So I've been talking about how much I love being a member of Paperback Swap, but I haven't told you what I've been reading. Now I will. Here are some of the books I've gotten from PBS that I've read and enjoyed:
Charms for the Easy Life by Kaye Gibbons - This is one that Nicole had mentioned, so it was one of the first ones I looked for. I loved it. It's a celebration of the relationship between three generations of Southern women. It felt like I was wrapped up in a warm blanket listening to stories about my Grandma.
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini - This isn't a book I ever would have picked up in a store, but it had gotten some interesting reviews for it on the site and I figured, eh, I'll give it a try. It's about a boy growing up in pre-Taliban Afganistan and the way his life is torn apart by war and family secrets. I'll be honest, I got so angry at the main character during the first half or so of the book that I almost put it down and didn't finish it. I'm glad I picked it back up. Wow. But it's not for the faint of heart. There are some very disturbing scenes in this book.
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger - I'll be honest here, I didn't expect to like this one as much as I did. I saw the review on the PBS home page and it caught my interest just enough to request it. It's a love story about a man who finds himself spontaneously traveling in time, not by choice, and ultimately begins to use this opportunity to get to know the woman he will marry as she is growing up. It took a couple of chapters to get the sequence to make sense in my head, but once you get over that it becomes this amazing love story. It is one of the top three books I've gotten from PBS.
Marley and Me by John Grogan - I've already talked about this one. Hysterical and very touching for anybody who's ever loved a pup.
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver - This one was very popular several years ago, but I was never willing to pay for it. It was good, although I think it could have been a hundred or so pages shorter. The story revolves around an crazy, eclectic Southern preacher and his family of daughters living as missionaries in the Congo during the 1960's. It's not my favorite, but it was worth reading.
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer - Again, I wouldn't have paid for this one, but I was curious about all the hype and since it was free... I did find Twilight to be interesting, but thought the series went downhill from there.
Those are the highlights. Now the question is what to get next. I've started reading The Shipping News, but so far I'm not impressed with it. I have a few piled up that I haven't read yet:
Empire Falls
The Greatest Generation
Water for Elephants (which I've heard is excellent)
Bee Season (on it's way, but hasn't arrived yet)
But I've build up a few credits and want to request a few other things. Some of the books on my reminder list to choose from are:
Beloved
The Friday Night Knitting Club
Girl with a Pearl Earring
Jewel
Life Expectancy
Mile Zero
My Sister's Keeper
The Secret Life of Bees
Shoot the Moon
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
Tuesdays with Morrie
Year Zero
Anybody read any of these? Suggestions? I need some travel reads for the next two months!
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7 comments:
Don't know if you've ever read Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, but it's a good "travel" read.
There's also a book called Kissing Babies at the Piggly Wiggly - it's quite hilarious. Especially if you've grown up in the rural south!
I've read Tuesdays With Morrie, but it was a long time ago - was good from what I remember.
I have read Secrets, but haven't heart of the other one. I'll have to check that one out.
I've read Girl with the Pearl Earring and Tuesdays with Morrie. Both were good.
Girl with a Pearl Earring was good. Haven't read any of the others.
Moo!
Alrighty. I requested Tuesdays with Morrie and Girl with the Pearl Earring. Kissing Babies wasn't available, but I put it on my reminder list.
Sadly, I realized that with the books I mailed today I would have ended up with 13 credits, which freaked me out, so I had to go ahead and order some things to make sure I didn't land there!
Oh, and I'm almost done reading Water for Elephants, which I started on Saturday. Makes me want to go join the circus. Oh wait, or not...
I loved the Kite Runner. Twilight? Meh. Water for Elephants was great, and I LOVED The Secret Life of Bees. Tuesdays with Morrie was wonderful and a quick read.
Happy reading!
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