little pretty notebooks. They are scattered around the house, here at my desk, in the little bedside chest, kitchen.. I buy little notebooks everywhere I go, when other people are shopping for "souvenirs" on vacation, I am in the museum gift shop, buying small notebooks for gifts and for myself.
I will admit to being a bookworm and as I have gotten older, I am no longer interested in reading things because they are on "Best" lists or because they have a "message" .. I read to be transported to another world, time, place.. and I generally like that world to not be too full of tragedy.
Therefore, I cannot tell you how much I disliked the Kite Runner as an example of not filling my mind with more sadness than necessary. Yes, there are parts that are uplifting but the basic sadness there ruined everything else for me.
I am an Anglophile, as well as a lover of mysteries .. I credit my mother with taking me to the library as a child and starting me on Wuthering Heights and Rebecca and they are still my all – time favorites.
I read to be transported to another time and place.
I live here and now, I don't feel the need to read someone's angst regarding their lives.. I tend to compare and say… "Oh yeah? wait til I tell you about mine ! "
I love Charles Todd .. ( the authors are a son and mother ) Mysteries taking place right after the First World War in England.
I read all of Minette Walters books.. The Dark Room, etc.
I really like Daniel Silva and his Gabriel Alon ..
I was not interested but living here, English language books are scarce, we ( husband and I) read the Stig Larson series, Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and I was surprised I enjoyed it so much.
If you want to read something fascinating about a subject near and dear to your heart lol …
Elizabeth Marshall Thomas, The Social Lives of Dogs.
Amazing and a slight tear jerker.
OK.. that is it for now. I had a home in the US with a real library.. I am going to do one here too.
Send me books ! :)
Oooh, I forgot…. also Piers Anthony– On a Pale Horse and Bearing an Hourglass.
Perhaps more scifi than you are used to, but wonderful stories…. very well conceived and written.
Kim again
Oh, books… how I miss them! I did read voraciously, once. Before I had twins :-)
My favorite author is Guy Gavriel Kay. His Tigana is intricate, beautifully written, intimate and sweeping in scope. It's just fantastic. His Fionavar Tapestry trilogy is also marvelous.
My favorite kids' authors and books are:
Mo Willems – All the Pigeon books, Elephant and Piggie, and Knuffle Bunny (a great read for Quinn and his nanny blanket)
Robert Munsch – Love You Forever, The Paper Bag Princess (read this to Saige, every little girl needs this story), Alligator Baby, and Stephanie's Ponytail
Tomie DePaola – All the Strega Nona books
Todd Parr – The Mommy Book, The Daddy Book, The Family Book
Other excellent kids' titles: The Hello Goodbye Window by Norton Juster
Martin's Big Words by Doreen Rappaport
Freedom Summer by Deborah Wiles
Young Adult series that everyone should read: The Hunger Game trilogy by Suzanne Collins
I'm currently reading the dark tower series by stephen king and I love it. Also really like the stand by him also. Blind your ponies by stanley west was a very enjoyable read. My favorite read in school was the count of monte cristo. Going to go through the comments section for good ideas.
Grant
I think I'm going to do this on my own blog if that's okay. Am too long winded for your comments section. Plus, I really have nothing else to say today.
Holy crap, I am totally emailing you next time I need a book recommendation.
Most of my favorites have been mentioned already, but I didn't see anybody yet recommend Sarah's Key. Loved it.
And when S is about 10, you should read her the Booky Triology. It's Canadian.
PS – Don't forget the "e" on Anne of Green Gables – it was very important to her.
I really love the Sookie Stackhouse novels by Charlaine Harris. The read the whole series (twice). Of course, these are just goofy vampire books, so no pressure to check them out.
I love posts like this. It's better than the New York Times Bestsellers List.
I loved The Red Tent – a little hard to get into and then you cannot put it down. So sad when I finished it.
My little ones always love Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. It is hysterical and they never get sick of it.
Off to the Book Store!!
I have a hard time picking favorites, but some recent good reads:
Bucking the Sun – Ivan Doig
The Worst Thing That I've Done – Ursula Hegi (and if you've never read her "Salt Dancers" you should, because of the setting)
Camilla, by Madeline L'Engle, and its sequel of sorts, A Live Coal in the Sea. (The film adaption of Camilla will soon be shot in Border-of-Idaho so I'm on a L'Engle kick right now.)
1. i invited you to be "friends" on goodreads…
2. best non-fiction book i've read in many a year is "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks". amazing yarn. please read it.
1.) I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (Maya Angelou)
2.) Peony In Love, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan (both by Lisa See)
3.) The Illiad (I know this is weird. Trust me: it is a thing of beauty, once you get into the flow of the words and allow yourself to get swept away. as you're reading, remember it is in fact not prose, but poetry. it was originally sung! these are lyrics and if you can find the music, it will haunt you forever :)
4.) The Lovely Bones
5.) My Sister's Keeper (Jodi Piccoult)
6.) Julie of the Wolves
7.) Lamb, by Christopher Moore (it. is. hysterical. and I say that as a devoutly religious person. . . read the "prayer" in the beginning. you'll LOVE IT)
8.) Anything at all by Kathy Reichs, she is the inspiration for the TV show "Bones."
9.) The eyes of the Dragon (by Stephen King)
My favorite kids books were/are The Paper Bag Princess (I bought it to college with me!), Where the Wild Things Are, Goodnight Moon, anything by Eric Carle, and The Gimms' Brother Original Works.
Two books you must read are Everything is illuminated and Extremely loud and incredibly close.
Both by Jonathon Safron Foer.
But be sure not to let Everthing is illuminated, the movie, put you off.
I was blown away by Alex Haley's Roots. I haven't read the other comments and I am sure it's listed, but if not, The Red Tentis yummy.
Book of Ruth–Jane Hamilton
Map of the World–Jane Hamilton
Ann Lamott's books
Still Alice
The Glass Castle
Kite Runner
The Memory Keepers Daughter
Expecting Adam
We Need To Talk About Kevin-Lionel Shriver
She's Come Undone-Wally Lamb
The Kindness of Strangers
Non-fiction: Simple Abundance
To Kill a Mocking Bird
The Book of Negroes
The Alchemist
The Kite Runner
The Red Tent
Anne of Green Gables
Pride and Prejudice
Gilead, by Marilynne Robinson
dear anymommy…my tastes in literature are not your's..nor are they my husband's for that matter!he's always somewhat,um, sceptical about the books i read.. but they fulfill me and make me happy and renewed and joyful. two words: Anne Lammot… or maybe its…anne lamott…not sure of the spelling, but the woman writes beautifully and one can relate on a very, very basic level. she is a magnificant writer and i would urge you to read her. start with 'operating instructions'…awesomeness. forgive me if someone else mentioned her.. i haven't had a chance to go through the comments…
Books I would take to a desert island:
Behind The Scenes At the Museum, by Kate Atkinson
White Teeth by Zadie Smith
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
The Other Hand by Chris Cleave
The cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway
Barbara Kingslover's The Lacuna
In The Company of The Courtesan by Sarah Dunant
Fugitive Pieces, by Anne Michaels
Oryx and Crake and The Year Of The Flood by Margaret Atwood
Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
The Road by Cormac McCarthy I loved, though it was bleak. The Bone People I couldn't finish on account of the child abuse and violence. My favourite Sci Fi and Fantasy authors are Terry Pratchett and Guy Gavriel Kay (I love almost everything they have written). Best nonfiction I've read recently is Alexa Stevenson's Half Baked.
Honourable Mention goes to anything by Susanna Clarke – subtle and clever way with words and fairytales.
I am currently slowly slowly working my way through A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth, which is enormous but enjoable.
Very good heart-warming fun – The No.1 Ladies Detective series – both the books and the DVDs
I know you're not a huge fan of non-fiction, but I loved Queen Noor's autobiography called Leap of Faith.
As for kids books and because it is so close to Halloween, I discovered a new release last year called And Then Comes Halloween. Love! Love! Love it! It's by Tom Brenner and Holly Meade illustrates it, you'll likely have to order it online (http://amzn.com/0763636592).
Books I've read more than twice:
- The Stand
- A Prayer for Owen Meanie
- The entire Outlander series
- Fall On Your Knees (Ann Marie MacDonald)
Other faves:
- Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell (Susanna Clark)
- Stardust or Neverwhere (Neil Gaiman)
- Lamb or A Dirty Job (Christopher Moore)(LOL funny)
Couldn't finish:
- Moby Dick (yes, really)
- couple others on my nightstand…
Disliked that everybody else loved:
- Poisonwood Bible, She's Come Undone, Life of Pi
Nonfiction:
- Mother Tongue (Bill Bryson)
If I was at home with my books in plain sight, this comment would be a LOT longer.
I have a love affair with Patricia Cornwell.
And for a good laugh at motherhood, I adore Erma Bombeck. The Grass is Always Greener Over the Septic Tank is one of my favorites.
I think, based on the books you've mentioned you really like (Pride and Prejudice AND the vampire books), you would LOVE LOVE LOVE Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norell by Susanna Clarke. It's written like a Jane Austen but it combines creepy Victorian magic with historical events (how magic was used in old England to defeat Napoleon, etc.). It is so fantastic, such a great read, everyone who I have recommended it to loved it.
The book I most often recommend, though, is probably Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safron Foer. A beautiful achievement.
Life of Pi, No Great Mischief are also unbelievable books.
The Help
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
Room (made me think about how jarring it must be to leave the only home you've ever known. for the adopted kids I work with)
Ape House by Sara Gruen
Now I'm reading Factory Girls by Leslie T Chang.
I'm not that much help because I don't read that many books right now but one of my all time favorite authors has always been John Steinbeck. ALL of his books are good.
And I know people are liking "the girl with the dragon tattoo" or something like that, lately…
Thanks for sharing your faves with us! :)
The Prydain Chronicles by Lloyd Alexander were my chosen vehicle of fantasy when I was a "young adult" reader. I still have the books and they are my guilty pleasure to indulge in when I want to read about a boy becoming a hero (and a man) in his own right.
Jubilee Trail is my favorite romance.
Lastly, I highly recommend anything by Haruki Murakami. His fiction blows my mind every time I open a new book. Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World is my favorite. A Wild Sheep Chase is pretty enjoyable as well.
I hope you enjoy all of your new reads!
"Peter Pan" by Barrie is my favorite, tied with "Wrinkle in Time" which it looks like you've already read. :) They're lovely.
Also, for a wonderful reimagining of the Psyche/Cupid myth, C.S. Lewis has a beautiful rendition entitled "Till We Have Faces" that is often overlooked in his work.
I love Anne of Green Gables (and the colors in your kitchen)
Just read and LOVED:
* The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
* The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
Some YA/Juvi books I've enjoyed greatly lately:
My Most Excellent Year (Steve Kluger)
Dear Julia (Amy Bronwen Zemser)
The Mysterious Benedict Society (Trenton Lee Stewart)
Rules (Cynthia Lord)
I also loved The Book Thief
Don't know how to email you so I'm cheating by leaving a comment on the wrong post. I LOVE your color. Your kitchen is beautiful!
I absolutely love book lists and will have to write down many of these recommendations.
I only saw this book once, maybe twice, on your list, but one of my all time favorites is The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls. Awesome read. Also loved A Thousand Spendid Suns. Amazing and cultural.
Hated with a capital H…Eat, Pray, Love. Hated it for many reasons but throughly dislike that it was plugged on Oprah. :)
Cutting for Stone – Abraham Vergese
The Brothers Karamozov – you know
guilty pleasure: Orson Scott Card
Best kids book ever: Charlotte's Web
sorry, didn't finish, i was going to say, goodreads is the best website ever. comparing and reviewing reading lists, it makes me so happy to have 100 books on my "to read" list and see what my friends/aquantainces are reading. get on it, girl.
Reading The Gospel According to Jesus Christ upon your recommendation (really like it too)
Recommend: Brother I'm Dying by Edwidge Dandicat (this one is non-fiction, read her fiction too, don't pay attention to the book jacket it doesn't really describe what the book is about)
Try the website Goodreads to make lists of books to read, etc.
Jenny C
What I'm reading now (slowly):
Late Nights on Air – Elizabeth Hay
Canadian!! Try it :) It's a bit odd, but beautifully written, I think.
I also hated Eat Pray Love! I thought the author was self indulgent and pretentious. And how offensive to the rest of us normal women who don't have the finances, flexibility, or recklessness to abandon our real life grown-up stresses and responsibilities to travel around for a year. Ugh!
Preschool aged books:
The Gruffalo, and
The Gruffalo's Child
by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler
Happy reading!!
Ok, sorry – commented twice – my bad. Didn't read the fine print that said my comment would go to you for moderation before publishing.
Was about to get really mad at blogger, but turns out to be all me :)
I have to add Sarah's Key, it's one of the best I've read in a long time! Terrific list here!
-Kate