OT summer reads

CypressCynthia
CypressCynthia Member Posts: 4,014 Member
in Breast Cancer #1
OK, I need some new book suggestions (not Forty Shades...lol). I am currently reading Ann Patchett's "State of Wonder" (love the medical/pharmacology connection) and just finished "The Weird Sisters" (the quirky Shakespeare spouting dad was hysterical) by Brown. Both books are great!

I am a fictionaholic. Would love to hear about anything new and different and wouldn't mind a less cerebral page-turner for summer. Something to take us away from our worries. Help!

Comments

  • Clementine_P
    Clementine_P Member Posts: 518 Member
    #2
    How about
    The Rice Mother - Rani Manicka
    The Second Duchess - Elizabeth Loupas
    The Virgin of Small Plains - Nancy Pickard
    Rules of Civility - Amor Towles

    I love to read also. Any further recommendations would be very much appreciated too!

    Best,
    Clementine
  • Gabe N Abby Mom
    Gabe N Abby Mom Member Posts: 2,413
    #3
    I picked up weird sisters
    I picked up weird sisters too, and yes I loved the dad. But I got about half way through it, and felt that nothing was happening...that it was still back story. So I skipped to the end and read the last two chapters to see what happened. It also really bugged me that it was always "our mother" or "our father"...I realize that part of the point is that they are separate but one. For some reason, I just couldn't get past that part....

    Of course it could all just be my big fat head!

    Hugs,

    Linda
  • MAJW
    MAJW Member Posts: 2,510 Member
    #4
    Clementine_P said:

    How about
    The Rice Mother - Rani Manicka
    The Second Duchess - Elizabeth Loupas
    The Virgin of Small Plains - Nancy Pickard
    Rules of Civility - Amor Towles

    I love to read also. Any further recommendations would be very much appreciated too!

    Best,
    Clementine

    Just finished...
    I just finished reading : I Hate Everyone Starting With Me..... By Joan Rivers... It truly made me laugh out loud...but be prepared she spares no one and I mean no one! Anyone who is easily offended should stay away from it..you can read a few pages, put it down even for a day or two..it's not written in novel form...
    I look forward to more "reviews". ..reading and painting are my two passions,

    Hugs, Nancy
  • CypressCynthia
    CypressCynthia Member Posts: 4,014 Member
    #5
    Gabe N Abby Mom said:

    I picked up weird sisters
    I picked up weird sisters too, and yes I loved the dad. But I got about half way through it, and felt that nothing was happening...that it was still back story. So I skipped to the end and read the last two chapters to see what happened. It also really bugged me that it was always "our mother" or "our father"...I realize that part of the point is that they are separate but one. For some reason, I just couldn't get past that part....

    Of course it could all just be my big fat head!

    Hugs,

    Linda

    Linda, Danny couldn't get
    Linda, Danny couldn't get into it either. I enjoyed it, but have to say it was a little soap-operish (is that a word?). It is not your big fat head...lol. It may be that I am kind of a weird sister myself ;-)
  • CypressCynthia
    CypressCynthia Member Posts: 4,014 Member
    #6
    Clementine_P said:

    How about
    The Rice Mother - Rani Manicka
    The Second Duchess - Elizabeth Loupas
    The Virgin of Small Plains - Nancy Pickard
    Rules of Civility - Amor Towles

    I love to read also. Any further recommendations would be very much appreciated too!

    Best,
    Clementine

    Thanks so much Clementine.
    Thanks so much Clementine. I actually haven't read any of those...wow! I can't wait to get started; I'm so excited :-)

    Three of my favorite books this year were "Swamplandia" by Russell, "Salvage the Bones" by Ward, and "The Snow Child" by Ivey. They are rather dark. Maybe I really am a weird sister.

    Swamplandia is Heart of Darkness meets Florida. Salvage the Bones was a recent deserved winner of the National Book Award. Brutally honest portrait of poverty. And The Snow Child is a spin on an old Russian fairy tale. I loved its poetic, lyrical rhythm and language.
  • CypressCynthia
    CypressCynthia Member Posts: 4,014 Member
    #7
    MAJW said:

    Just finished...
    I just finished reading : I Hate Everyone Starting With Me..... By Joan Rivers... It truly made me laugh out loud...but be prepared she spares no one and I mean no one! Anyone who is easily offended should stay away from it..you can read a few pages, put it down even for a day or two..it's not written in novel form...
    I look forward to more "reviews". ..reading and painting are my two passions,

    Hugs, Nancy

    I usually read fiction, but
    I usually read fiction, but am always good for a laugh. Thanks Nancy!
  • Clementine_P
    Clementine_P Member Posts: 518 Member
    #8
    CypressCynthia said:

    Thanks so much Clementine.
    Thanks so much Clementine. I actually haven't read any of those...wow! I can't wait to get started; I'm so excited :-)

    Three of my favorite books this year were "Swamplandia" by Russell, "Salvage the Bones" by Ward, and "The Snow Child" by Ivey. They are rather dark. Maybe I really am a weird sister.

    Swamplandia is Heart of Darkness meets Florida. Salvage the Bones was a recent deserved winner of the National Book Award. Brutally honest portrait of poverty. And The Snow Child is a spin on an old Russian fairy tale. I loved its poetic, lyrical rhythm and language.

    Those sound fantastic!
    I too love dark books! I may join you in Weird Sister designation. The Rice Mother is pretty dark - great story about an Indian family through the generations and all the crazy twists their lives take. The Virgin of Small Plains is a murder mystery. It is written quite well, but an easier read. Good for the summer/page turner. The Second Duchess is a great historical novel about all the evil doings of the Ferrarase empire in Italy. Also an easy read. The cool part about it is that in the story the first Duchess (first wife of the Duke) who was killed, has a voice and sort of narrates the story telling you what is really going on while the Second Duchess is trying to figure out who has alliances with whom and the like. The Rules of Civility is a really dark period piece that takes place in NYC in the 1940s. Sort of like a Great Gatsby kind of read.

    Thanks so much for the recommendations! I'll get started on those right away.

    Enjoy reading!
  • lynn1950
    lynn1950 Member Posts: 2,570
    #9
    I love to read, also and I
    I love to read, also and I too confess to being a fictionaholic, although I've been known to read a phonebook during desperate times. Currently, I am reading "Cutting for Stone." It's a WOW! I'm looking forward to reading "State of Wonder." Bookclub's at my place in September and I'm searching for a well written funny read. Do you think The Weird Sisters fills that bill?
  • CypressCynthia
    CypressCynthia Member Posts: 4,014 Member
    #10
    Clementine_P said:

    Those sound fantastic!
    I too love dark books! I may join you in Weird Sister designation. The Rice Mother is pretty dark - great story about an Indian family through the generations and all the crazy twists their lives take. The Virgin of Small Plains is a murder mystery. It is written quite well, but an easier read. Good for the summer/page turner. The Second Duchess is a great historical novel about all the evil doings of the Ferrarase empire in Italy. Also an easy read. The cool part about it is that in the story the first Duchess (first wife of the Duke) who was killed, has a voice and sort of narrates the story telling you what is really going on while the Second Duchess is trying to figure out who has alliances with whom and the like. The Rules of Civility is a really dark period piece that takes place in NYC in the 1940s. Sort of like a Great Gatsby kind of read.

    Thanks so much for the recommendations! I'll get started on those right away.

    Enjoy reading!

    I actually had already read
    I actually had already read another Pickard, The Scent of Thunder and Rain. My sister and I both liked it, but, like you said, an easier read than some of the others. Actually, perfect for summer! I will hurry and finish State of Wonder and then get started. I am so excited!
  • TraciInLA
    TraciInLA Member Posts: 1,994 Member
    #11
    lynn1950 said:

    I love to read, also and I
    I love to read, also and I too confess to being a fictionaholic, although I've been known to read a phonebook during desperate times. Currently, I am reading "Cutting for Stone." It's a WOW! I'm looking forward to reading "State of Wonder." Bookclub's at my place in September and I'm searching for a well written funny read. Do you think The Weird Sisters fills that bill?

    Any Downton Abbey fans?
    I (and my big fat head :-) just finished "Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey: The Lost Legacy of Highclere Castle," by The Countess of Carnarvon.

    It's the story of the castle and family Downton Abbey is (loosely) based on, during the same period as the series -- the Victorian era through World War I and into the 20s, written by the current Countess who lives there.

    It may not sound like summer escapist fare, but the Countess is a really evocative writer, and includes all the juicy, fun details -- I would get so lost in the story, I felt like I was really there in the middle of Downton Abbey. I highly recommend it for any fans of the series.

    Traci
  • CypressCynthia
    CypressCynthia Member Posts: 4,014 Member
    #12
    TraciInLA said:

    Any Downton Abbey fans?
    I (and my big fat head :-) just finished "Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey: The Lost Legacy of Highclere Castle," by The Countess of Carnarvon.

    It's the story of the castle and family Downton Abbey is (loosely) based on, during the same period as the series -- the Victorian era through World War I and into the 20s, written by the current Countess who lives there.

    It may not sound like summer escapist fare, but the Countess is a really evocative writer, and includes all the juicy, fun details -- I would get so lost in the story, I felt like I was really there in the middle of Downton Abbey. I highly recommend it for any fans of the series.

    Traci

    I love the PBS show--I
    I love the PBS show--I didn't even realize that there was a book behind. Great! Thanks Traci.
  • tmpage1273
    tmpage1273 Member Posts: 92 Member
    #13
    lynn1950 said:

    I love to read, also and I
    I love to read, also and I too confess to being a fictionaholic, although I've been known to read a phonebook during desperate times. Currently, I am reading "Cutting for Stone." It's a WOW! I'm looking forward to reading "State of Wonder." Bookclub's at my place in September and I'm searching for a well written funny read. Do you think The Weird Sisters fills that bill?

    Book
    My Nook goes with me everywhere. "Cutting For Stone" is on my wish list. May have to get that soon.
  • tmpage1273
    tmpage1273 Member Posts: 92 Member
    #14
    tmpage1273 said:

    Book
    My Nook goes with me everywhere. "Cutting For Stone" is on my wish list. May have to get that soon.

    Books I read
    I love anything by Jodi Picoult, Kristin Hannah and Diane Chamberlain.

    My recent favorite reads:

    "View from Delphi" and "The Healing" by Jonathan Odell
    "Once We were Brothers"
    "The Lost Wife"
    "Perfect Peace"
    "Those who save us"
    "Hotel on the corner of Bitter and Sweet."
    "Saving CeeCee Honeycutt."
  • CypressCynthia
    CypressCynthia Member Posts: 4,014 Member
    #15
    tmpage1273 said:

    Book
    My Nook goes with me everywhere. "Cutting For Stone" is on my wish list. May have to get that soon.

    I loved "Cutting for Stone."
    I loved "Cutting for Stone." One of my favorites! You have to get it :-). BTW, are you from Lousiana? I live near N.O. Can't help but notice the fleur de lis ;-)
  • CypressCynthia
    CypressCynthia Member Posts: 4,014 Member
    #16
    tmpage1273 said:

    Books I read
    I love anything by Jodi Picoult, Kristin Hannah and Diane Chamberlain.

    My recent favorite reads:

    "View from Delphi" and "The Healing" by Jonathan Odell
    "Once We were Brothers"
    "The Lost Wife"
    "Perfect Peace"
    "Those who save us"
    "Hotel on the corner of Bitter and Sweet."
    "Saving CeeCee Honeycutt."

    I love Jodi Picoult too and
    I love Jodi Picoult too and have read about 8 or so of her books. I also loved Hotel on The Corner of Bitter and Sweet and enjoyed Saving CeeCee Honeycutt. I have Those Who Save Us on my kindle, so I will be reading that soon. I do not have the others, so thank you so, so much for the suggestions!
  • tmpage1273
    tmpage1273 Member Posts: 92 Member
    #17
    CypressCynthia said:

    I loved "Cutting for Stone."
    I loved "Cutting for Stone." One of my favorites! You have to get it :-). BTW, are you from Lousiana? I live near N.O. Can't help but notice the fleur de lis ;-)

    Hi
    No, I'm not from LA but I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Saints. And I love NOLA. I plan on going back in the fall. I'll have to look you up.

    I will download Cutting for Stone now.
  • tmpage1273
    tmpage1273 Member Posts: 92 Member
    #18
    CypressCynthia said:

    I love Jodi Picoult too and
    I love Jodi Picoult too and have read about 8 or so of her books. I also loved Hotel on The Corner of Bitter and Sweet and enjoyed Saving CeeCee Honeycutt. I have Those Who Save Us on my kindle, so I will be reading that soon. I do not have the others, so thank you so, so much for the suggestions!

    Books
    A lot of those books are based on WW2 and/or Civil Rights stuff. I'm not sure why I read that type of stuff, because it saddens me that people were so mistreated. You will see what I mean when you read "Those who save us."

    I hope you like them. They are great books.
  • tmpage1273
    tmpage1273 Member Posts: 92 Member
    #19
    CypressCynthia said:

    I loved "Cutting for Stone."
    I loved "Cutting for Stone." One of my favorites! You have to get it :-). BTW, are you from Lousiana? I live near N.O. Can't help but notice the fleur de lis ;-)

    book
    I downloaded the book last night. I'll start it this weekend.

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