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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
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Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Books! Recommend them. Right Here.
Welp, I'm about to spend a week in the woods and need something to read. Pretty much everyone on this board reads more than I do year-round, so do any of you have any suggestions for me?
I like thoughtful reads but nothing too cerebral. Non-fiction or fiction. Also, perhaps something that would be available at the library - for example I think I'd like The Hunger Games or The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo books, but I'm fairly certain those will have a long wait. HP is actually on my list to read too, but too heavy for carrying in my pack. :-)
Thanks for any suggestions you may offer!
Re: Books! Recommend them. Right Here.
I'll take a break from updating my resume to answer this...much more fun!
Some of the recent reads that I've enjoyed:
-The Green Mile by Stephen King. I saw the movie years ago, but enjoyed the book. SK is also quick and easy to read.
-Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer. Nonfiction about Mormon Fundamentalism. Krakauer writes great nonfiction, very compelling
-Blood, Bones and Butter by Gabrielle Hamilton. A chef's autobiography talking about how she ended up where she did. The ending wasn't my favorite, but the story itself was pretty interesting and it's pretty short, less than 300 pages.
-Bonk: The curious coupling of science and sex by Mary Roach. This wasn't my favorite Mary Roach book (Stiff has that honor), but she writes really fun nonfiction and if you haven't read her before, I think you might really enjoy this.
-The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan. This was a re-read for me. It's pretty classic. The story of four women who immigrate from China and how their lives their affect their daughters who are born in America.
Succubs series by Richelle Mead (begins with Succubus Blues)
Do you have a smart phone yet? Maybe you could download the Nook app and I could lend you The Hunger Games? Or maybe this is a bad idea since you might not have outlets to charge your phone while you're hiking.
I really enjoyed The Hunger Games, btw.
Krakauer immediately drew my attention because we read his other books on our hiking trips (Into the Wild and Into Thin Air). And it's available on my library's shelf as we speak, so I believe I will be grabbing that one for sure. I think Andy would like it too.
I *think* Andy owns the Green Mile, I know he's read it but I'm worried it might be too big - I'll have to look. I know I enjoyed the movie.
Thank you for the ideas! I'm looking into the others you suggested as well. :-)
Nope, I still have an Intellectually Challenged Phone. We actually looked this weekend, and I think we decided that I'll go to an old school pay as you go phone for a months and see how it treats me and our phone bill. :-)
Here are my suggestions! Enjoy! None of these are new or super popular, so you should be able to find them at the library.
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. It sounds like it would be boring (a year of farming... really?), but it's actually really interesting, particularly if you're interested in healthy and/or local food options. I think it should be required reading for all people who eat food.
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides. This was just a really good book. Historical fiction and coming of age story, with a twist.
The Reader by Bernhard Schlink. It's a quick read, but it gives you something to think about. How Germans come to grip with the Holocaust in the years following WWII. The subject matter may not be right for a vacation read though.
I like Jeannette Walls books for thoughtful, yet not cerebral. They're also pretty easy reads. Both The Glass Castle and Half Broke Horses were good.
Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali. I loved this book and it left me with so much to think about. I highly recommend it. May be a little too deep for vacation though, depending on what you're looking for.
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. It's a novel, but it also makes you think about how your (and your family's) decisions affect the rest of your life and those around you. I loved this book.
Middlesex is being brought - it's big so it might be my airplane read though. I bought it cheap some time ago and it's been sitting on my nightstand ever since. :-) I also started The Poisonwood Bible and really enjoyed it, but never finished - I should pry look into that one.
Thank you for the ideas - and I apologize for my laziness in not properly formatting the titles of books. ;-)
I love Amy Tan and the Barbara Kingsolver books mentioned.
Also wanted to add the Spellman Files. My sister suggested I take the first one on our trip to CT. I finished it in four days. Finished the sequel in two days (started it yesterday morning). We're off to the library to see if I can get #3. Fiction, easy, fun, compelling but not utterly fluffy chicklit. Perfect vacation reading since it's not heavy.
ETA: Author is Lisa Lutz.
My Clean Eating Blog
Green Living Reading List
I'm actually supposed to pick that up today at the library I'm willing to let you have it if you would like. I just had a whole bunch of books come in that I've been waiting for so it will be waiting for me to get to it since there are 4 other books in line ahead of it.
That is a very kind offer - thank you! - but I think I'll be able to make do with the other suggestions given.
Seriously - all of you ladies rock - I have an awesome list now and I'm excited to get reading! :-)
I would almost bet my left leg that The Help is the best book mentioned in this thread. I Looooooooooooooooooooooooooved it.
I really enjoyed The Hunger Games trilogy. Thumbs up.
I'm reading The Book Thief right now and it's a heavy read, but I'm really enjoying it.
I think I'm going to have to jump on bandwagon for The Help. Maybe over Christmas break?
The Hunger Games trilogy has also been repeatedly recommended to me, so I should probably get around to reading that as well.
I am constantly hearing this recommendation too. I've avoided them thus far though, since they're YA and I don't typically love the genre. I'd be interested to hear if you enjoy them.
The Book Thief is YA, too.
Er, it is? I didn't know that. Hmmmm... well, here's to hoping that it's the first YA that I enjoy! I'm picking it up tomorrow.