I just love Anne Lamott's writing and stories/memoirs. Having become a grandma in the last three years, I was anxious to read Some Assembly Required about her experiences and feelings about being a g'ma. It was divine. She captures exactly what it feels like (for me) of being a g'ma, the various emotions, the exquisite love I feel for my son's son. If any of you are a g'ma, I highly recommend it. I am not of her faith, but she writes about it in a way that does not put me off in the least bit.

I also finally got around to reading "On the Corner of Bitter and Sweet" and found it a wonderful read. Great story/read and an intimate glimpse at the history of the Japanese internment on the West Coast during WWII.

I recently finished a non-fiction that I recommend. It's "Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking" by Susan Cain. I want to give a copy to everyone who may feel inadequate because they are not more outgoing.

I usually read mystery novels and a recent one is "A Wanted Man" a Jack Reacher novel by Lee Child

Another recent novel I read is "One Summer" by David Baldacci.

On my recent trip to Europe I thought two novels would last me the 11 days but I had a hard time putting them down so sometimes read long into the night in the hotel. Had to buy "Quiet" at the airport for the trip back.

I'm currently reading "Life Is a Gift: The Zen of Bennett" by Tony Bennett and "One Day My Soul Just Opened Up: 40 Days and 40 Nights Toward Spiritual Strength and Personal Growth" by Iyanla Vanzant but need to go to the library this week for some escapist novels as I can only take so much personal improvement at a time. ;D

This post was edited by luckygal on Sun, Jul 21, 13 at 18:56

Always love these threads... Another vote for Susan Cain's "Quiet..." LOVED that book, and did not expect to.

I'm about halfway through American Rust by Phillip Meyer, and really enjoying it.

Hhireno I am about half way through Rutherford's 'Paris'. I am enjoying it though frankly haven't enjoyed any of his books quite as much as I loved 'London'.

Hi. I hope new people can contribute.

I've recently read behind the beautiful forevers: life death and hope in a Mumbai undercity by Katherine Boos. Just heartbreaking to think among the economic "growth" these under cities exist. Poignant book.

The English girl by Daniel silva. 13th book in his spy thriller series. My guilty pleasure of reading. I'll make no apologies.

And now currently reading Citizens of London by Lynne Olson I'm enjoying it so far.

I've read many books this summer...I seem to do the bulk of my reading during our lazy summer days. I love these threads because I always seem to find some good recommendations here!

My list of more recent reads:

Ones I really liked:

The Secrets of Mary Bowser by Lois Leveen
The Round House by Louise Erdrich
Wife 22 by Melanie Gideon
And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini
The Midwife: A Memoir of Birth, Joy & Hard Times by Jennifer Worth
The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
The Leisure Seeker by Michael Zadoorian

Others I've read that were easy reads but were what I'd consider beach reads/chick lit:

The Last Letter from Your Lover by JoJo Moyes
Only Time Will Tell by Jeffrey Archer
The House at Tyneford by Natasha Solomons
The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton
An Unexpected Guest by Anne Korkeakivi

Ones I read but thought were poorly written although also quick, easy reads that other people seemed to really like on Goodreads:

The Life You've Imagined by Kristina Riggle
Is ThisTomorrow by Caroline Leavitt
Bridge of Scarlet Leaves by Kristina Morris

I'm currently reading The Wednesday Sisters by Meg Waite Clayton.

And next up on my nightstand:
Maya's Notebook by Isabel Allende
Silent House by Orhan Pamuk
History of a Pleasure Seeker by Richard Mason

I just read Dark Places by Gillian Flynn- I had read Gone Girl and Sharp Objects and I think she's a good writer. It was very dark and disturbing, though!

I keep hoping Stewart O'Nan will write another book- I loved Emily Alone (and his others). I read the Call the Midwife series and the new one by Meg Wolitzer based on recommendations here.

I just ordered "Quiet" recommended above.

Fourkids- I too really enjoyed and the mountains echoed (possibly more than kite runner but not quite as much as land of 1000 splendid sun). Ooh and cutting for stone was one of my winter favorites! I'll have to check out the rest of your list. thanks for sharing.

I just read Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. "A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption." It is an amazing story!

Thanks everyone, this is a great start. I'm just back from the library and a hold I placed yesterday online was already in and waiting for me. I love when that happens. I particularly love it when I don't get the notice of a hold being available the day after I've been there.

On my stroll from the library around the downtown, I saw a sign in a shop that had The best things in life are free, the 2nd best are very expensive. It struck me as amusing so I thought I'd share it.

Argghhh, I just wrote a long ramble about my favorite topic and accidentally closed before saving. Oh well now I can just think about books all over again.

I've read quite a few good ones recently. Second the recommendation for The Round House, a great coming of age story.

I recently finished The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes. Excellent but VERY CREEPY. I suppose any book about a time traveling serial killer would be, but this one literally gave me nightmares. I still recommend it though.

I also liked We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler. If you read this one, I strongly suggest NOT looking too much at write ups; the book has a big spoiler and it really will be a better reading experience not to know it before you start.

Last week I gobbled up Me Before You by JoJo Moyes. It was about a young woman in England living a very narrow life who becomes a caregiver for a quadriplegic former master of the universe business tycoon. Funny and romantic and a terrific bittersweet ending. Loved it.

A much darker book that I liked, but that left me feeling sad, was Amity and Sorrow by Peggy Riley. It was about two young sisters raised in a cult who are taken by their mother with her when she flees. A fascinating look at how people get sucked into such situations and at the damage that results.

Don't know if I already recommended it but The Good House by Ann Leary was excellent. Narrated by the quintessential unreliable narrator, it is the story of a not-quite-former alcoholic realtor in a New England town. I like Ann Leary's voice, she has written another novel and a memoir and both are very good. (She's also married to comedian Denis Leary but that's neither her nor there I suppose).

On the light side, a colleague recommended the Bernie and Chet series, about a PI and his sidekick. Trite? Well, not this team: Bernie is the detective and Chet his lovable colleague is a dog. And, the books are written in first person POV by Chet! Sounds silly but somehow it works brilliantly. Spencer Quinn is the author, the first book is Dog On It and if you enjoy it there is a whole series that follows. Loved them all.

I was excited about The Burgess Boys by Elizabeth Strout who wrote Olive Kittredge, a book I enjoyed very much. And...I quit about 100 pages in. The plot didn't grab me and the characters were not only unlikeable but uninteresting. Disappointing to be sure.

Other than novels, I've been through quite a few memoirs recently too. I loved With or Without You by Domenica Ruta. A book about her upbringing in New England by an impoverished single mother, it was so beautifully written.

I also read Mother Daughter Me by Katie Hafner. This one was like a mosquito bite-annoying and yet I couldn't leave it alone till it was all healed up ie the book ended. About a woman who invites her elderly mother to move in with her and her teenage daughter, hoping to create a lovely multi-generation family. Well, the family was dysfunctional in the past, in the present and I'm sure will be for the foreseeable future...all three were obnoxious at least to me. Oh, and the plan on living together didn't even make it one year. Big surprise (hint: grandma, an alcoholic, had lost custody of the author when author was only 10 YO...yes, one big happy family background indeed).

Right now I've got several books on my shelf waiting to be read including Joyland by Stephen King. Hoping Mr. King doesn't go all oogly and supernatural on me; I think he is a genuinely gifted writer who unfortunately relies way too much on his genre crutch.

Also can't wait to get into The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls by Anton Disclafani. I keep seeing this on summer reading lists, so hoping it is a great read.

And I'm looking forward to The Blood of Heaven by Kent Wascom. It is supposed to be a very well written historical novel set in the South...we'll see.

Mr. Penumbra's Magic Bookstore by Robin Sloan looks like it will be enjoyable too. About a guy who after losing his job in the dot com crash takes a position in the eponymous store after which highjinks ensue.

Oh, I could go on and on and on....better quit now. I have a bunch more books to recommend but this is probably more than enough for now!

The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls by Anton Disclafani, very good book. Not 'light' subject matter.

ML

running, I read Ann Leary's books too and enjoyed them very much, and also liked With or Without You.

I agree with you about Stephen King. I have read several of his books, but because I love his writing, not because I love the genre! Have you read his book "On Writing"? I recommend it- he tells about his growing up years, becoming a writer, and about his accident and recovery. I loved it.

I (like you all probably!) have to always have a book, but it has to be the right book. I have read lots of books recommended here, books that I wouldn't have considered reading otherwise or would have known about. Thanks!

The last several books I have read were just ok, nothing I would recommend. I just finished The Son by Phillip Meyer. DH liked it, I did not.

Next up: Shop Class as Soul Craft by Matthew Crawford, The Sliver Star by Jeannette Walls (loved her other books), and Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl.

Sorry I'm posting a lot today. It's a chemo week so taking it easy at home.... But I disagree about the burgess boys. I thought the first third of the book was a real slog, but the last third was rewarding. It wasn't nearly as good as I expected after olive kittredge and Amy and Isabelle. I too was tempted to put the book down ( right around page 78 if I remember correctly). but overall I was satisfied with the read (a solid 3 stars out of 5). You are right the characters aren't very likeable, especially Jim. However, they represent so many families and their dysfunctional histories. I appreciated the authors attempt to show how small and large events continue to shape our narratives and characters long after we think the history has been dealt with and settled. if you get bored, perhaps pick it up again.

Is anyone on goodreads?

This post was edited by iheartgiantschnauzer on Mon, Jul 22, 13 at 18:07

I've been devouring counter-terrorism thrillers by Vince Flynn and similar fare by Brad Thor. Summer escapism and good reads while waiting in dr/dentist office, pedicures.

Considering The Silent Wife (A.S.A. Harrison), & Sons (David Gilbert) and Me Before You (Jojo Moyes).

I recently read Casting Off by Nicole R. Dickson. Simple but an interesting approach. Somewhat melancholy and the closeness of the people just grabbed me: On a tiny island off the west coast of Ireland, the fishermen's handmade sweaters tell a story. Each is unique-feelings stitched into rows, memories into patterns.

It is here that Rebecca Moray comes to research a book on Irish knitting. With her daughter, Rowan, accompanying her, she hopes to lose herself in the history of the island and forget her own painful past. Soon, the townsfolk's warm embrace wraps Rebecca and Rowan in a world of friendship, laughter, and love.

And it is here that young Rowan befriends Sean Morahan, a cantankerous old fisherman, despite his attempts to scare her off. As Rebecca watches her daughter interact with Morahan, she recognizes in his eyes a look that speaks of a dark knowledge not unlike her own. And when current storms threaten to resurrect old ones, Morahan and Rebecca find themselves on a collision course-with Rowan caught between them-each buffeted by waves of regret and recrimination. Only by walking headfirst into the winds will they find the faith to forgive without forgetting...and reach the shore.

Woo! Another book thread. I too always find a few books to add to my "to read" list.

Recent reads that I've enjoyed:
Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl
Ship Fever by Andrea Barrett
The Telling by Ursula LeGuin
To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf

I am currently reading In the Forest by Irish author Edna O'Brien and enjoying it. Next up is The Crow Road by Iain Banks.

Most Recent:

Jody Picoult "The Storyteller"
David Balducci The Hit and The Forgotten
James Patterson Second Honeymoon and 12th of Never
Vince Flynn The Last Man
Starting a Daniel Silva Marathon.

Wool-Hugh Howey

NOS4A2-Joe Hill (Stephen King's son)

Not too deep, but fun reading.

HHireno, you might like the memoir My Life So Far, by Denis Forman. A movie was made of the book (starring Colin Firth) that was delightful, although the book was better. The setting is Argyll, Scotland.

I have lately been reading anything and everything by Kate Atkinson--- Life After Life, Case Histories, One Good Turn, When Will There Be Good News, Started Early Took My Dog, and Behind the Scenes at the Museum. Great writing, diverse subjects, interesting stories. Several are part of the Jackson Brodie series of police thrillers, sort of like PD James but without the elegance of Adam Daglieish.

Excellent, so many new titles to add to my lists.

I just received a Barnes and Noble card for my birthday - even though I prefer to shop at the independent book store and even though I don't like to buy many books - but now I have it and will bring this list to the store.

Kswl,
Be still my heart. Colon Firth is my not so secret crush! I will read the book and then watch the movie. Yesterday I went to a pub for a restaurant week special Scottish meal with my friend from Scotland. I'm all about Scotland this summer so that book and movie will fit in nicely.

Lol, Hhireno, count yourself one of many :-)

Denis Forman is really an interesting character. He also wrote The Good Opera Guide, which is a wonderful precis of the most famous / popular operas in a language and style that is both easy to read and funny (where applicable). The book My Life So Far was originally published as Son of Adam, a reference to his odd minister father. I hope you enjoy the book and movie!

Interesting to see that there are other Brad Thor and Vince Flynn readers on this list. DH and I share those as quickly as we can read them! This is a great list - I’m going on vacation, (home to Lake Placid next week), and need reading material for the flights and relaxing moments in the Adirondacks.

I loved Me Before You.
One of my all time favorites was The Kitchen House.
Love everything by Elizabeth Berg.
I read Defending Jacob last summer, loved it.
Could not put down 11/22/63 (I think I have the title right?) by Stephen King.
Love Harlan Coben's books.
I really liked Is This Tomorrow by Caroline Leavitt.

Sueb, I seem to be in the minority with the Is This Tomorrow book. It got pretty good reviews on Goodreads, but I just thought did not like the writing or the story line. I wonder if I missed something! I can't wait to read Me Before You - I read another JoJo Moyes book this summer and while the subject matter didn't sit that well with me (involves an affair), I really liked it. I also loved The Kitchen House, Defending Jacob and Elizabeth Berg books. Looking at your list, it seems we have similar tastes so not sure what it was about that Caroline Leavitt book but though I finished, it wasn't one I'd typically recommend.

I just finished about called The History of a Pleasure Seeker. Oh my! I never read that really erotic book (can't think of the name of it but it was all the rage earlier this year tho' didn't interest me) but um, this book was had quite a few erotic sex scenes that I had no idea before I read the book. I thought the book was actually fairly well written for a new writer but the ending was lacking. I have no idea how I happened upon it - I didn't have it on my list of books to read so I think it must have been on display and I grabbed it on a whim. Totally not the genre I typically read but it was a decent read.

I just finished Me Before You, and absolutely loved it! I'm still moved by it and my thoughts keep drifting back to it.

Prior to that I read, A perfect Proposal by Kate Fforde. I had no expectations at all, I just randomly grabbed it at the library while my kids were being loud. Loved that one too. And Don't say a word by Barbara Freethy, it was a $1.99 for my nook, wasn't expecting much and I enjoyed it.

I just checked out the Kitchen House at the library. Can't wait to start.

Most of my reading is very light, my life is stressful so my reading is an escape.

I'm heading to the library tomorrow, thanks to all the wonderful recommendations I'm finding here! I finished The Kitchen House a few months ago after reading that so many here really liked it. Well, I highly recommend it, too, now.

I'm glad to see other Elizabeth Berg fans here as well. I'm wondering, tho, if you are like me and prefer her earlier books to her more recent books. She has a new book out now, Tapestry of Fortunes. I haven't read it yet.

I agree about Elizabeth Berg. I did read Tapestry of Fortunes and liked it a lot, but the ending felt cut off, or rushed, or something. It bothered me somehow.

I have been disappointed in the endings of several of her more recent books. I'm picking up Tapestry of Fortunes at the library today. I'll let you know how I feel about the ending. Of her earlier books, I liked Range of Motion and Open House.

I was following Elizabeth Berg's blog on her website until she discontinued it and switched to Facebook. I'm not on FB, so I can't follow her anymore. I just love the way she wrote on her blog. If you're interested, everything she wrote (up until fall of last year) is still on the website.