Oh goodness I'm so sorry to hear that. What are 3 of your favorite books you have read? That would help in recommendations.

I’m so sorry about your shin splints! Painful, indeed.

I have no idea what interests you either, but here are a few I have enjoyed this past year.

Ordinary Grace, William Kent Kreuger

The Alice Network, Kate Quinn

The Woman in the Window, A.J. Finn

Before We Were Yours, Lisa Wingate

and for more light, beach-reads, but I enjoyed them....

By Invitation Only, Dorothea Benton Frank

The Perfect Couple, Elin Hilderbrand

Hgh Tide Club, Mary Kay Andrews

I'm reading Lonesome Dove now and really enjoying it...plus it's long so it will keep you occupied for quite awhile.

Here are some of my 5 star books:

Tisha (about a gal in her 20s who goes to Alaska to teach children in the 1920s-- true story)

Art of Hearing Heartbeats

Mudbound

Rebecca...if you never read it, it's a must

Shibumi by Trevanian

Cutting for Stone

Isaac's Storm

Devil in the White City

City of Thieves

The Glass Castle

Sister of My Heart

My favorite book so far this summer was called The Dry, by Jane Harper.

Love your title, so you want Nerd books? ;-)

I love hearing about your Camino trips. Can't help with books, I am stuck on summer weight mysteries, currently on John Sandford and J. A, Jance. Not very nerdy!

Oh, terrriks, what a bummer! So sorry you're having to deal with that.

I’m so sorry that happened to you! The best book I have read lately is Educated by Tara Westover.

Just heard from my library that Educated is waiting for me to pick up. I'm looking forward to it.

I thought that I fixed the title of my post!

I like all kinds of books, but I guess I'm looking for more if a light beach read type of book. Definitely nothing sad, because I'm already feeling a bit sad.

I hate to admit it, but in the last year I haven't read much. Off the top of my head some books that I've enjoyed were "The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry", "City of Theives", several books by Nick Hornby, "Where'd You Go Bernadette", etc.

If you liked "Where'd you go Bernadette", I'd recommend ELEANOR OLIPHANT IS COMPLETELY FINE By Gail Honeyman.

I loved "Beach House for Rent" by Mary Alice Monroe.

Donna

Terriks, have you seen the other conversation's book thread? Lots of suggestions and reviews.

[What are we reading?[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/what-are-we-reading-in-august-dsvw-vd~5424285?n=132)

Terriks, not sure if this would make you feel better or worse but there's Two Steps Forward, by the author of The Rosie Project (which I highly recommend for a great light and humorous read). It's about two people who connect while, wait for it, hiking the Camino.

I am so sorry your Camino was cut short.

I am reading Native Speaker by Chang-Rae Lee. It is the story of a Korean American who becomes a spy and whose marriage suffers for his career choice. The story focuses on how the protagonist does not fully comprehend or fit into American culture, yet he also does not comprehend or fit into Korean culture either. I am only a quarter of the way through, but it is quite engrossing. It's one of my children's summer reading books ahead of new student orientation at college.

I hope you feel better soon (and it would be great if there were a lovely silver lining in this set back for you.)

Annie recommended the same obscure book that I was going to and that is Shibumi by Trevanian. One of my all time favourite books.

sorry to hear of your injuries. EDUCATED by Tara Westover!

eta: just saw the request for something lighter. I just finished The Whole Town is Talking by Fannie Flagg. It was a really enjoyable book, even though I was skeptical about reading it, because, well, Fannie Flagg. I was wrong, it was great!

Ugh, shin splints are the worst! I hope you recover quickly, and am sorry this has derailed your journey.

I've been reading The Big Blue Ball: A Memoir by Mike McIntyre on my Kindle app and thoroughly enjoying it. "From the author of the Wall Street Journal bestseller The Kindness of Strangers comes a humorous and deeply revealing memoir about travel, perseverance, and the surprising places we find inspiration."

I've enjoyed all of the Fannie Flagg books I've read...really liked the All Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion

I felt the same way as Olychick re: Fannie Flagg. Once I got over myself I loved every one of her books. I own most of them now. They just tickle me. I would recommend any one of them. Just plain fun.

Considering your current location, Southern Europe en route to the UK, I would second the recommendation above for the page-turners of Daphne du Maurier: Rebecca, Frenchman’s Creek, and especially My Cousin Rachel seem fitting.

Thinking about Spain and romantic rebellion and truth-seeking - have you read Hemingway? For Whom The Bell Tolls, The Sun Also Rises, A Farewell to Arms.

There is also Bread and Wine, by Ignazio Silone, about a priest in Italy just prior to WW2.

Anything Anne Tyler, but especially her earlier books.

For an oldie but a favorite is The Keys of the Kingdom by AJ Cronin.

Also, if you want to take a mental vacation are the gentle stories of David Grayson...Adventures in Contentment, Adventures in Friendship...available for free from the gutenberg project.

I started reading the Eleanor Oliphant book, abd so far Iike it! Thanks

Would you like some fluff? I need fluff in my life from time to time. I sometimes wake up in the middle of the night and read. I surely do not want something heavy at 3 a.m. I just want something to occupy my mind for 30 minutes. I’ve read 2 books by Susan Elia McNeal, Mr. Churchill’s Secretary and Princess Elizabeth’s Spy. Strong female protagonist and a little WWII history too.

While we were in Italy, I read The Great Passage by Shion Miura, a novel about the compilation of a Japanese dictionary from the editor’s point of view. On one train, we were seated across a table from a Japanese publisher and his wife. I was so excited to talk to him about The Great Passage. His English was better than my Japanese but not good enough to converse about a book. If you like words, I think you’ll be intrigued by The Great Passage.

Go to a beach and try swimming/snorkeling. It's too hot in Madrid right now anyway. I was never able to walk more than 14 miles in one day, and I only did that once - the first day I visited San Francisco.

I recently bought I'll Never Write My Memoirs by Grace Jones. You might also be interested in Mick Jagger's biography - it's pretty scandalous.