Any Good Books Lately?

[islandbeez]

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.

[JNBunnie1]

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]

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]

Yes! The Time Traveler's Wife was great!

[Ridgewalker]

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]

I second 'Icebound" . That was amazing.

[flourgirl]

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!

[debmidge]

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]

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]

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]

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.

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.

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

[jayhawkmom]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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

[cruelshoes]

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]

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]

.....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]

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

[laurelfla]

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]

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]

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"

[oceangirl]

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