Avid readers, need your help please

[newcook]

I haven't read a novel in some 15 or more years, but now I find there is little interesting on TV and would like to see if I would enjoy reading again as I once did. Based on movies I've seen, I love stories with good endings like Pride and Prejudice or Sense and Sensability by Jane Ausen; and Wives and Daughters or North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell.

Can you recommend books that are not too difficult to read to get me started? I think once I get back in the swing of reading, I'll be fine to attempt harder reads.

[Hammster]

I just finished reading Memoirs of a Geisha and it was a fabulous read. It's fiction but I swear you think it's real. It's a bit of a thick book ~300 pages as I recall, but it was a fast read.
Another fun read is Julie and Julia. This woman named Julie cooked all the recipes in Julia Child's The Art of French Cooking. Hilarious read. And it's not a long book so it's quick also.
Enjoy. :D

[Terrytx]

How about Cold Mountain, Eventide and Plainsong by Kent Haruf, or just for some fun-The Alexander McCall Smith books.

[MrsReber]

I have to disagree with Cold Mountain. I read lots of different types of books, but I could not for the life of me get into that book.

I liked The Secret Life of Bees and The Da Vinci Code, myself. Not exactly along the lines of Jane Austen, but good reads.

[bobmark226]

I just finished reading Memoirs of a Geisha and it was a fabulous read.

Totally agree. Just the other day I dragged it out just to read the beautiful opening again.

Bob

[KimK]

I recently saw Charles Dickens' Bleak House on PBS. LOVED IT. If you like Jane Austen-type stories, you might also enjoy reading this. The character names alone are lots of fun.

[ctd1103]

I LOVED Plain Truth by Jodi Picoulet!

[jheaphy]

I just finished "The Time Traveler's Wife" by Audrey Nefenegger (I think that's the correct spelling!) and I couldn't put it down! A really easy read with a really intriguing plot.

[foodfiend]

A good book to get you back reading again is Comfort me with Apples by Ruth Reichl. It's about her start as a food writer. The book is well-written and touches on food, culture and love/sex.

[SDMomChef]

How about The Outlander by Diane Gabaldon - it is a historical fiction book that has found quite a few fans on this BB (including me! :D )

Memoirs of a Geisha is a very good book - also recommend that book.

I also enjoy Amy Tan's books, and I actually liked The Bonesetter's Daughter better than The Joy Luck Club (but both are good).

Hmmm...another historical fiction book that I really enjoyed was The Other Boleyn Girl

If you are more interested in something light, I like Jennifer Weiner's books, like Good In Bed.

You'll have to join us on the Book Thread to let us know how you are enjoying getting back into reading!

[PAMMELA]

My favorite author of the moment is Greg Iles. Great reads!!

[lindaofthelakes]

Totally agree with lots of the other reccos(especially Jennifer Weiner if you want light reading). If you like Jane Austen here are a couple of thoughts:

The Jane Austen Book Club was a novel about a disparate group of Austen fans and their life "issues". Each chapter covers a different Austen book and the issues that the main character of that chapter face parallel the Austen book. Good interesting reading even if you didn't know Austen.

Stephanie Barrows has a mystery series based on Jane Austen as the lead character ("detective") . It is cleverly written in the style of Jane Austen's books and is fun to read.

[foodlady]

I love Elizibeth Berg. My favorite of hers is Talk Before Sleep, but I love everything she writes!

[mschef]

I like Jhumpa Lahiri's books - I think she only has one short story compilation called Interpreter of Maladies and a novel called Namesake, both were excellent. I think she also wrote something for this week's Newsweek because it's all about India (with President Bush going to the region and what not). I highly recommend - her books are beautifully written.

[MrsReber]

I just finished "The Time Traveler's Wife" by Audrey Nefenegger (I think that's the correct spelling!) and I couldn't put it down! A really easy read with a really intriguing plot.


How could I forget? This was an amazing book that I highly recommend.

[kima]

I would like to recommend The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver. It is one of my all time favourite books. Everyone I have rec'ed it to has also loved it.

You can read about it here:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0061097314/ref=pd_bxgy_text_b/002-6331151-6515205?%5Fencoding=UTF8

If you enjoy it there is a sequel -" Pigs in Heaven

[Aubergine]

A good book to get you back reading again is Comfort me with Apples by Ruth Reichl. It's about her start as a food writer. The book is well-written and touches on food, culture and love/sex.

an enthusiastic second, for all three of Reichl's books -- a fabulous writer. i was in a simialr position; my book-reading had fallen waaay off, more due to the puter than TV. actually, it was the aforementioned 'Julie & Julia' that i picked up first, and that led to Ruth R. i went backwards, and read 'Garlic and Sapphires' first. i know you said novels, but this was where i began a few months ago when i began reading BOOKS again after 6-7-8 years.

so, i'd suggest any of those to just get you back into the swing of reading again; although it's non-fiction, Reichl's books do have a plot line and tension, like a good novel. they should be easy to find at the library.

you've gotten many other good suggestions. just take that first step and start with something that's not too daunting. after that, it will likely flow.

[barbara-cook]

One I read recently that I didn't see listed here was "The Broker" by John Grisham. I think that's his most recent. It really got me interested in Italy and the way he described the old buildings and all the restaurants. It was a fast read for me. I read a lot of books (I could live without TV) so I always have a stack to attempt reading. I go to the library or the near-by used book store.

Here's a cookbook that I found really fascinating, too - my step-daughter gave it to me for Christmas and I poured over it for days. I may never cook a thing out of it, but it was wonderful reading! "Tuscan Cookbook: Recipes and Reminiscences from the Italian Cooking School" by Stephanie Alexander and Maggie Beer.

jheaphy - Thank you for the recommendation on "The Time Traveler's Wife". I've been wanting to read that for some time now, but hadn't heard anything about it. Now I REALLY want to read it.


Welcome back to books!

[BucknellAlum]

Anything by Jodi Picoult!!

The Kite Runner
The Dive from Clausen's Pier

for lighter stuff:

I Don't Know How SHe Does It
The Nanny Diaries
The Other SIde of the Story
Anything by Jennifer Weiner
The Davinci Code

If you haven't done novels in 15 years, I would definitely pick a lighter book, like John Grisham, etc. rather than Jane Austen or Memoirs of a Geisha, etc.

[ErinM]

If you like mysteries, especially British mysteries, I would recommend anything by Elizabeth George.

Or, walk into your local Barnes and Noble. I swear I want to read every book on the shelf!

[Canice]

Of course the BB is the best source for information on...just about anything, but I've found the folks who work at my neighborhood independent book store are AMAZING. If there's a great bookshop near you, you might pop in and explain your situation; I'll be that with just a few questions, they'd find some excellent selections. (I once phoned Munro's in Victoria because I'd bought a terrific book in their "Canadiana" section and wanted suggestions for further reading - they were *so* helpful!).

[newcook]

Right now I am leaning towards either The Bean Trees, The Time Traveler's Wife, or something by Elizabeth George based on the reviews at Amazon. It might depend on which is available at the library. If one of the books is smaller than the others, that might decide it. I suspect it might take a few books to get me going, hopefully I will pick up some reading speed by then and can then get to some of the classics. Right now it seems hard to believe that some 25 years ago, I used to read 4 to 6 books per week. But when my eyesight dropped because of age, reading would put me to sleep and I all but entirely stopped reading. For some reason I'm afraid I will never be able to read without falling asleep again.

[kima]

Of course the BB is the best source for information on...just about anything, but I've found the folks who work at my neighborhood independent book store are AMAZING. If there's a great bookshop near you, you might pop in and explain your situation; I'll be that with just a few questions, they'd find some excellent selections. (I once phoned Munro's in Victoria because I'd bought a terrific book in their "Canadiana" section and wanted suggestions for further reading - they were *so* helpful!).

Munro's is a terrific bookstore. If you tell any of the staff what your reading preferences are they will load up with a stack of books to peruse.
And yes the bookstore is owned by Alice Munro's ex-husband. They opened the store together years ago.

If any of you booklovers are ever in Victoria I highly recommend you stop in there. Canada has so many great writers, many unheard of in the US, and Munro's carries them all.

Now I am hankering for a wee visit there myself. :)

[Jazzmatazz49]

But when my eyesight dropped because of age, reading would put me to sleep and I all but entirely stopped reading. For some reason I'm afraid I will never be able to read without falling asleep again.
Good grief, I thought I was the only one with this problem. I love to read, but have drastically curtailed my reading and always fall asleep when I read in bed. I'm reduced to magazines and catalogs at this point!!!

[NancyR]

Newcook,
What are your interests? I know what you mean about needing something light to jump start your interest after a dry spell. What would you have trouble putting down...romance, mystery, travel, history...??? For me a good tightly wound mystery with lots of action gets me going. For that I think the John Sandford Prey books do the trick. You can click here (http://www.authorsontheweb.com/features/lists/li-sandford-john.asp) for a list of all the Lucas Davenport novels in their chronological order (they all have the word "prey" in the title). He is a hot, sexy yet sensitive (you know, unrealistic) guy who is also a cop. After a little of this brain candy you are ready for a little deeper reading.

[Kerri]

My sister isn't really a reader and the books she has read (and finished) recently are the Harry Potter ones. Those start off short so you can see if you like them.

My husband is also not much of a reader and the books he has started (and finished, he starts A LOT of books) are non-fiction ones by Jon Krackower (sp on that last name), but good ones of his are Into the Wild and Into Thin Air. Into the Wild is also pretty short. For fiction he has liked books by Tony Hillerman, which are mysteries set in New Mexico.

I think you would like the early John Grisham books or early Patrica Cornwell. Oh, to read these authors at the beginning of their careers again! That would be quite a gift!

[barbara-cook]

NancyR is very correct about the "Prey" novels by John Sandford. They are interesting and the plot is never predictable (at least to me!) and some of the dialogue are just too funny.

Also - some non-lawyer John Grisham books ("The Bleachers" and (I think!) "An Unpainted House") are very good too. And if you want something short and sweet try "The Five People You Meet in Heaven".

Happy picking!

[foodfiend]

Munro's is a terrific bookstore. If you tell any of the staff what your reading preferences are they will load up with a stack of books to peruse.
And yes the bookstore is owned by Alice Munro's ex-husband. They opened the store together years ago.

If any of you booklovers are ever in Victoria I highly recommend you stop in there.
Actually I recommend you go to the local high tea shop (I forget the name), which is quite close to Munro's. It serves beautiful, delicious pastries and a huge assortment of teas. You get them on a silver platter. It's the place locals go to; tourists go to the Fairmount Hotel.

[SaraInWisc]

Here's some of my favorite author's.
Susan Isaacs
Elinor Lipman
Sujata Massey
Barbara Kingsolver
Billie Letts
Sharyn McCrumb
Maeve Binchy
Happy reading!

[Linda in MO]

Billie Letts

I LOVED The Honk and Holler Opening Soon...
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0446675059/qid=1141416742/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/102-5205588-6492163?s=books&v=glance&n=283155

[rosie_one]

I'll agree with the "Time Travelers Wife" and "Memoirs of a Geisha". I also loved "Birth of Venus".

Just my option here... Bleak House is a great classic, however, it is really long, has a zillion characters who are hard to keep straight and is a rather dense Dickens era political allegory. It is one of the more challenging books I've read. Very worthwhile but, I'm not sure it would be a "wade back into reading after a decade off" kind of thing.

[kima]

Actually I recommend you go to the local high tea shop (I forget the name), which is quite close to Munro's. It serves beautiful, delicious pastries and a huge assortment of teas. You get them on a silver platter. It's the place locals go to; tourists go to the Fairmount Hotel.


I don't want to turn this into a Victoria tourism thread (apologies newcook) :rolleyes: but the teashop is right next door to Munro's and is called Murchie's. It is always part of any trip I make downtown.

[bobmark226]

Just my option here... Bleak House is a great classic, however, it is really long, has a zillion characters who are hard to keep straight and is a rather dense Dickens era political allegory. It is one of the more challenging books I've read. Very worthwhile but, I'm not sure it would be a "wade back into reading after a decade off" kind of thing.

Oh, definitely not! Have you ever done "Dombey & Son" with poor little unloved Floy? :( Are you a Dickensian? Any others? (Not to derail, but there are certainly a ton of good recommends already.)

Bob

[newcook]

I don't want to turn this into a Victoria tourism thread (apologies newcook) :rolleyes: but the teashop is right next door to Munro's and is called Murchie's. It is always part of any trip I make downtown.

No apologies needed, this thread is free to travel at will. I have pretty much decided, so feel free to wander.