Do you have books...

NMAmy · Apr 11, 2007

that you always recommend to people? Books you've just absolutely loved?

I read a lot so I have a lot of friends that ask me for recommendations. Since I'm re-reading one of my all-time favorites right now, it made me think of this thread. And I'm hoping I'll get some great ideas for new books to read--no pressure! :rotfl:

Here are some of my recommendations:

The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing by Melissa Bank (this is the one I'm re-reading now and I'd forgotten how FUNNY it is.)

Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks

The Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde

Anything by Diana Gabaldon

Donna Andrews writes a witty and wonderful series of mysteries that I adore about a woman blacksmith. Really.

Charlaine Harris's Southern Vampire series.

Those are a few of mine--what are your go-to books when someone asks for a recommendation?

katerkat · Apr 11, 2007

What genre?

I worked in a bookstore and I have recommendations for everything. I love telling people about series I love.

Sleepy & Grumpy · Apr 11, 2007

One Hundred Years of Solitude and
The Unofficial Guide.

NMAmy · Apr 11, 2007

katerkat said:
What genre? I worked in a bookstore and I have recommendations for everything. I love telling people about series I love.

Anything you'd like! What are your favorites? As you can see, I'm pretty much all over the place personally.

RickinNYC · Apr 11, 2007

I read a LOT. Mostly horror, mystery and thriller books with some humor thrown in. And yep, I'm always recommending books.

DisneyMissy318 · Apr 11, 2007

I'm currently making my way through the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich. They are funny - I laugh out loud sometimes! :lmao:

I'm currently on #9 and am hitting the library after work for the remaining books. They are really fast reads as well! If the library has the CD I check that out too - and listen in the car - then pick up the book when I get home.

Can't wait to get some more suggestions to add to my list! popcorn::

luvwinnie · Apr 11, 2007

All of Jodi Piccoult's books

The Year of Magical Thinking

katerkat · Apr 11, 2007

NMAmy said:
Anything you'd like! What are your favorites? As you can see, I'm pretty much all over the place personally.

Historical romances: Alexandra Ripley (she wrote the sequel to Gone With the Wind and her other stuff is good)

Regular romances and some classified as regular fiction: Debbie Macomber

Science Fiction/Fantasy: Steven Brust (in the Vlad series, start with Yendi and then read in chronological order, not printing order)

Ub_Iwerks · Apr 11, 2007

Since we are talking funny books, I'd recommend Confessions of a Shopaholic. Reminds me a little of Bridget Jones.

As far as some of my favorites: A Prayer for Owen Meany, Kite Runner, and The Glass Castle.

NMAmy · Apr 11, 2007

Ub_Iwerks said:
Since we are talking funny books, I'd recommend Confessions of a Shopaholic. Reminds me a little of Bridget Jones.

As far as some of my favorites: A Prayer for Owen Meany, Kite Runner, and The Glass Castle.

I enjoyed all of those books, particularly The Glass Castle. I had a friend who practically had to force me to read it because the beginning freaked me out a bit.

More of my favorites include Christopher Moore and David Sedaris. I like the funny guys, I guess, even though they couldn't be more different. :rotfl:

Crankyshank · Apr 11, 2007

FayeW · Apr 11, 2007

I absolutely love Jeffrey Archer. My favourites are As The Crow Flies, and Not A Penny More, Not A Penny Less.

I read all of Ken Follett and John Grisham, and I love Jane Austen. I think my favourite book of all time is To Kill A Mockingbird. I've read most of Maeve Binchy's and I really enjoyed Evening Class, Whitehorn Woods, and Nights of Rain and Stars.

pineappletink · Apr 11, 2007

Yes I always tell people to read "I Know this Much is True" by Wally Lamb and "My Sister's Keeper" by Jodi Piccoult (although any of her books are great!). I'm also a big fan of David Sedaris books, I like those because I can just read a short chapter at a time if I want and they always make me :laughing:

NMAmy · Apr 11, 2007

Crankyshank said:
I'm always recommending books. I find myself also recommending authors as well.
Since I am really all over the place with genres and read so much, I like to ask people what they normally read. Like with the historical fiction recommendation thread since it's such a broad genre. Some of the books I normally recommend to people are:

Cryankyshank, I'm writing down some of yours to reserve at the library. We have so much overlap in favorites, it's amazing. Our tastes are very similar.

Douglas Preston and Lincoln Childs are fabulous--I'm always at the bookstore trying to get their lastest on the day it comes out. Alone or separate. Utopia always makes me think of WDW.

Neil Gaiman is great, too.

FayeW · Apr 11, 2007

Ub_Iwerks said:
Since we are talking funny books, I'd recommend Confessions of a Shopaholic. Reminds me a little of Bridget Jones.

As far as some of my favorites: A Prayer for Owen Meany, Kite Runner, and The Glass Castle.

I received The Kite Runner as a Christmas gift from a friend. I haven't read it yet, as it is not a genre I generally enjoy. I need to find some time when I can devote my attention to it.

Crankyshank · Apr 11, 2007

NMAmy said:
Cryankyshank, I'm writing down some of yours to reserve at the library. We have so much overlap in favorites, it's amazing. Our tastes are very similar.

Douglas Preston and Lincoln Childs are fabulous--I'm always at the bookstore trying to get their lastest on the day it comes out. Alone or separate. Utopia always makes me think of WDW. Neil Gaiman is great, too.

Have you read any of Katherine Neville's books? There's 3 of them - The 8, Magic Circle, and Calculated Risk. Those are pretty good too.

I think Lincoln Child is the best out there right now for adventure thrillers. I'm surprised so few people on the CB mention his books. Death Match was so good and I can't wait until my Dad finishes reading his latest so I can have at it.

I tend to get obsessed with authors. If I read a book by an author that I like, I have to get my hands on all of his/her books. Well except for Ken Follett since I do not like WWII books at all.
I'm re-reading the Holy Grail trilogy by Bernard Cornwell since I just spent so much time studying the hundred years' war in class. I pretty much recommend everything he has written.

Crankyshank · Apr 11, 2007

FayeW said:
I received The Kite Runner as a Christmas gift from a friend. I haven't read it yet, as it is not a genre I generally enjoy. I need to find some time when I can devote my attention to it.

Faye, what kind of books do you normally like? Like I posted before, I am all over the place with books but I tend to not like a lot of book club trend books because I find them generally to be trite, predictable, and not well written. I still read them though :rotfl:

Anyhow, I was hesitant to read Kite Runner because it's generally not my cup of tea, but I loved it. It was well written, not preachy, and just a good story

apirateslifeforme · Apr 11, 2007

I have a whole list, which unfortunately I don't have with me (some were library books, so going through the books I own won't help). My top three are The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides, Interview With the Vampire by Anne Rice, and The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde.

Offhand, that I can remember, others are...
A Great and Terrible Beauty and Rebel Angels by Libba Bray
Bread Alone by Judith Ryan Hendricks
The Dive From Clausen's Pier by Ann Packer (?)
Passage by Connie Willis
Anything by Neil Gaiman (I particularly liked American Gods and Good Omens)
My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult
Complete Tales and Poems by Edgar Allan Poe
The Brief History of the Dead by Kevin Brockmeier
The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory
Fall On Your Knees by Ann-Marie MacDonald
Devil in the White City by Erik Larson
Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan
Star of the Sea by Joseph O'Connor
Key of Light, Key of Knowledge, and Key of Valor by Nora Roberts
The Planets by Dava Sobel
Good in Bed by Jennifer Weiner

...and that's all I can think of offhand...

FayeW · Apr 11, 2007

Crankyshank said:
Faye, what kind of books do you normally like? Like I posted before, I am all over the place with books but I tend to not like a lot of book club trend books because I find them generally to be trite, predictable, and not well written. I still read them though

Anyhow, I was hesitant to read Kite Runner because it's generally not my cup of tea, but I loved it. It was well written, not preachy, and just a good story

I have pretty varied tastes, depending on what kind of mood I'm in. Sometimes I just want a light read to pass an evening so I will choose historical romance or comedy (love the Shopoholic series). My husband, who was deployed to Afghanistan on two occassions, read The Kite Runner when I got it and he enjoyed it. I have a feeling that it will disturb me, rather than entertain me, because it is based on some true events. On the other hand, I may be full of crap!

korbbec · Apr 11, 2007

Terry Brooks The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara: Isle Witch
The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara: Antrax
The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara: Morgwar

Really- anything Terry Brooks, but the Jerle Shannara series is my favorite so far.

Cory Doctorow Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom

Diana Gabaldon Outlander and the next 2 books in that series
...if you liked Outlander, try

Karen Marie Moning The Kiss of the Highlander and the follow up books. They are not sappy romance like I first thought- they are really good reads.

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