Any book lovers out there?

[Anonymous]

I’ve decided to try to find some more “me” time away from the TV (or the computer) and was hoping to find a good book. I’ve always loved reading, but since I’ve been living the life of reflux for the past two years, I’m really not up on what’s HOT out there in the world of reading.

Any suggestions?

Just in case any one else is interested, here are some of my old favourites:

1. A fine balance, by Rohinton Mistry

2. I know this much is true, by Wally Lamb

3. The Red Tent, by Anita Diamant

4. Angela’s Ashes

5. Memoirs of a Geisha

and of course, my more recent guilty pleasure… the Harry Potter series.

Any one else have any good ones?

[Anonymous]

Sure! We seem to like similar books:)

-The Other Boelyn Girl (fun)

-The Kite Runner (sad but hopeful and just really well written)

-Little Children (if you haven’t seen the movie-which I didn’t-it’s truly brilliant IMO. Smart, witty, important satire).

Can’t wait to hear other’s suggestions!!!

[hellbennt]

I haven’t read in a long time, either (this place takes up my time, LOL & also all hte other tons of internet stuff I do/read)

I like to ‘travel’ by reading, like the Memoirs of a Geisha so, along those lines, I like The Bonesetter’s Daughter by Amy Tan (she also wrote the Joy Luck Club, another good one)

The Blindfold Horse by Susha Guppie (sp?) is a memoir of a woman growing up in Persia – very cool way to take a peek into life before the Iatollah (sp?)

now, to step away from the traveling theme:

Mona in the Promised Land by Gish Jen – this is SO FUNNY- it’s fiction- an asian teenager in the 70’s tells of her trials & tribulations in Scarsdale NY…

The Book of Fred – by Abby Bardi – this was GREAT- odd & great! It’s a book about a teenage girl who winds up in Foster care w/ a ‘normal’ family- she was in a Cult her whole life- only, to her it was not a cult- it was her religion and way of life…each chapter is told in the perspective of the different characters- the girl, the foster mother, the foster sister (same age as the main character), etc.

Can you tell I like teenage girl books, LOL!

another book along those lines is The Romance Reader by Pearl Abraham – a religious (Jewish) girl sneaks and reads romance novels…

Mazel, by Rebbeca Goldstein – the story of a few generations of women in a Jewish family

ok gotta dash- those are all off the top of my head…

[Anonymous]

Great suggestions!

If you like a gut wrenching story, A fine balance, is probably my favourite that I’ve ever read. (and fits your travel theme Laura)

Funny, Laura. I have the bonesetter’s daughter somewhere in my basement. One of my first old favourite books was the Joy Luck Club… I forgot all about it, and then read the other two or three in the series (can’t remember what they’re called), and really liked them as well. If you haven’t read them, they’re really great if you like ethnic novels. I bought the bonesetter’s daughter and never was able to get past the first few chapters. I think I’ll go dig it up (saves me a trip to the bookstore… and saves me $$ as well… which I need after all the BARGAINS I bought at the mall today)…. If dh only knew, I think he’d come after me!

[Anonymous]

I love Nicholas Sparks books! I am just finishing THREE WEEKS WITH MY BROTHER and, although it is non-fiction, it is really wonderful! It is definately a *traveling book*. I can’t believe a man with this past can put out the type of books he does! He writes like a woman – this guy is really great! My fav Sparks books are: The Notebook, Message in a Bottle, A Walk to Remember, The Guardian, the Wedding (great!)

I also love John Grisham books (legal thrillers). My ultimate favorite is The Testament (Christian twist/the first 3 chapters are all of the characters so just hang in there til you get to chap 4 or so! I haven’t found a Grisham book I didn’t really like: The Client, The Chamber, you name it – and some of them have movies out that are similar to the books.

The Pilot’s Wife is older but a good book.

Great thread! I hate to start a book and not really be INTO it. Thanks!

TnBEich2007-3-15 14:3:16

[Anonymous]

I love to read but i go in phases… these days i do not read much but i have some suggestions…

A fine balance is a wonderful book. I read it in college but maybe i will pick it up again…

Coetzee is one author i love – favorite books are Disgrace, Waiting for the Barbarians… the life of Michael K

Some of the South American writers although maybe sommehitng is lost in translation? Isabel Allende – House of Spirits is a great book; Mario Vargas Llosa – The Feast of the Goat; some oF Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s books… (really have no idea of the titles in english but let me know if you are interested!)

Phillip Roth novels – Human Stain, American Pastoral

William Boyd – the blue afternoon

Homo Faber and I am not Stiller – Marx Frish (spelling?)

The reader – Bernard Schlink

When we were orphans – Ishiguro (although i did not like the remains of the day i loved this book)

I also read a ton of c**p – anything easy – Grishan, Slaughter, Connely, Isis Johansen, James Patterson, Forsyth… you name it!

Oh and love Harry Potter!

[Anonymous]

So glad you started this thread! I love to read, and miss doing it now that I’m home with the kids and not teaching English to high schoolers anymore. Anyway… I’ve read a ton of crap, but some of my favorites..

1. The Historian – really, really well done.. but a different story. It’s about Dracula, but it’s not scary or weird. It’s really very good.

2. The Time Traveler’s Wife – again, well crafted storyline and a very non-sappy, interesting love story.

3. I agree with whoever posted about The Kite Runner. I just read it and really liked it as well.

4. If you’re up for a real-life, wacky, story, try Running with Scissors. Talk about nutso, but it had me laughing and so glad that my life is as good as it is!

5. The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood – the movie did NOT do it justice. Hilarious book and very well done.

6. I’ve read it about 10 times, wrote my thesis on it, taught it 4 years in a row, and STILL love reading this book – Jane Eyre.

[Anonymous]

I absolutely love to read…the problem is once I start I can’t stop. There have been many “alnighters” of the book reading variety and now I am a mum…welll the “alnighters” involve crying and dummies and nappies

Jodi Picoult…I really enjoy her.

And I read the LORD of THE RINGS at least once a year…i believe a book, like life, is about the journey not the destination…and reading this book reminds me that i need to cherish the journey (Oh and since watching the movies…it does help to have a few fantasies about Viggo Mortenson…only as a long haired brunette you understand)

[Anonymous]

Thanks for all the great suggestions. I think I might hit the bookstore this weekend.

Therese, I tried to read the lord of the rings but really couldn’t do it. I tried several times, but found that the language was so thickly worded, that I couldn’t get into it. I’m impressed that you read them all! That’s a lot of reading.

[Anonymous]

Alana is also going to love reading but I am not so impressed with her choice of reading material so far. Here she is trying to reach her favourite reading material.

I’m not sure of your equivelent in the US but it is a weekly womans mag.

Here is what she “thinks” with it once she reaches it.

Not sure she was impressed with Nicole’s Oscar outfit

[Anonymous]

Hilarious pictures, Therese. Alana has to be one of the cutest little babies I’ve seen. I just love her hair, and that little pouty face is adorable.

[Anonymous]

Thanks Naomi…sometimes I just can’t believe that she is mine

[Anonymous]

Those pics are so funny Therese. She has such hilarious expressions… Looks like she got mommy’s sense of humour!

[Author]

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