Read any good books lately?

[zoebartlett]

I love to read but I haven''t read a great book in ages. One of the best books I read was quite a while ago now, but it was My Sister''s Keeper by Jodi Picoult. I also really liked Light on Snow by Anita Shreve and books by Sophie Kinsella (The Undomestic Goddess and Confessions of a Shopaholic (as well as others in the Shopaholic "series").

What type of books do you like to read? I love:

mysteries (such as Sue Grafton- although I haven''t read one of her books in a long time, Janet Evanovich- for a light and funny read, Lisa Scotoline (sp?), and John Grisham -- The Firm is still a favorite of mine by him, among others)

anything by Nicholas Sparks

other books that I''ve heard called "chick lit" -- think Bridget Jone''s Diary and others similar to that

 

[KimberlyH]

I finished East of Eden (Steinbeck) last weekend and am currently reading The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber. Steinbeck, well it''s Steinbeck, of course it''s fabulous. TCPATW is really good. It''s set in Victorian times follows the story of a prostitute and those she comes into contact with. I''m about 1/2 way through and am disappointed every time I have to put it down.

 

[poptart]

Snowflower and the Secret Fan. I read it in two days because I couldn''t put it down.

*M*

 

[zoebartlett]

Date: 3/4/2007 7:37:37 PM
Author: poptart
Snowflower and the Secret Fan. I read it in two days because I couldn''t put it down.

*M*

Who wrote it? What''s it about?

 

[little miss sunshine]

The new Shopaholic book - Shopaholic and Baby came out this week... I just finished it - hilarious!

Also, Emily Giffin is a wonderful "chick lit" genre author... She has 3 books: Something Borrowed, Something Blue and Baby Proof.

Something Borrowed - about a stereotypical "good girl" who ends up having an affair with her best friend''s fiance

Something Blue - the best friend''s point of view of the story

Baby Proof - about a new character, Claudia who marries a man who shares her opinion of not wanting children, but then one of them changes their minds...

I LOVED all three and have passed them on to many friends!


I LOVE chick lit

 

[TCBug]

Beg, borrow, or steal a copy of "Forever Amber." It is riveting. Although it''s historical fiction (which doesn''t appeal to everyone), I SWEAR that anyone who appreciates stellar writing, a strong plot and wonderful characters that you simply can''t forget will love it. It is old, and was "banned" by many U.S. libraries in the 1950''s . It''s a long, wonderful, read. I checked, you can find it on Amazon.com -- but the author''s other books don''t seem to be nearly as good.

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 3/4/2007 7:51:48 PM
Author: little miss sunshine
The new Shopaholic book - Shopaholic and Baby came out this week... I just finished it - hilarious!


Also, Emily Giffin is a wonderful ''chick lit'' genre author... She has 3 books: Something Borrowed, Something Blue and Baby Proof.


Something Borrowed - about a stereotypical ''good girl'' who ends up having an affair with her best friend''s fiance


Something Blue - the best friend''s point of view of the story


Baby Proof - about a new character, Claudia who marries a man who shares her opinion of not wanting children, but then one of them changes their minds...


I LOVED all three and have passed them on to many friends!



I LOVE chick lit

I totally second the Emily Giffin recommendation. I have all three of her books, they are fantastic.

 

[zoebartlett]

LMS - I''ll have to check those books out. It''s a little older now I suppose, but I just picked up the soft cover version of Shopaholic and Sister. I think I meant to read it when it first came out but never got around to it.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

The most recent fiction book I''ve read is "The Glass Castle," by Jeannette Walls. It''s about a girl who grows up with rather bizarre parents. It''s based on the author''s real life, but a few of the scenerios seemed IMPOSSIBLE for me to imagine! Way too far out there

 

[poptart]

Date: 3/4/2007 8:00:44 PM
Author: TCBug
Beg, borrow, or steal a copy of ''Forever Amber.'' It is riveting. Although it''s historical fiction (which doesn''t appeal to everyone), I SWEAR that anyone who appreciates stellar writing, a strong plot and wonderful characters that you simply can''t forget will love it. It is old, and was ''banned'' by many U.S. libraries in the 1950''s . It''s a long, wonderful, read. I checked, you can find it on Amazon.com -- but the author''s other books don''t seem to be nearly as good.

I love historical fiction! I can never find very much stuff though. One I really loved was "The Historian" and it''s about Vlad Dracula.

*M*

 

[Cind11]

Date: 3/4/2007 8:04:53 PM
Author: poptart

Date: 3/4/2007 8:00:44 PM
Author: TCBug
Beg, borrow, or steal a copy of ''Forever Amber.'' It is riveting. Although it''s historical fiction (which doesn''t appeal to everyone), I SWEAR that anyone who appreciates stellar writing, a strong plot and wonderful characters that you simply can''t forget will love it. It is old, and was ''banned'' by many U.S. libraries in the 1950''s . It''s a long, wonderful, read. I checked, you can find it on Amazon.com -- but the author''s other books don''t seem to be nearly as good.

I love historical fiction! I can never find very much stuff though. One I really loved was ''The Historian'' and it''s about Vlad Dracula.

*M*

Oh, I SO wanted to like The Historain because it was a book I asked for and received for Christmas. But I read half of it (300 pages) and couldn''t stand it one more minute. I wish I could have liked it like you did.

 

[poptart]

Date: 3/4/2007 8:12:53 PM
Author: Cind11

Date: 3/4/2007 8:04:53 PM

Author: poptart

Date: 3/4/2007 8:00:44 PM

Author: TCBug

Beg, borrow, or steal a copy of ''Forever Amber.'' It is riveting. Although it''s historical fiction (which doesn''t appeal to everyone), I SWEAR that anyone who appreciates stellar writing, a strong plot and wonderful characters that you simply can''t forget will love it. It is old, and was ''banned'' by many U.S. libraries in the 1950''s . It''s a long, wonderful, read. I checked, you can find it on Amazon.com -- but the author''s other books don''t seem to be nearly as good.

I love historical fiction! I can never find very much stuff though. One I really loved was ''The Historian'' and it''s about Vlad Dracula.


*M*

Oh, I SO wanted to like The Historain because it was a book I asked for and received for Christmas. But I read half of it (300 pages) and couldn''t stand it one more minute. I wish I could have liked it like you did.

Really?? What didn''t you like about it? DH loved it, and read through it quite quickly. I wasn''t riveted the whole time, but needed to know the secret!

*M*

 

[diamondfan]

i love Susan Isaacs, Janet Evanovich, Sidney Sheldon...I love Bill Bryson, Lisa Scottoline, Harlan Coben, Grisham, Jane Heller...even a good Jackie Collins. Read all of Emily Griffin, and liked her three a lot. I also really enjoy Phillipa Gregory (The Other Boyelyn Girl etc)...and liked Wally Lamb's books, though they are a bit different. I love to read most anything, and I really love bios on people, just so interesting to me...

 

[Skippy123]

Date: 3/4/2007 8:22:45 PM
Author: diamondfan
i love Susan Isaacs, Janet Evanovich, Sidney Sheldon...I love Bill Bryson, Lisa Scottoline, Harlan Coben, Grisham, Jane Heller...even a good Jackie Collins. Read all of Emily Griffin, and liked her three a lot. I also really enjoy Phillipa Gregory (The Other Boyelyn Girl etc)...and liked Wally Lamb''s books, though they are a bit different. I love to read most anything, and I really love bios on people, just so interesting to me...

Janet Evanovich is soooo funny; I love Lula the h*e! hee hee.
I am reading right now Blue Christmas by Mary Kay Andrews. I got it for Christmas that is why I am reading it now.

I love Sue Grafton books too!

Nice Thread!

 

[TCBug]

Two more ideas:

Author Sharon Kay Penman-- "Sunne in Splendor" and the rest. NOT her more recent mystery novels. The mystery novels have good writing (maybe she''s selling out for a quick buck) but you can LOSE yourself in "Sunne iin Splendor" and the next 2 or 3 historical novels. (Not a series, don''t be scared).

For NYC historical fiction, read KEVIN BAKER''s novels. There are about 4. I loved them all. "Striver''s Row" was excellent, as was "Paradise Alley." Once again, these are not in sequence -- you can read whatever appeals to you.

 

[diamondfan]

Has anyone heard of a book called "Waiting for Snow in Havana?" I do not know the author's name.

 

[RoseAngel04]

I just finished "The Rescue" by Nicholas Sparks and it was sooooo good! Beware it's a romantic tear jerker, so if you're not into this type of novel stay away!

 

[Cind11]

Date: 3/4/2007 8:15:30 PM
Author: poptart

Date: 3/4/2007 8:12:53 PM
Author: Cind11

Date: 3/4/2007 8:04:53 PM

Author: poptart

Date: 3/4/2007 8:00:44 PM

Author: TCBug

Beg, borrow, or steal a copy of ''Forever Amber.'' It is riveting. Although it''s historical fiction (which doesn''t appeal to everyone), I SWEAR that anyone who appreciates stellar writing, a strong plot and wonderful characters that you simply can''t forget will love it. It is old, and was ''banned'' by many U.S. libraries in the 1950''s . It''s a long, wonderful, read. I checked, you can find it on Amazon.com -- but the author''s other books don''t seem to be nearly as good.

I love historical fiction! I can never find very much stuff though. One I really loved was ''The Historian'' and it''s about Vlad Dracula.


*M*

Oh, I SO wanted to like The Historain because it was a book I asked for and received for Christmas. But I read half of it (300 pages) and couldn''t stand it one more minute. I wish I could have liked it like you did.

Really?? What didn''t you like about it? DH loved it, and read through it quite quickly. I wasn''t riveted the whole time, but needed to know the secret!

*M*

I just felt like it moved very slowly. A book doesn''t always have to move at a fast clip for me, but at half way through, I felt like it wasn''t holding my interest at all and enough wasn''t happening. I gave it to my brother-in-law as a stocking stuffer for Christmas and he liked it very much. Maybe I''ll try again although there are so many books I don''t know if I want to revisit one I couldn''t get into.

 

[Beacon]

I read a lot. I love mysteries, fiction, biography.

I just finished ''Bergdorf Blondes'', which is utterly hilarious. Not great literature but funny and distracting. I think a lot of PSers would like this book.

I just am finishing, ''Geisha - A Life'', which was written to somewhat protest ''Memoires of a Geisha''. This is autobiography by an actual top Geisha who Golden (author of Memoires) was purportedly trying to use as a role model/stereotype. I don''t think she did that much to counter Golden''s fictional work. Golden''s is written much, much better, but this Geisha is interesting b/c it is a true account.

I also just read ''Our Man in Havana'', a classic by Graham Greene. It was assigned by my library reading group and was really, really good. It''s rather archaic for these times and is fundamentally a satire. Greene was a genius.

 

[fire&ice]

"Her Sister''s Keeper" was a great & riviting book.

Though out for quite a while - I would recommend Caleb Carr''s "The Alienist" to anyone who enjoys history (NYC turn of the century) & murder mysteries.

 

[KimberlyH]

Date: 3/5/2007 2:54:39 AM
Author: Beacon
I read a lot. I love mysteries, fiction, biography.

I just finished ''Bergdorf Blondes'', which is utterly hilarious. Not great literature but funny and distracting. I think a lot of PSers would like this book.

I just am finishing, ''Geisha - A Life'', which was written to somewhat protest ''Memoires of a Geisha''. This is autobiography by an actual top Geisha who Golden (author of Memoires) was purportedly trying to use as a role model/stereotype. I don''t think she did that much to counter Golden''s fictional work. Golden''s is written much, much better, but this Geisha is interesting b/c it is a true account.

I also just read ''Our Man in Havana'', a classic by Graham Greene. It was assigned by my library reading group and was really, really good. It''s rather archaic for these times and is fundamentally a satire. Greene was a genius.

DH is reading The Power and the Glory by Greene right now and really enjoying it.

 

[tiffanytwisted]

style="WIDTH: 95.54%; HEIGHT: 258px">Date: 3/4/2007 7:21:28 PM
Author:zoebartlett
I love to read but I haven''t read a great book in ages. One of the best books I read was quite a while ago now, but it was My Sister''s Keeper by Jodi Picoult. I also really liked Light on Snow by Anita Shreve and books by Sophie Kinsella (The Undomestic Goddess and Confessions of a Shopaholic (as well as others in the Shopaholic ''series'').

What type of books do you like to read? I love:

mysteries (such as Sue Grafton- although I haven''t read one of her books in a long time, Janet Evanovich- for a light and funny read, Lisa Scotoline (sp?), and John Grisham -- The Firm is still a favorite of mine by him, among others)

anything by Nicholas Sparks

other books that I''ve heard called ''chick lit'' -- think Bridget Jone''s Diary and others similar to that

If you like Sophie Kinsella and Helen Fielding check out some books by Marian Keyes, The Last Chance Saloon is hilarious.

 

[AmberWaves]

Being named Amber, I was given Forever Amber when I was twelve. I LOVE LOVE LOVE that book. The actual facts mixed in with fiction just make it absolutely riveting. And while some things in the book make you smack yourself in the forehead and go, "Come ON!" it really is a masterpiece.

I love all the Giffin books, but Baby Proof made me sad. I also adore all the shopoholic books, all of Marian Keyes'' novels. Stephen King has some great novels that aren''t all gore. "It" and "Bag of Bones" are wonderful. "The Time Traveler''s Wife" is fantastic. "Angela''s Ashes" and "Tis" by Frank McCourt are so sad and wonderful.

Any of Michael Connelly''s books, and John Connolly, too. Patricia Cornwell writes some great mysteries/crime novels. The author of Wicked wrote great novels, too!!

I love books so much!!

 

[~*Alexis*~]

I don''t know if you are into like semi autobiographys but there is a book called the Second Assistant: A tale from the bottom of the Hollywood Ladder By Mimi Hare and Clare Naylor....its a good book....kinda along the lines of The Devil Wears Prada.....great book....

Also
Fame Junkies By Jake Halpern... its all about people obsession with the celebrity life...gee imagine that.....

 

[Independent Gal]

I'm an Alan Furst addict. He writes the most wonderful spy novels that are kind of the 'anti-James Bond' (though I love 007 too! And hey, it's his year!). There's still a lot of action, but they kind of read like Orson Welles movies... all atmospheric and dark... you can hear the rain and the footsteps... you can feel the chill... you can smell the sulphur... so vivid! And his heroes are often just some guy who was asked to carry a package. That kind of thing. Full of moral ambiguity. Very intelligent. But still page turners. They're all set in or around WW2 for those of you who like historical fiction, and his research is impecable.

I also recommend Orhan Pamuk who just won the nobel prize. And while we're on the subject of Nobel Prize winners, I just loved the Cairo trilogy by Naguib Mahfouz... it's like being transported completely into another world. You feel like you know the characters and you see what they see. And if one of the glories of reading is getting a glimpse into new worlds, then imagine having this vidvid look into the Cairo of the 20's. It is so interesting. Completely different from anything we know. E.g., imagine what life would be like if you never could go outside! (as most of the women don't). Great storyteller. One of the masters of the 20th century.

 

[musey]

Date: 3/5/2007 12:36:40 PM
Author: ~*Alexis*~
I don't know if you are into like semi autobiographys but there is a book called the Second Assistant: A tale from the bottom of the Hollywood Ladder By Mimi Hare and Clare Naylor....its a good book....kinda along the lines of The Devil Wears Prada.....great book....

Ooh, I bought that book in December, but haven't read it yet. I'll have to sit down with it sometime!

...and not recent, but I LOOOOOOOOOOOVE The Nanny Diaries!!! I'm excited for the movie (I'm in the minority I think, I love movies from books even if I've read them). I can't sing its praises enough, it's such a fun read. Chick lit, though

 

[TravelingGal]

I love love love all of Bill Bryson''s travelogues. I think I have all of them. I also have the Thunderbolt Kid but just started that one.

I did read all the giffin books...they are a fast read and she is a good writer in the sense she keeps you interested. However, her characters are kind of two dimensional for me. But it is chick lit after all and is easy beach reading.

 

[Beacon]

''Nannie Diaries'' was hilarious and rather accurate!