Have you read any of these? Let us know your opinions so we can better decide which ones to dive into and which ones to save for a rainy day:
1. "She's Come Undone" - Wally Lamb (Molly knows nothing about this book other than it is about a woman named Dolores, is supposed to be quite funny, and Molly really enjoyed another of Lamb's books - "I Know This Much Is True.")
2. "Eyes of a Child" - Richard North Patterson (A gripping murder/mystery thriller involving a murder masked as suicide, a child custody battle, child abuse allegations, and a DA as a suspect.)
3. "Bleachers" and "The Innocent Man" - John Grisham (Two books outside of his usual crime thriller fare, the first a short fictional story about a man revisiting his high school football glory days due to the death of his former coach and the second a non-fiction account of someone questionably accused of murder and sentenced to death row.)
4. "Open House" - Elizabeth Berg (Molly's heard lots of glowing praise for Berg but has yet to read any of her work. This one seems to be about a woman overcoming her divorce by turning her home into a boarding house to pay the bills and care for her son.)
5. "My Losing Season" - Pat Conroy (A memoir from an author Molly enjoys. This is about his final year of playing organized basketball in college and how it shaped his life growing up.)
6. "Rabbit, Run" - John Updike (When Updike passed away this year Molly realized she had never read any of his books. This classic seemed to be a good place to start - about a man running away from the challenges in his life trying to find himself and happiness. The first in a series as well.)
7. "Notes From a Small Island" - Bill Bryson (His "A Walk In The Woods" cracked both of us up - and Molly's new venture into writing freelance travel posts caused more interest in reading about Bryson's views of touring his longtime second home in Britain before returning to the U.S.)
8. "So Far Gone" - Paul Cody (Another book about death row - this one a fictional memoir told via journal form by the character convicted of murdering his family.)
9. "The World According to Garp" - John Irving (Loved the movie. Imagine that the book is even better. The story of a bastard child growing up with a bizarre mother and unloyal wife. Lots of humor mixed in with the tragic elements.)
10. "Open Net" - George Plimpton (The professional amateur takes on hockey by joining the Boston Bruins' training camp in the late '70's and tells the stories behind the goalie mask.)
11. "Rebecca" - Daphne Du Maurier (Another well loved movie - Hitchcock at his best. So this classic deserves a good look. A woman meets a very dashing, wealthy widower on vacation and their fariy tale marriage turns into a nightmare as the deceased wife's presence is always nearby.)
12. "Echo Park" - Michael Connelly (Suspense, via a cold case file revived, and a detective's search for the truth causing him to realize killings could have been prevented if not for department error.)
13. "Wicked" - Gregory Maguire (We enjoyed the production of this play very much but have heard that the book is much darker. Looking forward to reading about the Wicked Witch of the West's life in Oz.)
2. "Eyes of a Child" - Richard North Patterson (A gripping murder/mystery thriller involving a murder masked as suicide, a child custody battle, child abuse allegations, and a DA as a suspect.)
3. "Bleachers" and "The Innocent Man" - John Grisham (Two books outside of his usual crime thriller fare, the first a short fictional story about a man revisiting his high school football glory days due to the death of his former coach and the second a non-fiction account of someone questionably accused of murder and sentenced to death row.)
4. "Open House" - Elizabeth Berg (Molly's heard lots of glowing praise for Berg but has yet to read any of her work. This one seems to be about a woman overcoming her divorce by turning her home into a boarding house to pay the bills and care for her son.)
5. "My Losing Season" - Pat Conroy (A memoir from an author Molly enjoys. This is about his final year of playing organized basketball in college and how it shaped his life growing up.)
6. "Rabbit, Run" - John Updike (When Updike passed away this year Molly realized she had never read any of his books. This classic seemed to be a good place to start - about a man running away from the challenges in his life trying to find himself and happiness. The first in a series as well.)
7. "Notes From a Small Island" - Bill Bryson (His "A Walk In The Woods" cracked both of us up - and Molly's new venture into writing freelance travel posts caused more interest in reading about Bryson's views of touring his longtime second home in Britain before returning to the U.S.)
8. "So Far Gone" - Paul Cody (Another book about death row - this one a fictional memoir told via journal form by the character convicted of murdering his family.)
9. "The World According to Garp" - John Irving (Loved the movie. Imagine that the book is even better. The story of a bastard child growing up with a bizarre mother and unloyal wife. Lots of humor mixed in with the tragic elements.)
10. "Open Net" - George Plimpton (The professional amateur takes on hockey by joining the Boston Bruins' training camp in the late '70's and tells the stories behind the goalie mask.)
11. "Rebecca" - Daphne Du Maurier (Another well loved movie - Hitchcock at his best. So this classic deserves a good look. A woman meets a very dashing, wealthy widower on vacation and their fariy tale marriage turns into a nightmare as the deceased wife's presence is always nearby.)
12. "Echo Park" - Michael Connelly (Suspense, via a cold case file revived, and a detective's search for the truth causing him to realize killings could have been prevented if not for department error.)
13. "Wicked" - Gregory Maguire (We enjoyed the production of this play very much but have heard that the book is much darker. Looking forward to reading about the Wicked Witch of the West's life in Oz.)
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17 comments:
I love your choices. I've read the two Grisham books. Both were great. Hard to say I loved The Innocent Man because it was so difficult. It made me MAD. That means it was really good. I loved Echo Park, too. Harry Bosh is one of my favorite detectives. I loved Bryson's A Walk in the Woods, too. I have mixed feelings about Berg. I like some of her stuff but not all. I haven't read the one you bought. Hope you have a great summer of reading!
I've read Wicked and Notes From a Small Island - there's a particularly funny underwear scene in that one.
I have World According to Garp with me, and am a huge Irving fan, but haven't started it yet.
cool list... we are visiting the bookstore on saturday, hoping to find good books on bargain!
I will bookmark to come back. We devour books at my house and you have some good ones listed.
Stopped by for WW. Guess I got confused.
Great list. I just picked up the book, Wicked as well. Some kewl pics of the play in the middle of it.
Happy T13!
ooh! ooh! I must make some comments! She's Come Undone was a 24 hour read...disturbing in many ways but very good! An Innocent Man was Grisham's dabble in true crime and was fabulous, but like Clara said, you get real pissed off at the justice system and the inequities that ruin the poor guy! Love, love love Harry Bosch, and Echo Park is one of the better ones I thought. I've heard more than one blogger state that Rebecca is one of their favorite reads of all time. I've yet to get my claws on it, but I will. What a pile of treasures!
Now that's a helpful post. I'm always looking for new reads but I hate Oprah picks. I want action or murder, so I'm interested in #2, #8 and #12.
Thanks for the tips!
I just started reading Ethan Black and the first two books, The Heart Break Club and Irresistible were pretty good.
There are three in that series with the same main characters so I suggest reading them in order. There were some twists and murders, of course.
A fast read worth the effort.
reading about books people are reading shows me that there are so many books I have never read. It boggles the mind. I love John Grisham and Elizabeth Berg is a little iffy to me as well. I've read just one of her books.
I've read Rabbit, Run and Rebecca. Of the two, I'd read the latter again; however, I am not a fan of Updike's work at all. I couldn't even appreciate his short story, "A&P." But if you like modern American lit, you'll probably appreciate his work.
Lots of good books in there :-)
I have only read Rebecca. As usual, the book is better than the movie. Put it near the top of your list!
I read Rabbit Run in college and hated it. I liked Rebecca. I LOVED Wicked, but it can be slow and difficult in some places. If you can power past those spots it will be worth it. I liked the Broadway version, but it did not do justice to the book.
You picked up some good ones!
The World According to Garp, She's Come Undone & Rebecca are all great reads. Hitchcock made Rebecca into movie - it's a classic.
Wally Lamb writes as if he is a woman.
Look forward to visiting again.
My 13 is up too.
Interesting list! I think the only book on it that I've read is Rebecca!
*hugs*
Paige
My TT is at http://paigetylertheauthor.blogspot.com/
Wow. We have VERY different taste in books! However, the first two-thirds of Wicked are absolutely brilliant (the final third is only merely great).
Happy reading all that!
I can speak for She's come Undone & Wicked. I remember my father reading the world according to Garp when I was a kid, I picked it up & read a chapter or two, (I was constantly reading anything I could get my hands on as a kid) I always meant to get back to it. I'll have to look for it now!
It sounds like your other friends have you covered, but I'll throw my two cents in:
She's Come Undone - Great book, and funny at times, but sometimes more disturbing than you might imagine.
Bleachers - The whole time I read this I thought about Grisham's earlier "A Painted House." I think he was trying to capture the same spirit, but didn't do quite as good a job.
The World According to Garp is fantastic, but Irving's A Prayer for Owen Meany is even better. Pick it up posthaste! It's definitely one of the best books I've ever read.
Wicked - I started to read it but couldn't get into it. I still have it though, so I may try again.
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