I just finished The Five People You Meet in Heaven by the same author who wrote Tuesday's With Morrie. It is a quick read and makes you re-evaluate what you imagine heaven is like.

I LOVED that book!

I just finished Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister and I LOVED it!!!!!!!

I can't wait to read more of Gregory Mcguire's stuff!!!!

I like children's books and am currently re-reading A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket... some of my favorites. :) They're hilarious.

I read Wicked and really liked it, although it's definitely on the dark side. I want to read some of his other books but I've been told by a lot of people that Wicked is the best of it, so I think I've ruined the rest by starting out with that. :p

I've read it and if your question is "Who are the people in the chapter about the pregnancy?" they lived in the same apartment building as Jane's great-aunt Rita before she died. They talk about it pretty early in the chapter, but it's a passing mention. Otherwise, no connection to Jane or the rest of the book, really.

If that's not the question, feel free to PM me and I'll see if I know . . . but I thought I'd take a stab at it since that's the part everybody's always confused about. :)

That part confused me too. I had to reread it to understand it.

Another good book in that vein is The Good People of New York by Thisbe Nissen.

I am now reading Bedford Square by Anne Perry.

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yeah, thats what i was confused about :) i actually did make the connection that she lived in the same building.. i guess i was just waiting throughout the rest of the book for their lives to intersect some way or for that chapter to make sense - but it never did, at least not to me..

so basically its just a random chapter thrown in there to serve no purpose? is there something deeper i'm missing? munchkin - you said you had to reread it to understand it..can you explain what you understood? :)

I'm currently reading Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi. SUCH a good book. I hate having to put it down...

I am currently re-reading the Chronicles of Narnia and LOVE them again!!!

most recently read the Divinci code.......really good

I will read anything John Gresham
and i will read anyting danielle steele

hmm... i couldn't read through that whole thread- so many suggestions! but my favorite book to read and also works if you need some perspective on life is called the Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster- i read it for the first time int eh 6th grade- but read it again a few years ago- but i usually pick it up about 3 times a year- it is an amazing story.... but you'll have to read it to find out! also- i LOVE gone with the wind... its a classic- and not exactly a light read ( but i read it in 2 days) umm... i would have to say my favorite author is john irving... a prayer for owen meaney!! ugh that books is amazing- so is a widow for one year.... the hotel new hampshire- whats eating gilbert grape... all sooooo good- i highly recommend anything by him- but be prepared- he sometimes writes bluntly... but i think thats why he's so good

"Good in Bed" by Jennifer Weiner is a hilarious book! I can't wait to get back to the states to read her two other books!!

As for my all time favorite books: "Memoirs of a Geisha" and "She's Come Undone" will always be loved by me

Hopefully one day the book I'm working on right now will be on this list... It's a sort of a semiautobiographical with lots of twists... :)

oh oh! that's second to next on my list (next is going to be The Notebook).

The thing I liked most about Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister is that there isnt anything Disney about it! I liked how it was a bit dark and mysterious and it really wanted me to keep reading to see how the next chapter would turn out... and the chapter after that...

A friend of mine said Mcguire's MIrror, Mirror is also pretty good. I'm not too sure about Lost though.. that book just sounds too creepy...

Has anyone read The Beachers by John Gersim (sp?)? I have heard both that it was really good and really bad and I want to know what others thought about it before I read it. Thanks in advance.

Must. Get. Library. Card.

So many books I can't afford to buy but really want to read!!!

I'm so happy other people have read Neil Gaiman. I just re-read American Gods. Hubby bought me Good Omens for Christmas, and that was great, too.

I feel the same way!!! I am pretty sure I've mentioned this before, but I get most ALL my books from either www.half.com, or www.amazon.com and buy gently read books.

There is also a bookchain called Half Price Books, that buys in gently read books, and sells them at least half the cost of a new copy... and I've found that most of the time they sell them for even less than half of the original cost. I don't know if it is a very big chain, but this store has SAVED me because since I'm a college student, I'm always busy with class & work so I can't just "rent" it from the library for a few days b/c sometimes it takes me longer to read. Plus, I'm a poor college student, so getting awesome books at deep discounts completely rocks my world :)

but that means I have to waaaiiittt for the books and I want to read them nooowwww!
There is a Half Price Books store in Des Moines, but we rarely get over that way. There might be some resell book stores here in town, I just haven't looked too hard for them!

I read it (Bleachers by John Grisham) & thought it was a nice, short, simple read. Not complicated & of course, not a Grisham legal novel. If you are from a small town that worships high school athletics, you will really enjoy it. Guys will relate to it more, though...my dad loved it b/c he said he had a coach who had a strong effect on his life, like the one in the book.... It isn't bound for greatness, though & leaves alot of questions unanswered, but like I said, if you have time, read it. It took me 2 days. Don't buy it-get it at the library.

Reading "Broken Music" by Sting. Man that guy knows how to use words...I love him even more now. I just got my package from Literary Guild, so I have "Angels & Demons," "The Five People You Meet in Heaven," "The Lovely Bones," "Out to Canaan," "The Last Girls," and the 3 "Shopaholic" books waiting...just cant' decide which one to read first, so I'll probably start 2 of them...

Blast it. Been trying to get ahold of these at the library & they are always checked out! My 8 y.o. son is huge Harry Potter fan, and will probably finish OoTP this month...gotta keep him reading, and I don't love Captain Underpants for him. Is it imperative to read the Series of Unf. Eventsin order?

I broke down and bought Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister and Wicked tonight. So far, I'm in about 60 pages of CoaUS and it's pretty good.

"Big Stone Gap"...

such a great book.. I read the entire thing in one day.. could not put it down.. so so great.. this is part of a series.. so I will def be getting the next one..

I just started reading "The devil wears prada" and so far so good! There is a barnes and noble that is like 2 minutes from my house which is opening this wednesday! I am so excited, and I already know what book I am going to go buy. "Can you keep a secret" is already out, and i have heard good things about it, so that is first on my list.

In 12th grade, my AP English teacher gave out a list of the top 100 novels of the 20th century. I've always kept it and now that I'm out of college and have the time, I'm going to try and read it, even the ones I have already read. I also found lists of the top 50 American writers and British authors of all time with their memorable works so I'm going to try to do those now too. I finished "My Antonia" by Willa Cather a couple of weeks ago and just started on " The Grapes of Wrath" by Steinbeck. I know it's going to take me forever to read them all but I think it is definitely worth it.

A library by my house always has used book sales so it is a great way to get these books. I also recommend it for recent best sellers...you can get them for like 3 dollars in hardback! I'm a book junkie though...

Currently I'm working my way through Nora Roberts (writing as J.D. Robb)'s "In Death" series....great series....very graphic and probably more of the *girly* romantic novel, but still, each book keeps me on my toes! :)

If you like the DaVinci code you should read the eight by katherine neville.

Hey junkie, check out half.com :) You might find some great books for real cheap.

-Rudey

Thanks Rudey! I will definitely check that site out...:D

Good books
 

Good, short read. Just like my hometown.
Also check out: Skipping Christmas...utterly hysterical

There are THREE Shopaholics? What is the third one?

Great feel good books are the Mitford series by Jan Karon and the Harmony series by Phillip Gulley.

The Ladies Farm is also very good.

Silver

Re: Good books
 

confessions of a shopoholic
shopoholic takes manhatten
shopoholic ties the knot

Shopaholic books are incredible. I got the first one for Christmas and I waited until Shopaholic Takes Manhattan to come out in Mass Market a few weeks ago, but after reading it I splurged and bought Ties the Knot. My friends and I have described our perfect Luke Brandon's. It's kind of scary. ;)

Ok, so I just finished Bel Canto by Ann Patchett...
I really really enjoyed it. I had a terribly hard time putting it down!
Then I got to the ending and was just like, "Huh?"
Anyone else read this? I'm curious to see what other people thought...

Ima Nora Roberts freak. I read every book I can get of hers and I keep them all.

My grandma reads romance and suspense and she gets like 30 books a month from people shes friends with and some she buys so then she passes them on to my mom and me. Lately Ive been reading like one a night cause I read real fast so Ill relax and read some.

I read all she gave me though so I am wishing I had some new ones, I havent read in a week now. Im looking on ebay to buy some new books though.

Re: Good books
 

There are actually 4 -- there's a new one that's come out in England already so it should be coming out in the States soon!

The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic (American title: Confessions of a Shopaholic)
Shopaholic Abroad (American title: Shopaholic Takes Manhattan)
Shopaholic Ties the Knot
Shopaholic and Sister

Re: Good books
 

Really like those books, as I grew up Episcopalian (grandfather was a priest, but not really like Fr. Tim), and wished I lived in a town like Mitford...

Anyone read any good books lately?

I recently finished "Boy Meets Girl" by Meggin "Princess Diaries" Cabot. It was very funny! It is kind of in the same series as "Boy Next Door" a few of the characters are back in this one.