Read any great books lately?

I have been reading a GREAT book with my seniors, and it has started me thinking about other great books I've read. Mostly because my kids are LOVING this book (The Kite Runner), and some of them have already finished it...several weeks early. Two of my girls and one of my boys have been asking me for book recommendations. That has been so much fun! I think, if I had it to do all over again, I would have become a librarian!

I thought I would share some of the great books I've read recently here. (There are way too many titles to list - I am an avid reader - so if you want other recommendations, please let me know! There are a few that I've read recently that I did not like, and I'm leaving them off this list. If you want to know titles to avoid, I can help you with that, too!)

Books I've read and LOVED:

The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini

This is a beautiful book about friendship, family, love, and atonement. It's set in Afghanistan, and follows the lives of two young men. Amir wanted to be loved by his father. Hassan wanted to be loved by Amir (like family, not romantic love). Amir does unspeakable damage to his relationship with Hassan, and their lives go down different paths. When Amir is an adult, married and living in America, he is afforded the chance to atone for his sins against Hassan.

A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hosseini

I LOVED this book!! Like The Kite Runner, this book is set in Afghanistan, and follows the relationship of two characters. The two characters in this book, though, are females living under the rule of the Taliban. An unlikely friendship is formed between the two wives of a horrible man. Their friendship is what sustains them, and makes you want to keep reading.


Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follett

This book is set in 1100's in England. Not the type of book I would normally read, but one of my seniors read The World Without End, and told me about it. He had also read this, and I thought it sounded interesting. This is a real page turner! The prologue begins at the gallows, where a young stranger to the town has been convicted of stealing from the monastery. When he is killed, a young pregnant girl curses the town. The story picks up several years later, and covers several generations of characters.



World Without End, by Ken Follett


This book is not a sequel to The Pillars of the Earth, but it is also set in the Kingsbridge Priory, some two hundred years later. Again, you are drawn into this period in history, and it's as if you were there living it. You follow the continued drama of the people, and learn a bit about history at the same time.



Water for Elephants, Sara Gruen

WOW!! I had heard about this book for a very long time before I actually picked it up. Every time I looked at it at Barnes and Noble, I was very cranky. It's one of those books that doesn't tell you a thing about it on the cover...just has critics reviews. Who cares what they think? I want to know what the story is about and then decide for myself. I finally had run out of other things to read, and decided to try it. I'm glad I did! It starts off in present times, with an elderly gentleman, Jacob, living in a nursing home. The circus is coming to town, and Jacob is incensed when another resident at the nursing home brags that he used to work at a circus...carrying water for elephants. Jacob gets so mad because he knows that means the other man didn't work for the circus...it's impossible to carry enough water for elephants! Jacob flashes back to his experiences working as a vet for a circus that moved from town to town by train during the Depression Era. Lots of interesting events, Rosie the Elephant, and some drama to boot!


Change of Heart, Jodi Picoult
This book makes you think. A man who is on death row awaiting his execution has decided that he wants to donate his heart after his is killed. There are several problems with this. The first is that his state executes prisoners by lethal injection, which means his heart would be useless. The second is that he wants to donate his heart to the sister of his victim. The third problem is that there are religious miracles happening in the prison where Shay Bourne is being housed. Picoult's books always make you think, and they always make me cry. This one is no exception. It's told from the point of view of several people: Shay, the prisoner; Maggie, his lawyer; Michael, his spiritual advisor; Lucius, another prisoner; and June Nealon, the mother of the victim and the little girl who now needs a heart. This is not my favorite of Picoult's books, but it's near the top of the list! (She has about fifteen books now, and I've read them all. I think my favorites are: My Sister's Keeper, The Pact, and Plain Truth.)


Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, by Lisa See

This is a great book too. It's set in 19th century China when girls had their feet bound, then spent the rest of their lives in seclusion. Much like arranged marriages, sometimes girls were matched with another girl to be friends throughout their lives. This is the story of two such girls. It's a beautiful story that follows their friendship. Be warned, though, the descriptions of foot binding are heartbreaking. And if you don't have a strong stomach, they are pretty graphic.

It's All Too Much, by Peter Walsh

BEST non-fiction self-help book I think I've ever read! If you've ever watched TLC's Clean Sweep, you know Peter Walsh. He's amazing! He helps people get to the root of their clutter issues, and gives practical, step by step instructions for getting out from underneath the mess. He inspired me to do some major cleaning last year of the game closet...and it's still clean. It's literally the only place in my house that still is. I intend to dig out his book again and get started on my bedroom and kitchen this spring break!




Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse, by Stephenie Meyer
This is technically a Young Adult trilogy, but it was pretty darn good, if I do say so myself! I don't like vampire stories as a general rule. This series is the exception to that rule! It's set in Forks, Washington, one of the grayest places in the country, which makes it perfect for a family of vampires. Bella moves to Forks to live with her dad when her mom got married. She meets Edward at school, and falls head over heels in love with him. She wants him to turn her into a vampire, and he doesn't want to do it. As far as young adult lit goes, this is pretty great stuff! It grabs you right from the start, and you have to keep reading because you want to know what is going to happen next.

If you want more YA titles, let me know! I read those ALL the time...the list is WAY too long to even begin here! I have to keep up with my kids, though, and have other titles to recommend for them.

Eat, Pray, Love, by Elizabeth Gilbert

Another fantastic non-fiction book. Elizabeth Gilbert goes through a horrific divorce, and decides that she needs to take some time for herself. She plans a trip to Italy, India and Indonesia. She eats in Italy, prays in India, and loves in Indonesia. There is so much more to her story, and it's a great book. I'm a spiritual person, but not really religious. This book talks about faith in an open an honest way. She doesn't tell you what or how to believe, but somehow, you find yourself thinking about just that. You'll laugh, you'll cry, and you'll find yourself looking at the world through new eyes.

The Mother Tongue, by Bill Bryson

If you are an English teacher, or just interested in the origins of language, this is a great book. It's actually interesting, not dry and boring. Bryson is a journalist, and he explores the history of the English language.

On my bedside table:

A New Earth, by Eckhart TolleIt's one of Oprah's books...she's doing a whole online class and everything. I thought I might be interested, but it's taking me a bit of time to get into it. I'll let you know if I ever do read it...


The Other Boleyn Girl, by Philippa Gregory

This is in the theaters now, and I'm interested in seeing it. I always try to read the book before I see the movie...it's too hard to do it the other way around. I don't know much about it. I just know that it's about the Boleyn sisters who fought for the attentions of King Henry VIII.





There are still others that I would add here, but this list is already getting too long. If you are looking for a great author, especially for "chick lit" types of books, try the following authors (You'll love 'em, but your husband will most likely hate 'em!):

Jodi Piccoult
Lorna Landvik
Jennifer Weiner
Janet Evanovich
Adriana Trigiani

And many, many, many more!