My dear readers, have you guys read any good books lately? I just finished my book, and I'm searching for a new one. Any recommendations? I'd love to hear! xoxo(Photo by Barca)
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ABOUT
Joanna Goddard
Welcome! I'm a magazine-writer-turned-blogger who lives in NYC with my husband and toddler son.
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"Surely, You're Joking Mr. Feynman" by Richard Feynman, a physicist with the sweetest love story ever. He's also very witty. My husband is a physicist and after reading the book recommended it to me (even though don't know anything about physics really) and I absolutely loved it. Again, the love part is super sweet.
ReplyDeleteI am currently reading The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery and Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood and am loving them both!
ReplyDeleteThe Help by Kathryn Stockett
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing!
I recently read "Love Is a Mix Tape" and "Cassette From My Ex." Both were amazing. I'd recommend either - especially if you're into music!! :)
ReplyDeleteI have not read any good books! I am stuck in a book rut :( I am going to check back in and see what people post!
ReplyDelete"A Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Man" By James Joyce (:
ReplyDeleteHey!
ReplyDelete"What I loved" by Siri Hustvedt is beautiful,"Snobs" by Julian Fellowes very English and witty , and "The Tender Bar" by J. R. Moehriger one of my favourites of all times,perfection. As for classics Tender is the Night, Fitzgerald.
Have fun!
AMissinParis
Olive Kitteridge!
ReplyDeleteI just finished "Pope Joan" by Donna Woolfolk Cross, which is a good historical fiction/nonfiction (depending on whether you believe there really was a female pope...), as well as "The Piano Teacher" by Janice Y. K. Lee (similar to "Atonement," set in WWII-era Hong Kong). I would recommend both!
ReplyDelete"The Likeness" by Tana French, without contest my recent favorite.
ReplyDeleteAlso, "The Girl With No Shadow" by Joanne Harris.
"The Time Travellers' Wife". Great book.
ReplyDeleteThe thought had crossed my mind this morning to do a post like this...I am also in a "book rut" and can't seem to find anything that has held my attention lately...tried to read Atlas Shrugged, (as I have been told I should), but it's a bit tedious for me...liked the premise of Three Cups of Tea, but couldn't finish it. A friend recently recommended The Help, so I've ordered it from half.com. I'll let you know what i think.
ReplyDeletei just read "water for elephants" and was so so sad when it was over. also, if you are at all into julia child or food or france, i read "my life in france" and LOVED it.
ReplyDeleteThe Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows is wonderful! My best friend and I both devoured it in a day, and it's set in small island off the coast of England, so it will be a nod to your British heritage too!
ReplyDelete"Extremely Loud and Incredibly" Close by Jonathan Safran Foe. Also, "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro.
ReplyDeleteJust finished The Help for our book club and we all agree it is one of the best books in a while!
ReplyDeleteAlso, if you've never read Love in the Time of Cholera, do it. It's my all-time fav and I re-read it when I can't find anything else to hold my interest...
ReplyDelete"The Red Leather Diary: Reclaiming a Life Through the Pages of a Lost Journal" by Lily Koppel. I'm obsessed with stories about real people, and I found this one fascinating. Plus, you get juicy tidbits about life in New York in the late 20's, early 30's so really, what's not to like? A nice breezy read, too and the ladies will inspire you to be creative and free.
ReplyDeleteI found The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway to be a very lovely work ---- and it's Canadian, so by definition, very polite and respectful :)
ReplyDeleteAlso, The Glass Castle (Jeannette Walls).
So funny because I just looked up your old post requesting book suggestions so I could find something new to read. My two most favorite reads from most recently: The History of Love by Nikole Krauss (such a beautiful story, and I had that full body tremor/wave that happens after you read something so awesome), and Sutie Francaise was really good.
ReplyDeleteI'm reading "The Book Of Laughter and Forgetting" by Milan Kundera. I'd recommend it to anyone. Another one of his novels, "The Unbearable Lightness of Being", is also an incredible read.
ReplyDeleteI've been on a juvenile book kick lately, a la Harry Potter. If you liked that series, you'll love the Percy Jackson series. I also am loving The Hunger Games series too...
ReplyDeleteI just finished reading "Wild Swans" by Jung Chang, and it's a memoir of a grandmother, mother and daughter living during Mao's cultural revolution in China. It was beautiful and horrifying and superbly written.
ReplyDeleteLorrie Moore's "A Gate at the Stairs." Highly recommend.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if you are into girl books, but I am reading the Nora Roberts, The Bride Quartet series.
ReplyDeleteThe first two books are out.
Vision in White & Bed of Roses
I can't wait until the next one comes out "Savour the Moment". I would recommend them. =)
Everyone seems to be talking about The Help. It's next on my list.
ReplyDeleteBut my book club just finished The Book Thief and all agreed it's just brilliant. I cannot recommend it highly enough!
I definitely have to second the vote for The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. AMAZING!! Delightful and charming. :)
ReplyDeleteoh my goodness, you guys are geniuses!!!!!!!
ReplyDelete'sex, drugs and coco puffs' by chuck klosterman. you will find yourself laughing out loud and reading passages to the people sitting around you. another favorite book is 'zen and the art of motorcycle maintenence'. it's perfect for reflecting on life.
ReplyDeleteMy book club just finished The Tender Bar by J.R. Moehringer (who incidentally helped Andre Agassi with his new autobiography). It was beautifully written and I cried when it was over.
ReplyDeleteI also just finished Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin. Dark, amazing, unforgettable . . . Maybe I should do a post . . . Happy reading, Joanna!
Currently reading 'On the Road' by Jack Kerouac xxx
ReplyDelete"Out of Africa", by Karen Blixen. I just finished it and loved it so much I think I'm becoming obsessed with Blixen
ReplyDeleteHunger Games and Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
ReplyDeleteI am reading The Help and I can't put it down!
ReplyDeleteI'm reading "Ursula Under" by Ingrid Hill, it's really different and great! You and Alex should get "The Lost City of Z" by Grann and read it together. I did that with my boyfriend and it totally took us on an adventure! So good.
ReplyDeleteI'm reading Paris to the Moon by Adam Gopnik, in which he chronicles the 5 years he spent living in Paris with his family. Very good and have had many "aha!" moments :) I'm also reading Sacred Hearts by Sarah Dunant, so far so good as well!
ReplyDeleteI recently finished "2666" by Roberto Bolano and it was excellent. One of the only contemporary novels I like. Some other classics: "The Adventures of Augie March" by Saul Bellow and "Brideshead Revisited" by Evelyn Waugh.
ReplyDeleteif you like autobiography type novels - Swimming to Antarctica by Lynne Cox is a fantastic and interesting story. You read it and you're like, "why have we never heard of this woman before?" (umm...or maybe you have and it's just me that hasn't. haha)
ReplyDeletethanks for asking about books because i just requested a bunch of these suggested books at my library now. reading for the holidays!
Currently reading "City of Thieves," set in WWII Russia. Very exciting. A good winter read.
ReplyDeleteah! saw someone recommended Never Let Me Go - read it a few years ago, can't recommend it enough. It's a little dark but beautifully written. There is a movie in the works based on the novel, starring Carey Mulligan.
ReplyDeleteI just finished Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm. It was lovey, magical, and charming. I highly recommend it.
ReplyDeleteThird vote for Guernsey! Also a second vote for A Gate at the Stairs.
ReplyDeleteI recently read a book called Nine Kinds of Naked - it's a surrealist novel and I found it very enjoyable, and very different from anything I'd read before.
I'm currently reading The Yiddish Policemen's Union - I am rather late to the Michael Chabon party - and I am LOVING it.
I'm on a Tom Robbins kick right now--just finished Even Cowgirls Get the Blues and I'm on to Jitterbug Perfume. He writes the weirdest and funniest characters. Some of my other recent favorites have been The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon and A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers. Happy reading!
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite books is "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn". If you haven't read it, pick it up. It's absolutely lovely!
ReplyDelete"The Children's Book" by A.S.Byatt :)
ReplyDelete'Ooh ooh ooh! You HAVE to read The Art of Racing in the Rain' by Garth Stein. I am a slow reader and I finished it in a week. It is really a great read.
ReplyDeleteThe Mystery Guest by Gregoire Bouillier -- France, heartbreak -- you couldn't ask for more -- it's quick and funny and unbelievably real.
ReplyDeleteJust finished "The Guinea Pig Diaries: My Life as an Experiment" by A.J. Jacobs. I love his writing/sense of humor!
ReplyDeleteShameless plug - I have a book review blog that doesn't get updated as often as I read, but I only try to review books I enjoy, so there's that:
ReplyDeletehttp://coolkidsreading.blogspot.com/
I feel like everyone should read Pompeii by Robert Harris. It's just excellent. (And yes, there's a full-on review on my blog.)
I also am addicted to the Home Repair is Homicide series by Sarah Graves. The first is Dead Cat Bounce.
Happy reading!
"till we have faces" by c.s. lewis
ReplyDelete"the year of magical thinking" by joan didion
"glass castle" by jeanette wills (maybe willis)
all excellent.
and you can buy used versions for super cheap on abebooks.com
I just finished Michael Pollan's "In Defense of Food". It was an interesting read - but maybe not for everyone.
ReplyDeleteI just started reading "A Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood. My sister suggested it to me - saying it's a saucy (and smart) read.
oh and "letters to a young poet" by rainer maria rilke
ReplyDeleteit depends on what you just read, joanna! what was the last book you really liked?
ReplyDelete(personally, i found _guernsey_ overly sentimental, but to each his or her own!)
some things i've recently read and enjoyed:
sea of poppies (amitav ghosh)
atonement (ian mcewan)
biography of virginia woolf (quentin bell--sounds staid but it is fantastic! and the woolfs' love story is actually pretty wonderful)
the untouchable (john banville)
wolf hall (hilary mantel)
and middlemarch (eliot, of course)--it's long and a classic but so captivating once you're 100 pages in, and impossible to tear yourself away from!
I second "The Art of Racing in the Rain," esp. if you're a dog person. =)
ReplyDeleteI could not put down Bobby and Jackie: A Love Story. Excellent read on the real-life affair between Jackie O and RFK.
ReplyDeletePlaying the Enemy - which is the true to life novel that the movie Invictus is based on. Its a phenomenal read.
ReplyDeleteShadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón! It was ridiculously amazing.
ReplyDeleteYou have to read The Elegance of the Hedgehog, it's the best book I've read in the last few years. So, so good.
ReplyDeleteGods behaving badly was a treat and more on the fun side. if you want something a little more serious try The namesake. OH, and I also read a book called The Magicians. it was like Harry Potter for grown ups. lol
ReplyDeletewww.thefabulousrublog.com
Brooklyn by Colm Toibin is so beautiful it hurts.
ReplyDeleteMy Life in France by Julia Child!
ReplyDelete"Wesley the barn owl" by stacey o'brian. Amazing story of a women who raises a barn owl. funny, enlightening, informational and the owls name is wesley ... how cute is that? Easy read.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.wesleytheowl.com/
"the guernsey potato peel pie society" "the help" and "the time traveler's wife" are all AMAZING!!!
ReplyDeleteI try and make everyone I know read "A Year in Provence" by Peter Mayle. So delightfully funny and well-written. There are two books that follow the first - Toujours Provence, and Encore Provence.
ReplyDeleteWhite Teeth - Zadie Smith
French Lessons - Alice Kaplan
And if you haven't read The Elegance of the Hedgehog (I noticed many people recommended it), it's amazing
"The Gargoyle" by Andrew Davidson is my current favorite book that I feel the need to recommend to everyone! Or "The Private Papers of Eastern Jewel" by Maureen Lindley, which I just finished for my book club and was wonderful.
ReplyDeleteI strongly recommend "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls.
ReplyDeleteAfter my sister-in-law handed me down this book (which she devoured in 2 days) I stayed up late two nights in a row to finish reading.
I laughed SO loud while reading in the living room, my fiance had to come out to see what was so hilarious. I ended up reading parts of the book out loud to him.
I second 'The Time Traveler's Wife".
ReplyDeleteThe time travellers wife..Way better than the movie..:)
ReplyDeleteCurrently reading "American Wife" by Curtis Sittenfeld. Very engrossing.
ReplyDeleteAlso re-reading "Unaccustomed Earth" by Jhumpa Lahiri. Love her books.
All the emily giffin books (something borrowed, something blue, etc.). Captivating chick lit you will devour!
ReplyDeleteThe last book I read was Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby; it was pretty good. Also, I really liked David Benioff's City of Thieves.
ReplyDeletemy hubs just reread a catcher in the rye, so I thought it appropriate that I pick up "Franny and Zooey" by salinger. Almost done with it!
ReplyDelete"The Shadow of the Wind" by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
ReplyDelete"The Last Time I Was Me" by Cathy Lamb
"Fortune's Rocks" by Anita Shreve
I just finished reading the novel The Castaways by Elin Hildebrand & loved it.
ReplyDeleteAlso, check out my blog for some books that inspire me: http://bethstakeonlife.blogspot.com/2009/11/books-that-inspire-me-to-get-creative.html
Right now I'm reading Bright Star. John Keats love letters and poems to Fanny Brawne. It's lovely.
ReplyDeleteI tried reading "White Teeth" by Zadie Smith and could not finish it. A few weeks ago I picked up her book "On Beauty" and got totally hooked. Her characters are so complicated and emotional. Also, I second "The Elegance of the Hedgehog" but warn you to have some tissues at hand!
ReplyDeleteThe Meaning of Night by Michael Cox
ReplyDeleteThe Glass of Time by Michael Cox (the sequel to the latter)
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson (the sequel to the latter)
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon (I'm reading this now)
One of my favorite books of all time: "The Unprejudiced Palate," by Angelo Pellegrini. It's his recollection of his incredibly impoverished early boyhood in Italy, his impressions of the startling abundance and waste he found coming to the U.S. as a schoolboy, and his philosophies and practices with regards to cooking, eating, and living a life of vigor, self reliance, and sensual joy. Just wonderful. Also, anything at all by MFK Fisher. I think you'd love her wry and subtle tales of living in Dijon and Provence!
ReplyDeleteHolidays on Ice by David Sedaris is a hilarious compilation of holiday-related short stories, including his experience as an elf at Macy's. i read it every year. it always makes me laugh and is a quick read. let me know if you read it! :)
ReplyDeleteSnow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See is incredible!
ReplyDeleteI'm reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson and it's great! I also just finished The Help and definitely recommend that too!
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite books is The Secret History by Donna Tartt. One I just finished and loved was Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami. I highly recommend them both!
ReplyDeleteI just finished a book from Adam Thirwell.. The Escape. Really good!
ReplyDeletethesingular.blogspot.com
ftourist.blogspot.com
The Red Tent by Anita Diamant. Lovely.
ReplyDeleteA beautiful written novel that celebrates women.
Run by Ann Patchett
ReplyDeleteGrapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
Olive Kittridge by Elizabeth Strout
I loved them all!
Happy Picking.
Sarah
zadie smith... "changing my mind." really good collection of essays!
ReplyDeleteHighly recommend "The Glass Castle" as mentioned above by others. Found it to be a really great read- made me appreciate what I have in life. I have passed my copy along to several friends- hope you give it a try!
ReplyDelete'book thief' is amazing...oh so amazing.
ReplyDeletejust finished 'little bee'
and i keep carrying it with me trying to pull a quote from it, but its the entire story i want to retell.
I just realized both of my choices were already mentioned here, so here's my seconding for them.
ReplyDeleteEveryone obviously has great tastes, then. Haha.
Definitely read "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls.
I could not put it down and find myself, on nights when I am unable to sleep, wishing I could just pick it up and read it all over again. It's a really remarkable memoir.
Also, if you haven't read "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith, you're missing out on my absolute FAVORITE book. It's a coming-of-age story that spans across an entire childhood and I see myself in the story so much.
For contemporary fiction, I agree with angela: The History of Love by Nicole Krauss and with sarjen: Olive Kittridge by Elizabeth Strout
ReplyDeleteFor something older, The Quiet American by Graham Greene or The Good Soldier by Ford Maddox Ford
Behind The Scenes At The Museum by Kate Atkinson. Older book. Great book!
ReplyDeleteAlso, The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters!
Zeitoun or anything else by Dave Eggers. Extremely powerful first person account of Katrina that reads like a novel instead of non-fiction.
ReplyDeleteYES!!!
ReplyDeleteI am reading my friend Ken Wheaton's new book: "The First Annual Grand Prairie Rabbit Festival."
Absolutely hysterical! As I knew it would be as Ken rocks.
The best book I read this year was:
ReplyDeleteLet the Northern Lights Erase Your Name by Vendela Vida.
But I second anything by M.F.K. Fisher. I am actually writing a book about her time in France. Her writing is divine.
I just read The House on Sugar Beach - smart and sweet. You learn something, but it's not too challenging for a holiday read.
ReplyDeleteJesus Land by Julia Scheeres is a really lovely and unusual memoir.
ReplyDeleteThe curious incident with the dog at midnight. Easy to read, yet makes you think. Tough combo.
ReplyDeleteI saw someone already recommended Oryx and Crake - I second that recommendation. I also recommend Animal Vegetable Miracle by Barbara Kingsley and Women Don't Ask by Linda Babcock. Actually - I could give a whole list...
ReplyDeleteOh I loved Water for Elephants!
ReplyDeleteA few recent favorites of mine include Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls and North River by Peter Hamill.
I really recommend "The Flying Troutmans" by Miriam Toews. Hilarious and genuinely touching.
ReplyDeleteOr if you're looking strictly for laughs, I'd suggest "My Horizontal Life" by Chelsea Handler. How she gets herself into the situations she does, I do not know.
I hope you enjoy whatever book you end up choosing!
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society was excellent! It's a must read, and quick too. You actually fall in love with the characters and feel as though you're friends with them. So cute.
ReplyDeleteAlso, for good laughs, a collection of short stories called "I was Told There'd be Cake" is so good.
For a little thriller set in the LES - "Lush Life"
Steig Larsson - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo...and the other two books in the trilogy. Its just something that should be read and I guarantee you'll love it...or I'll pay for the books. Seriously!
ReplyDeleteI agree with the comments about The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
ReplyDeleteReally spectacular book!
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
ReplyDeleteCutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
A Gate at the Stairs by Lorrie Moore
You must read THE GOOD THIEF by Hannah Tinti. It's a classic.
ReplyDeleteJust finished: MOUNTAINS BEYOND MOUNTAINS by Tracy Kidder. Incredibly inspiring about a doctor with tremendous spirit and courage. Great peek into how international health policy works and wonderful social commentary on how we relate to those who are suffering beyond what we can ever imagine.
ReplyDeleteJust borrowed:
THE USES OF HAITI by Dr. Paul Farmer (subject of Mountains Beyond Mountains)
MADAME BOVARY by Gustave Flaubert
THE WHITE TIGER by Aravind Adiga
Best books I've read this year:
ANNA KARENINA by Tolstoy
INTO THE WILD by Jon Krakauer
THE GOD OF SMALL THINGS by Arundhati Roy
THE SHIA REVIVAL by Vali Nasr
i just did a post about the fashion books i want for christmas :)
ReplyDeletebut i am now reading "how luxury lost its luster" and it is pretty interesting.
for light reading, i loved "eat, pray, love"
for darker, yet hilarious reads: anything by augusten burroughs. especially "running with scissors"
My all time favorite book (for now!) is Nation by Terry Pratchett. His writing is very witty and British and dry, but its about a boy from a "primitive" island society that has to work through what he believes about his gods after a disaster. But its also really funny.
ReplyDeleteOh what a terrible description! I promise it's good.
Another vote for American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld. I've been sneaking away little moments in the day to read more of it. Before that I finished Olive Kitteridge, which was also an intense read!
ReplyDeleteIf you're looking for fiction: The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay (a great NYC book!), if not: The Omnivore's Dilemma (eye-opening, cringe-worthy descriptions of the food we eat). And if you're willing to hide your book cover on the subway, The Lost Symbol (Dan Brown--it's like candy, little nutritional value but still oh-sooo-appealing...)
ReplyDelete'Shantaram' by Gregory David Roberts
ReplyDeleteI was recommended to read it before I went to India this summer but only just got around to it (I actually bought it while in India).
Its an autobiographical novel of Roberts' escape from prison in Australia and his life in India on the run. A beautifully written book which will make you want to run off to India right now, but not to experience all of what he experienced there...
P.s. Please let us know what you decide!
Sunflowers by Sheramy Bundrick. It's a historical fiction novel about Vincent Van Gogh... And the chapters are named after his paintings! A truly lovely read.
ReplyDeleteMy twin sister loves Van Gogh and I gave it to her for our birthday. She loved it too! Check it out!
In Cold Blood, by Capote
ReplyDeleteI'm curling up on the couch in five minutes to finish reading it. Really a great story. And its true!!
My all-time favorites:
ReplyDeleteEmbers by Sandor Marai
Fugitive Pieces by Anne Shield
Breathing Underwater by Marie Darrieussecq
A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry
Also:
Bodysurfing by Anita Shreve
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
ReplyDeleteA Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
"Broken for You" by Stephanie Kallos or "Love Walked In" by Marisa de los Santos. Both are lovely stories about the strength of women.
ReplyDeleteNot exactly a new one out there, but I finally got around to reading 'A Tree Grows in Brooklyn' and it was a quite beautiful book! Happy reading!
ReplyDeleteOldies but goodies: "The great Gatsby", and "Tender is the nigth" by F.Scoot Fitzgerald, I love thoses books...
ReplyDeleteAlso I read and adore "Lee Miller: a life", such a glamourous women!
and last but not least "Three Trapped Tigers" by Guillermo Cabrera Infante.
I wish you lovely readings whatever you choose...
Have you read any of the quirk classics? Like, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, or Sense and Sensibilitiy and Sea Monsters. They are great! Or any Coco Channel book would be great too.
ReplyDeletei love "a thousand splendid suns" (in the picture!). i recently read bill mckibben's "deep economy"--so interesting and refreshing!
ReplyDeleteBooks I recently read and loved:
ReplyDelete1) No Impact Man by Colin Beavan
2)Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer
3) The Help by Kathryn Stockett
4) My Life in France by Julia Child
5) Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl
Have you looked into getting on Goodreads? It's a great site.
ReplyDeleteI'm currently reading/doing Shirley Corriher's Cookwise - I'm on the hunt for a perfect pie crust.
I just finishes "Holiday's on Ice" By David Sedaris, it's hilarious! I love David's books, he's so witty! And the short stories about the holidays are riduclous, like the Dinah, the Christmas Whore. hahaha You must read it!
ReplyDeleteI highly recommend Wild Swans.
ReplyDeleteI have so many books that I've started and plan on finishing over winter break.
ReplyDelete"The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
'Everything is Illuminated" by Jonathan Safran Foer
"A Clockwork Orange" b Anthony Burgess
Also if you love the show Dexter, I'd recommend the books by Jeff Lindsay, 'Darkly Dreaming Dexter' is the only one I've read so far but there's also 'Dearly Devoted Dexter' "Dexter in the Dark' and 'Dexter by Design'
Yes! I read four recently that were wonderful - and each different from the last. Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteThe Mysteries of Pittsburgh.
The Last Unicorn.
Night Watch.
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius.
If you feel like being nerdy, goodreads is an online social networking site and a gem for new book ideas!
-Andrea
Mathilda Savitch by Victor Ladato is fabulous. I just finished it and loved it. It's quite different as it is told from the perspective of a pre-teen girl.
ReplyDeleteSlow Death by Rubber Duck - exposes everyday toxins. Good stuff.
ReplyDeleteI'm reading Fyodor Dostoyevsky's novel, Notes From the Underground. It's short, barely a novel if you ask me but very dense and heavy with the craziest character description ever. I will warn you it's a bit of a black humor sort of thing and definitely not a love story.
ReplyDeleteInfluence by MK & A Olsen
ReplyDeleteThe Sartorialist
are some good ones, but I would love to read up on Sigmund Freud
Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri.
ReplyDeleteIt's beautifully written and deserves a read.
These comments are giving me great ideas for holiday travel in-flight reading.
ReplyDelete1) I just finished The Secret History by Donna Tartt - a quick and engaging read.
2) I can never read The Sun Also Rises too many times.
3)Anything by Michael Pollan or Bill McKibben is worthwhile.
Books of essays, short stories, or poems are great to read when you don't have the time to commit to a novel. I love The White Album by Joan Didion for essays, Dubliners by James Joyce for short stories, and for poetry, anything by William Carlos Williams.
ReplyDeleteIf it has to be a novel, I choose The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers. She wrote it when she was only 23!
"House of Mondavi"!
ReplyDeleteIt's about the rise and fall of the Mondavi wine industry. A little bit of history, drama and love rolled into one.
Best served with a glass of Mondavi merlot, ofcourse!
I just read Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby. At first I thought it was going to end up being packed full of cheese, but then the pages kept turning and I didn't ever want to put it down and then suddenly it was over!
ReplyDeleteThe Year of Living Biblically - AJ Jacobs, he follows the Bible's text literally for just over a year. It's a great read.
ReplyDeleteThe Stephanie Plum series - Janet Evanavitch, hilarious & suspenseful & adventurous unlikely female bounty hunter all wrapped into one neat little package.
Whuthering Heights is my go-to classic when I have nothing else to read. Especially this time of year, it's easy to feel yourself out on the dreary moors when it is cold and grey.
"My Life in France" by Julia Child. The relationship between Julia and her husband Paul is one of the loveliest I've read.
ReplyDelete"The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins. A YA dystopian novel with an amazing cast of characters and a chilling premise. Possibly my favorite book this year--and there's a sequel!
Have you ever read "Hunting and Gathering" by French novelist, Anna Gavalda? It's a totally charming book about four people living in Paris who's lives ended up intermixed. It was made into a movie staring Audrey Tautou which hasn't been released in the states.
ReplyDeleteAnyways, it's the loveliest novel and perfect winter reading!
I enjoyed Sag Harbor. Very light. I'm also currently loving the new John Irving---Last Night at Twisted River.
ReplyDeleteI just finished "Ellington Boulevard" by Adam Langer. It was wonderful-a perfect New York story, proving just how much everyone is connected.
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorites is "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn." It's an old book, but so beautiful in its description of new york in the 20's.
ReplyDeleteJESUS LAND, by Julia Scheeres. Amazing memoir, haunting. I can't stop thinking about it.
ReplyDeleteCurrently reading Lolita, but I would not recommend it for a holiday spirit book- it's twisted, but extremely well-written.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite books of all times:
1.The Sun Also Rises by Hemingway
2. A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole (This book is a riot and I have re-read it twice! I have never laughed out loud while reading a book before this jewel)
3. The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
xoxo
Have you read A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg? Considering that you seem to share my obsessions of France and cooking, I think you would enjoy it!
ReplyDeleteYes, My Darling Daughter – By Margaret Leroy
ReplyDeleteStern Men - by Elizabeth Gilbert
The Bright Side of Disaster – Katherine Center
Angela’s Ashes – Frank McCourt
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
That Old Cape Magic - by Richard Russo
Water for Elephants by Sarah Gruen
"Half of a Yellow Sun""Purple Hibiscus" both by Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls.
I haven't read it yet, but I just bought "Lit" by Mary Karr. I loved her book "The Liars Club," so if you haven't ready that I can recommend it wholeheartedly.
ReplyDeleteI'm a bit of a classics snob, but I broke out of my mold last year and read "Geek Love." Freaking amazing, entertaining, and moving.
ReplyDeleteI wrote a review of it on Antler Magazine if you want more info : www.antlermag.com
Favorite books:
1. East of Eden (don't be dissuaded if you had to read Steinbeck in HS and didn't like it).
2. Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, Annie Dillard
3. Lolita
4. Wuthering Heights
"Water for elephants." A heart warming mystery set during the great depression. Simply wonderful.
ReplyDeleteI second The Wanderers' Daughter's rec of "The Likeness" by Tana French. It has such a beautiful, mysterious atmosphere, and also is a great detective story. Usually I'm not into mysteries, but Tana French's writing is really evocative. Her earlier book "In the Woods" is also worth checking out.
ReplyDeleteOk- I haven't read all the recommendations above- but my top 3 books are:
ReplyDeleteScrewtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
They are MUST reads!!!
I think I will check out goodread.com too!
The Help by Kathryn Stockett is excellent!
ReplyDeleteI adored "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" - an epistolary novel set post WWII about the occupation of the Channel Islands. The characters leap off the page, there's romance and small mystery, and it's by turns touching, sad, and hopeful. I wanted to go live on Guernsey Island after I finished reading it!
ReplyDeleteI have to plug my friend's book, which I adore: Tinsel by Hank Stuever - it's an anthropological look at Christmas set in a Dallas suburb. It's funny and affectionate.
ReplyDeleteI just read The Road, and it was fantastic, but so depressing!
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with everyone who already mentioned The Help. I finished it in two days because I couldn't put it down. I actually stayed up until 4am on a work night because it was so good.
ReplyDeleteI love everything by Malcolm Gladwell, my favorites are The Tipping Point and Outliers. They are thought provoking and well written.
ReplyDeleteI'm loving the classics this season: East of Eden, Tender is the Night, and I just started reading The Sun Also Rises. Delightful :)
ReplyDeleteYES!
ReplyDeleteI know I'm a little lit, but a couple months ago I started the Harry Potter series and I'm hooked - I'm on book 5 and looking forward to the events that come in Harry's magical world. Ohh and I'll read anything by Sedaris ;)
www.alinasdaydream.com
www.dreamingchic.blogspot.com
"Fountainhead" was absolutely amazing. A must read!
ReplyDeletei loved "the help" i couldn't put it down!
ReplyDeleteI think everyone should read:
ReplyDeleteThe Translator
What is the What
Three Cups of Tea
Three remarkably accessible, moving stories. The Translator in particular - tiny, touching, modest.
Recently loved The Guernsey Literary et al. mentioned above; Reading Lolita in Tehran is phenom and looking forward to reading Things I've Been Silent About (same author). Planning also to pick up The Element (Ken Robinson); Art of the Idea; The Blue Sweater; Stones into Schools (followup to Three Cups of Tea) and Bel Canto.
It is easy to come up with my list - my best friend just finished grad school and has not been able to read for fun for 3 years, so I bought her the books I most enjoyed in that time. Several have already been mentioned, but they are:
ReplyDeleteThe Tender Bar
Elegance of the Hedgehog
Gurnsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society
The Help
American Wife
Water for Elephants
Thirteenth Tale
Little Heathens
Happy Reading!!
I know several people have already mentioned it, but The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is seriously amazing. You will want it to go on forever!
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite authors is Ellen Gilchrist and I recommend any of her books. I also really love the 2 book series by Monica Furlong called "Juniper" and "Wise Child." They were written for young adults but are truly wonderful.
Did you read those two you borrowed when you were out here? What did you think??
ReplyDeletei second the girl with the dragon tattoo by steig larsson and the road by cormac mccarthy. both fantastic in different ways. additionally the timeout book of paris short stories is a lovely read.
ReplyDeleteI'm currently reading "The Tattooed Girl" By Joyce Carol Oates. Stumbled over it at a used bookstore and love it.
ReplyDeleteAustralia loved 'A Fraction of the Whole' by Steve Tolz this year. It's clever. Dark. Funny. Engaging. Different.
ReplyDeleteOr as one Amazon reviewer notes: It's like hanging around with a brilliant friend who's on speed.
http://www.amazon.com/Fraction-Whole-Steve-Toltz/dp/0385521731/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1260910683&sr=8-1
second someone's suggestion of Jitterbug Perfume.
ReplyDeleteand didn't see this one suggested but try: We Need to Talk About Kevin
I really like Shirley Jackson these days. Her stories are always very subtly creepy and she had a very modern view on both children and women. Her writing is very simple but also precise and each word seems to be exactly where it should be.
ReplyDeleteThere are at least three of her books you can find easily :
* We have always lived in the castle (added bonus : quick read cause it's a novella plus it's been published as a really nice "Penguin Classic Deluxe" edition), as told by Merricat a troubled 18-year-old girl who is determined to protect the surviving members of her family from the outside world. But is the danger really coming from the outside?
* The Haunting of Hill House: just what the title let you expect. And it's very sharp as well in its picture of an old maiden. Plus a pleasant set of loony characters.
* The Lottery: a collection of short stories. I am reading it now.
As I said Shirley Jackson is great to read when you are in a book rut because she is very uncomplicated but her writing is also very intelligent and she's so good at portraits of women it's a bit like listening to a very good friend.
I know an anthology (edited by Joyce Carol Oates) is in the making and should be out next year so let's hope more from Jackson will be more widely available soon!
Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons. It's one of my favorites! Also, Miss Pettigrew Lives for the Day - it's adorable!
ReplyDeleteTHe Garden of Last Days by Andre Dubus is fantastic.I just finished it. Now I'm reading Berlin Noir and it is equally compelling.
ReplyDelete*Plenty Enough Suck to go Around by Cheryl Wagner
ReplyDelete*Neither Here nor There by Bill Bryson
*Spies of Warsaw by Alan Furst
*Not Becoming My Mother by Ruth Reichl
*Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella
*Stuffed by Patricia Volk
*Nine Parts of Desire by Geraldine Brooks
*Into the Beautiful North by Luis Alberto Urrea
These are smattering of the 70 plus books I've read this year.
I read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society this year and adored it. And I just finished re-reading Emma, which was great. I love going back to old favourites.
ReplyDeleteI'm currently reading The Kindness of Strangers by Don George which is tiny stories, each just a few pages long but is good if you want something a bit different to dip in and out of.
i've wanted to read "a tree grows in brooklyn" for the longest time, so i finally checked it out at the library. i'm definitely going to purchase it now and i'm ready to reread the book again. i can't wait for my daughter to be old enough to read it... now i know why it's a beloved classic!
ReplyDeleteBel Canto by Ann Patchett. It's about an opera singer in Argentina performing for the president when rebels take all of the party hostage. Sounds so simple, but it's riveting.
ReplyDeleteI'm in the middle of reading The Snowball about Warren Buffett. I always found it curious to see how he and his wife raised such "normal" kids considering their monetary wealth. For instance sending them to public school instead of private. I'm always up for learning from the wisdom of others ... especially w/kids!
ReplyDeleteJust turned the last page of The Glass Castle! EXCELLENT!
ReplyDeleteI'm reading "The Lovely Bones" right now. It's a bit hard to stomach initially, but a well-written, good book.
ReplyDeleteI just started the 2009 National Book Award winner "Let the Great World Spin." It's excellent so far - I love reading about NYC's past. Bonus points that a side story involves Philippe Petit (of Man on Wire fame).
ReplyDeleteI have to second Shantaram!!
ReplyDeleteIt was recommended to me as the kind of book that makes you sad to finish because it is so good. It is long, but something about it being long makes me feel like I'm setting out to share the author's adventure since it will take me a while to read.
Loosely based on the author's own life, which is basically that he goes to prison, escapes, is a fugitive in India, and while there sets up a medical clinic in the slum where he lives, while simultaneously supporting himself through the crime and black market world of Bombay. An amazing picture of India, and I'm constantly inspired by the love and hope he finds in the community of the slums.
Palestinian walks by Raja Shehadeh is an amazing book.
ReplyDeleteI just finished reading "Telex from Cuba" by Rachel Kushner. It was a lot different from what I was expecting, but I really enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteshameless promotion!
ReplyDeleteCloud And Ashes: Three Winter's Tales, by Greer Gilman = best book i've read in i-don't-know-how-long. perfect synthesis of myth, language, literature, and fantasy.
as i said in my blogggggg:
"the plot circles in on the unassuming and reticent girl, Margaret, who was born and raised in the celestial plane of Law by her sinister grandmother, the goddess of the moon, Annis - but escapes. Margaret is the product of an incarnation of Annis' daughter, Ashes, who was stolen away to the earthly land of Cloud by a simple fiddler. Margaret's journey through Cloud to find her mother and escape the prying eyes and spies of her grandmother is a myth as rich and multilayered as any hero journey from the european tradition.
so far i am on my third reading of the book."
<3 <3 <3 luvluvluv!
tiffany
i keep getting recommended "the help" - will put it on my list for 2010.
ReplyDeletethis year i really loved David Ebershoff's "the 19th wife" and Anita Shreve's "Testimony". i also just finished reading R J Ellory's "Quiet belief in angels" which was fabulous.
i am totally backtracking through this great list of suggestions!
Omygoodness
ReplyDeleteYou should read The Help.
It's amazing! I couldn't put it down.
I had no idea that your wonderful husband was 13 years older than you. I had read on one of your Glamour posts that he was much older but never knew it was that much of an age difference (he doesn't look a day over 30.) Anyway, I was so glad when I read this because my boyfriend and I are also 13 years apart and sometimes we face the dirty looks of others!
ReplyDeleteSo great..this made my day!
The Glass Castle by Jeanette Wells....it has been my favorite book this year!!! Couldn't put it down :)
ReplyDeleteThe Book Thief by Markus Zusak - haven't finished it yet, but is great so far!
ReplyDeleteI see it is already recommended but The Elegance of the Hedgehog
ReplyDeleteis really a wonderful story and even more wonderful for anyone with a passion for France or Japan. On that same note I loved
My Life in France by Julia Childs! France, food, joie de vivre et amour!
Happy Reading!
Just finished Unaccustomed Earth and Interpreter of Maladies both by Jhumpa Lahiri. I absolutely loved both of them.
ReplyDeleteI am not into vampire stories at all but I LOVED "The Historian" by Elizabeth Kostova. It reads like a true account of the history of Dracula, and there are a ton of facts as well as a nicely woven element of suspense and fiction.
ReplyDeleteListening Is An Act Of Love is one of my all time favorite books. I always pull it out when I'm having a bad day. It's a collection of stories from Story Corps. You can find more information on their website: http://www.storycorps.org/book
ReplyDeleteI second everyone who recommended The Help by Kathryn Stockett. It's a great book!
ReplyDeleteI finished "The Time Traveler's Wife" a couple of months ago, before the movie came out. The movie was eh, but the book was really good.
ReplyDeletethe brothers k by david james duncan. totally a quiet but great book that if filled with baseball, the pacific northwest and brothers.
ReplyDeleteBloodletting & Miraculous Cures (Vincent Lam)
ReplyDeleteExtremely Loud & Incredibly Close (Jonathan Safran Foer)
Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster (Dana Thomas)
The $12 Million Stuffed Shark: The Curious Economics of Contemporary Art (Donald Thompson)
"Everything is Illuminated" by Jonathan Safran Foer. It's just perfect.
ReplyDeleteI just started reading Jonathan Safran Foer's "Eating Animals," and although I doubt whether it will turn me vegetarian (chicken carbonara is just too tasty!), the writing is wonderful. Insightful, touching and funny. I've started to tear-up twice so far and I'm only fifty pages in. His other books ("Everything is Illuminated" and "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close") are also wonderful, if you haven't read them yet.
ReplyDeleteHer Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger was wonderful!
ReplyDeleteA Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith.
ReplyDeleteClassic. Pure. Perfect.