Book Nook Cafe discussion
Book Lists
>
Great books you've read in the past decade
All the Queens Men-Linda Howard
Slow Heat in Heaven-Sandra Brown
After the Night-Linda Howard
Wuthering Heights-Bronte
Pride and Predudice- Austen
Outlander series-Gabaldon
Slow Heat in Heaven-Sandra Brown
After the Night-Linda Howard
Wuthering Heights-Bronte
Pride and Predudice- Austen
Outlander series-Gabaldon
Great topic!!I started my book journal (with ratings)in 2000 but started keeping track of the books I read in 1995.
Here are the ones that rated a 5 out of 5. They are not classics by any means but I loved them at the time.
Where the Heart Is - Billie Letts (I had no idea until I opened my journal that I rated this book so high!)
Drowning Ruth - Christina Schwarz (I must have been on a "loving Oprah" kick with these good ratings)
The Night Listener -Armistead Maupin (I do actually remember loving this book. Anyone see the movie?)
A Fine Balance - Robinton Mistry (One of my all time favorite books. LOVED IT!!!!!!)
The Pact - Jodi Picoult (It was the favorite book I read in 2002 and still my fav Picoult book!)
The Other Boleyn Girl - Philippa Gregory (Loved it but have not read any other books in the series)
Middlesex - Jeffrey Eugenides (Loved the Detroit history in the book).
Tuesdays With Morrie - Mitch Albom (I am not a someone that cries when reading books but this one hit me about three times. Did not care for any of his other books).
Girl With a Pearl Earring - Tracy Chevalier (After reading this book, it was fun to do some research on Vermeer).
Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden (Don't remember a ton about this book but remember reading it on a trip to Disney in 2003).
No 1 Ladies Detective Agency - Alexander McCall Smith (must have been in the right mood for this book as I thought other books in the series were a little slow).
All He Ever Wanted - Anita Shreve (I am up and down with Shreve's books but this book about obsession was excellent)
East of Eden - John Steinbeck (So glad I finally read this book!)
Angela's Ashes - Frank McCourt (another book that I am surprised I rated so high).
The Red Tent - Antia Diamant (favorite book I read in 2003)
The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini (have had this movie on my TIVO box for 2 months but have not gotten around to watching it).
Into the Forest - Jean Hegland (So fun to read as a group!)
My Sister's Keeper - Jodi Picoult (my second fav Picoult book)
Pillars of the Earth - Ken Follet (took me a long time to read but so worth it!)
Little Children - Tom Perrotta (great movie too!)
Evening News - Marly Swick
She's Come Undone - Wally Lamb (not as good as I Know This Much Is True but still one of my top ranked books).
Before You Know Kindness - Chris Bohjalian (have not read one of his books that I have not loved yet).
Lost in the Forest - Sue Miller
Black and White - Dani Shapiro
Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant - Anne Tyler (thanks to whoever recommended this book as it was one of my favorites in 2009).
Kathy Anne wrote: "All the Queens Men-Linda HowardSlow Heat in Heaven-Sandra Brown
After the Night-Linda Howard
Wuthering Heights-Bronte
Pride and Predudice- Austen
Outlander series-Gabaldon
"
----------------------------
Hello, Kathy Anne !
I see Sandra Brown on your list. My sister loves her books and reads every one of them.
I see a lot on your list that we read or discussed as a group, Kim. Into the Forestwas one very different book. You are right it was a great discussion book. It's certainly not one that is easily fogotten !
Angela's Ashes Gosh, I sure do miss him. I could listen to him talk all day. You could hear his beautiful Irish voice in his books.
A Fine Balance I'm not surprised to see this on your list, Kim. I think you got half of AOL reading this one !
Thanks for sharing, Kim. Your list brought back a lot of good memories of BNC.
I'm going to have to really think on this topic. Here are a few from the past ten years I liked very well:Affinity
Where the Bluebird Sings to the Lemonade Springs Living and Writing in the West
The Omnivore's Dilemma
City of Thieves
The Wind in the Willows
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle
The Grass Is Singing
Death Comes for the Archbishop
Where Rivers Change Direction
The Corrections
The Constant Gardener
One Hundred Years of Solitude
Mountains Beyond Mountains The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World
The Orchid Thief A True Story of Beauty and Obsession
The House of the Spirits
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay
Empire Falls
An Equal Music A Novel
On Writing
Prodigal Summer A Novel
Gertrude and Claudius
Plainsong
It's tough. Looking back I see that I did love some nonfiction, though I tend to think of myself as a reader of literary fiction. There were many more, but looking back over my lists these titles made me smile with pleasure at the memory of reading them.
Love, LOVE, LOVE this thread! I am far too strict to list them willy-nilly, though. Already i have classics top, a "regular" fiction & nonfiction best lists. And this is just from the first 6 months of 2000!!!! I read some of my favorite classics in '00, part of the AOL classics group--Persuasion, House of Mirth, Middlemarch, Howard's End and Huckleberry Finn from Jan-June! Yikes! Clearly this is going to need more work. :-) Persuasion
The House of Mirth
Middlemarch
Howards End
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
deborah, gleefully considering how i'll spend the rest of today looking at my "Books Read" notebook
My journal starts in 2000 so I will give a few of my favorites over the years:2000
Poisonwood Bible-Barbara Kingsolver
Coalwood Way-Homer Hickam
Cider House Rules-John Irving
A Fine Balance-Rohinton Mistry
2001
Stone From the River-Ursula Hegi
Girl with the Pearl Earring-Tracy Chevalier
Cane River-Lalita Tademy
2002
Blind Side of the Heart-Michael C. White
Lovely Bones-Alice Sebold
Eddie's Bastard-William Kowalski
2003
Sister of My Heart-Banerjee Divakaruni
Kate Remembered-Scott Berg
Other Boleyn Girl-Phillipa Gregory
2004
The Rice Mother-Rani Manicka
The Rule of Four-Ian & Thomason Caldwell
2005
The Kite Runner
Dating Dead Men-Harley Jane Kozak
2006
March-Geraldine Brooks
Devil in the White City-Erik Larson
2007
Book Thief-Marcus Zusak
Five Quarters of the Orange-Joanne Harris
Water for Elephants-Sara Gruen
2008
Catfish and Mandala-Andrew Phew
Thousand Splendid Suns-Khaled Hosseini
Mudbound-Hillary Jordan
13th Tale-Diane Setterfield
America America-Ethan Canin
2009
Stolen Innocence-Elissa Wall
Beautiful Boy-David Sheff
South of Broad-Pat Conroy
The Help-Kathryn Stockett
Unlikely Disciple-Mark roose
The Piano Teacher-Janice Lee
Deborah, I tried Middlemarch in 2008 (not 2009 because of my self-imposed 500 page limit), and while I liked it I eventually ran out of steam and quit. I may still go back and rewatch the PBS series.
Becky, I loved Eddie's Bastard and never thought it got the recognition it should have. I actually went out and bought it after I read it! Maybe I should re-read.
I do not regard myself as a reader of anything other than books that hold my interest, be it a classic, literary fiction, or just enjoyable reading. My list is fairly eclectic for that reason. I am certain that I have forgotten to list many.FICTION
anything Anne Tyler wrote in the last decade
The Kite Runner
A Thousand Splendid Suns
House of Sand and Fog
The Honk and Holler Opening Soon
Tortilla Curtain
Plainsong
Eddie's Bastard
Girl with a Pearl Earring
Patron Saint of Liars
Chocolat
We were the Mulveneys
Jim the Boy
Beach Music
About the Author
Remember Me
The Lovely Bones
Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime
We Need to Talk about Kevin
Derailed
The Lincoln Lawyer
Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society
Stoner
The Art of Racing in the Rain
Olive Kitteridge
NON FICTION
Comfort: A Journey through Grief
The Johnstown Food
Home Cooking and More Home Cooking
My Life in France
A Civil Action
Where is the Mango Princess
I started my book journal in 2001. Here are some of my favoritesSalt Dancers Ursula Hegi
Winter Solstice Rosamund Pilcher
Big Stone Gap Adriana Trijiana
The bone Collector's Daughter Amy Tan
First Lady Michael Malone
Black & Blue Anna Quinlan
The Lovely Bones
Big Cherry Holler
Singing in the Comeback Choir
Milk Glass Moon
Atonement
Secret Life of Bees
Bel Canto
Fall on Your Knees
Lucia Lucia
The Time Traveler's Wife
Standing in the Rainbow
The Pleasure Was Mine
The Sign of the Book
The Queeb of the Big Time
Under the Banner of Heaven
The Kire Runner
Middlesex
The Mermaid's Chair
The Historian
A Thousand Splendid Suns
Bridge of Sighs
The Virgin Suicides
The Pillars of the Earth
Virgin of the Small Plains
The Book Thief
World Without End
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Maisie Dobbs
Meredith
Sherry: but looking back over my lists these titles made me smile with pleasure at the memory of reading them. ----------------------------
Sherry, that is one of the joys of keeping a book journal. I highly recommend them. My only regret is not starting one sooner than 1999. I wish I had started in college.
Mine journal is quite simple. I have a nice hardcover jounal that I picked up at Borders.
I write:
the date I started to read a book
Title
Fiction/ non fiction
Author
rating 0-5
and what the book number is in the number of book i've read that year.
My 2009 stats are
Total books read: 63
non fiction: 46
fiction: 17
I've read quite a few from your list, Sherry. I agree on: The Grass is Singing, Death Comes for the Archbishop, The Corrections, Kavalier & Clay, Empire Falls, Prodigal Summer, and Plainsong.
Deborah:--- deborah, gleefully considering how i'll spend the rest of today looking at my "Books Read" notebook!-------------------------
So few people that I know outside of these book boards could every understand this sentiment. I am so glad I know you all. :)
Wildcats, Poisonwood Bible and Kite Runner are on my list, too. I want to read Cider House Rules. Thanks for reminding me. I loved Owen Meany
Was it Kim who got a bunch of us reading Eddie's Bastard on AOL ? It's nice to see it on your list, it bring back fun memory's of BNC.
Tortilla Curtain
T.C. BoyleJoAnn, Tortilla was a great read. I think I remember it so fondly because it was an excellent group read. It was one of the best discussions book I've ever participated in.
I used to keep a book journal until I joined GoodReads...now it is my book journal. Like my pen and paper journal, I sometimes forget to enter books, I am sure.I loved how easy it was to look back on my 2009 books, reviews, etc. here.
I read a total of 60 books in 2009
~~41 fiction
~~19 non-fiction
I (happily) abandoned 27 books
Fall on Your Knees
Under the Banner of Heaven
Singing in the Comeback Choir
Meredith, I've had Singing in the Comeback Choir on my book shelves for quite a few years. After seeing it on your list, I should move it up.
Under the Banner of Heaven is a terrific and informative read. I've enjoyed all of Jon Krakauer's books. Though I haven't read his latest. Have you?
Way back when, on the old AOL Oprah board, we had a great discussion with Fall On Your Knees
JoAnn/QuAppelle wrote: "I used to keep a book journal until I joined GoodReads...now it is my book journal. Like my pen and paper journal, I sometimes forget to enter books, I am sure...."
--------------------------
Being the Luddite that I am, I could never give up my real book journal and just go online. If GR should up and disappear one day I would be crushed to lose the info in my journal. It's also the same reason that I don't think I could go 100% for a electrical Kindle type reader. I love the tactile experience of holding a real book in my hands. And I also love going to old and new book stores, or even the library, and perusing all the titles on the shelves. I could spend hours doing this. Selecting a title online just doesn't have the same appeal. And if I lose a book, I lose a few bucks, if I lose the Kindle, I lose hundreds. Then there is the side of me that worry's about batteries and electricity and waste. Things like this in the landfill are a nightmare. But I guess cutting down trees for paper is not so great either.
I've only entered the past year on GR. I was toying with trying to figure out if I could move all these books to a shelf I mark 2009 and start a new shelf, but I don't think I want to risk messing up what it already there.
The GR page where one enters their books on the shelf is one of the features that I think makes GR the best message board for readers. Though I do miss the fonts, colors and ease of formatting buttons that other sites offer. I really don't get their resistance to it. I think more people would enjoy the site if it had these features.
Alias, I printed out the "my books" pages at GoodReads. I would worry about losing that list too. I know I would lose my comments, but my comments in my pen and paper journal were often so sketchy anyway.I reserve most of my book titles at the library via the computer but still manage to visit the library three times a week to browse. The best of both worlds, IMO.
It never occured to me that one could print out the MY Books page. :-O
I also debate whether to keep a journal or do the my books here. I quit my journal in April and started listing them on Goodreads but I also print out my books here when I have filled a page. I did think maybe I should also record them in my journal after having it to read over this week. Tough decisions!Some of you have mentioned Eddie's Bastard. I remember that it was someone on AOL who recommended it and I loved it. The sad part is that I can barely remember what happened since I read it that long ago.
As a side note, my husband ordered me the Nook for Christmas. It is Barnes and Noble's version of the Kindle. It is backordered so I will get it for a V-day gift instead. I have mixed feelings also but I will report in after I get it to tell you what I think.
Wildcats: started listing them on Goodreads but I also print out my books here when I have filled a page. ------------------------------------------
Wildcats, you can change the number of books on your page. I have mine set to 100.
Regarding the Nook. What is it's energy source?
Does it run on batteries or do you charge it in an electrical outlet?
Do you know how long a charge lasts?
Thanks.
I started an official book journal in 2001, but I have some scraps of paper with favorites from 2000. It was fun to go through the journals and remember some of these books....2000
Eddie's Bastard
Night Listener
Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio(NF)
Expecting Adam(NF)
2001
Peace Like a River
About the Author
The Great Santini
Guess I didn't read any good nonfiction that year!
2002
Crow Lake
Miracle Life of Edgar Mint
Middlesex
Son of a Grifter(NF)
Seabiscuit(NF)
Lucky(NF)
2003
Empire Falls
Namesake
Ella Minnow Pea
The Kitchen Boy
Round-Heeled Woman(NF)
True Notebooks(NF)
2004
Replay
Plot Against America
Hole in the Universe
Rip in Heaven(NF)
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down(NF)
2005
Betsey Brown
The Boy Who Loved Anne Frank
Glass Castle(NF)
Shadow Divers(NF)
2006
The Girls
Abundance
Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid(NF)
2007
Stoner
Winter's Bone
The Road
1000 Splendid Suns
Crashing Through (NF)
2008
The Grass is Singing
Last Night at the Lobster
Book Thief
Ava's Man(NF)
2009 (Shortlist)
Cutting for Stone
The Believers
Passing
Columbine(NF)
Yellow-Lighted Bookshop(NF)
The Know-it-All
Connie
How could I have left STONER off my list??? Thanks, ConnieAnd when I was in our downstairs studio today, I looked at the shelves and saw REMEMBER ME. Another good one.
Alias Reader wrote: JoAnn, Tortilla was a great read. I think I remember it so fondly because it was an excellent group read. It was one of the best discussions book I've ever participated in.
..."
I am not surprised. My hairdresser/manicure person and I read it at the same time and we had some good discussions too. I cannot believe I remembered that!
I have kept book lists since 1996, but I've only started writing little reviews in the past three years. I cannot make myself write them out longhand, so I keep them on Shelfari (where I started online listing and reviewing) and now on Goodreads as well. I have book friends in both places, so I hate to give up Shelfari, though I think Guodreads is faster and better organized. There are lots of other books I could have listed here in this thread, and Stoner is one of them. So is Tortilla Curtain.
Connie wrote: "I started an official book journal in 2001, but I have some scraps of paper with favorites from 2000. It was fun to go through the journals and remember some of these books....2000
Eddie's Basta..."
---------------------------
Wow, Connie. Reading your list was a real trip down memory lane. I remember discussing so many of those books. :)
Wildcats40 wrote: "I also debate whether to keep a journal or do the my books here. I quit my journal in April and started listing them on Goodreads but I also print out my books here when I have filled a page. I did..."I ordered one for m daughter and got word today that it will be shipped tomorrow, so you should probably be seeing yours soon.
I see the book, Cutting for Stone, is on Connie's list. I saw it on a lot of "best list" of 2009. I really need to remember that I want to read it as I think it looks great.Alias, I will have to fill you in on the Nook when it comes in a month as my husband did all the research on it. I just assume it has a battery similar to a computer and probably lasts about the same time as a laptop.
Becky
Wildcats: I see the book, Cutting for Stone, is on Connie's list. I saw it on a lot of "best list" of 2009. I really need to remember that I want to read it as I think it looks great.---------------------
Becky when I want to remember a book I want to read, I go to MY READS -top of page- and put the book title on my To Read shelf.
I also use a small notebook (purchased at the 99 cent store) that I keep to list my TBR. I keep one by the computer and one in the living room where I read the NY Times Book Review, watch Book TV, and read.
Sherry (sethurner) wrote: "Deborah, I tried Middlemarch in 2008 (not 2009 because of my self-imposed 500 page limit), and while I liked it I eventually ran out of steam and quit. I may still go back and rewatch the PBS series."The ending words of the mini-series on PBS is what led me to read the book. Something about the wording on visitors to Dorothea's grave moved me. I reran the scene dozens of times until i'd copied it all out. Then realized i should just read the book. HELLO?!?!
Again, the ending moved me in the same way, although there were word changes. It was long and sometimes i wondereed if i'd find the ending worth all the other parts. I did.
deborah
As someone pointed out, reading these lists has been a pleasant walk down memory lane. We've had some excellent discussions over the years. This was a great, insightful idea. Thank you.I listed my favorites on a sheet of paper, which was hard enough to do, as i've read over 750 books in the decade. Yikes! NOW i know where the years go! I had more "classics" on my list than anything else, so decided to not list any of them. You may see many older books on below but i don't consider them the traditional classics, so put them here.
'09
To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis
Nana by Emile Zola
Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson
NF--Team of Rivals The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin
'08
Skeletons at the Feast by Chris Bohjalian
NF--The Judgment of Paris The Revolutionary Decade that Gave the World Impressionism by Ross King
NF--Rocket Boys by Homer Hickam
NF--In the Heart of the Sea The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick
'07
Stoner by John Williams
The Street by Ann Petry (One of the "classics" no one knows.)
NF-- 1491 New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus by Charles Mann
(I REALLY liked these 3 books & might well recommend these above all the others. )
'06
The Intuitionist A Novel by Colson Whitehead
NF--The Devil in the White City Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson
NF--The Autobiography of Malcolm X As Told to Alex Haley by X --THIS is one of the very best biographies i've ever read because of the changes as he wrote it.
'05
NF--A Short History of Byzantium by John Julius Norwich
NF--Orality and Literacy by Walter J. Ong (WHILE there was much wrong with the writing, i learned so much & found tons to consider about oral & written language, i have put it here.)
'04
Kindred by Octavia Butler. Great Sci-fi!
NF--Beyond Belief The Secret Gospel of Thomas by Elaine Pagels
'03
The Known World by Edward P. Jones
The Athenian Murders by Jose Carlos Somoza (ONE of the best mysteries i've ever read!)
Blindness by Jose Saramago
NF--The First American Revolution Before Lexington and Concord by Ray Raphael
'02
Now in November by Josephine Winslow Johnson (One of the "classics" no one knows.)
The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde (Great fun in Science Fiction!)
NF--The Discoverers by Daniel J. Boorstin (A WONDERFUL book of facts, which i still turn to for science information.)
NF--Dark Life Martian Nanobacteria, Rock-Eating Cave Bugs, and Other Extreme Organisms of Inner Earth and Outer Space by Michael Ray Taylor (How i learned more about archaeo, one of the 3 kingdoms of life on earth.)
'01
Choke by Chuck Palahniuk
Back When We Were Grownups by Anne Tyler. (I'm with JoAnn, however, that every book i've ever read by Tyler is superior to all the other fiction i've read. LOVE HER WORK!)
NF--Hen Frigates Wives of Merchant Captains Under Sail by Joan Druett. (THIS book was the first in a long line of nautical nonfiction i read, begun after reading Moby-Dick or, The Whale early in '01. I haven't listed it here because it is a classic.)
NF--Women Sailors and Sailors' Women An Untold Maritime History by David Cordingly
'00
Blood Meridian Or the Evening Redness in the West by Cormac McCarthy
NF--The Rise and Fall of the American Teenager by Thomas Hine. (EXCELLENT book when someone says, "What's the matter with kids today?")
NF--The Perfect Storm A True Story of Men Against the Sea by Sebastian Junger
THIS WAS HARD TO COMPILE!!! BUT fun, too, i must admit. What great books i've read & not listed, too!
deborah
Deborah: as i've read over 750 books in the decade.-----------------------------------
Wow ! That is impressive, Deb. One of the things I like to see when I look over my book journal is how or if my reading preferences have changed. For myself I've moved from pop fiction to literary fiction to currently a preference for non fiction.
From your list I have Rocket Boys and The Discoverers by Daniel J. Boorstin on my TBR stacks. I did read another Boorstin book with you, The Seekers and it was very good.
I agree with you The Autobiography of Malcolm X As Told to Alex Haley is also one of the best autobiographies I've ever read. The reader can so clearly see the arc of his life. It's a fascinating read!
Nope Alias, I'm the Kim that got everyone to read A fine Balance. ;)
Nope Alias, I'm the Kim that got everyone to read A fine Balance. ;) ------------------
Yikes ! :-O Sorry. My memory is so bad.
Kim I see you are reading Hedghog. I really enjoyed that one.
How is the new Stephen King going? I froze my library request for the book until I can catch up with my current reads. I just saw someone reading it on the train the other day. I am really looking forward to reading it.
Under the dome is good so far. I'll keep you posted.
I gave my non-reading boy this book, but just realized I had better read it FAST if I'm going to finish it before he goes back to school. King is one of the few authors he will pick up voluntarily.
Alias Reader wrote: "Tortilla Curtain T.C. BoyleJoAnn, Tortilla was a great read. I think I remember it so fondly because it ..."
This caught my attention because last night while channel-flipping I came across T.C. Boyle being interviewed by TV show host Tavis Smilie. Boy, is he an odd-looking character! At first I mistook him for the guy who wrote the book about growing up in a bar (what was the name of that book we read together?) but a Google revealed my mistake. He is quite a prolific writer. His new one is Wild Child: and Other Stories. I didn't realize he had written The Road to Wellville, which was published a while ago I think.
Yes, Boyle is quite prolific. I read good things about Wild Child. But none of his other books have grabbed me the way Tortilla Curtain did.
TC Boyle does look a little eccentric, but I heard him speak a couple years ago when he was in Madison researching Frank Lloyd Wright for The Women, and I found him to be very clear, interesting, and not at all weird. At some point I want to read Wild Child.
Books of the Decade...I'm struggling to remember what I've read!The Kite Runner
The Book Thief
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
The Killing Dance
Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China
Haunted
The Bone Collector
The Coffin Dancer
The Bookseller of Kabul
The Accidental Vampire
Heart-Shaped Box
A Hundred And One Days
Digging to America
Year of Wonders
The Other Boleyn Girl
The Boleyn Inheritance
Moon Called
Once Bitten, Twice Shy
Glass Houses
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Lucky
The Last Seven Months of Anne Frank
Look Who It Is!: My Story
The Stand
It
Breaking Dawn
need to think of more!
Hi, chucklesthescot !You've got a good list. From your list I've read, and really loved, The Stand and The Kite Runner. If fact, I gave them a top rating.
I've kept a book journal since 1999. It's a hard cover journal that I list:
Date, title, author, rating (0-5) and a # so I know how many books I've read that year, and a F or NF to keep track of how much fiction or nonfiction I've read. It takes me a minute after reading the book to make the entry. Than I have the pleasure of being able to go back over the years and see what I've read and how my reading tastes may have changed over the years.
Others use GR to keep track, but I like to have a written copy.
There's some good reading on your list, chucklesthescot. Two which stand out for me areDigging to America
Year of Wonders
I'm an Anne Tyler fan and really liked her look into the lives of newcomers adjusting to the US.
This group is reading Albert Camus's The Plague this month. As i read it i thought several times aboutGeraldine Brooks and her Year of Wonders, which covered the 1666 plague in England. In it one town opts to quarantine itself, which i found fascinating.
deborah
Some of the books that would make my list Winter Solstice
Salt Dancers
Wait Until Next Year
The Keys to the Street
The Girl With the Pearl Earring
The Secret Life of Bees
Atonement
Bel Canto
Fall on Your Knees
Lucia, Lucia
The Pleasure Was Mine
Cry, the Beloved Country
The Kite Runner
Middlesex
The Historian
A Thousand Splendid Suns
The Book Thief
Pillars of the Earth
World Without End
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
Meredith
Meredith, you have hours of good reading on your list! I just read the last one recently & find myself thinking about it quite often. Thanks for sharing. As always, it's a refreshing experience when people share favorites, as it reminds me of my own reading of the books.deborah
Cry, the Beloved Country is a favorite of mine, too.I have Too Late the Phalarope by Alan Paton on my TBR stacks. I should nominate it again for a group read.
Thanks for sharing, Meredith ! :)
Books, Books Books...-Captain Correlli's Mandolin
-Memoirs of a Geisha
-The Kite Runner
-The Notebook
-The Great Gatsby
-Atonement
-Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows
-Emmeline
-Violin
-The Age of Innocence
-The Class
-Love Story
-Eleven Minutes
-Three Musketeers
Welcome to BNC, Defying. :) You've a good list.I loved the Kite Runner.
As for Gatsby, I hated it when I had to read it in high school. When I re-read it as an adult, I loved it.
Defying, welcome to the BNC board! I thinkn starting with this list is a great way to get acquainted with you.Atonement by Ian McEwan is one i enjoyed very much, too.
The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton was beautiful. I think of it often while tooling around NYC, looking at the mansions.
Thanks for sharing.
deborah
Book Nook Cafe
Books mentioned in this topic
Naked (other topics)Let the Great World Spin (other topics)
2666 (other topics)
A Complicated Kindness (other topics)
Life of Pi (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Dave Cullen (other topics)Dave Cullen (other topics)
John Berendt (other topics)
Elie Wiesel (other topics)
Elie Wiesel (other topics)
More...
What's on your list ?
-
-
-
- [image error] White Noise -Don DeLillo
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
I also read a bunch of classics that were a joy to read. Here were a few that I really liked.
Lord of the Flies, Fahrenheit 451, A Separate Peace, A Tale of Two Cities, The Beautiful and the Damned, Uncle Tom's Cabin, East of Eden, Cry the Beloved Country, For whom the Bell Tolls and A Christmas Carol.