Recommended Books From My Reading Past

1. Prodigal Summer, by Barbara Kingsolver - I read this when I was stationed in Germany during a military field exercise in 2002 or 2003. I found time to devour it, little by little, when there were short waits in between my duties. I recall being just as in love with the rhythm of Kingsolver's spare and yet eloquent descriptions as I was with the actual story.
2. Plainsong, by Kent Haruf - I read this directly after Prodigal Summer. I think I enjoyed it so much, because it had the same simple quality to the prose as I mentioned with Kingsolver's book; and the story was just as raw and moving.
3. On the Road, by Jack Kerouac - Always a favorite of mine, for Kerouac's down-to-earth writing style and because of my passion for road trips, adventure and free spirits
4. Wish You Well, by David Baldacci - Not your typical Baldacci novel but wonderful in its own way
5. Here on Earth, by Alice Hoffman - Remember that magical feeling you used to get as a kid, when a book was so good that you'd read way past your bed time, hidden beneath the blankets with a flashlight, in order to finish it? Well, I do. And, trust me, Hoffman's books will give you back that same magic as an adult. (Here's where you can read an excerpt.)
6. The Accidental Tourist, by Anne Tyler - Well-remembered as a joy of a read
7. I'm a Stranger Here Myself: Notes on Returning to America After Twenty Years, by Bill Bryson - Bryson is a wonderful writer that makes nonfiction so much fun to read. I could no more stop reading one of his books once I begin one than I could stop breathing.
8. Cheeseburgers: The Best of Bob Greene
9. Shutterbabe: Adventures in Love and War, by Deborah Copaken-Kogan - A window into the life of a female war photographer
10. Love Stories of World War II, by Larry King - I have fond memories of having read this book. Young and old can relate to the stories within, based on the timeless universal theme of love in all its many forms.