and The Book Thief goes to…
I’ll send you an e-mail, Cara, to get your address. I hope to make it to the post office sometime this week, so your book will be on its way very soon. And, for the rest of you, the good news is that you can still read The Book Thief for free, just by going to your local library. Speaking of my library love, tomorrow if you show your library card at your local Chipotle (if you have a local Chipotle) you can have a free burrito or bowl! Guess where I’m going for lunch tomorrow?
I hate that feeling I get when I finish a book that’s so good it makes me want to keep reading and I realize I have nothing waiting in the wings. I feel like I have quite the treasure trove of books to read now, so I won’t have to worry about that feeling for awhile. Thank you all so much for your recommendations! I’ve already requested a few from the library. And thanks for the GoodReads friends adds too! Now I feel a little bit more popular :o)
This is mostly for my own reference, but maybe some of you will also find it helpful. I’m listing all the recommended books right here (with some additional comments from me, in italic)
Random Acts of Heroic Love by Danny Schienmann
London by Edward Rutherford
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
Nature Photography Field Guide by John Shaw
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo (recommended by my adorable nephew)
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon (I actually listened to this one on cd and really enjoyed it. I also liked his other book, A Spot of Bother)
The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson
The Nazi Officer’s Wife by Edith Hahn Beer
In My Hands by Irene Gut Opdyke
On Hitler’s Mountain by Imgard A. Hunt
The Devil’s Arithmetic by Jane Yolen
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne (two recommendations! And since Debbie has bossed me, much like I bossed everyone into giving me recommendations, I’ve already requested it from the library!)
Night by Elie Wiesel
Molokai by Alan Brennert
When Elephants Dance by Tess Uriza Holithe
The Kommandant’s Girl by Pam Jenoff
The Widow of the South by Robert Hicks (Melissa, if you like books about survivors, I highly recommend Endurance, by Alfred Lansing. It’s the true story of an exploration ship on its way to Antarctica, trapped in the ice and how they survived. It took place in 1914, and even pictures they took on their adventure survived. It’s a fascinating story)
The Hidden Diary of Marie Antoinette by Carolly Erickson
Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen
The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory (I’ve read this one too, and liked it, but not enough to rush out and read other books by the same author. I do like historical fiction, though, so I’ll probably read some of her others eventually)
Brother Cadfael books by Ellis Peters
First There is a River by Kathy Steffen
The Train to Estelline, A Place Called Sweet Shrub, and Dance a Little Longer…(A strong young schoolmarm in early day west Texas.) all by Jane Roberts Wood (This reminds me of another book I love, Letters of a Woman Homesteader, by Elinore Pruitt Stewart. It’s not fiction, however, but her actual letters to a friend after moving to Wyoming with her daughter. She eventually marries the man she works for, but also claims her own homestead. I love that tough-woman, can-do, self-sufficient pioneer spirit, and this woman has all those qualities.)
The Bare Naked Bride by anonymous (I can’t find this one anywhere Hatti, are you sure about the title? It sounds intriguing!)
Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares
These is My Words by Nancy Turner
Jim the Boy by Tony Earley
The Dew Breaker by Edwidge Danticat
No County For Old Men by Cormac McCarthy (I’ve read All the Pretty Horses, his stuff is good, but dark. I sort of liked the movie, but how can you actually like a movie like that? I don’t think that’s the right word. It was good but disturbing)
Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer
Quiet Please: Dispatches From A Public Librarian by Scott Douglas
In the meantime, I’ve also finished reading I am the Messenger, by Marcus Zusak, the author of The Book Thief. It’s quite different than The Book Thief, but it was so very good. I really liked it. I also read Fablehaven, by Brandon Mull. I liked that too, but some of the dialogue was a little stiff and it reminded me a bit of The Spiderwick Chronicles (the movie, I haven’t read the book or books?). But it was the first of a series, and I’m looking forward to reading the later books to see if the author has loosened up a little :o)
Shucks! I never win anything, but actually I think I won huge. Look at this list! I am ordering up some books tomorrow at the library. Defintiely the Nature Photo Guide and The Bean Trees (based on your review).
Alas, no Chipotles here, darn it. But what a neat idea!
Thanks for the nod to GoodReads. I’ve got to get my stuff on there. And start a group. Or will you???? Being the number one and first born and all that? 🙂
Ooo! Thanks so much!! I’m so excited that I won! I never win anything so this is cool.
And thanks for putting together a list of all the recommendations — can’t wait to read them all.
Also, I just finished a book yesterday that I recommend. It’s called Fanny and Sue by Karen Stoltz. It’s about twin girls growing up during the Depression and the 40s. The detail about homemade dresses and gifts and listening to the radio after dinner and swing dancing and everything is just so much fun. I’m so in love with that era and this book totally feeds the addiction.
Another book by the same author is World of Pies which I have no read yet but it’s supposed to be good, too!
What a list! Can’t wait to check out a few of these new ones. Thanx for putting it together for everyone. Thank you for the recommendation of Endurance too. I ended up ordering the book from the library (B&N was out of them-drag), so I will order Endurance when Book Thief comes in. Chipotle giving away burritos for showing a library card? We are so there today! On a foodie note- 101cookbooks.com (Heidi Swanson) is a great site for healthy foods. Sometimes I can’t eat that healthy, but she has some awesome easy recipes. I have tried many of them and have her book, Super Natural Cooking- good stuff.
I think the “Bare Naked Bride” is supposed to be “The Bride Stripped Bare.”
Oh! oh! Oh! “The Secret History” is probably one of my favorite books of all time!!!! I’ve read it 2x, which is saying a lot. The list of books that I’ve read 2x is very small. Curiously, “The Rent Tent” is also on that list. Not on your list, but on my Books I’ve Read 2x List is “Into Thin Air” also by John Krakauer.