Wednesday, February 25, 2009

A Good Book = A Better Week

I have always been such a bookworm, I can't deny it. As a kid I would have a book in my hand almost anywhere I went; I would read a book at the dinner table if my parents would have let me (they didn't). This drove my sister crazy as she would have rather been involved in playing or generally driving each other crazy rather than watching me read the latest Babysitters' Club or Young Adult mystery book.

As an adult though, I find it really hard to keep up the habit of reading books on a daily basis. I still love to read, but I find that since I stare at words on the screen all day and then unwind by watching TV all night, that I am not as often found reading a book late at night. Exceptions: Harry Potter, Jodi Picoult, etc.

However, I notice that when I have a book to read, I generally feel better, like my downtime is more my own. I pull out the book at night, I pull it out on the commute, I find myself reading it instead of planning my outfits in the morning (see earlier posts). My love of reading has stuck with me and once I get into a book, I really can't put it down.

These days I am reading Made in America: An Informal History of the English Language in the United States by Bill Bryson. Its a non-fiction book and really interesting and amusing. I love Bill Bryson's books and often find myself chuckling out loud.

Next up though, I would love a good novel page turner or something recommended by you all! Please post a comment with a book you love that you have read recently or long ago. My taste involves all genres but I have been definitely guilty of choosing books right off the Borders Bestsellers shelf.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions!

18 comments:

  1. I have a recommendation if you feel like a fun mystery novel: any of the "Erast Fandorin Mystery" series by Boris Akunin. They are in the same vein as Agatha Christie's Poirot mysteries, but they take place in 19th-century Russia, which makes them 10 times cooler, of course. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Liz, enjoy your blog. Have been reading for just a couple of weeks. Love that you love J.Crew and Lost (my favorite obsessions)! If you haven't already, I highly recommend reading Dan Brown's series: Angels & Demons, The Da Vinci Code, and (brand new) The Solomon Key. The first two are the most fun reads I've had in the last five years. Candice

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'm on the last few pages of "The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch. It is full of wisdom yet funny in many parts, and touching throughout. Too bad I didn't hear of this book until now; I would've given it as a Christmas gift to just about everyone I buy presents for. A must-have for reader's collection.

    ReplyDelete
  4. The best book I've read lately - by far - was "people of the book "by geraldine brooks. It might seem a little crazy when you read the description, but I swear it is so good. I could barely put it down!

    ReplyDelete
  5. oh sorry - I forgot "cooking for mr. latte". And that is a major oversight! It is so great, and it doubles as a cookbook!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Oh goodness, I have so many suggestions I can't possibly put them all in one comment. Here are the best ones though:
    *The Time Traveler's Wife (Audrey Niffennegger)
    *Kite Runner and/or A Thousand Splendid Suns (Khalid Housseini)
    *Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden)
    *The Thirteenth Tale (Diane Setterfield)
    *The Alchemist (Paulo Coehlo)
    *The Tea Rose (Jennifer Donnely)
    *The Book Thief (Marcus Zuzack)
    *The Glass Castle (Jeanette Walls)
    *Redeeming Love (Francine Rivers) <---this one is Christian fiction
    and last one...if you're into reading about food, Animal Vegetable Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver is FANTASTIC!

    Gosh...that's an overwhelming list! I read ALL the time and I totally relate to your childhood stories. The only times I ever got in trouble in school was when I'd get caught reading a book during class :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Ooh, Ditto on the "Time Traveler's Wife," AppGal -- actually I haven't read it but my Dad loves it -- I keep meaning to borrow it when I visit the folks! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Okay.....I'm a little embarrassed to say but I've really enjoyed reading The Twilight Saga by Stephanie Myer. The 4 books (Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn) are fun and enjoyable. I'm in my early thirties and have so enjoyed reading these books that are meant for the young adult crowd.

    Also, a great one that I read right before The Twilight Saga was The Road by Cormac McCarthy. I loved this book! Another one that is really good is No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy. I just bought Blood Meridian by McCarthy but haven't read it yet. I love to see what others are reading.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Like an early poster, I am a blog reader but until now have not been a blog commenter. And while I love JCrew, it does not inspire me to comment like books do. As a qualifier to what I am about to post: I read industry and company research and documents all day for work and so when I read for fun, it's not very complicated. That said, here are my favorites:

    - White Hot, Sandra Brown (combines mystery and romance and corporate intrigue)
    - The Witness, Sandra Brown
    (about crazy people in a small town)
    - The Wordy Shipmates, Sarah Vowell (awesomely funny nonfiction book)
    - The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold (very interesting pov)
    - Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card (my favorite book of all time!)

    ReplyDelete
  10. I am a total bookworm! Thanks to all the others for their suggestions- I usually just go to the library and pull books off the "new" section shelf. I will take a list of all your suggestions with me this week.

    I just finished "The Other Boleyn girl" by Philippa Gregory
    A friend gave it to me to read and it was riveting. I could not put it down!! I finished it in 3 days. I think there is a movie coming out or it already came out but I think the books usually are better than the movies.

    ReplyDelete
  11. DAVID SEDARIS! I love Bill Bryson too. I think you'll really like Sedaris too.

    ReplyDelete
  12. You would fit right in at our house. Hubby, myself, and 7 year old daughter all read at the table when eating. We do this when we are eating alone mainly but if someone is in the middle of a good book it is perfectly fine to read and eat at the table. There have been times that all 3 of us are reading but we do still chat some on and off during dinner:) I am a reading specialist during the day!

    I can highly recommend Blue Balliet's Chasing Vermeer (and the other 2 in the series) RUN to your nearest bookstore or library and get this book. So many adults and young adults LOVE this book and tell me how much they appreciated the recommendation. Let me know what you think.

    Julie

    ReplyDelete
  13. shopper555: I agree...The Other Boleyn Girl was fascinating and such a great read. I've since read 4 other books by Philippa Gregory, and they're all fantastic! If you're interested in the Tudor family and the drama that ensued around that time period, you'd love these books.

    *And, TOBG movie was NOT as good as the book. They never are...

    ReplyDelete
  14. I just finished "This Boy's Life" by Tobias Wolff. It's an absolutely fascinating and laugh-out-loud memoir of his childhood. You will love it! Also, one of my favorite books is "The World According to Garp" by John Irving. It's hilarious and heart-breaking and wildy entertaining. Have fun with whatever you choose!!

    ReplyDelete
  15. I Liz, I cannot agree more with you: days have a different feeling when you're into a good book...
    Here are my two cents. If you're in the mood of a fun read, I would reccomand "One Mississipi" by Mark Childress (the author of Crazy Alabama). It's a coming-of-age tale that takes place in Mississipi in the 70s and I have to say that I don't remember laughing out loud so much reading a book since "High Fidelity" (and that was a looong time ago). Also, anything by Tom Perrotta (especially "Little children") is a great read.
    Otherwise, I'm reading "The girl with the dragon tatoo" by Stieg Larsson and it'a brilliant old-fashioned detective story, you can't go wrong with it if you like the genre (it's not at all a "serial killer" book as I thought until I actually started reading it). Let us know what you picked up!

    ReplyDelete
  16. I have to agree with AppGal about The Thirteenth Tale. It is by far the best novel I have read in years! If you enjoy the classics, then read this - it is similar to Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte, but easier to read. It started a little slow for me, but once I got into it, I couldn't put it down. I recommended it to a friend, and she loved it so much that she read it at work when her boss wasn't around! :)

    For a fun read, the Shopaholic books are great!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Oooh, so many good choices.

    I'll second some of the recommendations you've gotten already:
    -The Time Traveler's Wife
    -Ender's Game
    -The "Twilight" Series
    -People of the Book

    If you like young adult books (which I admit I still really do), I suggest:
    -A Great and Terrible Beauty (and its sequels)
    -The "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" Series

    And some other books I've loved:
    -The Book of Lost Thing
    -Daughter of Fortune
    -Good Omens

    I could keep going, but I think that's probably enough :-) Happy reading!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Chris Crutcher YA books are amazing!

    ReplyDelete

 
Site Design By Designer Blogs