Sandy-gram

[#1]

When you walk into my home, my secret isn’t immediately revealed. The front room is nice and tidy with scant few books in site. But as you venture deeper, and head into the family room, the shelves of worn books greet you. To my hubby’s chagrin, the side of my bed is forever cluttered with recent books I’ve read, or those books awaiting their turn. Here’s my take on some of my favorite, and least favorite books…and yes, I can be blunt.

How can you pick a favorite?

It’s a little like saying, out of this huge box of cookies, which one is your favorite? They're all pretty good. The truth is that I’ll read almost anything. How much I enjoy it is another story....and then there are the few dogs that end up on the shelf.

Let’s start with my least favorite book in recent history.

The $64 Tomato: How One Man Nearly Lost his Sanity, Spent a Fortune, and Endured an Existential Crisis in the Quest for the Perfect Garden by William Alexander.

Egad!  This was brutal. But it does have 3 things going for it:  

1. The nod-off factor is significant if you were worried about sleeping. The author was just loopy when he wrote this boring drivel.
2. If someone you don’t like wants to borrow a book—you’ve got the perfect selection.
3. I have a bunny that likes to chew on books—this has become her favorite specimen, and resides unceremoniously in her cage.

Favorite Books

I love to read all types of books, but my favorites are historical fiction. These books (generally meticulously researched by the author) share stories of individuals who are overcoming diversity, and are often are breaking the mold of their times. I find the culture and intricacies of everyday life in these bygone days intriguing and enlightening.

Here are some 10 great historical fiction books I’ve read recently (not in any particular order):

1) Snowflower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See (read my review)

2) The Kabul Beauty School by Deborah Rodriguez (read my review)

3) The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

4) The Spirit Catches you and you Fall Down by Anne Fadiman (set in modern day times, but speaks to cultural differences.)

5) The 19^th Wife by David Ebershooff

 6) On Gold Mountain by Lisa See

7) Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

8) The Piano Teacher by Janice Y.K. Lee

 9) The little Giant of Aberdeen County by Tiffany Baker

10) The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Here’s my take on a few popular writers:

Lisa See:  Love her, can’t live without her.

Pang-Mei Chang: Another great author with Asian roots.

John Grisham: Perfect when you’re feeling sleuthy. I love all the behind the scenes attorney stuff (yes, they have angst too).

Michael Crichton – Great books – lousy endings.

Jodi Picoult – I call her books a palate cleanser. If you’re feeling a little overwhelmed after reading a couple of heavy books, read a Picoult book.

Danielle Steel – Never read one, never want to.

James Patterson – Great mystery author when you're in the mood for intrigue. 

Stephen King – Brilliant writer, great storyteller – just scares the living daylights out of me every time.

Check out the newest blog on the Community, Bookworm for current book reviews.

[#2]

I know what you mean about having piles of books next to the bed.  They're always in danger of falling over, or being slammed into by my dogs when they're feeling especially wild.  I love all sorts of books -- mysteries, legal thrillers, novels, sci-fi/fantasies, biographies, historical fiction -- and I love re-reading, too.  My husband can't understand how I can re-read a mystery since I already know the ending.  I think what happens is I either consciously forget the ending so that I can re-read it, or I love the characters and relationships so much, I just focus on that the next time.  One example is the British mystery writer -- P.D. James.  Her mysteries are really more like novels; you really get to know each of the characters and their back stories.  She can be a bit grisly at times, but she hooks you right from the start and wows you with her style.  

[#3]

I have really eclectic tastes in reading too! I went to a workshop once where the speaker was talking about right brained versus left brained people. One of the characteristics (which made me laugh in recognition) of a creative mind is that we have books all over the house. Each room has different books waiting in piles, which we'll read simultaneously (the specific book dependent on one's current mood). I have friends who don't understand how I can keep plots and characters straight when I'm reading several books. For me, it's like jumping back into a specific location. Like, as soon as I remember I'm in London and not New York, I know what to do, who is where, etc. Same with books. There's the British cozy mystery, the gritty demon hunter urban fantasy, the warm and fuzzy romance, the slice of Irish village life, the animal story...

[#4]

I heard about a great book on National Public Radio but I can't remember the name or the author!  Mind you, it was over a year ago, but the premise was great.  It was a collection of essays and short stories that were all calculated for different chunks of reading time.  In other words, there were some stories you could read and finish while you were in a waiting room.  There were longer reads for a ride on a train.  There were even short short stories that you could read on an elevator!!!  I love this idea and I keep meaning to google this to see if I can figure out the title.  Has anyone heard about this?

[#5]

My books are not hidden.  They are all over the house, which is fine because we are all book lovers.  Well, most of us.  I am "out" as a book lover, and I'm proud of it!!  :-)