Needing Some Good Books to Read :)

Updated on April 21, 2011
R.D. asks from Haysville, KS
19 answers

Hey moms, I will be home all summer and I'm hoping to have some time to catch up on some reading! Anyone care to share your favorite book/author? Thanks! :)

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So What Happened?

Thank you so much! I like just about anything, or at least will try anything! I always make sure to dabble in a bit of everything so I can recommend books to my students. I'm sure my next question will be favorite kids books :)

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S.H.

answers from Honolulu on

"Watership Down" by Richard Adams.

It is a real classic.
One of my favorites.

You can Google it online and read the reviews and what it is about.
It is timeless.
It is for kids and adults.
An Epic novel.

2 moms found this helpful
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C.M.

answers from Dallas on

Depending on what type of books you like...

Debbie Macomber is a great author and she wrote a series of 9 books (I think) about a small community near Seattle. They are titled like an address...sorry, but can't remember any of the names offhand....but it would be like 109 Rosewood Lane would be her first, 21 Mrytle Rd would be her second, etc. THose aren't the exact names, but I hope it gives you an idea. It is a really cute series and a fun read.

Another great book is called Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons. Can't remember the author, but it was a book that I had already read once and forgot, but continued to read it the second time because it was so good. I took a lot of baths and couldn't wait to go to bed at night just to read it some more.

Susan Wiggs is good
So is Rosmary Pilcher

1 mom found this helpful

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V.C.

answers from Dallas on

I loved both the Glass Castle and Halfbroke Horses by Jeanette Walls. I also highly recommend Unbroken ( a true story of WWII) and Seabiscuit, both by Laura Hillenbrand.

2 moms found this helpful
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L.K.

answers from Kansas City on

"Pillars of the Earth" and "The World Without End" by Ken Follett.
"The Help" by Kathryn Sockett
"Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
"The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls
"A Reliable Wife" by Robert Goolrick
"The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by R. Skloot
"The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society"
"Zeitoon"
"The Women" by TC Boyle
"Life Lists" by Olivia Gentile
"Blue Tattoo" by Margot Mifflin
"The School of Essential Ingredients" by Erica Bauermeister
"The Thirteenth Tale" by Diane Setterfield

I also HIGHLY recommend the Stieg Larsson Trilogy,
"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"
"The Girl who Played with Fire"
"The Girl who Kicked the Hornets Nest"

I can wiz through the Janet Evonovich books fairly well, if I'm just looking for something quick and light.

I also enjoy anything by Jodi Piccoult.

And just because I have to throw a few of my favorite health related books in as well.
"The Hundred Year Lie" by Randall Fitzgerald
"In Defense of Food" by Michael Pollan
"What We Eat" by Marion Nestle

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S.W.

answers from Minneapolis on

I read somewhat randomly, so this is a quick list of books I enjoyed from my Amazon purchase history:

The Art of Racing in the Rain
Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter
The Help
Love Walked In - by Melissa De los Santos
The Time Traveler's Wife
Drive - by Daniel Pink
A Whole New Mind - by Daniel Pink
Bossypants - Tina Fey
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Pull of the Moon
Lottery - Patricia Wood
Benny & Shrimp: A Novel
Angry Housewives Eating Bonbons
An Ornithologist's Guide to Life - Ann Hood
Spark: The Revolutionary Science of Exercise and the Brain
Pope Joan
Outliers - Malcolm Gladwell
The Omnivores Dilemma
Stumbling on Happiness - Daniel Gilbert

For a romance I like Nora Roberts
For thought-provoking science fiction I like Margaret Atwood
Others I like are: Elizabeth Berg, Anne Tyler, Malcolm Gladwell

Had to add:
Water for Elephants
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
And, The Spirit Catches you and you Fall Down

1 mom found this helpful

Y.C.

answers from New York on

Atlas shrugged, you may loved or hate it but for sure will make you think in our society.

1 mom found this helpful

M.R.

answers from Rochester on

Some favorite writers: Ray Bradbury, C. S. Lewis, Charles Williams, Mary Stewart, Robin McKinley, and George MacDonald. I'm currently re-reading Mary Stewart since it is spring (and I always find myself revisiting my good friends this time of year).

1 mom found this helpful
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B.S.

answers from Kansas City on

My favorite author is Emily Giffin. She currently has 4 books out and they are all fun, easy reads. Her first book, Something Borrowed, has been turned in to a movie starring Kate Hudson and is set for release next month. I am a "fan" of hers on Facebook and she is so down-to-earth and normal! She interacts with her fans daily, which I think is awesome to see!

I also really like Jennifer Weiner books, as well as Sophie Kinsella. I haven't read anything in WAY too long. Hope I have some downtime soon to do some reading!

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M.M.

answers from Chicago on

The Leisure Seeker by Michael Zadoorian

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D.S.

answers from Kansas City on

The Book Thief!!!! Love it.

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J.W.

answers from Philadelphia on

I will second a few of these and add a few of my own:
Water for Elephants, The Book Thief, any of the Jennifer Weiner or Amy Tan books, The Kite Runner, A Thousand Splendid Suns, The Lovely Bones, The Secret Lif of Bees

J.E.

answers from Los Angeles on

im getting hooked on Lisa Jackson at the moment. Im on book number 4 in just over two weeks! suspense, a bit of romance, some thriller... she's great!
I also like Dean Koontz & John Saul, good, grab you, quick moving reads.
I like the suspence/drama/thriller/ bordering on horror but not quite!
Wicked, son of a witch, are two by Geoffrey Magquire, (not thriller etc) are awesome reads too, strongly recommended!!

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M.J.

answers from Chicago on

Debbie Macomber is great!! Her blossom street series are the best :)

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K.H.

answers from Kansas City on

What a great question to post - thanks! I too get tons of books from the "free" section on my kindle. As a result I was turned on to Susan Wiggs and have loved her books. I've read them all and was sad that there were no more.

Moms, thanks for all of the great reading ideas. I'm making my list right now!

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M.R.

answers from Phoenix on

My recent non-fiction faves:

The Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell

Good Calories Bad Calories (oops, first I said carbs)

Three Cups of Tea

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J.B.

answers from Kansas City on

If it's written by Toni Morrison, it is worth your time. Beware, she will shock you occasionally, but in my opinion, she is brilliant and she will speak to you as a woman and as a literary person. Love is good, it's a quick read and relatively fun. New as well. I am also a huge fan of Annie Proulx.

S.M.

answers from Kansas City on

Lately I have been enjoying trying whole new authors and genres by surfing the free downloads for Kindle and Sony. Both can be read on the computer if you don't have the device.

A.J.

answers from Williamsport on

The Help.
or
Any Henning Mankell Kurt Wallander mystery.

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C.A.

answers from St. Louis on

like anything by Nora Roberts, but my favorite author of the moment is Janet Evanovich. She has written a series of numbered books (I think #17 comes out this summer) that have the most unusual characters..They are just fun and an easy read, usually just a couple of days to get through each one. Pride and Prejudice or The Color Purple if you have not read either of those...happy summer reading and remember you can always find books at the Library and they are very helpful with their favorite good reads...

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