Read any good books lately?

[de_sjiem 0]

Another really good book (although its more of a children's book but its still really good..) is called Sounder by William H. Armstrong.. I haven't read it for a while but i've read it several times.. its short but very good...

[moondancer627 0]

I am currently reading Memoirs of a Geisha... much better than the movie version... Although watch the movie and then read the book because you will understand the life of a Geisha better. I saw the movie first and thought #######, but the book explains the life style so much better...

Happy Reading,

Moondancer

[ladybird216 2]

Wow....just got back from work and a visit to the bookstore (got 'Marley & Me' and 'Outlander') and there are so many more for my 'must read' list....thanks everyone, and hoping that you are all getting ideas for your next read!!

I love Stephen King too....and that's an awesome story Dean, you were very lucky

I also like James Hertbert....loved 'The Rats' although it made my skin crawl, I couldn't put it down!

Jen

[MichelleandCraig 1]

Good thread Jen, I love to read too, and have a book going pretty much at all times....

For pure romance with no need to think very hard I just LOVE Nora Roberts..my all time favorite romance writer to be sure. Just finished the Quinn brothers(2 books, 4 stories) which are out right now on shelves. I really liked these stories, but I like all of hers.

I agree with whoever said Little Women..totally classic and most girls/women who read have read it already but I had to buy it a few months ago to keep and read it again..fantastic book

I want to get that Cell and read that too..sounds good.

If you just finished The Notebook you've probably read all of Nicholas Sparks' other books as well..if you haven't I highly recommend all of them..there are only maybe 10 of them...I've read them all but the last and I'm on the waiting list at the library for it right now..can't remember the title at the moment.

Happy reading and thanks..got a lot of good ideas here too! M.

[Yasi 0]

Hi,

I loved "Falling Leaves: The Memoir of an Unwanted Chinese Daughter". It is a great book. The author's name is Adeline Yen Mah. It came out few years ago. It's not new.

Yasi

One more...

"Beach Music"by Pat Conroy...if you haven't read it yet. It's a wonderful story. You laugh and cry...

[kerewin21 2]

I second the nomination for "Pride and Prejudice"

Another great classic is "The House of Mirth" by Edith Wharton.

A lighthearted mystery series that takes place in Botswana includes "The Ladies No. 1 Detective Agency" by Alexander McCall-Smith (I discovered this series only 2 weeks ago and I've already read 4 of them... they're quick and light but have a lot of heart and insight into Southern Africa)

Anything by Jennifer Weiner is always fun (mostly stories about a young, overweight, feisty woman who finds love; sounds corny but not): "In Her Shoes", "Good in Bed", or "Little Earthquakes"

For historical fiction: "The Red Tent" by Anita Diamant (about the matriarchs of the Judaism/Christianity: Sarah, Leah, Rebecca, etc.) and what I'm reading right now is "The Twentieth Wife" by Indu Sundaresan, about a noblewoman in 16th century India.

Enjoy! I'm enjoying the other suggestions in this thread too

Edited March 11, 2006 by kerewin21

[flipside 0]

Ladybird,

Let me know how you liked Marley & Me.

[jolie 0]

Tales From The Bed by Jenifer Estess.

This book is such a page turner. It's an autobiography of a woman diagnosed with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) and her spirit really shines through. It is an extremelly funny yet devasting and tearful memoir. You won't regret picking up this book.

[DouglasSheridan 1]

Should I be totally embarrassed by admitting I love Danielle Steel books?

Back in the UK I had over 50 of her books, used to read 'em in like 1 or 2 days, just couldnt put em down.

I been looking endlessly for some in the US, but they mainly seem to re-print the old ones, or if new, they are hardcover, am to be honest, I hate paying $20 for something I'll read in two days, when waiting can get me the same book in soft cover for under $10!

Anyhow, my two cents....

Oh and erm....I'm also a Patricia Cornwell fan.....yes, I know, talk bout two extremes huh, from making love on a nice Saint Tropez beach, to a well planned out murder and some autopsies to go with that......

[ladybird216 2]

Ladybird,

Let me know how you liked Marley & Me.

Sure will....I am getting my nose stuck into it today Flipside

Have to agree about the 'Classics' have read Jane Eyre twice and it was just as good the 2nd time around! I have them in a hardback collection and will never part with them.

DouglasSheridan...I have read a couple of Patricia Cornwell (can't remember which ones) but they were very good.

While we are recommending....I need to suggest 'A Child Called It' by Dave Peltzer and the follow-up 'A Man Named Dave' (I think there was a 3rd but I can't remember what it was called) ... It is a true story about a boy and his struggle to deal with his abusive family...it was so sad and unbelievable the things that happened to him, but it sure was a page turner. Not sure if they are available here in the US as I brought them with me from the UK...but it's worth a look!

Jen

Edited March 11, 2006 by ladybird216

[Autumnal 25]

Oh! Remembered a few more.

o Jules Watson's "The Dalriada Trilogy" -- with the White Mare and the Dawn Stag, so far -- is a really well done set so far. Set in Scotland, it has an element of the mystical but really explores the relationship between a native Dalriadan and a young man from Ireland.

o (Someone!) Rutherford's "Princes of Ireland" and "Rebels of Ireland" is worth a gander. Fair warning: it's a fairly long read, both of these, but the reoccurring characters as the development of the country moves along is really different.

o Manda Scott's "Dreaming the Hound/Stag/Boar" is set around Boudica, the Iceni queen/tribal leader that basically thumbed her nose at Rome. Not bad, but historically I was sort of cringing.

o Juliet Marillier: Absolutely gorgeous Australian writer, another of these historical fiction writers. What she does is something else -- takes a common legend, weaves it into a story and then incorporates historical developments. So it's quasi-fiction and something not. Her "Sevenwaters" trilogy is really beautifully written, set around Ireland roughly 7th-10th century and again explores the interplay between the English/Saxon kingdoms and their influence on the wilder, more remote isle to the west. But also, it draws in legends about the swans of Lir and many others. She also has "Wolfmask" and "Foxmask" -- two novels set around the wild, beautiful Hebrides and Orkneys with a heavy dose of Viking/Norse culture. Yum!

o I cannot remember the name of the author, but two books on Artemisia, probably the most famous female painter of the Renaissance, are worth checking out if not for the detail put into them.

[Laveau 67]

I've been reading 1984

I'm currently reading that, too.

Aztec

The Journeyor

Raptor

All novels (historical fiction) by Gary Jennings. I skimmed through this thread and I don't think anyone mentioned him.

Phenomenal storyteller!!!

Edited March 11, 2006 by stlinares

[meddykomp 0]

Wanted to add a lil series by Stephen Woodworth. The first book is called "Through Violet Eyes" and it is a great read.

[daisy16 0]

If you enjoy fantasy books at all, I STRONGLY recommend the "Song of Ice and Fire" series by J.R.R. Martin.

I absolutely LOVE it

Karen... i also love the "Anne of Green Gables" series of books... along with "Little House on the Prairie"...

haha... i know... my country-ness is showing!!! haha

edited to add: about 2 weeks ago... i was reading both Dan Brown books... "The DaVinci Code" and "Angels & Demons"... i have liked these 2 books... looking forward to reading more of his books

I've been to L.M. Montgomery's house

I used to live in PEI. Beautiful

Loved Dan Brown

[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

Since Yasi mentioned Falling Leaves (which I must check out), another great book about women in China is Wild Swans by Jung Chang which tells the story of the 20th century in China through the author, who was in the Red Guard and then was the first Chinese woman to get a degree at an English university; her mother, who participated in the Long March, and was a senior member of the communist party before being denounced during the Cultural Revolution; and and her grandmother, who had her feet bound and was a concubine. It's an incredible story, wonderfully writen and was impossible to put down.