Alright, peeps. I need help finding a good book to read. I’m ashamed to admit I haven’t really read anything since I completed the Harry Potter series back in November.
I’m looking for a really solid, suck-you-in type of story. Fiction or non, doesn’t matter.
Help!
18 Comments
kristen Jan 2, 2010 7:01 PM
The Help!
For sucking me in, I am a big fan of children’s literature. I read a series or two every year, so I re-read old favorites regularly. The Wrinkle in Time books, The Great Brain books, the Chronicles of Narnia…
charity Jan 2, 2010 7:46 PM
The Unlikely Disciple – The story of a Brown University student who tries to fit in at Liberty University. :)
Moriah @ Please Pass the Salt Jan 2, 2010 10:40 PM
I’m still in the Outlander books and they will last you months, nay years they are so long (and 7 of them, so far). SO, SO GOOD. Email me for more info if interested.
Jen Jan 3, 2010 9:06 AM
Half Broke Horses by Jeanette Walls, author of Glass Castles. Also just finished Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, a graphic novel about a woman’s perspective of growing up in Iran. Both made me forget my “to-do” list, and stay up way past my bedtime. :)
Clare Jan 3, 2010 9:39 AM
You might have already read them, but the Dan Brown books definitely suck you in. They might not be fine literature, but they are very entertaining.
I also just finished Craig Ferguson’s autobiography, “American on Purpose” which I really liked. It makes me view him in a completely different way. But again, not exactly a classic. :)
Amy Jan 3, 2010 11:42 AM
I am reading ” He loves Me!” by Wayne Jacobsen and just loving it!
Aubrey Jan 3, 2010 12:35 PM
Have you read any Wendell Berry? His books are awesome – Hannah Coulter, Jayber Crow are two of my favorites. They are all about the same farming community in KY and the characters all appear in numerous books.
I’d also recommend Graham Greene. The End of the Affair is excellent. As are several of his others.
San Jan 3, 2010 12:51 PM
Can’t think of a good book brain not working!! Hope you are having a better time with LO. Parenting is one of the toughest jobs on the planet!!
Benedict didn’t have a tantrum yesterday but he was hyper and it led to an interesting time in the shoe shop. I had hoped the ground would swallow me up but no such luck!! And today? He’s had 3 hypos!!! Hugs San x
Kerri Jan 3, 2010 1:02 PM
unChristian by David Kinnaman. Non-fiction; a must read.
Am getting close the end of A Praying Life by Paul Miller; it is terrific.
Fiction: I am doing my annual re-read of Jane Austen, starting with Pride and Prejudice (got an awesome new edition for Christmas–hardcover, so beautiful!). And probably moving on to Sense and Sensibility, and then Persuasion.
Sarah M Jan 3, 2010 7:58 PM
shoot. where to start. I’ll give you the favs, then the books we’re reading (have read) for book club that were good. and then ones I want to read. lol. HERE:
Havah: The Story of Eve (FAB-U-LOUS fictional account of Eve by christian & resident NE author Tosca Lee)
Gilead by Maryilynne robinson (2nd times a charm–for book club now & loving it this time around–pulitzer prize winner)
4 top favs of all time:
The Bell Jar–Sylvia Plath
Brave New World–Aldous Huxley
Sophie’s World–Jostein Gaarder
Girls Gone Mild–Wendy Shalit (about the modesty revolution–fascinating!)
reading now (and over again): What the Dog Saw–by malcom Gladwell (author of BLINK & The Tipping Point)
Home (parallel book to Gilead, above)
The Outside World by Tova Marvis is the next book we’re reading for Feb. Book club!!! Hope that helps.
PS–LOVE that you had a “reading rainbow” reference for that…I was a RR watcher, too!!
Sarah M
Marc K Jan 4, 2010 2:01 AM
Everything is Illuminated
or
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
both by Jonathan Safran Foer.
Thank me later. ;)
Meg Jan 4, 2010 10:31 AM
If you are looking for something a little different. I was fascinated with “Under the Banner of Heaven” It was really insightful and answered a lot of questions I had about the Mormon religion. Really a great read.
Sarah M Jan 4, 2010 12:51 PM
I’ve also read “Under teh Banner of Heaven” and it is very good…but I LOVE the author Jon Krakauer & have read everything of his…highly recommend (he wrote teh story that “Into the Wild” moview was based on.
SM
Haley Jan 4, 2010 8:34 PM
Ooh! Ooh! I know this one! Haha.Two books that aren’t exactly light literary lifting, but are so amazingly written that they are worth the effort:
Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
And I know I blogged about this recently so I sound like a broken record, but All the King’s Men by Robert Penn Warren will suck you in if you give it some time even if you don’t care about politics, which I generally don’t much.
Disclaimers: The first book has some sexual content. The second one has some consistent bad language. But all the questionable content in both books combined would look quaint next to, say, a half-hour episode of any current reality show, so I still think you’re better off reading the great books.:)
Judy S Jan 5, 2010 10:21 AM
“Post Captain” by Patrick O’Brian. Part of a series of historical fiction novels about the Royal Navy in the Napoleonic wars. The movie “Master and Commander” was based on this series. A Wall Street Journal book reviewer said it was like reading Jane Austen on the quarterdeck.
Rebecca Jan 5, 2010 9:48 PM
Well done, friends—thank you!! I’ve read several of Krakauer’s books, as well as some Austen and one Wendell Berry. Aside from those, I’ll have plenty of good books to read in the future.
Haley has recommended All the King’s Men so many times that I can’t ignore it any longer. ; ) And Moriah has also mentioned the Outlander series several times over. Honorable mentions to both.
The winner of this contest-that-really-isn’t-a-contest is the dude who walked into the bathroom last night and passed me a book. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, right? It’s Mistborn by Lincoln native Brandon Sanderson.
Kris Jan 5, 2010 11:58 PM
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society
Kristin Jan 8, 2010 2:28 PM
A book I always like to recommend is The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Alchemist_(novel)
For a bit more pulp, I couldn’t put down any of the Twilight or Sookie Stackhouse novels. I know we’ve talked about those, but I don’t remember if you’ve read any of them. Sounds like you already found one to read, but put these on the list!