Very popular posts here on this blog are posts about books. So many of us are readers. Lovers of books. The last time I asked what you were reading was in the fall. There were so many wonderful suggestions.
So last week when I needed a book recommendation I wanted to go see my comments. And as you know I added new comments which are easier for many to use...but all of my past comments have vanished. This is almost too painful for me to even think about. Not kidding.
I decided to join Good Reads. I have been invited by friends over the years but wasn't very interested.
But now I am interested. And I want you to be interested too!
It is free to join. You can rate the books you have read. You can read reviews. You can see what is popular and read reviews of those books.
I love being able to 'follow' friends. I can go to Good Reads and see what Steph or Carol have read, what they have given five stars to...what they are currently reading. It's really wonderful.
I have also used Good Reads 'quote' section to find wonderful quotes.
I will link to my page.
Think about it. It just might be something you would like to join.
I would love it!
mizbooshay's page on Good Reads
But in case you do not want to join one more thing...
Tell me what you are reading now.
And remind me....what was the best book you have read in the last five years.
Thank you!
Encourage one another,
Donna
I shall update my Good Reads today!
ReplyDeleteTwo best books of the last 5 years:
Fiction - Island of the World, Michael O'Brien. Broke - and changed - my heart. Incredible.
Non-Fiction - Bonhoeffer:Prophet, Priest, Martyr, Spy (or something like that) by Eric Metaxas. Best biography I've ever read. Has impacted the way our family spends time together because the culture in Bonhoeffers Family of Origin was so compelling. Metaxas is a genius.
Steph, I think you need to write more about how Bonhoeffer changed your family. I would love to hear about that.
DeleteI would agree about your choices for both fiction and non-fiction. Incredible books. They are HUGE, though. Not quick reads. But transforming, both of them.
Di
What Di said...
Deleteand
LIKE button!
LIKE!
Deletejep
Stephie,
DeleteYou write a nice long review of Bonhoeffer and how it changed your life....and I will be happy to post it on my blog.
You are a favorite writer around here ya know.
Donna, what a great invitation! I will noodle on that thought... I didn't think I could put my love for Les Miz into words, and i did - so I could try to do it again. :) Thanks for asking, lovey.
DeleteMan, we are missing that like button, aren't we?
DeleteDi
I was wishing for a like button, too, Di!
DeleteSorry about the 'like' button. Apparently the comments are here to teach us that life is never perfect.
DeleteHeh heh heh...
DeleteThese are the easiest comments to maneuver in a long, long time. Never fear.
I want to read your thoughts on Les Mis...where can I find that?
DeleteDenise
nisey@austin.rr.com
I bought the Bonhoeffer book. It is in the back of the picture. :o) Thank you for the Good Reads recommendation.
ReplyDeleteI see it! I see it! :)
DeleteAre you reading A Homemade Life? I LOVE that book. Zack and Faith just moved to Seattle, and I told John I want to go to the restaurant she opened with her husband when we go see them(-:
ReplyDeleteI signed up for Good Reads a million years ago and never did anything with it. Must check it out.
I just finished reading a memoir called "Yes, Chef" about a man from Ethiopia who was raised in Sweden and now has a cool restaurant in Harlem. I liked it very much. I also read the first in a series by Alexander McCall Smith: Corduroy Mansions. Very funny. I greatly admire his ability to describe what a character is thinking, what so many characters are thinking. And he makes me laugh hard often! Laughing is good.
I haven't read the other two books in your pile. I do hope they are at the library. My 2013 plan is to not buy books, and the very first book I read, "An Everlasting Meal", is one I really want to own...so my conviction was challenged from minute one. BUT, I will wait until 2014, and if I still want it I will buy it.
You know I love posts about books (-:
Love,
Di
Di, do you read Molly's blog Orangette? She and her husband just had a new baby girl they named June. Her recent posts have been about dealing with depression after having the baby. I so enjoyed her book A Homemade Life and gave a copy to our DIL. jep
DeleteI just found Orangette...after learning about A Homemade Life on Good Reads from Di and many other gals!
DeleteYes, jep, I do read. Her pictures of her little girl are beautiful, and I found her writing on p.p. depression to be very powerful. She is able to write about difficult things with such grace.
DeleteAnd the name June? LOVE IT.
Di
I joined Good Reads a while back, but don't use it like I should. Maybe if I friended some people it would make it more interesting? I'll have to do that!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE your profile pic on Good Reads.
DeleteIve fallen off the reading wagon , too much knitting to do . Friends however, are still telling me great title:
ReplyDeleteThat Pacific Trail book about the girl who copes after her mom dies, is supposed to be great.
GONE GIRL gets amazing reviews from everyone...
I read Making ROUnds with Oscar, and it was good.....
Kathy, I hadn't heard of "Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Coast Trail" until my sister-in-law gave it five stars. The reviews are all over the map, however.
DeleteI really enjoyed Wild. The young woman makes both a spiritual and physical journey that I will long remember. jep
DeleteCarol
DeleteYour blog is so lovely. IM bookmarking it
Donna, morning after morning your updates from Goodreads come into my mailbox. I am so FULL of admiration. I keep telling myself that I will give myself a "Goodreads" day and update like a madwoman. Alas, good intentions.
ReplyDeleteI read your post and in my mind I weighed and balanced and the first two books were Island of the World and Bonhoeffer. So let me pile on to Steph's comments.
I think you would REALLY like Surprised by Oxford.
I read A Homemade Life after I saw it on Di's food blog. My friend Katie asked for a good book to read while nursing her bébé; she's made several of the recipes. I'm eager to hear what you think, Donna. She writes about her father...well, words fail me. A friend who spent her senior year of high school living with us is friends with Molly, the author.
And I adore Flavia! The audio book is especially good. It is at the top of my stack on my bedstand, because I wanted to read the print version after listening to the audio.
I know I'm being too wordy. But. The other thing very interesting about Goodreads is seeing what people hate. The one star reviews. (wink, wink: today's email!) I faltered a moment when my friend Hope gave two stars to The City of Tranquil Light, a book I loved so much I gave about a dozen copies away.
Ah, Donna. I love hanging out in the QLCS. Thanks for being such a gracious friend.
The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman. I have read it twice in the past year! LOVELOVELOVE
ReplyDeleteoh wow...I need to make a list of books read, or join Good Reads...
ReplyDelete-Simple Abundance by Sarah Ban Breathnach (the gratitude list literally changed my life)
-Books I liked this year: Wild (The Pacific Trail Book)
Fiction: The Middlesteins, The Fault in our Stars (YA book) was great. Sad, though...
Help, Thanks, Wow by Anne Lamott. Love her.
Oh! And the book that you recommended. Fifty acres and a poodle. Great book.
I am picky when it comes to books. They have to be just right, or suit my mood at the time...When one comes along that I love...OH!!!
My son just piped in: The Music Lesson by Victor Wooten. I read it too...Terrific book.
Hi Donna,
ReplyDeleteNothing makes me happier than discussing books.
Right now I am reading The Lost Art of Mixing, which is a sequel to The School of Essential Ingredients. It is about a group of people taking cooking lessons at a Seattle restaurant. The writing is beautiful.
I am also reading Magical Journey about making peace with midlife and changing roles and expectations once our children grow up. The writer is very thoughtful.
One book you might enjoy from the last year or so is Turn of Mind--a murder mystery/novel where the main suspect is a woman doctor who has Alzheimer's and is an unreliable narrator.
Two books that are great fun are: I Think I Love You--about a girl who is in love with David Cassidy in the 1970s and What Alice Forgot--about a woman who has an accident and wakes up thinking she is 10 years in the past. Both ware well-written and fun and thoughtful.
I could keep writing all day about books but must get to yoga class.
I'm happy to report that my laser surgery went well yesterday. It was not a fun procedure but I'm profoundly grateful to my skilled doctor and modern technology. I will find out today what damage (if any) has occurred, but right after the procedure my eyes were already getting healthier with reduced pressure and better circulation.
Thank you everyone for your prayers. It really helped.
HMBalison
Thanks be to God for answered prayer. Still keeping you in my heart and prayers, praying for no damage and a great diagnosis. Love and prayers, jep
DeleteSo glad to hear your surgery went well, Alison. I thought of you all day yesterday!
DeleteI have reserved several of your book recommendations at the library. You are a great source for book ideas.
I Think I Love You was a hilarious book, especially since I had a mad crush on Sean Cassidy in junior high (Hardy Boys anyone?) Allison Pearson's first book "I Don't Know How She Does It" was much better, though, imho (-:
DI
So happy to hear that your surgery went well, Alison! Continued prayers that you find out good news today.
DeleteMary Z
Thank you for sharing about your book love. But I am especially happy to hear from you today. I'm glad your surgery went very well. One more prayer today; for great results and thanks.
ReplyDeleteThe best book I have read in the last 15 years is Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin; it is the book Lincoln the movie is based on. I am currently reading My Antonia by Willa Cather. It is simply and beautifully written, and I highly recommend it.
ReplyDeleteBooks I have loved: Guests of the Sheik: An Ethnography of An Iraqi Village by Elizabeth Warnock Fernea, The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother by James McBride, The Middle Place by Kelly Corrigan, Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear, A Year in the Maine Woods by Bernd Heinrich, Truck: A Love Story by Michael Perry, The Journal Keeper A Memoir by Phyllis Theroux, Cottage for Sale, Must Be Moved by Kate Whouley, If You LIved Here, I'd Know Your Name and Take Good Care of the Garden and the Dogs both by Heather Lende, River Town: Two Years on The Yangtze by Peter Hessler, The Last Days of Old Beijing by Michael Meyer...
ReplyDeleteAnd, if you liked Molly's book...try: On Rue Tatin: Living and cooking in a French Town by Susan Herrmann Loomis and An Embarrassment of Mangoes by Ann Vanderhoof. Lovely, wonder-filled books make life delightful. love and prayers, jep
I forgot to say that the book I read most recently was: Prince William The Man Who Will Be King by Penny Junor. I understand the patronage of the royals much better now. It was a good book. Now that I am retired, I find myself reading things I want to read not necessarily the books on the best seller lists or the books most recently published. The Prince William book is a new one I read from the library on my phone. You can teach an old dog new tricks after all. ;-) jep
DeleteI loved On Rue Tatin and just happily reserved An Embarrassment of Mangoes from the library. Thanks, Jep!
DeleteDi
Hope you like the book. I fell in love with the Caribbean people and their lives. What an adventure! jep
DeleteLoved the French cooking school book. Am reserving An Embarrassment of Mangoes , too! Thanks, JEP.
DeleteI'm reading "The Racketeer" by John Grisham right now -- so suspenseful! Next up is Lee Woodruff's new book called "Those we Love Most." I've read so many good books over the past 5 years that I can't pick just one. "The Help" was wonderful, as was "Every Last One" by Anna Quindlen. Happy reading!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your recommendation of Good Reads. I've been considering it for a while, but I think I'm going to go for it. You've inspired me, Donna. I'll look for you over there. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteBest book in the last few years is by Madeleine L'Engle. Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art
Changed my life. Marvelous book. I think it's a must-read for artists (musicians, painters, dancers, writers...) of faith. Others may not care for it as much. Two of my nurse friends did not like it much.
I also really liked Death Comes to Pemberley. Those who adore P.D. James and Jane Austen will find a huge treat with this one. It takes genius to write a good Austen sequel, and James is brilliant. From reading reviews, if you don't like both Austen and a smart mystery, you might not be happy with this one. The ladies in my book club gave it a thumbs up.
I loved 'Death comes to Pemberley'!!! And I have never read and L'Engle. Looks to me that it is time.
DeleteYou should read The Irrational Season, Steph, one of L'Engle's journal/reflection kind of books. Its framework is the church calendar. I think you'd like it.
DeleteDi
Like.
DeleteThank you! Thank you! Thank you! I am loving the recommendations!
ReplyDeleteSURGERY?????? WHAT SURGERY??????? Karen F.
ReplyDeleteBlog-sistah Alison had laser eye surgery yesterday...and my sister Janet had vein surgery yesterday too.
DeleteThey are both home.
God bless and be with Janet in her recovery. love and prayers, jep
DeleteThank you jep. I'm glad you are doing well. :) God Bless.
DeleteI just joined GoodReads last month. I've been away from reading for quite some time and my tastes have changed somewhat--can't wait to see all the recommendations here in comments. Thanks for sharing your page with us, Donna!
ReplyDeleteLove Does, by Bob Goff. I'm not all the way through it, but it has been a great book so far, and I think it would totally fit you. :)
ReplyDeleteMy (big) kids love that book!!! Now if I could find it around here....
DeleteHello from your Swiss miss - we are in the mountains but thankfully we have wifi :-)
ReplyDeleteI just started "the Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry" yesterday and I am enjoying it so far. Also am finishing up "The Snow Child" by Eowyn Ivy (isn't that a pretty name?) - for book club, and have loved it.
This is great - love all the recommendations - also so happy about the surgeries going well. Thanks be to God!
LIKE!!!
Deletejep
Loved reading your GoodReads account. Wish I had time to do that...maybe someday when we are not helping grow grandchildren and caring for an 87 year old. What a pretty lady in your GoodReads picture, too! ;-) jep
ReplyDeleteI just finished Miss Peregreine's Home for Peculiar Children. I am still thinking about it weeks later and do not know if I would recommend it or not.
ReplyDeleteThe best book ever? Nearly impossible to pick one but I did love Gone with the Wind.
I am reading an old Oprah Book Club book right now: Vinegar Hill
It is so good I can't put it down and did not want to come to work this morning just because I was desperate to finish.
"The Rent Collector"
ReplyDeleteI didn't think about it too too long, so this many not necessarily be the best, but The Kite Runner. Not a light book--very weighty, emotionally, I think, but worth it.
ReplyDeleteI've been on GoodReads for a few years, but don't keep up with it. When I signed up, I just added a bunch of bible studies I had done, as well as some of the books I have read over the years, but haven't added anything lately. My full-time job gets in the way of the fun, more interesting things I aspire to!
ReplyDeleteI friended you on there... and since I do love to read, maybe you'll inspire me to crack the books more often.
When I was recovering from surgery last fall I read The Violets of March by Sarah Jio. It was a perfect read for me at the time, a mystery/love story that was well-written and a definite page turner, nothing too heavy. Loved it. As far as non-fiction, I bought A Homemade Life and thoroughly enjoyed it (have yet to try any of the recipes). I read Molly's blog. Her writing is absolutely amazing, I just wish she had time to post more often but she has the new baby and all.
ReplyDeleteDebbie Z.
I am in the middle of my first Kindle book (!) called Bernadette, Where'd You Go? And I am really enjoying it. The characters are so quirky and strangely lovable. I keep waking up in the middle of the night wondering what they're doing!
ReplyDeleteI have heard a lot of good things about this book :)
DeleteI love the cover of this book.
DeleteBut my favorite book (books really; there are 7 in the series now) is the Outlander series by dear Diana Gabaldon.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip about Good Reads, Donna. I have been reading a lot of non-fiction lately. Enjoyed The Book of Mormon Girl and Mrs. Kennedy and Me. As for favorites, I LOVED March by Geraldine Brooks. It's difficult to describe so from Wikipedia, "It is a parallel novel that retells Louisa May Alcott's novel Little Women from the point of view of Alcott's protagonists' absent father. Brooks has inserted the novel into the classic tale, revealing the events surrounding March's absence during the American Civil War in 1862. The novel won the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for fiction." I loved Little Women growing up and so I welcomed revisiting the story. I also very much enjoyed reading Don Miller's Blue Like Jazz.
ReplyDeleteJulie, I loved March, too! Geraldine Brooks also wrote the amazing Year of Wonders.
DeleteMary Z
I am reading the Lonesome Dove series..
ReplyDeleteHaven't read the series, but Lonesome Dove is such a great book. I cried on an airplane by myself while reading it! It's a genre I never would have been interested in, and that was in my mid twenties, but a co worker of mine was so engrossed, I picked it up and couldn't put it down...Love this book.
DeleteBreaking Night a memior. It is an mazing story!
ReplyDeleteI'm just about thru with Eric Metaxas's "Bonhoeffer", which is a great book.
ReplyDeleteI love, love, love Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" ... and "Little Women". The best read in the last five years was "Water for Elephants".
I enjoyed the book Water for Elephants, but had friends who did not like it. I heard the movie was not great. That I can believe, because for me the book is always better. jep
DeleteI started typing that my favorite book in the last five years was Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, but then I realized that it's actually been 5 1/2 years (which might make me kind of a geek for knowing it came out in July of 2007, right?). It was the final book of the series and beautifully tied up all the loose ends for the characters I had come to know and love. I'm currently re-reading Pride and Prejudice for the umpteenth time. Recent favorites were Cutting for Stone, the Ha Ha, A Fine Balance, The Bookseller of Kabul and The Forgotten Garden. Also re-read Les Mis in preparation for the movie, although I only read the abridged version. I'll have to check out GoodReads soon.
ReplyDeleteMary Z
Mary - I think we are a bit of kindred spirits :) I was going to list Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows as my favorite for the very same reasons - I love the series but this is the one I have re-read probably 4 times (before and after each DH film release) the story of friendship and love and redemption is powerful.
DeleteI'd be honored to be your kindred spirit, Susan! The first time I finished DH, I immediately re-read the 6th book and then DH again. I was so impressed at how J.K. pulled together certain plot lines she had started in the 1st book. And character development -- wow. I will always love the trio of Harry, Ron and Hermione. :)
DeleteMary Z
{{LIKE}}
Delete:-)
FYI - I am in a book club with a friend of JK Rowling! I was terribly geeked out when I learned!
LIKE-LIKE-LIKE!!!
DeleteThat is so cool! My daughter wrote a fan letter to JK Rowling some years ago and received a lovely letter and autographed photo in response. It thrilled her to no end! She's 17 now and still has them displayed in her room. :)
Mary Z
Several people have suggested GoodReads, but I never joined until today while on hold on the phone. GoodReads also has an iOS app that is well rated. Now if I could only remember the IDs of the people that encouraged me to join. LOL!
ReplyDeleteI tried to read Unbroken, but found it too emotionally upsetting. I put it away because I was crying and knew it would only get worse. :-( I hope you do better with it than I did. Just finished reading The Midwife by Jennifer Worth, which PBS' Call the Midwife series is based on. The book can be very moving, but also very disturbing.
Missy (Missyisms)
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteMissy, I started Unbroken a long time ago. I got bogged down by all the dying pilots. I could not believe they flew those death traps. ( my uncle being one of the surviving pilots... He only crashed once)
ReplyDeleteYeah, I got to those scenes and started looking ahead to the POW camps and had to stop! I've had several family members in the military, two in the air force, but just occurred to me that none were flyers! Did you hear that Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks are going to do a third WWII mini-series about the WWII air force: http://www.deadline.com/2013/01/steven-spielberg-tom-hanks-third-world-war-ii-miniseries-secures-source-material/
DeleteM
P.S. Do you like to read scripts? The script of Downton Abbey S1, including deleted lines, was finally released in the U.S. today. http://www.amazon.com/Downton-Abbey-Script-Book-Season/dp/0062238310/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1360110086&sr=1-1&keywords=downton+abbey+scripts
DeleteI pick up a lot of my books at antique stores so my reading material may not be as up to date as many here. I read everything and the book I am reading at the present is always my favorite. I read at night just before I go to bed as that seems to be the only time I find to sit down and pick up a book. I have a kindle and an ipod also that I use at night. E-books are great, but I still like the feel of a book in my hands at times. Solitary Summer was a wonderful old book I recently read.
ReplyDeleteRight now I'm reading "The Hobbit." I've read so many great books, but right now I have to go with "The Prodigal God," by Timothy Keller. It's an excellent book and has caused me to really rethink my relationship and dealings with God.
ReplyDeleteCurrently my favorite children's books are the Pete the Cat series by Eric Litwin & James Dean. Sophia just loves them! They are a fun read. I just picked up from the library, Bloom by Kelle Hampton. She's one of those inspiring people that I follow on instagram (not gonna lie, i found her thru snooping around on there) and have wondered what her story is all about. I had no idea that Ree Drummond gave big praise for the book. So that makes it even better. I also picked up Letter To My Daughter, by Maya Angelou. That one was my random pick. I'm excited to read it!
ReplyDeleteI have a list a mile long now of books to read!!!!! I'm so excited and I just can't hide it! :) ha ha
Sarah P. from Iowa
I'm reading Thin Places, a Memoir, by Mary DeMuth. It's really good.
ReplyDeleteI have been on Goodreads for years and I love it! :) So hard to pick one book ... Sarah's Key and Prayers for Sale will haunt me forever. Lost in Shangri-La was great, too. Anything by Jeff Shaara or Richard Paul Evans ... and Eisenhower's bio - At Ease: Stories I Tell to Friends :)
ReplyDeleteThank you for blogging about Goodreads. I have been looking for an app to track my books, the online site I had been using does not have an app for my phone.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite book I have read in the last few years is Rocket Boys by Homer Hickam which inspired the film October Sky. I highly recommend the book if you haven't read it.
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern was a recent favorite. Anything by Maive Binchy or Rosamunde Pilcher (Coming Home is my favorite by R. P.) And, oh my gosh, Jeanette Walls' books, Half Broke Horses and The Glass House are absolute must reads; the first is her grandmother's story, the other her own autobiography and they are the best I have read in some time.
ReplyDeletemy husbands brother is 52 and in the past year has been diagnosed with a very rare and not much hope out there yet cancer. since his diagnosis i have been on a mission to revamp my lifestyle. he has 2 sons, one still in high school, the other in college...while i have 4 kids all middle school and elementary. just about any book or documentary i can read/watch about making positive changes to my life has interested me. the book i am reading now is EAT TO LIVE by joel fuhrman, md, which is a lot more interesting than i was expecting. he gives a lot of examples of patients he has seen and helped get off all their medications and improve their lives significantly. it is so inspiring and motivating to know that what we put in our body really has a huge impact on our future. i want nothing more than to keep my body in the best condition that i can...and be a positive example to my kids. my heart goes out to those who haven't made the connection between what they put into their body and how their body responds as a result. don't get me wrong, i'm not some crazed herb growing, never eating chocolate or fries again, but i've really made a conscious effort to make healthier choices. the better choices i make, the more i want to keep making those choices. in the process i've lost 24!! lbs! and dropped 2 sizes...didn't expect that!!
ReplyDeleteLove to you :)
DeleteI will have to check out Goodreads. Thanks for telling me about it! I am currently reading Michael Ondaatje's The Cat's Table - a wonderful tale about a young boy who is sent by ship from India to England all by himself. HIs adventures are told from his perspective and it is proving to be a great read. But then, anything from Ondaatje (a Canadian writer) is always high on my list. He's one of my favourites.
ReplyDeleteAm I the only one left who still uses Shelfari? I feel like everyone has gone over to Goodreads. Is it that much better? Can you download your "shelf" (one of my favorie features)? The thought of trying to "move" my reading lists over there has me hesitant. It would take months.
ReplyDeleteI'm just finishing up the Wicked series (Wicked, Son of a Witch, A Lion Among Men, and Out of Oz) by Gregory Maguire. I have enjoyed them SO much I don't want to see the movie Oz that's coming out (because Elpheba was not wicked!) and that's saying something. Give me a good fantasy/sci-fi movie, especially one based on a favorite story from my childhood and I'm typically all over it!
Off to mine your comments for my reading list!
I have never heard of Shelfari.
ReplyDeleteI am reading The Last Runaway, by T. Chevalier. It is such a wonderful read...I am thinking you would enjoy it also. I have considered Good Reads, but just have not investigated it...thanks for the nudge.
ReplyDeleteI love Goodreads and have been a member for a few years now. I'm reading What Alice Forgot, a novel about a woman who loses 10 years of her memory. Enjoying it!
ReplyDeleteThe Story of Beautiful Girl, by Rachel Simon. When a book leaves me sobbing out loud, I give it 5 big, fat, happy stars!!
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