Jump to content
  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.




  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):



    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):


  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Any Good Books Lately?


debmidge

Recommended Posts

islandbeez Newbie
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.....

The 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.


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



  • Replies 59
  • Created
  • Last Reply
JNBunnie1 Community Regular

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.

Aleshia Contributor

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

lpellegr Collaborator

Yes! The Time Traveler's Wife was great!

Ridgewalker Contributor

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.)

rpf1007 Rookie

I second 'Icebound" . That was amazing.

flourgirl Apprentice

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! :lol:


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



debmidge Rising Star
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.

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."

debmidge Rising Star
A real fun read is anything by Janet Evanovich....I mow through her stuff in no time.

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.

larry mac Enthusiast
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....

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

Ridgewalker Contributor
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.

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

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

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. :lol:

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

jayhawkmom Enthusiast

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.

elye Community Regular
:lol: I love The Stand, I reread it every summer. Just goes to show how tastes can differ...

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.... :)

flourgirl Apprentice

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.

luvs2eat Collaborator
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. :)

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!

curlyfries Contributor

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

JNBunnie1 Community Regular

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

  • 1 month later...
cruelshoes Enthusiast

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.

larry mac Enthusiast
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.... :)

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

best regards, lm

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

"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

imsohungry Collaborator

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

  • 4 weeks later...
laurelfla Enthusiast

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

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

Enjoy!

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

JUDY

Egenglert Rookie

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"

  • 2 weeks later...
oceangirl Collaborator

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

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):



  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      131,557
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    kghorne3
    Newest Member
    kghorne3
    Joined

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):


  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.4k
    • Total Posts
      1m

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):





  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):



  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Scott Adams
      Your post demonstrates the profound frustration and isolation that so many in the Celiac community feel, and I want to thank you for channeling that experience into advocacy. The medical gaslighting you endured for decades is an unacceptable and, sadly, a common story, and the fact that you now have to "school" your own GI specialist speaks volumes about the critical lack of consistent and updated education. Your idea to make Celiac Disease a reportable condition to public health authorities is a compelling and strategic one. This single action would force the system to formally acknowledge the prevalence and seriousness of the disease, creating a concrete dataset that could drive better research funding, shape medical school curricula, and validate the patient experience in a way that individual stories alone often cannot. It is an uphill battle, but contacting representatives, as you have done with Adam Gray, is exactly how change begins. By framing it as a public health necessity—a matter of patient safety and protection from misdiagnosis and neglect—you are building a powerful case. Your voice and your perseverance, forged through thirty years of struggle, are exactly what this community needs to ensure that no one else has to fight so hard just to be believed and properly cared for.
    • Scott Adams
      I had no idea there is a "Louisville" in Colorado!😉 I thought it was a typo because I always think of the Kentucky city--but good luck!
    • Scott Adams
      Navigating medication safety with Celiac disease can be incredibly stressful, especially when dealing with asthma and severe allergies on top of it. While I don't have personal experience with the HealthA2Z brand of cetirizine, your caution is absolutely warranted. The inactive ingredients in pills, known as excipients, are often where gluten can be hidden, and since the FDA does not require gluten-free labeling for prescription or over-the-counter drugs, the manufacturer's word is essential. The fact that you cannot get a clear answer from Allegiant Health is a significant red flag; a company that is confident its product is gluten-free will typically have a customer service protocol to answer that exact question. In situations like this, the safest course of action is to consider this product "guilty until proven innocent" and avoid it. A better alternative would be to ask your pharmacist or doctor to help you identify a major national brand of cetirizine (like Zyrtec) whose manufacturer has a verified, publicly stated gluten-free policy for that specific medication. It's not worth the risk to your health when reliable, verifiable options are almost certainly available to you. You can search this site for USA prescriptions medications, but will need to know the manufacturer/maker if there is more than one, especially if you use a generic version of the medication: To see the ingredients you will need to click on the correct version of the medication and maker in the results, then scroll down to "Ingredients and Appearance" and click it, and then look at "Inactive Ingredients," as any gluten ingredients would likely appear there, rather than in the Active Ingredients area. https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/   
    • Scott Adams
      What you're describing is indeed familiar to many in the Celiac community, especially in the early stages of healing. When the intestinal villi are damaged from Celiac disease, they struggle to properly digest and absorb fats, a condition known as bile acid malabsorption. This can cause exactly the kind of cramping and spasms you're seeing, as undigested fats can irritate the sensitive gut lining. It is highly plausible that her reactions to dairy and eggs are linked to their higher fat content rather than the proteins, especially since she tolerates lean chicken breast. The great news is that for many, this does improve with time. As her gut continues to heal on a strict gluten-free diet, her ability to produce the necessary enzymes and bile to break down fats should gradually return, allowing her to slowly tolerate a wider variety of foods. It's a slow process of healing, but your careful approach of focusing on low-fat, nutrient-dense foods like seeds and avocado is providing her system the best possible environment to recover. Many people with celiac disease, especially those who are in the 0-2 year range of their recovery, have additional food intolerance issues which could be temporary. To figure this out you may need to keep a food diary and do an elimination diet over a few months. Some common food intolerance issues are dairy/casein, eggs, corn, oats, and soy. The good news is that after your gut heals (for most people who are 100% gluten-free this will take several months to two years) you may be able to slowly add some these items back into your diet after the damaged villi heal. This article may be helpful: Thank you for sharing your story—it's a valuable insight for other parents navigating similar challenges.
    • Beverage
      I had a very rough month after diagnosis. No exaggeration, lost so much inflammatory weight, I looked like a bag of bones, underneath i had been literally starving to death. I did start feeling noticeably better after a month of very strict control of my kitchen and home. What are you eating for breakfast and lunch? I ignored my doc and ate oats, yes they were gluten free, but some brands are at the higher end of gluten free. Lots of celics can eat Bob's Red Mill gluten-free oats, but not me. I can now eat them, but they have to be grown and processed according to the "purity protocol" methods. I mail order them, Montana Gluten-Free brand. A food and symptoms and activities log can be helpful in tracking down issues. You might be totally aware, but I have to mention about the risk of airborne gluten. As the doc that diagnosed me warned . . Remember eyes, ears, nose, and mouth all lead to your stomach and intestines.  Are you getting any cross contamination? Airborne gluten? Any pets eating gluten (they eat it, lick themselves, you pet them...)? Any house remodeling? We live in an older home, always fixing something. I've gotten glutened from the dust from cutting into plaster walls, possibly also plywood (glues). The suggestions by many here on vitamin supplements also really helped me. I had some lingering allergies and asthma, which are now 99% gone. I was taking Albuterol inhaler every hour just to breathe, but thiamine in form of benfotiamine kicked that down to 1-2 times a day within a few days of starting it. Also, since cutting out inflammatory seed oils (canola, sunflower, grapeseed, etc) and cooking with real olive oil, avocado oil, ghee, and coconut oil, I have noticed even greater improvement overall and haven't used the inhaler in months! It takes time to weed out everything in your life that contains gluten, and it takes awhile to heal and rebuild your health. At first it's mentally exhausting, overwhelming, even obsessive, but it gets better and second nature.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.