Feel like kicking cancer in the crotch today? Go give a donation to support me when I walk in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure on October 2nd. Click here. Seriously. Wanna give a dollar? That's AWESOME. When we put it all together, we WILL find a cure for breast cancer. Then no one else has to lose their mommy, or their wife, or their daughter, or their aunt, or their sister, or their friend...
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Now. More about me. I need a new book to read, please. And, before you start flinging suggestions based solely on Oprah's Book Club, know this: Oprah's Book Club books make me want to open a vein. The real world has plenty of misery, and overcoming adversity, and spilling sympathetic tears to satisfy me, thanks.
What I just finished reading and loved (mock me if you must) was Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None. This is exactly the kind of book I like, mysteries that make you think - but, are fiction. Fictional fiction-y fiction! At no time while reading the book did I lament the plight of ten strangers on an island who were being systematically murdered by one of their own. There was no call to action. There was no questioning God about the misery in the world. There was no desire to jump up and go protect the weakest among us.
My very favorite book of all time is The Thirteenth Tale. It's a little bit literary (which makes me feel all scholarly and smart), but it's still a really good make-you-think-mystery. It's the only book I have ever read that, after having read the last page, I immediately turned back to the first page and began reading again. If you haven't read this book - YOU SHOULD. That's my book suggestion for you. You're welcome. (But, now that I think about it, I might need something a little more mindless right now...)
So, knowing all of this, are you totally confused or do you have any good suggestion for me?
17 comments:
I still have your copy of 13th Tale. What a BAD borrower I am.
Book suggestion from me: The Hunger Games Trilogy. Not a mystery, but it's what I like right now.
Will give you your beloved book back when I see you Zumba next...
Thanks again for The Thirteenth Tale. So good. You might like "Angel's Game" and "The Shadow of the Wind". Same author - I liked them both but many folks say "The Shadow..." is the better of the two.
I also liked "The Life of Pi" (it's not a math textbook). I am reading "The Passage" right now. Definitely fiction but seems to be a little more of a sci-fi story. It's interesting thing though. So far it's like The Historian meets Congo.
If you want something fictional and funny - any of the books by Christopher Moore are good. They are very clever and lighthearted. My personal favorites of his are "The Island of the Sequined Love Nun", "The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove", and "Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal".
I recently discovered that on Kindle you can buy versions of old books for 99 cents (some are free). So I have recently read Jekyll and Hyde, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Frankenstein, Dracula, and The Call of the Wild, Treasure Island, The Picture of Dorian Grey. These are just so much better than they were when I was in high school. I am in the middle of a collection of short stories by Edgar Allen Poe. I remember thinking that The Tell-Tale Heart was really long when we had to read it and write about it in school. Truth is - it's about 12 pages.
Happy reading. Let me know if you find a treasure in the suggestions you get!
mindy - no hurry on the book! i read it TWICE already.
springer - i knew you would have some good ones. thanks! i'll definitely let you know of good ones i find. (and, like you, i recently read Wuthering Heights and thought, "yeah. i bet this would have been PAINFUL in high school." but it was really good as an adult... we're so mature!)
13th Tale is being added to my list . . .
Springer is my book God.
I just got done with Pride and Prejudice. I don't recommend it, watch the movie. (I liked it better when I read it years ago) I'm going to break down and buy Princess Bride and actually read it. I could recite the whole movie by myself, so we'll see how it goes with the book. (I read Eat, Love, Pray before that and *loved* it. So needed that right now in my life)
Hey, and can I personally thank you for walking on Oct. 2nd? People like you keep people like me right where we belong. With our families.
Have you ever read "Lost Horizon" by James Hilton? It's not a mystery, but was written around the same time that Agatha Christie was working, and has some similar feeling to it. The book is a very quick read, and has an ending that I like a lot.
The main weakness? It's been referenced, spoofed, and spun off in so many other media that there may be points where you feel like you've read it before.
By the way, the Friends of the Library has their annual booksale one of the weekends in October (can't remember which, but it should be on their website or a library bulletin board), and you can almost always find some great reads there for CHEAP. Paperbacks are 50 cents, and hardbacks are $1.
mandi - glad to do my little part...
danny - can't wait to read "Lost Horizon"! i'm scared to just pick up a book without someone telling me it's worth it - what if it SUCKS but my obsessive personality won't let me put it down til i know how it ends?! (it's really quite complicated living inside my head... ;)
Have you read any of Steig Larsson's books (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, etc.)? They are good suspenseful, mysteries. Also for very light, funny, and truly fiction books, Janet Evanovich has great ones. The first one is One for the Money. They are all numbered.
awesome! thanks, tricia!
At the risk of sounding like a stupid, illiterate dummy, who is the author of The Thirteenth Tale?
Btw, have you read the Harry Potter series? A must read in my opinion!
you're not an illiterate dummy! the author is Diane Setterfield - i had never heard of her before i stumble upon this book.
OF COURSE i've read harry potter! magical pretend stories?! ummm. hello?! have you MET me, marcy?!
I too have read the Thirtenth Tale twice and think about reading it a third time...maybe once a year. Look at The House at Riverton and The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton. Really good and along the same lines as Thirteenth. For a head scratcher The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry (sp?)
As I was reading your blog, I was thinking...I'll recommend the Thirteenth Tale, oops, too late!! -Sharla
thanks, jennifer! i actually have read The House at Riverton. I'll have to check out the other two, as well.
sharla - i'm so glad to hear you liked the Thirteenth Tale, too! awesome, huh?
Right there with you on preferring murder mysteries and hating all of Oprah's picks. I've been reading Sandra Brown's books and enjoying them. She has a lot of pretty solid twists. Most of the time I can figure out what's coming in a book, but she's pretty good at catching me unaware.
I also like a lot of medical mysteries -- Robin Cook is pretty good but feels a tad dated.
that's awesome CG! that's EXACTLY what i have in mind.
I'm with you on this: the world has so much pain and misery that I can't stand to spend my reacreation time with more of the same. So, I like fluffy stuff that holds my interest but doesn't make me feel I need to do something about the characters problem. That being said, I really enjoyed "A Mennonite in a Little Black Dress" this summer. Since it is an autobiography, I should feel more guilty than I do as these problems were REAL. Yet they were funny, and, the author seems like she can handle things well enough to not make me feel meloncholy (sp) about something I can't do anything about anyway. Loved the book.
ok. if you PROMISE it's okay then I'll give it a try...
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