A CUP OF JO: Which books do you guys love?

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Which books do you guys love?

I just finished my book and am looking for another one. Any suggestions, my sweets? What have you loved lately?

P.S. I wrote about five of my favorite books over on The City Sage.
P.P.S. Have you ever fallen in love with someone's bookcase?

(Photo by Barca)

207 comments:

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Johnny said...: I recently read & loved Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami!; 10:41 AM
jcald. said...: oh my gosh joanna! i could go on forever about books! i love love love them!

you should try reading Native Son by Richard Wright (my fav) or:

Into The Wild

The Catcher in the Rye (Never gets old)

Love in the time of Cholera

The Shipping News

In the Country of the Young

Water for Elephants

Snow Falling on Cedars

I could go on forever, but for everyone's sake, I wont :o); 10:41 AM
I *Heart* You said...: i picked up twilight last night to see what all the hype was about and now i can't put it down. and i am sooooo not the vampire book kind of girl. at all.

or, if you want some mindless chatter, the shopaholic books that the upcoming movie was based on are hysterical fast reads.; 10:42 AM
Lori King said...: Two of my favorites are oldies but goodies - The Power of One by Bruce Courtenay, and Perfume by Patrick Suskind.; 10:42 AM
I *Heart* You said...: yikes, my picks are so not intellectual! don't think less of me! :); 10:42 AM
becca said...: the road - cormac mccarthy is amazing amazing amazing. so beautiful and sad. they're in post-production of a movie of it right now (scheduled to come out early 2009) so i'd read it before the movie comes out.

seriously, if you love history of love, you will love this too.; 10:43 AM
Corie said...: The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger,
The World According to Garp by John Irving,
The Little Price (Le Petit Prince) by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.

P.S. I absolutely love Water for Elephants, good choice!

xoxo Corie; 10:45 AM
Nicole said...: The Solitaire Mystery by Jostein Gaarder

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

In Watermelon Sugar by Richard Brautigan

Still Life with Woodpecker by Tom Robbins; 10:46 AM
Corie said...: *Prince, not Price.; 10:46 AM
amelia said...: Divisadero by Michael Ondaatdje is a brillianly written book. I cannot say enough about what a masterwork it is. I would also suggest Anne Bronte's The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. What most people overlook when they think about classic literature is that we've been reading these books for hundreds of years for a reason - they're quality. Also, the problems we face and the questions we ponder haven't changed as much as we'd like to think. Let me know what you think of these if you read either of them!; 10:48 AM
magpiesandmagnolias said...: Joanna,

I just love diving into a new book. My mom and I trade good reads in little cirles among my friends and hers.

Two good ones that I have recently read are "The Shack" by William P Young (tender and sad) and "The Company She Keeps" by Georgia Durante (true story by model turned Mob wife).

For something lighter, I suggest Emily Giffen and Sophie Kinsella. Please let us know what you pick!

Ashley; 10:49 AM
julieua said...: i was going to say Glass Castle, but seems you have already read that one. more recently i enjoyed American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld (as well as her older novel Prep)and The Legend of Colton H. Bryant. Fountainhead and Memoirs of a Geisha are two all time favorites as well. Michael Connelly novels are great if you like mysteries. On my amazon.com wish list...A Cure For Modern Life and The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. I am also reading the Twilight series and Little, Big.; 10:50 AM
Emily said...: I'm currently in a P.G. Wodehouse rut. His Wooster/Jeeves series is hilarious. If you're not familiar, once you get into it you'll start to see his influence. Douglas Adams was a fan...as was most certainly the Monty Python crew.

Also good light reading: The Dixie Hemingway mysteries. She's a pet sitter in Florida and I always look forward to the next in the series. The first is called Curiosity Killed The Cat Sitter. By Blaize Clement.

If you're wanting novels where things aren't always what they seem, pick up anything by Graham Joyce - my favorite is The Facts Of Life.

If you want Murder Mysteries that make you wish you'd written them - pick up anything by Laurie R King. Her Mary Russel series is historical (starts with The Beekeeper's Apprentice - read in PUBLICATION order) and picks up around WWI following young Mary as she literally trips over and then becomes apprentice to a retired Sherlock Holmes. It sounds kitschy but I had to force myself not to read them all at once because now I wait anxiously for the next installment. The Kate Martinelli novels are current - told in the time of writing - and take place in San Francisco. Equally good. She's got a few stand-alone novel, the latest being Touchstone. These are definitely curl up under a blanket with a mug of something yummy and read all afternoon books.

Another fun little series is the Artemis Fowl series. They're young adult - Artemis himself is 12 in the first book - written by Eoin (pronounce Owen) Colfer. Sci-fi fantasy with sardonic humor thrown in. They're very well written.

More YA - anything by Scott Westerfeld. The Uglies series gets a lot of critical acclaim, which is well earned in my opinion. At the every least it will make you consider what constitutes "pretty" and just how much control the government should have. It's like 1984, The Handmaid's Tale, and something else really good all rolled up.

Oh so many many more...the mind reels at the possibilities. Happy Reading!; 10:51 AM
Lola Is Beauty said...: I think you recommended The History of Love to me and I loved it as well. Also, randomly - my grandfather had two sons: Michael and John and wanted to call his daughter Wendy but my grandmother wouldn't let him!

Hmm, I think you'd like:
Suite Francaise - Irene Nemirovsky
Tender is the Night - F.S.Fitzgerald
And I second The Little Prince; 10:52 AM
Emily said...: I just realized that calling it a "rut" gives it bad connotations. I promise that this is a rut I have no intention of climbing out of any time soon.; 10:53 AM
Kaylen said...: Oh, The Time Traveler's Life is the BEST.

Also, I recommend Weetzie Bat - Francesca Lia Block

and

Candy Girl - Diablo Cody (If you liked Juno, you will LOVE this book)

and

On the Road - Jack Kerouac

and

Eat Pray Love - Elizabeth Gilbert

and

Gift from the Sea - Anne Morrow Lindbergh

and

I've always been a fan of The Scarlett Letter; 10:53 AM
Mary said...: I know...so so many to choose from. I wrote a post a while back with 20 of my faves. Check it out:

http://mwazloves.blogspot.com/2008/08/my-favorite-books.html

I also just finished Water for Elephants and would definitely recommend it - I'm currently reading A Thousand Splendid Suns.; 10:55 AM
Kirsten said...: Oddly enough, both my picks involve elite schools, secret societies, privilege and murder (weird). I really enjoyed reading "Special Topics in Calamity Physics" last year. Also, one of my favourite books of all time has got to be "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt. The mix of an exclusive arts college, preppy '80s fashion and strange, murderous ritual is super fun. A really addictive and well-written read.; 10:57 AM
y said...: recently read kate moses 'wintering' and absolutly loooved it.; 10:58 AM
cassaundra said...: i've recently picked up on the road by jack kerouac for the first time.

you can't go wrong with the beat generation.; 11:01 AM
koala said...: /comment to the smitten book post/

This would be difficult with me because I keep the most important & most 'telling' books in the private part of my house (and by house I mean a small apartment, and by private I mean bedroom)

/too lazy to register -> comment on the right page/; 11:02 AM
Mindy said...: One of my favorite books is The Tender Bar...fabulous book! I also enjoyed The Namesake. Enjoy!; 11:02 AM
Anonymous said...: Just put down 'Charming Billy' by Alice McDermott. Loved.; 11:02 AM
Char said...: I read a little of this and that, good and bad as I travel a lot for my job. A great site for recommendations and short reviews is http://www.goodreads.com/ where you can build a page with what you've read, link to other "bookshelves" and find new and interesting stuff.

my favorites:
All Over But the Shoutin' - Rick Bragg
The Outsiders - SE Hinton
Thoughts from Walden Pond - Thoreau
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn - Betty Smith
A Separate Peace - John Knowles
In Her Shoes - Jennifer Weiner
Eat, Pray, Love - Elizabeth Gilbert
Love Walked In - Marisa de los Santos; 11:03 AM
woodley park-zoo said...: I really don't read enough, but two books that I adore to pieces are

1) Letters to a Young Poet - Rainer Maria Rilke
2) The Complete Rumi, translated by Coleman Barks

Relating to bookcases, have you ever seen these pics? I love this feature on this blog...
http://isuwannee.blogspot.com/search?q=bookcase; 11:04 AM
Micaela said...: The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

*A MUST!!!!

anyone I've loved has read this book, I've made them :)

original. Beautiful. Amore!; 11:04 AM
Jessica said...: I'd certainly recommend 'Middlesex' by Jeffrey Eugenides and 'The Secret History' by Donna Tartt, both of which I picked up and started reluctantly but can't wait to read again as soon as I've forgotten enough of the story to make it fun to read again ;); 11:06 AM
Anonymous said...: I'm so excited to see the Time Traveler's Wife mentioned so many times on here. It's my favorite book, I hope you like it.; 11:09 AM
ash said...: I read it over a year ago but I loved The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield.

Also, have you ever heard of goodreads.com? It's sort of a networking site for book nerds. haha. You can add friends and update your to read/reading/read books and rate them.; 11:10 AM
EmElle said...: I really loved "Crossing to Safety" by Wallace Stegner. "Water for Elephants" seems to keep popping up so I think I'll add that one to my list!; 11:10 AM
Kwana said...: I am currently reading Twilight. i borrowed it from my 14 year old and am trying to finish before Friday when the movie comes out!

I loved Eat, Pray, Love like so many others and brought it for friends.

A thousand Splendid Suns is on my TBR list and friends have raved about it.

My all time favorites are romances and you can see what I read on my book list on my blog. I'm in love with the writer Elizabeth Hoyt. She's like sweet candy to me.

Whew. Sorry. More than you asked for huh?; 11:10 AM
Anonymous said...: revolutionary road, by richard yates. you would LOVE this book.; 11:10 AM
Lauren said...: From the picture you posted, I LOVED "Water for Elephants" and "A Thousand Splendid Suns." "The Kite Runner" was great as well, but I connected more with "A Thousand..". I recently read "Q&A" which is what the upcoming movie "Slumdog Millionaire" is based on and it was FANTASTIC.; 11:12 AM
Glad Doggett said...: I recommend "The Time Traveler's Wife" to everyone. I've known women to cry like their hearts were broken after reading and discssing this book.

A real jem!!!; 11:21 AM
Kelly said...: I was just going to recommend The Time Traveler's Wife, too. In fact I just re-read it!

xo
Kelly; 11:23 AM
Mint Julep said...: "A Confederacy of Dunces"; 11:25 AM
Famapa said...: I just started "the world according to garp" last night and was reminded that one of my all time faves is "a prayer for owen meany" (also by john irving)

other faves are: "the wind-up bird chronicle" - haruki murakami, "atonement" - ian mcewan (much much better than the film!!!!), "half a yellow sun" - chimanda ngozi adichie, "leviathan" - paul auster "ask dr mueller" - cookie mueller; 11:26 AM
J. said...: First off, I've never commented on your blog, but it is a staple in my internet perusing. Being an English teacher, I think I get too excited with the question "what book should I read." Here are three suggestions I think are great.
1.They Poured Fire on us From the Sky: The True Story of the Boys from Sudan by Alphonsion Deng
2. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
3. The History of Love by Nicole Krauss
Good luck:); 11:27 AM
dbh said...: I just finished 'The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo' by Stieg Larsson. I loved it and couldn't put it down. It is a murder mystery set in Sweden. Check it out.; 11:29 AM
Janet said...: there can be only one...
Extremely loud and incredibly close - jonathan safran foer.
(but the time travellers wife is also excellent); 11:30 AM
The Cwtch said...: Ooooh so many to pick from! I love:

The English Patient - Michael Ondatje - beautiful romantic prose

Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier - a classic and a page turner

The Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys - if you have read Jane Eyre

Labyrinths by Jorge Luis Borges - short stories to make you think

A Room With A View - ahh just for a bit of lovely romance

The Suspicions of Mr Whitcher by Kate Summerscale - Fabulous non Fiction that reads like a who-done0it murder mystery.; 11:31 AM
Alicia said...: When all else fails I always go back to 'East of Eden' by Steinbeck. I love love love that book and uncover something new with every reading. Ironically I've never been able to get through 'Grapes of Wrath'! Other favorites include:
- The Poisonwood Bible
- Eat Pray Love
- Pride & Prejudice
- Great Expectations
- Woman at the Washington Zoo - a good book of essays
- The Last American Man - same author as Eat Pray Love

I could go on and on but I'll spare everyone! I like your list & will have to check those out. I'm fairly certain that I'm the only woman on the planet who didn't get into 'The Glass Castle' but maybe I'll give it another shot one of these days!; 11:35 AM
citysage said...: Thanks again Jo for sharing some of your faves yesterday! As if your recommendation of 'History of Love' wasn't enough, every comment I got on the post was just absolutely swooning over that book! So I'm for sure taking it out of my meticulously arranged tablescape ;)

A little while ago I read 'Heyday' by Kurt Anderson, and it's so amazing that I haven't been able to really engage in any other books since. If you haven't read it, I highly recommend it! I love New York and I love history, so the book's scenes of NYC in 1848 were just fabulous! Plus it's an epic love story with laugh out loud humour too...; 11:37 AM
Joanna Goddard said...: oh my goodness, thank you so much, everybody!; 11:39 AM
Derek said...: If you like a bit of 'alternative' travel then Red Dust by Ma Jian is a must. His new book 'Beijing Coma' is brilliant too, so far - I'm half way - but more of a commitment.; 11:40 AM
Cheryl said...: I love Jhumpa Lahiri's short stories - her first Interpreter of Maladies (won the Pulitzer a few years back) and her newest Unaccustomed Earth. I love short stories - easy to pick up with if things are busy. Very compelling. I love reading stories of immigration and place.

Lots of great suggestions on here!; 11:40 AM
Nicole Marie said...: Twilight!!
Pathetic I know; 11:42 AM
April ~ Living the Sweet Life said...: With Christmas getting closer I have decided to read The Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. I have seen so many versions of his book in plays and movies I decided it is about time to read the original.; 11:43 AM
Kate McNeil said...: The Glass Castle

The Alchemist

A Thousand Splendid Suns

Anything Bret Easton Ellis; 11:45 AM
Laura @ the shorehouse. said...: I am reading Infidel right now and it is mind blowing. Makes me remember that life is good for many of us...and heinously bad for others.; 11:53 AM
Stephanie said...: My next reading project is a re-read of the Great Gatsby back to back with Netherland, by Joseph O'Neill.

Right now, I'm finishing Tom Jones. Not easy, but hilarious.; 11:53 AM
So Stylish So Sassy said...: -Dead Until Dark
-Twilight
Love all these vampire books!

Will definitely pick up History of Love, for my romatic side. LOL!; 11:54 AM
Jessica said...: I know someone else said the Time Traveler's Wife already...I just had to agree. I lovelovelove that book.; 11:55 AM
Katie said...: The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon is AMAZING. I didn't want it to end!

And everyone else has already mentioned The Time Traveler's Wife. Loved that, too.; 11:57 AM
figment said...: THREE MEN IN A BOAT (TO SAY NOTHING OF THE DOG). timeless hilarity! i also share your love of The History of Love. that book has really stayed with me. i'm deeply in awe of Krauss's writing prowess.; 11:59 AM
Krista said...: OH!

I HIGHLY recommend Auntie Mame: An Irreverent Escapade by Patrick Dennis. I just finished it & it was a great read so engaging and humorous!

Another would be the one I'm currently devouring, The Lost: A Search for Six Among Six Million which is the story of one man & his family's decades long search to discover the true identity of six of his family members who were murdered by Nazis in the 1940s. Its very good as well.; 12:03 PM
susan heggestad said...: I've been recommending "Three Cups of Tea" to everyone I know...; 12:06 PM
lepetitdoodler said...: "A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius" by Dave Eggers is yummy. Sylvia Plath's "Bell Jar" is also excellent... Happy reading!; 12:06 PM
Tirzha said...: Another one for Twilight! The great thing about the Twilight series is the books reel you in, so you get four books off of one reccomendation. The bad thing? They reel you in and you get sucked into the world of vampires for every free minute of your day. I picked up the first in the series on a Saturday afternoon and finished the fourth book the following Friday. They may not be intellectual, but they're certainly good for giving you something to do rather than sleep!

If you like non-fiction, I'm a fan of Ted Conover. I'm also currently reading The Bad Behavior of Belle Cantrell. I don't have an opinion on it yet, though.; 12:09 PM
Ez said...: I have SO many favorite books, but the one I want to recommend is: Me & Emma

Me & Emma is a haunting story with a heartbreaking subject, but it is beautifully written and stays with you forever after.

You might also like to check out http://www.goodreads.com You can keep track of the books you've read and find suggestions by your friends and other like-minded readers.

xoxo
Ez; 12:09 PM
Lynne said...: A Fine Balance is the best book I have ever read; a little difficult to get into and totally traumatic. I will never read it again but it is brilliant.; 12:09 PM
Cabbage Babble said...: Cain's Version by Frank Durham.

Lovely novel, and new.; 12:09 PM
liz said...: anything by Tom Robbins
and I'm reading Seven Days in the Art World right now; 12:13 PM
Mhari said...: I agree with a lot that have been posted already but wanted to add anything by Haruki Murakami, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Miranda July, Iris Murdoch and Patricia Highsmith would be good. Also 'Life of Pi' and 'The God of Small Things' immediately spring to mind... Enjoy!; 12:14 PM
stylepill said...: There is one book in particular that I am really excited to start reading...I am waiting for my friend to finish it. It's called The Romantic Movement by Alain de Botton.; 12:17 PM
bri said...: bad behavior by mary gaitskill, immortality by milan kundera, hunger by knut hamsun, and although it's a bit misplaced in the context of these books (and its definitely a strange genre, and author for me to recommend) the thief of always by clive barker.; 12:18 PM
KatieLynch said...: My book club recently read Special Topics in Calamity Physics (no no, it's not about science!!) and it was great. It also lead me to read The Secret History which was also pretty awesome. And currently, we are reading The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. I'm not done yet, but so far so good :)

Happy Reading; 12:22 PM
Jen said...: It must be:

The unbearable lightness of being - Milan Kundera

or

Fugitive Pieces - Anne Michaels

Seriously - these are forever in your blood books.

Jen; 12:25 PM
P said...: Some of my faves:

A Suitable Boy, Vikram Seth
Disgrace, J.M. Coetzee
Of Human Bondage, Somerset Maugham
Possession, A.S. Byatt
The Secret History, Donna Tartt
The Madness of a Seduced Woman, Susan Fromberg Schaeffer
The Principles of Uncertainty, Maira Kalman; 12:26 PM
Caroline said...: -Bastard Out of Carolina - Dorothy Allison
-The Kid - Dan Savage
-The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox - Maggie O'Farrell
-Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger (my favorite book of all time, forever and ever)
-Sophie's Choice - William Styron
-The God of Small Things - Arundhati Roy
-Mating - Norman Rush
-White Oleander - Janet Fitch
-The True Story of Hansel and Gretel - Louise Murphy
-Zami A New Spelling of my Name - Audre Lorde; 12:28 PM
Jenn said...: A Thousand Splendid Suns was the last novel I finished. It really really hurt to read that one, but it was still beautiful, nonetheless.

Sister of My Heart is a fast, but very sweet read.; 12:28 PM
Emilia Jane said...: Wow, you have enough books on here to read for a year but here are a few of my favs:

No one belongs here more than you -Miranda July

People of Paper - Salvador Plascencia

Book of laughter and forgetting - Milan Kundera

Special Topics (mentioned by KatieLynch above) is pretty awesome

Jenny and the Jaws of Life - Jincy Willet

Dogs of Babel by Carolyn Parkhurst will make you cry; 12:31 PM
Emilia Jane said...: Oh! and anything by Marilynne Robinson! I let everyone borrow Housekeeping.; 12:37 PM
Christina said...: Saturday by Ian McEwan. I am listening to it during my drive to work and when I travel to visit my boyfriend.; 12:41 PM
jcald. said...: I'm currently writing down every single suggestion so that I can read them all! (and I will!!!)

This was a wonderful post!

p.s. I started to read The Time Traveler's Wife, but I tried and tried and tried and just couldn't get into it! And believe me, that RARELY happens! I was disappointed :( Maybe I'll give it one more go!; 12:43 PM
stacy said...: I recommend The Nine. Its about the supreme court. I am in the middle of reading it and it's fantastic.; 12:50 PM
The Socialite said...: I agree with a previous comment: The Catcher in the Rye. Oldie but goodie.; 12:53 PM
Anna said...: I highly recommend What Would Audrey Do?, Into the Wild, Into Thin Air, Sense and Sensibility and Pigman, for a start. :)
I will be writing down everyone else's suggestions too!; 12:59 PM
Giulia said...: favorites to read-re/read include:

anything by Shirley Hazzard (particularly if you've not read The Transit of Venus or The Great Fire or Greene on Capri), Chekhov, the last translation of Anna Karenina by Pevear & Volokhonsky), Suite Française by Irène Némirovsky (there is a new one out but name escapes me at moment); absolutely: The Balkan Trilogy & The Levant Trilogy by Olivia Manning (upon which BBC's Fortunes of War was based).
Happy reading!; 12:59 PM
You are my fave... said...: All of these suggestions are probably going to overwhelm you, but I have to throw my two bits in.

2 young adult books that I absolutely adore:
Walk Two Moons (Sharon Creech)
Kiki Strike (Kristen Miller) - this one is about an underground city in NY so you would love it

Another one I've enjoyed recently is Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life (Amy Rosenthal); 1:09 PM
Jenn said...: I'm a book-aholic, but two of my absolute favorites - the ones with highlighted lines, that are then underlined, and re-highlighted again are:

The Poisonwood Bible - Barbara Kingsolver
- Gives great insight into the disfunctions of religion through the eyes of a mother and her four daughters as they follow their Bible-thumping father into the heart of the Congo.

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
- A very eerie look at life if fertility became rare and the human race was slowly dying out, and the women who are fertile are portioned out to the "right" families. Very 1984, but from a woman's perspective.

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
- I loved this book. It questions sexuality, gender and social stereotypes. It helps if you like somewhat dark stories, like Eugenides's other novel, The Virgin Suicides.

Good luck finding another book! It's hard to choose sometimes.; 1:11 PM
miss milki said...: 79 people have commented at this stage so you probably have enough suggestions to keep you going for a few years but I had to recommend just one more...Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. Its an intimidating book because its so big but its absolutely excellent. Its a book about life, love, humanity and relevant to every place and time. If you've never read it give it a go. I'm pretty sure you'll love it!; 1:12 PM
Bethany said...: Check out any of the books by Persephone Press, such as

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day
or
The Making of a Marchioness

They republish beautiful, but somewhat forgotten, books by female authors

another gem is

I Capture the Castle

and of course I have to add my undying love for The Time Travellers Wife. AMAZING; 1:18 PM
kristen said...: I'm giving books this year as presents, all my favorites!

Atonement by Ian McEwan
Palace Council by Stephen Carter
Bridge of Sighs by Richard Russo
Three Junes by Julia Glass
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

and for my cooking foodies . . .

EAT ME by Kenny Shopsin; 1:19 PM
Franco said...: I am currently looking for a bookcase,
I have so many books!!
I recommend the modern fairy tale series by holly black.
It'a about fairies in NYC, but don't think it's all cute and fantasy, it's very dark and realistic.; 1:25 PM
Helen said...: I'm studying English at university so I love books! I've just finished reading Witches Abroad by Terry Pratchett and it isn't usually the type of book I'd choose to read but it's so funny and good! It's about 3 witches who go on an adventure to help stop a servant marrying a prince. It involves lots of fairy tales and myths and is really funny.

One of my all time favourite books is Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie. It is really a masterpiece.; 1:27 PM
kajola said...: Here's a few that I like:
A Complicated Kindness, Miriam Toews
White Noise, Don DeLillo
Motherless Brooklyn, Jonathan Lethem
You Shall Know Our Velocity, Dave Eggers
White Teeth, Zadie Smith
A Prayer for Owen Meany, John Irving

And I definitely agree with these already mentioned ones: The God of Small Things and A Fine Balance.; 1:28 PM
suzewearsshoes said...: Have you read The Time Traveller's Wife? If not, you must. It's the kind of book that you find yourself thinking about months after you finished reading it.

If you're up for delving into a little bit of sci-fi one of my favourit-est books in the whole world is The End of Eternity - less 'typical sci-fi' and more incredible writing and great, great storyline. This from a girl who would gladly read Hardy novels all day. It's that good a book. (Incidentally, all Hardy novels are a must!); 1:29 PM
Saphron said...: I personally love my own bookcase! And the man who loves it also, will be the man for me. :)

I'm almost finished with "Parallel Worlds" by Michio Kaku. Even if you've never taken an astronomy course, his writing style is very accessible, and of course the universe is fascinating.; 1:30 PM
Carla said...: Hi Jo,

I have recently read Death in the Mountains by Lisa Clifford an insight into life in Tuscany at the turn of the century and I also loved Marie Antoinette by Antonia Fraser..Happy Reading Carla x; 1:33 PM
Maria Rose said...: I highly HIGHLY recommend anything by Marie Darrieussecq. She is so creative, you won't regret it.; 1:34 PM
Tahda said...: Yes! I have fallen in love with someone's book case. isn't that a great feeling.

I have also had others fall in love with mine which is also nice.

books I love (please note:I will always forget to name one or two of my all time favs - its my downfall)

the bell jar - sylvia plath
perks of being a wallflower - stephen chbosky
the essence of style - joan dejean
neverwhere - neil gaiman
le petit prince - antoine de saint-exupéry
high fidelity - nick hornby

and more.; 1:35 PM
Catherine Jagers said...: oooh, i love everyone's picks! Here are my favorites:

1. Tree Grows in Brooklyn - Betty Smith: amazing coming of age story, that grips your heart.
2. Foutainhead - Ayn Rand: NY Architecture world, that gives you insight into human soul, and the authors idea of 'ideal humans.'
3. Are you there vodka, it's me Chelsea - Chelsea Handler: You will annoy people by laughing outloud SO LOUDLY.
4. The Sum of Our Days - Isabel Allende. Beautiful memoir of Chilean author living in California and raising her family. Hilarious, insipiring and tender.; 1:38 PM
mckenzie said...: 3 cups of tea
to kill a mockingbird; 1:38 PM
Anonymous said...: I can't believe no one here has mentioned the Book Thief! So incredible!; 1:50 PM
Erica said...: I copied this whole damn list. Thanks!

I was pretty taken with 13 Reasons Why, a new YA by Jay Asher.

xo

(word verification: shedaze); 1:58 PM
Miss Kolleen said...: if this is a repeat comment i apologize:

-the time travelers wife
-wasted (marya hornbacher)
- the center of winter
- the dexter books
- lady lazurus (altschul)
- requiem for a dream
- the dogs of babel
- life size
- anything by stephen king
- anything by clive barker
- anything by joyce carol oates
- madness
- anything by irving
- the year of disappearances
- throws like a girl
- no country for old men

i read pretty much whatever is in front of me; 2:00 PM
Joanna said...: You already have enough books recommended to you to last several years! I've seen many on here that I love and are MUST-reads (i.e. Rebecca, The Time Traveller's Wife, High Fidelity). Also, The Perfect Scent is an incredibly interesting look at the world of perfume--and believe me, if you're not interested now, you will be.

Also, these two books are on my to-read list and come highly recommended from many sources:

--Suite Francaise

--Revolutionary Road; 2:05 PM
Lisa D said...: Dang, you've gotten alot of awesome suggestions, but I will add a few...

Without Reservatios: The Travels of an Independent woman by Alice Steinbach - great travel memoir!

An Italian Affair by Laura Fraser - another travel memoir, about a woman who got cheated on by her husband...

You've inspired me to do a post with my top 5!!; 2:09 PM
Munted kowhai said...: An oldie but a goodie:

I finished it last month and am still thinking about it's main character.

Johnny got his gun by Dalton Trumbo.

A must must read.; 2:16 PM
Jane Flanagan said...: I loved Siri Hustvedt's "The Sorrows of an American" latest and also Yannick Murphy's "Here they Come" oh and also Per Petterson's "Out Stealing Horses"; 2:28 PM
KB said...: Time Traveller's Wife. ABSOLUTELY!!!; 2:28 PM
Summer said...: Up next for me: a re-read of Pride and Prejudice. Doesn't get any more classic or inspiring than that. You can't go wrong!; 2:28 PM
Kath said...: Many of my recent favorites are already posted (Time Traveler's Wife, Water for Elephants, A Thousand Splendid Suns), but I must second the recommendation for The Book Thief. It's now at the top of my all-time favorites list. The language is absolutely stunning! A writer will truly appreciate it! Put it at the top of your list!!; 2:44 PM
Danielle said...: Some beautiful books I recently read:

Divisadero- Michael Ondaatje
The Beautiful Things that Heaven Bears- Dinaw Mengestu
Until I Find You- John Irving
The Brief, Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao- Junot Diaz
Marjorie Morningstar- Herman Wouk

Good luck!; 2:51 PM
Cas Ruffin said...: I'm a fan of The Fountainhead. A great book but dangerous to put in practice. Then I would read Eckhart Tolle - A New Earth to balance it out.; 2:54 PM
Maggie May said...: Recommended (from a writer and book obsessed reader)

- The Children's Hospital (mcsweeneys led me to this amazing book)

- Fall on Your Knees by Ann-Marie McDonald

- The Big House by George Colt; 3:01 PM
Anonymous said...: I agree with another before, the Road by Cormac McCarthy, could go as far to say is my all time favourite. I read it in a day and cried and cried at the end, it was great.

Also another i have just read, the little friend by Donna Tartt. Really takes you in its clutches and you come to care so much for the the little girl protagonist.
wish id never read those books so i could read them again.; 3:02 PM
celie said...: what is the what - by dave eggers is amazzzzing
middlesex is a great one, also
:); 3:07 PM
Julie said...: I just finished "Man Walks Into A Room," Nicole Krauss'first novel. Although it wasn't as wonderful as the "History of Love," it was still beautiful and sad.
Also, "Ghostwritten" by David Mitchell, "The Corrections" by Jonathan Franzen, "Fall on Your Knees" by Anne Marie MacDonald and "Middlesex" by Jeffrey Eugenides.
All fantastic!; 3:12 PM
emaura15 said...: I just bought "This Much I Know Is True" by Wally Lamb. I loooooved his other book "She's Come Undone" so I'm branching out. Another favorite? Anything by Jonathan Safran Foer or his wife Nicole Krauss. Love them.; 3:23 PM
its a secret said...: Fall/Winter makes me want to curl up with lemon zinger tea and read Jane Austen esp. Pride and Prejudice. :-); 3:25 PM
candice said...: So I've only seen one other person recommend the book but it is so good you have to read it! And I think you would love the style of the author a lot because she reminds me a little of your articles. It's called:

Love Walked In

And another classic but very good book that I think you would enjoy is called:

I captured the Castle by Dodie Smith.

They are both so great!; 3:32 PM
DeeDee said...: Lullabies for Little Criminals by Heather O'Neill

My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok; 3:39 PM
The Sassy Kathy said...: how fitting! i'm sitting in the library with my laptop as i type this!

and, like pretty much everyone else that's commented already, i could go on forever and ever about books! i've actually kept a list of all the books i've read since i was in 6th grade! it makes giving recommendations much easier :)

i just finished "the gathering" by anne enright and absolutely loved it - amazing writing!

also adore: a heartbreaking work of staggering genius, evening, the dud avocado, the maytrees, the handmaid's tale, housekeeping, kavalier & clay

happy reading!; 3:59 PM
alia said...: My two favorite reads this year are Sharp Teeth by Toby Barlow and Bell Canto by Ann Patchett. They are both magical, beautifully written stories.

I look forward to grabbing some of these recommendations at the library this evening.; 4:25 PM
Heather said...: A friend recommended GOODREADS.COM to me a while ago and I love it!

It manages book recommendations as it can certainly get overwhelming. I have a very long "to read" list on good reads. And my friends can see what i'm reading.

If you want to sign up, check out my page...
http://www.goodreads.com/friend/i?i=LTM2MDY0NDU3NTU6MzIy%0A

Btw, I promise i have no affiliation with good reads. i just like the site.

I agree 100x over about the time traveler's wife. but my other fave is Forever by Pete Hamill (he's an NY author and he the book is ALL about the history of nyc. Phenomenal).

And I sure hope someone tracks all these recommendations in a list as I'd love to see it all together!; 4:26 PM
DCKate said...: i have to pick??? i can't. here's a list...

Eat Pray Love
The Red Tent
Year of Yes
Good in Bed
A Thousand Splendid Suns; 4:27 PM
Ten Thousand Only said...: re: P.P.S.
absolutely totally. i love staring at peoples' bookshelves. it's not unlike a sneak preview.

when fiance and i combined our books, we realized we had many of the same.

as for suggestions, i would definitely agree with the person who listed oscar wao. and of course, my all time favorite: fountainhead.; 4:54 PM
Feaverish said...: I just finished The Plague of Doves by Louise Erdrich and it was excellent. Definitely the best book I've read in the last couple years.; 4:56 PM
Anonymous said...: Shadow of the winds- Carlos Ruis Zafon! <3; 5:00 PM
Mary Kate said...: Me Talk Pretty One Day

by David Sedaris

I never stopped lauging.; 5:02 PM
paula said...: ha! it looks like you are going to have a lot of reading to do.; 5:09 PM
Brittany said...: Here are my book recommendations on my blog:

http://www.brixpicks.com/Books-t-2.html

the best i read this year are:

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

Watchmen by Alan Moore

I'm With the Band: Confessions of a Groupie by Pamela des barres

In the Small by Michael Hague

Call for the Dead by John LeCarre

The Secret History by Donna Tartt; 5:18 PM
A Day That Is Dessert said...: I see I'm not the only one of your readers who loved the Time Traveler's Wife! Alexi read that book aloud to me when I was pregnant with Abbott; we finished it when I was in labor!

I just finished The Unheard: a memoir of deafness and africa by Josh Swiller, I'd highly recommend.

If you haven't read Sharon Kay Penman's books, they are awesome, easy to read historical fiction. My favorites of hers are the trilogy about Wales - Falls the Shadow is the only title I recall.; 5:29 PM
Abbey Goes Design Scouting said...: The wild trees by richard preston!; 5:31 PM
f said...: for something completely different (atleast from anything i've ever read) i recommend Glamorama by Bret Easton Ellis.

also;
everything is illuminated
Extremely loud and incredible close
both by Jonathan Safran Foer; 5:32 PM
Kicking and Screaming said...: I am in the throes of 'against interpretation' by Susan Sontag - its actually enthralling.; 5:33 PM
<b>The Accidental Pharmacist</b> said...: twilight, twilight, twilight..... you'll hate yourself the entire way through but it's oh-so-delicious.

PS Cool list - I've picked up a few ideas too...; 5:37 PM
lauren said...: the Time Travelers Wife recommendation is fabi (and might give you fun ideas for Smitten). My current little gem of a book to recommdend is:

Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamtress.

A red delicious read.; 5:37 PM
Hillary said...: Like Water for Chocolate.

or

The Year of Living Biblically (by the author of the know-it-all); 5:39 PM
actonbell said...: Pay special attention to Jenn (bias mine), and I would also recommend reading something by Michael Chabon, especially The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay.; 5:39 PM
erica said...: georges perec's 'life, a user's manual.' little snippets about the eccentric lives of people living in the same parisian apartment...; 5:42 PM
A Print A Day said...: a great majority of the books i read are graphic novels and comic books.

vertigo and topshelf comics have excellent titles. sandman mystery theater, swamp thing, fables, blankets are some great reads.

as for "book" books, some of my favourites are:
1984
a wrinkle in time
a year without made in china (highly recommended, by the way)
einstein's dreams
good scent from a strange mountain
to kill a mockingbird
american gods
cannery row
a little prince
tale of genji
robot dreams (and most books by isaac asimov); 5:43 PM
M said...: i just scrolled through some of the responses and saw plenty of good books. My favorites are:
"Hairstyles of the damned" by Joe Meno, about a high school boy, set in the early 90s in chicago.
"Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" by Jonathan Safran Foer. I can't wait for another one of his novels.; 5:45 PM
Anonymous said...: I hate to be a buzz kill but I thought The Time Traveller's Wife was the worst book I've read in a long time. I was hugely disappointed.

I'd vote Great Expectations or something by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Or the always amazing David Sedaris.; 6:59 PM
Fifi Flowers said...: Water for Chocolate was a great book! My all time favorites are Love in the Time of Cholera and Shadow of the Wind...the last one I LOVED!!!
Would love to have time to read... I'm sooo jealous that you have time to read... sigh!
ENJOY!
Fifi; 7:01 PM
Anonymous said...: The Knitting Circle - I plan to reread.. and then again.
Blue Like Jazz

Loved this post, I now have a very long list of "to reads"!; 7:02 PM
hanako66 said...: I recently read and loved the hidden diary of marie antoinette...I'm excited to go through your comments for new ideas!; 7:10 PM
recovergirl said...: Infidel.; 7:13 PM
alexandra said...: i LOVE books!

i recommend (if you haven't read them already):

A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius
by Dave Eggers

The History of Love
by Nicole Krauss

The Perks of Being a Wallflower
by Stephen Chbosky; 7:46 PM
Banana-head Pancake said...: Have you read "What is the What"? or "A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius"? I love Dave Eggers.
I too loved "the history of love", I like your choices!; 8:01 PM
Thivia said...: THE YEAR OF MAGICAL THINKING by JOAN DIDION!

THE BEST MEMOIR EVER!

REALLY.; 8:03 PM
Lu. Lu. said...: Water for Elephants was really good.
Also any book by Khaled Hosseini.
good luck finding your book you've got a lot of suggestions!; 8:46 PM
Desiree Fawn said...: I keep hearing fabulous things about Water for Elephants -- must read it soon methinks.
Also, right now I'm reading Good Grief by Lolly Winston -- pretty light read, but it's a nice break after the philosophical texts that I'm usually perusing.
I'm also a little (no shame, haha) in love with the Earth's Children series.. I'm on The Plains of Passage right now.; 9:04 PM
suzanjill said...: I loved your selections - especially The Glass Castle. And I know this is a bit dated but I remember reading "Memoirs of a Geisha" by Arthur Golden and being completely mesmerized by it - it's still one of my absolute favorites.; 9:17 PM
Martina said...: The God of Small Things
The Time Traveler's Wife
Lolita
Beloved
Assassination Vacation
... my list could go on (and I've made many a list on my blog as well). The perks of majoring in English is that I always hear of something worth reading!; 9:41 PM
zana fauzi said...: I'm in the middle of reading Ken Kalfus's A Disorder Peculiar to the Country. It's about a couple who were trying to get a divorce, and was happy when they thought each other's spouse died during the 9/11 event. But when they reached home finding each other still alive, they devised a variety of tactics to bring each other down. Somewhat hilarious.

And yes, I've fallen in love with people's bookcases many times. Just can't find time to assemble mine!; 9:56 PM
Anonymous said...: so many good ones......i'd also throw in "extremely loud and incredibly close" by Jonathan Safran Foer.

So easy to fall in love with a bookcase...; 10:29 PM
francine said...: The Alexandria Quartet by Lawrence Durrell; 10:38 PM
shill said...: FANTASTIC!!! all these comments with books to read, gives me a whole new list of must read.great topic joanna!!! i never get tired from reading roald dahl personally, am i too old for it? maybe. but it sure does keeps me dreaming :D; 11:34 PM
Lauren said...: I just recently got around to reading Girl With a Pearl Earring and it is by far one of my favorites! I am also loving an English author by the name of Stephen Clarke who writes about his adventures as an Englishman in Paris. It's laugh-out-loud English humor that takes place in my favorite city in the world (so far...)!; 12:25 AM
fiftylux said...: If on a Winter's Night A Traveller (Italo Calvino)

A Little Prince
(Antoine de Saint Exupery)

A Girl of the Limberlost
(Gene Stratton-Porter)

Breakfast of Champions
(Kurt Vonnegut)

In Watermelon Sugar
(Richard Brautigan)

and generally anything Murakami..

good luck with your next choice!
I'm currently reading Malcolm Lowry's 'Under the Volcano'..; 12:28 AM
Mrs.French said...: I am beyond ashamed, actually I can't believe I am sharing this...I have been reading twilight...a lovely young adult novel....so good, I have to tell you...xo; 12:38 AM
Caitlin H. said...: anything by augusten burroughs is always an interesting read... I recommend Dry or Sellevision!; 12:58 AM
Erin said...: HI! I found you from your Nie post on cJane and immediately fell in love! Great blog. Anyhoo...I recently finished Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer. It's about a boy in post 9/11 NY. Thought you would enjoy it! I loved it.

Nice to "meet" you! I'll be back! My sister is engaged too - I'm so sending her the link to Smitten. Love your post on supermarket bouquets too!; 1:10 AM
a version said...: my most favourite book of all time
is 'the wind up bird chronicles' by
mister haruki murakami
it made me change the way i saw things
maybe it changed the equilibrium of the air or something,
i've been trying to get this feeling back in other book but it just won't come; 1:24 AM
Karen said...: The Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
American Wife - Curtis Sittenfeld
Shantaram - Gregory David Roberts

What are your recommendations??; 2:14 AM
monkey said...: oh my...i'm going to have to go back through all these comments and write a list of books to read :-)

so here are mine:

murakami has made quite an appearance here and i'm also recommending 'kafka on the shore' as well as 'norwegian wood' and 'wind up bird chronicle'

'the last samurai' by helen dewitt.

'a trip to the stars' by nicholas christopher

and my most favorite of all time is 'the temple of my familiar' by alice walker; 2:41 AM
b1brittany said...: Hey Jo,
Brittany here. :D
I tagged you so check the post out on my blog and read the rules and all, however, you may of been tagged before. Sorry. :S
If you have been tagged before, I am really sorry but you could do another list. :D
Brittanyx; 2:57 AM
natalie blair said...: ooo. books! i just finished on beauty and absolutely loved it. my favorites are: nine stories (salinger), love in the time of cholera (marquez), strange pilgrims (also marquez), persuasion (austen), anything by david sedaris, lamb: the gospel according to biff, christ's childhood pal (moore - if you are in for a laugh, this one is sarcastically fantastic), the cheese monkeys (kidd - this one is about design school and is brilliant!), and written on the body (winterson - this is my absolute favorite).; 3:58 AM
Leigh said...: I just happen to organize all of my books yesterday into a book shelf from storage in my closet just picked "love in the time of cholera"

Cannot wait to hear your choice and to mark all of the wonderful choices from everyone here:) Yay books!; 4:09 AM
Rose said...: I love your blog!

My friends Mother worked at the BBC for years and had the most incredible book cases, well she probably still does. Packed to the rafters with first editions, unusual books I had never heard of and with little postcards collected at exhibtions etc sticking out here and there with little notes on them. It was like a treasure trove.

Books are like music, different moods require different things but if I start either 1984 or Jane Eyre and I can't close them until I finish and everytime I feel totally overwhelmed at their brilliance.

There is a kind of great pleasure but also sense of loss when you finish a great book.; 4:18 AM
Alexis said...: Winter's Tale by Mark Helprin

Especially great if you know New York City well.

The writing is stunning. I really can't recommend it highly enough.; 6:37 AM
nicole. said...: Love in the Time of Cholera!; 8:00 AM
Jenny said...: Blind willow sleeping woman by Haruki Murakami is a great short story collection and The History of Love by S Krauss or something is really nice.; 8:38 AM
LINDSAY said...: eat. love. pray. was the last book I read. It was great.

I also read Water for Elephants over the summer. I couldn't put it down.; 9:08 AM
Lara said...: Dear Joanna, i highly recommend the book Extremely Loud & Incredible Close, by Jonathan Safran Foer.

Its the funny, sweet and the kind of sad that tries not to be sad, you know?

I miss the characters...kinda wished i could hug Oskar.

Seriously, if not now, make sure you read some day. =)

Lara.; 9:15 AM
Theo said...: 1. To Kill a Mockingbird
2. The Outsiders
3. The Penderwicks
4. Little Women
5. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime
6. Great Expectations; 9:35 AM
Nick Goddard said...: ughh i hate the new guiness books. i really like the old ones which were printed on regular paper, with just descriptions of 1000's and 1000's of records. the real intent of the guiness book was to be able to settle disputes, not to showcase records. the one in your shot is a terrible book (i own it), you can't really pour through it like you could the old dictionary-type guiness books (which held the record for most stolen book from libraries).; 10:11 AM
Kendall said...: Oooh, I love reading. It's one of my favorite things to do!

She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella
anything by Augusten Burroughs - he is amazing!
Jen Lancaster's books (she has published 3) are fab too. So funny!
I Was Told There'd Be Cake by Sloan Crosley
Straight Up and Dirty by Stephanie Klein
Comeback by Claire Fontaine
I'm Not the New Me by Wendy McClure
Go Ask Alice by Anonymous; 10:43 AM
Michelle Parks McCourt said...: wow - this is a fantastic response. I have to say hands down one of the best books i've read this decade is:
Any Human Heart, William Boyd; 11:40 AM
Emiliak said...: I have loved all of Ian McEwan's books; 11:47 AM
abby said...: 1. franny and zooey (favorite book), then
2. raise high the roof beam, carpenters and seymour: an introduction, then
3. nine stories.

you probably know this, but i'll continue . . . they're about (except some of nine stories) salinger's ficticious Glass family. if you read them in that order you'll get a healthy history/dose of the mesmerizing bunch. (plus you'll get to cap it off with the short story "for esme: with love and squalor", which i also adore.); 11:50 AM
cathy said...: I love books and love your blog and the combination of these has inspired me to post for the first time-
I enthusiastically agree with the recommendation of my all time FAVORITE- Crossing to Safety (I actually re-read it every other year- so compelling).
I enjoyed my re-reading of Anna Karenina - maybe the difference between being 16 years old and 44 years old.
I am surprised that no one has suggested anything by Philip Roth- American Pastoral is a tour de force- I was worried that Roth was too much of a "male" writer but the quality of his prose is so amazing, he has me hooked.
Also - anything by Annie Proulx( you have to be in the right fram of mind for such bleak western landscapes but magical writing)
I would also throw in a nonfiction suggestion- Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight by Alexandra Fuller (memoir of an African Childhood).; 11:52 AM
shi(f)t said...: my all time favorite is "the glass castle"...other good ones are "history of love," and "confederacy of the dunces"; 12:38 PM
Bridechka said...: I fell completely in love with the book "History of Love"

It is one of those novels that still makes me catch my breath every-time I think about it. I highly recommend it.; 1:06 PM
Bridechka said...: haha, I just went over to your post on city sage and saw that you have already History of Love! Duh, I should have probably checked that first! Have you read Everything is Illuminated its by her husband. I also recommend Shalimar the Clown by Salman Rushdie.; 1:09 PM
Jessie Cacciola said...: Lately? Anything with food! I actually just bought a nice stack from Barnes & Noble last weekend.

Check out "The Sharper Your Knife, The Less You Cry." It's about a 30-something who left her job to study at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris (and it's also a love story!). xo; 1:25 PM
B.Black said...: Dear Joanna, i highly recommend Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close.

I miss reading it and got so attached to the characters that i kinda wish i could hug some of them!

Its the reason im reading The History of love...the authors are married and have the same style...

if not know, you should really read it. Hope you enjoy it as much as i did.

xx

lara; 1:52 PM
Amanda Dyson said...: <3 A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

<3 Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto; 2:19 PM
Queenie Jeannie said...: Sarah's Key by Tatiana DeRosnay; it's a must read. It will break your heart, but at the same time make you a better person for having read it.; 3:03 PM
Melissa said...: I love The True and Outstanding Adventures of the Hunt Sisters by Elisabeth Robinson :); 12:50 AM
Charmaine said...: Mr Pine's Purple House. It's a kid's book, but it should be required reading for all architects & developers...It has a good message.; 3:19 AM
Chat Noir Books - A Voice in the Wilderness said...: Three Day Road and Through Black Spruce by Joseph Boyden
I can not say enough about this author!!; 9:25 AM
lbs said...: I'm so glad you did this post. I love getting book recs and I'm about to start a book club, so excellent timing! I'm jotting a whole bunch of book names down and I'll be at the bookstore or library this weekend. Probably library since I just found out my last day of work will be on Dec 23. Kind of sad, but hey....more time to read! Maybe I'll adopt the lifestyle of that woman you posted about awhile ago - the stay at home wife.; 10:12 AM
lbs said...: The two books I am recommending are up there with The History of Love in my book opinion.

The God of Animals by Aryn Kyle - sometimes I just can't place why I love certain books, but this one did it for me.

Dogs of Babel, Carolyn Parkhurst. Oh boy, the ending still gives me chills.

I agree with many posters on To Kill a Mockingbird. I just fell in love with Atticus. What a stand up guy.; 10:29 AM
katrina said...: wow! books are a hot topic! this makes me so excited because these recommendations are going to get me through my slow work day! yay!
being an english major i love books.
my favorites are:
*the time traveler's wife by audrey niffenegger (as mentioned a million times before)
*extremely loud and incredibly close by jonathan safran foer (my all time favorite)
*the feast of love by charles baxter (this was made into a movie recently, but it is NOT good.); 10:47 AM
Anonymous said...: Any books by Augusten Burroughs, David Sedaris, Jonathen Safran Foer, Ruth Reichel and Peter Mayle. Ooh, and all the Harry Potters :).; 12:48 PM
mama said...: the history of love
the god of small things
a fine balance
pride and prejudice
peter pan (james barrie)
to kill a mockingbird
billy bud
the corrections
the remains of the day
the ox-bow incident

this is my favorite post ever!!!!!!!; 6:48 PM
stacey said...: I love your blog and never comment but I had to suggest:

- A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole (someone mentioned it before but it might get lost in the near 100+ comments)
- The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides
- The Loved One by Evelyn Waugh; 10:50 PM
O. Joy said...: Most recently...
"The Art of Racing in the Rain"....
exquisite & delicious book. Finished it in 2 days!

LOVE your blog!; 10:54 AM
lbs said...: I second The Art of Racing in the Rain. I loved Enzo!; 4:03 PM
fallabilitytakesflight said...: i agree on 'confederacy of dunces', (author committed suicide after he wrote it - but they have been trying to make a screenplay out of it for 20 years casting will ferrell and chris farley as the main leads - if you read the book you will cherish that little known fact) as well as 'a prayer for owen meany', and 'infinite jest' (oddly, this author committed suicide too...), of course 'atlas shrugged', 'the road' which kept me up an entire night, and a MUST read for anyone who has not spent at least 6 months in the service industry is anthony bourdain's Kitchen Confidential: adventures in the culinary underbelly - who now has an awesome show on the travel channel because of this book - it is how this new yorker became a chef, lots of laughs/real writing; 4:24 AM
kat said...: wow, i bookmarked this so that I could come back and check the links when there were more, I'm now overwhelmed!

thanks to those that suggested goodreads.com what a great idea!

I also was going to say the time travellers wife (yes another one - yawn) though in reply to the person that said they can't get past the beginning keep trying, I had this problem too and then one day i just sat down and devoured the whole thing in about 3 days! really good

I am on the hunt for one of those rare page turners rather than just good books, ones that worked for me were..

perfume - patrick suskind (seriously dark though, i suggested this book for my grandmother and she wasn't impressed!)

the kite runner and a thousand splendid suns Khaled Hosseini

i capture the castle by dodie smith

Th Handmaids Tale - margaret atwood (excellent excellent excellent)

life of pi - yann martel

The Curious Incident of the Dog in - Mark Haddon

the way I found her - rose tremain (haven't read this for years but its stuck in my head)

good luck!

p.s. thanks for writing about my pad xx; 8:51 AM
Claire said...: I always rave about My Life in France by Julia Childs. So good! I recently read a darling kids book called Un Lun Dun as well.; 3:58 PM
kat said...: just wanted to add another good site
not sure if there is a similar service for the rest of the world but this is great if you're in the uk, read lots of books and want to save money...

www.readitswapit.co.uk; 7:47 AM
cake. said...: i'm working on reading 50 books this year! i will definitely pick up "a history of love" that's the kind of book my list has been lacking.; 1:22 AM
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şerit testere"; 3:12 AM
Katie said...: It's been a while since you posted this, and I already recommended two books (Time Traveler's Wife and The Shadow of the Wind), but I just read to fantastic books and thought you might like to add them to your (long) list.

In the Woods by Tana French, and then the sequel, The Likeness. Very good and engaging books.; 1:02 AM

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Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Which books do you guys love?

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