The Secret Life of Bees - and other fantastic reads..

[dr2little]

I've become a totally obsessive night time reader. It's my escape, my stress relief and my sleep aid..
I'm on page 206 of 'Bees' and already starting to panic.....what to read next????

I have read so many wonderful books over the past several months but I find that unless a book can really grab me in the first few pages, I'm off to buy something else. Yup, classic ADD.

Anyone care to share their favorite TRUE page turners?

Here's a list of the ones that I've read in the last few months that I absolutely LOVED -

Water for Elephants - Sara Gruen (best of all three)
Riding Lessons - Sara Gruen
Flying Changes - Sara Gruen
**Can't wait for her new book Ape House**

Mark Haddon's “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (Excellent)

The Glass Castle: A Memoir - Jeannette Walls (Absolutely could not put it down)

Eat, Pray, Love - Elizabeth Gilbert (slow in parts but still good)

Tuesdays with Morrie - Finally read this and loved it..*sniff*

Summer Sisters - Judy Blume (good, fast paced)

And it pains me to admit this but - Losing it - Valerie Bertinelli (I actually liked this book although Eddie probably didn't)

So, what books did you find drew you in from the first page and held you there to the last?

 

[Boemy]

I read Three Cups of Tea and it really opened up my eyes to the intricacies of Pakistan's culture. Very cool book. (An American mountain climber decides to build school for girls in remote Pakistani villages after a villager saves him from death when he gets lost on the mountain. True story, too.)

I also read The Life of Pi, which was bizarre, but definitely a page-turner. (Boat sinks, kid is stuck on rowboat with tiger.)

 

[elmostl]

fools Rush in , bill carter. not superbly written but great story.

the cellist of sarajevo was interesting.

The Tenth Gift was a greatt book.

The Kite Runner <<worth reading if u havnt.

Marley and Me..awesome. read it in 2 days.

I just recently read the count of monte cristo. and that was an awesome story , awesome awesome , I recommend getting the full length novel as opposed to abridged versions tho. 1300 pgs shud keep u bizzy

 

[Renee750il]

Well, so far everything else I've read pales in comparison to Tne Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. It's the only thing I've ever read - bar none - that made me wish I'd written it . . . and that was just the first page.

It's so much better than anything else I've read that, while I've been waiting for the second volume to come out, I've just been re-reading it.

You might not like it though, Doc, since my taste in reading material is a little different. I've tried to read Bees three times and never been able to get more than halfway through it without wandering off to something else. It's awful. I physically lose track of the book.

 

[wcladymacbeth]

I had the same problem with Bees. But I've only tried reading it once so far. I might try again.

I also second Life of Pi. I loved that book. Been wanting to re-read it.

Right now I'm reading Jane Eyre which is one of my favorite books that I've read about 20 times, but I'm almost done with it, and then I should make my way over to the library.

Renee, you totally have me wanting to read that book now.

 

[wcladymacbeth]

Renee - have you ever read the Wheel of Time series??

 

[Renee750il]

Macbeth, what's not to love in a book with the line "it was the patient, cut flower silence of a man waiting to die."

It's definitely a book that's meant to be re-read. Rothfuss has it loaded with things that you catch when you go back and re-read. The first read is an amazing, can't put it down read; subsequent reads are explorations and findings of things to savor.

 

[dr2little]

Thanks for the suggestions, I now have a list of must haves. It is funny about how some books just pull you in from the start...and other just can seem to take hold.

I have to tell you that I started 'Bees' about 6 times but I had also bought 'A Complicated Kindness' and 'Loving Frank' , I just couldn't get into any of them and gave 'Bees' a forced effort...I'm so glad that I did. I'm absolutely loving this story. The characters are so charming and the writer has a beautiful style that takes you deep inside. I'm 3/4 finished now and while I can't wait to see where she takes the main character...I don't want it to end.

I'm 1/4 of the way into Kite Runner and then I watched the movie....

Has anyone read her (Sue Monk Kidd's) other book, When the Heart Waits. I'm going to give that one a try too.

I don't really have a style or type of book. I love when a writer can use descriptives to put you there, but they don't get so caught up on them that they take you completely out of the story line.

 

[milos_mommy]

READ THE POISONWOOD BIBLE BY BARBARA KINGSOLVER!!!!!!

We have similar taste in books (Bees is one of my favorites) and The Poisonwood Bible is probably the best book I've ever read.

Also,
The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
Plain Truth by Jodie Picoult

 

[wcladymacbeth]

READ THE POISONWOOD BIBLE BY BARBARA KINGSOLVER!!!!!!

We have similar taste in books (Bees is one of my favorites) and The Poisonwood Bible is probably the best book I've ever read.

Also,
The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
Plain Truth by Jodie Picoult

OH MY GOSH yes - Poisonwood is one of my favorite books ever. I've read it 3 times. Also agree on Time Traveller's Wife. Most excellent book.

I also highly recommend The Lovely Bones by.. somebody. Alice Keys or something maybe?

 

[dr2little]

I've heard good things about both of these books. My friend keeps bugging me to read Lovely Bones....more to add to my list!

 

[SizzleDog]

Life of Pi, by Yann Martel (one of my favorite books)
Anything from Amy Tan, with the exception of Saving Fish From Drowning.

 

[Renee750il]

Oh, Sizzle . . . I went on an Amy Tan binge awhile back. I do love her books. Haven't read Fish though.

 

[Zoom]

The Time Traveler's Wife was a very interesting read, I liked it and yet kept going "huh, how 'bout that?" after I finished it.

Right now I'm re-reading, for the umpteenth time, the Earth's Children series by Jean M. Auel. I'm about 1/3 of the way into The Mammoth Hunters right now...I just adore these books. Great characters and amazing detail.

 

[Kmh1]

Some excellent suggestions and a few I can't wait to check out. One book that always stands out for me even if its not usually your genre is Anne Rice's Interview with a Vampire --the way the city of New Orleans becomes a character in that book, the history and the quirky perspective---its been one of my faves for a long time now...

If anyone likes short story collections and Southern Lit you should check out anything by Ellen Gilchrist.

 

[Renee750il]

I loved the first two thirds of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. That part is taken up with the characters and Savannah itself. The rest of the book was good, but not up to the character studies of the first part. Well worth reading, though. I probably learned more about writing characters from it than anywhere else.

 

[dr2little]

I finished 'Bees' last night so I went to the bookstore, list in hand and came back with Life of Pi....I can't wait to dive into it!
Thanks for all of your suggestions. I literally put every book on my list of future reads....much appreciated!

 

[Zoom]

I should probably get my library card up to date again so I can go back to checking out new stuff.

 

[dr2little]

Zoom - That's so much better than buying a bunch of books only to throw them on a shelf to collect dust when you're through reading them. I'm going to donate all of my old ones and free up some shelf space...and then go and renew my library card.

Actually, I should have sent a few of them out to you with the CD..

 

[Southpaw]

I hated Bees, but I agree with The Poisonwood Bible. Fantastic book.

Also-- The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay, and Kaffir Boy by Mark Mathabane.