Monday, December 10, 2007

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.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

'Prodigal Summer' was the first Kingsolver I read and made me a life long fan, at least as far as her fiction is concerned. I was simply overwhelmed by the way in which the richness of her writing style reflected the themes about which she was writing. I wish she would go back to novels. I quite enjoy a small does of her non-fiction, but she seems to say the same thing over and over again.

Anonymous said...

I loved "Prodigal Summer." I read ANYTHING by Barbara Kingsolver, but found this book particularly well done. She made an important point about nature, but managed not to be heavy handed with it by working it into a compelling story.