Need 2 GREAT books to read. Any suggestions??

[FuturePsyD]

Hi all,

I am looking to buy 2 books that are absolute page turners. I recently finished The Help, Firefly Lane and Rebecca and loved them all. Before that, I read the Games triology due to all the hoopla and while I enjoyed it, I prefer books like the former three I mentioned. I am not particularly into fantasy or sci fi.

I just started The Bell Jar and The Bluest Eye. Both are great books, but not exactly page turners for me. Can anyone recommend any AMAZING fiction books, whether current or classic? I would really appreciate any suggestions!!!

Thanks!

 

[princesss]

Sarah's Key!

 

[athenaworth]

I just read To Kill a Mockingbird for the first time (I know, I'm behind) and am in love. But probably everybody and their brother has read that one. Another really good one is The Summer Guest by Justin Cronin. I didn't want it to end.

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

If you like historical fiction, I would really recommend Pillars of the Earth. And if you like non-fiction, a couple that were really good were Skeletons on the Zahara by Dean King, and Not Without My Daughter by Betty Mahmoody.

 

[princesss]

Oh, I heard the most interesting author on NPR the other day - Mary Roach. She wrote Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers, Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex (I really want to read this!), and Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void (Looking at these together, I think she really likes the word "curious".) I picked up Packing for Mars and skimmed through it/read the first chapter and it was pretty engaging.

 

[KimberlyH]

Olive Kittenridge by Elizabeth Strout

On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan

Blindness by Jose Seragamo (sp?)

 

[Haven]

The best page turners I've read recently are:

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
Replay by Ken Grimwood
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout

And of course, please buy from your local independent bookstore!

 

[Karl_K]

pet cemetery by King
will scare the crud outa ya and you wont be able to put it down lol
Was just finished reading it for the 3rd or 4th time and my neighbor knocked on the door... about went through the ceiling!

 

[Gypsy]

It's 'teen lit" but excellent reading Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins. DEFINITE page turners.

I also REALLY enjoyed "Happy Hour at Casa Dracula" it's chick lit with a little paranormal. Funny and light. I stayed up all night reading it.

 

[Circe]

Generation Loss, by Liz Hand, is one of the "realest" books I've read in a long time: it feels like the author is speaking to you. It's about a burnt-out photographer who goes up to a little island in Maine to interview one of her heroes ... but really, it's about damage, and how people survive it when they can't recover from it.

Feed, by Mira Grant, is a little less "real" on the surface - it's speculative fiction, written in the modern epistolary style (i.e., as a blog), in a world filled with zombies, from the perspective of a political analyst on a presidential campaign. But that's secondary: it's a great reflection on everything from how modern communication technology has changed us to why it's wise to be suspicious of the people in power.

 

[klewis]

I have also just finished reading The Help and thoroughly enjoyed it. Based on your 3 listed reads I would suggest:

The Guernsey Literary Potato Peel Pie Society by Shaffer/ Barrows. Two authors because the original author became so ill toward the end of the writing of the book she enlisted the help of her niece, an author of children's books, to help finish the story. It's a delightful, uplifting, perfect holiday read.

The Other Hand by Chris Cleave. About a Nigerian girl who is released from an Immigration detention Center in UK. She's allowed one phone call and calls the home of a British husband and wife she met in Nigeria. After her phone call the husband commits suicide ( though not for the reason you might think). The story describes the events in Nigeria that lead to the Nigerian girl in being in a UK immigration detention centre - it's really an amazing read and will surely be made into a movie. Both books are 2-3 years old now

 

[AGBF]

The Bean Trees and The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. (And, by the way, I literally couldn't put down The Help. I was up late at night reading it. I read it in two or three days and I'm and I'm a slow reader!)

Deb/AGBF

 

[kittybean]

Oh, I heard the most interesting author on NPR the other day - Mary Roach. She wrote Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers, Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex (I really want to read this!), and Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void (Looking at these together, I think she really likes the word "curious".) I picked up Packing for Mars and skimmed through it/read the first chapter and it was pretty engaging.

I second this recommendation! Mary Roach's writing is informative, fast-paced, and witty. I read Packing for Mars a couple weeks ago and absolutely loved it. I couldn't put it down and loved how much I learned from it. I also read Stiff, and while it was similarly fascinating, I don't recommend it for anyone without a strong stomach or with an aversion to gory details.

I would also recommend Operation Mincemeat: How a Dead Man & a Bizarre Plan Fooled the Nazis and Assured Allied Victory by Ben MacIntyre. It's a fantastically-written, nonfiction account of the World War II deception in which a dead body was used to fool the Nazis into believing that the Allies would not begin their invasion of Southern Europe in Sicily. It was very interesting and informative, and I had a hard time tearing myself away from it.

One more didactic book (although I adore literature, I have been very into exploring topics I know very little about lately): The Disappearing Spoon and Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of Elements. It's a really neat collection of information and anecdotes from the beginning of scientific forays into chemistry through the present day as seen through the development of the Periodic Table.

 

[risingsun]

I would recommend: Little Bee, by Chris Cleave and The Likeness, by Tara French.

 

[klewis]

I would recommend: Little Bee, by Chris Cleave and The Likeness, by Tara French.

Ah-ha. I just recommended the same book but here it was called The Other Hand. It is one of the best novels I've read in the last few years.

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

I have a few more suggestions (ignore if they're not to your taste - of the books you've mentioned, I've only read The Hunger Games trilogy and Rebecca so I'm having a harder time pinpointing the style you like).

If you want a really big but really well-written book, that is just superb historical fiction, any of James Clavell's books will do, but I highly recommend Shogun, Tai-pan or King Rat to start with.

Another great book, and one of my all-time favorites, is Joseph Heller's Catch-22.

I also highly recommend any of Christopher Moore's books, which tend to be zany, funny and satirical (much like Terry Pratchett's stuff). My favorite of those is Lamb.

 

[princesss]

I also highly recommend any of Christopher Moore's books, which tend to be zany, funny and satirical (much like Terry Pratchett's stuff). My favorite of those is Lamb.

Oh, I have to second Christopher Moore! Lamb is my favourite, too, but Fool is great, too. I will say as much as I love reading his books, they are AMAZING as books on tape. His books are definitely my favourite books to listen to.

 

[risingsun]

I would recommend: Little Bee, by Chris Cleave and The Likeness, by Tara French.

Ah-ha. I just recommended the same book but here it was called The Other Hand. It is one of the best novels I've read in the last few years.

Where is "here" for you, klewis? I thought that this novel was amazing. I never expected it to go to the places it did. I just started The Strain. It has sucked me in like a vacuum cleaner! It will be interesting to see how I experience it as I read further on.

 

[princesss]

Oh! And House of Leaves was one that kept me glued to it until I finished, and even now (years later!) I think about it.

 

[AGBF]

I would recommend: Little Bee, by Chris Cleave and The Likeness, by Tara French.

Ah-ha. I just recommended the same book but here it was called The Other Hand. It is one of the best novels I've read in the last few years.

Where is "here" for you, klewis? I thought that this novel was amazing. I never expected it to go to the places it did. I just started The Strain. It has sucked me in like a vacuum cleaner! It will be interesting to see how I experience it as I read further on.

He lives in New Zealand, Marian.

Deb

 

[risingsun]

I would recommend: Little Bee, by Chris Cleave and The Likeness, by Tara French.

Ah-ha. I just recommended the same book but here it was called The Other Hand. It is one of the best novels I've read in the last few years.

Where is "here" for you, klewis? I thought that this novel was amazing. I never expected it to go to the places it did. I just started The Strain. It has sucked me in like a vacuum cleaner! It will be interesting to see how I experience it as I read further on.

He lives in New Zealand, Marian.

Deb

Thanks, Deb. Also, thank you for being the person you are. If not for you and people like you, I would have left this site some time ago. I just wanted to tell you I appreciate you and your opinions.

 

[AGBF]

Thanks, Deb. Also, thank you for being the person you are. If not for you and people like you, I would have left this site some time ago. I just wanted to tell you I appreciate you and your opinions.

I assure you that the feeling is mutual, Marian. Klewis is also, usually, on the side of the angels. In other words, he is one of us who, although we may not be perfect, reads a lot and thinks a bit, too! I am rather fond of him. And I am extremely fond of you!!!

Big hugs,
Deb

 

[dragonfly411]

Some that I've found to be great, and was unable to put down:

Watership Down
A Pirate of Exquisite Mind - a non fic biography of a naturalist who was also a pirate
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
Memoirs of a Geisha
The Poisonwood Bible
Love in the time of Cholera

 

[FuturePsyD]

Wow...so many great options. Thank you all for your suggestions.

I'm have quite a long list of must reads now. Can't wait to get started.

I'm open to anymore suggestions. Always love to get the opinions of other readers on must reads!!

Dragonfly: I too loved Memoirs of a Geisha and Snowflower and the Secret Fan. I went through those 2 books within a few days. I also sped through A Thousand Splendid Suns and Kiterunner. These are the type of books I am looking for!!

Thanks again everyone!!!

 

[Tuckins1]

See the "Be a rebel" thread.
https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/be-a-rebel.150178/

 

[blueiris]

I loved The Help and of course, Rebecca (which I read as a teen and reread again a few years ago). I second many of the recommendations here, particularly Water For Elephants, The Help, The Guernsey Literary Potato Peel Society, Pillars of the Earth, and World Without End.

Here are three books I read recently that I really liked: My Name is Mary Sutter, The Widower's Tale, and The Irresistible Henry House. I also recently read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and liked it, but thought the beginning was a little slow.

 

[FuturePsyD]

Tuckins:

Thanks for referring me to the Rebel Link. I was completely unaware of the bans placed on these amazing books. While I have read many on the list, there are several I have not read and now feel a sudden urgency to do so! Thanks again!

Blue Iris:

The Help was such a wonderful read. I can see many PS'ers are also big fans!! I've seen Water for Elephants mentioned several times so I am definitely going to give that a try in the near future. Despite its popularity, I have heard mixed reviews, nevertheless I have heard enough positive feedback to where I have decided to give it a try. Thanks again for all your suggestions!!