I’ll admit it right now: I’m a book worm. Well – I used to be at least! However, over the past year or so I have really fallen off of the wagon in regards to my book reading. Shame shame shame. But: I’m getting back on the horse and am working on compiling a new list of must-read books. Step one: build up a list of recommendations!
I’m currently reading the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series (I know, I’m way behind on this series) – I’m on the 2nd book at the moment, but here are some of my other all-time favorite reads from the past few years (just so you get an idea of types of books I read)…
- Angels and Demons/The DaVinci Code – Dan Brown
- The Glass Castle – Jeannette Walls
- Harry Potter series (duhhh)
- The Help – Kathryn Stockett
- If Only: How to Turn Regret Into Opportunity – Neal J. Roese
- Jane Eyre – Charlotte Bronte
- The Kite Runner – Khaled Hosseini
- The Other Boleyn Girl – Philippa Gregory
- Running With Scissors – Augusten Burroughs
- The Thorn Birds – Colleen McCullough
- The Time Traveler’s Wife – Audrey Niffenegger
- Water for Elephants – Sara Gruen
So far, I’ve actually received a great list of recommendations from my Twitter friends, and I would LOVE some more feedback! Have you read any of these books and would also recommend them? Do you have a favorite that isn’t on the list that I should add?
- The Corrections – Jonathan Franzen
- A Gate at the Stairs – Lorrie Moore
- Her Fearful Symmetry – Audrey Niffenegger
- The Hunger Games trilogy – Suzanne Collins
- The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks – Rebecca Skloot
- The Invisible Bridge – Julie Orringer
- Lark and Termite – Jayne Anne Phillips
- Let the Great World Spin – Colum McCann
- Little Bee – Chris Cleave
- Loving Frank – Nancy Horan
- One Thousand White Women – Jim Fergus
- Room – Emma Donaghue
- The Story of Edgar Sawtelle – David Wroblewski
- The Thirteenth Tale – Diane Setterfield
- Unbearable Lightness – Portia de Rossi
- A Visit From the Goon Squad – Jennifer Egan
- A Whole New Mind – Daniel H. Pink
- The Wonder Spot – Melissa Bank
- You Know When the Men are Gone – Siobhan Fallon
So – I want to hear from you! Suggestions? Opinions? Help a bookworm out and help me build my future library!
My husband and I both really enjoy reading the James Rollins books if you like adventure, history and fast paced, We also like reading the Dennis Lehane books (gone baby gone, shutter island), The Island (Hislop), The Cotton Queen (Morsi), No One You Know (Richmond), and Last Voyage of the Valentina (Montefiore) Were all really good books that I just happened to pick up no knowing much about them but I loved them.
I just read Water for Elephants and I loved it! Its sooo good and the story just sticks with you def. one of my new faves.
If you liked the kite runner, definitely read his other book, A Thousand Splendid Suns it was wonderful!
Beyond that, I’m in love with anything by Jodi Piccoult and Kristin Hannah.
My books are all packed away right now, or I’d find some other good ones for you.
I read mostly non-fiction, but I highly recommend ‘A Thousand Splendid Suns’ (same author of ‘The Kite Runner’ – which is one I haven’t read yet!).
Some of my other favorites are:
-‘Their Eyes were Watching God’ Zora Neale Hurston
-‘The House of the Spirits’ Isabel Allende
-‘The Secret Life of Bees’ Sue Monk Kidd
-‘Beloved’ Toni Morrison
I’m writing some of yours on a list to take with me to the next book sale. I need a vacation so I can just read for a week!
I’m in the middle of “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” and it is absolutely fascinating. An author that discovered about thsi time last year and love is Tana French. Her book, “Faithful Place,” in particular, is fantastic. Definitely gonna have to take some of the ones on your list and look into them! I read a lot, so I quickly run out of ideas!
The Hunger Games trilogy is great! I have even convinced my husband to read them and he loves them too!
You and I have the exact same taste in books! Love it…
Okay:
1000 Splendid Suns (it’s even better than the Kite Runner)
The Historian (Elizabeth Kostova tthis is one of my favorites and since you like to travel I highly recommend it!)
The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)
Phantom of the Opera
The Ship of Brides (Jojo Moyes)
Memoires of a Geisha (golden)
Other authors I like:
Tracy Chevailer (burning bright, remarkable creatures, girl with a pearl earring)
Fitzgerald (Gatsby, short stories, Beautiful and the damned)
Hemmingway (old man and the sea, farwell to arms, complete short stories)
Amy Tan (Joy luck club, hundred secret senses, saving fish from drowning)
C. S. Lewis (chronicles of narnia, complete works)
Jane Austen (pride and prejudice, emma, sense and sensibility – all free on kindle!!)
I really hope you like these! I absolutely love reading but now I find myself reading academic journals and textbooks. Super lame.
Philippe Gregory (The Boylen Inheritance, constant princess)
I’m a huge Anita Shreve fan, I’d suggest anything by her – The Pilot’s Wife, Eden Close, A Wedding in December, Body Surfing, etc. I liked Been There, Done That by Carol Snow (although it’s been a while since I read it). Not sure if they’re your style, but my other 2 favorite authors are Nicholas Sparks and John Grisham.
I have to admit, I’m a total front runner when it comes to books, reading what’s popular. Most of the books I’ve read I don’t even own. I’m a library girl but now that I have my Kindle, I’m dying for new recommendations!
I LOVED the Thirteenth Tale. I also read Her Fearful Symmetry, which started out fine, but go totally bizarre by the end. So much so that I couldn’t even make myself finish it. But read The Thirteenth Tale NOW. So good.
I hated Little Bee, just hated it. The story left me feeling angry at the resolution (I don’t want to ruin it).
Her Fearful Symmetry was… interesting. Also another one that left me wanting.
I highly second Memoirs of a Geisha and The Secret Life of Bees.
I recommend Still Alice by Lisa Genova (it was an eye opener), Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult and if you liked Angels and Demons, Digital Fortress by Dan Brown is good.
The Hunger Games trilogy is amazing! I couldn’t stop reading it!
Sarah’s Key – Tatiana de Rosnay was great too. I have her new book, A Secret Kept, on my wish list right now.
Thanks for posting your list! I’m always looking for new books to read.
“their eyes were watching God” by zora hurston
We passed around Saving CC Honeycutt at work. It was so good I hated for it to end. It is the author’s first book and am anxiously waiting for more. Author Beth Hoffman.
I have to say her Fearful Symmetry was not really my thing. I had really high hopes for it after Time Traveler’s Wife, but I found it to be a bit odd.
I loved Loving Frank and definitely recommend that.
I’d also highly recommend the Josephine B trilogy by Sandra Gulland, which is about the life of Josephine Bonaparte.
I also think Jen Lancaster is the funniest writer ever and I wish she’d publish a new book once a month.
A Few More:
Outlander
Le Divorce
Sarah’s Key
Innocent Traitor
Happy reading!
I loved the Hunger Games trilogy even though they are Young Adult books. The first book was my fave. If you liked Angels and Demons, I recommend The Lost Symbol. Another captivator!
I love water for Elephants and The time travellers wife!
2 books by an Australian Author that I highly recommend:
– Marcus Zusak: The book Thief
It is a book written by an Australian set in Nazi germany told from the perspective of death. But I promise it is a really intriguing read!
– Marcus Zusak: I am the messenger
I would read the Book Thief first as that is the better book, and if you like that then you will also enjoy this one!
Go Harry Potter! Love it!
Also, agree with anything by Phillipa Gregory!
The above commenters have suggested some really great titles. I loved the Red Tent. Some other books you might enjoy are: Same Kind of Different As Me, The Art of Racing in the Rain, and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. For a good laugh I am reading Chelsea Handlers book, My Horizontal Life and its a riot – if you want a light hearted easy read I suggest it 🙂
Not sure if you are still looking for books to read. I just finished “One Day” by David Nicolls (it’s going to be a movie with Anne Hathaway) and I couldn’t put it down. I would also suggest “Prodigal Summer” by Barbara Kingsolver… I bought this one very used and wasn’t sure I was going to like but I ended up loving it and even buying it for a friend as a gift. (I also have her other one on my Nook, “The Lacuna”, but I haven’t had a chance to read it yet.) If you like short stories, I would also suggest “How to Breathe Underwater”… the stories are a bit dark but the writing style is amazing and so creative. (Julie Orringer wrote it.)
Good luck!