Last night I had this urge to read a book. Actually, I wanted a new audiobook for my walks. So, I did what any normal person would do. I asked my social media networks. First facebook:
Then twitter:
And did yall come through or what?! Here is the current list of suggestions (it’s still growing!):
The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes by Diane Chamberlain (apparently a recommendation from a recommendation!)
The Princess by Lori Wick
The Other Boleyn Girl by Philipa Gregory (I must have missed the bandwagon on this one.)
Just Between You and Me by Jenny B. Jones
The Red Tent by Anita Diamant (I have picked this one up at the library about 400 times. I must read it!)
Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen (This one is set in a circus. And for some reason that totally intrigues me!)
The Help by Kathryn Stockett (This was THE most recommended book. I’ve already got it on hold at the library!)
The Girls by Lori Lansen
Maid to Match by Deeanna Gist (also some recommendations for ANYTHING by Deeanna Gist!)
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson
Pride and Prescience: Or, A Truth Universally Acknowledged by Carrie Bebris
Zion Chronicles by Bodie & Brock Thoene (Uhm. They are my heroes.)
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
The Pillars of the Earthby Ken Follett (This one looks so good but do you know how long the audiobook is? 40 hours!)
Thorn in My Heart by Liz Curtis Higgs (This is the first in a series. I’ve actually read it but it was such a literal thorn in my heart I couldn’t read the second one. SO GOOD.)
Moon Tide or Season of Open Water by Dawn Clifton Tripp
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
Fancy Pants by Cathy Marie Hake
Anything by Tracie Peterson
Her Mother’s Hope by Francine Rivers (Already read this one! Waiting for the sequel!)
Kent Family Chronicles by John Jakes (Oooh, this looks good, too. I love generational family stories!)
The Heretic Queen: A Novel by Michelle Moran
The Greatest Knight: The Unsung Story of the Queen’s Champion by Elizabeth Chadwick
Are you even believing that list?!
Got one you’d care to add? Or second one of the above? Let me know, I’m going to the library TODAY!
The Other Boleyn Girl is very racy and sexual, not sure you would love it. It reads quickly but it’s really a trashy romance novel disguised as historical fiction!
The Red Tent also definitely has its sexual scenes, but I think the underlying story is very good and interesting to read if you already know the “real” Bible story.
I remember really loving Water for Elephants because it was so DIFFERENT! I am having a hard time remembering what actually happens in the book, though! 🙂
Thanks, Jess! Are there any sites that rate books the way movies are rated? I’d love that!
Water for Elephants and The Help were both AMAZING books. Complete page-turners. I was actually disappointed when I finished The Help because I didn’t want it to end yet.
I’m the one who recommended the Kent Family Chronicles, and I can get lost in that series for days. He also wrote the North and South Trilogy, which is just as good (and Patrick Swayze starred in the mini-series!).
Happy hunting at the library today!
I’m impressed with your followers’ response! Wowza! Bookmarking this!
A couple more (I’m a book freak) – I recommend anything by Jane Green and Nancy Thayer. Love their stuff. Jodi Picoult is OK, but sometimes her endings piss me right off. I do highly recommend her Nineteen Minutes, though. Also, Angry Housewives Eating Bonbons by Lorna Lanvik is my very favorite “chick-lit” book. I never get tired of reading it.
If you end up reading Dragon Tattoo, I want to know what you think about it so I can compare it with my friends’ thoughts.
Water For Elephants is being filmed currently with Reese and Rob Pattinson.
Hunger Games and it’s sequel Catching Fire are superb. Threquel comes out in a week. Quick read, young adult, cannot tell you how many of my friends are waiting to get the third installment.
Hmmm, might be wise to google some reviews on Dragon Tattoo, my sister who reads just about anything said that there were some bothersome themes involved. What that means??? I dunno.
Ok, ignore this comment. I’m sorry, I mixed it up with another book.
I didn’t suggest The Help, because I figured everyone else would! It was SOOOO good!
I’ve heard good things about the Red Tent, too, but haven’t read it. Great suggestions!
Oh The Help. I seriously didn’t want it to end. I think I need to re-read it and I just finished it a couple of weeks ago.
I loved The Help and The Red Tent! For something similar to Red Tent (biblical fiction), I also enjoyed Orson Scott Card’s Women of Genesis series (Sarah, Rebekah, & Rachel and Leah). A few that I have read more recently and loved were Little Bee and Someone Knows My Name.
I cannot recommend the Outlander books. They are very “adult” in a very descriptive way. I didn’t want to reply on facebook as to not offend the person who suggested it. 🙂
Thanks for asking this – I’m totally gonna check some of these out!! 🙂 I’m prob WAAY out of the loop on this one, but I just read Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers and I can honestly say it’s one of the best books I’ve EVER read. Ever. 🙂
The Outlander and The Red Tent = LOVES! Dragon Tattoo is next on my list. Good luck!
The Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon are my absolute favorites – not inappropriately descriptive at all as suggested by another commenter. Scottish historical, extremely well written, the few sexual descriptions are true to the story and the times and explains a lot about the motivations and feelings of the characters. EXCELLENT, EXCELLENT books.
I did a “Top Ten Tuesday” post asking for book suggestions awhile back and I’m still working through the list of suggestions — it’s awesome to put a question out there and get lots of useful feedback!
I second Water for Elephants…I probably have it in my basement, so I can lend it to you!
I have to second? third? the suggestions for The Help, The Red Tent and Like Water for Elephants. I just finished The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morten. I really liked it. It is written across 3 or 4 generations of women and a mystery between them. It goes back and forth but you get the hang of it quickly. It’s a long book but you don’t figure the mystery out right away so it is a real page turner.
I needed some suggestions, too, so thanks for the post! And I have The Help if you want to borrow it so you don’t have to wait for it. It’s really, really good (in case you didn’t already get that from everyone else!). And I just finished The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I ordered all three in that series from amazon.com, so I’m committed to reading all of them, but they are disturbing with some sexual abuse themes. That kind of stuff bothers me. Happy reading!
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This is getting a bit more subjective, but I much prefer the Zune Marketplace. The interface is colorful, has more flair, and some cool features like ‘Mixview’ that let you quickly see related albums, songs, or other users related to what you’re listening to. Clicking on one of those will center on that item, and another set of “neighbors” will come into view, allowing you to navigate around exploring by similar artists, songs, or users. Speaking of users, the Zune “Social” is also great fun, letting you find others with shared tastes and becoming friends with them. You then can listen to a playlist created based on an amalgamation of what all your friends are listening to, which is also enjoyable. Those concerned with privacy will be relieved to know you can prevent the public from seeing your personal listening habits if you so choose.
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