OT: good books

[Surlygirl]

Thanks Yellow, this is a great thread.

Here are a few I like.

A Million Little Pieces by James Frey. Even if he did embellish it still is a powerful read.

Light on Snow by Anita Shreve.

Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas by James Patterson. This one stuck with me.

Good in Bed by Jennifer Weiner. Funny

Miles from Nowhere by Barbara Savage. Great book about bicycling.

Hey Mom, Can I Ride my Bike Across America by John S. Boettner. Geez, I loved the book, but I'd never let my kid ride across the country with this guy.

The Sue Grafton series is always a good mystery read too.

[tattiefritter]

Must admit I've been struggling lately with deciding what to read as I seem to have read quickly through what I have. My favourite read of recent times is a book I had skimmed through before, but really read this time:

"Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China" Jung Chang, detailing the lives of three female members of a Chinese family. They are from three generations - from when warlords ruled china through life under Mao, fascinating.

I've also started re-reading some of my Ian Rankin books, the Inspector Rebus series about a gruff Edinburgh detective (although that's probably because it can make me homesick for the locations).

Am also wading through "Reading Lolita in Tehran", which I am finding interesting in the same way as Wild Swans as it details a life under an oppresive regime.

Next to read are the "Bookseller of Kabul", "The Time Travelers Wife" and "Mao" (again by Jung Chang). No idea what they are like as I have only just bought them.

[Embellina]

Wow, some incredible recommendations on this list!

First, I have to second some books already mentioned (yes, I'm punny):

White Teeth, Zadie Smith. This is an incredibly engaging, funny and surprising story about immigrants in London (and some Londoners). One of my all-time faves.

Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie. This drew me in like few other books have.

The Corrections, Jonathan Franzen. Completely heart-wrenching and true-to-life depiction of a Midwestern family, often very funny.

Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini. I loved that this book was about the path to redemption, and the fulfillment you may (or may not) find along the way.

Anne McCaffrey. I read her Pern series as a little girl and every now and then, when I need something familiar, return to them. They're sort of like macaroni and cheese to me, but I recommend them if you like fantasy novels.

On to some others:

Atonement, Ian McEwan. This might be my favorite book of all time. The first 75 pages were a little slow, but I have never felt so horrified, bewildered and in awe of a character. Its message about the power of guilt is something I will carry with me forever. The writing is beyond spectacular and the plot is intricate and ultimately perfect.

Gilead, Marilynne Robinson. One of the most beautiful and touching books I've ever read. It's a small-town minister writing a letter to his young son just before the minister dies. But it's not preachy in any way, many of my friends who are atheists appreciated it, too. I think the book helps to understands life's gifts.

Three Junes, Julia Glass. Great story, tells another journey of a family. The whole book seemed very real to me, and I love the characters' dilemmas and actions. Again, very moving and very funny.

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, Michael Chabon. This is about comic book creators. When my friends recommended it to me, I laughed at them. I have zero interest in comic books. But the story of Kavalier and Clay is so engaging, imaginative and so universal that it's another of my very favorites.

Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, Susanna Clarke. As a work of pure imagination, this is tops on my list. The publisher billed it as Harry Potter for adults. I love the Harry Potter books, but this is almost nothing like them, except that it's about magic. At times, the magic is much more ordinary than Potter's and at times, more extraordinary. There is enormous tension and suspense in this book, but also an incredible feeling of the quotidian. The characters and writing really drive the novel. It's super, super long and sometimes you feel it (Clarke uses plenty of footnotes, which are often the best part of the book -- invented, uniformly hilarious stories about the history of magic.)

I also have to heartily recommend any of the Best Non-Required reading books. They're published every year and include short stories from places I've never heard of and from many that I have.

There are so many more books I love, but I'm sure I'll get to add some new ones after checking out all y'all's recommendations!

[Lise]

How is it that none of us has mentioned To Kill A Mockingbird? Harper Lee is the author. It's an American classic. I've reread that one more times than I remember.

Two more, and then I'll give it a rest (for today...):

Stigmata, by Phyllis Alesia Perry. A young woman inherits a quilt from her grandmother, and begins to experience the life of her enslaved ancestor who made the quilt. Is she crazy? Is she re-incarnated? Fascinating little book.

Lying Awake, by Mark Salzman. The story of a nun who is a poet and a visionary, and then learns that both the poetry and the visions may come from a brain disorder. She struggles with the nature of faith and her willingness to be "cured". A beautiful, spare book. I'm astonished that a man could write so well of this woman's experience.

[RoadRaven]

OMG TatieFritter!!! How could I forget “The Time Traveller’s Wife” …. Oh yes, you must must must read that… it’s written in quite a unique way, but persevere, once you “get” what is happening it is marvellous. I thought the end needed a bit of work to be as well-written as the beginning, but I recommend this book to so many and can’t believe I left it off my list!

Great thread… first thing I look at when I visit here (though when I am going to get the time to read all this… I wonder if work will still pay me if I answer my emails from home as if I am at work and I just read, bike, read, bike, read instead…?)

[Deanna]

Here's my two cents worth:

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, by Mark Haddon. A "can't put it down" book about an autistic boy investigating the murder of a neighborhood dog.

Bill Bryson--all of his travel writing is hysterical. There's one passage in a "Walk in the Woods" that is so funny I get belly laughs no matter how often I read it.

Patricia Highsmith's "Ripley" series is a fun read. How often do you get to enjoy the exploits of the "bad guy"?

Though they are very strange and I hesitate to recommend them without knowing somebody very well, I read everything Chuck Palahniuk publishes. He wrote the book that the movie "Fight Club" was based on, if you want an idea of what to expect.

For some biting, and at times very funny, non-fiction, don't forget the late, great Hunter S. Thompson.

And another recommendation for the Phillip Pullman series.

[tatormc]

*title - Riding With The Blue Moth
*author - Bill Hancock
*fiction or non-fiction? - Non
*short summary - Bill rides his bike cross country after the death of his son
*why you liked the book - It's about riding a bike
*how you ended up reading it in the first place - It was mentioned on the news and sounded interesting

[Susan126]

Some of my favorite books are:

I love the Harry Potter Series . . . can't wait for the final book (estimated June/July 2007) too long!

LOTR! Read it twice. The second time just before the first movie came out.

The Da Vinci Code - Looking forward to the movie this May. Love comparing movies to the books.

Angels and Demons

Memoirs of a Geisha

Snow Falling On Cedars

Down the Common: A Year In the Life of a Medieval Woman (excellent historical fiction!)

The Molly Murphy Mystery Series

I JUST LOVE THIS SERIES: Big Stone Gap by Adriana Trigiani
Big Cherry Holler
Milk Glass Moon
and coming the fall of 2006 . . . Return to the Big Stone Gap! I can't wait!

And my all time favorite: To Kill a Mockingbird

Those are just my top favorites. Besides cycling I love to read!

[Lise]

I'm with you, Susan. To Kill A Mockingbird. I think it's time to re-read it. Gregory Peck, who played Atticus in the movie, looks a lot like my father, who died when I was 5. I identify with both Scout and Jem. Couldn't tell you how many times I've read the book. Recently my sister put a tall cabinet out on her front porch for resale pick-up. I went in the house and said, "You've got a chiffarobe on your front porch." She's read the book, but didn't get the reference .

Have you read One Hundred Years of Solitude? That's the other book I've reread many times. Lise

[Susan126]

Lise,

Gregory Peck played the perfect Atticus. Love the movie as much as the book.

No I have not read "One Hundred Years of Solitude." I checked it out at amazon and read what others thought about it. It sounds very very detailed. And everyone gave it high marks. I will have to read it. I will save it for my summer break. Thanks for the recommendation. I'm always looking for my next book.

[withm]

Anything by Bill Bryson

Anything by Carl Hiasson (Skinny Dip). Mostly with an anti-development theme in South Florida - think the Everglades with condos.

Anything by Christopher Buckley (esp Little Green Men & Thank You for Smoking.) Son of William F., extremely intelligent writing, and with a welcome irreverence.

In fact, all of these authors are irreverent. Not as much as Hunter S. Thompson but they are guaranteed to have you have you laughing out loud.

Mostly I do books on tape from the library, and listen in the car, or on my walkman at the gym. They really make the miles go faster. My library has a pretty good selection, and can get anything in two counties. I have a "wish list" on-line with them, and when I"m ready for the next book, I order it, and they call me when it comes in - usually in a couple days. So convenient.

[doc]

Here's my two cents worth:

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, by Mark Haddon. A "can't put it down" book about an autistic boy investigating the murder of a neighborhood dog.

Bill Bryson--all of his travel writing is hysterical. There's one passage in a "Walk in the Woods" that is so funny I get belly laughs no matter how often I read it.


For some biting, and at times very funny, non-fiction, don't forget the late, great Hunter S. Thompson.

And another recommendation for the Phillip Pullman series.

LOVED the first two you mention, will have to check out Hunter S. Thompson

[doc]

Sue Monk Kidd's The Secret Life of Bees. Incredibly powerful in a spiritual way without being religious.

Yes, so true!!

OMG, how could I forget to mention The Lovely Bones. What a great book. Definitely leaves you thinking.

[Tater]

Okay, here's my recent list:

Currently reading: I'm in a bit of a classic kick right now!
[U]The Awakening[U] Kate Chopin
Les Liaisons Dangereuses Pierre de Laclos
Reading Lolita in Tehran forgot author

Recently read:
A Dangersou Place Marc Reisner
Cadiliac Desert same as above
Desert Solitude Edward Abbey
Of Snow and Ashes Diana Gabaldon
French Revolutions Tim Moore. This is a hoot! The author attemps to ride the same route as the TdF, without much knowledge of cycling or being fit for such an endeavor.
A Suitable Music Vikram Seth
Hopscotch Kevin J. Anderson

In the pile by to be read:
The Monkey Wrench Gang Edward Abbey
A Tale of Two Cities Charles ****ens
I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings Maya Angelou

More to come...

[eofelis]

I am revisiting some books I have read in the past by Jo-Anne Mapson. I've been re-reading Hank & Chloe. What a fun book, witty characters, horses, the twists and turns of life. Sequel of this book is Loving Chloe. I also need to track down some other books of hers: Blue Rodeo and Shadow Ranch. She has also written several other books.

It's been a great way to avoid my chemistry homework....

I also love Barbara Kingsolver. Animal Dreams is my favorite of hers.
And Bill Bryson is great too.

I'm also a fan of Jean Auel's Earth's Children books. Good story, also feeds smoe of my anthropology interests.