In search of a good book

[slr1765]

I've had a nasty cold for over a week and I've already read a stack of books I got at the library before I got sick so now I need something new. I'm going to send my older son to the library to pick up something for me. Do you have any suggestions? What's a good book that you've read lately?

[RedHen6]

I just read Garlic & Sapphires by Ruth Reichl. She was the NY Times food critic for a while, and often had to disguise herself to do her job. I really enjoyed it.

--Korrie

[Colleen]

It's kinda difficult to make a recommendation without some inkling of what appeals to you. I read almost no contemporary fiction, but if it's a novel you're after, I'm thoroughly enjoying Anthony Trollope's He Knew He Was Right. If you'd rather sink your teeth into some non-fiction, Michael Pollan's latest book, In Defense of Food, is a quick but worthwhile read.

[slr1765]

Darn, my library doesn't carry any of these books. :mad: I tend to gravitate towards historical fiction but right now I'm up for anything that keeps my mind off how badly I feel.

[Tutor]

I am reading The Fifth Chinese Daughter right now and really enjoying it. It is autobiographical, gives a glimpse of Chinese-American life during the Great Depression, and has a tome similar to the Little House books. I am only about 5 chapters in right now, so you may want to keep that in mind. ;)

[Lorna]

This is the story of Olivia, a Chinese American, and her half sister Kwan who share a Chinese father. Kwan comes to America when she is eighteen to fulfil a promise made to Olivia's mother on her father's death bed. As Olivia's mother gets caught up in a new love affair Kwan fulfills Olivia's mother's role and brings her up on stories of Yin people. Kwan has Yin eyes and can see those who have died and now live in the after-life World of Yin. She remembers her past life as clearly as her present life. Olivia is an angry person. She is angry about her mother' neglect; she is angry that her husband, Simon, still loves his late girl friend. She is angry that Kwan loves her unconditionally despite her rejections of affection. Kwan is an optimist; she seems not to detect Olivia's sarcasm; she takes all hurtful remarks as kindness or constructive criticism or loses it in translation.


Here Olivia has forgotten Kwan's 50th birthday and just randomly grabs the nearest thing that will do as a gift before rushing off to her party. Kwan may or may not know this, but she prefers to think that Olivia must have made an extra special effort.


Finally I see her picking up my present.


'Always save best for last,' she's proclaiming. 'Must be very-very special, because Libby-ah my favorite sister.' She unties the ribbon, puts it aside for safekeeping. The wrapping paper falls away. She purses her lips, staring at the tortoiseshell box. She turns it slowly from top to bottom, then lifts off the top and looks inside. She touches her hand to one cheek and says, 'Beautiful, so useful too.'





We travel back with Kwan as she tells tales of her past life to Olivia and then travel literally to China discovering more and more about how Olivia, Simon and Kwan's lives are linked and how destinies must be fulfilled.



'you like dried scallop?' I nod. 'Georgie cousin Virgie send me from Vancouver. Sixty dollar one pound. Some people think too good for every day. Should save best for later on.' She throws the scallops into a pan of sliced celery. 'To me, best time now. You wait, everything change. Yin people know this. Always ask me, " Kwan, where best part my life gone? Why best part slip through my fingers like fast little fish? Why I save for last, find out later last already come before?"

This book was so good on so many levels. I enjoyed learning about Chinese culture; I could really relate to the dynamics of the various relationships, female to female and within couples; the plot was exciting and full of mystery.

Get well soon!

[Cheryl in NM]

Still Life with Chickens

Earth's Children series by Jean Auel

Anything by Janet Evanovich

[Carol in Cal.]

It is about a year spent eating virtually only what is grown/made within 100 miles of their Virginia home. Very well written and interesting.

"Uncle Tom's Cabin"--I am reading this now for the first time. It is amazingly good. I love the allusions and polemics and asides. The characters are pretty fleshed out--not as stereotypical as I had expected. Also, I am realizing that there is a lot more quoting of this book in other literature than I had suspected.

"Fifth Chinese Daughter" was recommended by someone else. I read that as a child, and again recently, and it is very good. It is about being raised Confucian/Christian style in Chinatown in San Francisco. I don't remember the exact era--30s, 40s, maybe 50s at the latest, I think.

[RedHen6]

Have you tried the "Outlander" series by Diana Gabaldon? I would imagine most libraries would have those!

[kalanamak]

Darn, my library doesn't carry any of these books. :mad: I tend to gravitate towards historical fiction but right now I'm up for anything that keeps my mind off how badly I feel.


fillllllller

[JudoMom]

for recommending it, The Rescue Artist: A True Story of Art, Thieves, and the Hunt for a Missing Masterpiece (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060531177) was really good.

[kjprice]

I really enjoyed the books by Liz Curtis Higgs -http://lizcurtishiggs.com/Fiction/index.htm - the first 3 on this page are the trilogy. The fourth book is related, but not part of the original story.

[pbjmeyer]

Ken Follet has 2 fantastic books. To read them in historical order, first read "Pillars of the earth" and then "world without end". They are each about 1000 pages. The waiting list at my library for "Pillars of the earth" is over 100....so I have only read "World without end" and it was great.
(Although because of it's length, it took 300 pages before I was actually hooked so I couldn't put it down).

[Susan in TN]

It may be too late for suggestions, but two of my favorite reads are 84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff (real correspondance between a NY writer and a used bookstore in London over a period of about 20 or 30 years after WWII - very funny and touching. A quick read.)

My other favorite recommendation is The Last Coin by James Blaylock - funny and mysterious; historical, but in a weird way. Also gives an interesting perspective on cats.

[slr1765]

Have you tried the "Outlander" series by Diana Gabaldon? I would imagine most libraries would have those!

Love these books! I once spent an entire summer reading them all.

So far no luck with books. Many of the books suggested are in the system but not at my local branch. I've requested them though because they sound wonderful but I'm still looking for something my apparently inadequate branch carries so I have something to read right now. Ugh. Finding a book shouldn't be this hard.

Thank you all for the great suggestions! I can't wait for them to come in so I can dig in.