We're Officially Locals Now
Morning all! It's a brand new week. Our house is now wired up. I've got a new Guest Mom to introduce to you today. And I'll be announcing winners of last Friday's Giveaways in a bit. Life is good!
While I'm writing today's posts, here are some pics of our maiden voyage to the library. Library cards were acquired by all.
Most fun thing about our new library: see that phone Oscar has to his ear? When you pick it up, someone on the other end is there to read you a story.
Which reminds me, we have decided to try something new: no cable/DVR. I am a bit of a DVR addict and want to declare from the beginning that I may not last a month without its joys. We're not giving up TV altogether — we just want to experiment with the downloadable options out there. Maybe Apple TV. Maybe Roku/Netflix. We'll see.
While we figure things out, the library has suddenly regained it's prior glory in my life. I've got all sorts of reading time on my hands now that I can't depend on American Idol to keep me entertained. So I'm need of book recommendations. If you've read anything wonderful lately, please leave a comment. I'd love a nice long list to plow through.
posted by Gabrielle of Design Mom at Monday, May 11, 2009
107 Comments:
I recently read "Good Girls" by Jennifer Weiner and I'm reading "Certain Girls" by her right now. They're both really good.
Another good author is Rebecca Eckler, I've read her book "Wiped!", it's hilarious! I bought the first one she wrote called "Knocked Up!" I can't wait to read it.
Other good books are the Shopaholic series, the Boleyn series by Philippa Gregory. That's all I can think of right now
oh crap, the book by Jennifer Weiner I read was "Good in Bed" lol. I guess I had Certain Girls in my head. oops
If you don't already know about Hulu.com here's my plug. Noah and I haven't had TV for roughly 8 years and quite honestly I've loved not having it. That said, Hulu is fantastic because we get to watch The Office and SNL just a day late.
As far as good books, I'm loving Bill Bryson's _A Short History of Nearly Everything_ if you haven't read it yet.
Hooray for getting settled in! Don't know if you've already ready the teen books series, Twlight, etc., but I finally picked up the first book 3 weeks ago and have since read all 4 of them. They were good.
Since you are a New Yorker, you might enjoy Beverly Swerling's trilogy about old New York City. City of Dreams, City of Glory and City of God. They are great reads if you enjoy historical fiction.
"Unaccustomed Earth" by Jhumpa Lahiri was magical. Also, "The Help" is an incredible book. Two of the best books I've read in the past couple of years.
Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.
Long title, fabulous book. Promise you'll love it.
The Book Thief
Garden Spells
The Thirteenth Tale
Oh and Kite Runner too!
Little Heathens.
I read your blog & have never commented before, but thought I'd plug this memoir about Mildred Armstrong Kalish's girlhood on an Iowa farm. It's hilarious and touching and a very easy read, but it'll make you appreciate everything just a bit more & make you want to simplify.
Well, it did that for me.
Lavinia by Ursula K. LeGuinn. Brilliant retelling of Virgil and one of the best books I have read in a long time.
I recently read The Middle Place by Kelly Corrigan; I bet you would like it. And, I'm reading "My Little Red Book" right now (stories about first periods). :)
try The Memory Keeper's Daughter, by Kim Edwards. It's simply mesmerizing.
I loved On Agate Hill, and another perpetual favorite is Expecting Adam by Martha Beck. Somehow I always read it whilst pregnant, and I cry all the way through it each time. She had such a unique experience.
Here is a few of favorite lately:
Left to Tell by Immaculee Llibagiza - Very dramatic book, written by a survivor of the Rwandan Holocaust
Little Heathens by Mildred Kalish -Hilarious memoir about growing up in Iowa during the depression, a fun light read.
Life of Pi by Yann Martel - Fiction, Offers a lot to think about, quite interesting
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime by Mark Haddon - Written through the perspective of a 15 yr old boy with autism. Has a lot of crude language (just to let you know), but altogether a fascinating book, especially if you know, or have worked with children who have autism.
Have fun!!
I agree with Allysha. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is a new favorite. you will LOVE it.
Also love:
The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls.
Can I place a vote for you to not waste your TV-free moments with the Twilight series? I know people will hate me for it.
I just read "Enough: Breaking Free From the World of Excess" by John Naish, and I really enjoyed it. While I'm not 100% on board with all of his ideas, it gave me a lot of food for though about what ideas, things, information, and activities make me happy and which ones just eat up my time, energy, and provide a sort of pseudo-happiness that isn't really fulfilling.
The Devil and the White City by Erik Larson is great! It's non-fiction, yet not at all boring. :) It's about the head architect for the Chicago World Fair and a serial killer in Chicago at the same time. Chilling and fascinating.
I also love Laurie King's Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes mystery series.
we cancelled our cable/dvr and although it's hard it has been a really good thing. i do miss it though and every other month we almost go back. but it's been over a year now
Oh goodness, get hooked up on Goodreads.com, find out what your friends are reading, and bingo, you've suddenly got a list of 200+ "to-read" books...well, that's what happens to me anyway! I've recently read Anne Lindbergh's books and poetry: Gift from the Sea, The Unicorn, etc. Just beautiful. I'm currently reading her bio by Susan Hertog. Anne was a wonderful woman who tried to make sense of balancing family, alone time, a writing career and fame. Such an inspiration!
I just finished reading "a long way gone- memoirs of a boy soldier"- It was sad and moving and eye opening.
On a lighter note I have always loved the "Big Stone Gap' books. They are filled with characters to love and a small mountain town to get lost in. There are 3 books in the series. Happy reading!
NBC shows a bunch of full episodes online. Our house would grind to a halt without ESPN, though...
I'm currently reading Little Women, and it is glorious.
Yay! We love Koelbel Library!
Really good books:
I have to second the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
Hunger Games (YA lit)
The Cellist of Sarajevo
Hi! Welcome to Colorado...we just moved back after being in San Francisco for 9 years. I want to give our cable for internet TV, so I'm looking forward to your posts on that.
Loving your blog and hope you are loving colorado.
Lesley
www.midmodredo.com
"Rosie" by Anne Lammott
"Time Traveler's Wife" by Audrey Niffenegger
"Things I've Been Silent About" by Azar Nafisi
"The Year of Magical Thinking" by Joan Didion
All of these are super good! Happy reading!
I just read "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett...It was a fascinating read about black women housekeepers in white households during the 60's. I loved it & it was clean (other than one easy to skip over part when a nakey-guy comes in the yard).
Anything by Jodi Piccoult, but my favorties are 19 Minutes and My Sister's Keeper
The Keep by Jennifer Egan
Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
Grayson by Lynne Cox
Three Junes by Julia Glass
I Don't Know How She Does It by Allison Pearson
Emperor of Ocean Park by Stephen Carter
This should keep you busy!
"Tender at the Bone" by Ruth Reichl is a wonderful book.
Tipping Point - fascinating
Belle Prater's Boy (YA fiction)
I skimmed others' suggestions, and two I was thinking of are already listed so I'll note them again as a second vote! Jodi Picoult's My Sister's Keeper and Erik Larson's the Devil in the White City. If you haven't already, you should definitely read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver – really interesting and educational, as well as inspirational for seeking food (or growing your own!) that is local in and in-season. I know Denver's got some great farmer's markets you will have to check out!
You should check out the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich. It is hilarious AND will keep you in books for quite awhile if you haven't read any; there are 15 in the main series and she also does "in-betweens" (19 total!). I have loved them all! http://www.evanovich.com/
Another for Little Heathens!
Also almost anything by Charles Martin....the dead don't dance, when crickets cry, where the river ends...all amazing and very sensitive to the human soul.
"The Hunger Games," definitely! Read that before the "Twilight" series. One of the best books I read last year. I just read "East of Eden" and it's glorious.
I second the recommendations for The Tipping Point (Malcolm Gladwell) and Kingsolver's Animal Vegetable Miracle--along those lines, Michael Pollan's In Defense of Food is life-changing. A.J. Jacobs' The Year of Living Biblically is also an incredibly interesting read, and if you like Tolkein, you will LOVE Patrick Rothfuss' The Name of the Wind.
And I agree--don't waste your time with Twilight. (If you want to support a LDS YA author, check out Shannon Hale instead.)
I second "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett. Probably the best book I've read so far this year.
I am in the middle of "The School of Essential Ingredients" by Erica Bauermeister. It's a smaller book, but if you love cooking and food I highly recommend it.
We love our AppleTV. We cut our cable 6 months ago, and haven't really missed it :0)
Good for you for giving up TV! We haven't had it for ages and now I find my time so full with other things that I don't know how I ever had time for TV in the first place! Netflix and the internet satisfy all our entertainment needs when they do arise.
As for a good book, our book club juts finished Bel Canto, and before that, The Prize Winner of Defiance Ohio. Both extrememly good.
Happy reading!
I'm reading Shalimar the Clown by Salman Rushdie and have found it fascinating.
I like Wendell Berry - there is a whole series of them, but the one I started with is "Watch With Me," and my other favorite is "Hannah Coulter."
Looks like a great library.
oooh, i highly recommend apple tv—it's incredible and it really does allow more control of what's coming into your house and is very easy to use.
Loved Kristen Armstrong's "Work in Progress: An Unfinished Woman's Guide to Grace." Lovely, peaceful, inspiring, entertaining read.
Lance Armstrong is her "was-band" as she likes to call him. She also has a great blog on Runner's World online. She's a great sister in the cause of living a beautiful, happy, peaceful life. :) Happy Reading!
Paris to the Moon by Adam Gopnik is one of my faves, and is currently a re-read for me (like a rerun, but a re-read!). I know I really love a book if I'm willing to reread it over and over again! It's a beautifully-written memoir of Gopnik's family as they live in Paris and expand their family. I studied in Paris as a college student, and this book brings back good memories for me.
Yay! for feeling officially moved and in.
Though you may have already read them..."Crossing to Safety," by Wm Stegner and Angle of Repose by the same.
I also just finished "The Hiding Place," by Corrie Ten Boom, which was illuminating.
Thumbs down on Twilight and Hunger Games.
I also second Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, this is the perfect time of year to read it, or anything by Barbara Kingsolver.
I adore Marian Keyes books when I don't want to think, Richard Russo tells funny, small town stories (though I wasn't crazy about Bridge of Sighs) and if you want a book that will keep you reading for awhile, Pillars of the Earth is just awesome.
Also, Out West by Dayton Duncan is a good read for travelers heading west.
I just finished "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" and loved it. A classic that I'm sure many people have read before they were 27 (I'm a little slow on catching up with the classics my public school education left out), but a wonderful book nonetheless. I am currently reading "The Pilots Wife" by Anita Shreeve and can't put it down.
http://www.librarything.com/suggest
This site has been super helpful to me. I just type in something that I've recently read and loved and it provides a list of recommendations based on other users who have read and loved the same thing!
"Eat Pray Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert, it's the best book I have read in some time.
Down These Mean Streets by Piri Thomas
NETFLIX NETFLIX NETFLIX.
And when will I see you? I haven't wanted to beg yet or anything.
I second anything by Jodi Piccoult (Favorite is My Sister's Keeper) and Bill Bryson (favorite is Walk in the Woods).
Also, I just finished People of the Book and it was really good.
Definitely go to goodreads.com!
If you havent't read it, The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas is one of my favorite books of all time.
I also liked Animal, Vegetable, Miracle and I recommend The Red Tent by Anita Diamant.
I just recently had my life taken over by "The Painted Veil" by W. Somerset Maugham. It is short and fantastically well written. Plus they made it into a movie a few years ago, so you can watch that once you are done with the book. (Movie a little different, but both are amazing.)
My friend gave up cable for Netflix and the Roku and is quite happy with it. We may follow suit when our FIOS bundle gets more pricey at the end of the summer.
Book recommendations:
The Night Birds
The Elegance of the Hedgehog
Hunting and Gathering
Astrid and Veronika
Skeletons at the Feast
I Capture the Castle
The Blood of Flowers
The Poisonwood Bible
The Meaning of Night
The Vintner's Luck
Away
any of Michael Chabon's books
Somewhat lighter fare:
Everyone is Beautiful
Swapping Lives and The Beach House
anything by Marian Keyes
And I add my endorsement to The Devil in the White City, The Glass Castle, and the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.
My Wishlist:
A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table, by Molly Wizenberg
The Blue Bistro, by Elin Hilderbrand
Too Many Cooks: Kitchen Adventures with 1 Mom, 4 Kids, and 102 Recipes, by Emily Franklin (I just recieved a copy of this from Emily!!)
Already read and enjoyed:
The Gemma Doyle series by Libba
Bray
The Host, by Stephenie Meyer
Bringing Up Geeks, by Marybeth Hicks
The School of Essential Ingredients, by Erica Bauermeister
Are you on goodreads.com? It's a great place to see what your friends are reading and how they rated the books. I've gotten tons of ideas there!
http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1110412
BOOKS!?!? LOVE THEM ALL!
Here are some of my Favorites:
A Tree Grows in Brooklynn
The Book Theif - Zukav?
Rebecca - Daphne DuMurie
The Robe - Lloyd Douglass
The Theif (Attolia Series)
A Candle in the Darkness - Lynn Austin
North & South - Elizabeth Gaskill (this is not the Civil War N&S - - it's more Jane Austen type)\
The Alchemist - Paulo Cohelo
The Enchanted Chocolate Pot
Teach Like Your Hair's on Fire
Those are just a few . . .if you need more let me know.
One place to look/join online is Good Reads (goodreads.com) you can see what you're friends are reading (like an online book group of sorts).
LOL
JULIA
When we moved 10 years ago to where we are now~~we decided no cable, dish etc. We only watch what we get in with our attenna and it's great!! Really!! Now with digital we get 3 PBS channels which includes the Create channel~~very good and we can find better things to do with that money!! I read anything and everything! My oldest son and I read many books together~~we just got done with the Artimes Fowl and Setpimus Heap books. On my own I love historical fiction and non fiction books. Try The Devil in The White City~~ very interesting. it's about the world's fair in Chicage (being built) and a serial killer. It is non fiction and better than any story every written!
How about:
These is My Words by Nancy Turner
Follow the River by James Alexander Thom
Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie
More votes for:
The Glass Castle
My Sister's Keeper
Bel Canto
Left to Tell
Listening is an Act of Love - Dave Isay
These is My Words - Nancy Turner
...best two books I read in 2008. Love every little thing about them both.
The Swan House by Elizabeth Musser. It's one of my favorite books ever!
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (Jonathan Safran Foer)
Cold Sassy Tree (Olive Ann Burns)
A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)
Water for Elephants (Sara ?)
I would recommend "The Thirteenth Tale" as well.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Strange title, I know, but absolutely wonderful. It is clean, delightful and you don't want it to end. Who knew you could enjoy a book so much that is entirely made of letters between the characters.
i just read People of the Book and i couldn't put it down. currently i'm reading John Adams.
Beneath the Marble Sky is also awesome.
and since all my books are in boxes (we just moved to the PNW) i can't really remember any more. goodreads is a great place. i saw someone else also suggested it. i love to see what others are reading.
If you're looking for a series to keep you in books for a while, try Laurie R King's "The Beekeeper's Apprentice." It begins a Russell & Holmes series that is moving, smart (SO smart), and incredibly well-written. There are 9 books so far- with the newest only released two weeks ago- and they are all splendid. :-)
-Sara
Here are a few of personal favorites: The Bible (Recovery Version with study notes), Falling Leaves, Pride and Prejudice, A Long Fatal Love Chase (by Louisa May Alcott), Jurassic Park, and the Glass Castle.
I am currently reading Love in the Time of Cholera. . .it's ok.
Hi, I read your blogs religiously. And what a surprise to see you've moved in my neck of the woods. WELCOME. You have to go to Tattered Cover on Colfax Ave. Denver. I am sure your kids and you will enjoy the book store. Enjoy the weather and hope you had a lovely Mother's Day.
Avni Patel
So...pretty much all of my recomendations have already been named...that means they're AMAZING! :)
North & South
Wives and Daughters (Both by Elizabeth Gaskell)
Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)
Shannon Hale's an excellent YA author :)
You absolutely MUST read Haven Kimmel's two memoirs: "A Girl Named Zippy: Growing Up Small in Mooreland, Indiana" and the sequel, "She Got Up Off the Couch: And Other Heroic Acts from Mooreland, Indiana." They are delightfully hilarious.
"Loving Frank" is a great book
goodreads is a wonderful site - highly recommend it!
"Time Traveler's Wife" by Audrey Niffenegger
anything by Michael Pollan. So good...
Water for Elephants
Sarah's Keys
Both excellent
Pillars of the Earth- best book ever!
The Architecture of Happiness by Alain de Botton
I've recently launched a new reading schedule for myself. Not in the amount of time I read, but in which books I read. Here's the deal: First I can read 2 books that I "want" to read (can be anything - something that catches my eye at the bookstore, something recommended by a friend, the next great american novel, whatever). After that, I read a "classic" (aka, something I "should" read or should have read already). In the past few months I've re-read The Great Gatsby and right now I'm reading To Kill a Mockingbird. Next up is Outliers. Then David Sedaris' most recent book. Then The Diary of Anne Frank.
Turns out, in the end, that I'm as excited about the classics as I am about the books I "want" to read!
Enjoy your reading time. Let us know what you decide with the downloadable TV.
I've been going back and re-reading childhood favorites or reading them out loud for the kids. Scott O'Dell, Narnia Series, Prydain Chronicles, Melendy Quartet, E. Nesbits books, Penderwick Chronciles, My Side of the Mountain just to name a few. It's also fun to find local books, whether about the place you moved to or people that have lived there and writen books.
In no particular order...
A Girl Named Zippy, by Haven Kimmel (light, funny memoir)
White Teeth, by Zadie Smith (not super new, but funny and well-written)
Natasha and Other Stories, by David Bezmozgis (collection of short stories that really are more like chapters in a novel. it's interesting and well-written)
The Book of Negroes, by Lawrence Hill (haven't started this yet, but my mother and my father-in-law have both enjoyed it. it won Canada Reads this year which is put on by CBC)
Wicked, by Gregory Maguire (also not a new one, but interesting and fantastic in the true sense of the word. it's about how the Wicked Witch of the West became who she was...really about why she ended up so wicked)
I've seen my recommendations several times on here...but if you see them once again you know for certain they're good: Guernsey Literary..., The Thirteenth Tale, and Book Thief. Happy reading.
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
by Haruki Murakami
Actually almost anything by Murakami is worth a read.
Very nice. I am in charge of my online book club's reading selection for next month. This should help! One you've probably read (who hasn't?), that is my all-time favorite is Les Miserables. I read it in Jr. High, and am trying to find time to re-read it soon, along with The Count of Monte Cristo (another favorite of my youth).
The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency
and
any series by Marne Davis Kellog.
Genre: mystery
I like to be in the know with what my kids are reading, and I got hooked on the Fablehaven series by Brandon Mull. My 8 year old son loves me to read to him still (and he's an excellent reader..so sweet).
"The Book Thief" by Marcus Zusak is, hands down, one of my all-time favorites. Heavy. Moving. Inspired. Worth your precious time to read it, though not what you're after if you're looking for a frothy alternative to American Idol. For humor, I like anything by Ruth Reichel (eg Comfort Me With Apples), the food critic, as she satisfies my funny bone AND my appetite.
A couple of new titles I just finished reading...
Jamie Ford's lovely debut novel "Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet."
Azar Nafisi's "Things I've Been Silent About."
And Joseph O'Neill's "Netherland" is sitting on my bedside table awaiting me...
Shannon Hale's Goosegirl series for young adults is a great read too - especially along with one of your girls.
nice, nice. i like the library card design because it's simple. and i love the phone-story idea. i wonder what happens when the kids lose their patience though? i mean when they just hang up.
Arapahoe library district? I am glad to see you are in my part of town. I can't wait to see what "treasures" you find in this area... looking forward to it!
Have to second the Guernsey Literary Society - a real gem.
A new favorite is Goose Girl by Shannon Hale - everything you crave in a great fairy tale.
Eat, Pray, Love is lovely and moving and inspiring.
Just finished Daughter of the Forest - a very engrossing and magical retelling of ancient Celtic legends (if you're up for fantasy).
The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery is a perennial favorite and go-to recommendation. I just bought my fourth copy (all others having been loved to death).
Willa Cather is a beautiful writer. Strong, pioneering, early-American characters. Try My Antonia or, even better, One of Ours.
Suite Francaise is beautiful - a novel in five parts (hence suite) written by a young Jewish woman about the Nazi occupation of France. Unfinished, though - she was able only to write three parts before she was captured and died in a concentration camp. The prose is absolutely lovely.
Also have to add a plug for goodreads.com - it's the best book recommendation hot-line ever.
Happy Reading!!
Try Lake in the Clouds by Sara Donati. It is the 3rd book in a series of 5 books, but it was my favourite. Plus, if you like it, there are 4 more to add to your list.
goodreads.com is great because you hear the "warnings" if you don't want certain things in a good book.
We are without TV & DVR but I still catch 30 Rock & The Office on Hulu.com free. I've found myself listening to more music & cd's of talks.
Interpreter of Maladies by Juhmpa Lahiri, not new but an incredible book of short stories.
Billionaire's Vinegar, a very fun foodie read
A Homemade Life, another fun foodie read
I am just about to read Coop about a guy who moves with his family to the country.
Happy reading! I am tempted to do the same thing, but honestly I am not sure I could survive without the tv for my kids at 5:00 everyday so I can make dinner in relative peace!
There are man comments in support of "The Book Thief", but I want to add my support as well. The book is incredible.
"Life as We Knew it" by Susan Beth Pfeffer is another amazing young adult book that I could not put down. I reread it immediately upon finishing it. The storyline is fantastic.
"Tomorrow when the war began" by John Marsden is another young adult novel (Australian) that is really worth reading.
For lighter reading try any of Sarah Vowell's books of essays. Funny, quirky, and insightful.
In the same vein I can recommend "The Sex Lives of Cannibals" by J. Maarten Troost.
As a librarian, I am so excited to see you all have already found the local library!
The 2 best books I have read in the past year are "Light a Penny Candle" by Maeve Binchy and "The Glass Castle" by Jeanette Walls.
Good luck with the no TV project. I adore your blog. Thanks for all the links to pretty things :)
love your blog! welcome to denver! i'm a denverite and love living in this smallish city (certainly compared to NYC). i hope and your family love it too.
twiilight series was good (even if it is for teens) also like dorothy koomson (my best friend's girl and marshmellows for breakfast)and marne kellogg (local author, mystery). Both fairly easy to read but not too light.
netflix is great (they have a decent "watch instantly" collection too) as is hulu!
A Painted House by John Grisham... I was cleaning house and came across this book which came from who knows where. Sweet book, no legal stuff... 1952 nostalgia, about a 7-year-old boy and his familly in rural Arkansas on a cotton farm.
I didn't read through all of the comments, so sorry for any repeats.
I’m a HUGE library rat and love to read, so here are some other book suggestions:
- Shopaholic series (frivolous, easy to read)
- The Twentieth Wife
- The Feast of Roses (sequel to Twentieth Wife)
- Graceling
- The Hunger Games
- The Book Thief
- The Uglies series (there are four books)
- Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
- Kabul Beauty School
- Water for Elephants
- Kite Runner
- A Thousand Splendid Suns
- Poisonwood Bible
- Anything by Philipa Gregory (I love books about Tudor History!)
I could go on and on……
I really enjoyed The Little Giant of Aberdeen County.
Old favorites:
"east of eden" -Steinbeck
"end of the affair" and "the heart of the matter"-graham greene
"the seven storey mountain"-t.merton
"the catcher in the rye"-j.d.salinger
"till we have faces"-c.s.lewis
"crime and punishment"-dostoevsky
Recent Reads I really liked:
"a cook's tour" -anthony bourdain
"still alice"-lisa genova
"the year of magical thinking"-joan didion
"healing waters"-nancy rue
"push not the river"...cant remember the author....but couldnt put it down...so much action/love/everyting in one book!! amazing!
thanks for starting this...now i have all sorts of new books to read myself! woohoo!
Away, by Amy Bloom. You will disappear into it if you're anything like me.
Libraries make us all better people. Enjoy!
Gabrielle, we haven't had cable for 5 years and it has been a huge blessing. We still watch our favorites online if we choose (it's nice to have the option) but mostly we are happier and more productive people. Netflix is wonderful (highly recommend) and I know my husband likes Hulu. It's nice to feel like you are making a conscious choice as to what to watch and missing out on those long, annoying commercials is priceless!
I'll second the Janet Evanovich books (although its colorful language because its in Jersey, what can you expect), the Devil in the White City, North and South (also a fabulous BBC mini-series and a great way to try out the Netflix play instantly feature) -- and add the Jasper Fforde Thursday Next novels - the first one is the Eyre Affair - think about a world where you can jump into books and book characters wander out of them...the whole series is very clever, especially if you a bookworm and get all the references. Enjoy!
You probably already have a plenty long list, but I wanted to contribute my two cents (and favorites!). I second:
• goodreads.com
• netflix (our TV lives in a box in the closet)
• The Penderwicks (good read-aloud)
• The Prydain Chronicles by Lloyd Alexander (Five Stars!)
• Twilight (They're fun. Just don't expect J.R.R.Tolkien quality writing)
I recommend the following, if you haven't read them:
• Bill Bryson - History of Nearly Everything (per husband)
• Robin McKinnley's Blue Sword (♥)
• The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia Wrede (Dealing with Dragons is the first one)
• www.audible.com (for netflix and reading alternatives)
I also recommend reading out loud together. My husband and I have several inside jokes and special code words from reading together. I feel closer to him when we spend time reading together, and it is a stimulating challenge to read clearly and to develop character voices.
There are already so many great books listed above but I'd like to second a few and offer a few more: Water for Elephants, The Glass Castle and The Namesake. Also, I recently read "A Lady, First" by Leticia Baldridge and it was fantastic--wonderful stories of her working for the embassies in Paris and Rome and for Mrs. Kennedy.
Peony in Love by Lisa See - my book club just read it... and I think it's a pretty good read. :)
Some old favorites of mine are The Fountain Head by Ayn Rand or anything by Wallace Stegner.
Other books you should read are
The Hunger Games
Water for Elephants
The Book Thief
The Liars Club
The Thirteenth Tale
Loving!!! all the suggestions. Keep them coming. About half I've read and half are new-to-me.
At the library tonight, I put Potato Peel Society on hold and checked out Wendell Berry's Hannah Coulter.
Can't wait to get reading.
I recently gave up TV in lieu of Netflix, Hulu, books, and a new blog. It has been fabulous. I highly recommend The God of Small Things, by Arundhati Roy. I also re-read the Cider House Rules, which is such a good story.
the best book i've read in the past two years is "these is my words" by nancy e. turner. SO good and highly recommended :)
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