OFF TOPIC--Summer Reading Suggestions? - Page 4

fikustree · 06-23-08, 08:29 AM

Also I recommend this site for all you readers out there.

Library Thing

we have online book clubs and people give you recommendations, its great.

MichelleRN · 06-23-08, 12:17 PM

My mom and I are reading books by Louise Erdrich - The Beet Queen is one I just read about a bunch of quircky characters whose lives all intersect over generations in North Dakota...been a fan of that state since Fargo......

Jeanette S · 06-23-08, 12:57 PM

I also recommend Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich if your looking for something fun to read. I've gotten many giggles out of reading hers.

I just got the newest one just haven't read it yet.

ssgilby · 06-23-08, 01:07 PM

My latest favorites (many of which have been mentioned already):

Eat, Pray, Love - Probably my favorite book of all time.

The Kite Runner & A Thousand Splendid Suns - both by the same author. Somewhat depressing, but both are really great books.

I'm into historical fiction, and I enjoyed The Other Boleyn Girl. I also read The Constant Princess by the same author, but I didn't like that one as well.

I'm currently reading Expecting Adam, which is fantastic. I have a child with Down Syndrome, so maybe that's part of the reason it appeals to me, but I suspect anyone would enjoy this book. I like the author's writing style, which reminded me a bit of Elizabeth Gilbert's (author of Eat, Pray, Love).

Some books on my TBR (to be read) pile that I'm eagerly looking forward to are:

Water for Elephants
Beneath A Marble Sky (historical fiction on the building of the Taj Mahal)
The Birth of Venus and The Many Lives and Sorrows of Josephine B (both historical fiction)
The Red Tent and Mary, Called Magdalene (both biblical fiction)

I recently joined paperbackswap.com (a sister site to swapadvd), and I love it!! I encourage anyone who loves to read to check it out. You can swap books, they have a forum, on-line "read alongs," etc.

LiliMagill · 06-23-08, 02:31 PM

We just read The Last Lecture by Randy Paush for our book club, and everyone loved it. It is also a very quick read.

When I get home, I will check my list and see if we liked anything else that I haven't seen mentioned yet.

Suzette · 06-23-08, 02:41 PM

Wonderful Tonight - Pattie Boyd

Pattie was a supermodel in the 1960s - married George Harrison and then left him for Eric Clapton. Has three songs written about her. . .fascinating reading!!

paideiamom · 06-23-08, 02:42 PM

One book I have enjoyed recently that has not been mentioned, at least that popped out at me, is Nora Ephron's I Feel Bad About My Neck.

It could be an age thing, but I enjoyed her stories. She has many accountings of events in her life that aren't age related, so don't let the age thing stop you. I have always enjoyed her books, but in they do get rather dated because of their contemporary-for-the-time-they-are-written content, but this latest is most amusing.

Also Julia Fleming-Spencer, or is it Spencer-Fleming, writes some very intense mysteries. The protagonists are a female Episcopalian priest and a tortured, conflicted, married (at least at first) sheriff. Not lighthearted summer fare, but well written and intense, IMHO.

Renda, who is 47 but whose husband assures her her neck doesn't look a day over 39

CarlaVeg · 06-23-08, 03:41 PM

I love to read, almost as much as I love to workout and this year my favorites have been:

1. The Kite Runner - http://www.amazon.com/Kite-Runner-Kh...4253531&sr=8-2

2. A Thousand Splendid Suns - http://www.amazon.com/Thousand-Splen...4253531&sr=8-4

I'm currently reading The Shadow of the wind, and I'm loving it!!!

http://www.amazon.com/Shadow-Wind-Ca...4253616&sr=1-1

Good luck with your choices.... there are so many wonderful books out there!

LynnO · 06-23-08, 06:39 PM

Thanks for that Entertainment Weekly new classics list.

Loved some of them, but of course it had some I didn't care for - The Corrections ugh, couldn't even finish.

I loved The Year of Magical Thinking
Maus, one of the best books I've ever read. It's a graphic novel and the pictures really add to the story. Fascinating. (his 9-11 novel didn't do it for me).

Other really good ones - Bell Canto, Case Histories, The Giver (best dystopian novel and it's for young adults), Comfort Me with Apples, and of course, Harry Potter.

Gives me some new books to try.

Lucy K · 06-23-08, 07:43 PM

Lynn - I also loved Bel Canto and have since read all but one of Ann Patchett's books. My favorites have been The Magician's Assistant and the Patron Saint of Liars. I just read Run, but didn't really care for it. Haven't read Taft yet (mostly because the author herself said it wasn't one of her better novels).

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06-23-08, 08:29 AM
fikustree Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Austin, TX	Also I recommend this site for all you readers out there. Library Thing we have online book clubs and people give you recommendations, its great.

06-23-08, 12:17 PM
MichelleRN Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Williamsburg, Virginia	My mom and I are reading books by Louise Erdrich - The Beet Queen is one I just read about a bunch of quircky characters whose lives all intersect over generations in North Dakota...been a fan of that state since Fargo......

06-23-08, 12:57 PM
Jeanette S Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: SoCal	I also recommend Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich if your looking for something fun to read. I've gotten many giggles out of reading hers. I just got the newest one just haven't read it yet.

06-23-08, 01:07 PM
ssgilby Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Minnesota	My latest favorites (many of which have been mentioned already): Eat, Pray, Love - Probably my favorite book of all time. The Kite Runner & A Thousand Splendid Suns - both by the same author. Somewhat depressing, but both are really great books. I'm into historical fiction, and I enjoyed The Other Boleyn Girl. I also read The Constant Princess by the same author, but I didn't like that one as well. I'm currently reading Expecting Adam, which is fantastic. I have a child with Down Syndrome, so maybe that's part of the reason it appeals to me, but I suspect anyone would enjoy this book. I like the author's writing style, which reminded me a bit of Elizabeth Gilbert's (author of Eat, Pray, Love). Some books on my TBR (to be read) pile that I'm eagerly looking forward to are: Water for Elephants Beneath A Marble Sky (historical fiction on the building of the Taj Mahal) The Birth of Venus and The Many Lives and Sorrows of Josephine B (both historical fiction) The Red Tent and Mary, Called Magdalene (both biblical fiction) I recently joined paperbackswap.com (a sister site to swapadvd), and I love it!! I encourage anyone who loves to read to check it out. You can swap books, they have a forum, on-line "read alongs," etc. __________________ Shelley

06-23-08, 02:31 PM
LiliMagill VF Supporter Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Delaware	We just read The Last Lecture by Randy Paush for our book club, and everyone loved it. It is also a very quick read. When I get home, I will check my list and see if we liked anything else that I haven't seen mentioned yet. __________________ Lili “Let us rather run the risk of wearing out than rusting out.” Teddy Roosevelt

06-23-08, 02:41 PM
Suzette VF Supporter Join Date: Apr 2002	Wonderful Tonight - Pattie Boyd Pattie was a supermodel in the 1960s - married George Harrison and then left him for Eric Clapton. Has three songs written about her. . .fascinating reading!!

06-23-08, 02:42 PM
paideiamom VF Supporter Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Atlanta-ish	One book I have enjoyed recently that has not been mentioned, at least that popped out at me, is Nora Ephron's I Feel Bad About My Neck. It could be an age thing, but I enjoyed her stories. She has many accountings of events in her life that aren't age related, so don't let the age thing stop you. I have always enjoyed her books, but in they do get rather dated because of their contemporary-for-the-time-they-are-written content, but this latest is most amusing. Also Julia Fleming-Spencer, or is it Spencer-Fleming, writes some very intense mysteries. The protagonists are a female Episcopalian priest and a tortured, conflicted, married (at least at first) sheriff. Not lighthearted summer fare, but well written and intense, IMHO. Renda, who is 47 but whose husband assures her her neck doesn't look a day over 39

06-23-08, 03:41 PM
CarlaVeg Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: PA	I love to read, almost as much as I love to workout and this year my favorites have been: 1. The Kite Runner - http://www.amazon.com/Kite-Runner-Kh...4253531&sr=8-2 2. A Thousand Splendid Suns - http://www.amazon.com/Thousand-Splen...4253531&sr=8-4 I'm currently reading The Shadow of the wind, and I'm loving it!!! http://www.amazon.com/Shadow-Wind-Ca...4253616&sr=1-1 Good luck with your choices.... there are so many wonderful books out there! __________________ Life IS Good! Carla

06-23-08, 06:39 PM
LynnO VF Supporter Join Date: Nov 2001	Thanks for that Entertainment Weekly new classics list. Loved some of them, but of course it had some I didn't care for - The Corrections ugh, couldn't even finish. I loved The Year of Magical Thinking Maus, one of the best books I've ever read. It's a graphic novel and the pictures really add to the story. Fascinating. (his 9-11 novel didn't do it for me). Other really good ones - Bell Canto, Case Histories, The Giver (best dystopian novel and it's for young adults), Comfort Me with Apples, and of course, Harry Potter. Gives me some new books to try.

06-23-08, 07:43 PM
Lucy K VF Supporter Join Date: Jan 2002	Lynn - I also loved Bel Canto and have since read all but one of Ann Patchett's books. My favorites have been The Magician's Assistant and the Patron Saint of Liars. I just read Run, but didn't really care for it. Haven't read Taft yet (mostly because the author herself said it wasn't one of her better novels).