A few weeks ago, The Man and I took the kids up to Blowing Rock for the weekend just because. We don’t take many just because trips, so that makes it special. I left the laptop at home and ate lots of ice cream and did lots of swinging with my shoes off.
And? I read a whole book. The book was Daisy Chain by Mary DeMuth and I loved it. Mary is gonna be at She Speaks in July and my very crafty plan is to corner her and casually ask her about the next book in the series, the one that isn’t out yet. I look so forward to that very awesome conversation that will go exactly as I plan. Anyway, it was the first fiction book I had read in a while and it made me remember how much I love to read stories.
It also opened my eyes to the fact that, though I’ve been doing lots of writing, I haven’t been reading so much lately. And I miss it. I miss characters and plot and a story I can jump into and get lost in after the kids go to bed. So I need your help. I know it is a really subjective thing and what you love may not be what I love, but I’m gonna walk on the wild side and take a risk here. Will you give me some ideas and tell me what is your favorite fiction book? I am giving you no guidelines and I know that is difficult for some of you. But just go with your gut. I need a good read and I can’t wait to hear what you have to say!
Hi Emily –
I totally hear you on the not reading books thing. That is why about 2 months ago I stopped reading blogs for a while. I wanted to concentrate on books. And I have rediscovered how much I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE books! I am slowly working my way back into blogging, but I don’t want to give up book reading!
So, I have been reading a ton of books lately! Not only that, but our local library is having an Adults Reading Kids Stuff program, so I have been reading young adult and kids books, mainly fiction. I just finished Ramona the Brave by Beverly Cleary and it was so fun to read a book from my growing up years only this time be on the adult side of things. It was so good!
I also read a book called Hattie Big Sky about a sixteen year old who went out west to run a farm by herself, which was excellent.
I am currently reading A Little Princess and want to grab other classic books like Heidi and The Wind in the Willows next.
I am having so much fun! (can you tell??)
The nice thing about young adult and children’s lit is that they are quick and light reads which is a great thing for the summer.
So there you have it, my numerous recommendations!
Miss you friend, wish I could be at She Speaks with you this year to corner Mary.
Megs
My very favorite book ever is Lavender and Old Lace by Myrtle Reed. The book is around 100 years old. It’s such a neat old love story with a twist. So good~you must read!
“Cold Mountain”. AMAZING!!
These are great suggestions… I would repeat several of the ones above… To Kill a Mockingbird, The Poisonwood Bible, The Shack…
I’ve also read some great books with my kids this summer. I just wrote a post about it if you are interested:
http://everydaymomlife.blogspot.com/2009/06/top-10-books-on-cd.html
I just wanted to add additional votes for a couple of these. Anything Elizabeth Berg writes is great – she writes so beautifully. Jodi Piccoult’s novels are fascinating – sometimes you literally can’t put them down. (If you want to see the movie My Sister’s Keeper, you definitely need to read the book first!) The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns were books that I never thought I would like, but were totally captivating. They open up another whole world that we often don’t understand.
Thanks for asking your readers about this – now I’ve got a good list of books to tackle!
Chronicles of the Kings (series) by Lynne Austin.
Truly one of the best series I have ever read.
Romance, adventure, and a whole new appreciation for the Old Testament kings
I love Francine Rivers, Kathy Herman, and Karen Kingsbury… really any of their books are good. It’s been so long since i’ve had a chance to read. Thank you for a little reminder – I may grab one to start this evening.
The Shack by William Young was also good, but that’s one of those books that people either totally love or totally hate. If you get a chance you should try it and see what you think.
Happy Reading!
I just finished reading a book called “Scared:A novel from the edge of the world” by Tom Davis. It is a wonderful book, Christian fiction about a young girl in Swaziland. The author is the CEO of Children’s Hopechest and it is an INCREDIBLE and quick read. You’ll be changed, by the end of the book. I promise you’ll love it.
My heart just jumped when I saw someone recommend an old book that I love, too. Lavendar and Old Lace. It’s wonderful.
Another book that I read every single summer because I learn something new everytime – Gift of the Sea. You’ll love it, too.
I just finished reading Barefoot by Elin Hilderbrand and enjoyed it. It was one of those that caught my attention at Walmart and I couldn’t put it down.
Okay, some of mine have already been mentioned, but here’s my take:
Harry Potter–wonderful!
Twilight series–I just finished all 4 and I was enthralled. It’s really a love and suspense novel more than a vampire story, if you kwim
The Red Tent–wow
Kite Runner and Thousand Splendid Suns–both amazing reads that make you think, too
Handmaids Tale–really makes you think
anything Jodi Picoult
I have just started Life of Pi and I’ve been told by several friends that it’s in their top 5.
Good luck! I’m getting some good recommendations from this post, too!
Just wanted to say thanks for such a great list! I was going to add some things, but everyone has already stated my favorites: the Outlander series (amazing historical fiction with a time travel twist…not creepy or too science-fictiony, though), of course Harry Potter, Time Traveler’s Wife. I can’t wait to check out all the other ones that have been recommended!
Carrie
Some of mine have already been mentioned but I love
the Mitford series
and once even prayed for one of the characters forgetting for a moment that she wasn’t a real person!
The whole Anne of Green Gables series is wonderful.
I also picked up an old book,
The Miracle of the Bells
purely for the asthetics of the cover but ended up reading it and really liking it a whole lot.
I also love to read
Esther
and
Ruth
in the Bible and also
Francine River’s book on Ruth and Rahab
are two of my favorites.
A childhood love was Katie John.
Madeleine L’Engle’s Two-Part Invention isn’t fiction and isn’t super light but is wonderful.
I like Irving Stone’s biographical novels. I’ve read The Agony and the Ecstasy about Michelangelo and the one about John and Abigail Adams. Oh how I loved that love story about John and Abigail!
Ann Rinaldi writes wonderful books about real historical events with her own fictional details woven in and she tells you at the back of the book what is real and what she embellished. They’re juv. fic.
Enjoy! Kelly
One of my favorite books is Beach Music by Pat Conroy, which someone in your 7 billion comments may have already said.
However, I just got Wally Lamb’s new book “The Hour I First Believed.” Have you read Wally Lamb? He wrote “She’s Come Undone”? Anyway, it’s probably a 500-page book and I have read it in about three days. Obsessed. Ob.sessed. with this book.
Hey girl. I’m knee deep in the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. I’m on the 5th book and they’ve all been a lot of fun but really long (which I actually like… saves me from having to pick something new too often). She’s a fabulous storyteller and her word choice is delightful.
I also love Francine Rivers (saw a couple of comments about her) and I felt a little on the young side for the Mitford series… thought they were a little slow and boring. (Sorry.)
I could second many in the comments, but I’m adding a few that I haven’t seen mentioned yet.
Dorothy Dunnett’s two series: the Lymond chronicles and the Niccolo stories. Fantastic, intricate historical fiction; I couldn’t put them down. And with 7 books in each series, that was a long period where I was buried in those novels!
Leif Enger’s Peace Like a River: a beautiful, haunting, thought-provoking, faith-inspiring coming-of-age story; reminded me of To Kill a Mockingbird in many ways.
For light-hearted fun, any PG Wodehouse novel: they’re British and goofy and clever and sweet, all in one.
Anything by Debbie Macomber….Cedar Cover Series, Twenty Wishes, Between Friends, Thursdays at Eight, plus many many more.
I’m a little late, but I see that a couple of my favorites have not been mentioned. My all time favorite, read it over and over again book is “The Heart is a Lonely Hunter” by Carson McCullers. It is dark. Even though it’s mostly heavy, I think it’s a must read. It was my favorite book to teach when I spent my days with high schoolers.
For easier reading I really like Charles Martin and Beth Webb Hart, both great southern writers. Last year I read the complete “Series of Unfortunate Events.” It is young adult literatures, but it is funny, easy and there are so many great plays on words and smart little quips. It was just fun.
Just finished, “Snow Flower and the Secret Fan” at 2 a.m. last night. From the first page to the last, I couldn’t put it down! Hope you are having a wonderful vacation!
Jan Karon’s Midford books are great !
Thirteen Heresies in The Shack by Micheal Youssef :
http://www.leadingtheway.org/site/PageServer?pagename=sto_TheShack_13heresies
We, at the risk of shamelessly promoting my self, my debut novel The Prayers of Agnes Sparrow releases August 1st. It will be a Barnes and Noble featured book. Think you might like it.
I LOVE Jamie Langston Turner. Her characters are so well done and real – quirks and all. The books are long, but in a good way. I always hate to leave one when I’m finished. Really liked No Dark Valley, Some Wildflower in My Heart, and all the others, too. Most books will feature a character that has appeared in a small way in another book.
Oh, and I also enjoyed the characterization in Rene Gutteridge’s ‘Troubled Waters’. Good read.
I’m just now catching up on my blog reading and so I hope I’m not too late to make a few suggestions.
I’ve read 2 different series over the course of the last year, and have just started another.
First, I read the “Daughters of Silk” series by Linda Lee Chaikin and loved them! They are Christian historical fiction and I was completely caught up in them! (here’s a short link to the Zondervan site: http://tinyurl.com/kubqvj )
Then I read “A Bride Most Begruding” by Deanne Gist– http://www.deeannegist.com/bookstore_bride.php Another historical fiction that was great. Looks like she has a couple of others now that are in the same genre.
And now I’m reading “Redeeming Love” by Francine Rivers which is based on the book of Hosea, which I can’t put down. She also has a whole series based on different books/characters of the Bible. And they are GOOD READS! http://www.francinerivers.com/
I highly recommend Christianbook.com…they have all of those books and many, many more!
Thanks for the book suggestion. I’m gonna need something when I finish this one I’ve got now.
I took your advice and brought this book along on vacation. I loved every moment of it. Thanks for the recommendation.
And now I have yet another reason to be totally bummed that I’m not going to She Speaks.
Sigh.
Kimba