Book Suggestions with Summaries (Please)

My latest 2 favorite books:

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein. Sounds silly, but is told from the perspective of the family dog as the family goes through a really hard time. Funny and thought provoking.

The Happiness Project. Great book by Gretchen Rubin. Explores a year in her life and how she decided to try and accomplish a new goal each month in attempts to become a happier person/family. Funny and motivating.

Sh*t My Dad Says... not going to win any literary awards, but parts of it had me laughing out loud in the living room. It's a personal narrative about the author's childhood and early adult life as it relates to his dynamic with his father. His dad is a well-respected physician and the author is a writer/artist. Each chapter is built off of one of his dad's "life lesson quotes". My favorite had to do with him getting in trouble for fighting at school and his dad said something like, "Give me one good reason why you threw a ball at that kids face. Really? That's actually a pretty good reason. I can't do anything about your teache being pissed, but you and I are good."

The Help... story of the household maids/nannies in Jackson, MS during the Civil Rights era. It's a quick-read and very interesting. I grew-up in the South and lived there until my mid-20's. Life is very different there (even today), so it was really interesting to read about that lifestyle from a different perspective.

The Room... I'm in the middle of this novel. It was suggested by several friends. Not "uplifting", but a story of a young mother and her 5 yr old child who are essentially locked in a bedroom. It's told from the child's perspective.

Anything by Linwood Barclay. I just got done reading "Never Look Away" and it was very suspenseful. It's about a family that goes to the amusement park and the son is taken and the mother disappears as the father is looking for the son. From that point on the detectives suspect he is the one who killed her, but there is a twist that I won't tell you about. Awesome book. Also, check out Linwood Barclay's other books - No Time for Goodbye was another favorite of mine.

Also, I just read "Sarah's Key" which another amazing book. It's about a family that lived during the Holocaust and it documents their journey and the daughter's. This woman finds out she is moving into the family's apartment and tries to find out what happened to them. I didn't think I would like it since it's not something I normally would read, but it's definitely one of my favorite books.

Also, another one that is my all-time favorite book is "See Jane Run" by Joy Fielding. It's an older book and so far is still my favorite. It's about a woman who loses her memory and the things that transpire from that. She does eventually regain it and that's where the twist comes in at the end.

Someone else recommended "The Glass Castle" by Jeanette Walls. Awesome book.

Also love Jen Lancaster - she writes extremely funny memoirs. Start with "Bitter is the New Black" and then read them from there so you kind of get an idea of her background.

I am also a huge fan of Augusten Burroughs. He wrote "Running with Scissors" and other memoirs that describe his wacky childhood and life. Very interesting.

I also recommend "Me and Emma" - about two girls who are abused, which has a twist at the end.

Can you tell I like to read?! Happy reading and happy summer!!!

go to Amazon & read the blurbs there!

"These Is My Words" by Nancy Turner -- the fictional diary of a young woman in Arizona in the 1800's. A perfect mix of action, heartache, romance, etc. It's my favorite book EVER!!

"Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" - Weird title, great book! A woman in Europe begins correspondence with a book group and they form great friendships.

I also just started the Fablehaven series. I am liking it better than I thought I would. They are quick reads.

The Room - Emma Donoghue. A story of a 5year old boy and his mother locked in a small room - the boy was born there and knows nothing else. It is incredible.

Kitchen Daughter- Jale McHenry. .After the unexpected death of her parents, painfully shy and sheltered 26-year-old Ginny Selvaggio seeks comfort in cooking from family recipes. But the rich, peppery scent of her Nonna’s soup draws an unexpected visitor into the kitchen: the ghost of Nonna herself, dead for twenty years, who appears with a cryptic warning (“do no let her…”) before vanishing like steam from a cooling dish.
Great read

Clara and Mr. Tiffany - Susan Vreeland. The story of Tiffany glass lamps and the woman behind it all!!

The girl in the dragon tattoo - and the other 2 books in the series.

I loved the Scavenger's guide to Haute Cuisine - a story of a guy who wants to cook a 45 course meal for Thanksgiving using an ancient cookbook! it can make your stomach turn in some places - but what an amazing story!

I just finished re-reading "Lonesome Dove" and loved it SO MUCH. It is the story of two old friends, Gus and Woodrow, who are former Texas rangers and are still living in Texas, I think in the 1870's some time. Woodrow decides he wants to do a huge cattle drive, taking a big herd of cattle up to Montanta. The story is about their trip, the cowboys who are on the cattle drive, and a couple female entanglements.
If you pick it up, you'll have a hard time putting it down!!

Okay, this is kind of juvenile, BUT it's one of my favorite books EVER; I've re-read it so many times, the original fell apart, and I had to buy a new one. I have little quotes underlined all over the place. LOVE IT. It's different ;)

The book I'm talking about is 'Dangerous Angels' by Francesca Lia Block.

It's about this girl who is best friends with a gay guy, and they start off by trying to find their true loves. Then she has a baby, and there's another baby orphaned out there house... then it goes to the babies generation as young adults and their lives. It's... different, but very, very cool, easy reading. I'm leaving a LOT out because that would defeat the purpose of actually reading it ;) Like I said, it's more of a young adult book (I've been reading it over and over again since high school) and 10+ years later it's STILL my favorite ;)

Happy reading!

One of my recent favorites is Unbroken by Lauren Hillenbrand. She is an amazing author. It is a true story of a WWII hero who was shot down in a B 24, survived for about 2 months in a raft and then taken prisoner by the Japanese. She also wrote Seabiscuit, about the race horse. Both books are long, but I was so sad when I finished them because I wanted to keep reading!
I also love Janette Walls. She has an autobiography titled, The Glass Castle detailing the amazing things she went through growing up in abject poverty. She also wrote another book about her grandmother's life called Half Broke Horses.
Heaven is For Real is a very short book about a little boy who died and was revived.

I like to go to GoodReads.com and read peoples reviews of books. Plus the publishers blurb is there as well.

I like J D Robb, it's a series about at female cop set in NYC in the future, she solves murders and the supporting characters are really great. There is violence, language and sex.

I also recommend The Secret History of the Pink Carnation by lauren willig, It is told from two perspectives, A grad student researching english spies at the time of teh french revolution and it's also told from the Spy's perspective, it's sort of a bumbly romantic mystery comedy. Pure entertainment, it' won't change the world or anything but fun.

What do you like??? I love the library because if you pick it up and it stinks you just take it back and try again. I'd love to hear what you come up with.