I need some recommendations!

[Nicole]

i left the ABC task open so I could fit in any recommendations or inspirations to read that I had in the next few weeks. My mom recommended I read The Leopard, so now I am looking for some great reads with titles that begin with K, M or N (I am either doing K,L,M or L,M,N).

Thanks! I didn't want to just choose any old thing off of my shelf (although I am going to see what titles I have that begin with those letters).

[kiki]

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides is a great book if you haven't already read it.

Midwives by Chris Bohjalian is also a great read.

(The)Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini is fabulous, as well.

K is hard! (looking at my shelves, anyway!)

good luck! :)

[Nicole]

kiki wrote: "Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides is a great book if you haven't already read it.

Midwives by Chris Bohjalian is also a great read.

(The)Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini is fabulous, as well.

K is ha..."

I loved the Kite Runner! ;)

I have heard Midwives is good. I have to admit I am daunted by Middlesex...but I will still investigate! Thanks!

[Greyweather]

The Kindly Ones
Kindred
King Rat
The Master and Margarita
The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress
Motherless Brooklyn
The Name of the Rose
The New York Trilogy
Noctuary

[Sandie]

Killing Time A Novel
Kiss of the Spider Woman
The Memory Keeper's Daughter
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
North and South

[Dree]

I found Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson to be surprisingly quick and good. I have sons and have been trying to read some of those "boy" classics I never read!

[Jennifer]

I'm also doing L for my ABC challenge. These were some of my thoughts for K, M and N...

Kinfolk by Pearl S. Buck
Kilmeny of the Orchard by L.M. Montgomery
Mr. Darcy, Vampyre by Amanda Grange
Morality for Beautiful Girls by Alexander McCall Smith
New Moon Rising by Eugenia Price
New Moon by Stephanie Meyer


Oh, and BTW, Middlesex was excellent! I was intimidated with it at first, but once I started, I couldn't put it down! :)

[Marie-vicky]

The Magicians by Lev Grossman Its a fantasy book reminding me Harry Potter but for Grows up.It

[Nicole]

Jennifer L. wrote: "I'm also doing L for my ABC challenge. These were some of my thoughts for K, M and N...

Kinfolk by Pearl S. Buck
Kilmeny of the Orchard by L.M. Montgomery
[book:Mr. ..."

I like a challenge...I am seriously considering it!

[Emily]

I'm going to second Kindred and Middlesex - two of the best books that I've read in recent years. I also loved Midnight's Children, but found this one to be more daunting than Middlesex, so if that is a concern.... Never Let Me Go was an interesting read and Me Talk Pretty One Day is fun and fast. The Mistress of Spices A Novel is also fun and fantastical.

[Liz M]

Oooh, Motherless Brooklyn! One of my favorite books. I read it when I knew I was moving to NYC and spending a lot of time in the subways while apartment hunting. So I am reading it on a really long N-train ride from Sunset Park to Astoria, trying so hard to not giggle (must keep subway face at all times) and the effort of suppressing my laughter resulted in it leaking out in the form of snorting noises.

How can you not read a book that makes people snort on the subway?

[Juniper]

Nicole wrote: "i left the ABC task open so I could fit in any recommendations or inspirations to read that I had in the next few weeks."

Hi Nicole.

There are already some great suggestions here. I agree with Liz concerning Motherless Brooklyn. It is a book I really liked and have saved on my shelf.

I have a few suggestions, I hope you don't mind.

J, K, L, M or N are the possibilities.

J
Joe by Larry Brown
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (a re-read for you, but maybe it has been a while?
Jane Austen Ruined My Life by Beth Patillo

K
Keeping Gideon A Novel by Richard Samuel Sheres
Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset (It is crazy long, but apparently worth it.)

L
You have already. :)

M
My Antonia by Willa Cather (so good!!)
Making It Up by Penelope Lively
The Magician's Assistant by Ann Patchett
My Name Is Red by Orhan Pamuk

N
The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
Netherland by Joseph O'Neill

I hope you find something interesting here. You'll have to make sure you let us know what you end up reading! LOL!

[Teresa]

you could do j k l too

Neighbor, would love to discuss this one
n is for nooose
murders club
monkeewrench GREAT READ
monday mouring
moment of truth
mistleto man
mistaken identity
missing justice
mephisto club
meory collector
marley and me 5 stars
mandrain plaid
kisscut
killer calories
just one look
just desserts

all off my shelves " : )

[Nicole]

I am adding a lot to my TBR! NOT GOOD! LOL.

I am definitely reading The Leopard and Motherless Brooklyn (always wanted to read Lethem, but don't worry- I put Middlesex on the tbr pile).

Now...I need either a K or an N. Still deciding!

[Nicole]

I might do Keeping Faith, but I am really trying to stretch my reading boundaries and I have already done 2 Picoult books for this challenge!

[Nicole]

ok! I have it! I am going to read a book i have owned for a while called Keeping a Journal You Love. I am always buying things to inspire my writing and then I NEVER read them, so now is a great time!

[Patricia]

I'm jumping in too late but figured I'd add two K books from my shelves just in case.


The Known World

Kafka on the Shore

[Heidi]

I would recommend the following (particularly the first one!):

The New York Trilogy
The Namesake
Night Train
Night Watch
Nowhere Man

[Susanna - Censored by GoodReads]

J

Jo's Boys, by Louisa May Alcott
Johnny Tremain, by Esther Forbes
The Judgment of Caesar, by Steven Saylor
The Johnstown Flood, by David McCullough (non-fiction, but under 300 pages)

K

Katherine, by Anya Seton
The Killer Angels, by Michael Shaara
Kim, by Rudyard Kipling
The King Must Die A Novel, by Mary Renault

L

Lancelot A Novel, by Walker Percy
Leave It to Psmith, by P.G. Wodehouse
The Left Hand of Darkness, by Ursula K. Le Guin
Life, the Universe and Everything, by Douglas Adams
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, by C.S. Lewis
Little Dorrit, by Charles Dickens
Lost Horizon A Novel, by James Hilton
Lucky Jim, by Kingsley Amis

M

Main Street, by Sinclair Lewis
Maisie Dobbs, by Jacqueline Winspear
Marie Antoinette The Journey, by Antonia Fraser (biography)
The Martian Chronicles, by Ray Bradbury
Mistress of the Art of Death, by Ariana Franklin
Moo, by Jane Smiley
The Mother Tongue English and How It Got That Way, by Bill Bryson (non-fiction)
Murder Must Advertise, by Dorothy L. Sayers
Murder on the Orient Express, by Agatha Christie

N

The Nanny Diaries, by Emma McLaughlin
Nerve, by Dick Francis
Nine Princes in Amber, by Roger Zelazny
The Nine Tailors, by Dorothy L. Sayers
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, by Alexander McCall Smith
Notes from a Small Island, by Bill Bryson (non-fiction - the "small island" is Britain)

Some from my own shelves.

[Usako]

Where would you put The Diving Bell and the Butterfly? Excluding the mathematics task, ABC and Positive Change (Dianne's).

I'd put it as Cait's Thing/Object but I have The Angel's Game listed since that's the other bookclub read.

You can check out my excel spreadsheet: http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?ke...

Anything in italics, I haven't read. The purple titled books MUST fit somewhere since they'll be bookclub required reads. All else can be replaced. And light blue rows means I've claimed the task already or finished reading.

[Cait]

Tanja wrote: "Where would you put The Diving Bell and the Butterfly? Excluding the mathematics task, ABC and Positive Change (Dianne's).

I'd put it as Cait's Thing/Object but I have The A..."</i>

My suggestion:

Move [book:Gourmet Rhapsody to Part 1 (senses) portion of the 50 point task (I noticed you didn't have a book listed for it yet) and use The Diving Bell and the Butterfly in it's place since it was also originally written in french.

[Krista]

Tanja wrote: "Where would you put The Diving Bell and the Butterfly? Excluding the mathematics task, ABC and Positive Change (Dianne's).

I'd put it as Cait's Thing/Object but I have The A..."</i>

For task 15.5, you've selected [book:The Elegance of the Hedgehog. Was that written in French? (I think it was but I'm not 100% positive.) If it was --- then you're in luck because The Diving Bell and the Butterfly was ALSO written in French.

[Juniper]

Tanja wrote: "Where would you put The Diving Bell and the Butterfly?"

Tanja, if I am reading your spreadsheet correctly, you could put it as your second book for the foreign language task, as it was originally written and published in French/France. Alternately, you could use it for PJ's 50 point task as the senses component...he wrote the book by blinking his left eye so the whole book was dependent on his communicating with his eye. It's not specifically sight, but I am sure an argument could be made for it. :) It could also be put into your thankful slot, perhaps? Thankful for the ability to communicate easily, good health?

Just some thoughts, but maybe they help.

Good luck!

[Katie]

*Drooling over Tanja's spreadsheet*

[Usako]

OOooh!! Really?!? Now I am absolutely excited since The Elegance of the Hedgehog is on super back-hold at the library (352 holds!) I saw this one on the shelves recently. SQUEE!! Thanks everyone!!

And Katie, if you want to copy my spreadsheet, use this link:
http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?ke...

[Dlmrose, Moderator Emeritus]

Tanja, I used your spreadsheet to track my books- it was great!
I added a few things, highlighted the task numbers when complete, etc.
Thanks!

If you want to take a look...
http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?ke...

[Juniper]

Tanja wrote: "OOooh!! Really?!? Now I am absolutely excited since The Elegance of the Hedgehog is on super back-hold at the library (352 holds!)"

Wow...that's a lot of holds. It makes sense then, to switch it out. Probably not much of a chance for you to get it before the end of November.

[Katie]

Tanja wrote: "OOooh!! Really?!? Now I am absolutely excited since The Elegance of the Hedgehog is on super back-hold at the library (352 holds!) I saw this one on the shelves recently. SQUEE!! Thanks everyone!!
..."

cool, thanks!

[Sara]

Katie wrote: "Tanja wrote: "OOooh!! Really?!? Now I am absolutely excited since The Elegance of the Hedgehog is on super back-hold at the library (352 holds!) I saw this one on the shelves recently. SQUEE!! Than..."

Just finished it this afternoon after waiting 3 months for it from the library...it was awesome and totally worth the wait! Maybe you can fit it into the next challenge.

[Usako]

Glad you like Dlmrose!!

Sara, I think I may buy the book if I don't see a chance of receiving from the library by the end of the winter challenge. It sounds wonderful and I did adore Gourmet Rhapsody.

[Sara]

Tanja wrote: "Glad you like Dlmrose!!

Sara, I think I may buy the book if I don't see a chance of receiving from the library by the end of the winter challenge. It sounds wonderful and I did adore Gourmet Rha..."

Definitely worth buying, especially if you already read Gourmet Rhapsody...I am reading them backwards:-)

[Usako]

My Kindle is going to wear out ;)

[Juniper]

Sara☺ wrote: "Definitely worth buying, especially if you already read Gourmet Rhapsody...I am reading them backwards:-)"

Hi Sara. Thanks for enlightening me. I own The Elegance of the Hedgehog and added Gourmet Rhapsody to my wish list a couple of weeks ago. I haven't read Elegance yet, so is it best to read Rhapsody first? I don't know how I missed that??

[Sara]

Jennifer wrote: "Sara☺ wrote: "Definitely worth buying, especially if you already read Gourmet Rhapsody...I am reading them backwards:-)"

Hi Sara. Thanks for enlightening me. I own [book:The Elegance of the Hedgeh..."

Gourmet Rhapsody was actually written first. I am reading it second because I didn't know about it before reading Hedgehog. I think you would be fine either way, but the main character in Rhapsody is part of Hedgehog. Up to you ;-) . I am hoping to read Rhapsody while I am out of town the next two weeks. I actually shipped books ahead of myself so I wouldn't have too many in my checked luggage.

[Usako]

He is? Oooh that's neat Sara! Now I'm looking forward to reading Elegance!

[Usako]

Hmmm...noticing I haven't been catching up on the classics (aside from Austen). Aside from Little Women for the Civil War task and Dickens or Russian Lit (going to save them for the Winter Challenge), what would others recommend?

Below is my spreadsheet. Purples are bookclub books (cannot be changed).
http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?ke...

[Donna Jo]

Tanja
a few suggestions
5.3 Sea Travel Mutiny on the Bounty, or Treasure Island, or Two Years Before the Mast, or The Odyssey

10.1 Buddy Holly--Grapes of Wrath or Cry the Beloved Country

20.1 Christian Fiction Ben Hur or Pilgrim's Progress or two semi-classicals The Silver Chalice or Quo Vadis.

[El]

I noticed you still need a B and C title to finish the A, B, C task:

B
Barchester Towers, Anthony Trollope
Beowulf A New Verse Translation, Anonymous
Beyond Good and Evil, Nietzsche
The Black Arrow A Tale of the Two Roses, Robert Louis Stevenson
The Bride of Lammermoor, Sir Walter Scott

C
The Call of the Wild & White Fang, Jack London
Can You Forgive Her?, Anthony Trollope
Candide, Voltaire
The Canterbury Tales Nine Tales and the General Prologue, Chaucer
Captains Courageous, Rudyard Kipling
The Castle of Otranto A Gothic Story, Horace Walpole
Clarissa Or the History of a Young Lady, Samuel Richardson

That's of course leaving out Dickens and the Russian dudes, though there are a few for both letters by those guys.

[Liz M]

Tanja:

Christian Fiction: Dante's Inferno, Paradise Lost

Related Authors: V. Woolf & W. Thackery or C. Dickens & W. Collins

Home/Work: The Home and the World by R. Tagore or Look Homeward, Angel by T. Wolfe

Alternate History: It Can't Happen Here by S. Lewis or The Plot Against America by P. Roth (do contemporary classics count?)

Hispanic Hertiage (your spreadsheet lacks Chile & Mexico): Isabelle Allende, Roberto Bolano, Jorge Volpi, Laura Esquivel, Octavio Paz, Mariano Azuela, Juan Rulfo,

Cat Title/Cover: Cat and Mouse, Cat’s Cradle, The Leopard, The Life and Opinions of the Tomcat Murr

Published 1936-1959: Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon, Giovanni's Room, The Plague, Breakfast at Tiffany's, The Big Sleep, Rebecca, The Invisible Man, Lord of the Flies, The Power and the Glory, For Whom the Bell Tolls, The Glass Bead Game, Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zorba the Greek, On the Road, The Leopard, The Razor's Edge, Lolita, At Swim-Two-Birds, Wise Blood, Nineteen Eighty-Four, Doctor Zhivago, The Labyrinth of Solitude, The Catcher in the Rye, Nausea, A Town Like Alice, The Grapes of Wrath, The Hobbit, Brideshead Revisited, The Once and Future King, Native Son

[Usako]

Thanks everyone! This really helped!