I need a good book

[Hollydoll85]

Hi all, I've slipped into a bad habit of reading the "he brushed his lips across her ample heaving bosoms" books lately and want to find something semi-intellegent again....any ideas?

[ICNJess]

LOL Try the chicken soup books, they are great. Or, if you are up for a real thriller, check out Intensity by Dean Koontz, it's one of my favorites.

[kadi]

Outlander (Diana Gabaldon) - It's an intelligent romance/time travel novel-- totally addictive & there are 5 in the series now I think!
The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley) - Arthurian legend from woman Druid perspective.
The Nazi Officer's Wife (can't remember the author) - Jewish woman hides during the Holocaust, married to Nazi officer. Amazing true story!

[Betsie]

I will post some of my faves later...but for now? here is one
Bee Season by Sue Monk Kidd, though that's by memory...will correct when i repost.

Another fave: Falling Leaves by Adeline Yen Mah.

will post again later...could be lengthy, but will try to list the true faves: love a great book and being in a book club for three years really inspired me to read things with more depth........

A book discussion could be a very nice addition to this forum, perhaps Jill will weigh in. something positive and relaxing.

[XoChelsey03Xo]

I would read chicken soup books. I love chicken soup books. They really put me in a good mood. I'm not much of a reader, but I can sit for hours and read chicken soup books. Chelsey :)

[Betsie]

One Hundred Years of Solitude - favorite: very tedious, but a classic
Gabriel Garcia Marquez

The Red Tent - a powerful book for women of all ages, my favorite
Anita Diamant

Fall on Your Knees (Oprah Edition)
Ann-Marie MacDonald

The Time Traveler's Wife
Audrey Niffenegger / Paperback / Harcourt Brace & Company / July 2004

House of Sand and Fog
Andre Dubus III / Paperback / Knopf Publishing Group / November 2000

Breath, Eyes, Memory
Edwidge Danticat / Paperback / Random House, Incorporated / May 1998

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time Mark Haddo - an incredibly well written story of autism

Secret Life of Bees :wrong title on prior post
Sue Monk Kidd

********************************************************************** *********************************************

For some lighter reads: Authors Elizabeth Berg, Anne Tyler, Anita Shreve

All info on www.Barnesandnoble.com - check out the subjects to see if any interest you. Happy Reading! I would get kicked off for lengthy posting if I didn't stop here...LOL

[ibtracy]

Hi there. I'm a frequent reader and will give you a list of a few good reads that I have on my shelf right now. Check your local library or clearance sections of your local book stores as well....You can try the used book section on Amazon.com also, that's where I get a lot of my books.

On Mystic Lake by Kristin Hannah (all her books are terrific!!!!) :)
Strange Fits of Passion by Anita Shreve
The Perfect Husband by Lisa Gardner
The Pilots Wife by Anita Shreve
Accident by Danielle Steele
Still Waters by Tami Hoag
Magic by Tami Hoag
What We Keep, Elizabeth Berg

Those were the first few that came to mind. Some are romance, some are murder mystery, some are spell binding and keep you on the edge of your chair. Their all EXCELLENT READS! :woohoo:

Hope this helps you start a book list...

Tracy K.

[Alexa]

The Davinci Code by Dan Brown - I couldn't put it down!

[MeganAnne]

The Girl with the Pearl Earring!!! By Tracy Chevalier
This book was a romance about the painter Vermeer and the inspiration for one of his famous paintings. If you like a little romantic tension, this is it!

[dyno]

I used to read a lot before I got into sewing so much but still enjoy a good book.

I got into
The Clan of the Cave Bear Series by Jean Auel. This is a series and you would want to start with this one. It takes a little bit to get going but I couldn't put them down once I got started.

Another series that I couldn't stop reading was the Left Behind series. There are 11 or 12 books in that one and Left Behind is first.

If I think of some more I will report back in.

[ICNDonna]

I totally loved the James Herriot books.

But, mostly, I like mysteries and I like Mary Higgins Clark and J.A. Jance. I liked the DaVinci Code, but haven't read any of Brown's other books.

Donna

[Cricketmk3]

Thank you for replying to Hollydoll's post. I will definitely read some of the books suggested. I belong to a book club @ booksfree.com. I love it! You pick the books you want to read and put them on a list. They mail them to you with a free postage mailer to mail them back when you're through with them. All you have to do is read and mail and they'll keep sending as long as your subscription lasts. Well worth the money to me! I will put some of these books on my reading list to be sent to me later. Thanks!

[dyno]

Oh yes, the James Herriot books, I had forgotten about them until Donna mentioned them.

[kadi]

Yep, LOVED the James Herriot books, thanks for reminding me of them. Also nice videos- my library has both the books & the videos:)

[Lex]

I also suggest Dean Koontz....he is one my favorite authors. I think Lightning was his best. I also love Anne Rice's vampire chronicals....cool to read about people who never age or get sick.

[desolationangel]

i like old books a lot. sometimes we tend to forget about them, but they can be pretty darn good.

anything by Kerouac, if you're up for some intellectualism

don't forget to read The Phantom of the Opera by Leroux before the movie comes out, a lovely, sad romance

The Other Boleyn Girl by Phillippa Gregory (not old, but still really, really good)

i'll try to think of more later. i always get so blank-minded when people ask for book suggestions... :hmm:

[Betsie]

Another favorite Author - Pat Conroy:
Prince of Tides*
Beach Music **
as well as the Great Santini and others i have not read.

Author: Wally Lamb
She's Come Undone
I Know This Much is True **

Authors: Jane Smiley, Isabella Allende, Chris Bohjalian, Alice Sebold & David Gutterson...all pretty comtemporary writers

My daughter loved the Shopaholic books, though I haven't read them. Also the Devil Wears Prada.

One of my very favorite books is:
The Divine Secrets of the YaYa Sisterhood*.

John Irving:
A Prayer for Owen Meanie
Cider House Rules

*/** faves!

[andcohen]

One of my favorite books is Four Fires- by Bryce Courtney. He is a fantastic Australian author with many great titles to his name. I'm not to sure if these are able to be purchased in the US though?
But if anyone is interested in a truley great Aussie story I really recomend this. I think it's set back in the 1950's from memory.
Andrea

[ICNJess]

If you are into some symbolic work, try The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka. I read that book as a junior in high school for Honors World Literature, and was so taken with it, all the symbolism was wonderful.

There's also a book of short stories by Henrik Ibsen that are great.

I LOVE Cider House Rules! Great book!

Sometimes I dig out my good old standby, "To Kill A Mockingbird". :)

[vm]

OMGosh - Betsie - we have almost the exact same taste in books. :) I have read one of those Conroy books, both of the Wally Lamb books and both of the Irving books! LOL

Jess - "To Kill A Mockingbird" is great, too. Have you ever read "Catcher in the Rye"?

[ICNJess]

Yep, Kim, Holden Caulfield was one interesting dude LOL

I am also a fan of Arthur Miller's plays. I liked "The Crucible" but definitely could leave "Death of A Salesman"...argh!

[desolationangel]

awww. i like "death of a salesman. " i'm not sure why. something about the english major in me loves the critique of american values.

right now i'm being very selfishly indulgent in my reading - "ticket to ride," an account of the Beatle's first two tours. john lennon is my guardian angel.

[vm]

Sounds interesting. :)

Jess - I remember reading "Death of A Salesman" in high school - but don't remember much about it.

I just finished a good book called "Like Normal People". It is about a mom, her adult daughter with mental retardation, her other daughter and her niece. It is WONDERFUL!!! Great story, but also the descriptions are so beautiful. I couldn't put it down. :)

[Hollydoll85]

I didn't know they were coming out with a movie version of Phantom..that's so exciting!!! I've read it about 3 times...love it! I love anything old....I was reading Les Miserables in like 4th grade when the rest of my class was reading "All Tutus Should Be Pink." (also an excellent read...lol)

[mayray518]

"In Cold Blood" by truman capote is one of my favorites if you are into true crime novels.

[desolationangel]

I just started reading Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser and it reall is fascinating. You know, we with IC can't really have fast food anyway, what with all the junk they add to everything, so it's good to find a more conventional social reason for avoiding it.

i can now honestly say, that as a vegetarian with ic, i will never eat fast "food" again.

now excuse me while i go make my spanikopita. (phylo dough with feta and spinach.) it's much better than a happy meal any day.

[Cricketmk3]

I've always loved "The Good Earth" by Pearl S. Buck. I remember in chapter 18 when O-lan was talking with her husband Wang Lung about how she has been feeling since the birth of her twins seven years before. She says, "Since those two last ones were born together I have not been well. There is a fire in my vitals." Could she have possibly been suffering with IC!?!

[louise]

I RECOMMEND ANYTHING BY JODI PICOULT, BUT IN PARTICULAR

PLAIN TRUTH, THE PACT AND MY SISTER'S KEEPER.

Louise

[Babs RN]

Another vote here for the Davinci code. I am more of a magazine addict lately. I also enjoy medical books but it kinda goes with the job.

Hugs,
Barb :woohoo:

[daydreamer]

Some of my favorites:

The Drifters-James Michener

Memoirs of a Geisha-Arthur Golden

The Thorn Birds- Colleen McCullough

Gone with the Wind-Margaret Mitchell

[arcticfox]

Books, books, books! I love books. Nothing better than going to a book store or the local library to pick out some books to read! How calming!

Some of the books that people have mentioned here are great. But one of my favorite authors at this moment is Wilbur Smith. He writes advenure stories. Most of them taking place in Africa. For some reason, I just can't get enough of these stories.

Happy book hunting!

Arcticfox
(Lynn)

[July]

So many good books to be discovered, so little time! :)

[trytosmile]

Oh my so many books here I haven't read. Must print and highlight. I've got three on the go right now. Read books of all types.

Recently read and loved ...

Jackie Collins - Hollywood Divorces
The Shopoholic Series - 4 in total - Sophie Kinsella
Can You keep a Secret - Sophie Kinsella
The Dance of Anger - Harriet Lerner, Pd.D
Healing from the Inside Out - Adele Puhn, M.S., C.N.S.
How to Know God - Depak Chopra

[Michelle in AR]

I really read a lot of the trashy books. They take little or no concentration and if you hurt and can't read for a few days then it's not like you've forgottten what's happened. They're all the same, but I go from nice 'clean' romance novels to really 'bad' ones by Bertice Small.

Of course, my fav book of all time is Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. I got it in 8th grade (back in 1987) and it's been my favorite since. Now my daughter enjoys it too.

I also suggest any books by Beverly Lewis for a nice little book. Amish Life intrigues me. I just got the new Mitch Album book The 5 People You Meet In Heaven. I saw the movie first. I normally read the book first.

Oh, and the Ya-Ya sisterhood books, real Little Alters Everywhere first. It's part one of the Ya Ya sisterhood. It'll make more sense then.

:) Michelle

[Michelle in AR]

I once started reading a book called Jemima J about a fat girl trying to be thin and meet a man. I lent to a friend back in KC nad now can't find it here to read. Does anyone have it??? Can I borrow it?

We should start a book swap. Not a borrow and mail back to me, but a here, I've read it and now you can have it and pass it on club. Hmmmmmmmmmm...

[MelissaJ]

I would have added Bryce Courtney too, but he's already been said. I've only read The Power of One (which was made into a movie starring Stephen Dorf) and i just started reading Tommo and Hawk, which I had to force myself to put down so I could get some sleep last night. I live in Canada, so I am assuming if I can get the books here, they should be available in the U.S. as well.

[cybersis]

A girl I work with introduced me to the Stuart Woods books. Part mystery, part sleuthing and part heaving bosoms! I have now read all of them and have enjoyed them for their light reading. Also love JD Robbs series with its women police officer and utterly gorgeous Irish rogue of a millionaire husband, also with a lot of sex scenes. I now realize I am living through the sex lives of these characters since having sex has lost all its zing ( to be replaced by ouch!) Oh well, have to get a thrill somewhere!

[Sherry5]

I just read< "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez and I have to say I disagree with Betsie(s/P) a bit. I found it a little disturbing, but not at all tedious. I went right through it. I do find that I devour books that describe something I previously knew nothing about, and this book fit that description. I loved it.

I also read "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver on this trip. Set in the Congo, it was definately a subject I knew nothing about. I loved it

I also loved, "Les Miserables" by Victor Hugo. I was obsessed with the musical at the age of twelve, and loved reading the more complete story as an adult. I was a history major and enjoyed all of the seemingly non essential facts and details. I have to say my slight knowlege of the French language helped a little. It helped me understand why they sometimes use thee and thou and sometimes use you. It is the difference between the formal and informal address.

Anyhow, those are my favorites right now.

Oh, and I have to admit that I read and reread all of the Harry Potter books. :) Scoff if you want, but there is more than meets the eye. That J.K Rowling is more clever than she gets credit for. All of her names have alternate meanings, and all sorts of things are more complex than they appear. I am an adult, and I love them. Hi, my name is Sherry and I am a Potterholic :)

[July]

Hey Sherry,
I'd love to hear more about the Potter secrets!

[desolationangel]

Harry Potter is definitely not just for kids.

I'm very interested in fantasy in general, though I don't write it. (Writing good fantasy is very difficult.)

I also really love Celtic and Egyptian mythology.

[rhea]

I have to admit I am a mystery fan. Dean Koontz the best and Steven Kings old ones. Not into a fav author right now, I just go in and read the back of books and if it sounds interesting will sit down at the book and if I am hooked its a winner. My husbands HATES going to book stores with me cuase I can spend HOURS in them. I can't remember who posted Intensity but oh my gosh that was an awesome book. Had to put it down when I found out who the bad guy was and go back to it later!

[Sherry5]

Desolationangel, I agree, it is VERY difficult to write fantasy well, nearly impossible. It is so difficult to give the fantastic just the right level of believability. Very few authors do it well. Many people think,"gee with all of the reading I do I should write a book." Not me. I am well aware it is beyond my capabilities. I have a lot of respect for successful authors of any genre.

July- the secrets are many! I have to say I read a thread on the Harry Potter boards for adult fans, and it is very interesting. Nearly all of the names mean something significant, and people much more clever and observent than myself come up with some amazing theories about past and future books. There seems to be more to them every time I reread them. My husband thinks I am crazy!

I promise HP is not all that I read. I am in the middle of a serious Jane Austin kick. I just finished Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibilty and am in the middle of Mansfield Park. It is not my favorite. I feel so crappy with this pregnancy that I have been reading a lot. I haven't even gotten my little self to the library like a normal person. I have been reading them online. It would be nice to be able to lat down with my heating pad and an actual book ;)

[Stephanie2004]

I began writing YA fantasy novels about two and a half years ago, when I was forced to stay home caring for my mom during her last illness. Once I started writing, I couldn't stop. Currently, I'm redrafting the first novel I wrote, and letting the second one "rest" a bit before tackling it again. The trek toward publication is a long and difficult one, but I'm taking it step by step.

In fantasy, I like Marion Zimmer Bradley and Ursula Le Guin. I adore Tolkien and MacDonald. In children's fantasy, I love C.S. Lewis (of course) and Rowling. I like Susan Cooper, Cornelia Funke. Really enjoyed "Ella Enchanted" (book, not movie) and "Holes."

I am also really into Victorian novels: George Eliot, Charles Dickens, Anthony Trollop, Wilkie Collins.

In mystery, I like Dorothy Sayers and Josephine Tey.

Recently, I enjoyed reading "The Rule of Four," by Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason.

[desolationangel]

I write too; in fact, I'm a creative writing major. But my professors won't let me write fantasy or science fiction because it's sometimes too easy to get caught up in the world you're writing and forget to focus on character, etc. But it is a lot of fun to write it, that's for sure.

In fact, what I want to write most is historical fiction, similar to books like The Other Boleyn Girl by Phillippa Gregory. I haven't made a successful attempt at it as of yet, however. It just requires FAR too much research! lol.

[Julie B]

This is an old string, but I love it........... :)

I love ANYthing Nicholas Sparks

ANYthing Andrew Greeley

ANYthing Nora Roberts (but we are back to the heavy breathing books LOL0

ALSO........did you guys know that you can buy oodles of paperbacks from Amazon for 99c 90c etc???? I don't know how they do it, but my daughter and I discovered this a couple of months ago! :) You have to click on the button that says "### of new and used from .99 on up." That link is usually to the right on the webpage of the book.......A Walk to Remember (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0446608955/ref=nosim/nutraconsults-20) Not all of the under a dollar books are used either! Rebekah just got a couple that were brand new! :)

[Franny]

Swan Song (freaky), Grapes of Wrath (WOW what a classic. One everyone should read), The Life of Pi (- very unusual),Bella Canto, The Kite Runner (very excinting -a must read). All of these books were very different from anything I had ever read. I got so tired of mysteries, love storyies etc. etc. these were such a refreshing change.

[Shalai]

Ahh, I could LIVE in Barnes & Noble....SOOO many books, and the smell of coffee is DIVINE! Two great things that go great together!! (didn't that used to be a slogan for something??). Anyway, some books I have enjoyed recently:

The Shop on Blossom Street by Debbie Macomber
She Walks These Hills by Sharyn McCrumb

Anything by Kay Hooper or Dorothea Benton Frank grabs my attention, as well as Dean Koontz and Nicholas Sparks (I LOVED The Wedding!!)

:)
Sherry

[Jean12]

Betsie, I too seem to have the same taste in books as you. I especially liked Wally Lambs "This Much I Know Is True". For those not familiar with the book it is a pretty hefty read but I couldn't put it down. It is about a set of identical twins and one of them develops schitzephrenia. It is about the battle of the mentally ill brother and his brother's interaction/advocacy and attempts to understand and help his brother.

I also loved Michael Palmer's early books, haven't read much past his 5th or 6th, Babs you would love his books. He writes medical mysteries and with your medical background it will give you the creeps to think that some of what he writes could actually be pulled off. My favorites by him are "Extreme Measures", "Natural Causes", "Society" and "Silent Treatment".

Then when I want interesting easy reads I pick up some of the old classics like "Red Badge of Courage", "Death Be Not Proud", "The Pearl" (love John Steinback) etc.

Maybe we ought to think about having a booklovers thread where we can list our favorite/recent reads with a little blurb.

Jean

[July]

I love the idea of a booklovers thread! I work in a school, so summer is coming up when some more time opens up for leisure reading! I love to read outside on a nice sunny day!

[Radams]

Oh my gosh, I bet she did have IC, I am a huge fan of The Good Earth, I have read it about 5 times. It is so comforting somehow, so huge a story. Never met anyone who liked it as well as I did.

[Radams]

Yeah, a book lovers thread. It always helps me keep my mind off of pain, and kills time in the middle of the night!How do we do it?

[southerngirl]

V.C. Andrews book are wonderful. I especially love the "Dawn" series. It is wonderfully written with a lot of twists along the way and some romance to go along. After the "Dawn" series I recommend the "Ruby" series.