I LOVED Half Asleep in Frog’s Pajamas…

Time Traveler’s Wife. Very smart and very fun with a little art, a little classical music, a little French poetry, and a little 80s punk scene.

I highly recommend:

Three Junes by Julia Glass

Sister of My Heart by Chitra Divakaruni

Little Children by Tom Perrotta. Not only a near-perfect read, but quite possibly will be a primo flick of ‘06. Fingers crossed, naturally…

Drew is dead on - that was a great great book and will soon be a movie w. Jennifer Connelly. Which reminds me, have you ever read Scott Spencer’s Waking the Dead? Another great book.

I love the idea, but what type of bookclub is this going to be if we recommend books we already read?

(but I’ll definitely check out some of your cool suggestions)

No, it’s not a bookclub. Just a way for everyone to get some new book ideas.

Middlesex is a tremendously good book, and you get to learn about hermaphrodites! I also recommend anything by Richard Russo - big fan of some of his earlier stuff!

“KITE RUNNER”…CAN’T REMEMBER AUTHOR’S NAME. I WILL LET YOU ALL KNOW TOMORROW. I AM AN AVID READER AND IT IS, WITHOUT A DOUBT, ONE OF THE FINEST BOOKS I HAVE EVER READ!! ALSO, “MY SISTER’S KEEPER” BY JODI PICOULT. SAD, POIGNANT AND WELL-WRITTEN. OH, ALSO, ANYONE WHO HAS NOT READ “HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG” IS MISSING AN INCREDIBLE TALE. MOVIE WAS CLOSE…BUT BOOK PHENOMENAL!!!!!!!!!!!

LOVE, MOM

This one is probably only good for anyone who is married or anyone about to get married. It’s called Diary of a Mad Bride - http://heh.pl/&wz

I’ve read The Time Traveler’s Wife, Middlesex, and Kite Runner and absolutely recomend all three. I’m currently reading My War Gone By, I Miss It So by Anthony Loyd (the true account of a man who went to Bosnia in the early 90’s ostensibly to photograph the war but in reality to experience a war), which I read at the gym on the treadmill and The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova (thus far, it’s about a woman who’s researching the possibility that Vlad Tsepes - Dracula - is still alive and still being a vampire) on my lunch breaks at work. I’ve written down your suggestions and will give them a try. Great idea, y’all!

I have to agree about the Time Traveler’s Wife…I loved that book. And House of Sand and Fog was also wonderful (I think the movie was also true to the book which is rare). Thanks for all of the recommendations.

Hil…I think you should choose one new book a month and then we can start a true book club…I need motivation to sit down and read at night and knowing that I need to come and discuss it with all of your fine readers would be terrific!

P.S: We’re definitely on for the 19th…grandma is locked into babysit

Yay, this is so fun! I’ve totally written down all of these, and I am so going to the bookstore tonight and stocking up for my week in the South of France. (leaving friday yipee!!) My recommendations from a few days ago were ‘The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud’ by Ben Sherwood and ‘Shade’ by Neil Jordan. Both pretty short and fast, but very good!” I totally stand with Hil’s mom on the Kite Runner and My Sister’s Keeper, and I’m sure you’ve all heard me rave about Time Travellers Wife. Middlesex was also very very good. Right now I’m reading ‘A Complicated Kindness’ by Miriam Toews, which is a very interesting and f**ed up story about a girl in a Mennonite community in Canada. Very good so far…. I’ve been flying through books lately, but that will probably slow down as tomorrow I am getting a bicycle and won’t be taking the tube to work very much anymore….for obvious reasons. (thought you would be glad about that Barbara!)

Oh, and Meg— I LOVE Tom Robbins, he is one of my favorites although I haven’t read ‘Half asleep in Frogs Pajamas’. Will have to give that one a go! My favorite of his is Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates, so funny!…

I agree with the praise for Little Children and Middlesex. I would also recommend Music For Torching, by A.M. Homes.

JAB, yay! I’m looking forward to the screening.

I don’t think I could do another bookclub…I have my regular one once a month and sometimes it’s hard enough to read that book! But if you guys want to pick a book and do it, I’d be more than happy to put up a post!

I’m with everyone about Kite Runner–amazing amazing amazing book. And thanks everyone for the book suggestions, you rock! If you end up reading any of these, check back in and let us know!

Best serious book I read recently was The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri. Also loved The Second Assistant for a really fun read!

Hil…do you have KITE RUNNER so I can borrow it? Or, any other books that I could borrow for that matter?

“The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay” (it won a Pulizer), “Devil in the White City” (won the National Book Award).

JAB, sure. I’ll bring Kite Runner on Tuesday. Give me a call over the weekend and I can read you some other titles over the phone.

By the way…are you coming down with your assistant or by yourself? Because if you want to take the train instead of drive, I can pick you up at the train station.

yay Elise…no more tube. Bicycles are great exercise, too. Your mom must be thrilled about you not using the train anymore, too.

Miss you, honey,

Barbara

Hil, I think I have your copy of Kite Runner. Check and make sure.

Love,

mom

No, you gave it back to me.

Oh i meant to tell you guys, go buy ‘Pursuit of Happiness’ by Douglas Kennedy. you will LOVE it.

I also recently finished Remembering Blue (another treadmill book), which was fantastic. And Lamb, the Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore is easily the funniest book I’ve ever read (and the only Moore book that I really, really enjoyed) (don’t read this one on the treadmill - you’ll hurt yourself).

You have to read “An Unfinished Life”, Mark Spragg. It’s such simple story but written like an epic. Will be out as a motion picture soon with Redford and Morgan Freeman, but please read the book. Who knows what they will have done with this gem.

Here are two good book recommendations I really enjoyed.

If you haven’t read “Sweetness in the Belly” by Camilla Gibb, you should. It’s a remarkable book–the story of a white girl growing up as a Muslim in Ethiopia. A real journey, with multiple settings and well-developed characters–hard to put this one down. When you’re done reading Sweetness you can continue your trek through the Muslim world with…

“The Places in Between” by Rory Stewart. It’s a true story of a white British government worker who walks across Afghanistan just weeks after the Taliban has been ousted. Fascinating reading, provides a real insight and perspective into Afghanistan and the Muslim culture.

I came across these on this website called http://www.Juicespot.ca.

Oh, here’s one more I really liked–”The Glass Castle” by Jeanette Walls. This story is also true and equally fascinating. It’s about a mother and father who choose to live in poverty, and sometimes even homeless. The parents are gifted and eccentric, the children all equally bright. It’s a wild and, at times, unbelievable story that will have you laughing one minute and shaking your head in disbelief the next.

Hope you enjoy my suggestions.