Summer 2008 reading list

[Kase626]

I just finished a book that was SO great, as soon as I read the last sentences, I flipped right back to the beginning and started it again.

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Friend - By Christopher Moore

This is the funniest book I've EVER read. I was reading in a waiting room, and was asked to keep my voice down because I was laughing SO hard. It's about the lost years of Christ, told through the eyes of his best friend, Biff.

Moore doesn't "ridicule" Jesus, so it's not offensive AT ALL. He's a very clever author, and this book led to me racing to Borders so I could buy everything else he's written. Best move I ever made. You can't go wrong with Moore.

 

[Cil]

Kase, Moore sounds like Tom Robbins or Doug Adams--and I mean that in a *good* way. I'll have to check him out.
I enjoyed Water for Elephants a couple months ago. Am excited about the new Sedaris book. I've been to one of his readings; along with his hilarious material, the man has superb timing.
I recently reread Suite Francaise by Ir?ne N?mirovsky. It is simply one of the best books ever. The author wrote it as a rough manuscript in a small French village after leaving Paris during WWII. Basically, this book, which apparently she had intended to be five parts, is two novellas, describing catastrophic events (the fall of Paris, the German occupation, food shortages) as they happened. Her insight into the human condition is as astute as her prose is lyrical. And to think this was just a rough draft. N?mirovsky's daughter, hidden during the war, found the notebook and sent it to a publisher about ten years ago.
I also read Jon Krakauer's Into the Wild. Having seen the movie, I was curious to read a factual account of the sad story of Chris McCandless, and devoured it during one airplane ride. I enjoyed Krakauer's sympathetic but unsentimental take on the tragedy.
I've been reading Three Cups of Tea and find it an inspiring story but not compelling reading.
Next up: City of Thieves by David Benioff. More WWII: The author has recreated his grandfather's wartime experiences in Leningrad. Two mismatched guys, a giant Cossack deserter and a scrawny teenager, are sent out to find a dozen eggs, not an easy task in a blockaded city. From the reviews I've read, it sounds like this novel has plenty of colorful dialogue along with thrilling action. Good summer stuff.

 

[NoHall]

You are officially my new hero!

Remind me to tell you about my most recent "independent study."

 

[dmarie]

A great fiction, which scared the dookey out of me but I couldn't put it down, is The Road by Cormac McCarthy. They're making it into a movie.

 

[Beach Runner]

Daughter says I need to get around to reading Me Talk Pretty One Day by Sedaris.

When I was eight and my five-year-old brother was run over my a drunk driver, an adult told me that if I read the Bible, it would make me feel better. I read it twice. It didn't help. What a thoughtless thing to say to a little kid. It did, however, make me the queen of Baptist Sunday school. To this day I can pretty much instantaneously flip to any book of the Bible at church. It amazes the Methodists around me because they don't emphasize the Bible in Methodist Sunday school like they do in the Baptist church.

 

[CPort]

I really liked Water For Elephants. I have A Thousand Splended Suns by Khaled Hosseini on tap. But I haven't emotionally geared up for it yet.

I am currently reading The Bible. My son got a great version from his preschool for his preschool graduation. Even though it's geared toward kids, I personally think it's the perfect version for myself! And he eagerly awaits reading it every night -- which is a bit bizarre to me. I try to explain some of the words to him and he understands some of the lighter stories. But I think 5 yr olds just enjoy being read to -- especially books with lots of words and substance versus a Dr. Seuss (althought he loves those, too). This really is our first major book to read together. We are half way through the Old Testament. I think we might do a Harry Potter book next!

TTS half through the Old Testament is a huge acomplishment!! I love using kids Bibles!

 

[Beach Runner]

my teacher.. Bin Xu, doesnt speak a bit of english so i have to read the book to understand, wait let me reword that.. TRY to understand any of it.

We get so many transfers from Auburn because they complain that they can't understand their profs. Kinda like calling customer service and getting someone from New Delhi who speaks so quickly and in such a clipped manner that you can't understand what s/he is saying.

 

[potatovixen]

Daughter says I need to get around to reading Me Talk Pretty One Day by Sedaris.

BR, you'll love that book! I couldn't believe how hard I laughed when I read it. There's something on just about every page that will make you giggle, if not laugh out loud.

 

[Parrothead74]

We get so many transfers from Auburn because they complain that they can't understand their profs. Kinda like calling customer service and getting someone from New Delhi who speaks so quickly and in such a clipped manner that you can't understand what s/he is saying.

its absolutely horrible.. i have to learn everything from the book without being taught at all.. haha

 

[kitlit]

I just finished one the other day that was great--nothing deep or earth-shattering, but it sure did have me laughing out loud...

There's a (Slight) Chance I Might Be Going to Hell:
A Novel of Sewer Pipes, Pageant Queens, and Big Trouble by Laurie Notaro