I Have Book Recs. Anyone Else?

[sparrow13]

I've read a number of good books in the last few weeks so I am passing them along to the Cathe bookworms.

For the history buffs, Sam Adams: A Life by Ira Stoll.

For the fiction fans, Lisa See's new one, Shanghai Girls

For the spiritual-minded, When Things Fall Apart by Pema Chodron (I love this book)

For those who are food, inc obsessed like me, Real Food by Nina Planck (still reading this actually)

Please share yours!

 

[bitmover]

Thanks! Here are a couple:

The Daily Coyote: A Story of Love, Survival, and Trust in the Wilds of Wyoming by Shreve Stockton

The Art of Racing in the Rain: A Novel by Garth Stein

(thanks to Boingo for pointing me to the last one)

 

[Beavs]

I just read Colum McCann's Let the Great World Spin and I loved this book. I also read This Side of Brightness which was wonderful. I met Colum at a conference when he read from his at the time soon to be released book and he was really cool....and cute.....and Irish ( a real plus!).

For a fun, easy read I recommend Harry Truman's Excellent Adventure which is about the roadtrip the Truman's look soon after Harry left office.

I would like to read K Blows Top: A Cold War Comic Interlude.
http://tinyurl.com/nax2rd
If anyone out there has read it/reads it let me know what you think.

 

[buffettgirl]

I am thoroughly enjoying the The Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter series by Susan Wittig Albert. The books are mysteries starring Beatrix Potter of The Tale of Peter Rabbit fame. Albert based the books on Potter's life and has animals in the story working to solve the mysteries in parallel with the humans.

 

[TeTe]

I've recently read (and thoroughly enjoyed!):

My Life in France by Julia Child & Alex Prud'Homme;

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith (thanks, Patti!); and

Slam by Nick Hornby.


I'm currently reading The Monk by Matthew Gregory Lewis, and next up is Thomas Pynchon's new book, Inherent Vice.

 

[lioness]

I love these threads. My wish list grows longer and longer.

I am currently reading Nothing to Lose by Lee Child

Other recent favorites are:

Unfinished Business: What the Dead Can Teach Us about Life by James Van Praagh

Gilgamesh: A Novel by Joan London

The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz

Crow Lake by Mary Lawson


For any reader that hasn't, check out www.goodreads.com. It a "facebook" type website for readers. It's a great way to keep track of your books and has lots of fun stuff.

 

[Mocha]

Thanks for the book recommendations!

My two most recent reads (I enjoyed both):
World Without End by Ken Follett (medieval smut)
The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb

 

[trixie108]

Ooh Jane, I loooove Lee Child!! I am currently reading the Anita Blake series by Laurell K. Hamilton

 

[llp]

A couple of good books I read this summer, that I've never seen mentioned:

The Space Between Us by Thrity Umrigar

Middlesex-Spanish by Jeffrey Eugenides (this could be an appropriate read in light of the Caster Semenya -the runner- gender controversy)

I provided Amazon links so that you can see reader reviews!

 

[rjroubi]

Sparrow, did you like "Shanghai Girls" as much as "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan"?

I was thinking of picking it up but was a bit hesitant (I didn't want to be disappointed).


Oh, by the way, I do highly recommend, "The Vagrants" by Yiyun Li. The character's are memorable and novel is riveting. Even my sister, who isn't a big reader couldn't put it down. I know I've mentioned a while back on another book thread, but it's such a good read I thought it would be well worth repeating.

 

[sparrow13]

Sparrow, did you like "Shanghai Girls" as much as "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan"?

I was thinking of picking it up but was a bit hesitant (I didn't want to be disappointed).


Oh, by the way, I do highly recommend, "The Vagrants" by Yiyun Li. The character's are memorable and novel is riveting. Even my sister, who isn't a big reader couldn't put it down. I know I've mentioned a while back on another book thread, but it's such a good read I thought it would be well worth repeating.

I just added The Vagrants to my wishlist at Amazon. That's how I keep track of what I want to read. It looks great, thanks for the rec!

As for Shanghai Girls, I did like it as much as Snowflower though it's not as lyrical. I was not wild about Peony in Love though;this was much better IMO.

 

[rjroubi]

I just added The Vagrants to my wishlist at Amazon. That's how I keep track of what I want to read. It looks great, thanks for the rec!

As for Shanghai Girls, I did like it as much as Snowflower though it's not as lyrical. I was not wild about Peony in Love though;this was much better IMO.

I just downloaded Shanghai Girls onto my Kindle ....I know I'll be doing quite a bit of reading while traveling to Italy this September.

 

[hoffmasa]

Good Night Moon and
If you Give a Mouse a Cookie.
(just last night - to my 2 and 5 year old)

The grown up books are hard to fit in these days. some day i'll pick up that reading hobby again...

 

[sancho]

Good Night Moon and
If you Give a Mouse a Cookie.
(just last night - to my 2 and 5 year old)

The grown up books are hard to fit in these days. some day i'll pick up that reading hobby again...

Okay, if we're going in that direction, I have to add Is your Mama a Llama and Skippy John Jones (the person who wrote this can not possibly be sane).

As for adult books, I just finished The Help and really liked the characters. It's a very easy read. I found myself thinking about the characters and what they were doing even after I finished the book. I also read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn for bookclub and loved it. I never read it in high school and I'm glad because I think I can appreciate it more as an adult.

 

[TeTe]

I also read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn for bookclub and loved it. I never read it in high school and I'm glad because I think I can appreciate it more as an adult.

Wasn't it wonderful? But, I wish I HAD read it as a kid, and then re-read it as an adult. I did that with The Diary of Anne Frank, and it was a real eye-opener. I remember as a kid, looking at it only from Anne's point-of-view. But, reading it as an adult, I found myself identifying with the heartbreak her mother must have been going through, being in such a dangerous situation, fearing for your children more than yourself, and being shunned by your young daughter.

I would love to have both a child and an adult's perspective on Francie Nolan's story.

 

[sancho]

Wasn't it wonderful? But, I wish I HAD read it as a kid, and then re-read it as an adult. I did that with The Diary of Anne Frank, and it was a real eye-opener. I remember as a kid, looking at it only from Anne's point-of-view. But, reading it as an adult, I found myself identifying with the heartbreak her mother must have been going through, being in such a dangerous situation, fearing for your children more than yourself, and being shunned by your young daughter.

I would love to have both a child and an adult's perspective on Francie Nolan's story.

Ohhh, good point. You are right! One person in my bookclub didn't read it because she did a paper on it in college and didn't want to read it again. I was afraid that if I had read it at a younger age, I would feel the way she does. But now I can see what a mistake that would be. Maybe I can some how mention it to her so she doesn't loose that opportunity.

Yes. I really, really liked Francie's story. Apparently it's somewhat autobiographical. Although the author is deceased, there is a woman who wrote a book about the author and she is calling in to our bookclub meeting.

 

[bitmover]

I LOVE reading Skippyjon Jones to my kids! So fun to do the accent and sing.

 

[TeTe]

Although the author is deceased, there is a woman who wrote a book about the author and she is calling in to our bookclub meeting.

That is SO cool! Where are you? Maybe I'll join you for that meeting!

Yes, I knew it was based on Betty Smith's childhood. The version I had included interviews, newspaper stories about her, etc. There is a piece that says when asked if the novel was autobiographical, Smith said, "Maybe it didn't happen that way. But that's the way it should have been." And she says that same thing in the book. I think her dad says it after telling her a story and she asks him if it was really true.

I hope that your friend reconsiders and reads it again. I don't think it will take away from her original memories of the book, but will make for a very enriching experience.

 

[Ffte]

Lately I've been reading the Stephanie Plum novels (light hearted fare) by Janet Evanovich.

I'm also reading On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen by Harold McGee. This one is for the science geeks who want to know Why as much as How. This one will likely take a year to complete at which time I'll probably start over...

 

[bjammin13]

Last week I finished my second time around with "Pillars of The Earth" - Ken Follett ( loved it even more than the first time)
This week , I read "The Weight of Silence" - Heather Gudenkauf (a Bday gift from my Hubby) I really enjoyed it , although I felt rather emotional when I finished . Tough to ingest material regarding trauma happening to children .
Now I am rereading "World Without End "- Ken Follet.
I am obsessed with Ken Follet books in general , LOL