# Any good book suggestions?



## vivalamac (Jan 12, 2008)

I just got back in to reading for fun, with everything else on my platter sometimes it is really hard to sit down and read.  I like Dean Koontz, Patricia Cornwell, basically anything that is fast pace and page turning (not necessarily all crime novels)  Any ideas?  Just a good book in general!!!!!! Thanks


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## lainz (Jan 12, 2008)

the kite runner. OMG.


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## Araylan (Jan 12, 2008)

Running With Scissors (which I read before I saw that a movie was coming out, and the movie sucked lol)
Memoirs of a Geisha (same as above but the movie was pretty good)
The DaVinci Code (same again, but movie wasn't too bad *if* you read the book so you knew what was happening)
Rising Sun (Michael Crichton: a murder case)
The Long Hard Road Out of Hell (Marilyn Manson's autobiography)
The Heroin Diaries (Nikki Sixx's autobiography, very different from any others I've read, after most selections there are commentaries from him and others that were in his life at the time)
The Door to December (Dean Koontz: a girl is found wandering around and it turns out that her dad had kidnapped her and been doing experiments on her since a very early age)
The Mayor of Casterbridge (a classic that I read in 11th grade but thought it was pretty good)
Beowulf (an odd read, but good)
1984 (another that was read in school several times but I just really like the book)

Okay, that's a pretty big list lol...I read quite a variety of stuff so I figured I'd give you options from every category. Hope you find something.


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## user79 (Jan 12, 2008)

I was just going to come in here to recommend The Kite Runner and I guess someone beat me to it! I just finished it and I thought it was really good, but sad.


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## *KT* (Jan 12, 2008)

*The Kite Runner & Atonement* as mentioned before are really good books, both are sad (in very different ways). If you have any interest in seeing the movies you may want to put off reading the book until after. I've always been disappointed in movies if I've read the book first and that nearly always happens to me as I buy at least 2 books every time I step into Costco or Barnes & Noble.

Just skimmed what was on the bookshelf.  I read a lot, but these titles stood out to me.  

*The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova* - I read this just a couple months ago.  A suspense novel based around the history and stories surrounding Vlad the Impaler (aka Dracula). I like fictional books that link back to historical information. Fun read.
*
Beach Music by Pat Conroy* - I've read this book at least 3 times. This was published in 1995 and is one of my favorites.  This author has had three of his movies adapted into films though the only one I have actually seen was Prince of Tides (an excellent book).  

*Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts* - I read this book about two years ago and it drew me in on the first paragraph.
     "It took me a long time and most of the world to learn what I know about love and fate and the choices we make, but the heart of it came to me in an instant, while I was chained to a wall and being tortured.  I realized, somehow, through the screaming in my mind, that even in that shackled, bloody helplessness, I was still free: free to hate the men who were torturing me, or to forgive them.  It doesn't sound like much, I know.  But in the flinch and bite of the chain, when it's all you've got, that freedom is a universe of possibility.  And the choice you make, between hating and forgiving, can become the story of your life."

While the book is purely fiction, it draws off his personal experiences as the main character has just escaped prison in Australia and has arrived in India.  I don't think he could have had much wilder of a life with which to base his first novel. Go to Shantaram - Gregory David Roberts and click on author facts if curious, but I think it's amazing he's still alive.  

Johnny Depp bought the movie rights to this book and it's currently in pre-production stages.   According to imdb, "Russell Crowe was so excited about this project, that when he heard that Johnny Depp's Infinitum Nihil Production had bought the rights to the book at a whopping $2 million, he offered to be the executive producer just to be a part of the film."  While I'm excited for it to be made into a movie, I'm afraid I'll ultimately be disappointed.  I won't be re-reading this book until well after the movie is released in hopes I'll forget enough of it to really enjoy the movie.


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## kaneda (Jan 12, 2008)

The kite runner is good - would have been a fantastic book if it stayed at the same pace and been as unpredictable as the beginning - but it is good. 

My main suggestions: 
- The book theif - Marcus Zusak.  I've just finished this and it is one of the best books I've ever read.  It's about a little girl living in Nazi Germany and Deaths obsession with her life - its very good - very sad, but very good. 

- Shadow of the wind (forgotten who wrote this!).  i read this last year and loved it.   This is about a little boy who finds a book and gets obsessed with its author 

- The secret History - Donna Tartt.  One of my favourite books.  This is about a set of college kids obsessed with the classics.  It is fantastic 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




. 

*side note -  I swear I'm NOT obsessed by books about obsessesions 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	







)

Also: 


-Memoirs of a Geisha (please persist with this - it does get good). 
-Knowledge of angels - JIll Patten Walsh - fantastic book.  it's really hard to get into, but ultimately it is a very rewarding book.  
- American gods - Neil Gaiman (Neil is my favourite author, has an amazing way of writing). 
- Stardust - Neil Gaiman (recently been turned into a film - the book is very light hearted but still very good). 
- Neverwhere - Neil Gaiman (my favourite Neil Gaiman book). 
 *side note - really anything written by Neil will be good! - eeven his short stories!). 
- The mermaids singing - Val McDermid (if you live in the UK, this is the book the television series wire in the blood is set on.  the book is very good - its a bit sick, but very good). 
- Perfume - Patrick Suskind (SO much better than the film)> 

Think thats enough for now


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## kaneda (Jan 12, 2008)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by **KT** 

 
_

*Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts* - I read this book about two years ago and it drew me in on the first paragraph.
     "It took me a long time and most of the world to learn what I know about love and fate and the choices we make, but the heart of it came to me in an instant, while I was chained to a wall and being tortured.  I realized, somehow, through the screaming in my mind, that even in that shackled, bloody helplessness, I was still free: free to hate the men who were torturing me, or to forgive them.  It doesn't sound like much, I know.  But in the flinch and bite of the chain, when it's all you've got, that freedom is a universe of possibility.  And the choice you make, between hating and forgiving, can become the story of your life."

While the book is purely fiction, it draws off his personal experiences as the main character has just escaped prison in Australia and has arrived in India.  I don't think he could have had much wilder of a life with which to base his first novel. Go to Shantaram - Gregory David Roberts and click on author facts if curious, but I think it's amazing he's still alive.  _

 
Thank for this.  I also read a lot and that first paragraph does definately draw you in.  I will be checking this out.


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## *KT* (Jan 12, 2008)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *kaneda* 

 
_- Shadow of the wind (forgotten who wrote this!).  i read this last year and loved it.   This is about a little boy who finds a book and gets obsessed with its author_

 
Shadow of the Wind is by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, I also read this and also thought it was quite good.


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## Dark_Phoenix (Jan 12, 2008)

Lost Souls by Poppy Z. Brite. 
I think I've read Lost Souls three times, lol. It's amazing, very dark and sensual without being cheesey. 
Summary from Amazon:
 Quote:

  It is the story of a lost soul, a boy named Nothing, who was born of a vampire and is searching for his true family. But he dimly understands that joining his vampire brothers will cost him more of his humanity than he wants to give up. A mysterious, caring psychic named Ghost tries to save him from his fate and, because Nothing loves this man, he must choose to preserve his own humanity in order to save Ghost's life. The book is graphic in its presentation of kinky sex mixed with vampirism and murder but nonetheless compelling.  
 
Drawing Blood, by Brite too, is also a great novel but has more sex and less vampirism.


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## ms_bloom (Jan 12, 2008)

Anything by Matthew Riley, but my favourite and definitely a page-turner is Contest.


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## vivalamac (Jan 13, 2008)

Thanks so much, I am going to go get Shantaram right now!!!!


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## vivalamac (Jan 13, 2008)

White Oleander is one of my favorites


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## frocher (Jan 13, 2008)

......


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## MadchenRogue (Jan 13, 2008)

Sideways--all time fave book, better than the movie although i DO own the movie *hehe*
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




Killing Me Softly by Nicci French----WAY better than the movie...


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## Hilly (Jan 13, 2008)

She's come Undone
Summer Sisters...or any adult novel by Judy Blume. All Fantastic!


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## tabou82 (Jan 13, 2008)

On Beauty & White Teeth by Zadie Smith are very good reads!!!


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## captodometer (Jan 13, 2008)

Pox: The Genius, Madness, & Mysteries of Syphilis by Deborah Hayden

The Beauty Myth by Naomi Wolf


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## Fairybelle (Jan 13, 2008)

Pulitzer Prize winning author Jhumpa Lahiri's two novels:

The Namesake (which was recently made into a film starring Kal Penn)--very few books have ever made me shed a tear, and this one has.  Very touching story of a boy whose parents meet in India, but he is born and raised in the US.  Fantastic read for anyone.

Interpreter of Maladies--short stories in a compilation book.  Quick reads, but gripping tales that take place both in India and the US.  

Note: Read "The Namesake" before you rent the movie.  The movie stays pretty darn close to the book plot, however the book is what touched my heart the most.  


The wonderful thing about Ms. Lahiri is that she writes like a true storyteller.  No fluff, no over the top drama.  Just a beautiful story that just makes you fall into the book from cover to cover.  I just discovered her works and just hope she writes MORE soon.


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## kaneda (Jan 13, 2008)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *frocher* 

 
_The Kite Runner is awesome.  John Irving is a great author.  A Prayer for Owen Meany is a great book, but crappy movie._

 
Forgot a prayer for Owen Meany!  Great book - took a bit of time to get into, but really really liked it when it got going. 

Really nice to see so many people on specktra reading good books


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## threelittlebirds (Jan 13, 2008)

I loooove Middlesex by Eugenides.  It is so beautifully written, and I really have a thing for atypical characters in books.  It is a strange and compelling tale but if you're more of a conservative thinker, you may want to shy away from it.

I am also a devout Haruki Murakami fan (I pretty much worship the guy).  He is a Japanese author -- fiction that is humorous, enlightening, sci-fi, romantic, erotic all in one.  I hope I am not hyping him up too much but his books are incredible.  His most popular novel is Norwegian Wood, but a good starter might be a short story book, like The Elephant Vanishes or Blind  Willow, Sleeping Woman.


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## chameleonmary (Jan 13, 2008)

I just finished A Million Little Pieces and loved it!


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## *KT* (Jan 13, 2008)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *vivalamac* 

 
_White Oleander is one of my favorites
	

	
	
		
		

		
			



_

 
I liked that one as well, been a long time since I read it... never did see the movie, hehe.  

I always walk by the book table at Costco to browse titles/authors.  Anyway, a month or so ago, I saw 'Janet Finch' and thought "Oh yeah, White Oleander" and the novel sitting there was "Paint it Black".  It's still in the mountain of unread books in our bedroom, so can't actually recommend it just yet.


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## vivalamac (Jan 13, 2008)

I always walk by the book table at Costco to browse titles/authors. Anyway, a month or so ago, I saw 'Janet Finch' and thought "Oh yeah, White Oleander" and the novel sitting there was "Paint it Black". It's still in the mountain of unread books in our bedroom, so can't actually recommend it just yet. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




[/quote]

I actually started reading "Paint it Black" and it is so dark and depressing as well as SLOW, I just gave up!! I figured I would like it because I couldn't put "White Oleander" down, but it isn't anything like that.  Very slow and gloomy!


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## vivalamac (Jan 13, 2008)

okay i tried to do the quote thing but obviously don't know what I am doing!


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## vivalamac (Jan 13, 2008)

I am reading "Love in the time of Cholera" right now, it is a little slow right now, but hopefully will get better


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## Puglet (Jan 13, 2008)

I like the same type of books as you and I've just found an author called Cody McFayden who's pretty good


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## luckyme (Jan 13, 2008)

Any book by Mitch Albom:

Tuesdays with Morrie
Five People You Meet in Heaven
For one More Day

His books are semi short so from the beginning it does not seem like it will be forever but they all are about life lessons.


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## *KT* (Jan 13, 2008)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *vivalamac* 

 
_I am reading "Love in the time of Cholera" right now, it is a little slow right now, but hopefully will get better_

 
I wouldn't hold your breath on that one.  I read "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez and it felt like it took me one hundred years to get through it.  The most painful read I've ever had.  I wonder if part of my sheer disappointment with this novel has to do with the translation from his native Spanish into English... or if it's just dull in any language.  

Thanks for the fair warning on "Paint it Black".  Maybe I'll wait until summer to read this in hopes that reading in the sunshine will somehow make it less depressing.


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## Chic 2k6 (Jan 14, 2008)

I recommend these books

Heroin Diaries by Nikki Sixx - it is so good to read and there are some amazing graphic work inside the book, I recommend the soundtrack to go with it. It's surreal

Slash autobiography - another great book to read about ex Guns N Roses member

The Dirt: Motley Crue - I just started reading this book, and it's pretty awesome so far


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## vivalamac (Jan 15, 2008)

*KT* said:


> I wouldn't hold your breath on that one. I read "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez and it felt like it took me one hundred years to get through it. The most painful read I've ever had. I wonder if part of my sheer disappointment with this novel has to do with the translation from his native Spanish into English... or if it's just dull in any language.
> 
> hahahaha I figured, I really want to like it though because it has gotten so many good reviews, I mean it won a Pulitzer Prize so you would think it would be decent. I dunno


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## frocher (Jan 15, 2008)

Salt: A World History. The history of salt, far more interesting than it sounds.

A World Lit Only By Fire.  A look at Medieval Europe.


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## heeltohaunch (Jan 19, 2008)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *threelittlebirds* 

 
_I loooove Middlesex by Eugenides.  It is so beautifully written, and I really have a thing for atypical characters in books.  It is a strange and compelling tale but if you're more of a conservative thinker, you may want to shy away from it.

I am also a devout Haruki Murakami fan (I pretty much worship the guy).  He is a Japanese author -- fiction that is humorous, enlightening, sci-fi, romantic, erotic all in one.  I hope I am not hyping him up too much but his books are incredible.  His most popular novel is Norwegian Wood, but a good starter might be a short story book, like The Elephant Vanishes or Blind  Willow, Sleeping Woman._

 
I second both suggestions, Middlesex is beautiful, and Murakami is great as well. I love Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov, the language is so beautiful! Also Red Dragon and the rest of the Hannibal books by Thomas Harris are wonderful. Oh and The Lovely Bones!


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## lilMAClady (Jan 19, 2008)

ALL Harry Potter books! They are a vacation on paper! Contrary to popular belief they are NOT just for children! My fave books of ALL time!


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## labellavita7 (Jan 19, 2008)

High Fidelity, Prozac Nation


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## lvgz (Jan 19, 2008)

another vote for kite runner! LOOOOVE it.


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## Chic 2k6 (Jan 22, 2008)

I suggest this book:







It is so good, I can't put it down willingly, I'm always wanting to read what happened next, there's so much real life drama, crime, rises and falls, addictions, marraiges etc... It is fantastic to read. 

plus it has pictures too


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## AlarmAgent (Jan 24, 2008)

I definitely second Lolita, and pretty much any book by Nabokov.  Lolita is amazing, to think that English wasn't at all his mother tongue is crazy.  His use of a language foreign to him, his grasp of it, was greater than many people who speak English as a first language.  I could gush for hours, he's one of my favorite authors.

Also, in regards to Lolita particularly, don't be scared off by what the name has come to represent.  It's not at all a lascivious read.  I can't recommend it highly enough, to everyone I know who wants a book rec.

Right now, I'm reading A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole.  It's quite funny so far, and light and easy to digest without feeling too...popcorn?  I'm not finished by any means, and it's a bit of a long read, but it's very good so far.

If you're a fan of Dean Koontz, am I right to assume you like horror?  I'm only familiar with a few of his books, and they're all in the suspense vein, but I know he's quite prolific so it might be that he has written in many genres...In any case, if you DO like horror, Bentley Little is a great author for that sort of story.  His short story anthology, The Collection, is my favorite example of his work.  Granted though, I love short stories, they go with my attention span I suppose.

I hope you find a few great books to get into!


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## lovejt* (Jan 24, 2008)

The Bride Stripped Bare - Anomynous.

Very sexy book. Love it.


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## user79 (Mar 6, 2008)

I just ordered these books from Amazon:






















I can't wait for them arrive!!

Anyone else reading anything good lately?


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## lovelyweapon (Mar 6, 2008)

I'm a 'Divine Comedy' type of girl.


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## pumpkincat210 (Mar 6, 2008)

Right now i'm reading Love in the time of cholera.  It is translated from spanish to english.  It's not a fast read, but I've been picking it up in my spare time.  I really like the story line and he writes beautifully even though it rambles a bit in translation so you really have to pay attention.  I don't usually read love stories but this one caught my eye strictly because of the title.


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## AmberLilith (Mar 6, 2008)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *MissChievous* 

 
_I was just going to come in here to recommend The Kite Runner and I guess someone beat me to it! I just finished it and I thought it was really good, but sad._

 
ditto

I like this thread 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			




I've read quite a lot of good stuff over the past couple of years, will post some recommendations when i've read the thread...

Some of the books i'd rec have already been mentioned i think, so sorry for repetition:

Grotesque – Natsuo Kirino
The Book of Lost Things – John Connolly
Tuesdays With Morrie & Five People You Meet In Heaven – Mitch Albom
Breakfast At Tiffany’s – Truman Capote
Trainspotting – Irvine Welsh
Lolita – Vladimir Nabokov
A Thousand Splendid Suns & The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
All the Harry Potter books – J.K. Rowling
Lord of The Rings & The Hobbit (and others..) - Tolkein
We Need To Talk About Kevin – Lionel Shriver
White Oleander - Janet Fitch
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time – Mark Haddon
His Dark Materials Trilogy - Phillip Pullman
Girl With A Pearl Earring - Tracy Chevalier
American Psycho - Brett Easton Ellis
Perfume - Patrick Suskind
The Virgin Suicides - Jeffery Eugenides
The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
Girl, Interrupted - Susanna Kaysen
Dracula - Bram Stoker
Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
Geisha of Gion - Mineko Iwasaki
An Unquiet Mind - Kay Redfield Jamison
The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
Half of a Yellow Sun & Purple Hibiscus - Chimamanda Ngosi Adichie

That's it for now, but i'll probably add some more later.
I loved Mitch Albom's books, but haven't read the most recent yet, i didn't think i could cope with it as it sounded like it'd hit too close  for comfort.


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## Obreathemykiss (Mar 6, 2008)

The Desperate Season.

I love this book, each chapter is told by a different character in the book from their point of view.

I suggest you read it, especially if you are especially keen to psychological thrillers.


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## Esperanza (Mar 6, 2008)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *chameleonmary* 

 
_I just finished A Million Little Pieces and loved it!_

 
This will be my next purchase, one of my colleagues recommended it to me!

 Quote:

   Originally Posted by *AlarmAgent* 

 
_Right now, I'm reading A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole.  It's quite funny so far, and light and easy to digest without feeling too...popcorn?  I'm not finished by any means, and it's a bit of a long read, but it's very good so far._

 
This book is really funny, I really liked it. I read it when I was about 16 and I'm thinking of re-reading it again.

I'm about to begin *The Dice Man* by Luke Rhinehart, it has some really good reviews.


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## blazeno.8 (Mar 6, 2008)

I don't know if it has been translated into English, but I really like Pedro Páramo by Juan Rulfo.  It's very dark and it's not everyone's cup of tea, but it was wonderful when we read it in my Spanish class right around Halloween and Day of the Dead.


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## Pnk85 (Mar 6, 2008)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *AmberLilith* 

 
_ditto

I like this thread 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



I've read quite a lot of good stuff over the past couple of years, will post some recommendations when i've read the thread...

Some of the books i'd rec have already been mentioned i think, so sorry for repetition:

Grotesque – Natsuo Kirino
The Book of Lost Things – John Connolly
Tuesdays With Morrie & Five People You Meet In Heaven – Mitch Albom
Breakfast At Tiffany’s – Truman Capote
Trainspotting – Irvine Welsh
Lolita – Vladimir Nabokov
A Thousand Splendid Suns & The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
All the Harry Potter books – J.K. Rowling
Lord of The Rings & The Hobbit (and others..) - Tolkein
We Need To Talk About Kevin – Lionel Shriver
White Oleander - Janet Fitch
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time – Mark Haddon
His Dark Materials Trilogy - Phillip Pullman
Girl With A Pearl Earring - Tracy Chevalier
American Psycho - Brett Easton Ellis
Perfume - Patrick Suskind
The Virgin Suicides - Jeffery Eugenides
The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
Girl, Interrupted - Susanna Kaysen
Dracula - Bram Stoker
Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
Geisha of Gion - Mineko Iwasaki
An Unquiet Mind - Kay Redfield Jamison
The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
Half of a Yellow Sun & Purple Hibiscus - Chimamanda Ngosi Adichie

That's it for now, but i'll probably add some more later.
I loved Mitch Albom's books, but haven't read the most recent yet, i didn't think i could cope with it as it sounded like it'd hit too close  for comfort._

 
I love Alice Sebold!!! I don't care too much for romantic books but Nicholas Sparks has a book called The Guardian that made me cry, laugh, & angry.  I recommend it for Animal Lovers......


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## MAC_Diva (Mar 6, 2008)

I absolutely loved All Over Creation by Ruth ozeki!! Its soo good! Its more of a science genre, but it was a page turner! i couldn't put it down!


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## triccc (Mar 6, 2008)

I suggest:

Anything by Chuck Palahnuik
American Psycho - Brett Easton Ellis
Naked Lunch - William S. Burroughs
Naked Pictures of Famous People - John Stewart
Underground - Haruki Murakami
Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas - Hunter S. Thompson
Stiff  - Mary Roach
Doctors From Hell - Vivien Spitz


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## .k. (Mar 6, 2008)

i just finished the husband by dean koontz! im going to start mary mary by dean koontz now...


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## SuSana (Mar 7, 2008)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by **KT** 

 
_I wouldn't hold your breath on that one.  I read "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez and it felt like it took me one hundred years to get through it.  The most painful read I've ever had.  I wonder if part of my sheer disappointment with this novel has to do with the translation from his native Spanish into English... or if it's just dull in any language._

 
I read it in Spanish (Cien Años de Soledad) and I really liked it, so maybe it was just the translation. I also read 'Memoria de mis putas tristes' by Gabriel Garcia Marquez and really liked it as well.

Right now I am reading The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory, my sister told me to read it so we can go see the movie together, and so far it is very boring, but I always gives book a chance and she said it's a slow start.  I like reading the books before the movies.  

Oh another book I really liked was Wicked by Gregory Maguire.  I know a lot of people don't like this book but I loved it and I saw it at the theater and loved that as well.  I want to see it again as a matter of fact lol.


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## silverbelle282 (Mar 7, 2008)

i am loving this thread! i just picked up love in the time of cholera, moral disobedience by margaret atwood, and a marian keyes novel.... i seriously can't recall the name and it's sitting in my bedroom.

i'll let you know how those go.

white oleander, to me, was depressing as hell. i eventually finished it, but wanted to kill myself.

the only book that made me want to kill myself more than white oleander was the lovely bones. i still can't get that mental imagery to go away. AND i made the mistake of reading sebold's autobiography which is basically the lovely bones all over again.

i don't know, i'm one of those people who tries not to watch the news bc it depresses the shit out of me.

some good fast light reads?

i vote for jemima j, can't recall the author

and also for anything by marian keyes. an irish former lawyer who writes funny stories about the lives of a certain group of sisters who all lead very different paths. the books are cute, endearing, kind of whisk you away, but still have a depth to them.

i also love the book the feast of love by charles baxter. i read it years ago and it has been my favorite, it's a vignette style love storybook. i avoided the movie.

i'm just getting back into reading for pleasure myself, so i will be checking this thread often and i can't wait to see other peoples recommendations to you


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## macismine (Mar 7, 2008)

chuck pahliunik's invisible monsters...simply amazing. it really makes you think and it's just a crazy story all together that really keeps you interested...or that's what i thought anyway but it's worth a shot. i haven't read much of his other stuff but i hear it is really good.


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## Lndsy (Mar 7, 2008)

Fall on your knees - Anne Marie McDonald.  I think I have read this book about 10 times an I will read it again!

The Handmaids Tale - Margaret Atwood.  Sooo good!  This led me to read "A Brave  New World" by Aldous Huxley, "1984" by George Orwell, and "A Clockwork Orange" by Anthony Burgess as well as others...I got really into books about dystopian societies..very interesting stuff.

A Dirty Job and You Suck - Christopher Moore.  Both easy reads but I found them funny and will probably pick up the rest of his books.

And I love love love rock biographies...I think they are my guilty pleasure!   
Scar Tissue - Anthony Keidis was really good, the Motley Crue one was pretty good as well.  And I am really excited to read Slash's too.


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## AmberLilith (Mar 7, 2008)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *silverbelle282* 

 
_white oleander, to me, was depressing as hell. i eventually finished it, but wanted to kill myself.

the only book that made me want to kill myself more than white oleander was the lovely bones. i still can't get that mental imagery to go away. AND i made the mistake of reading sebold's autobiography which is basically the lovely bones all over again._

 
Silverbelle, I guess you don't read any of the 'tragic life stories' autobiographies n stuff??  (eg: Dave Pelzer)


Another couple list from me....

The Collector - John Fowles
Drowning Ruth - Christina Schwartz
Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly - Jean-Dominique Bauby
Prozac Nation - Elizabeth Wurtzel
One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest - Ken Kesey
Sickened - Julie Gregory
The Vagina Monologues - Eve Ensler


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## silverbelle282 (Mar 8, 2008)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *AmberLilith* 

 
_Silverbelle, I guess you don't read any of the 'tragic life stories' autobiographies n stuff??  (eg: Dave Pelzer)_

 
hahahaha yeah i guess. mostly because i already have my own tragic life story. but, don't we all... any who i just got done with law school and taking the bar, which means that for almost four years of my life i have been forced to read wretched and miserable crap (like cases from 1899, or supreme court opinions that make me want to disembowel myself) and i basically stopped reading, or thinking i could afford to (time-wise)

i actually did manage to read the vagina monologues, over and over, and my school did it's own production of it, i thought that was cool.

i also read a handmaid's tale (the poster above you suggested it) which i always tell people they should read, as a warning.

i've been about 1/3 the way through the beauty myth for...oh two years now. i should get on that huh?

i THINK i have a rushdie novel. i can't recall which one. i used to work in a bookstore, too, go figure. i'll get back on the horse. after a few beach reads, and when my life isn't such a hot, hot mess hahahah


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## S.S.BlackOrchid (Mar 8, 2008)

Harvest By Tess Gerritsen is a good one you like medical thrillers, I also like Catch 22.


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## Flammable (Mar 8, 2008)

From the top of my head-
Pride & Prejudice (all time fave!)
Kite Runner
Memoirs of a Geisha
Kaffir Boy
The Namesake
Wuthering Heights
Interpreter of Maladies
My Sister's Keeper
Da Vinci Code
Angels & Demons
Lexus & Olive Tree
Harry Potter Series
Monkey Business
The Quilt & other stories

I want to read Open House.


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## AmberLilith (Mar 9, 2008)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *silverbelle282* 

 
_hahahaha yeah i guess. mostly because i already have my own tragic life story. but, don't we all..._

 
Yep..  but i honestly get the 'but these people are stronger because they've survived n come through it' thing... i know it sounds cheesy as hell, but i do see it like that. My partner thinks i'm mad for reading 'child abuse' books that are bloody miserable, through choice!


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## kaneda (Mar 15, 2008)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *AmberLilith* 

 
_ditto

I like this thread 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	



I've read quite a lot of good stuff over the past couple of years, will post some recommendations when i've read the thread...

Some of the books i'd rec have already been mentioned i think, so sorry for repetition:

Grotesque – Natsuo Kirino
The Book of Lost Things – John Connolly
Tuesdays With Morrie & Five People You Meet In Heaven – Mitch Albom
Breakfast At Tiffany’s – Truman Capote
Trainspotting – Irvine Welsh
Lolita – Vladimir Nabokov
A Thousand Splendid Suns & The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
All the Harry Potter books – J.K. Rowling
Lord of The Rings & The Hobbit (and others..) - Tolkein
We Need To Talk About Kevin – Lionel Shriver
White Oleander - Janet Fitch
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time – Mark Haddon
His Dark Materials Trilogy - Phillip Pullman
Girl With A Pearl Earring - Tracy Chevalier
American Psycho - Brett Easton Ellis
Perfume - Patrick Suskind
The Virgin Suicides - Jeffery Eugenides
The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
Girl, Interrupted - Susanna Kaysen
Dracula - Bram Stoker
Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
Geisha of Gion - Mineko Iwasaki
An Unquiet Mind - Kay Redfield Jamison
The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
Half of a Yellow Sun & Purple Hibiscus - Chimamanda Ngosi Adichie

That's it for now, but i'll probably add some more later.
I loved Mitch Albom's books, but haven't read the most recent yet, i didn't think i could cope with it as it sounded like it'd hit too close  for comfort._

 
Holy shiat!!! Thats a great list - you have very good taste in books!!


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## kaneda (Mar 15, 2008)

*Re: Shantaram*

I actually bought and read Shantaram based on the reviews on here.  Have to say it, felt quite unsatisfied.  Loved the beginning of the book, felt the middle of the book took it down a notch, and couldn't actually be bothered to finish it which is so NOT like me.  
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 just didn't really enjoy it.  

Now I'm well back into fantasy and reading Steven Erikson books again


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## revinn (Mar 16, 2008)

I actually got a ton of the books recommended on here, and loved most of them! Here are some of my own faves:
-I have to cast another vote for White Oleander. I read it 17 times, it actually fell apart from me reading it over and over. It has completely changed my style of writing..such a beautiful, beautiful book.
-The Kiterunner - beautiful and sad.
-It's Kind of a Funny Story - a funny and poignant look at a boy suffering with chronic depression. Amazing.
-The Serial Killer's Club -I adore books about serial killers (you name it, I've read it), and this one is a really funny take on the concept of writing about them. 
-Blindness - Wicked plot.
-The Blind Assassin - Margaret Atwood is one of my favorite authors, and this book is a story inside a story inside a story. (Read her poem, Helen of Troy Does Countertop Dancing - my all time favorite piece of poetry).
-Anything by Chuck Palahniuk, Tom Harris, or Stephen King. My favorite twisted, disturbing writers. I've read every single one of Stephen King's books. Haunted by Chuck has THE single most disgusting, disturbing story I've ever read in my life. It's a short story called Guts. UGH, it's hard to get through, and after..well, let's just say certain body parts will ache. I cannot stress how awful this story is, and how much you have to read it just to see if you can 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			




That's all I can think of off the top of my head..I read so much (Mom's a librarian, I'm sure you can imagine), I'll add more when I think of them!


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## trip75 (Mar 16, 2008)

Rage of Angels by Sydney Sheldon
I love this book, I've read it like 5 times.


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## lookinlovely (Mar 11, 2012)

I am reading We Need to Talk About Kevin right now and it's great.

  	One of my all time favourites is, She's Come Undone.  I haven't read it for a long time but it's one I plan on picking up again soon.

  	Thanks for all of the great suggestions!


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