Read Any Good Books Lately?
Let's help each other find more good reads!
Last night at dinner a friend asked if I’d read any good books lately. Since you and I obviously have some common interests - otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this! - I decided to ask you the same question and share my answer. I hope we can help each other discover some great books we might not find otherwise!
I’ve shared before that I love Glennon Doyle’s books. I recently read Untamed and agree with those who said it is even better than Carry On, Warrior and Love Warrior. I highly recommend it, with the caveat that men may not find it as helpful as women do. If you’re a man who has read Untamed, I’d love to hear what you thought of it.
Lately, I’ve also gone back to reading fiction. There’s nothing like a good novel to help me escape to another world and forget about the problems in this one!
I have two favorite authors who have written multiple novels featuring the same main characters. Right now, I’m reading Livid by Patricia Cornwell, and enjoying returning to the world inhabited by Dr. Kay Scarpetta and her husband Benton, niece Lucy, and friend Pete Marino. They work together to solve murders and prevent the perpetrators from causing more harm. Before that, I read Listen to Me by Tess Gerritsen, the latest in a series featuring Detective Jane Rizzoli and medical examiner Maura Isles. While the TV series starring these characters was fun to watch, I prefer the books.
Now it’s your turn. Leave a comment about your favorite books and why you recommend them. I’d especially appreciate some recommendations for humorous books. I tried one of Erma Bombeck’s and was disappointed to discover just how dated her work is. It rarely made me laugh and reinforced cultural stereotypes about men and women that I reject.
One final note: I use the free “Libby” app to borrow all of the books I read now, and I read them on Kindle so that my highlights are saved after I return the books. I’ve also used it to borrow digital versions of magazines. If you prefer audiobooks, you can get those, too, and also reserve physical books to pick up at your local library.
So what do you suggest I read next? And please share this post with your friends and family so they can recommend more great books!
Fiction: I read and re-read Barbara Pym's novels often. If you don't know her she's a mid-twentieth century writer writing about very ordinary women, often 'spinsters', their relationships and lives, often centred on the church, village life, what she calls 'the trivial round, the common task'. They are wonderful stories. Try 'Excellent Women' or 'Jane and Prudence'.
I love 'soft' crime and highly recommend Elly Griffith's Dr Ruth Galloway series.
Also Salley Vickers' books. I recommend "Miss Garnet's Angel' or 'The Gardener'.
Non-fiction: I've just finished 'Hags' by Victoria Smith which is about the social demonisation of middle-aged women. Interesting, and very recognisable.
I just finished The Change by Kirsten Miller. Loved it. Suspense, murder mystery, with magical realism/paranormal aspects. Strong women characters. Also, Killers of A Certain Age by Deanna Rayburn. 60ish women assassins retiring, but someone tried to kill them at their retirement cruise, and well, the best defense is a good offense.
NF - The Mirror and the Palette, Rebellion, Resistance, and Revolution, Five Hundred Years of Women’s Self-Portraits, by Jennifer Higgie.