I’m in the market for a good novel. And by “good” I don’t necessarily mean Man Booker Prize good. I mean “will this entertain me and keep me off the streets?” good. Generally, I like to alternate between deep, profound books and pure swill. Occasionally I go for the in-between. So please recommend a book that you enjoyed. Not one that you think I will like, because you don’t know what I like. I’ll read anything. I’ll read epic stories about dysfunctional immigrant families, spanning seven generations, borrowing heavily from the work of Ezra Pound. I’ll read about Satanist sorority sisters and their sadistic sexual exploits. Truly, I have no standards when it comes to the written word. It’s a character flaw I like to pass off as eccentric charm.
So go ahead, recommend a book to me. If it sucks and I hate it, I won’t hold it against you. My husband told me to read Lord of the Rings, and we’re still married. Of course, I never finished Lord of the Rings. I won’t finish your book, either, if I hate it that much, but you shouldn’t take it personally. Feel free to tell yourself that I’m really busy and my mind is going, and I just can’t appreciate good literature like some people can.
There’s no prize, per se, for recommending a book that I end up loving. Just the joy of knowing that you’ve enriched my life.
No matter what book you recommend, each time I see that book I will think of you and I will either say, “I will always be grateful to so-and-so for recommending that book to me” or “Thanks to so-and-so, that’s four hundred pages of my life I’ll never get back again.” Either way, you will live forever in my memory. Who among you can resist immortality of that order?
I thought as much.
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March 24, 2008 at 4:06 pm
cheryl
Eat Cake by Jeanne Phillips (I think?) was a very nice short read. Fluffy.
These Is My Words by Nancy E. Turner is a favorite of mine (I’ve read it twice. I know if I can read something more than once than it’s a “favorite” because I usually can’t read something more than once).
Mandy by Julie Edwards (a.k.a. Julie Andrews, the actress) is a child’s novel, but I still love it.
Villette by Charlotte Bronte was fabulous once I got into it. You have to get past all the French, though. There’s not too much to be impossible, but just enough to frustrate. It took me three starts before I “got into it”.
Sorry. No italics. Like I said, I’m really not as cool as bythelbs.
March 24, 2008 at 4:22 pm
pretty
Jasper Fforde’s Thursday Next series. Or, at least the first four books. I haven’t read the last one yet…
March 24, 2008 at 4:47 pm
bythelbs
It’s really hard to be as “cool” as me.
Books…Hmmm…
Though, I hate to admit it (and I really mean that), I enjoyed The Twilight Series. I’m pretty sure that would fall under your “pure swill” category (well, maybe that’s a little harsh), but it was entertaining in an “I can’t believe I can’t put this stupid book down or it’s two sequels” kind of way. Scoff and scorn as you’d like. For some reason I’m drawn to vampire stories.
I liked Tracy Chevalier’s “Girl With a Pearl Earring”, but didn’t particularly care for her “Falling Angels” or “The Lady and the Unicorn” (but I was able to finish them–it takes a lot for me to not finish a book). I also enjoyed “Peter and the Starcatchers”–it’s light reading–a Peter Pan prequel kind of thing. I think there were some sequels to it, but I’ve never gotten around to checking them out.
OK, I read dozens of books every year, but for some reason my mind draws a blank. All the books I’ve been reading lately were recommended to me by you, so I’ll have to think some more on that and get back to you.
March 24, 2008 at 5:15 pm
bythelbs
I feel like I need to redeem myself after my true confessions in that last comment. Have you read much Amy Tan? There’s “The Joy Luck Club” of course, but I also really liked “The Kitchen God’s Wife” and “One Hundred Secret Senses”. And have you ever read “Possession” by A.S. Byatt? That was a good book.
March 24, 2008 at 5:21 pm
bythelbs
Oh, and “Native Son” by Richard Wright. I read that in high school, but I remember it was good. Not one to read over and over again–at least not for those of us who don’t particularly enjoy depressing stories–but a good read. I thought you mentioned on a post about banned books that you hadn’t read that one before.
OK, sorry for monopolizing your blog today. I’m going to shut up and go cook dinner now.
March 24, 2008 at 5:45 pm
Boquinha
“The Thirteenth Tale” by Diane Setterfield is a great one. “Cane River” by Lalita Tademy is another really good one. “The Shadow of the Wind” by Carlos Ruiz Zafon is another. Feel free to check out our book club blog for more suggestions–our favorites so far (we vote every year) are listed in this post. Enjoy!
March 24, 2008 at 8:22 pm
madhousewife
Bythelbs, you can recommend swill to me any day. I heart swill.
I’ve actually been dithering over whether or not to read the Twilight series. Now I will have to check them out. I like me some books I can’t put down.
March 25, 2008 at 8:09 am
Jody Mace
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett. this is my favorite book ever. When I finished it I desperately wanted to be held hostage in an embassy in an unnamed South American country.
March 25, 2008 at 12:25 pm
bythelbs
I also remember liking this science fiction novel called “Footfall” about elephant-like aliens who try to take over the earth. When you come up with a good list, you should share it with us–especially whether or not they were a waste of time.
March 25, 2008 at 7:23 pm
Autismville
Time Traveler’s Wife – Audrey Neffenegger
One Thousand White Women – Jim Fergus
Both really different … and really GOOD!
March 26, 2008 at 6:02 pm
cheryl
madhousewife–
Add me to the category of women who couldn’t put Twilight down. Blushing, but admitting it loudly!
March 26, 2008 at 6:06 pm
jo
Any of the Ellen Datlow/Terri Windling anthologies – Snow White, Blood Red; Black Thorn, White Rose; Ruby Slippers, Golden Tears
The Phantom Tollbooth – Norton Juster
Spinners or The Magic Circle – Donna Jo Napoli
Um, I should have mentioned that I read a lot of adolescent lit.
March 27, 2008 at 11:39 am
mcmommy
Check out Jasper Fforde’s Nursery Crimes series or Brandon Sanderson’s Alcatrez vs. the evil Librarians. “Librarians” is a middle school level series, but is very tongue in cheek funny.