My old computer is taken apart sitting on the floor and the new one is out of the box, but still no computer dude to come set me up, so here I sit at Mark's computer, now with no way to do pictures...at least for a few more days until I get some assistance. The new computer is Windows Vista. I have no idea what that means or how to use it. Do any of you know anything about it?
The title of this post is BOOKS because I'm going to admit to all of you that I do not really read books. Shameful and embarrassing, I know! Sure I've read lots of children's books, but as an adult I haven't read a book from cover to cover and I'd really like to. My question to all of you avid readers out there is what books would you recommend to someone like me? I want something that would suck me in so that I wouldn't want to put it down and give me pure enjoyment, but not so deep that it would be a hard read. Any suggestions are welcome.
I'm off to go make dinner. On tonight's menu we are having pork chops, stuffing, baby white potatoes, and honey butter glazed baby carrots. I'm starving!
P.S. I got my tooth fixed today so I no longer look like a hillbilly. :o)
The title of this post is BOOKS because I'm going to admit to all of you that I do not really read books. Shameful and embarrassing, I know! Sure I've read lots of children's books, but as an adult I haven't read a book from cover to cover and I'd really like to. My question to all of you avid readers out there is what books would you recommend to someone like me? I want something that would suck me in so that I wouldn't want to put it down and give me pure enjoyment, but not so deep that it would be a hard read. Any suggestions are welcome.
I'm off to go make dinner. On tonight's menu we are having pork chops, stuffing, baby white potatoes, and honey butter glazed baby carrots. I'm starving!
P.S. I got my tooth fixed today so I no longer look like a hillbilly. :o)
32 comments:
Terry McMillan's A Day Late and a Dollar Short. It's a fictional acct. of how a mom deals with having GROWN children. When Mom wears my nerves, I call her "Viola," which is the protagonist's name.
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (Ann Brasheres).
Saving Karyn, by Karyn Bosnak. Her true story of how she got herself into huge debt by shopping and how she got out of it by selling her stuff on eBay and basically just asking people on line to send her money. You might remember seeing her on the Today Show years ago with Matt Lauer. FUN read, totally hilarious and not too heavy.
I love, love, love the Diana Gabaldon series The Outlander, there about 6 of them. I really enjoyed the series.
Definately the Sisterhood of The Traveling Pants, they are a great series to read.
I also am a Harry Potter freak, which not everyone is. Kinda a take it or leave it thing.
I don't get much time to read these days, but every once in awhile I ignore my kids and go for it ;-)
I'm not a reader either but the first book i remember reading all the way through and was excited about reading was The Testament, by John Grisham. Its about a man with a lot of money and what happens to all of his fortune when he passes (look it up and read the "intro"). It had me hooked in the first chapter. I have read a few of his books and i liked them all!!!! The painted house is good too but not as good as the testament.
Oh Jolene, you have to read Twilight by Stephenie Meyer! It is considered young adult fiction, but all the ladies in my ward who've read it have loved it. At any rate, it is a great "can't put it down" escape from reality.
I have Windows Vista. It is Microsoft's replacement for Windows XP. I'm not sure how to explain it, but there are some cool applications that came with it, like the DVD maker for making DVDs with photos and music. Try looking it up on Wikipedia. It gives a rundown of the new features. The most frustrating thing for me was program incompatibility. I couldn't use my WordPerfect or my PSE 3 with it so I had to upgrade to PSE 5. I got my new computer just days after Windows Vista came out, so things have probably caught up to it by now. I love that I can choose to have huge thumbnails when looking through my picture files.
Debbie Macomber is a GREAT Author!!! Shirley, Goodness & Mercy is a good one! Well they are all good. I suggest go to the library and check her out!!
I love to read Debbie Macomber, Danielle Steel, Fern Michaels, Nicholas Sparks and Luanne Rice. All have a little bit of that drama mixed in with love but not too much of it that it gets too hard to understand what is going on.
By that way I have been a lurker for a while now on your blog. You have an amazing family and they are all absolutely handsome and beautiful. Love all of your scrapbooking layouts and love love love the scrapbooking room. Wish I was a long lost niece or something who just happened to live close (not just because of the room but just to be part of the family in general - looks like you all have so many fun times).
Totally know where you're coming from on the reading thing...but here are some of my favorites...
actually, check it out on my blog, Jolene... you'll see what I'm into at the moment... and loving 'Twilight' by the way.. also... anything by Nicholas Sparks, Anita Shreve, Elizabeth Berg, Mary Higgins Clark, Jodi Picoult, ... happy reading and good luck with the new computer...
MMM...dinner sounds good. Well, the only reading I have done in the past two years is terribly boring medical books. But, I did manage to squeeze in Memoirs of a Geisha...it was great.
I am not a reader either but Harry Potter sucked me in...full of suspense and it's not just for kids. Don't believe everything you hear about it....that is why I read it because I wanted to check it out before my kids because of all the bad things I heard. They are not true....great books.
But on a more grow up note...Tuesdays With Morrie is a book that I read once a year just because of the life lessons I take in every time I read it...definately a one day book...very moving and powerful story.
I was like you when it came to reading until I worked at a bookstore for a summer and then fell in love with books. I hope you can find that joy too.
You can't really go wrong with anything written by Nicholas Sparks, The Notebook was his first I think and still my favorite. The Five People You Meet in Heaven or Tuesdays With Morrie both written by Mitch Albom are really good too. I have an eight year old daughter and we have read the Harry Potter series as a family and we have loved that. I have also found that I like just about all of the books on Oprah's book club list also. If you can't tell, books get me so excited. You can just lose yourself in another time and place. I don't get to read as much as I'd like since I'm a wife, mom, and work full time, but I'm actually expecting right now and I've started compiling a list of books that I want to read while I'm spending all that quiet time nursing. Good luck finding something that draws you in and enjoy.
Desi
Totally get the non reader thing so I too look for books that suck me in quickly. I LOVE the Ya-Ya sisterhood books. They are funny and touching and a quick read. :0)
Hi Jolene!!
Hmm... I would recommend anything by Jodi Picoult... specifically "Memory Keeper's Daughter" Also Mitch Albom, "Five people you meet in heaven" (a easy read. The Harry Potter books are awesome too!
Good lucK! :)
I agree - Love those Harry Potter books!
Sue
Jolene -
Good for you.. reading! I'm an avid reader and it's my favorite way to past the time(when I find myself with nothing to do!).
As mentioned, Nicholas Sparks and Jodi Picoult are among my favorites, along with anything by Karen Kingsbury. You will LOVE her stuff! Very real, very inspiring.
I like suspense thrillers, too, and have found Greg Iles and Lee Child to be good authors in this genre.
Find an author you like and then read everything they've written - always a good place to start. Oh, and check out the library... a wonderful, no-cost source for reading 'til your heart's content!
Let us know what you grab first!
Hi Jolene, I LOVE reading - hence why I work in a bookstore. However, my tastes differ greatly from your other readers. If you go to my main blog, there is a link for my other blog (my life in a bookshelf) Now, these books are not for the faint of heart LOL!! I am big into paranormal romance and science fiction. However, my most favorite author writes neither - Janet Evanovich!! Others that I read are Sherrilyn Kenyon, Karen Chance, Patricia Briggs, Lori Foster, Katie MacAlister, Lynsay Sands, Linda Howard, Jaid Black, Kate Douglas, Jean Johnson - some of Nora Roberts, Casey Daniels. WOW, I could go on and on LOL!! On the flip side of that genra, I love Pamela Britton and Sophie Kinsella. Not a huge Sparks fan and not into straight fiction horror stuff like King and Koontz. I would really recommend Janet Evanovich - she writes a mystery romance type story (more mystery than romance - in fact little romance, but a hint of a relationship between the main character and the cop) She is funny and an extremely easy read and there are 15 in the series so if you like "One For the Money" you could continue on with the series. Hope you find something you like!!
I read lots of book reviews in the newspaper and in magazines. I usually look up books on amazon.com and read reviews before buying or checking them out of the library. The New York Times bestseller list is a good list to start with (Marley & Me is a wonderful book -- I know the author!). Do you like biographies? I went through a biography phase. You might like books geared for adolescents -- there are a lot of good ones. Look at the Newbery Medal winners. I've read some of those.
If you want to graduate from children's books, I would rec. a trip to the library and head to the young adult section. Read the book summary or pick one because you like the cover. Really, don't start with something huge or heavy because you will never finish it and will only reinforce your hesitancy to read.
If you haven't read Bridge to Terabithia, try it and call me when you get to the part that makes you cry. 5th grade reads it every year and I still cry, much to their delight!
If you want to try Mystery, Sue Grafton is an easy read. Don't forget to start with A is for Alibi.
PS I love Roald Dahl. Go for George's Marvelous Medicine! LOL
Okay, I already answered the question when we chatted last week so I now I have a little surprise for you.....I found copies of Nicholas Sparks' The Wedding and A Walk to Remember and John Grisham's Bleachers while perusing the local used book store and will send you the goodie package as soon as you e-mail me your mailing address!
Just doing my part in spreading the passion of books!!! :)
Hugs,
-d.
totally read nicholas sparks books...i swear they are written at an eighth grade level for when you just don't want reading to be "work." they are such an easy, fun read - the way it should be!
I also love Nicholas Sparks. My Mother-in-law has also got me hooked on Anita Stansfield (an LDS author).
I also read a lot of "business" books. I loved The Millionaire Next Door and The Secret (although I'd rather just watch the Secret on DVD instead of read it!)
Wow! I'm glad you did this post. I have some great ideas for books I want to read now with all these recommendations!
Your dinner sure sounds yummy!
I'm anxious for you to get your new computer up and running where you can post pictures!!!
Mmmmm...your dinner sounds good!! I LOVE books. I read constantly. Very rarely do I get tired of reading. When I do, I catch up on my magazines instead of novels! LOL For book club this month, I just finished a memoir called "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls. Fabulous. I really enjoyed her writing style, making the best out of a hard upbringing. Anyway, if you wanted to start with something nonfiction, I would highly recommend it. However, if you want fiction, then that really depends on what genre interests you the most. Romance/mystery, I highly recommend Nora Roberts (warning - she does have language and s-e-* scenes, if those bother you). Mystery, Agatha Christie is by far the all-time best. The way she weaves a story with plot twists and a surprise at the end, incredible. I've yet to solve one of her mysteries (unless I peeked at the end first! LOL). If you like legal thrillers, Lisa Scottoline is fabulous, as is Linda Fairstein. If you like the CSI shows, read Patricia Cornwell. If you want a good LDS romance, read Anita Stansfield or Rachel Ann Nunes. Then there's always the Work & The Glory seies. An easy suspense read is Mary Higgins Clark. Hmmmm....I could probably recommend more, but I don't want to overwhelm ya!! LOL
Wow! Great reading recommendations. I have a completely different rec. I went about 20 years without being a reader, although I read voraciously as a teen/young adult. So I started picking up picture books by Chris Van Allsburgh and James Marshall and read one or two a night to the kids. Yes, the big kids! They thought it was silly at first, but they became addicted very very shortly!!! ha! Then we moved on to novels. By reading aloud to them, it kept me on my toes, because as soon as THEY were hooked on the read-a-loud habit I HAD to read our current book to them every day! Peaceful family time would last for hours! Astonishing! I recommend the Harry Potter series DON'T MISS IT!!! Go to the bookstore this Friday and participate in the Harry Potter party to get your interest up .. and then buy book 1 and start reading it. My sister recommended it to me as the best book she had ever read!!!! (she's a HUGE reader) and I couldn't get past chapters 1 and 2! Boring! (laid the foundation) But one day I had NOTHING ELSE to read, so I grudgingly picked up HP 1 and started reading. Once I hit chapter three I was hooked and every chapter in that and the six books that followed had me and the kids on the edge of our seats ever since! PHENOMENAL! The last book comes out Friday and we have been DYING TO GET IT!!! Also ... read the Time Warp Trio series. Funny funny books that teenaged boys (and I) love! Short and hilarious. Also, I have a zillion more if you want. Once you hook the kids, reading on your own will be something you will have to hold yourself back from. They will watch you like a hawk to make sure you aren't reading WITHOUT them, and you'll barely be able to restrain yourself.
Check out Oprah's book list...her recommendations have never left me disappointed!
I love any Nicholas Sparks or Danielle Steel books- sometimes a little slow in the beginning but always worth it!
Got your note...you are sooooo welcome! I deleted it from the public view though so the whole world won't know where you live! Never know who might be blog-stalking! LOL! ;)
I'll have them in the mail tomorrow for ya! enjoy!
-d.
LOL Wendster's comment made me giggle. Chris used to come up and get in bed and we would read a chapter book aloud. Sometimes taking turns, usually just me. I used to torture him to stay awake so we could read more than a couple of pages (Sit up, go get a drink of water...) and he would be hopping MAD the next night when I couldn't remember where we had left off because I had read on without him!
Margaret Haddux Peterson...I think that's right. She's my favorite, favorite, favorite youth writer! She has "Among the Hidden" which is fantastic and is a series. You should read "Running Out of Time". I've read everything of hers I can get my hands on because I can read them in about an hour.
Mitch Albom's books...anything by John Grisham, Marley and Me,
Janet Evanovich's books...oh my gosh! I would guess all these recommendations will have you reading for years! I loved reading through the comments!
Love,
Sue
the books are on their way for your reading pleasure! ;)
Have a great weekend! -d.
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