Your Recommendations – A List

Ten days ago, I presented you all with a special request : recommend me some adult books, or books that are different than the ones I have been reading recently. You answered my cry for help with even more recommendations than I had hoped for and it was exactly what I needed.

Because I am always looking for a reason to make lists, I had to make one for your recommendations (including my own, and excluding those for books I have already read). I was pleased by the number of recommended books that are already on my shelves; I identified those with a (s). In some cases, when I don’t have a specific book from an author I added another that I do have. I don’t need more reasons to buy books, do I?

• If You Follow Me by Malena Watrous (s) (read this week)
• Undress me in the Temple of Heaven by Susan Jane Gilman (s)
• Life of Pi by Yann Martel
• Jigs and Reels by Joanne Harris
• Chocolat by Joanne Harris
• Holy Fools by Joanne Harris (s) (not a recommendation, but it’s the only one from the author I do own)
• I Thought you Were Dead by Pete Nelson
• Mudbound by Hillary Jordan
• The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls (s)
• A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty by Joshilyn Jackson
• The Unit by Ninni Holmqvist (s)
• The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa
• Baking Cakes in Kigali by Gaile Parkin
• The Good Earth by Pearl Buck
• Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
• The History of Love by Nicole Krauss (s) (added this week to my shelves!)
• A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness (s)
• The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood (s)
• Modoc by Ralph Helfer
• Wesley the Owl by Stacey O’Brien
• Between Shades of Grey by Ruta Sepetys
• The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (s)
• 100 Heartbeats by Jeff Corwin
• The Club Dumas by Arturo Perez-Reverte
• The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova (s)
• Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married by Marian Keyes
• Anybody Out There? by Marian Keyes
• Rachel’s Holiday by Marian Keyes
• This Charming Man by Marian Keyes (s)
• The Human Bobby by Gabe Rotter
• Red, Black, White by Ted Dekker
• The Circle by Ted Dekker
• Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
• Saving Cee Cee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman
• The Likeness by Tana French
• In the Woods by Tana French (s)
• The History of the World in Ten and a Half Chapters by Julian Barnes (s)
• The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes
• One Day byDavid Nicholls (s)
• Sepulchre by Kate Moss (s)

So, that should keep me busy for a while! 🙂

I thank you all for your help, and if you have any more recommendations, please share them with me! 🙂

Recommend me some adult books

Dear readers, I come to you today with a very specific request : I need some recommendations for some adult fiction or non-fiction. If you accept the challenge, read further to find out exactly what I am looking for!

You see, I just finished reading Crossed  yesterday, and while I sped through it, it was nothing special, really. And while I do enjoy most YA I read, and know that there are some really great YA novels out there, I’ve been feeling the need to read something else. I do read adult fiction in French (enough that I kind of revived the blog’s French version, though I don’t update it as much) but I need more ideas of what to read in English.

The reason I read a lot of YA is that it is often the exact opposite of what I have to read for class; light, fast, it allows me to turn off my brain while going on a fictional adventure. Also : reasonable number of pages with often big fonts that make me feel like I’m turning a lot of pages!

I would love to find something similar in adult fiction, but I do have some specifics.  I want something to entertain me but that could also surprise me, teach me something, or blow me away with its beautiful writing. Something easy to read that won’t require too much thinking.  No strict romance novel, that’s for sure. No politics or religion. No paranormal or fantasy : I already have plenty of those, and I would like something different. I’m open to “chick lit”, although it would have to be different in some way.

I’m thinking maybe something along the lines of travelogues, fictional or not, or about people moving to “strange lands”. I have If You Follow Me and Undress me in the Temple of Heaven on my shelves, so maybe I should begin with this? Any similar recommendation?

I’m also interested in animal-related non-fiction. Not the dramatic kind like Marley and Me, but more like The Tiger (which I still have to finish).

I guess I have a thirst for adventure and discovery, right now! I would also enjoy some original mystery or adventure novel, magical realism, general fiction (though nothing too literary that would make my brain explode!)

I’m taking any recommendation, really. Please feel free to invite me to step out of my comfort zone! 🙂

(from past experiences, I feel the need to add : authors, if you want to request a review, please communicate with me through email rather than on this post. It is a lot easier for me to follow through, and more pleasant for everyone! Thank you! 🙂 )

 

The Beauty of Reading – Part IV

I never stop looking for art on the subject of reading, and I was a bit surprised to realize it’s been over a year since I did one of these posts!

The third one focused on children being read to; this time around, I chose paintings of young girls reading by themselves.

Oh, the magical world of books!

Small Young Girl Reading by Seymour Joseph Guys, 1877

Ethel Reading Bluebeard by Alfred Morgan 1881

Reading Girl by Bremen Johann Georg Meyer Von (19th century)

Reading Girl by Bremen Johann Georg Meyer Von (19th century)

Young Girl Reading by the Window by Walter MacEwen

Home reading by Elliot Bouton Torrey

What I like about all these paintings is that they all seem relax, like they’re enjoying their reading and not forced to study. I relate to these children with a sweet touch of nostalgia; books were a wonderful comfort to me as a kid and they still are to this day.

Can you pick a favorite? I think mine are the first two.

To see the previous “Beauty of Reading” posts :

I – II – III

2012 Debut Author Challenge : My Reading List

Again this year, The Story Siren is running her Debut Author Challenge, an event challenging you to read over the year 12 YA books published in 2012, by authors debuting in the US. I didn’t participate in the previous years, but I always thought it was a fantastic idea. After all, debuting authors of today could become some of my favorites, and I love discovering new voices.

If you wish to participate or are curious about the debuting YA authors of 2012, there is more information on the challenge’s page (click on the banner at the top of this post to get to it!) or this great list of books on Goodreads.

There are easily more than 12 that I would want to read – my personal challenge might be not to read them all! I couldn’t select only 12, so I included all the titles that interest me the most for now (but there could easily have been more). A few of these titles have already been featured on my Wishlist posts, and for now it’s heavy with paranormal/fantasy/speculative fiction, but I would love to add more of the realistic or historical fiction. Have any suggestion, feel free to mention it! 🙂

Since the list is long, I’m linking the titles to Goodreads in case you want to have a better look, with just a few words on why each books interests me.

So, in no particular order :

* * *

ONE, TWO

Shooting Stars by Allison Rushby

Under a cute cover, a story of romance, photography and teen superstar. Sounds cute!

Where it Began by Ann Redisch Stampler

Waking up in the hospital after a bad accident, a young woman remembers how she landed there after a race up the status ladder. I love stories of characters looking back on their life.

* * *

THREE, FOUR

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

Dystopia meets paranormal under this striking cover. (already on my shelves!)

Struck by Jennifer Bosworth

A lighting addict endangering herself to fill her craving, fighting in a destroyed L.A. Gorgeous cover and sounds just like my kind of thing, paranormal meets catastrophe!

The 2011 recap : the best of the best!

Whew! Another year gone by, and another recap on the way!

In some ways, it didn’t feel like a great reading year; there were many slumps, and many not so great books. But when I look back, I can see that there were, in facts, many books I enjoyed, enough to fill this list of favorites!

There are also many books I enjoyed that didn’t make the “best-of” list; taking a look at the 4 to 5 stars reviews on the sidebar will tell you more about the great reading I did this year 🙂

Best Romance :

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins : Who thought I’d ever have a romance category on this list? Not me! But, after having read this book, I just couldn’t avoid it. And while we’re at it, Perkins’s second novel, Lola and the Boy Next Door was just as adorable.

Best Non-Fiction

The Sweet Life in Paris by David Lebovitz : I’m not sure what I loved more in this book : the wonderful feeling of being back in Paris, or the delicious recipes!

Best Mystery

Still Life by Louise Penny : Clearly I’ve been charmed by the fact that this novel takes place in a typical village of my dear province; but still, I enjoyed this cozy mystery enough that I immediately added the next books on my shelves!

Before I Go To Sleep by S. J. Watson : While it might not win any fancy literary award, Before I Go To Sleep is a hold-your-breath-till-the-end mystery that was extremely compelling.

Best Graphic Novel :

The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle : I loved this. The story was amazing of course, but it also had beautiful illustrations!

Best Fiction :

The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown : Though the setting itself was something we’ve often seen before, The Weird Sisters explored family dynamics in a unique and true-to-life way.

Best YA Fiction :

Fall for Anything by Courtney Summers : Summers was already an author I enjoyed, but Fall for Anything was by far my favorite of hers – and a favorite of 2011.

Where She Went by Gayle Forman : I had really liked the first book, If I Stay, but this sequel had more depth and hit just the right notes. Definitely worth the read.

Best YA Fantasy / Paranormal :

Ice by Sarah Beth Durst : Beautiful, magical, inspiring. Loved it!

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor : Oh gosh! I still have to review this one but it rocked my little world! Talk about different and unpredictable! I really need to find my words and review this one!

Best Magical Realism :

The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry : Atmospheric and mysterious, this novel captivated me in an unexpected manner.

Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen : I had been recommended this author so many times before, but it turned out even more enchanting than I expected it!

Best Speculative Fiction :

Aftertime by Sophie Littlefield : A post-apocalyptic zombie novel exploring both a new way of life and the complexity of human emotion, Aftertime took my breath away and left me wanting more. I still haven’t read the second book, keeping it for my next reading slump.

Best “Books that Will Stay with Me” :

An Object of Beauty by Steve Martin : What a beautiful and intriguing novel! I can’t believe it sat on my shelf for so many month before I finally read it. Definitely my favorite of 2011.

Reading Goals for 2012 :

Read 100 books : I barely made it this year, but I want to do it again in 2012! Although, I’m planning on maybe including school reading to give myself a chance, which I didn’t do in 2011.

Read more non-fiction : I enjoy non-fiction but I don’t instinctively go towards it. I would love to read a few more of these this year!

I’m not being too severe with my goals as I am starting my master degree this winter and I’m sure it will keep me real busy!

What were the best books you read in 2011? What are your goals for 2012?

Goodreads knows better than I do what I’m looking for

Why yes, that is exactly what I meant!

Hello to you too, Goodreads!