GTKY: Last 5 Books

AcaAwkward

What were the last 5 books you read and would you recommend them?

ETA: this post is rather selfish as I'm looking for a new Kindle download...

ekmebm

It has been a long time since I read much of anything besides books for the under 5 set, but I really liked "We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves" by Karen Joy Fowler.

AcaAwkward

1. Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy - the new Bridget Jones book, loved the first two; still reading this and it's just okay

2. Eleanor & Park - LOVED

3. The Devil in the White City - nonfiction, very much enjoyed

4. The Making of a Chef - nonfiction, first hand account of life inside the Culinary Institute of America - would recommend if you like nonfiction and enjoy cooking

4. The Twelve (2nd book in the Justin Cronin "Passage" trilogy) - loved; enjoyed it more than the first which is off for me

5. The Shining Girls - loved

ETA: oops, that was 6. Mobile scrolling fail.

NicoleAnne416

Books are not selfish The last 5? Hmph. Let me go to goodreads... pregnancy brain lol.
1. Currently reading The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen, I really like it, it's a YA and light and cute and I love Dessen. Especially Lock and Key and This Lullaby and The Truth about Forever!
2. The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay. I'd rate this one 4.5 stars. I loved this story, it's YA again, but so good and the characters are unique enough but loveable.
3. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor, only 3 stars. It was good but weird and I just didn't love it. I sent the second book back to the library.
4. The Raven Boys (#1) 4 stars. This is such a great story, YA again.
5. The Dream Thieves... Raven Boys #2, 4.5 stars!

FTMapr2014

I just finished Harry potter and the prisoner of Azkaban for the one millionth time and the first two were before that. I read belly laughs when I found out I was pregnant, that was hilarious!! And I read the impatient women's guide to getting pregnant while we were trying (maybe a little late for you to read this one). I would also recommend a dogs journey if you're a dog lover. I read it a while ago but I've been thinking about re-reading it.

Mamamonzo

Just re read all the Stephanie plum books to get ready for the next one. This time of year I always crack open Harry Potter. Just finished Sorcerer 's Stone.

Emily041285

The Wednesday Sisters
The Wednesday Daughters
Dinner with the Smileys
Four of a Kind
Serv Safe (don't recommend that one! Unless you want to be really safe handling food. )

Dinner with the Smileys was fantastic. It's about a woman who struggles to raise her two boys while her husband is deployed. They decide to invite people every week to fill his spot at the dinner table. The guests include family, celebrities, and government officials. As a FTM, a lot of the lessons they learn from their guests are ones I hope to teach my kid one day. (Full disclosure, I was tearing up for most of it).

The Wednesday Sisters and Four of a Kind are similar and about moms raising their kids and trying to keep their own identity. (I must mention that Wednesday Sisters has a loss included. I don't want anyone to be surprised).

I must admit I'm on a "must read about how my life might be after kids" kick.

BiggerinRealLife

What to Expect When You're Expecting - Would definitely recommend.

Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen - this is a reread and one of my all time faves. Think Practical magic meets like Water for Chocolate.

The Awakening by Kate Chopin - another reread, I can't seem to read new books lately.

Room by Emma Donogue - really well done and unique, but pretty disturbing. Don't know that I'd recommend it to a pregnant lady.

World War Z - An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks - Awesome and not at all like the movie. I don't generally like zombie fiction, but this was a really entertaining read.

Thanks for starting this thread! I'm going to follow it and hope I get some reading inspiration! I've been thinking of reading The Shining, but May chicken out.

Asljoc

*pulls out kindle to check* 

The Help. Big recommend. 

The Fault In Our Stars. Big recommend (read with a box of tissues). 

Dear Girls Above Me.  Very funny!

Code Name Verity. YA Historical fiction set during WWII. Even though it's YA I really enjoyed it.

Great Gatsby. Much to everyone's surprise I was not forced to read this during HS. Had to read before seeing the movie. 

kwackowski

1. Do chocolate lovers have sweeter babies- yes
2. The Bumps's guide to multiples-kinda
3. State of Wonder-no
4. Pillars of the Earth- definitely
5. Red Mist- no

misskristina21

1. Night Road by Kristin Hannah. I loved this book, it did made me cry during a few parts though. So you may not want to read it while pregnant.

2. Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picult. I liked it, but didn't love it. It's about a school shooting, but I think the way the story was told meant more then the big picture.

3. Girls in Trouble by Caroline Leavitt. Parts of this book I loved, parts I hated. It's about an "open adoption" but I didn't really enjoy how the story was told.

4. The Pact by Jodi Picult. I love this book. I probably wouldn't read it while pregnant as it's pretty sad. I cried reading it while not pregnant.

Before those I was still re-reading Harry Potter.

AcaAwkward

kwackowski said:

1. Do chocolate lovers have sweeter babies- yes
2. The Bumps's guide to multiples-kinda
3. State of Wonder-no
4. Pillars of the Earth- definitely
5. Red Mist- no

Bummer you hated State of Wonder -- it was one of my favorite books of the year a few years back!

homediva

Haven't read much lately but I think thr last two I enjoyed were The Dovekeepers and Is Everyone Hanging out Without Me?

RocksInTheWater

I've been in a reading drought lately but the books that stand out to me that I would recommend are Gone Girl, Unbroken and The Book Thief.    

Also, a book that I read a long time ago and really loved was A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.  

CurlieWhirlie

Currently reading Republic of Thieves, by Scott Lynch. It's #3 in a series, I loved the first one, the other two are good but not great.

Coraline by Neil Gaiman, AWESOME. Short and great for Halloween time.

Game of Thrones (all of them). Really good at first, then petered out toward the end.

KatieGummow

AcaAwkward said:

kwackowski said:

1. Do chocolate lovers have sweeter babies- yes
2. The Bumps's guide to multiples-kinda
3. State of Wonder-no
4. Pillars of the Earth- definitely
5. Red Mist- no

Bummer you hated State of Wonder -- it was one of my favorite books of the year a few years back!

I wanted to like it so badly, it just didn't go where I wanted it to. Definitely interesting, but hard for me to pick back up.

mrscrcalli

They are all business/motivational books I read for work.

strawberrytree

Reading is pretty much my only non kid-related hobby these days!

Last 5:

1. The Orenda by Joseph Boyden (I liked it a lot but lots of torture scenes that were really gruesome)

2. And the Mountains Echoed- Khaled Hosseini (worth a read!)

3. The Cuckoo's Calling- Robert Galbraith (aka JK Rowling- really good!)

4. Angela's Ashes- Frank McCourt (reading about neglected children while pregnant made me so mad)

5. The Lady of the Rivers- Philippa Gregory (just starting this one. Her books are a total GP for me)

BiggerinRealLife

Ooh, @Oopsbaby, The Night Circus was amazing! Waiting for them to make it into a movie. Loved it!

@Homediva I loved Mindy Kaling's book!

baileymama3

Gone girl.--- yes
The Fault in our stars--- no, depressing
All 3 hunger games---yes
Bossy pants---YES!
Is everyone hanging out without me?---yes!!

Luck Be A Lady

From most recent to least recent: 

1.  Insurgent  -  Yes, I'd recommend it.  Not as much as Divergent, but enough to have me anticipating Tuesday's release of Allegiant. 

2.  Divergent - Read it.

3.  The Fault in Our Stars - Read it immediately, but be prepared with a box of tissues. 

4.  Flight Behavior - I love Barbara Kingsolver, but the ending of this one fell flat for me.  The Poisonwood Bible is 100x's better.

5.  My Sister's Keeper - I've seen the movie and liked it, but the book was definitely better (As it usually is)

BiggerinRealLife

Luck Be A Lady said:

3.  The Fault in Our Stars - Read it immediately, but be prepared with a box of tissues. 

 

5.  My Sister's Keeper - I've seen the movie and liked it, but the book was definitely better (As it usually is)

Totally disagree with #3, and know I'll probably get flamed! Unrealistic characters, over-worked wannabe prose, and the author is obviously in love with his own genius. I felt emotionally manipulated after reading - the writing doesn't have to be fabulous nor the characters relatable so long as the author uses a sympathetic storyline and plays on a reader's base fears. There are better cancer fictions out there.

Totally agree with #5! Loved the book, all the more because when I brought it up at lunch we had some amazing discussions on morality. Jodi Picoult does an amazing job of telling difficult characters' stories without judging them nor falling in love with them. She lets the reader form their own opinion.

AcaAwkward

BiggerinRealLife said:

Luck Be A Lady said:

3.  The Fault in Our Stars - Read it immediately, but be prepared with a box of tissues. 

 

5.  My Sister's Keeper - I've seen the movie and liked it, but the book was definitely better (As it usually is)

Totally disagree with #3, and know I'll probably get flamed! Unrealistic characters, over-worked wannabe prose, and the author is obviously in love with his own genius. I felt emotionally manipulated after reading - the writing doesn't have to be fabulous nor the characters relatable so long as the author uses a sympathetic storyline and plays on a reader's base fears. There are better cancer fictions out there.

Totally agree with #5! Loved the book, all the more because when I brought it up at lunch we had some amazing discussions on morality. Jodi Picoult does an amazing job of telling difficult characters' stories without judging them nor falling in love with them. She lets the reader form their own opinion.

I agree @BiggerinRealLife - I wasn't enamored with Fault in Our Stars.  But I tend to have the same reaction to a lot of really popular YA books (I did like Hunger Games and, so far, the Divergent trilogy).  I end up reading them and going "arrrrrgggg, I feel like the author thinks I'm 14!"... um, yes genius, that would be the exact point of YOUNG ADULT fiction. 

I do love me some Picoult. I've read a bunch of her books -- my favorite is The Plain Truth about the Amish teenager who is accused of killing her newborn. (Hmmm maybe not a book to read while pregnant?) 

AcaAwkward

BiggerinRealLife said:

What to Expect When You're Expecting - Would definitely recommend. Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen - this is a reread and one of my all time faves. Think Practical magic meets like Water for Chocolate. The Awakening by Kate Chopin - another reread, I can't seem to read new books lately. Room by Emma Donogue - really well done and unique, but pretty disturbing. Don't know that I'd recommend it to a pregnant lady. World War Z - An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks - Awesome and not at all like the movie. I don't generally like zombie fiction, but this was a really entertaining read. Thanks for starting this thread! I'm going to follow it and hope I get some reading inspiration! I've been thinking of reading The Shining, but May chicken out.

I'd been wondering about World War Z!  Zombie books aren't usually my style either but after loooooving the The Passage and The Twelve, I think I might enjoy WWZ.  I definitely recommend The Passage Trilogy (3rd book to be released next year, I think) to you -- I guess it's kind of a vampire / zombie hybrid apocalypse... situation.  But oh so smart.  Loved. 

BiggerinRealLife

@AcaAwkward You are so funny! I read a lot of YA Fiction, actually, when I need a mental break, or have read too much non-fiction in a row.

BiggerinRealLife

AcaAwkward said:

BiggerinRealLife said:

 

I'd been wondering about World War Z!  Zombie books aren't usually my style either but after loooooving the The Passage and The Twelve, I think I might enjoy WWZ.  I definitely recommend The Passage Trilogy (3rd book to be released next year, I think) to you -- I guess it's kind of a vampire / zombie hybrid apocalypse... situation.  But oh so smart.  Loved. 

@AcaAwkward Thanks for the rec! I will check it out. I hit B&N for The Shining today, but am already feeling like I need another to break up the scary.

WWZ is very different. Written as a back-looking documentary with a hundred different perspectives. You have no repeating characters, it reads like interviews. Really awesome though. Definitely looks into some of the darker aspects of the human survival instinct, while giving valuable info on how to survive the zombie apocalypse. And I liked the movie, too.

MamaFantastic

I have literally not read for pleasure in probably 6 or 7 years, maybe longer. I read a lot of sleep training books in my first year as a mother, though!

bingbongsmama

-How Eskimos keep their babies warm (ok)
-bossypants (loved, love tina Fey)
-favorite wife (ok, I'm fascinated by all things flds right now),
-bedwetter (hilarious, love sarah Silverman)
-bad mother (very good)

Bluebird2318

I haven't been reading as much as I should, and even less than I'd like, but I did re-read Snow Flower and the Secret Fan recently. I do recommend the book, but not the movie. It's not fast-paced or exciting by any means, but for some reason it's hard to put down. I adore "period piece" type things, and I suppose that's what it is. 

ckred27

Anne of Green Gables series; Outlander; Quiet by Susan Cain (introverts in the workforce); A cheesy Julie Garwood historical romance aaannnndd Stephen Kings Doctor Sleep

Sisimama10

BiggerinRealLife said:

@AcaAwkward You are so funny! I read a lot of YA Fiction, actually, when I need a mental break, or have read too much non-fiction in a row.

Me too. I pretty little liars.

Right now I'm reading Daddy's Gone Hunting. A mystery by Mary Higgins Clark.

Also read There Are No Children Here. It was a super interesting book. A real life story about growing up in the Chicago housing projects.

Can't remember past that!

christinanoelle

I just checked my Kobo and 4 of my last 5 books were by Jodi Picoult. I love her..Although her subjects are a bit heavier, she definitely has a way with words! 

When I am in the mood for some lighter reads, I can always count on Nora Roberts or Sophie Kinsella. 

I was lurking on another BMB the other day and saw the one of them created a Book Club! I thought this was such a great idea. Would anyone else be interested?? I was even thinking we don't necessarily have to read the same book but maybe a weekly check in as to what everyone is reading so we have suggestions for our next book. 

Leticiasmugala

I can't remember the last five and I'm still in bed. So..... That's a problem
But, the last book I read was one of my faves ever called "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society." It sounds weird, but it's not. It's beautiful and made me laugh and cry and love the characters.
Before that I read "Anna Kerinina" so people would think I'm smart and it took me like six months. Not my favorite.
"Count of Monte Cristo" is fabulous though.
Currently reading "King Solomon's Mines," "The Scarlet Letter," "Prizoner of Azkaban," and "Ina May's Guide to Childbirth." Enjoying all, even the ones I've read already.

snmetz7

Your Pregnancy Week by Week
The Lying Game- Sara Shepard
The Cat Who Read Backwards - Lillian Jackson Braun
Bared to You (written so much better than 50 shades)- Sylvia Day
Vision in White-Nora Roberts

nikki912

I'm getting ideas!

- under the dome- stephen king , easy and exciting read

- 1Q84- fantasy, film noir type romance, really good but long as hell

- Life of pie- loved it

- Quiet, about the power of introverts

- Edgar Cayce: An American prophet, biograpgical account of the amazing life of the past life reader

christinanoelle

snmetz7 said:

Your Pregnancy Week by Week
The Lying Game- Sara Shepard
The Cat Who Read Backwards - Lillian Jackson Braun
Bared to You (written so much better than 50 shades)- Sylvia Day
Vision in White-Nora Roberts

I agree with Vision in White! Actually, I suggest the whole Bride Quartet series. My sister found it to be the same story four times in a row (which, to be honest, it kind of is) but it is fun light reading! 

figgs0831

My last 5 books/series:

1)  Outlander Series - Diana Gabaldon

2)  Dark Places - Gillian Flynn

3)  Chocolate Lover's Series - Tara Sivec

4)  Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet - Jamie Ford

5) The Peach Keeper - Sarah Addison Allen

I highly recommend the outlander series and anything by Sarah Addison Allen.  Even my #4 was really good.  The others, I didn't really care for.

figgs0831

Because I love reading... here are some of my favorites:

Water for Elephants

Divergent Series

Hunger Games

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

The Help

The Maze Runner series

BiggerinRealLife

@figgs0831 I think you meant Diana Gabaldon. I got all excited that Sarah Addison Allen put out a series....nope! She's one of my favorite authors.

Dr Quarters

1) The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks- This was a bookclub selection that I really enjoyed. It's nonfiction about the woman who provided the HeLa cells.

2)Thankless in Death - I love this series

3)Omens - This is a new series by an author I usually enjoy. I was a little disappointed in this.

4)The School of Essential Ingrediants - This was another bookclub selection. It was cute and fluffy but I probably wouldn't recommend it.

5) Outlander - I'm currently reading this and am enjoying it so far.

jsamuels18

1. Memoirs of a Geisha (good read)
2. Hopeless- Colleen Hoover
3. Kaleidecope- Danielle Steele (good read)
4. The Lovely Bones- Alice Sebold
5. Gone Girl- Gillian Flynn (a MUST read)
6. Slammed- Colleen Hoover