I should be napping right now but I'm feeling quite bloggy...
I've been meaning to start a blog book club of some sort. I'll get to that one day, I'm sure.
For now, here's what I've been reading as of late:
Shannon Hale: I'm sorry to say that I hated Goose Girl and couldn't get through it. It's not really my favorite genre, even though I really liked Princess Academy. I'm sorry. I did go ahead and read Austenland and LOVED it. My favorite thing, though? The dedication page, which reads: "To Colin Firth. You're a really great guy, but I'm a happily married woman. Let's just be friends." This lady gets me. A Book of 1000 Days is still on my request list at the library.
Anne Tyler: I read "Back When We Were Grownups" on the car ride to Utah and loved it. She's an excellent storyteller and the book drew me in pretty quickly. It was a little anti-climactic because I kept waiting for the main character to do something specific, but it never turned out. Oh, well. still a good book. I started to read "Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant" while in Colorado, but couldn't take it with me and it wasn't on the shelf at the library so it'll have to wait. It looked promising, though. I've got "Breathing Lessons" in my lap and ready to crack open the minute I finish this blog.
Khaled Hosseini: A Thousand Splendid Suns. I just finished this one a couple days ago and it left me breathless. I was glad to have Austenland to follow it up with because the subject of "suns" is a little heavy. But the author writes so fluidly and uses just enough detail to paint the scene, but not so much that you're overwhelmed and have to put the book down. It's a very fine line, I think, and I was impressed with how he walked right up to it but never seemed to cross it. I haven't read "Kite Runner" because I was a bit afraid of how I'd handle the subject matter (same with "Suns"), but now that I've read "Suns" I think I'll be able to handle Kite Runner.
So on my to read list is:
Kite Runner
Breathing Lessons
These is My Words
Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant
1776 (which I've started before and want to buckle down and read)
Atlas Shrugged
The Fountainhead
(the last two are basically being forced upon me by my husband who claims they've changed his life...But I'm up for anything).
Peace Like a River (which is Michelle's and I've had it sitting on my nightstand since January and I can't bring myself to read it because it's in PRISTINE condition and I don't want to be the one to crack the binding...Michelle, how do your books look so great after you're done reading them???)
And last - BUT NOT LEAST! - is Breaking Dawn. Be still my soul. I can't wait for that book to come out.
If you have any suggestions of books to add to my list, please feel free!
12 comments:
Definitely read These Is My Words. That is my all-time favorite book.
Dinner At The Homesick Restaurant in my opinion was a little slow and pretty depressing. Not one of my favorite.
One suggestion I have, if you like the These Is My Words, is Follow The River by James Alexander Thom. That is an AMAZING story and I could not put it down for a second. Beware of major time consumption if you decide to pick that one up.
These Is My Words is so fabulous, I can't say enough about it.
Breaking Dawn - swoon - can't come soon enough. The movie has my curiosity peaked, but I think James Mcavoy would have been a better choice for Edward.
I read Kite Runner a long time ago, very good, but like you said pretty heavy stuff. Suns is on my list.
Have you read My Sister's Keeper? This was one of my favorites a couple years ago. Language is a bit strong for one of the characters, but the topic is intriguing. And it's not predictable, I hate predictable books.
I'll have to check out some on your must read list.
I loved The Fountainhead, but haven't gotten to Atlas Shrugged yet. I fully intend to soon, thanks for the reminder. I echo the others about These Is My Words. Beautifully written. I haven't been able to bring myself to read Kite Runner yet. Not sure I can handle it. As for suggestions, I highly recommend The Historian. I couldn't put it down and can't wait to read it again.
I'm reading The Reagan Diaries right now...it's very interesting.
I fully support the comments about "These Is My Words." Loved it. Didn't care for the sequel as much, but it was still good. Here are some more of my favorites:
"The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd
"Stones from the River" by Ursula Hegi (because I love WWII stuff)
"The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver. Ah-maze-ing.
"Memoirs of a Geisha" by Arthur Golden (the movie pales in comparison)
Nonfiction:
"The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio" by Terry Ryan (also a great movie)
"The Last American Man" by Elizabeth Gilbert.
"Nicholas and Alexandra" by Robert Massie
OK so kite runner for sure on my list as well. let me know as you will probably get to it before me! CANT WAIT for the next 16 days till our new book comes out!
You know I've been looking for some new books to read (in all my spare time:) I'm going to try to find one of these at the library next time I go.
How in the world do you manage to read without ignoring your kids? At the moment I don't have the will power to ONLY read while they are in bed or asleep. Especially if it's a good book. I'll have to ponder that one. In the meantime, I'll add some of these books to my list.
1776 gets boggy in parts, but mostly it's good. I went on a history kick the last couple of years, mostly because that's what the tiny PX in Garmisch had in stock. I started with McCullough's John Adams biography, went to His Excellency George Washington, and then the Ben Franklin Bio by Walter Isaacson. A bunch of Stephen Ambrose, too. I think I'm going to have to get back to fiction seeing as how I've never even heard of half of the newer books on your list. I'm going to have to catch up.
And as for reading without ignoring the kids, as one of your commenters mentioned, I honestly read more magazines than books these days. Easier to put down and pick up every thirty seconds when the kids need you, without having to re-read the same sentence six times. I'm still compelled to read, though, even if it's just the back of the Mini-Wheats box.
I do a bit of kid ignoring every now and then and I'm okay with that. I like to think that it's healthy for them to be ignored. They get bored and entertain themselves, which turns out to be far more entertaining than anything I would have come up with anyway.
I had a hard time with the kite runner, but I get way emotionally into books so I can't handle them if they are way depressing. It isn't a book I recommend reading if you are sensitive that way like me. But it is so informative and eye-opening concerning other cultures. I do love a few parts.
wow, what an ambitious list! Count on Anna!
Nice list! We did a lot of these for bookclub. I LOVED These is my Words and Peace like a River. I also liked Goose Girl, but not really Enna Burning. Kite Runner was so good, but hard to read. I still have vivid images in my head 2 years later. 1776 is worthwhile, but definitely slow reading. I also loved Follow the River and Poisonwood Bible. I just recently read Cold Sassy Tree and I Capture the Castle which were both great. Thanks for giving me some new titles to add to my list!
I think I've read them all except for 2. Good picks. My reading goal for the year is health books only...I'm reading A&P college text books currently. ha!
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