Book Recommendations

lacqueredlover

I need new books to read!  I read constantly, basically any genre (plus I have a flight to Cali in 10 days) so tell me what you're reading!

novella1186

Have you ever read anything by Louise Erdrich? I've read a bunch of her stuff and all of it is so amazing. 

lovegood90

I read Robert Gailbraith's (aka JK Rowling) new series (the first one's called The Cuckoo's Calling) on vacation a while ago and I enjoyed it! Maybe I was biased because I knew it was JK Rowling though, haha.

beethery

Re-read forevers:

Honolulu - Alan Brennert

Molokai - Alan Brennert

A Dirty Job - Christopher Moore

Memoirs of A Geisha - Arthur Golden

Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe - Fannie Flagg

lacqueredlover

My best friend just published her first book so I'm reading that now but prior to that, I just re-read all of Harry Potter.  Before that was the Patti Smith bio (which I HIGHLY recommend!)

chibiyui

I recommend The Parasol Protectorate series from Gail Carriger. Soulless is the first one.

thisismynickname2

I just finished The Good Girl (fans of Gone Girl will like it for sure).

SO GOOD.

I also just finished Dark Places by Gillian Flynn and it was highly disturbing, yet very good. 

I always recommend Sarah Pekkanen's books too. 

novella1186

I wish this was an appropriate place for shameless self-promotion cuz I have three books published :P 

But I'm pretty sure it's against TOS to tell you their names and where to buy. Or my name for that matter. Like any good super hero, I can't reveal my secret identity

lacqueredlover

@novella1186 can you pm me?  would love to check it out!

beethery

novella1186 said:

I wish this was an appropriate place for shameless self-promotion cuz I have three books published :P 

But I'm pretty sure it's against TOS to tell you their names and where to buy. Or my name for that matter. Like any good super hero, I can't reveal my secret identity

PM them to me because I am always down for a new read. I also really want to read @ohannabelle's books. I think she's unwittingly graced us with some of her writer-ness sometimes when she's described situations and they're always stirring, so I know I'd love to give her work a read.

flutteringinfl

chibiyui said:

I recommend The Parasol Protectorate series from Gail Carriger. Soulless is the first one.

Was literally about to suggest this. I don't generally like steampunk but I love this series.

And @novella1186, I want to know who you are! I have a bunch of friends who've published books (none myself, yet), and I love reading books by people I know or semi-know.

sarahufl

I am reading The Glass Castle right now and it is so great!

arrippa

I just finished Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister. I am currently reading Before I Go to Sleep and Private Lives of the Impressionists. Both are very good so far.

loro929

Yes @novella1186 I want to read your books too! PM me

sarawifenow

I want to read you books @novella1186!!!!!! Count me in on the PM me train!

 

I read The Glass Kitchen recently. It is a really easy read, but I loved it.

 

My all time favorite book is Beloved by Toni Morrison.

lovegood90

loro929 said:

Yes @novella1186 I want to read your books too! PM me

Me too!

hellosweetie1015

novella1186 said:

I wish this was an appropriate place for shameless self-promotion cuz I have three books published :P 

But I'm pretty sure it's against TOS to tell you their names and where to buy. Or my name for that matter. Like any good super hero, I can't reveal my secret identity

Can you tell us about them?? 

The Raven Cycle (book one being The Raven Boys) by Maggie Stiefvater. YA paranormal. I find them fantastic. Books one through three are out, with the fourth (and final?) expected in October 2015. If you like her and want something a little different while you wait for book four, try The Scorpio Races. A little different, but still fantastic.

The Kingkiller Chronicles (book one being The Name of the Wind) by Patrick Rothfuss. Fantasy. They're huge, but they're so good. Fair warning: Book three is forthcoming, and has been for at least two years. 

The Scarpetta books (book one being Body of Evidence, I think?) by Patricia Cornwell. Police/M.E. thriller. They're what one of my friends calls "potato chips" - they're a fairly quick read, but you can't read just one. I *think* it's been completed? It was at one point an ongoing series, so there are at least 20 books, but again - potato chips.

I can go on, but those three are probably tops outside of HP.

ohannabelle

beethery said:

novella1186 said:

I wish this was an appropriate place for shameless self-promotion cuz I have three books published :P 

But I'm pretty sure it's against TOS to tell you their names and where to buy. Or my name for that matter. Like any good super hero, I can't reveal my secret identity

PM them to me because I am always down for a new read. I also really want to read @ohannabelle's books. I think she's unwittingly graced us with some of her writer-ness sometimes when she's described situations and they're always stirring, so I know I'd love to give her work a read.

I don't do BSP on the internet for many reasons. 

A: A link to your work is as good as a map to your front door. Pseudonyms link to real names. There are pages of information and embarrassing stuff, including some stunning 80s PR shots with bigass glamour hair. And there are some crazy fuckers out there in internet land. I've gotten fan mail from a prison. Yikes. 

B: I am lazy. Promotion and sales are for sales departments.

C: I am ashamed. I have written some fairly bad maudlin trite formulaic crap. It pleased publishers, and bought me a couple of nice tickets on the metro, but hurts my heart.

I have also written some substantial truly good things (which get much writerly applause but very little money) but when people read them they doubt my sanity. They confuse who I am with what I write.

E: The moment you step up and admit you're a published author, people have higher expectations of what you will say, and how you'll say it, and they pay attention to your spelling and grammar fails. In real life as well. People expect you to say something clever. Worse, they send you their own (usually godawful) writing and ask for opinions. Trust me, Special Snowflakedom achieves new heights when you suggest someone's magnum opus needs serious help. 

I want the happy freedom of just fucking about on the internet, ungoogled, unashamed, with zero expectations. I don't want to be clever. 

[Deleted User]

Love books, love to read, and I LOVE this thread!

I have recently (re)read:

• The Secret Rooms, A True Story of a Haunted Castle, a Plotting Duchess, and a Family Secret by Catherine Bailey (good, although there isn't much revealed about the haunted castle; non-fiction)
• Dark Amelia, A Novel of Shakespeare's Dark Lady by Sally O'Reilly (historical fiction- the title kind of tells you what it's about)
  
• Empty Mansions,the Mysterious Life of Huguette Clark and the Spending of a Great American Fortune  by Bill Dedmen and Paul Clark Newell, Jr.  (good, a little sad, but not in a weepy way; non-fiction)
  
• The Paris Architect by Charles Belfour (good; I read it in about 5 hours; historical fiction set in occupied France during WW2)
  
• Mona Lisa, A Life Discovered by Dianne Hales (good but not for everyone; non-fiction, good for history buffs but not written in a dry style)
• Blowing my Cover, My Life as a CIA Spy by Lindsay Moran (good- I've read this 4-5 times now)
• Supernatural Enhancements by Edgar Cantero (good story, probably not one you want to read unless you have some time you can devote to it- not a read for 15 minutes at a time kind of book as it's a bit of a mystery and there's puzzles presented...  the ending was a bit of a let down)
• Shipwrecks and Lost Treasures of the Great Lakes by Michael Varhola (good if you like history, nautical stuff; easy read w/ short chapters but no continuous "story" here)
• The "Princess" trilogy by Jean Sasson (I've read these 3-4 times, non-fiction, they tell the
  
  ife of Princess Sultana Al Sa'ud, a princess in the royal house of Saudi Arabia - See more at: http://www.jeansasson.com/books/princess.html#sthash.muhlaVuk.dpuf
  life story of a princess and her family in Saudi Arabia)
• The Big Tiny, A Built it Myself Memoir by Dee Williams (quite good, easy read, and what's pushing me to probably own a tiny house someday, if I ever decide to own)

I'm currently reading The Hangman's Daughter by Oliver Pötzsch, who is a German screen writer I think.  Historical fiction set in Germany in the 1660s.

ETA:  words

[Deleted User]

lovegood90 said:

loro929 said:

Yes @novella1186 I want to read your books too! PM me

Me too!

Add me to the list!

[Deleted User]

arrippa said:

I just finished Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister. I am currently reading Before I Go to Sleep and Private Lives of the Impressionists. Both are very good so far.

I thought Confessions was one of his best books!

novella1186

ohannabelle said:

beethery said:

novella1186 said:

I wish this was an appropriate place for shameless self-promotion cuz I have three books published :P 

But I'm pretty sure it's against TOS to tell you their names and where to buy. Or my name for that matter. Like any good super hero, I can't reveal my secret identity

PM them to me because I am always down for a new read. I also really want to read @ohannabelle's books. I think she's unwittingly graced us with some of her writer-ness sometimes when she's described situations and they're always stirring, so I know I'd love to give her work a read.

I don't do BSP on the internet for many reasons. 

A: A link to your work is as good as a map to your front door. Pseudonyms link to real names. There are pages of information and embarrassing stuff, including some stunning 80s PR shots with bigass glamour hair. And there are some crazy fuckers out there in internet land. I've gotten fan mail from a prison. Yikes. 

B: I am lazy. Promotion and sales are for sales departments.

C: I am ashamed. I have written some fairly bad maudlin trite formulaic crap. It pleased publishers, and bought me a couple of nice tickets on the metro, but hurts my heart.

I have also written some substantial truly good things (which get much writerly applause but very little money) but when people read them they doubt my sanity. They confuse who I am with what I write.

E: The moment you step up and admit you're a published author, people have higher expectations of what you will say, and how you'll say it, and they pay attention to your spelling and grammar fails. In real life as well. People expect you to say something clever. Worse, they send you their own (usually godawful) writing and ask for opinions. Trust me, Special Snowflakedom achieves new heights when you suggest someone's magnum opus needs serious help. 

I want the happy freedom of just fucking about on the internet, ungoogled, unashamed, with zero expectations. I don't want to be clever. 

To the bolded, my first published book was written when I was 19. I honestly don't know how/why it got published but it's embarrassing. The last time I looked over some of it, I cringed, and then I never looked at it again lol. I'm glad I'm not the only writer who's not happy with some of their published work cuz sometimes I feel downright ashamed of myself for that mess.  

ohannabelle

Here is something beautiful to read:

http://m.poemhunter.com/poem/a-child-s-christmas-in-wales/

Dylan Thomas, A Child's Christmas in Wales. A quick read. It makes me humble. The grace of it, the invisible breaking of unneccessary rules, the effortless (it seems) stunning turns of phrase. So much beautiful. It isn't Christmas till I read this. 

"One Christmas was so much like another, in those years around the sea-town corner now and out of all sound except the distant speaking of the voices I sometimes hear a moment before sleep..."

(Really, Dylan Thomas? Eff you for being so beautiful. I love you.)

arrippa

FeeleyToBe said:

arrippa said:

I just finished Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister. I am currently reading Before I Go to Sleep and Private Lives of the Impressionists. Both are very good so far.

I thought Confessions was one of his best books!

it was certainly better than Wicked. I couldn't even finish that book.

[Deleted User]

arrippa said:

FeeleyToBe said:

arrippa said:

I just finished Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister. I am currently reading Before I Go to Sleep and Private Lives of the Impressionists. Both are very good so far.

I thought Confessions was one of his best books!

it was certainly better than Wicked. I couldn't even finish that book.

I read them all, but this was the one I enjoyed the most, for sure.

amelisha

I posted these same books on the last reading thread but they are so good I'm compelled to do it again. "Night Film" by Marisha Pessl (just whoa, I couldn't put it down. Her first novel, "Special Topics in Calamity Physics" was great too), and "The Magicians", "The Magician King" and "The Magician's Land" by Lev Grossman, especially if you loved Narnia as a kid.

[Deleted User]

amelisha said:

I posted these same books on the last reading thread but they are so good I'm compelled to do it again. "Night Film" by Marisha Pessl (just whoa, I couldn't put it down. Her first novel, "Special Topics in Calamity Physics" was great too), and "The Magicians", "The Magician King" and "The Magician's Land" by Lev Grossman, especially if you loved Narnia as a kid.

  I've been wanting to read the Magician series- good to know they're solid.  If I don't get any of them for Christmas gifts, I'll pick them up myself in the new year.

ETF:  typos.

amelisha

FeeleyToBe said:

amelisha said:

I posted these same books on the last reading thread but they are so good I'm compelled to do it again. "Night Film" by Marisha Pessl (just whoa, I couldn't put it down. Her first novel, "Special Topics in Calamity Physics" was great too), and "The Magicians", "The Magician King" and "The Magician's Land" by Lev Grossman, especially if you loved Narnia as a kid.

  I've been wanting to read the Magician series- good to know they're solid.  If I don't get any of them for Christmas gifts, I'll pick them up myself in the new year.

ETF:  typos.

They are SO GOOD. I went through each of them within a couple of days. They aren't really satire, they aren't really fantasy, they're just really great literature and the writing is devastating.

hellosweetie1015

FeeleyToBe said:

amelisha said:

I posted these same books on the last reading thread but they are so good I'm compelled to do it again. "Night Film" by Marisha Pessl (just whoa, I couldn't put it down. Her first novel, "Special Topics in Calamity Physics" was great too), and "The Magicians", "The Magician King" and "The Magician's Land" by Lev Grossman, especially if you loved Narnia as a kid.

  I've been wanting to read the Magician series- good to know they're solid.  If I don't get any of them for Christmas gifts, I'll pick them up myself in the new year.

ETF:  typos.

I've been recommended that too, but I literally just remembered it. I may get it on my nook for our flight that's coming up. I have no books set up for it yet.

sarahufl

hellosweetie1015 said:

FeeleyToBe said:

amelisha said:

I posted these same books on the last reading thread but they are so good I'm compelled to do it again. "Night Film" by Marisha Pessl (just whoa, I couldn't put it down. Her first novel, "Special Topics in Calamity Physics" was great too), and "The Magicians", "The Magician King" and "The Magician's Land" by Lev Grossman, especially if you loved Narnia as a kid.

  I've been wanting to read the Magician series- good to know they're solid.  If I don't get any of them for Christmas gifts, I'll pick them up myself in the new year.

ETF:  typos.

I've been recommended that too, but I literally just remembered it. I may get it on my nook for our flight that's coming up. I have no books set up for it yet.

I found Special Topics in Calamity Physics to be very strange.

beethery

A reaaaaalllly hilarious book that I LOVE to read is 'The Hypochondriac's Guide To Life. And Death.' by Gene Weingarten.

It is absolutely hysterical, so if you want to read it in public, be prepared to get crazy looks from people who catch you laughing.