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Thu Mar 27, 2008 6:19 pm  |
I've read some pretty good stuff recently so I thought I'd share the wealth. I'm also looking forward to getting some new recs to work on!
*"My Horizontal Life" by Chelsea Handler. This book was so hysterical that I fell off the couch laughing so hard. DH wanted to know what my problem was, so I started reading parts out loud to him and he was laughing too. VERY funny.
*"Bitter is the New Black" by Jen Lancaster. I'm actually still reading this one, but I haven't been able to put it down. It's a memoir about a snooty ex-sorority chick who gets what's coming to her and gets fired, evicted, etc. The writing is very sharp and funny, and I (gulp!) often find myself sympathizing with the loud-mouthed anti-heroine.
"A Great and Terrible Beauty" by Libba Bray. Technically speaking this is a young adult book, so it's an easy read. This book basically hit all the targets--- it's very sexy/sensual/romantic, funny, and creepy as all get out. It takes place at a boarding school for girls and there's magic involved, so it's almost like Harry Potter, only girlier and sexier. Very satisfying. Plus there are two great sequels, so if you like it you can go back for more. I would definitely recommend this to fans of Stephenie Meyer's "Twilight." |
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27, sensitive/reactive/acne prone skin, dark brown hair, blue eyes, possibly the palest woman alive... |
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Thu Mar 27, 2008 10:15 pm |
| Just started reading "Rhett Butler's People" by Donald McCaig. I just love Gone With The Wind so I had to try this. I'm hoping to find Paula Begoun's book on skin care and products at Costco. I have "A Great and Terrible Beauty"! I lent it to my Aunt so now I'm waiting for it. Glad to hear it's a good read. |
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Fri Mar 28, 2008 6:49 am |
I just finished 2 books by Gore Vidal. Historical fiction with a great deal of accuracy. In fact, all his dialogue was taken from historical documents and newspapers at the time.
The first one was "1876", a novel about the post Civil War era when Grant was president. Wow, did you know that Grant's administration was rife with corruption and that Grant was a complete drunk both during the civil war and during his presidency?
The other one was "Lincoln" and really offered a lot of insight about the enigma that was Lincoln. He was an extremely complex man; had someone else been at the helm, would the United States still be united? I'm not so sure anyone else at the time would have held on to the vision of keeping our country together. Did you know that Lincoln was hated by both abolitionists and secessionists? We knew he was not a favorite of the south, but the abolitionist movement didn't trust Lincoln because of his more moderate views on the subject of slavery. Not until our country was a couple years into the war, did Lincoln finally realize that slavery really should be abolished. At first he just wanted to keep the country together. Did you know that the phrase "In God We Trust" stamped on our currency was started by Lincoln's treasury secretary Salmon P. Chase? [a rabid abolitionist, BTW] Chase raised money for the Union cause by selling bonds and developing a currency backed by gold. Chase Manhatten bank was named after Lincoln's Treasury Secretary, although he [Salmon P. Chase] never had anything to do with that bank.
Currently working on something a little lighter by Olivia Goldsmith - "Bad Boy" about a girl who decides to make over her best friend from nerdy computer geek who can't get the chicks to a new-age James Dean who dons a leather jacket and starts getting laid. She ruins him but like all Olivia Goldsmith books, the humor is sharp and funny.
As you can see, I rarely purchase new books and wait until I find something at the used bookstore  |
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44 – combo/oily skin with a tendency towards clogged pores. Thanks to EDS, tweaked my skincare routine and normalized skin… no more breakouts. PSF, silk powder, Janson Beckett, Cellbone, NIA24 are staples. |
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Fri Mar 28, 2008 8:24 am |
| I have yet to read books that I like as much as Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series. They're my absolute FAVORITE....love,love,love them!! |
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Tue Apr 01, 2008 7:06 am |
I'm always looking for another great read, too! Some recent ones I really liked:
"The Book Thief" by Mark Zukas(?) - I think this is actually YA, but it was fascinating. It's about a young girl's life/family/friends in Munich during WW2. What makes this book so unique is how it's told - it's narrated by Death. B4 you cross it off your list, know that I cry at kleenex commercials but did not with this book. It's more moving than sad. Death is compassionate here, not evil and gross. I wish I could do this book more justice. Suffice it to say this is one of the most interesting, thought provoking books I've ever read!
"Katherine" by Anya Seton - Historical fiction novel based on a true love story between an English duke and a commoner. Set in medieval England during the 14th century (think knights, jousts, etc) this book is one of the absolute best I've ever read! Loved every bit of it! |
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46, curly dk blonde hair, fair, blue eyes, very oily T-zone. HGs: Tazorac .05% gel; Avene/Bioderma s/s (very high spf AND ppd); Cellbone vit Cie 20%; Cellbone Hyperpeptides; IFP 5% bha/10% aha; Obagi Clear; 'curly girl' method (no poo, just co wash) for my 3b curls. |
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Tue Apr 01, 2008 10:35 am |
| tsjmom wrote: |
I'm always looking for another great read, too! Some recent ones I really liked:
"The Book Thief" by Mark Zukas(?) - I think this is actually YA, but it was fascinating. It's about a young girl's life/family/friends in Munich during WW2. What makes this book so unique is how it's told - it's narrated by Death. B4 you cross it off your list, know that I cry at kleenex commercials but did not with this book. It's more moving than sad. Death is compassionate here, not evil and gross. I wish I could do this book more justice. Suffice it to say this is one of the most interesting, thought provoking books I've ever read!
"Katherine" by Anya Seton - Historical fiction novel based on a true love story between an English duke and a commoner. Set in medieval England during the 14th century (think knights, jousts, etc) this book is one of the absolute best I've ever read! Loved every bit of it! |
If you like historical fiction you'd probably like Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series, it sounds very similar to "Katherine" |
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Tue Apr 01, 2008 10:51 am |
O Manslayer! What a great thread, thank you!
I often go to the YA section myself."His Dark Materials" (#1 The Golden Compass, #2 The Subtle Knife,#3 The Amber Spyglass) on audio CD is so much fun. Philip Pullman's rendition is enthralling - he makes it come alive! Each section (there are 3) is about 11 hours long, so it's a good choice if you have to be housebound for a while, or on a loooong overseas flight!
E.L. Doctorow is my new fave. "The March", about Sherman's march is fascinating reading and not dry at all.
thanks for all the good recommendations!! |
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✪ My go-to products: MyFawnie.BigCartel.com ✪ |
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Tue Apr 01, 2008 11:41 am |
| Jenny1970 wrote: |
If you like historical fiction you'd probably like Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series, it sounds very similar to "Katherine" |
Thanks for the tip Jenny! |
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46, curly dk blonde hair, fair, blue eyes, very oily T-zone. HGs: Tazorac .05% gel; Avene/Bioderma s/s (very high spf AND ppd); Cellbone vit Cie 20%; Cellbone Hyperpeptides; IFP 5% bha/10% aha; Obagi Clear; 'curly girl' method (no poo, just co wash) for my 3b curls. |
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Tue Apr 01, 2008 12:56 pm |
Jenny is right, the Outlander series is wonderful! I'm currently on "The Fiery Cross".
The Kushiel books by Jacqueline Carey are also fantastic. Very intricate plots with wonderfully descriptive and seductive writing.
One of my favorite series is by Guy Gavriel Kay - "The Fionavar Tapestry Trilogy". I don't think I've read anything else that made me FEEL so much. Definitely recommended.
If you like humor, "The Idiot Girls' Action Adventure Club" by Laurie Notaro is a good one. Her other books are funny too, but I think this one was the best.
Also good for a laugh - anything by Christopher Moore. So far I liked "A Dirty Job" the best. |
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Tue Apr 01, 2008 3:10 pm |
I just read Mudbound http://www.librarything.com/work/4061753/book/28970989 for my book club. What a great read!!! It's about race relations in the south after WWII - a surprisingly quick read and full of wonderful characters.
p.s. the link is from my other internet * spam alert * (other than this forum) - LibraryThing and BookMooch. If you're into books, check them out! |
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39, fair combo skin, dark brown hair, acne prone. |
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Tue Apr 01, 2008 3:47 pm |
| Nymue wrote: |
Jenny is right, the Outlander series is wonderful! I'm currently on "The Fiery Cross".
The Kushiel books by Jacqueline Carey are also fantastic. Very intricate plots with wonderfully descriptive and seductive writing.
One of my favorite series is by Guy Gavriel Kay - "The Fionavar Tapestry Trilogy". I don't think I've read anything else that made me FEEL so much. Definitely recommended.
If you like humor, "The Idiot Girls' Action Adventure Club" by Laurie Notaro is a good one. Her other books are funny too, but I think this one was the best.
Also good for a laugh - anything by Christopher Moore. So far I liked "A Dirty Job" the best. |
Fiery Cross was actually my least favorite of the six, the next one after Fiery Cross is my absolute favorite, "A Breath of Snow and Ashes". You'll really enjoy it. I can't wait for the 7th to come out:) |
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Tue Apr 01, 2008 4:15 pm |
| I just finished and liked 'Lucky' by Alice Sebold...i actually prefered it over 'Lovely Bones' |
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Tue Apr 01, 2008 5:54 pm |
| athena123 wrote: |
I just finished 2 books by Gore Vidal. Historical fiction with a great deal of accuracy. In fact, all his dialogue was taken from historical documents and newspapers at the time.
The first one was "1876", a novel about the post Civil War era when Grant was president. Wow, did you know that Grant's administration was rife with corruption and that Grant was a complete drunk both during the civil war and during his presidency?
The other one was "Lincoln" and really offered a lot of insight about the enigma that was Lincoln. He was an extremely complex man; had someone else been at the helm, would the United States still be united? I'm not so sure anyone else at the time would have held on to the vision of keeping our country together. Did you know that Lincoln was hated by both abolitionists and secessionists? We knew he was not a favorite of the south, but the abolitionist movement didn't trust Lincoln because of his more moderate views on the subject of slavery. Not until our country was a couple years into the war, did Lincoln finally realize that slavery really should be abolished. At first he just wanted to keep the country together. Did you know that the phrase "In God We Trust" stamped on our currency was started by Lincoln's treasury secretary Salmon P. Chase? [a rabid abolitionist, BTW] Chase raised money for the Union cause by selling bonds and developing a currency backed by gold. Chase Manhatten bank was named after Lincoln's Treasury Secretary, although he [Salmon P. Chase] never had anything to do with that bank.
Currently working on something a little lighter by Olivia Goldsmith - "Bad Boy" about a girl who decides to make over her best friend from nerdy computer geek who can't get the chicks to a new-age James Dean who dons a leather jacket and starts getting laid. She ruins him but like all Olivia Goldsmith books, the humor is sharp and funny.
As you can see, I rarely purchase new books and wait until I find something at the used bookstore |
I loved Olivia Goldsmith books. It's a shame she passed away when she was getting liposuction done. All her books are hilarious |
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Tue Apr 01, 2008 6:06 pm |
I've been on an autobiography kick. I just finished reading Nikki Sixx - The Heroin Diaries. I can't believe he's still alive. I'll be starting Slash's, Tommy Lee's, Valerie Bertinelli's autobiography.
I'm also reading all of Janet Evanovich's "Stephanie Plum" books. Their really hilarious.
I read Jolie in NYC blog everyday and I just read her Beauty Confidential book - not bad. |
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Wed Apr 02, 2008 3:45 am |
| HannaLee wrote: |
| I just finished and liked 'Lucky' by Alice Sebold...i actually prefered it over 'Lovely Bones' |
I really liked The Lovely Bones. Lucky is her memoirs right??? I didn't care as much for her newest The Almost Moon. |
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Wed Apr 02, 2008 1:47 pm |
| Jenny1970 wrote: |
Fiery Cross was actually my least favorite of the six, the next one after Fiery Cross is my absolute favorite, "A Breath of Snow and Ashes". You'll really enjoy it. I can't wait for the 7th to come out:) |
I think I will probably end up agreeing with you on Fiery Cross when I'm done. I'm almost 400 pages into it now (1000 more to go for those that haven't read it), and I keep waiting for it to pick up. I felt that way when I started reading Outlander and then all of a sudden it got REALLY good. I've noticed similar peaks and valleys in her other books in the series also though.
Glad to hear that A Breath of Snow and Ashes is better! I have it wating in the wings already.  |
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Wed Apr 02, 2008 2:17 pm |
| doohicus wrote: |
| Just started reading "Rhett Butler's People" by Donald McCaig. I just love Gone With The Wind so I had to try this. I'm hoping to find Paula Begoun's book on skin care and products at Costco. I have "A Great and Terrible Beauty"! I lent it to my Aunt so now I'm waiting for it. Glad to hear it's a good read. |
Doohicus--- you are going to LOVE Great and Terrible Beauty! I can't wait to hear what you think.^-^
How are you enjoying Rhett Butler's People? That one is on my list of books to read since I love GWTW too. |
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27, sensitive/reactive/acne prone skin, dark brown hair, blue eyes, possibly the palest woman alive... |
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Wed Apr 02, 2008 2:37 pm |
[quote="Northerngirl"]
| athena123 wrote: |
I loved Olivia Goldsmith books. It's a shame she passed away when she was getting liposuction done. All her books are hilarious |
No kidding, she died getting liposuction? ohmigod I had no idea! Kind of ironic, considering her humor... |
_________________
44 – combo/oily skin with a tendency towards clogged pores. Thanks to EDS, tweaked my skincare routine and normalized skin… no more breakouts. PSF, silk powder, Janson Beckett, Cellbone, NIA24 are staples. |
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Wed Apr 02, 2008 5:57 pm |
[quote="athena123"]
| Northerngirl wrote: |
| athena123 wrote: |
I loved Olivia Goldsmith books. It's a shame she passed away when she was getting liposuction done. All her books are hilarious |
No kidding, she died getting liposuction? ohmigod I had no idea! Kind of ironic, considering her humor... |
My mistake - she passed way after going into cardic arrest during her surgical procedure (face lift).
Have you read her book "The First Wives Club"?Excellent book and I loved the movie.
Her books Switcheroo and Young Wives are really good too. |
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Thu Apr 03, 2008 3:43 am |
| Nymue wrote: |
| Jenny1970 wrote: |
Fiery Cross was actually my least favorite of the six, the next one after Fiery Cross is my absolute favorite, "A Breath of Snow and Ashes". You'll really enjoy it. I can't wait for the 7th to come out:) |
I think I will probably end up agreeing with you on Fiery Cross when I'm done. I'm almost 400 pages into it now (1000 more to go for those that haven't read it), and I keep waiting for it to pick up. I felt that way when I started reading Outlander and then all of a sudden it got REALLY good. I've noticed similar peaks and valleys in her other books in the series also though.
Glad to hear that A Breath of Snow and Ashes is better! I have it wating in the wings already. |
I know what you mean, but once you get into them they're totally addictive!!! |
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Thu Apr 03, 2008 5:16 pm |
| Jenny1970 wrote: |
| HannaLee wrote: |
| I just finished and liked 'Lucky' by Alice Sebold...i actually prefered it over 'Lovely Bones' |
I really liked The Lovely Bones. Lucky is her memoirs right??? I didn't care as much for her newest The Almost Moon. |
Yes it is. I liked lovely bones, but I found lucky to be better for whatever reason...maybe because there wasn't nearly as much hype? It was just more vivid in the things happening, that i could understand everything she was going through without (thankfully) ever having gone through them. |
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