-
Sea Glass by Anita Shreve –
this is one of her historical novels, which I tend to prefer
over her present day works
-
Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur
Golden – Scott and I both read this and could barely put it
down!
-
I’m a Stranger Here Myself by
Bill Bryson – an often humorous collection of his newspaper
columns written after he returned to the US with his wife
and children after living in England for almost 20 years
-
Bad Girl Creek by Jo-Ann Mapson
– a going away gift from my dear friend Leane; a great book
celebrating female friendships
-
Where or When by Anita Shreve –
I picked this up at a used book store during our recent
visit to SF; not as good as Sea Glass but with a very
satisfying ending
-
I Don’t Know How She Does It by
Allison Pearson – LeAndra, hopefully this will not be you
some day! Get out while you still can! A very
entertaining read – thanks LeAndra
-
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
– not one of my favorites but recommended by a trusted
source and certainly an engaging read; a Pulitzer Prize
winner; interesting in its historical Detroit setting,
for you natives out there.
-
Why Girls Are Weird by Pamela
Ribon - inspired by a diary website that the author used to
have, this is a hilarious book; a must read! Anna K
is too too funny! Thanks LeAndra!
-
The Hours by Michael Cunningham
- Yeah, I know, it's a Pulitzer Prize winner and was made
into a great movie (so they say) and all, but I could not
get into this book; to my credit, I did finish the darn
thing, but I was thankful for its brevity - only 226 pages -
all the way!
-
About a Boy by Nick Hornby -
like reading the screenplay, almost (except the end is
different); if you liked the movie you'll love the book -
very, very funny!
-
Devil in the White City by Erik Larson - this is
the true story of the 1893 Chicago World's Fair and of the
grisly murders of a serial killer operating during the same
period in history; slower going than my typical reads, but
reads more like a novel than a work of non-fiction; my
architect pals might like this one (or maybe it will just
remind them of work!); overall, not a favorite, but worth a
look; I think Scott liked this one better than I did
-
Passing for Thin by Frances Kuffel - the
compelling memoir of a compulsive overeater who loses 170
pounds and of her subsequent struggles to live on the
'Planet of Thin'; I could not put this book down, with its
pages of rich descriptions, honesty and humor!
-
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini - this book
about a boy's coming of age in war-torn Afghanistan is one
of the best I've read in the past 5 years; if you haven't
already read this book, you absolutely must...and I promise
you will not be disappointed!
-
Girls in Pants: The Third Summer of the Sisterhood
by Ann Brashares - the third book in the delightful
Traveling Pants series, this is the story of four friends'
last summer together before they all go their separate ways
as they begin college; I found this one to be as engaging
and charming as the first two; a wonderful story of female
friendship and growing up
-
My Sister's Keeper by
Jodi Picoult - a story about a 13-year-old girl who
was conceived in order to be a perfect match organ donor for
her older sister and wants to put and end to it; this
thought-provoking tale of a modern-day moral and ethical
dilemma is an excellent read!
-
The Anxiety of Everyday
Objects by Aurelie Sheehan - the writing style of this
book is a bit hard to get used to but it turned out to be a
delightful little read; although you won't find this one on
any bestseller lists, Scott and I both found this story of a
budding artist-cum-secretary to be very engaging; definitely
one to pick up if you see it
-
Daisy Fay and the Miracle
Man by Fannie Flagg - passed on to my by my
mother-in-law, this fast-paced story chronicles the humorous
misadventures of a girl in 1950s small town Mississippi
-
Dress Your Family in
Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris - Sedaris' latest (I
think) collection of humorous essays had me laughing out
loud on several occasions...and I don't even consider myself
a particular fan of his; very enjoyable!
-
Nights of Rain and Stars
by Maeve Binchy - for those of you who know me well, you
know that Maeve Binchy is one of my favorite authors and
this one did not disappoint; her latest (I think) story of
four travelers from various locales who have left their
"normal" lives behind and come to befriend one another on a
small island in Greece is particularly relevant for this
world traveler
-
Inamorata by Joseph
Gangemi - Scott read this tale of a spirit medium who is
investigated by a scientific committee in 1920s Philadelphia
and recommended it to me; I was pleasantly surprised, as I
did not expect to like the book; however, although I found
it to be quite engaging on the whole, I did find the ending
a bit anti-climactic
-
The Broker by John
Grisham - what a page-turner! Generally speaking, I
don't consider myself to be a particular of fan of Grishman,
but I found this story of a powerful Washington lawyer who
goes to prison, is granted a presidential pardon and is
relocated to Italy presumably for his own protection
to be really gripping; I especially enjoyed the descriptions
of Bologna and the broker's adjustment to living in a
foreign country where he doesn't even speak the language
(struck a cord, for some reason...)
-
The Reading Group by
Elizabeth Noble - another good female bonding, chick-read
about the lives of five women who form a book club; there
seems to be a glut of these books on the market, but I enjoy
each and every one I read and this one was no exception!
Definitely one to check out if you like this genre
-
The Beach House by
James Patterson - every now and then I need to take a
departure from my usual high-quality reads (ha ha), hence
this book; a typical James Patterson suspense thriller set
in the Hamptons on Long Island, NY, great for that beach
vacation or for those of you with "baby brain!"
-
Priceless by Marne
Davis Kellogg - after a couple of books that I did not
particularly enjoy and hence, would not personally recommend
(Empire Falls by Richard Russo and Drowning Ruth
by Charlotte somebody), this charming follow-up to
Brilliant, which I read prior to beginning this list,
was a breath of fresh air; a fast-paced, easy-read, this
suspense tale continues the saga of Kick Keswick, a former
jewel thief with elegance, style and a taste for the finer
things who users her talents to do good; truly hard to put
down!
-
The Friendship Test by
Elizabeth Noble - I know it's been awhile since I've added
anything, so thanks for checking back! I have been
reading but haven't read anything worth mentioning in a
while (unless you count European travel guides - ha!).
This quick read by the same author as The Reading Group
(see above) follows the friendships of four 30-something
London women and the men (and children) in their lives.
It's an engaging story that I found easy to relate to and I
enjoyed (once again) the quaint Brit-speak (since the author
is English), although it is odd that her American characters
tend to speak British as well - oh well!
-
Almost French by Sarah
Turnbull - this true story of the amusing mis-adventures of
an Australian journalist who meets a French man and moves to
Paris is a must-read for expats and Paris-ophiles, alike.
I devoured this book!
-
Le Divorce by Diane
Johnson - this book was a little more 'academic' (I use that
term loosely) than my usual reads, with a few too many
political discussions among the characters for my taste, but
it was still so engaging and with such a twist at the end!
It's the story of the adventures of a drifting California
20-something who goes to Paris to help her sister through
her pregnancy and does a superb job illustrating just how
strange and confusing French culture and norms can be to
Americans; I realize this doesn't sound all that gripping,
but trust me, if you can get through the politics, it's
worth it!
-
A Breath of Snow and Ashes
by Diana Gabaldon - wow, sorry to all my 'fans' out there;
I've been away for awhile, but now I'm back; this historical
novel is almost 1500 pages long and I lugged this thing all
over Europe, taking me almost 3 months to read!
Although it is waaaay too long, I did finish this engaging
and suspenseful tale of Claire Fraser, who, in this book,
travels back in time to pre-revolutionary America; the thing
that makes Gabaldon's books (this is one of a series) so
interesting (but also long) is that she takes small,
sometimes mundane, pieces of history and weaves her
characters into them for a truly intimate and unique glimpse
of the past; also, I enjoy the way she uses 20th century
time traveler, Claire, as a way to compare and contrast the
past with the present; I am not a history buff (to put it
mildly) and Gabaldon's books make learning a little history
interesting and fun for me; definitely worth a read if you
can slog through the many, many pages
-
Childfree and Loving It!
by Nikki Defago - as more and more of our friends are having
children and 'abandoning' us childfree folks for a life of
dirty diapers and play dates, this very well-written, highly
readable non-fiction work by a British journalist, provides
an interesting and insightful look into our reasons for
having-or not having-children and offers a bit of social
support for those of us who choose this less typical route
in life; a great read for anyone who desires an
understanding of this alternative point of view, but
especially for people who are in the process of deciding
whether to be parents (and of course, those of us who have
already decided!)
-
Mr. Maybe by Jane Green
- one of my typical light, fluffy reads that I love so, this
witty, humorous book tells the story of 20-something
Londoner Libby Mason in her search for the perfect man; I
could really relate - and laugh, now that I am
married! - to Libby's character and I love the bit of
British pop culture that this English author infuses into
her entertaining stories
-
The Lady and the Unicorn
by Tracy Chevalier - another one of Chavalier's delightful
historical novels, this one is the fictional story behind
the famous unicorn tapestry; the main character and narrator
is a 14-year-old girl, anxious to become a woman, and the
tale takes place in France and Belgium, where the weaving of
the tapestry takes place
-
Savannah Breeze by Mary
Kay Andrews - I found this book on our first trip to the
Albuquerque library - I feel like a real resident with my
new library card! It's the story of BeBe Loudermilk,
an old-money, modern, single and independent Savannah gal
who gets fleeced out of everything she owns by a handsome
con-man and then gets her revenge with a little help from
her friends; the story has a slight hint of mystery
that really keeps those pages turning and it's one of those
books that you're really sorry to see come to an end!
I'll definitely be looking for more books by this southern
author
