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I love books. I love, love to read. My brother used to joke that I would read anything with words on it. This is true. However, I have recently have been having some "reading" problems. I've lost the ability to pick out good books.
Seriously.
Over Christmas I decided to pick up some books by authors I had never read before. I was looking for light and fluffy. What I got was dull and trite. All the books I have picked in the last couple of months have been poorly written, uninspired and someone forgot to tell the authors of these books about the necessity of plot.
I had to read a month's worth of archives at Antique Mommy and Toddled Dredge to get the bad taste out of my mouth and remind myself that there is still good writing in the world.
It's not like I am a major literary snob or anything, I even like Clive Cussler, but I at least need some semblance of plot or literary skill. One or the other. I'm not fussy.
So, my friends, since my ability to find a good book seems to be on the fritz, any recommendations?
Friday, January 18, 2008
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10 comments:
I love everything by Mark Helprin, but particularly his novel Memoir From Antproof Case. It is howlingly funny and beautifully written. Helprin writes amazing, rich, readable prose.
Thanks for the kind words.
I like Robin Mckinley's books. Her novel Sunshine is a vampire novel, but not gross. It is my favorite re-read when I'm pregnant.
Walter Wangerin's Book of the Dun Cow is beautiful. It is a fantasy novel about barnyard animals, and the story is drawn from one of Chaucer's poems, I think.
Anything from PD James is great. I just read Anne Bronte's Agnes Gray and loved it.
You can always check out my book blog for some old recommendations.
As VM said, thanks for the kind words! I thought I heard someone rattling around down in the cellar.
If you haven't read "A Tree Grows In Brooklyn" it's a great over-Christmas-break book. It's kind of a classic.
I haven't read it yet but I've heard that The Kite Runner is good.
Maybe it's time to bring out the oldie goldies. I'm thinking that I'm going to reread the Narnia books before the new movie comes out and I think that the Anne books are calling to me.
There's a book I've re-read almost a million times. It's about a man who travels overseas and forms a friendship with someone who seems to be the complete opposite of him. They travel back to the US where you can read all about the adventures and explorations the two of them have together. Oh, by the way, the man wears a yellow hat and his new friend is a monkey. It'll be nice when I can read a book for myself someday and not just to my kids.
Hey, I love books, I'm always collecting titles that I want to read, intend to read, or if I had time to read for pleasure, rather than just school, I WOULD read!
I just finished a book called "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Kalihd Hosseini. Such a great book!
"Monique and the Mango rains" Chris Holloway
Is an unbelievably moving story about a midwife in Mali, told by a peacecorps officer.
"The Birth House" by Amy Mckay I can't even articulate the themes in this book, womanhood, identity, tradition, rights and struggles. Seriously recomend it!
I just read back over the other comments, someone recomended Kite Runner....it is authored by the same man who wrote "a thousand splendid suns"
I haven't read it yet but my partner has and said its unbelievable.
I love anything Jeffery Archer. But if you want classic, Jane Austen is my favourite author of ALL time. The best ever.
I am about to read, "Eat,Pray, Love", which I hear if really wonderful.
Have you ever read any of the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon? They are amazing books. Time travel, Scotland, romance, adventure, woman ahead of her time...all great stuff!
I will just put a plug in for the entire Anne of Green Gables series now....as well as Jane Eyre.
If you like them you would love Beverly Lewis books.
Try re reading old classics?? I did that last year. I went to the library and took out classics we all know about but can't remember.
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