Just looking for some suggestions: old and new titles; fiction and non fiction

I just read The Glass Castle and could not put it down! Seems to be universally liked....check it out.

For a quick but fun read check out "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep."

Any book by Jodi Picoult.....I love her!

Up Country, by Nelson DeMille.

This is a little of both (or evertything). I really enjoyed it and my Mother loves it too. First book I actually finished in years. It's a sequal to The General's Daughter.

best regards, lm


couple editorial reviews:

from a,m,a,z,o,n,.,c,o,m (not lame advertisement)

In Up Country, Nelson DeMille cannily revives the army career of Chief Warrant Officer Paul Brenner, the cynical, hardworking Criminal Investigation Division man who was forcibly retired after solving the high-profile killing in The General's Daughter. Brenner's called back to investigate the murder of a young army lieutenant by his captain. The catch is, the crime took place during the heat of the Tet Offensive, and the only living witness was a North Vietnamese soldier who described the incident in a 30-year-old letter that has only recently come to light. Soon Brenner, a Vietnam vet, is on an ostensible nostalgia tour of his old stomping grounds. The trip immediately turns dangerous as he heads "up country" to search for the letter writer, accompanied by a gorgeous American businesswoman, who's hiding more than even the smartest CID officer could imagine.

DeMille, who saw his own tour of duty in Vietnam (and even found a letter on a dead Vietnamese soldier), intersperses historical facts and chilling political possibilities with enough local color to provide some serious flashbacks for his fellow veterans. To non-vets the book may seem very long, but the payoff at the end is worth a couple hundred extra pages. --Barrie Trinkle --

From Publishers Weekly

That DeMille has written a sequel to The General's Daughter comes as no surprise; after all, that's arguably his best-known novel because of the hit film version starring John Travolta. Nor is it surprising that he's set this sequel in Vietnam; returning hero Chief Warrant Officer Paul Brenner, Ret., served two stints there during the war, and DeMille himself not only saw action in Nam but returned in 1997 for an extended visit. What is curious, and relatively unfortunate, is that the long narrative focuses so much on travelogue instead of intrigue and action; it's as if DeMille, a wickedly fine thriller writer, has been possessed by the soul of James Michener. Still, the overarching story line captivates, as Brenner agrees to return to Vietnam to track down a Vietnamese witness to a 30-year-old unprosecuted crime, in which a U.S. Army captain murdered an army lieutenant and plundered some treasure. Joined by beautiful Susan Weber, who says she's an American expat businesswoman doing a favor for the U.S. government, Brenner travels to the little village where the witness may still live; along the way, the pair flirt, sightsee, visit a nude beach, sightsee, have sex, sightsee, and talk a lot. The sightseeing carries serious emotional impact as Brenner processes his wartime past and Vietnam's present, and it carries serious risk, as Colonel Mang of the secret police tracks Brenner's and Susan's movements. There's some violence as the two Americans elude Mang and his minions, and a melodramatic finale as Brenner realizes just who the murderous captain now is, and some dramatic suspense as Brenner peels away layers of Susan's identity covers. And then there's blasted, resilient Vietnam, which DeMille captures expertly, in all its anguished pride. With a film version in development at Paramount and the Warner publicity machine working at top gear, expect this engrossing but not exceptional novel to shoot to the top. 15-city author tour.

I've been on an Orson Scott Card kick lately, rereading all my faves. I would recommend starting with Ender's Game (and the following books) or Wyrms. Very enthralling sci-fi.
I'm planning on hitting up the library for The Green Mile (Stephen King - I'm not usually a fan of his, too scary, but I LOVED this one). Another fun just fiction book I really enjoyed was called Rapture by David Sosnowski (about an up and coming virus that sweeps the world - Angelism). The Other Boleyn Girl was another book I couldn't put down!

I'm looking forward to seeing everyone's recommendations.

I re-reading The Good Earth by Pearl Buck- fiction about a farmer and his family in China

Frank McCourt books-non-fiction about an irishman who eventually emmigrates to the US and becomes a teacher in NYC

The Professor and the Madman- true story of the making of the dictionary

Life is Good- true story about a man in his 8th or 9th decade who finally learns to read and tells his life story

Land of a Thousand Hills- true story about a woman who marries, moves to Rwanda, divorces but stays on to run the plantion herself and much more

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan-fiction

A New England Nun-classic fiction

O Pioneers-classic fiction

The Shadow of the Wind-fiction about a mysterious book and author

My notes don't even begin to do these justice.

That was fabulous when it first came out. Released in serial form in six parts. About every three weeks and only $2.99 each. Not a horror book, but with a little supernatural aspect. The movie, also spectactular, directed by Frank Darabount, who also directed the Shawshank Redemption. Based on a story by Stephen King, without any horror or supernatural content. A great classic movie.

Recently released on DVD, The Mist. Another Stephen King, Frank Darabount collaboration. Very basic, old fashioned scary movie. Examines the horror outside, and inside us all. Be very forewarned, extremely shocking ending.

best regards, lm

hm, i'd wondered if The Mist was any good. I'll have to look into it.

Right now I'm reading The Memory Keeper's Daughter.

I'm reading the Nine Steps to Financial Freedom by Suze Orman... and I can't put it down! I had no idea that wills could be so expensive to carry out and how important revocable trusts are! She writes on a level that I can understand, and I have learned so much. I definitely recommend this book.
I'm also reading Marley and Me by John Grogan, and it's making me cry... I'm a big dog lover. It's non-fiction about a hilarious, sweet, and very mischievous Labrador Retriever.

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. I took it with me for the 6 hour trip home on the airplane and could NOT put it down! And she has written several sequels, each as good as the first (a rarity in and of itself!). She truly is a master storyteller, playing with words in a subtle but funny way, great characters, and vivid backgrounds.
It's about Claire who travels through time to land in Scotland in the 1700s. There she meets (and is somewhat forced to marry) Jamie, a Scot who is amazing even by today's standards. They get caught up in political intrigues, war, family issues, and just life in the 1700s. It takes 76 pages to actually get going, but it's totally and completely worth it, because Gabaldon has to set the stage for the next (as of right now) 5 books to come. I can't say enough good things about this series.

I'm a Dean Koontz freak. I love Watchers, One Door away from heaven, From the corner of his eye, the Odd Thomas books, the Frankenstein books, The good guy, Midnight, Fear nothing, Sieze the Night, lots of others.....

One good Stephen King book ( I don't always like him) is From a Buick 8.

I like Nora Roberts, I'll admit it. She's a fabulous storyteller, even if it is girl fiction. I think my favorite book of hers is Birthright.

I could go on all day, I'm a big reader. I'll spare you all that.

Gotta admit, I'm not too big on Jodi Picoult, I feel like she's telling the same story over and over. By the third book there's no surprises anymore.

I just recently finished Three Cups of Tea and Fast Food Nation. Both were great!

This book was so good. I also read a good one, I believe it was called, My Sisters Keeper about a girls who was conceived to help her sister survive cancer through transplants and such. But, the best book I have read in years, was a book called, and I am probably spelling this wrong, Moloka'i. It was about when Hawaii was struck with Leporsy (sp?) years ago and they were sent to a Leporsy colony. The main character is a child who gets struck with the disease at about 7 and gets pulled away from her family and was sent to live at the colony. The story follows her life until she is old. This story was so profound that I felt as if I couldn't read another book for a while afterwards.

NIcole

JNB1,

Agreed, he's got some classics. I haven't read any of his books in years, but read all of his earlier works. Midnight and Twilight Eyes will scare the hell out of you, and/or seriously creep you out. Lightening, The Bad Place, Watchers are all great.

May I recommend you try Robert R. McCammon. A little of Stephan King and Dean Koontz.

best regards, lm

Ah! Robert McCammon.....Swan Song and Gone South......
Brilliant works!

Bryce Courtenay has some fabulous reads in the historical fiction category. He often focuses on Australia and South Africa.

The Omnivore's Dilemma (nonfiction)

A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson (and any of his travel books - very funny)

Hawaii by James Michener

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver (or any of her books)

The series featuring medical examiner Kay Scarpetta by Patricia Cornwell (I started with The Body Farm, although that's not the first in the series - it will get you started)

A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore. I had this on my iPod and I would startle people by laughing out loud .

I second anything by Orson Scott Card. I just wish he would write the last Alvin Maker book! Start with Seventh Son.

Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond (nonfiction)

How about the Time Travelers Wife? Has anyone else read that? I had trouble getting started with it because the concept is so strange but once I got started and finished I was so glad I read it.

I JUST finished The Red Tent ---- AMAZING!!!! Could not put it down and stayed up until the middle of the night to finish it.

I also highly recommend and enjoy Russel Banks (Affliction, etc.) --- especially Rule of the Bone; The Poisonwood Bible - Kingsolver (I re-read it every year) --- and The History of Love (author escaping me right now) which has a loooong drawn out slow start, but is good in the end.



Enjoy!

OMG my library list is getting so long!!

Emily,

My first was Stinger, really got me hooked. Read several other selections, Night Boat, Wolf's Hour, (all the others I would call action horror) all very good. And then read Boy's Life. It amazed me how he could write something so different such as that, and Gone South which followed.

best regards, lm

I am in the middle of Wicked by Gregory Maguire
The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West

It's an allegorical fantasy - very well written. I haven't read anything this "dense" in years. (by dense I mean it's not "fluff" writing like Daniele Steele type is).

I am having a difficult time unraveling the allegory - it's political.

As for the Witch, her name is Elphaba and the story takes you from her birth to her meeting "Dorothy."

Outlander is a fantastic book as is each book that follows! I recommend them to everyone I've read all 6 and listened to them on tape, just fantastic. I was actually planning on a re-read starting tomorrow!

I heard a rumor that Book 7 will be out by the end of the year.

Maybe when we mention a book we should say if it's suitable or not for a teenager to read. I realize that some parents would probably like to know that as it's hard to know it before you purchase the book. There's no ratings (G,PG, PG-13, R) on books.....

It's funny in thinking about movie ratings...when I was a young teen "Franco Zefferelli's Romeo & Juliet" (Movie from about 1969) was rated "R". I wanted to see it but couldn't get in. Eventually I saw it on TV when I was about 30 years ago and I couldn't see what all the hub-bub was about. I felt it was suitable for a young teen to watch. Also, the same for Gone With The Wind.....it was considered a movie for adults only....so I read the book, which was 100 times better than the movie - if you can believe that --- and eventually saw the movie when I was about 20 and again I couldn't see what all the hub-bub was about - actually the "romance" part of it was a little silly and the worst that you saw was "OH MY" Scarlett briefly kissing a married Ashley & trying to get him to leave his wife and run away with her! Compare that naughtiness with today's stuff.

But anyway, it's difficult to know if a book is suitable for teen readers (I was reading in the adult portion of the library from when I was 12 - but I realize that some parents perhaps would frown on that).

I reason I bring this up is because I found Diana Gabaldon to be a little sexually graphic for my tastes - as well as Stephen King -- but that's just me.

Oh yes, to be honest it's a bit much for me, so I basically glance over the part, and move on. I think I can figure out what Jamie and Claire will be doing

Gabaldon is definitely not something I would want my teens to read, so in the future if I post a recommendation I will be sure to include an "age rating".

Thanks for the reminder.

DEan Koontz will occasionally surprise me with something quite graphic. I actually feel like he gets better with age, Larry, I enjoy a lot of his newer books even more than the older stuff. Of course, I think (like everyone else) Watchers will always be my favorite.

I enjoy books by ted dekker (just finished reading "adam" it was good, also the circle trilogy is excellent and thr3e, blink of an eye, skin, saint, house, obsessed, showdown, blessed child, man called blessed, and the martyrs song series) , francine rivers (redeeming love, the last sin eater, atonement child, and the mark of the lion series are good)
george bryan polivka (trophy case trilogy) kathy herman (phantom hollow series) elizabeth musser (searching for eternity is the only one I've read by her) another of my favorite authors is liz curtis higgs

Yes! The Time Traveler's Wife was great!

I'm currently reading The Cat Who Walks Through Walls, by Robert Heinlein. I love Heinlein. My favorite of his so far (I haven't read them all yet) is Starship Troopers. It's NOTHING like the movie whatsoever. 2nd fave would be Stranger in a Strange Land.

I also love anything by:
Amy Tan, literary fiction
Stephen King, horror
Anne McCaffrey, Generally light sci-fi and fantasy
and Marion Zimmer Bradley, More serious sci-fi and fantasy, centers on women.

A couple of my favorite non-fics are:

Ice Bound, by Jerri Nielsen (about a doctor wintering over at the South Pole, who developed a lump in her breast after all flights in and out had been suspended for the winter) and

Appointment at the Ends of the World, by William B. Karesh (memoirs of a wildlife veterinarian.)

I second 'Icebound" . That was amazing.

Lots of great books and writers mentioned here. I also like Koontz so much better than King, and agree that Koontz gets better as he ages. I love the dog characters as much as the human ones. In my youth I read everything that Heinlein put out, I think I owned every book he ever wrote. Right after I sold my collection (a box full) in a garage sale, the man passed away! Wish I'd kept those.

A real fun read is anything by Janet Evanovich....I mow through her stuff in no time. I also love Kathleen O'Neal Gear.....she and her husband are archeologists and write stories about ancient Indian (Native American) history based on what they find at sights and on lore.

Also like to read anything by James Patterson, Russell Andrews, Lisa Jackson, Lee Child, Patricia Cornwell, Greg Iles....there are too many goods ones out there these days to list!

For me the problem with Gabaldon, is I believe her first book (?) what went on when Jaime was imprisoned... That killed it right there for me. I do the same thing you do (glance over and skip), but the prison stuff caught me off-guard and I didn't want to "trip" over that again, so I dropped Gabaldon from my author list.

I tried to read The Stand (I believe I had a copy of the unexpurgated version) and could not finish it due to how graphic it was. I couldn't believe someone could think this stuff up and actually get a publisher to publish it.

As an aside, over the years I learned that one of the Books of the Old Testament was withheld from younger people (they had to wait until they were 30 years old, I believe) -- that book is "Song of Songs."

Me too! But I'm from NJ and I no, I don't own a gun......

She is going to have #14 out in June....I pre-reserved...

***************************************************************************

I have a system where for every 2-3 fiction books I read, I read one non-fiction just to stay in the real world. I also like to alternate my fiction with the Classics (Dickens, Steinbeck, Hawthorne & more).

My most interesting non fiction reads were Frederick Douglass autobiography - any biography on Presidents, anything by James Herriott, Political viewpoint books.

As a teen, I read all of Heinleins stuff. He was my favorite author.

My all time favorite books:

~ Tunnel in the Sky, Robert Heinlein

~ Earthblood, Keith Laumer & Rosel George Brown

~ Watchers of the Dark, Lloyd Biggle Jr

~ Galactic Odyssey, Keith Laumer

~ The Talisman, Stephan King

The first four were during my "formative" years. If you like Heinlein, I would highly recommend Laumer. He's a little more action oriented and sometimes witty. Wrote mostly in the 60's. Try Galactic Odyssey. May be hard to find.

best regards, lm

I love The Stand, I reread it every summer. Just goes to show how tastes can differ...


Yeah, Heinlein was brilliant. Which one was Tunnel in the Sky? I'm sure I've read that one, I know that title...

The Talisman is one of the very few Stephen King books I couldn't get into. I need to pick it up and try it out again. His Dark Tower series is definitely my favorite. My favorite short story of his has always been The Mist. I'm afraid to watch the movie because it might stink.

I'll definitely look for Galactic Odyssey, thanks for the recommendation!

I just finished Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain. Great book, not for kids... LOL!

I started WICKED en route to a recent destination, and forgot it there. Woops. My daughter and I are going to see the musical on Mother's Day! =) I can't wait!

Also recently read The Nanny Diaries, that was a guilty pleasure read. And, I'm a big Michael Crichton fan, I read NEXT a few months ago, it was great, in a very weird way.

Me, too, Sarah! You'd also really like Thomas McCammon's Swan Song, then, I'll bet.
In fact, I know you would. It's a work that I must revisit every couple of years....

When I was heavy into Heinlein, I also love Andre Norton sci-fi. Read lots of that stuff. I don't even know if book stores carry these anymore, do they? Maybe the libraries do.

Loved, loved, LOVED the Outlander series... the first book being the best!! The last few installments of the series were terrible tho... expensive, huge door stops! The first 3 or so were awesome tho!

I'm a huge fan of books on tape/celiac disease from the Library. Recently I listened to The Kite Runner, which was really good. I watched the movie after the book... it made me cry.

Now I'm listening to The Good Earth... also good.

At home I'm reading Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Folett. I read it when it was published in 1989 and am rereading it before I read the new sequel out now. Love anything Ken Folett's written.

Also love Jodi Picoult!

My hubby and I are driving from AR to PA in a few weeks. I'll hit the library for a few books on celiac disease for the 20-hour ride. There's NOTHING like being read to!

A lot of my fav's have already been mentioned: Patterson, Koontz, Cornwell. Evanovich is hilarious! I also like Sue Grafton. Sidney Sheldon---haven't seen anything by him in a long time. Is he still around? There's also one---wracking my brain trying to remember his name---whose main character is Dirk Pitt. Anyone know who I'm talking about?

Lisa

Oh! I forgot about Lee Child, who doesn't love Reacher?

More books! Tell me more! I don't have time to read, but I absolutely devour audiobooks. I love to hear about what other people are reading so I can got new ideas about what to try next.

Here is what I have "read" in the last few months. I spend a lot of time in the car/bus on my commute.

The Tipping Point (for my bookgroup - loved it. Very thought provoking)
Twilight (another one for the book group. Hated it with a passion.)
Freakonomics (another interesting social comentary)
Wickett's remedy
The entire Stephen King Dark Tower series
Kabul Beauty School ("reading" that one right now. I really like it)

Next up on my agenda is The Book Thief (another one for the book group) and Three Cups of Tea.

I have read The Stand about 5 times, and I have to say it is one of my favorite books ever. They made a miniseries out of it a few years ago. What a POS that was. If you like audiobooks, the Harry Potter series is the best.

Correction. That's Robert R. McCammon. And I agree, he's very good.

best regards, lm

"Patrick Henry High School. Department of Social Studies. Course 410 (elective senior seminar) Advanced Survival.

It was just a test. But something had gone wrong. Terribly wrong. What was to have been a standard ten-day survival test had suddenly become an indefinite life-or-death nightmare.

Now they were stranded somewhere in the universe. Beyond contact with Earth... at the other end of a tunnel in the sky. This small group of young men and women, divested of all civilized luxuries and laws, were being forced to forge a future of their own... a strange future in a strange land where sometimes not even the fittest could survive!"

Pretty cool stuff considering it was written in 1955.

best regards, lm

I tend to read a lot of nonfiction books...

Self-help books (psychological, physical, cleaning, baking, raising children, etc.) and psychology based books that most would find boring (eleven years of college drilled that into me)

A good book (if you want to realize how blessed you and your family are) is "A Child Called It." The book is part of a trilogy. The author is truly inspiring. You will never forget you read it.

-Julie

Have you all read "Eat Pray Love"? I thoroughly enjoyed it back in the spring and think I might read it again soon.

I JUST LOVED THIS BOOK BUT NEEDED TO ADD A GRAPH TO KEEP EVERYONE STRAIGHT ........BUT SURE WORTH THE READ.
JUDY

I loved "Anthem" by Ayn Rand

My favorite book of all time is "The Septembers of Shiraz" (the Iranian city, not the wine) by Dalia Sofer

I also enjoyed "Kite Runner" "A Thousand Splendid Suns" "The House of the Scorpion" "Edda" "The Egyptian Book of the Dead" and finally, "The Tibetan book of the Dead"

I'm late to this game but I thought I'd add a few here. I loved Ayn Rand in my twenties- Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead, two favorites. Most impacting book of all time- Crime and Punishment, Dostoyevsky-literally didn't go to dinner or sleep much for 48 hours while I plowed through it, this was when I was about 21, don't know how it would affect me now. Felt in an altered state afterwards and many have reported the same. Bastard Out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison- not for the faint of heart- Fall On Your Knees by Ann-Marie Macdonald- brilliant- A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers. I, too, loved Eat, Pray Love and for light reading anything by Anita Shreve. Loved The Omnivore's Dilemma- everyone who eats in America ought to read it. I adored each and every Harry Potter book. The End of Faith by Sam Harris ought to get you going and Stones from the River by Ursula Hegi is just amazing. I love books! Right now in graduate school and no time for MY reading, just school reading!!!!!


Read on!!!
lisa