If you like these books, what others do you like?

[Rachels]

I need a new book, and reading is so precious that I don't have time for a lemon. :) If these books are on your thumbs-up list, what others would you recommend? My current loves have been:

Three Junes
The Secret Life of Bees
Anything by Anne Lamott or Barbara Kingsolver
Bella Tuscany
A Girl Named Zippy
Most things by Bill Bryson

Suggestions?


-Rachel
Mom to Abigail Rose
5/18/02

[Raidra]

I don't have any suggestions.. but I wanted to say that I absolutely LOVE Bill Bryson. Isn't he a riot? :D

[jbowman]

I have a few suggestions (I don't like wasting my time on lemons either) and these are books that I like so much I wish I were reading them for the first time IYKWIM:

Red Azalea by Anchee Min
The Stone Diaries; Mary Swann by Carol Shields
Spending by Mary Gordon (excellent!)
The Invisible Circus; Look at Me by Jennifer Egan
Straight Man by Richard Russo
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
anything by Valerie Martin, Nick Hornby

I loved The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen!


HTH!

[HGraceMom]

Anything by Anne Rivers Siddons, Beth Gutcheon or Ann Tyler. Just finished The Red Tent, and wasn't thrilled with it.

[redhookmom]

Rachel,

I loved all of the books you listed. I have not read A Girl Named Zippy so I will have to check that out.

I just finished Sister of My Heart by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni.
I really enjoyed it.

[jd11365]

I've not read those...but one of my faves has been Good In Bed (not what you think) by Jennifer Weiner. It's silly, fun, you can relate as a woman... A "Beach Read" kinda book...not much thinking is involved in this one though... After my National Boards and my graduate work I had a hard time reading thought provoking fiction IYKWIM...

Jamie
Mommy to Kayla
5-1-03

[tarahsolazy]

Middlesex, by Jeffrey Eugenedies
The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri

I liked all the stuff you referred to, also. Haven't read Bryson's new science book yet, though...

[Calmegja2]

My current fave is Nick Hornby's How To Be Good...he wrote About a Boy, High Fidelity....I'm recommending it to everyone who asks!

If you haven't read it yet, Pearson's I Don't Know How She Does It is amazing.

Girl With A Pearl Earring (Tracy Chevalier)

The Other Boleyn Girl (Gregory)

Unless (Carol Shields) -a very powerful book...I've never read anything quite like it

[jbowman]

Hi Jamie,

I was going to suggest that book too, but forgot. It's a really good one! I read it right after I defended my dissertation and it was a fun read. I think she has a (relatively) new book, but I haven't had a chance to check it out. Also heard that "Good in Bed" was going to be made into a movie.

[caleymama]

Of your list, I've only read some Bill Bryson and some Barbara Kingsolver. I just finished "Neither Here Nor There" by Bill Bryson last week. What a riot! I woke DD up one night because I was laughing so hard (and I was all the way downstairs!). Some other stuff I've read recently and enjoyed:

The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
Big Stone Gap, Big Cherry Holler, and Milk Glass Moon by Adriana Trigiani (they're a series)
Lucia, Lucia by Adriana Trigiani
Ordinary Life by Elizabeth Berg (short stories)
Midwives by Chris Bohjalian

One of my all time favorites is "A Map of the World" by Jane Hamilton. It really affected me when I read it a few years ago but I'm not sure I could re-read it now that I have DD.

My sister just recommended "The House of Sand and Fog" but I haven't read it yet and my Mom just finished "Brick Lane" by Monica Ali and said it was great. My Mom works in a library so she reads a lot and sees a lot of books come and go - I told her to let me know if she thought of anything else based on your list.

[Calmegja2]

Sand and Fog is excellent. Excellent book.

[Lucia]

Here are a few I've enjoyed recently:

Life of Pi
Belle Canto
The Bonesetter's Daughter (Amy Tan)
Keeping Faith
Pitching My Tent(essays by Anita Diamant)
Any of the Mommy Track Mystery series by Ayelet Waldman (very entertaining!)
Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood (I read this awhile ago and I think I am going to re-read it)
The Good Earth (by Pearl S. Buck. Yes, I read this in high school and we also recently read it in our book group.Well worth reading again especially now as a mother and wife)


I also enjoy Lamott and Kingsolver. I haven't read Kingsolver's Small Wonder...a book of essays, but it is on my list for future reading.

Thanks for starting this post. It is fun to get reading recommendations!

Lucia
mom to Noah 2/2003

[LucyG]

I, too, LOVE Anne Lamott! This one is a totally different type of writer than Anne Lamott, but I am fond of Bailey White. She is a contributor to NPR and her books are:

Sleeping at the Starlite Motel
Mama Makes Up Her Mind
Quite a Year for Plums (novel)

The first two are vignettes about life in the South (kind of wacky, but quick reads and often thought-provoking). I don't care for her novel as much, but I highly recommend the other two.

[etwahl]

i'm so jealous...when does everyone find time to read? seriously!!! i haven't read a pure pleasure book in years it seems.

Tammy,
Mom to Lauren Genevieve
03/12/2003
www.evantammy.com

[JLiebCamm]

I really enjoyed the whole Mitford series by Jan Karon. They're wholesome and make you feel good. The first one is a little rough because so many characters are being introduced, but once you get into them they're great!

[redhookmom]

I don't have time to read but do anyway. When I am reading something else is not getting done.

[memedee]

Middlesex is amazing and Empire Falls by Richard Russo.
Have you read the Davinci Code. It was a very fast and good read.

[Calmegja2]

I read while I'm blowdrying my hair getting ready in the morning (hey...there's gotta be some sort of payout for getting up at 5:30 am), and at night, and in line waiting for school pickup...

DH laughs at me, because I've usually got a hairbrush balanced on the book to keep it open while I try to read and get pretty at the same time....

I'm probably a beauty product hazard, and some of my pages end up with gel and hairspray on them, but hey....;-)

[jd11365]

I would love to see that as a movie! My mom says there is a TV show with a not-so-skinny red headed secretary that would be perfect for the role. I don't watch that show, but I've seen the girl before and she looks the part to me too. Glad to know someone else read it and enjoyed it too!

Jamie
Mommy to Kayla
5-1-03

[Calmegja2]

Sara Rue?

http://abc.go.com/primetime/lessthanperfect/bios/sara_rue.html

Love her, think the show is kinda weird....;-)

[sirensrise]

>Anything by Anne Rivers Siddons, Beth Gutcheon or Ann Tyler.
>Just finished The Red Tent, and wasn't thrilled with it.
oh, no ! i loved it:)
the da vinci code is also great!

[momtoemma]

I love the Mitford books too! They are a refreshing change of pace, and I agree that the first one was a little rough getting through but after that, I was addicted! Is Jan Karon set to release another one soon? I mean the next in the series, not one of the short story type books.

[jd11365]

Yep...that's the girl. :) (I've never seen the show though...)

Jamie
Mommy to Kayla
5-1-03

[KGoes]

The best book I've read in awhile is The Cloud Atlas by Liam Callanan - and I'm not just saying that because a certain BBB board person is thanked in the Acknowledgments.
You might also find Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs interesting.
Kelley
DD born 7/03

[MommytoDylan]

She'll release the last one in the series later this year! I cried when I realized my Mitford friends would soon be gone!

Meredith

[sntm]

like Secret life of Bees -- Ellen Foster.
author is here for VA fest of book but can't go :(

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
shannon
not-even-pregnant-yet-overachiever
trying-to-conceive :)
PREGNANT! EDD 6/9/03
mama to Jack 6/6/03