Tuesday, December 8, 2009

"That Book is Good...

...Which Puts Me in a Thinking Mood." -Emerson

The Gunn Memorial Library in Washington, CT is an absolutely beautiful place designed by architect Erich Rossiter. This is just a smidgen of the wonderful murals they have.

I'm looking for some good books to read. Fiction, non-fiction, anything uplifting, good food for thought. Who doesn't love a good story? Any suggestions?

I'll go first. Right now I'm reading "What the Dog Saw" by Malcom Gladwell. I'm liking it. It's a series of his essays that appeared in "The New Yorker" magazine. One is about the development of the birth control pill which is very interesting. Another is about why there are lots of different kinds of mustard, but only one ketchup. Okay, now your turn.

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13 comments:

Millie said...

I loved Water for Elephants. And you can't go wrong with The Number One Ladies' Detective Agency. Start with the first book and work your way through. I loved The Remains of the Day and Love in the Time of Cholera. For pure fun, find Haroun and the Sea of Stories.

Kucki68 said...

Not uplifting as it is dystopic, but food for thought: Margret Atwood's Onyx and Crake. (I am waiting for the Year of Flood to come out in paperback!)

Anya said...

I just recently read "The Help" and enjoyed it very much. One of my other favorites is "Prodigal Summer" by Barbara Kingsolver.

Amy said...

Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson, anything by Michael Connelly, Deborah Crombie, Elizabeth George, Sue Grafton, Archer Mayor, J.A. Jance (and on and on) if you like mysteries...Bel Canto is a book I still think about a lot. Also loved the Ladies Detective Agency books as Millie suggested. Jan Karon's Mitford series is sweet and uplifting.

Anonymous said...

The Twilight series! Hah! Just kidding, they are horrible. I love Neal Stephenson, try Cryptonomicon. It's a bit geeky if you are into that kind of thing. For nonfiction, try Invisible Kingdom (I forget the author). It is all about how bacteria fit into our daily lives from a microbiology standpoint. Written for non science people so very easy and entertaining.

FlourishingPalms said...

So many great ones! My reading list is on my blog, though admittedly, 90 percent are audiobooks I listen to while sewing. But look for "The Shifting Fog" by Kate Morton, and "One Tuesday Morning" by Karen Kingsbury.

~Kris~ said...

I read Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet recently and really loved it. Very uplifting story.

Linda Robertus said...

Ha! Have you got a minute, or rather a few hours? I love reading! I have just finished the Millenium trilogy by Stieg Larsson - the best books I have read in a long time. Thrillers, set in Sweden. I'm also a big fan of Val McDermid, a Scottish crime novelist. I'm currently reading Little Bee, by Chris Cleave, and so far it is very good. I agree with the other Linda about Kate Morton (a novelist from Brisbane!), her other book The Forgotten Garden is even better than The Shifting Fog (aka The House at Riverton). I love the Gone series by Michael Grant (young adult books about a world where all grown ups disappear). The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon was also very good. And finally, The Household Guide to Dying by Australian author Debra Adelaide. Let me know if you need any more book recommendations! ;-)

Kathleen C said...

I also really liked Bel Canto by Ann Patchett. I'd add three books by Geraldine Brooks: March; The People of the Book; and Year of Wonders--all fiction. And for a lighter style, The Three Miss Margarets is very good; I recently heard the author, Louise Schaffer speak about her career.

Two non-fiction books that I've recommended before are: The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester and Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer by Tracy Kidder.
I'm going to look for some of the titles recommended here-thanks.
Kathleen C.

Jeanne Turner McBrayer said...

I am a big reader and always have novels in progress both in print and on audiobook in the sewing room. The Outlander novels by Diana Gabaldon are wonderful, but you should read them in order. Also love anything by Alice Hoffman- lyrical, magical, all superb plots. A recent trilogy that I loved was by Nancy E. Turner- These is My Words, Sarah's Quilt, and The Star Garden, about a woman's life and struggles in the Arizona Territories in the late nineteenth century. And for laughs, you can't beat the Stephanie Plum novels by Janet Evanovich- One for the Money, Two for the Dough, etc.

Linda in Calif. said...

Oh one of my favorites is Kelley Armstrong's series of books. It starts with "Bitten". It's about werewolves with a twist. She includes mystery and a love story. Very entertaining.

This Check out Suzanne's site. It's a great place to find new books.
http://www.dearreader.com/

Linda in Calif.

Diane Harris, Stash Bandit said...

I also loved Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks. Also Good Grief by Lolly Winston. I have a lifetime goal of reading all the Newbery Award books, such as Number the Stars by Lois Lowry and Holes by Louis Sachar, Island of the Blue Dolphins, The View from Saturday, Arly and anything by Robert Cormier, maybe start with I am the Cheese. Can't wait to check out everyone's recommendations!

Unknown said...

I recently read The History of Love by Nicole Krauss and have since recommended it to everyone I meet! It is a beautiful story, well told through the very authentic voices of a young girl, her brother and an elderly man. I loved the characters, the writer's style, and the ending.