Before Caitlin was born I read like a mad woman. I always had a book in my hand. I had favorite authors and kept my eyes and ears tuned to finding great new reads. What happened? 11 years after the birth of my first child I can’t even choose a book for myself anymore. My reading during these years consisted of parenting, how-to and simple living books. The only fiction I can remember enjoying is the Harry Potter series and Memoirs of a Geisha. The former was prompted by Greg and Caitlin’s incessant pleas to join in on the fun and the latter was a random book pick at Border’s in Santa Fe (what, 4 years ago?).
August, 2006 marks a change. I’m making a commitment to re-discover my joy of reading fiction. Our trip to the Oregon Coast earlier this month prompted me to check out two books at the library. Girl with a Pearl Earring and The Time Traveler’s Wife. I’ve finished both and loved both. Now my success is up to you! I need a booklist of good reads. I have 11 years of catching up to do so pick your brain and leave me some of your favorites.
Behind the Scenes at the Museum by Kate Atkinson. It’s one of my favorites. It’s dark, funny and incredibly complex.
my favorite of all time – so far….
mark helprin’s ‘a soldier of the great war’
i started a book club because i never seemed to read as much as i wanted… and even still it is hard to put down the embroidery and pick up a book…
I have surprised myself by really loving the Patrick O’Brian “Aubrey/Maturin” series of books. These were the basis for the movie Master and Commander. They are not “guy” books, though they appeal to men, too. They are humorous, intriguing, and full of romantic sub-plots. We’re hooked on them here and are reading the entire series.
I know what you mean I seem to read so little now I am at home looking after my son. I used to read so much when I had to go on the bus to and from work – I don’t miss the travelling but I do miss my reading time. I’ll put my thinking cap on about books I could recommend (I’don’t know if some of them are available over there).
Really good, but old book that I read recently was THE GOOD EARTH by Pearl S. Buck. You’ve probably read that already. Another good, but new one that would be great to read with Caitlin is THE MIRACULOUS JOURNEY OF EDWARD TULANE. It’s a older children’s book, but I liked it just the same. Can you tell I haven’t done much reading lately either? How great to be able to reignite this love of yours!
We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver. A novel totally enhanced by the experience of having been a mother.
Annie G. Freeman’s Fabulous Travelling Funeral by Kris Radish, Rachel’s Holiday and Watermelon, both by Marian Keyes. Read these this summer (among other chick lit), and they were awesome! Have also read some more serious, intellectual books, but go figure, those escape me right now.
These were my favorites this year. Mostly fiction, but one memoir/travel thing at the very end.
Atkinson, Kate. Case Histories
Li, Yiyun. A Thousand Years of Good Prayers: Stories
Reisman, Nancy. First Desire
Thomas, Scarlett. Popco
Ozick, Cynthia. Heir to the Glimmering World
Boyle, T.C. Tortilla Curtain
Straight, Susan. A Million Nightingales
Gilbert, Elizabeth. Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman’s Search for everything Across Italy, India, and Indonesia
Of course I have read all the Harry books and I love mysteries…so anything along those lines is good. But I always have somthing to sew in my hands these days and I too have let the reading slide lately!!
Anything by Marian Keyes especially the ones featuring the Walsh family of Ireland. Each one seems to be from the prespecive of a different one of the six Walsh daughters. They are funny but serious too and very well written. THey are set in modern times in Ireland and NYC.
anything by any of the following authors:
1. Thomas Hardy (The Return of the Native)
2. Pearl Buck (The Good Earth)
3. Amy Tan (100 Secret Senses)
4. Janet Nimmo (I think that’s her 1st name) the Charlie Bone kids series.
5. Robert McCammon (scary!)
6. Evelyn Waugh vintage romance with a sting
7. Dianne Mott Davidson
8. Susan Whittig Albert
9. Luanne Rice
10. And Stephenen King’s “The Stand”
But then, I read the backs of cereal boxes when there are no new books in the house!
The Lovely Bones
The Secret Life of Bees
The Mermaid Chair
Wally Lamb’s books
I recommend Mary Doria Russell’s The Sparrow to everyone I know–ever virtually, it seems! I loved TTTW, too.
One of my very favorie authors is Arturo Perez-Reverte, who wrote, among others, The Club Dumas and The Flanders Panel. Really cool, exciting books. The Club Dumas was made into a not-so-great movie with Johnny Depp but don’t let that stop you from reading the book!
1. I second the vote for the Patrick O’Brian series, which begins with “Master and Commander” but is NOT the same as the movie. Complex, engaging, literate tale of male friendship. Very subtle humor — sometimes you have to re-read a passage to catch it.
2. The Reaper, by Peter Lovesey. Twisted fun with a pastor as serial killer (that’s not giving anything away).
3. Mystery Series by Earlene Fowler, loosely based on a quilt theme. My husband enjoyed reading these with me.
4. Sister Frevisse Medieval Mysteries by Margaret Frazer.
5. Outlander (and the rest of the series) by Diana Gabaldon.
6. The Cazalet Chronicles by Elizabeth Jane Howard (series). The story of a British family through WWII, believeably told from multiple perspectives.
Every now and then when I read one of your posts I desperately wish you lived next door. Or at least on the same continent.
Most of the books I am reading at the moment are for class and Serious Literature (i.e. difficult and boring), but a favourite recently has been Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder. Not fiction, but worth the read.
i loved–
the poisonwood bible
the amazing adventures of kavalier and clay
a fine balance
the first one that comes to mind for me is Jonathon safran foer’s Extremely loud and Incredibly close. His other book is great too but I can’t think of the name.
I too haven’t read much of anything deeper than a magazine since I had my kids. But, your reads seem somewhat similar to mine. I found The Poisonwood Bible very thought provoking (but I see Melissa beat me to it). I also like what I’ve read by Margaret Atwood. The Handmaiden’s Tale is a classic, but Oryx and Crake is now timely. The Blind Assasin is different, but intrigueing. I’m looking forward to the day I can get into the Harry Potter series
Another vote for Kate Atkinson, I discovered her this year and it’s one of my 2006 favourites so far (Case Histories). Also, Never let me go, by Kazuo Ishiguro. Past favourites include anything by Amy Tan, some of Marian Keyes and Jodi Picoult, everything by Haruki Murakami (esp. Norwegian Wood), to name just a few
Oh, and could I forget ? The lady and the unicorn, my Tracy Chevalier favourite.
ooh, ooh, ooh…
how ’bout : The Red Tent by Anita Diamant, The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini and The Brothers K by David James Duncan. I too am guilty of little to no reading since my first was born (9 years ago)…but I loved all 3 of these books.
I know exactly what you are talking about! I used to have at least one book with me everywhere I went. I even read at stoplights! I also read sometimes stuck in rush hour traffic–but don’t tell my husband! THEN, I had Soren. And I am very very lucky if I read 3 books a year! It makes me kind of sad when I see the lonely books on my bookshelves that miss me, but maybe one day we will be together again…. Strangely, I have an English degree but don’t read much fiction. I do, however, have two of my all time favorite books. These are two of the books I would bring with me on a deserted island: Peace Like a River by Leif Enger and The Secret History by Donna Tartt. Very different books, but I love them.
Peace like a River told from the point of view of a young boy examining his childhood and remarkable father. Enger is a reporter and it was his first novel but the writing is unbelievable! I have a book half filled with favorite quotes from it. Here’s one: “Once in my life I knew a grief so hard I could actually hear it inside, scraping at the lining of my stomach, an audible ache, dredging with hooks as rivers are dredged when someone’s been missing too long.” Funny, poignant, riveting.
The Secret History is one I have to reread periodically and still have a hard time putting it down. An intellectual murder mystery with lots of allusions to classical Greek literature. This book haunts me and even the truly horrible characters you will miss when the book is done. Lyrical, gripping, hypnotizing. Kind of a collegic cult classic. Let me know if you decide to try one of these
I only read old childrens books, so I am of no help. But good for you reclaiming reading for just yourself. Clarice
I read both of the books you showed above and loved them too! Try The Virgin Blue (also Tracy Chevalier), Red Tent (Anita Diamant), Prep (Curtis Sittenfeld), Interpreter of Maladies (Jhumpa Lahiri), Waiting (Ha Jin), Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver). The Pact (Jodi Picoult — I hear that other stuff by the same author is also good, though I’ve not read any…). Also, try The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down (Anne Fadiman) — nonfiction, but not what you might expect.
well, if you’re looking for some chic lit then I recommend anything by Jennifer Weiner especially “Little Earthquakes” – has to do with different womens lives as mothers and such. These are easy reads that I like for their entertainment! i wish you well.
If you haven’t read Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series that is a must! Give yourself about 200 pages in the first one to get into it and you’ll be hooked. There are 6 books about 1000 pages each! So that will keep you busy!
And for a bit easier reading I LOVE Emilie Richards books, especially her 3 Shenadoah series, “Wedding Ring”, “Endless Chain” and “Lover’s Knot”.
Five quarters of the orange by Joanne Harris is a suggestion from me. We read this in our book club and I really enjoyed her food descriptions. I’m glad you liked The Time Travelers Wife. Such an amazing book.
Ok, I’ll put in my vote too for anything by Pearl Buck, Amy Tan, Haruki Murakami, and I’ll add two books I’ve read recently…
“The Death of Vishnu”
and reread the whole Laura Ingalls Wilder series!
Oh my God, The Time Traveler’s Wife is absolutely my favorite book of all time, and has held that spot for a few years now. Try Spilling Clarence, by Anne Ursu.
ok- here are some of my picks-
good childrens books-(I recommend these for kids also!)
Tuck Everlasting, The Bridge to Teribithia,
funny &entertaining-the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evonovich
more serious- The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls
Happy reading!!!
If you liked Pearl Earring, go and get Chevalier’s Falling Angels. It’s even better.
I think you’ll also love: The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Mond Kidd) and The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver).
You’ll also find a short, but amazingly powerful read in a little book called The Disappearance: A Memoir of Loss (Genevieve Jurgensen). This is a true story written by a former editor of (French) Elle who lost her 2 young daughters. It is translated from the French and is stunningly beautiful. Anyone who is a mother, who has daughters (or sons for that matter), who writes, lives, creates… who thinks about life… willl love this book.
Truth and Beauty by Ann Patchett (non-fiction) and Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris (all of his books are very funny) are great and written by authors you will wish you could have dinner with…
Enjoy!
I loved The Time Traveler’s Wife and Girl with the Pearl Earring. A few others I’d recommend: The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, Ahab’s Wife by Sena Jeter Naslund, The Elm Creek Quilting Series by Jennifer Chiaverini, The Kite Runner by Kahled Hosseini, Fair and Tender Ladies by Lee Smith, A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby, Baker Towers by Jennifer Haigh, and The Master by Colm Toibin. Happy Reading!
Because I love Japanese authors I recommend anything by Haruki Murakami and Natsuo Kirino “Out”. Also, if you can find the books by my favourite Polish author Joanna Chmielewska (she’s been translated into many languages all around the world) – she writes great humorous detective stories with a middle-aged woman as a main character.
I look forward to discussing some good reads with you next week! I’ve been very light on the fiction for the past few years but have read some wonderfully entertaining non-fiction — Candy Freak by Steve Almond, The Man Who Ate Everything — and — It Must Have Been Something I Ate by Jeffrey Steingarten, My Life as an Apprentice by Jacques Pepin, Julie & Julia by Julie Powell…. Do you notice a food theme?
The Time Traveler’s Wife was one of my favorite reads last year. Here are a few that I highly recommend:
- A Winter’s Tale, Mark Helprin
- The Bonesetter’s Daughter, Amy Tan
- Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh
- Stones from the River, Ursula Hegi (sp?)
- The Name of the Rose, Umberto Eco
Have fun!
Is it possible no one has mentioned Three Junes by Julia Glass?!
Love all the reading suggestions.
I love to read, too, but understand why it’s on hold while the kids are growing up. I’m an empty nester now and can enjoy good read again and not feel guilty.
Several recent favorites that have already been suggested, and I’m seconding them are: Peace Like a River
(it was a Chi Trib Heartland winner a couple years ago and I always buy my daughter one book by a midwest writer for Xmas so she doesn’t forget her roots now that she lives in the east.)
the Secret Life of Bees
The Kiterunner
and my addition since you live in the Northwest is Snow Falling on Cedars (can’t remember the author). It’s a beautifully written book almost lyrical.
Lots of my favorites have already been mentioned, but I have to say that anything by Barbara Kingsolver is great, especially The Bean Trees, Pigs in Heaven and Animal Dreams. I like Lorna Landvik’s books, especially Angry Housewives Eating Bonbons and Tall Pine Polka. Adriana Trigiani’s Big Stone Gap series. I’m just now reading The Memory Keeper’s Daughter. I’m not even finished, but I’m so blown away by it. You should check it out. Happy reading!
This post got me to thinking abt my own reading habits – 1 of my daughters & I each keep a list in our journals of the books we read each yr – the goal is at least 24 – she cheats in december & reads a bunch of short junky books if she thinks I have read more than she – I can tell which yrs have been more difficult than others by the few books I read those yrs – the yr my dad died (in feb of that yr) I only read 3 books – just had no appetite – other yrs I read abt 30 – starting grad school next month so expect my leisure reading will be greatly diminished – I was perusing my 8 book cases just now to see what I would recommend – I go through them a couple of times each yr to thin them out but there are certain books I keep & so these are my recommendations
anything by Ron Hansen, Kent Haruf (I reread all his books last summer), Jane Hamilton(esp A Map of the World), MFK Fisher, Kaye Gibbons, Harriet Doerr, Isabel Allende (esp House of the Spirits), Ursula Hegi, John Irving (esp A Prayer for Owen Meany), Susan Minot (esp Evening), Vikram Seth, Carol Shields, Joyce Carol Oates, Ved Mehta (esp Sound Shadows of the New World)
In addition to the many fine titles already recommended I would add the follwoing – The Cape Ann, The Ginger Tree, Mutant Message Down Under (reread this every few yrs), Woman in the Dunes, Oscar & Lucinda, A lesson Before Dying, Snow Falling on Cedars, Possessing the Secret of Joy
Okay — If you loved those, we are already on the same wavelength. I read *a lot* and you can see all my book entries on my blog here: http://www.boogaj.com/knitting/books/index.html But I’m going to give you a quick and dirty list to get you started and ease you back into things.
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See (The best book I read in 2005!)
The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
Waiting by Ha Jin
For something fun and light — anything by Marian Keyes
Non-fiction — Julie & Julia by Julie Powell
Three of my favorite books have already been mentioned: The Kite Runner, The Red Tent and The Secret Life of Bees. I would like to add A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson (no relation to our former vet) about the authors experiences on the Appalalian Trail told in a humorous fashion. Thanks to everyone for the suggested reading lists. Love you.
Definitely Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series.
The lovely bones.
One not mentioned so far: I’ve just read “Still life with chickens” by Catherine Goldhammer, nonfiction, and it was a delightful, thoughtful, quick read.
Georgette Heyer is an enduring delight – favourites include Venetia, Frederica, the Unknown Ajax and – well, more than those.
Victoria Finlay’s books, Colour and Buried Treasure, about the sources of colours and of precious stones, respectively. She combines fascinating detail with travel writing.
Jan Karon’s Mitford series, which you’ll find either A) charming B) twee or C) capable of inducing a diabetic coma (which is ironic, in the context of one storyline). But her observations of small town life remind me of L.M. Montgomery, who wasn’t afraid of being sharp about the background characters in the Anne books. I find them A) charming. As you can probably tell.
On my to-read list: Bill Bryson’s new one, a memoir of his childhood.
1. All of Barbara Kingsolvers books
2. All of Amy Tan
3. Hitchhikers guide to the Galaxy books (they are just funny)
there ya go… for awhile anyway?
Ooh, ooh, and the Life of Pi by Yann Martel, and Bel Canto by Ann Patchett. Animal Dreams by Barbara Kingsolver. His Dark Materials Series, three books by Philip Pullman. And I didn’t read the whole list but I saw The Red Tent and second that motion. Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier. This is already my second post. I may have a third as my old favorites pop into my head!
Recently I finished reading ‘Where rainbow ends’ by Cecelia Ahern a young irish author. She also wrote ‘P.S. I love you’ which will be turned into a film (correct english?) with Hillary Swank and Gerard Butler. Both books are very sweet love stories. You can find her on the web http://www.ceceliaahern.ie.
I’ve had a list of “what books would I want if I couldn’t ever have any more” for years, and it hasn’t changed. At the end of some I wept that it was over, and couldn’t read anything else for days because it wasn’t THAT book.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Betty Smith
A Trip To The Stars, Nicholas Christopher
The Secret History, Donna Tartt
Other greats:
The Mystery Roast, Peter Gadol
The Long Rain, Peter Gadol
The Wind-up Bird Chronicle, Haruki Murakami
The Unconsoled, Kazuo Ishiguro
The Lover, Marguerite Duras
I’m going to start exploring some of these other suggestions. Thanks for the post!
My two favorites:
Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri (short stories)
Atonement by Ian McEwan
My 2 all-time favorite (recently published books) – Prodigal Summer – also by Barbara Kingsolver. I liked it so much more than Poisonwood Bible, but that could be because the dad in PB reminded me way too much of my ex! And Cold Mountain – it is so very well-written. Actually, both of these books call for me to really ponder HOW they are written as well as following the story, but I invariably get caught up in the story. Count of Monte Cristo is one of my favorite older books, especially because my boys love it and, last of all, I have always really loved anything by Irving Stone – mostly biographical historical fiction. Thanks for posting this, because now I have a great source of new book ideas!
Wow, you have already read some of my favorites, but here are some more that I would recommend:
To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
The Seduction of Water, Carol Goodman
Peace Like a River, Leif Enger (At least one other person recommended this book and I echo their recommendations)
Angle of Repose, Wallace Stegner
My Sister’s Keeper, Jodi Picoult
The Red Tent, Anita Diament
The Life of Pi, (can’t think of the author’s name)
Sense and Sensibility, Jane Austen (I LOVE Jane Austen’s books)
A Kiss from Maddalena, Christopher Castllani
The Memory Keeper’s Daughter, Kim Edwards
I am lucky to be in a great book group that meets once a month to discuss a book that we’ve read. It has exposed me to books that I might never have read otherwise.
Enjoy your reading!
Well, i basically love childrens books, but tons of adult love this book: The lightning thief. Oh and i also suggest a tree grows in Brooklyn. It made me cry.