It’s been a long winter. And by the piles of books laying around my apartment, it’s clearly been a long, reclusive winter. Between Netflix and my reading habit, I’ve spent hours and hours indoors, sequestered away from the depressing gloom of the last few months. And loved it. So, for all you fellow bookworms out there, I’ve put together an almost complete list (I just know I’m missing three or four) of my cold weather companions.
In no particular order:
Memories of My Melancholy Whores (Gabriel Garcia Marquez): If I were the type to underline passages in red pencil, this whole book woulda been one crimson blur. Marquez is a dirty old man, and I adore him for it. This book was a feast, and I loved it so much that I read it twice in the same weekend.
Brooklyn Follies (Paul Auster): The writing was so rich, I hardly noticed that it took him over 100 pages to introduce a plot. I actually miss some of the characters.
Lucky (Alice Sebold): A quick read, and not a masterpiece by any means (nowhere close to Lovely Bones, either), but it was eye-opening.
Forever in Blue: The Fourth Summer of the Sisterhood (Ann Brashares): I bumped into the first Traveling Pants book at a smallish bookstore in Harvard Square. There were only two copies of the hardback book on the shelf. Now you can’t even step foot in a Barnes & Noble without knocking into a display of the latest installment. I love these girls. But I gotta say, they spend just a little too much time out of their pants these days (if you know what I’m sayin’). I know they’re 18 and all, but sheesh! Still, charming as hell, though.
The Lost Continent (Bill Bryson): Hee! I’d like to invite Bryson and Dave Barry over for dinner, and then listen to them one-up each other. Just plain funny.
The Sweet Potato Queens’ Field Guide to Men (Jill Connor Browne): I’d invite Jill Connor Browne to that dinner, too. Just to watch her show them up. I’ve embarassed myself more than once laughing (and snorting!) out loud on the train while reading a Sweet Potato Queens book.
Outlander (Diana Gabaldon): A gift from my darling Angie, it was eight hundred and fifty pages of romance novel disguised as historical fiction. I ate it up. Also, I’m no longer curious about what’s under a Scotsman’s kilt. Rarr.
The Madonas of Leningrad (Debra Dean): Meh. That is all.
Their Eyes Were Watching God (Zora Neale Hurston): Why had I not picked up this one before? A damn good read. It took me ages to get through the first 20 pages, simply because Hurston writes a good portion of the book in the vernacular. So short of reading out loud, going slowly over each word and sounding it out in my head was the only way to go. Slow and steady, but worth the effort. The story was captivating and powerful.
Tender is the Night (F. Scott Fitzgerald): Slow going, but I’m enjoying myself. Perhaps because his work is so respected, I find that I’m deconstructing Fitzgerald’s writing as I go (Why that comma there? What was his purpose in arranging that sentence like that?). It’s like homework. But, god knows, I always secretly liked homework.
The patter of “wintry mix” on my window pane at this very moment tells me that winter has no intentions of giving up any time soon. So, looks like I’ll be in need of more reading material. Got recommendations? I’d love to hear them!
My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult. Make sure you have a box of tissues within arm’s reach.
I’ve read that! And yeah, I was pretty inconsolable at the end. Wow.
The Historian – Elizabeth Kostova, vampire chasing story, kind of like a girl Indiana Jones, but no nazis. I couldn’t read it at night, but I couldn’t put it down either.
I loved Outlander! I’m actually on book 4 of the series and they just keep getting better. #2 was my least favorite, but 3 and 4 are fantastic!
If you liked what you found under the Scotsman’s kilt, try Saving Grace by Julie Garwood. (It, too, is a laugh out loud bood, as I discovered in a doctor’s office waiting room.)
I would suggest Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz. Actually, anything by Dean Koontz.
From This Fish I read Lightning when I was a teenager. I tried another one of his after that, and remember not being all that into it. I should give Odd Thomas a try.
Try “Love in the Present Tense” by Catherine Ryan Hyde. Or “The Time Traveler’s Wife” by Audrey Niffenegger – this is one of my favorite books ever!
I very much enjoyed Ann Patchett’s memoir – Truth and Beauty. It details her friendship with Lucy Grealy, who is also a fascinating author.
I always recommend people read The Feast of Love by Charles Baxter. It’s gorgeously and affectionately written in multiple voices, so that characters that seem stock from one angle quickly reveal themselves to be “real” people from another.
I love giving my favorite books as gifts. I am glad you enjoyed Outlander. Maybe you will have another little goody waiting when you come down again. Or two since Lux is right…dont want you to have to wait for the next “better” installment.
A Spot of Bother, by Mark Haddon is great. Also, I just read The Secret History of the Pink Carnation which is a chick lit smutty romance historical mystery fiction, if that makes any sense. It was very good in a quick-read sort of way.
From This Fish: I couldn’t get through 20 pages of Pink Carnation. I thought the writing was kinda dull… Maybe I should try it again.
The other books by Diana Gabaldon continue to get better as the series progresses. I suggest you read the rest of them
“Good In Bed” by Jennifer Weiner. She’s great!
anything by jodi picoult (pronounced pico) i reccomend my sisters keeper or any of her others
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer – total guilty pleasure. Romance w/ a vampire twist, I LOVED it! Oh – and I second My Sister’s Keeper.
I love Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons. I’m also a big fan of the follow-up to The Notebook called The Wedding. It’s a more realistic view of a relationship and how to make it work. Be prepared with tissues at the end – I cried like a little girl and then decided I needed to treat my husband better.
the angle quickest to flight by steven kotler. it might be a tad hard to find (check amazon before the local bookstore) but it is amazing.
I love wendy markham’s “Slightly…” series.
I loved The Historian, it was my constant companion for all of a three day weekend.
I would recommend Girl With a Pearl Earring, by Tracy Chevalier, it’s much better than the movie.
From This Fish I agree! The book was so much richer.
Yay! I love recommending books! I second Suzanne’s recommendation of Time Traveler’s Wife, it was excellent. If you’re looking for something silly and whacked out, you should check out Bloodsucking Fiends by Christopher Moore. In fact, anything by him, but that’s a good start. Norweigan Wood by Haruki Murakami. I Know This Much is True by Wally Lamb – much better than his others. I could go on forever, but I’ll stop now. Enjoy!
From This Fish: Wally Lamb and I do not get along. I felt like She Comes Undone was well-written, but ended so crappily, that when I got most of the way through I Know This Much Is True, I put it down so he wouldn’t ruin it for me!
The Saving Graces by Patricia Gaffney. I think I’ll carry the ending with me for the rest of my life.
From This Fish: I read it in college… can’t say that I remember the ending, but I know I loved it because I sent my mom a copy!
I third My Sister’s Keeper. Ever tried Alice Hoffman? Her most recent is The Skylight Confessions. Another good one (of the top of my head) is The Red Tent- Anita Diamant. I’m currently reading and liking Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential.
From This Fish I read The Red Tent five or so years ago and remember liking it very much!
How about a little genre fiction?
I can’t recommend Guy Gaveriel Kay enough. He writes high fantasy (he was J.R.R. Tolkien’s assistant in his later years and helped edit The Silmarillion) but there’s no dwarfs or elves and minimal magic.
What he does best is create real, human characters with real motivations. “The Lions of Al-Rassan” left me an emotional wreck because I cared so much about the characters. All the fantasy is just window dressing.
On Beauty by Zadie Smith; Time Traveller’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger; Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marissa Pessl; The Tender Bar by JR Moehringer; I Thought My Father Was God (edited) by Paul Auster; The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri.
From This Fish Anything Jhmpa Lahiri touches is gold. Did you read her short story collection? It won the Pullitzer. She’s so gifted.
I highly recommend Girls in Trouble by Caroline Leavitt. Her characters are so fully drawn, that while you cringe at some of their actions, you completely understand why they do it.
Others: Mary of Bellingham by Anneke Campbell — a modern-day Biblican story (and I am as non-religious as they get); anything by Indian author Amulya Mulladi or Kavita Daswani. They write about the tension between modern Indian women and their society’s — particularly their mother’s — expectations of them. Enjoy!
I heartily second Jennifer Weiner. Great stuff.
You might also try Cecelia Ahern: “P.S. I Love You,” “Love, Rosie” and “If You Could See Me Now.” Completely charming.
If you haven’t read these already:
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
The Kiterunner by Khaled Hosseini
Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee
The invisible Wall by Harry Bernstein
The Story of Love – by Nicole Krauss
any book by Anna Gavalda
I read alot too…gotta do it when you have the long, Scandinavian winters
All of these authors are on my favorites-list. I guarantee you each and everyone of them will stay with you for a long time…amazing characters!
From This Fish Read the Kiterunner and second the nomination. What an intensely good read.
“Eat, Pray, Love” by Elizabeth Gilbert. A compelling memoir of a spiritual journey. Love it!!!!
Crap, did I just say “Biblican?” Nothing like looking illiterate on a Bookworm entry.
I just finished “The Secret Life of Bees” by Sue Monk Kidd, and I was blown away. I’m looking forward to “The Mermaid Chair”, which is sitting on my bedside table.
From This Fish: I liked the Secret Life of Bees, too. Such a love/hate with the main character.
Outlander is unbelievable! If you’ve got time, read the rest of the series . . . some better than others, but all are addicting. I’m re-reading Voyager right now.
I’m a huge Diana Gabaldon fan cus her books are full of love and I’m a total love-whore. Another good historical time-travelly one is Knight In Shining Armor by Jude Devereaux – not exactly Pulitzer prize winning but full of mush and romance… and cool words like manhood, vixen, maiden,and de-flowering.
I am reading SNOW by Pamuk and really enjoying it thus far.
Also anything by Murakami, I have only read “Wind Up Bird Chronicles” and “Kafka on the Shore” and LOVED THEM BOTH – they have cats in them, magical cats at that, which Fish you may love.
I also just read “Devil in a White City” and as a landscape architect, I really enjoyed it – had a hard time with some parts about the serial killer – maybe that was the point.
Cheers – great post/comments for me to refer back to!
From This Fish: Devil in the White City was GREAT. I’m sad that the World’s Fair didn’t last so we could see it. The photos aren’t nearly enough. Also, I liked the parts about the serial killer best. Because I’m sick in the head, clearly.
Anything by Jodi Picoult is great — I just finished her latest – Nineteen Minutes, and it’s every bit as good as Her Sister’s Keeper! Another really good book no one has mentioned yet is The Memory Keeper’s Daughter by Kim Edwards.
From This Fish: I read The Memory Keeper’s Daughter in the fall. It was a good read, but my god, so freaking depressing!
Thrillers: Harlen Coben “Gone For Good” After you read this all of his other books will be extremely similar so you have to read them every six months or so but they’re good for a quick adrenaline burst.
Some old books I read when I was a kid:
A Solitary Dance
Bring Me A Unicorn
P.S. You’re Not Listening
I read the Spencer books by Parker over and over. Dick Francis is another author I continually re-read. Try “Enquiry.” I’m trying to start the Stephanie Plum series and Carl Hiassen is hilarious dessert.
Ian Frazier writes funny short stories. I just got “Word Freak,” the non-fic book about Scrabble players.
OK, I recommend the Time Traveller’s Wife as well. I got really into it and found I was disappointed when it ended, purely because it ended and there was no more to read! But have tissues handy.
And while I’m NOT a fan of Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s novels (in Spanish or English translation), I do like his short stories. Give them a try if you haven’t. “Light is like water” is fabulous.
And I do very much recommend anything by Jorge Luis Borges. I see something new and different every time I read an essay or short story. So many rich layers of text and symbolism!
Yeah – The Memory Keeper’s Daughter was pretty freaking depressing, but well-written. For something lighter, my fave chick-lit writer is Emily Giffin. Something Borrowed and Something Blue are both really good.
Heather, I read you often but never comment… but i can always recommend books:
-A Sunday by the Pool in Kigali, by Gil Courtemanche
-Moloka’i, by Alan Brennert
-Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, by Lisa See
-March, by Geraldine Brooks
I also recommend Devil in the White City and The Kiterunner– both incredible reads.
Enjoy!
The Kite Runner is really good.
And if you liked “The Lost Continent,” check out “A Walk in the Woods,” also by Bill Bryson.
AND, “Thunderstruck” by the same guy that wrote “Devil in the White City” is pretty good, too.
My favorite book is Evening by Susan Minot. It is just lovely and vivid, with a few Katherine Anne Porter-like stream of consciousness passages (I know a good Texas girl knows what I mean). They’re making a movie, which I’m both excited about and dreading, you know? Anyway, it’s very matter of fact about heartbreak. And it makes me want to have a summer place in New England.
I tend to recommend great books and read trash. I’m looking at my Amazon wishlist (212 items) to see what I can recommend.
You Remind Me of Me – Chabon
Monkey Dancing – Glick
The Bird Man and the Lap Dancer – Hansen
Them – Gray
Breakfast With Tiffany – Wintle
The World to Come – Horn
Tiny Ladies in Shiny Pants – Soloway
The Day I Turned Uncool – Zevin
Duncan Delaney and the Cadillac of Doom – Haskett
The Brief History of the Dead – Brockmeier
The Dirt – Motley Crue
How to Stop Hating and Love the O.C.
Plainsong – Haruf (old one I’ve actually read)
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan – See (conceit sounds awesome)
Ok, that’s enough (even though I have a whole separate wishlist entitled “Serious Reading” [45 items]).
…and anything by Isabel Allende.
I loved Kissing in Manhattan by David Schickler. Enough so that I find myself googling his name every once in awhile in hopes of discovering new books. (When, David? When?) The book I’m recommending to everyone this week is Love Walked In by Marisa de los Santos. A nice twist on the usual Mr. Right love story. (Also the entire Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. All wonderful. Especially for winter reading.)
I LOVED all of Diana Gabaldon’s books. I still have to finish the last one. Unfortunately my boss is Scottish…and he is nothing like the Scottsmen in those books so it sort of ruined my fantasies. He does call me a “wee lassie” and he is being completly serious too.
I recommend The Time Travelers Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. AMAZING! I couldn’t even put it down. My dad read it, he cried. Dads who cry are nice though.
Oh, so many recommendations…
– For amazing poetry, try any collection of poems by Anne Sexton or Erica Jong
– Yalom’s When Nietzsche Wept, an account of a fictional relationship between Freud and Nietzsche
– Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own, a must-read for any independent woman
– Rilke’s Letters to a Young Poet, about living life when one has an artistic soul
For an absolutely hysterical read I recommend Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore. Hugely irreverent but terribly funny.
For a little fluffier reading, I highly recommend Something Borrowed and Something Blue by Emily Giffin. They are my 2 favorite fiction books by a female author. Well, for this month at least.
wow there’s a lot more book worms in. I am currently reading Angry Housewives eating Bon Bon’s in my book club, (which is basicallly a wine drinking gossip fest:) ) also i love anything by Sophia Kinsella(Undomesticated Goddesss is great) also
a different genre..Eragon by Chistopher Paolini. Horrible movie but awesome book. Especially since the author was only 15 when he started it and graduated high school at that age as well. He is very inspiring to us wannabe authors
I think that Pink Carnation is worth the awkwardness of the first few pages. It really gets quite charming.
A few others that I don’t think have been recommended yet:
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, by Michael Chabon
History of Love, by Nicole Krauss
Never Let Me Go, by Kazuo Ishiguro
The History of Love-Nicole Krauss
Extremely loud and incredibly close-Jonathan Safran Foer
Everything is Illuminated-Jonathan Safran Foer
I will be forever touched by these books. I fell in love with each author separately, and became even more enamored when I found out that they were married!
For a good historical fiction of New York, Forever by Pete Hamill.
For a good love story and better cry, Friday Night Knitting Club by Kathleen Jacobs
For a laugh and a little introspection, Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris
For a depressing few hundred pages, The Memory Keepers Daughter
A Book Post!!
You guys, I’m stopping at a bookstore on the way home and I’ve written some of these down!
I’m generally a classics readerbut these are some favoites:
Anything Nabokov ever wrote. Keep a dictionary nearby. Incredible vocabulary. Don’t let “Lolita” stop you.
Anna Karenina. Not as intimidating as War and Peace and way more complex than any movie version will EVER capture.
Margaret Atwood. My Faves: The Edible Woman, Cat’s Eye, The Robber Bride and The Blind Assassin. Her short stories are a lot of fun, get ahold of Good Bones and Simple Murders if you can find it, if only for Gertrude Speaks. Hamlet’s Mom finally says something interesting!
If you like fantasy at all, pick up A Song of Ice and Fire – George R R Martin. It’s a series so be aware. Very engaging storyteller, the fantasy stuff is mostly backdrop.
Mark Helprin. I always fall in love with his main guys.
John Irving, almost anything.
Alexander Dumas – Can’t go wrong with the Musketeers.
Augh! Out of room!
I absolutley have to recommend the Outlander series. I have read them all, and LOVE them.
Outlander (Diana Gabaldon) Jamie & Claire are characters that are a part of me now…no other book or characters have stayed with me like these have! I have read all of the books in the series TWICE – and these are books with 1,000+ pages! It is killing me to wait on the next one to be released! sigh
Lust – Susan Minot
The Glass Castle – Jeanette Walls
Love Is A Mix Tape – Rob Sheffield
ANYTHING by Bill Bryson. If you are a word nerd (like I am), his Dictionary of Troublesome Words is excellent. All of his travel books are very good as well, and A Walk in the Woods is the funniest book I’ve read in quite some time. I also very much liked A Short History of Nearly Everything. I find him much more clever and concise than Dave Barry. Also, I’ve just finished Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant by Anne Tyler (she wrote the Accidental Tourist) and it was good, although not very uplifting. I’m reading Vanity Fair right now and I like it a lot, although you do have to get past some very flowery prose in some parts. You won’t miss much, the book is 800 pages long so a lot is description. I skimmed some of the more verbose parts.
yay for the book shopping list i’ve just created by reading your suggestions! i’ve read many of them, but there’s clearly tons of good stuff out there to read…
i also second (or third, or fourth) re: Time Traveler’s Wife, awesome read.
also, Dave Eggers’s _Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius_ and _What is the What_
The Wonder Spot by Melissa Banks – just finished it and loved it
On Beauty by Zadie Snith
The Boleyn Inheritance – Philippa Gregory
London is the Greatest City in America (name of the author is escaping me at the moment, but I really liked it, once I got through the first 30 or so pages)
I also just re-read Le Petit Prince and if you haven’t ever, I recommend giving it a whirl – still very relevant
oh, and I am picking up your Sweet Potato Queen recommendation on the way home tonight
Good Looking Out!
That’s pretty much all I did during the winter too.
Apparently I’m a tad unoriginal judging from earlier recommendations, but Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert is a new favorite. It delivers the concept of a “spiritual journey” in terms that an overthinking, literal, noisy mind like mine can understand (and appreciate).
And oh, The Time Traveler’s Wife! I miss that book terribly and cried when it ended–both for the characters’ loss, and my own sadness that my time with that amazing story was over.
Jennifer Government – a must read!
I guess for this I have to de-lurk…
I second Harlan Coben, his books are very entertaining
Anything by Jodi Picoult or Jennifer Wiener (except for In Her shoes of course the one made into a movie is the one I don’t like)
Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld (sp?)
Anita Shreve (she can be hit or miss)
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia ALvarez
Princess by Jean Sasson
Julie Garwood if great brain candy
I could go on forever. Maybe I’ll leave a comment when ever I find new novels…
In combination with match and gasoline they truly will be some great cold weather companions.
I second “The History of Love” one of the best books I have read in the last year.
“Never Let Me Go” by Kazuo Ishiguro. Beautifully written and an interesting story.
I’m currently reading “Snow” by Pamuk, but finding it quite plodding. Lots of words, nothing happening.
I loved The Time Travelers Wife. I thought it was fantastic.
I also recommend “Stupid and Contagious” by Caprice Crane. It’s interesting because it’s each chapter is told from one of the two character’s perspective, so you get both sides. It’s also really funny, laugh out loud funny.
Waking Beauty. A little risque in some parts but a pretty good read.
Water for Elephants. While reading it I would look up and be surprised that I was still in my living room. Fantastic.
I had given one of mine a few days ago.
Palestine- by Joe Sacco- Graphic Novel based on first hand accounts in refugee camps across the West Bank. Great illustrations.
Battle Cry of Freedom- by James Mcpherson-The single best one volume history of the Civil War. hands down.
The Unvanquished- by William Faulkner – one of the most underrated american authors ever. you should have read this already but if not, do so immediately.
Any nonfiction suggestions Fish?
You’ve probably already read it, but Life of Pi is one of the best books I have ever read. Also, “The mulberry tree” by Jude Deveraux
The Life of Pi is really good, and if you enjoy historical fiction (such as the Historian, which I loved), try the Rule of Four or the Dante Club. If you like Fantasy books of any kind, I recommend trying the Dark Tower Series by Steven King. They’re completely different than his other books, though related. You’ll have to read them to see!
I second “Eat, Pray, Love” by Elizabeth Gilbert. It’s an easy read the way it’s set up & the perfect book to keep in your bag to read in snippets. Delicious & provocative & guaranteed to make you book a trip soon!
The Kiterunner
Nine Parts of Desire
Mountains Beyond Mountains
Paula by Isabel Allende
The Perfume by Paul Suskind
You’ve just asked the librarian’s DREAM question.
First, I am in love with Their Eyes Were Watching God. That book contains one of my favorite quotes of all time, and I like it more the more I read it.
Okay, books:
If you like young adult books (a la sisterhood of the traveling pants) try books by Deb Caletti (esp. Honey, Baby, Sweetheart and Wild Roses) and Laurie Halse Anderson (you HAVE to read Speak).
Okay, back into adult mode. The Chris Bohjalian books are fabulous (Before You Know Kindness, Midwives). And have you read The Memory Keeper’s Daughter?
You seem to have a long list going here, but I’ll be happy to give you more titles if you need them.
It comes in handy, sometimes, this whole librarian thing.
I LOVED all of Diana Gabaldon’s books, and am totally shocked (happily) that so many of you loved them, too. They were totally my guilty pleasure, and I thought I was the only grown-up, intelligent woman to fall for such trash. You guys make me want to go back and read them again!
Thank you, I am way behind on my reading and I needed some good recommendations. The last book I read was The Cat in the Hat.
For my students. I’m a teacher. Please don’t think I haven’t read a book since the first grade.
Story of B/ Daniel Quinn
It is a very thought-provoking book that puts a spin on common assumptions about the world. (It is trying to motivate people to action, but uses a unique fictional premise to do so). It’s a fun read, and can easily be reread many times.
I must comment on the Outlander series, each novel has been shipped from state to state starting with my sister, then my mother, on to me and then my GRANDPA!
He anxiously awaiting the latest installment.
-I have Memoirs of My Melancholy Whores in my “to read” pile but I loved Love in the Time of Cholera and 100 Years of Solitude.
-I’ve read and adore Chuck Palahniuk’s entire ouevre, same for Augusten Burroughs.
-American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis is great, very different than the Christian Bale movie version.
-The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon
-How Soon is Never? by Marc Spitz
-Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides (!!!!)
-Shopaholic series
-Vince & Joy by Lisa Jewell, for a fun, light, quick read
I could go on and on and on but I think that’s enough for now
I have read Their Eyes WEre Watching God at least 7 times, it gets more and more beautiful each time, and easier to read.
I must recommend everything by Barbara Kingsolver, especially “Prodigal Summer” also
the secret life of bees
the red tent
the perks of being a wallflower
reading lolita in tehran
the house of the spirits
the time travelers wife
Ender’s Game, Ender’s Shadow
Alice in Wonderland
Dick Francis myteries (trust me, they are better than you’d think)
Like water for chocolate
Death by Pad Thai — excellent essay collection of writers recounting their most memorable meals
A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again (David Foster Wallace) — hilarious!
Tracks (Robyn Davidson) — this is a travel memoir by an Australian woman who trekked from one side of the country to the other with only her tiny dog and a few wild camels
Case Histories (Kate Atkinson) — wonderful fiction writer
Best Food Writing series, annually
Them (Francine du Plessix Gray)
Five Men Who Broke My Heart (Susan Shapiro) — very funny memoir
Garlic and Sapphires (Ruth Reichl) — more food writing, by a critic in disguise
i also love barbara kingsolver, and margaret atwood is a favorite (alias grace is a good start).
lust for life by irving stone (historical novel about van gogh)
a prayer for owen meany
and to second some recommendations made above, the red tent and middlesex were both great
i just read what is the what by dave eggers, and then heard an interview on NPR. worth it for the writing and the timely story.
-_A Room with a View_ by E.M. Forster
-_If on a Winter’s Night a Traveler_ by Italo Calvino – completely random and sometimes frustrating, but brilliant
- Anything by Christopher Moore
- I also still really love _Alice in Wonderland_.
Another really good YA book is _The Westing Game_
The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
amazing!
Marjorie Morningstar by Herman Wouk. Wouk is better known for a lot of his historical fiction, but this is a great coming of age story that is just of the bestseller radar.
Books…my absolute favorite thing to discuss…
Another enthusiastic vote for “The Time Traveler’s Wife,” even though it made me cry.
I also second the nomination of “Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal.” It made me laugh despite and because of its irreverence.
If you’re looking for complete fluff (and who isn’t sometimes?), I recommend “The Little Lady Agency” by Hester Browne. It’s definitely what my 8th grade English teacher would have called brain candy, but sometimes that’s what you want.
I love “A Circle of Quiet” by Madeline L’Engle. She’s one of my all-time favorite authors (I love her young adult books–”A Ring of Endless Light” is one of my all-time favorite books), and it’s wonderful to read her musings…a little peek inside her head, in which there are so many fascinating ideas.
And finally, I’ll force myself to stop with “Cassandra” by Crista Wolfe. It’s the only book from my college humanities class I enjoyed. I now reread it every once in a while.
1.The House of Mirth (Classic & a tearjerker)
2.Candide By: Voltaire (incredible)
“The Power of One” by Bryce Courtney.
I read this book for the first time in high school and many, many times since. No book has ever stayed with me the way this book has. My all time favorite book.
I also second Barbara Kingsolver, especially “The Poisonwood Bible”.
Lamb: the gospel according to Biff Christ’s Childhood Pal by Chirstopher Moore. He’s an amazing writer and this book is his best! It ties sarcastic humor and wit with a light touch of serious thought. you’ll laugh your heart out, snort loudly, cry at the end, and feel all the better for it.
great blog btw.
-E
Anything by Christopher Buckley for a satirical read including Thank You for Smoking (much better than the movie version), Little Green Men and No Way to Treat a First Lady.
So many good books so little time…
Beach Music by Conroy— I want to go to Venice just see if it’s true the way he describes the light
Midwives– keeps you guessing right until the end.
My favorite Jodi Piccoult book is Mercy. It is an awesome book . I read it in a weekend and didn’t want to turn the last page to see the ending.
Enjoy
Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man by Fannie Flagg (who also wrote Fried Green Tomatoes)
How I Left the Great State of Tennessee and Went On to Better Things by Joe Jackson
How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez (I am hoping I just didn’t love it because I am half Latina, but if that’s why I thought it was good SORRY)
Also try anything by Laurie Notaro, starting with The Idiot Girls Action Adventure Club. I laughed so much on a flight to Vegas that people started asking what I was reading and writing down the author’s name.
Little Children–I was glued to its pages
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan–a beautiful story (I hear they’re making it into a film)
Shopgirl–so simple, but (cliche warning) it spoke to me…made me want to meet Steve Martin
Me Talk Pretty One Day–a good one to keep handy through all this gloom
Love Walked In–some may love it, but too cheesy for me
Who’s Afraid of virginia Woolf?–has stayed with me since reading it eight years ago
I’m about to begin The Glass Castle and hope it is everything I want it to be…
I too have spent my winter with my head inside a book, closed off and selcuded from everyone. If only they had “Book It” for adults, I would have had personal pan pizza’s from Pizza Hut all winter along. But then again, I would have been fat AND alone all winter. Being alone all winter is one thing, but being fat and alone…well, that’s a whole other sad secenario all together. So, here are a few that have gotten me through yet another lonely, cold, but savory winter:
“Little Children” by Tom Perrotta.
“Me and Emma” by Elizabeth Flock
“Devil in the Details” by Jennifer Traig.
“We Thought You Would Be Prettier” by Laurie Notaro
“My Sister’s Keeper” by Jodi Pocoult. (You HAVE to read this one.)
“Belle de Jour: Diary of an Unlikely Call Girl” by Anonymous.
“The Tipping Point” by Malcolm Gladwell.
Have you ever read Diary of a Provincial Lady by E.M. Delafield? It’s wonderful, as are the other four books in the series. Actually, they’re sort of examples of very early blogging!
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. Exquisite tale of life, love and loss. I read on a 5-hour bus ride and cried like a baby!
I’m also a bit of an Anglophile so I tend to gravitate towards British authors. If that’s your cup of tea, I highly recommend My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell. Also The Mating Season by P.G. Wodehouse, which is part of a whole series featuring the inesteemable Jeeves the butler (the inspiration for the AskJeeves site). Snort out loud funny!
What can I say, dry Brit humour does it for me everytime.
Try ‘A Fine Balance’ by Rohinton Mistry-its about India-you will have to put the book down at times to recover from shock. Also try a book of short stories by a Canadian author-Alice Munroe called ‘Hateship, Friendship, Loveship, Courtship, Marriage’. I loved this.
Long time lurker – but a book worm so couldn’t resist ….
Another vote here for the Time Traveler’s Wife, I’m afraid!
Also –
The Sixth Lamentation by William Brodrick – not only a superb story but the guy *does* words, loves them, uses them, you get lost in the language
The Loving Spirit by Daphne DuMaurier … an oldie but a goodie. It will live with you forever
Lust:Or No Harm Done by Geoff Ryman …. bonkers, completely out of left field and not for the prudish. But good all the same
The Shell Seekers by Rosamund Pilcher …. an easy read – chicken soup for the soul, this one.
Great post! Thanks for the suggestions!
Romance/Fantasy:
I echo all the praise for Time Travelers Wife. It is an amazing book.
I also recommend Dogs of Babel by Carolyn Parkhurst. Another good read.
House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende is excellent too. She is a gifted writer. The movie does not do the book justice.
Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel.
Young adult genre:
A young adult book that is also a good read for adults is The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster. It’s a book I read once a year so as not to lose my inner curious child.
Autobiography:
Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt is sad and amazing.
Historical fiction:
If you liked Hurston, I recommend Quicksand and Passing by Nella Larsen (two short stories in one book). I read her in college and still have the book more than 12 years later. This book is about âthe historical realities of Harlem in the 1920s.â Reminds me a little of Fitzgeraldâs 1920s.
London by Edward Rutherford.
Happy reading!
What a great post; I am always looking for new, worthwhile reads and you’ve listed a few that have escaped my attention until now.
A few of my faves, not listed yet:
The Spirit Catches You & You Fall Down (Anne Fadiman) is the non-fiction book that started me on an entire non-fiction kick. Highly recommend. Deals with the struggles between a Hmong family and their doctors, both trying to treat a daughter’s severe epilepsy.
Over My Head (Claudia Osborn), another non-fiction. She’s a doctor telling the story of her own head injury. She paints a vivid picture of her (slow) realization that her brain no longer works the same way.
Ella Minnow Pea (Mark Dunn) is clever; basically a fairy tale written for adults who love words and language. Highly recommend.
The Scandalous Summer of Sissy LeBlanc (Loraine Despres) is chick-lit ala the Ya-Yas. More a summer read, I think.
East of Eden (Steinbeck) is a great book, and a very respectable author so you feel smart telling people you are reading it
1. A short history of nearly everything (because Bill Bryson is a genius)
2. Bel Canto (an original setting that made me wish I was 1)an opera singer 2)being held hostage)
3. Everybody was so young (made me want to throw dinner parties)
4. Extremely Loud and Incredibly close (I gave it to everyone at Christmas, it’s that good)
5. The Great Gatsby (Read it once a year and always enjoy it more each time..)
6. A Confederacy of Dunces (I laugh out loud everytime I read it. And get scared at the idea of having a child like this)
Dress your family in corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris
An Equal Music by Vikram Seth
Anil’s Ghost by Michael Ondaatje
Family Matters by Rohinton Mistry (same author of A Fine Balance)
The Collected works of Dorothy Parker
Dracula by Bram Stoker (I love this one…the classic)
Funny Boy by Shyam Selvadurai
And you look like you’re a fan of Fitzgerald. I just bought “This Side of Paradise”….haven’t looked into it, but if Gatsby is any indication, we’re in for a treat!
I just want to second (third?) The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova…I could not put that book down (even while on a vacation to visit my best friend)!
Also, I think it’s awesome that everyone is listing their suggestions! The next time I go to the bookstore, I’ll have to come here to get a list based on everyones recommendations
I work in publishing, so I read constantly. Here are some favorites:
Never Let Me Go–Kazuo Ishiguro
Really beautiful coming-of-age story w/sci-fi twist.
The Secret History–Donna Tartt
Gothic novel set on a college campus, lots of foul play and intrigue.
Persepolis–Marjane Satrapi
Graphic novel about a young girl growing up in Tehran during the revolution. Fantastic art, beautiful writing, and very poignant for the child’s perspective.
Atonement–Ian McEwan
I love this book. He’s a great writer.
Middlesex–Jeffrey Eugenides
Sprawling, epic novel, with some fantastical elements, but really, a love story.
The Hours–Michael Cunningham
As gorgeous as prose gets and the movie doesn’t even come close to doing it justice.
Running out of space, so brief list:
Reasons to Live-Amy Hempel, Self Help–orrie Moore (my 2 favorite story collections & given your writing style, I think you’d like), Motherless Brooklyn-Lethem, The Feast of Love-Baxter, The Big Sleep-Chandler, Pastoralia-Saunders, Snow-Pamuk, The Echo Maker-Powers
Drown by Junot Diaz – it’s a really powerful collection of short stories
Mr Darcy Takes a Wife by Linda Berdoll. Get a new red pencil for this one.
Any of Jasper Fforde’s Thursday Next series (The Ayre Affair, Lost in a Good Book, etc) are good escapism on public transport.
The Stars’ Tennis Balls by Stephen Fry (the comedian) – effortless reading.
Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke is just magic.
my recos:
1. Charlie Wilson’s war. I heard this is becoming a movie and Julia Roberts is going to star in it.
2. The world is flat: a brief history of the twenty-first century / Thomas
L. Friedman.
these are my favorites at this point of time…..very good.
The River Why by David James Duncan. Could barely get through the first 20 pages, but was then completely hooked and so, SO glad for it. Brilliant, funny, tender.
Hi Heather,
I just finished reading “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini and would highly recommend it, especially in light of light of recent happenings in the middle east. It was a good history lesson/eye opener while still being a fantastic story. Others you might enjoy are “The Volkswagen Blues” by Jacques Poulin, “The Sparrow’s Fall” by Fred Bosworth, and “Midnight’s Children” by Rushdie.
Random Family by Nicole LeBlanc. This social worker spent 10 years with these people in the Bronx and chronicles their lives. Reads like fiction (i didn’t realize it wasn’t until 100 pages in)and really i could have used 10 more years of stories.
So many of the things I would recommend have already been mentioned (I’ll second A Fine Balance), but I’ll add (in the disturbing memoir category) Jesusland and in the non-fiction category Guns, Germns and Steel; Under the Banner of Heaven, and The Omnivore’s Dilemna.
Love this!
Someone mentioned it as “The Story of Love” in a previous comment, but it’s actually “The History of Love” and it is absolutely one of my favorite books of all time.
Assuming you may have read it already, but if not – East of Eden.
all titles-robert girardi
Back Roads-Tawni O’dell
drowning ruth-christina schwarz
jitterbug perfume-tom robbins
all titles-tom robbins
all titles-palahniuk (guilty pleasure)
all titles-vonnegut
white oleander-fitch
There are some great suggestions so far!
I can’t get enough of historical fiction (just finished Girl with a Pearl Earring but didn’t see the movie). It began years ago when my mother gave me a copy of Desiree by Annemarie Selinko. A must read if you are in any way interested in Napoleon. Not a difficult read by any means, but soooo interesting!
Of course you can’t go wrong with Gabriel Garcia Marquez. He is a bit of a dirty old man, but boy can he write! One Hundred Years of Solitude is one of my faves.
For a laugh-out-loud read, pick up anything by Marian Keyes. Her characters are brilliant, and the dialogue is hilarious. Try Sushi for Beginners or Rachael’s Holiday.
I’m not a fan of Jodi Picoult’s writing style, but My Sister’s Keeper brought on so many tears! Nothing beats a book that can can make you cry.
I always enjoy picking up autobiographies of people I’ve never heard of. The quality is very hit and miss, but there are some great ones (Russell Baker for example).
Happy reading!
While these have all been mentioned (yay, someone has the same random taste in books as me!), I have to second/third:
–Life of Pi…intense indeed, and controversial. Try discussing the end with someone who disagrees with your interpretation. I threw things.
–Ender’s Game/Ender’s Shadow: a little bit sci-fi, but the strategy and the twist at the end are too much to pass up.
–Beach Music and The Prince of Tides, by Pat Conroy. Don’t be fooled by the cheesy Streisand movie, PoT gets better every time I read it.
And an all time favorite, if it hasn’t been said: 1984…a classic! Not many books have made me cry. Orwell is a genius.
Fun topic! Next: top 5 movies
my horizontal life. ridiculous and fun.
I’m currently readong Three Weeks With My Brother by Nicholas Sparks. Nonfiction memoir of his childhood and a trip he took with his brother as an adult. He should write more nonfiction, because I’ve enjoyed this more than most of his work in fiction.
The Color of Water – James McBride
Non-fiction, life-changing. I love this book so muc I don’t own it, I just buy copies of it for other people.
Midwives – Chris Bohjalian (I read this before Oprah, it’s a powerful story)
Steve Berry’s books, well researched and a good read during winter me-times.
I agree. The sisterhood got a little loose in their old age (of 18). Still fun to read.
I suggest:
Naked- David Sedaris (if you’re in the mood for completely random and offensive and funny)
Here Be Dragons- Sharon Kay Penman (if your in the mood to be wooed and courted and historical fictioned)
The Circle Series (Black, Red, White)- Ted Dekker (it’s based in Christianity, so I don’t know how much non-Christians would enjoy it, but I loved it)
Right now I’m trying to get my hands on copies of Uglies, Pretties, and Specials, a series by Scott Westerfield (I’m in the mood for young adult mindless reads, and I think this will do the trick while still keeping me entertained)
Thanks for triggering the overflow of books!
If you liked Brooklyn Follies, you should read The New York Trilogy by Paul Auster…it was great.
Also Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert may change your life, no joke.
And The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger…that one is my favorite of all time! Grab a box of tissues for the ending, it’s so amazing!
Beach Music, by Pat Conroy. Just plain powerful.
Love books.
My recs:
1. All Spenser books by Robert B. Parker- I also like his Jesse Stone and Sunny Randal series.
2. For kid lit- all the books by Chris Crutcher- he writes pretty powerful stories and characters.
3. For a more “think about it” kind of read, The Unsayable by Annie G. Rogers- all about how we view and understand trauma and how it changes how we speak.
4. Love’s Executionar by Yalom. He’s facinating.
5. I also have to say Something Borrowed (which was rec’d earlier)- I haven’t read another book that so honestly describes the competitive female relationships that so many of us have.
Bobbed Hair and Bathtub Gin–all about the women writers of the 1920s.
Another Roadside Attraction, Jitterbug Perfume and Stilllife with Woodpecker–all by Tom Robbins (I was thrilled to see another Tom Robbins fan here)
Anything that T.C. Boyle has written.
For the classics – Jane Eyre is my favorite and I love everything by Jane Austen.
Fear of Flying – Erica Jong
Water for Elephants – this was fantastic
Special Topics in Calamity Physics – don’t be put off by the title.
wow, what a list in the comments!!
speaking of Tom Robbins here towards the end – Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas – very interesting, written in 2nd person
Forever by Pete Hamill – historical fiction, good use of NY/Manhattan as a character, with all its many changes
“Empire Falls” Richard Russo
“The Friend Who Got Away” Jenny Offill and Elisha Schappell
“The Tender Bar” J.R. Moehringer
“The Good Earth” Pearl Buck
“Talk Before Sleep” Elizabeth Berg
I just finished The Time Traveler’s Wife. It was amazing.
I second the Pete Hamill nomination above, but refer to “Snow in August” – 1940′s Brooklyn, a little Irish Catholic boy and a Jewish Rabbi… amazing.
Also Patricia Hampl’s “I could Tell You Stories: Sojourns in the Land of Memory” – kind of a meta memoir, but as a writer I’m thoroughly enjoying it.
And awesome blog – I love seeing what other people are reading!
Bitter Ice-A wife’s memior about her husband’s struggle with aneroxia. Very good read!
If you haven’t already, read Maeve Bincy, She’s briliant. A good starter book is Echoes. I started with Light a Penny Candle, now have all her books, and anxiously await each new one.
Also, check out Dean Koontz’s Life Expectancy. He does two totally diferent types of books – the scary/descriptive mysteries are good, but the odd ball john Irving-esque novels are classic. I’m currently waiting for Odd Thomas and Forever Odd to arrive in my mailbox.
Happy reading!!
OM
Somerset Maugham. I’m reading a thick collection of his short stories – lovely humor in a very British sense.
Also, if you like to explore twisted minds, try The Madman’s Tale by John Katzenbach.
Anything by Kate Chopin
Vanity Fair – Thackeray
The Turn of the Screw – Henry James – good Victorian ghost story, inspired a couple of movies (including The Others)
The Five People that You Meet in Heaven. It took me all of a day to read and was absolutely amazing.
Do you ever read foodie books? Here’s a few gems – Julie and Julia, The Apprentice, and anything by Ruth Reichl. Also, if you want a fast, entertaining read, Jane Green does great chick-lit.
Thanks for your suggestions!
Read CARRIE PILBY – it’s hilarious and original, great fun, especially for single people who are a little nerdy and don’t quite fit in. Hysterically FUNNY!!!
Current obsession of mine is a book I did not read, called The Story of the Eye.
I wholeheartedly agree with the Garcia Marquez choice–it is on my Library Thing list!
Leonore S.
Delurking to second an earlier commenter’s recommendation for The Feast of Love by Charles Baxter and to add The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy. Both authors have a beautiful, lyrical style.
I also recommend Book Lust by Nancy Pearl for an occasion like this. It is a book full of book recommendations!
This post is fab…I’ve already made a huge list of must-reads for myself!!
I just finished Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts. Amazing read – it’s all about India, more specifically Bombay and how the mafia runs there. I’m from India & I never knew so much about the functioning of the city until I read this book…fascinating really!!
And I loved The Kiterunner too….Awesome!!
~~Happy reading~~
I recommend:
“Stick Figure” by Lori Gottlieb;
“Kathy” by Edna Moore Schultz [out of print later editions printed as 'They Said Kathy was Retarded' worth the hunt!];
A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin [first book is 'A Game of Thrones'];
“The eyes of the Dragon” by Stephen King;
“Poisonwood Bible” by Barbara Kingsolver;
“A Prayer for Owen Meany” by John Irving;
“Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe;
“Eden Close” by Anita Shreve;
Any book by Gregory Maquire [famous for writing Wicked, but has yet to disappoint me]
Hope it helps!
Haruki Murakami. I adore him. Maybe try South of the Border, West of the Sun.
Adore so much so, that I am finally posting on here after ages of reading you
Their Eyes Were Watching God is one of my favorite books! Hurston eventually settled in Fort Pierce, FL–where I went to high school. Our school actually had to shell out big bucks when they wanted to expand, because the area was over her old house, now a historical site. Anyway, I digress…I just got so excited to see her name! If you haven’t picked up Jeannette Walls’ The Glass Castle, it’s a great read.
I recently read The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. It’s all about the narrators love for books mixed with a fascinating mystery surrounding twins and an authors unpublished tale. A little hard to get into, but a great read!
Their Eyes were watching god is an amazing book. i read it in high school and college. i do agree that at first it takes a while to get used to the style, and i am from florida, but after a while you just kind of “hear” the characters on the page.
I have a Borders gift certificate that has been burning a hole in my pocket since Christmas and now I have a big list of new possibilities to use it on. Thanks for this post–wonderful idea.
I loved everything by Jodi Picoult, especially Perfect Match (I think that’s the title). One thing about her writing is I absolutely despise all of her “mother” characters. None of them are remotely sympathetic to me. I like all the dads much, much better. I’m a mom, so maybe I just don’t want to admit mothers can be so, eh, can’t put words to it but she doesn’t write them very well.
White Teeth by Zadie Smith is great. It was her first novel written when she was 19 I believe, and it’s really quite good.
i just read “the space between us” by Thrity Umrigar. one of the best books i’ve read in a while.
I read Lucky.
Scared the **** outta me.
The Alchemist – Paulo Coehlo
anything by Maeve Binchy or John Irving
Embarrassing typo above: it’s the Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde. Oops.
Also, Sleeping with Schubert was so funny I finished the last page and immediately turned to page 1 to start it again.
Here’s some more highly recommended Canadiana:
Anything from the Vinyl Cafe series by Stuart Mclean. Seriously, laugh-out-loud funny, but sweet and romantic, too.
Also, The Stone Carvers by Jane Urquhart. Very powerful story.
Cheers,
Karla
Oops, I forgot to mention that I’m enjoying “My Life in France” by Julia Child immensely right now, too. But that could be because I’m going to Paris in 80 days…
K
Oh Outlander…i cannot tell you how many times i’ve read that book…Take me HOOOOME Jamie Fraser!!! lol
I just counted – I have read 60 books in the last 6 months! I can’t tell if this is a good or bad thing! My faves at mo:
Love in the Time of Cholera (The end is a beautiful, sneaky cliche!)
The Poisonwood Bible: Barbara Kingsolver(Such well realised characters)
Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants series (Make me feel young again!)
His Dark Materials Trilogy: Philip Pullman (Certain parts made the hair stand up on the back of my neck. The end made me bawl so much I couldn’t sleep for my blocked sinuses!)
The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series: Alexander McCall Smith (These books are gentle and joyous with a sharp commentary on our society)
Eucalyptus: Murray Bail (An Australian fairytale, beautiful)
Arthur and the Seeing Stone: Kevin Crossley-Holland (Simple, resonant tale of a boy’s life in the middle ages – part of a wonderful trilogy)
I have to stop there, I could be here forever!
PS: Read My Sister’s Keeper, was ‘meh’ until the end where I thought ‘this woman is a genius!’
I think I’ll probably see for myself what’s under a Scotman’s kilt;)
Hi Heather…
I’m right in the middle of A Fine Balance, which has been mentioned a number of times in the comments. It’s a shocking book at times but really phenomenal.
The one I’d like to recommend is called “Three Day Road” by Joseph Boyden. He’s a Canadian author. The book is about two First Nations (Cree) boys who become snipers in World War One.
If you’re looking for something different than a lot of the other suggestions, this might be it. (No disrespect meant to any other suggestion on this list!!) TDR was so beautifully written, I never wanted it to end.
If you read any of these, maybe a post to let us know what you thought? I always like to know if the books I’ve recommended were well received or if it was just me.
I picked up Outlander based on the above comments and now I’m addicted. Not normally a type of book I would have picked up but now I’m on Dragonfly in Amber! I should have touched more rocks when I was in Scotland:) So thanks very much. I love bookworms!!!There ought to be a book blog.
The book “Kathy” was mentioned, by Edna Moore Schultz. Mrs. Schultz is 95 and still alive. I am her daughter and can send you a free paperback copy if interested.
Just an addition to a comment I made on July 1st regarding Edna Moore Schultz, author of “Kathy”. She went to be with the Lord on July 3rd, peacefully, at age 95. An article about her writings appeared in the Buffalo News on July 5th.
I completely second A Prayer for Owen Meany. It had some of the best quotes I’ve ever read in my life. It’s pretty long, but completely inspiring. Just be ready to cry.
Haha!!! Excellent work! Those dudes at your competition (you know who) don’t even have a clue! Keep it up!