Some of my favorite books:

Memoirs of a Geisha
The Notebook
Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas
Cane River
The Kite Runner
A Thousand Spleindid Suns
The Book Thief
My Sister's Keeper
Nineteen Minutes
You Know This Much is True
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
The Firm
Sister of My Heart
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime
The Day Donny Herbert Woke Up
The Choiring of the Trees
Mary by Janis Cook Newman
The Glass Castle
Stones From the River
Me & Emma
Sam: The Boy Behind the Mask
The Prize Winner from Defiance, Ohio
The Lover Hunter by Jon Hassler
Another City , Not My Own by Dominick Dunne
Silent Witness by Richard North Patterson
Slaves in the Family
Blessings
Into Thin Air
Where the Heart is
Firefly Lane
Chasing the Dime
The Virgin of Small Plains
Ice Bound by Dr,. Jeri Nielsen
The Piper's Sons
Entering Normal
The Lake of Dead Languages
Bitter Harvest by Ann Rule
The Stanger Beside Me
Everything She Ever Wanted
Murder in Little Egypt
Shattered Dreams

There are many others I have given 5 stars.

MarBear wrote: "Hi Chirs. I loved "The Kite Runner," and "Water for Elephants." I read "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn," several years ago and it's one of my favorites.

Marbear"
I recently re read it after many years and loved it all over again!

DJ wrote: "Mary wrote: "Hi Robin. I loved "The Pilot's Wife." I have several Anita Shreve books I need to read. She has a new one out. Have you read her book called "The Last Time They Met?" It has the strang..."

Me, too.

Hi Chirs. I loved "The Kite Runner," and "Water for Elephants." I read "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn," several years ago and it's one of my favorites.

Marbear

In no particular order and there are others (Many!!)
The Island - Victoria Hislop
The Memory Keepers Daughter - Kim Edwards
The House of the Scorpion - Nancy Farmer
The Book Seller of Kabul Asne Seierstad
Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
The Other Hand - Chris Cleave
Water for Elephants - Sara Gruen
Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn - Betty Smith
Iris and Ruby - Rosie Thomas
The Forgotton Garden - Katie Morton

Elaine wrote: "MarBear wrote: "Hi Robin. I loved "The Pilot's Wife." I have several Anita Shreve books I need to read. She has a new one out. Have you read her book called "The Last Time They Met?" It has the str..."

That was my take on The Last Time They Met also - that the experiences in the hotel were imagined and that really her love had died in the scene as described at the end. It was devastating to me to read that ending. I kept reading it over and over to understand what happened. I find her books quite moving

MarBear wrote: "Hi Robin. I loved "The Pilot's Wife." I have several Anita Shreve books I need to read. She has a new one out. Have you read her book called "The Last Time They Met?" It has the strangest ending. I..."

Strange that you say that, as a bookfriend and myself was having a discussion about "The last time they met" and she maintains that the man was never there in the hotel with the woman - according to her, her bookclub was split in 2 about if the man was there or not. But, I do love Anita Shreve!

My favourite and best books of all times are (I call them phenomenal!)
1. Les Miserables - Victor Hugo
2. War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
3. Shantaram - Gregory David Roberts
4. A fine balance - Rohinton Mistry
5. The executioner song - Norman Mailer
6. A prayer for Owen Meany - John Irving
7. Beach Music - Pat Conroy

I love this bookclub!! Most people look at me strangely when I start sprouting about book - this is so wonderful, where it is all about books!

Marbear, you should have gotten a baker's dozen

Hi Jan. I saw the book at a used book store yesterday and almost bought it. I just have too many books to read. I bought eleven books last week. LOL!

Marbear

Nathaniel wrote: "I read Crimson Petal & White when it came out in hardcover, and I remember it being thoroughly enjoyable. "

Kayla wrote: "The Crimson Petal and the White is one of the best books I've ever read! It starts out with a second-person narrative, so you're drawn into the story from the first page. After I picked it up at ..."

I also read it years ago and loved it!!!

Im reading Crimson Petal & White for my 2010 challenge so its good to hear your positive feedback.

I read Crimson Petal & White when it came out in hardcover, and I remember it being thoroughly enjoyable.

Hi Kayla. Thanks for telling me "The Crimson Petal and White." I almost bought it once. I hope I like Murakami's books.

Marbear

The Crimson Petal and the White is one of the best books I've ever read! It starts out with a second-person narrative, so you're drawn into the story from the first page. After I picked it up at my brother's campus bookstore and read the first paragraph, I could hardly stop reading the book long enough to pay for it!! I was even reading it as my brother was graduating (which was the reason I was at his school in the first place) LOL

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle was the first Murakami book I read. It's magical-realism, which I really love. All of the characters in that book are extremely interesting. I highly recommend it.

Hi Kayla. I remember having "The Crimson Petal and the White," on a reading list at one time. Is it good? I have "The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles," on my 2010 book challenge. What did you think of it? I've never read anything by that author. I loved "The Thirteenth Tale." "The Great Gatsby," was on the list but I decided to take it off.

Marbear

Favorite Books:

1.)The Crimson Petal and the White, Michel Faber
2.)The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Haruki Murakami
3.)The Bell Jar, Sylvia Plath
4.)A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Betty Smith
5.)The Thirteenth Tale, Diane Setterfield
6.)The Fountainhead, Ayn Rand
7.)Franny and Zooey, J.D. Salinger
8.)An Alchemy of Mind The Marvel and Mystery of the Brain, Diane Ackerman
9.)The Brothers Karamazov, Fyodor Dostoevsky
10.)The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald
11.)The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter, Carson McCullers

1. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
2. Shogun by James Clavell (well, the whole Noble House series)
3. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
4. The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
5. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card (again, the whole Ender/Bean series)
6. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
7. Hawaii A Novel by James A. Michener
8. Freakonomics A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven D. Levitt (**Just got Super Freakonomics!!)
9. The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
10. Journey to the West by Cheng'en Wu

Mary wrote: "Hi Stephanie. It's funny that has moderator of the group I feel I have to read both of our main books each month but then I never get to read what I want to read. I think in November I may declare ..."

November should be your month Mary,you deserve it!

Hi Stephanie. That has actually happened. The club picked a book that I wanted to read. It needs to happen every month. LOL!

Mary

Haha, as moderator you shoudl just pick one of the books for the month! That way you can read a book you want! Have to be fare don't we?

Hi Stephanie. It's funny that has moderator of the group I feel I have to read both of our main books each month but then I never get to read what I want to read. I think in November I may declare it Mary's month to read what she wants. LOL! It's hard to lead the book discussions if I don't read the books. I just need to quit work and read. Will you talk to my husband?

Mary

I knew the movie was coming out next year but I didn't know it would be in Febuary! NICE! My mom, I, and my sister read the whole series. My dad read and one of my yonger brothers read the first book. You shoudl read teh whoel series! It's AMAZING!

Stephanie wrote: "I have possibly too many to name....
Uh, I liek the Twilgiht Series (1-3) by Stephenie Meyer
The Books of Pellinor by Alison Croggon
Harry Potter
Percy Jackson and the Olympians
Artemis Fowl ..."

Hi Stephanie. My daughter loved the Percy Jackson series. I started the first book but and liked it but just haven't had time to finish it. My husband is reading the second book of the series. Did you know the movie for the first book is coming out in Feb of 2010? My daughter is so excited. Isn't it neat that we can share books with our kids? There are so many great children books out there now.

mary

my favorite books in no particular order:
The Harry Potter Series
The Twilight Series and The Host by Stephanie Myer
Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld
of Bees and Mist by Erick Setiawan
Blue Diary, The Story Sisters and the Probably Future by Alice Hoffman
Swimming by Nicola Keegan
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley
and the His Dark Materials Triology by Phillip Pullman.
and I'm sure there's more . . .

I have possibly too many to name....
Uh, I liek the Twilgiht Series (1-3) by Stephenie Meyer
The Books of Pellinor by Alison Croggon
Harry Potter
Percy Jackson and the Olympians
Artemis Fowl (1-3)
Fablehaven by Brandon Mull
The Children of the Promise
and well that's all I'll say for now although I knwo there's more...

Mary wrote: "Hi DJ. I loved "The Last Time They Met." But I do remember the ending was weird. I have several of her books but haven't had time to read them.

Mary"
I`ve read a few and that`s why the fact that this one had the ending it did was what made it strange to me.It almost felt that someone else had written it!

Hi DJ. I loved "The Last Time They Met." But I do remember the ending was weird. I have several of her books but haven't had time to read them.

Mary

Mary wrote: "Hi Robin. I loved "The Pilot's Wife." I have several Anita Shreve books I need to read. She has a new one out. Have you read her book called "The Last Time They Met?" It has the strangest ending. I..."

I am so glad to know that it wasn`t just me that thought bthe ending was strange.

Here are my favorite books,in no particular order:

The Winds of War, by Herman Wouk
Gone With the Wind
Shining Through, by Susan Isaacs
Exodus, by Leon Uris
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Kitty Foyle, by Christopher Morley
Jane Eyre
Anna Karenina
The Cazelet Chronicles (4 books) by Elizabeth Jane Howard
All Creatures Great and Small, by James Herriott
Nobody's Baby But Mine, by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Dr. Zhivago
Outlander, by Diana Gabaldon
Coming Home, and The Day of the Storm, by Rosamunde Pilcher
Charlotte Gray, by Sebastian Faulks
The Accidental Tourist, by Anne Tyler
A Farewell to France, by Noel Barber
Harriet the Spy

These are the ones I can remember.
Beth

I can`t list them all so here is a selection;
84 Charing Cross Road
Rebecca
Emma
The Woman in White
The Black Tulip
Possesion
What Katy Did
Anything by Mike Gayle
Etc Ect Ect..........

If I don`t stop we`ll run out of space!!!

Kelly, I loved The Thirteenth Tale, too.

Kimberly wrote: "I love, love, love Queen of Camelot! No one seems to have read it though. I also love To Kill A Mockingbird, Redeeming Love, and The Little Prince. I noticed Rose mentioned Katherine and Pillars..."

Pillars of the Earth was really great...I definitely enjoyed that one!

I have so many favorites. They include:

Brick Lane - Monica Ali
Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
The Lace Reader - Brunonia Barry
Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
Rebecca - DuMaurier
The Stephanie Plum Series - Janet Evanovich
One Second After - William R. Forstchen
Alas, Babylon - Pat Frank
The Outlander Series - Diana Gabaldon
Wives and Daughters - Elizabeth Gaskell
84, Charing Cross Road - Helene Hanff
The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane - Katherine Howe
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo - Stieg Larsson
The Girl Who Played With Fire - Stieg Larsson
The Spellman Series - Lisa Lutz
The Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
The Jane Whitefield Series - Thomas Perry
The Thirteenth Tale - Diane Setterfield
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Pie Society - Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows
The Book Thief - Markus Zusak

I love, love, love Queen of Camelot! No one seems to have read it though. I also love To Kill A Mockingbird, Redeeming Love, and The Little Prince. I noticed Rose mentioned Katherine and Pillars of the Earth which are both on my TBR. Can't wait to read them!

I gotta say --- really enjoying The Help. It could definitely end up on my top-10 list.

Kat wrote: "My favourite books are:

Liars and Saints - Maile Meloy
Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
Addition - Toni Jordan
High Fidelity - Nick Hornby
Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
Harry Potter series
His Dark ..."

OMG - I love Nick Hornby!!!

Rose.flanagankmob.com wrote: "I know I'm coming late to this discussion but my favorite books are:
Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Pillars of the Earth - Ken Follet
Katherine - Anya Seton
The Alienist - Caleb Carr
S..."

Rose - your list is great. I loved Pillars of the Earth, it was a long one - but a page turner. I also LOVED East of Eden - it's my favorite Steinbeck.
I've heard great things about the Red Tent - I think I'll finally have to read it.

Mary wrote: "Hi Jill. I always order new from Amazon. If you use different sellers you have to pay more in shipping. That's awful the way the seller treated you. You should have reported her and told her you w..."

Its a shame people have had bad experience

I sometimes buy new from amazon but often from 3rd party even paying seperate postage.

If you think about it amazon sells book say 4.99-7.99 paper back and hardback even more- free p&p after spending £5

While in market place you can buy the book for 1p and get p&p £2.75 so total £2.76.

I liked the Alienist, Book Thief, Shadow of the Wind( read it in Spanish and English), Harry Potter series, Sarah's Key and a lot more. hated Cold Mountain and couldn't finish it-ver rare for me

I like Caleb Carr's books a lot, including The Alienist. It's a bit slow-moving, but very atmospheric. It looks like The Devil Soldier is NF. I may have to pick that one up! I didn't know Carr had written any NF.

Rose.flanagankmob.com wrote: "Shelli wrote: "Rose.flanagankmob.com wrote: "I know I'm coming late to this discussion but my favorite books are:
Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Pillars of the Earth - Ken Follet
Katheri..."

Rose I started it and now can't remember why I didn't finish it...??? Maybe it wasn't the right time! Did you read it?

Shelli wrote: "Rose.flanagankmob.com wrote: "I know I'm coming late to this discussion but my favorite books are:
Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Pillars of the Earth - Ken Follet
Katherine - Anya Seton..."

Shelli, did you ever read the follow up book to the Alienist, Angel of Darkness? I have on my wishlist another book by Caleb Carr called The Devil Soldier: The American Soldier of Fortune Who Became a God in China. Truthfully, I don't know if it's fiction or non-fiction but it looks good.

My favourite books are:

Liars and Saints - Maile Meloy
Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
Addition - Toni Jordan
High Fidelity - Nick Hornby
Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
Harry Potter series
His Dark Materials series

And that is all I can think of,off the top of my head :)

Rose.flanagankmob.com wrote: "I know I'm coming late to this discussion but my favorite books are:
Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Pillars of the Earth - Ken Follet
Katherine - Anya Seton
The Alienist - Caleb Carr
S..."

I liked The Alienist a lot too and don't see it mentioned a lot.

hmmm the American Skin links to the wrong book when i do the [ book: name ] thing
here's the right link
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11023...

here are some of mine:
A Clockwork Orange

AMERICAN SKIN: A Novel

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream

Fight Club: A Novel

The Five People You Meet in Heaven

Invisible Monsters

More Now Again: A Memoir of Addiction

Prozac Nation: Young Depressed in America

The Secret Life of Bees

Great list Rose

I know I'm coming late to this discussion but my favorite books are:
Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Pillars of the Earth - Ken Follet
Katherine - Anya Seton
The Alienist - Caleb Carr
Secret Lives of Bees - Sue Monk Kidd
Cry to Heaven - Anne Rice
The Red Tent -
The Egyptologist - Arthur Phillips
To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
East of Eden - John Steinbeck

Mary wrote: "Jerry wrote: "Shelli wrote: "Hi I thought it would be fun to list our favorite books and see how many are the same...here are some of mine in no particular order...

1. I Know This Much Is True....."
Hello Mary-I'd never even heard of Wally Lamb till I saw it on goodreads-Mostly what I want these days are books that aren't gloomy-I've read and reread my share of Kafka,Dostoyevsky,etc.-great but they bite.I just finished The Road Home by (Rose?)Tremain.A tad raw and graphic in spots but it made me feel good and gave me insights-That's what I want these days-It won the Orange prize,which is why I bought it and I highly recommend it for a spirit lift.

Jerry wrote: "Shelli wrote: "Hi I thought it would be fun to list our favorite books and see how many are the same...here are some of mine in no particular order...

1. I Know This Much Is True...Wally Lamb
2. J..."

Welcome Jerry. I'm Mary. I too love Wally Lamb. I waited years for his new book to come out. I even ordered the hardcover. I was so sad. The language in the book was awful. There was bad language where there didn't need to be any. I didn't even bother to try to finish it. I'm curious to know if you read it.

mary