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What's on your reading list? + Last amazing book you read?

blingbunny10

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I can't remember the last great book I read. How sad.

My "to read" list:
-Smoke and Pickles, Edward Lee
-Gastronomical Me, MFK Fisher
-The Goldfinch, Donna Tartt
-On Drink, Kingsley Amis

Does anybody know of any great titles for:
-world and/or Euro history?
-a solid beginner's gardening/landscaping guide? I want to start growing, but have no idea where to start. A sweet little potager in the backyard would be my dream!
 

blingbunny10

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Re: What's on your reading list? + Last amazing book you rea

Btw, part of the inspiration behind the thread is the fact that I've recently rediscovered the public library. I'm embarrassed to say I've been completely spoiled by Amazon and hadn't set foot in a public library since I graduated from college. Call me a millennial. :rolleyes:
 

violet3

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Re: What's on your reading list? + Last amazing book you rea

Hi there,

I'm a big reader, so I love these threads!

I really liked "All the Light we Cannot See," by Anthony Doerr. I'm currently reading "The Things They Carried," by Tim O'Brien, and I like it a lot so far - I'm about 1/2 way through. These were my most recent reads (and I've been on a WW11 kick lately), but I've read a lot of good literature in the last year or two - here are some others I liked:

The Interestings - Meg Wolitzer
The Giver - Lois Lowry (first in a trilogy, but the other two after were no good).
Dress your family in Corduroy and Denim - David Sedaris (short stories - satire - hilarious).
The Secret History - Donna Tartt
Unbroken - Laura Hillenbrand
The Book Thief - Marcus Zusak
The Fault in our Stars - John Green

Happy Reading!

Edit: the goldfinch is on my "to read" list too!
 

ksinger

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Re: What's on your reading list? + Last amazing book you rea

Nonfiction - Our Man in Charleston: Britain's Secret Agent in the Civil War South by Christopher Dickey. Excellent.
 

missy

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Re: What's on your reading list? + Last amazing book you rea

Just Kids and The M train by Patti Smith
Stories of John Cheever
The Deniers by Lawrence Solomon

I am actually in the middle of reading all of these books right now.
 

Scandinavian

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Re: What's on your reading list? + Last amazing book you rea

I love the classics :) Some of my favourites are: Moby Dick (original version), The call of the wild, Animal farm, The catcher in the rye, Crime and punishment, Anna Karenina, A daughter of the snows, Uncle Tom's cabin, and The count of Monte Cristo. For Easter, I plan to revisit the crime stories of Agatha Christie though :)

EDIT: forgot The Prince by Machiavelli: on my reading list :)
 

blingbunny10

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Re: What's on your reading list? + Last amazing book you rea

Ooh, thanks for mentioning Cheever, Sedaris, and Agatha Christie! I've been meaning to read them for years, but never got around to it. Adding them to my list. Also, Pale Fire and Speak, Memory (Nabokov), and The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle (Murakami).
 

Amber St. Clare

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Re: What's on your reading list? + Last amazing book you rea

An Exhausted Life: A biography of the late actor George Sanders. He was quite a contradiction.

Beslan: The Tragedy of School 1: The story of the horrific terrorist attack on an elementary school in Russia in 2004. Told mostly by those who survived and the relatives of those who didn't. I bought this book after viewing Show Time On Demand's documentary "Three Days in September". If any of you have Show Time, I urge you to watch this documentary. It haunted me for DAYS.

I'm plodding thru White Boned Demon: The Story of Madame Mao, by Ross Terrili. I was very young when Mao and company took over China and remember being very curious about him and then read a bit about his wife, Jiang Qing, an actress/revolutionary. At times a bit too detailed, but don't throw stones at me when I say I see a bit of a parallel between her and Hillary.
 

stracci2000

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Re: What's on your reading list? + Last amazing book you rea

Some good books I've read recently:

In the Woods - Jana French
City of Women - David R. Gillham
The Girl on the Train - Paula Hawkins

Right now I'm reading: Middlesex - Jeffrey Eugenides

Up next on my list
Gone Girl - Gillian Flynn
 

marymm

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Re: What's on your reading list? + Last amazing book you rea

I recently read this great little book on reading, What We See When We Read by Peter Mendelsund - really a jewel of a book with wonderful images/presentation and thoughtful discussion of various aspects of reading. I checked it out from my library, but I've got a Barnes & Noble gift certificate so plan to pick up a copy for my permanent library. A relatively quick read; I highly recommend.
 

missy

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Re: What's on your reading list? + Last amazing book you rea

I highly recommend the Jon Krakauer books. Read them a long time ago but engaging and entertaining and enjoyable.
My favorite is Into Thin Air but I enjoyed so many of his books.

https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/1235.Jon_Krakauer


Scandinavian I love the classics too and one of my favorite authors is Jane Austen with Pride and Prejudice being one of my favorite books of all time.

Another favorite author of mine is Truman Capote.
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/431149.Truman_Capote

Loved in In Cold Blood.
 

december-fire

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Re: What's on your reading list? + Last amazing book you rea

I enjoyed The Silence of Bonaventure Arrow by Rita Leganski.

Regarding public libraries, they're wonderful! Most books seem to be available as e-books (although not the above-mentioned book), so I can download them onto my Kobo Glo. I've always loved reading and didn't think I'd like an e-reader; no book to hold or pages to turn. But I can't get over how much I love my Kobo Glo and its Sleep Cover. The built-in light feature, with a 'dimmer switch' function, allows me to read wherever I want without having to be next to a lamp or with bright overhead lights turned on.

I haven't taken advantage of borrowing CDs or DVDs from the public library, but that's another service that's available.
 

Scandinavian

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Re: What's on your reading list? + Last amazing book you rea

missy|1457184400|4000155 said:
Scandinavian I love the classics too and one of my favorite authors is Jane Austen with Pride and Prejudice being one of my favorite books of all time.
I love this one too! Highly recommend it :)
 

missy

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Re: What's on your reading list? + Last amazing book you rea

OK here's a book I read ages ago but highly recommend. In fact I am planning on rereading it very soon. I had my dh find it in our home library and I cannot wait.

Einstein's Dreams by Alan Lightman

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14376.Einstein_s_Dreams
 
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