OT- Book Recommendations

[e-lizabeth]

Wow, some of you guys have very similar taste in books to me. I have to say, though, that I hated The Pact by Jodi Picoult so much that I refuse to read any of her other books. Aside from all of the ones mentioned by crazybeautiful and Harmonygirl and some by smokycat, i have to add:


The Hours by Michael Cunningham


A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry


Hotel New Hampshire by John Irving


pretty much everything Carol Shields ever wrote


Kit's Law by Donna Morrissey


Fall on your Knees by Anne Marie MacDonald


a great book called the Five Books of Moses Lapinsky by Karen X. Tulchinsky but you'll probably only like it if you're Jewish or from Toronto (i'm both)


and I highly recommend reading the collection of essays "The Bitch in the House" - it's a collection of personal essays by 26 women about mothering, sex, relationships, working, etc....fabulous.


But Crazybeautiful, I have to say that I didn't enjoy Kitchen Confidential nearly as much as a Cook's Tour.

[daffodil]

e-lizabeth, what was "The Pact" about? Why did you hate it?
Also, I think I forgot to mention I love Orson Scott Card. The Ender series especially, and "Lovelock" written with Katherine Kidd.

[6pksummer]

Any book by Lisa Gardner. Her books should become movies! I read one of her books, the perfect husband in 4 days!!!! I couldn't put it down!!

[kmarie]

Just had to shrae..for those Stephen King fans..i live less then 30
minuts from his home and jsut last year i litterally ran into him whiel
going to Borders..he cmae out of the store whiel iw as going
in..neither of us were paying attention and WHAM..face to face with
him..quite litterally! Pretty neat eh?

[e-lizabeth]

The Pact was about two teenagers' suicide pact gone wrong...it was just horrible in every way.


Though I'm not a Stephen King fan particularly, I do think that's a cool story.

[smokycat]

That IS cool about Stephen King. I've seen pictures of his house with the bats on the wrought iron fence. How appropriate. What did he say after the collision? Anything or did he just take off. I read that its rude to ask for an autograph when you see someone famous out doing their business, But I'd sure be tempted!!!!!!

[kimmyc24]

Aw thats such a pity that you say The Pact was really bad - I have only read Plain Truth by Jody Picoultbut am borrowing My Sisters Keeper once my housemate is finished it.. I hope i'm not dissapointed!


I also LOVED the Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, that was a real page-turner! I couldn't stop reading!! Dying to read his other books too.


Forthose of you who live in the UK, if you like books set in the North of England in the olden days(around the 60's), should look for books by Joan Jonker - such feel good books - things were so different in those days and you realise how much times have changed!


At the moment i'm reading The Bad Mother's handbook by Kate Long. Its another one thatsset in the North of England but the year is 1997/8 and is about a 17 year old girl, her mother and her Nan (grandmother) who all live together, and how this one year changes all of their lives. Its sweet cos some of it is written in the Nan's accent, which is from Lancashire or Yorkshire I think. Also good because I think all mothers/single mothers can relate to it!


My dad got me a book a while ago called 'They **** you up' by Oliver James. Its a book on 'how to survive family life' and says on the back cover: if every parent were forced to read it before raising a child, it would do greater good for the happiness and prosperityof this country than any number of government initiatives'.


It also says: In this groundbreaking book, clinical phsychologist Oliver James shows that it is the way we were cared for in the first six years of life that has a crucial effect on who we are and how we behave. Nurture, in effect, shapes our very nature. Definately an interesting read!


Okay i seem to have managed to write a very long post on not verymany books..woops.


My favourite books of all time were 'Angela's Ashes and 'Tis by Frank McCourt! Definately. And To Kill a Mockingbird comes a close 2nd!


Okay i'll shut up now. he he[img]smileys/smilies_08.gif[/img]

[confusedgirl]

o wow I didn't know Stacey was an emet in the Baby-Sitters club! I used to read those books all the time when I was younger (but I wasn't emet then so I guess I just didn't pay attention). My sister gave them away though, but I kind of regret it, they were fun....


but anyways, I don't read much, I am just too slow of a reader and I'm too busy. But I'd reccomend anything by John Holt. I have read parts of so many of his books, and it's all excellent. His books are non-fiction, and they are about/against compulsory schooling. They are so interesting, he has a really unique perspective on things. Another book would be Dumbing Us Down, by John Taylor Gatto, it's also against compulsory schooling. Those really make the reader think. One other book I'll recommend is the PostSecret book by Frank Warren... I don't know if anyone here reads PostSecret online (I recommend it, it's great), but the book is a collection of a bunch of the postcard secrets. It's excellent A lot of the books already suggested in this topiclook very interesting, I'll have to look into them ^^

[crazybeautiful]

Wow, some of you guys have very similar taste in books to me. I have to say, though, that I hated The Pact by Jodi Picoult so much that I refuse to read any of her other books. Aside from all of the ones mentioned by crazybeautiful and Harmonygirl and some by smokycat, i have to add:


The Hours by Michael Cunningham


A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry


Hotel New Hampshire by John Irving


pretty much everything Carol Shields ever wrote


Kit's Law by Donna Morrissey


Fall on your Knees by Anne Marie MacDonald


a great book called the Five Books of Moses Lapinsky by Karen X. Tulchinsky but you'll probably only like it if you're Jewish or from Toronto (i'm both)


and I highly recommend reading the collection of essays "The Bitch in the House" - it's a collection of personal essays by 26 women about mothering, sex, relationships, working, etc....fabulous.


But Crazybeautiful, I have to say that I didn't enjoy Kitchen Confidential nearly as much as a Cook's Tour.

I have not yet read that one!! Who wrote it? I found Anthony Bourdain's writing quite arrogant and somewhat annoying although I did enjoy the book.


And Fall on your knees was just great!

[reblynd]

I just started reading Wicked by Gregory Maguire. It came highly recommended from some friends. It is a Broadway show right now too. I let you know how it was when I am finished.

[kel12347]

I read way too much fluffy crap. I'm a huge V.C. Andrews fan, although every book seems to be pretty much the same. The "Flowers in the Attic" series and "My Sweet Audrina" are my favorites.


Love the Harry Potter books.


"Prozac Nation" and "More, Now, Again" by Elizabeth Wurtzel. She's an amazing author. Her other book, "Bitch," kind of sucked.


I also liked "My Sister's Keeper."


"No Matter How Loud I Shout" is an excellent book written about the California juvenile court system. Since I practice criminal law and defend juveniles, it was a fascinating read. It also points out some major problems with the juvenile court system.


Almost anything written by John Saul, Tammy Hoag, Ann Rule, and Stephen King is great. I LOVED "Thinner," it's probably one of my favorite Stephen King books.


I also like Sue Grafton's mystery books. She writes with such a down to earth tone, and I feel like I can identify with the main character's sarcasm and lack of interest in feminine rituals (make up, etc.)


Edited to add: I just glanced over at my bookshelf (one of four in my house, actually) and realized that I forgot to mention a few notable authors.


Jacqueline Susann's books are great, and were considered shocking when they were written. I love all of them, especially "Valley of the Dolls."


I too liked "A Million Little Pieces" by James Frey.


My all time first recommendation for a summertime beach read is "Belladonna" by Karen Moline. I picked it up at the thrift store for a quarter, and I loved it. It's a crafty, intriguing book, with a twisted plot. I've probably read it at least 10 times since buying it. Edited by: kel12347

[reblynd]

Did you still like "A Million Little Pieces" after the whole"scandal"?

[kel12347]

I found that I didn't care about the whole scandal thing one way or another. My secretary at work, who also read the book, thought that it was awful, but I'm of the opinion that most memoirs are probably exaggerated or embellished in some way, even perhaps subconsciously. I thought overall it was a really good book. I recommend it to some of my older clients with drug problems who can actually read (that can sometimes be an issue). It shows them that there's more than one way to deal with addiction if they have "issues" with AA, like Frey did.

[crimgoddess]

I LOVE the Harry Potter books as well- I even presented at a conference about Harry Potter a few years ago! I'm also guilty of picking up the occasional VC Andrews (or rather Andrew Neidermeyer- that is the ghost writer who now writes under her name)- I'm amazed at how many times the same story can be re-written!


Some non-fic recommendations:


Lockdown America: Police and Prisonsin the Age of Crisisby Christian Parenti. If you think that "crime" is a black/white or good/bad issue, this will seriously shake some of your assumptions. It examines the so-called "war on drugs" and the evolution of the penal system. It also looks at some of the atrocities being comitted in American prisons.


Here is a review: In this important book, Parenti surveys the rise of the prison industrial complex from the Nixon through Reagan eras and into the present. Why does the United States currently have one of the highest rates of incarceration in the world, with over 1.8 million Americans living behind bars? Why are only 29 precent of all prisoners violent offenders? Parenti, a former radio journalist and now a professor at the New College of California, argues that capitalism implies and demands a certain amount of poverty; the powers that be then respond by incarcerating drug users, the underclass, and other relatively powerless persons. Parenti provides a very thorough account of this process as well as a realistic portrayal of an American prison life characterized by rape, torture, gangs, and prisoners as a source of labor. Highly recommended for public and academic libraries


Another must read, in my opinion, is Crime Control as Industry: Towards Gulags Western Styleby Nils Christie. This book is small and an easy read- and it really served to open my eyes when I first read it a few years ago. Christie basically explains the extreme rise in rates of incarceration economically and socially.


Here is an exerpt: This book is a warning against recent developments in the field of crime control. the theme is simple. Societies of the Western type face two major problems: Wealth is everywhere unequally distributed. So is access to paid work. Both problems contain potentialities for unrest. The crime control industry is suited for coping with both. The industry provides profit and work while at the same time producing control of those who otherwise might have disturbed the social process.


Yep....I'm a hard-core leftist criminology geek. It's aiight.


*amber*

[redapple]

I recommend almost any Philip K. Dick</span>
particularly Valis</span> (and if you read it don't get too sensitive about how he pokes fun at things--he was a depression/anxiety sufferer himself, as well as being pretty paranoid) He is known as a sci-fi writer, so, if you're open to that kinda thing...


Toni Morrison</span>
my fave is Beloved</span>. The Song of Soloman</span> is a great one too.


Hemingway</span>
The Sun Also Rises</span>, A Farewell to Arms, </span>and For Whom the Bell Tolls</span> are the usual hemingway favorites, so, a good place to start. I also love his posthumous work The Garden of Eden</span>, but it's pretty "weird"--sexually ahead of its time, maybe even ahead of *this* time.

[confusedgirl]

After reading this post, I was interested so I looked up the book Black and Blue on amazon.. it looked interesting, so I got it a couple days ago when I wanted something to read on lunch break at work... I'm like 65 pgs or so into it now, I'm loving it. It's excellent, and so sad!

I am so glad you mentioned elizabeth berg...She know show to write women and is amazing.


Hot Zone- true story of ebola coming to the states...


Songs in ordinary time- you have to get past the first few chapters and then you cant put it down...


Running with scissors- its kinda weird and what not but its a memoir. by augusten burroughs


Dry- th esequal to running with scissors better than the first but definitly read running with scissors first.


All the harry potter books


black and blue- for anyone who has been in an abusive relationship, I think you could relate to the feelings in this book.