“… and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life.” Mark Twain said that. I happen to agree wholeheartedly. I think Mr. Twain spoke Truth about a lot of things, but that’s not the point of this post. What’s a little digressing among friends, though, right?
At any rate, I’d forgotten how much I do love a good book until I recently tripped across a MaryJanice Davidson novel I didn’t own. (Yes, I read the “Undead and…” series. Don’t judge me. I bet you have some fast food books in your collections, too.) I was nearly as excited as I’d have been to find these at an estate sale run by non-shoe lovers. Okay, maybe not quite that excited, but you see what I’m saying.
I realized that I’ve sort of fallen out of the book world. Many of my friends are readers, and yet, we never seem to talk about what we’ve read lately. I haven’t been to a bookstore for mere browsing in God alone knows how long. And libraries? Baaaa hahahahahaha. In Stepford, they’re either small branches or branches that are nearly inaccessible without a coupla tracking hounds and a GPS.
What I’m saying here is, “Please give me some of your favorite reads, wouldja?” (Noel, no broccoli books. By that, I mean, “You probably should run it by Jane or Robbi before submitting your suggestion, or I’m going to call you a broccoli-book reader right here in public. Again.”) So, help a desperate woman out here, please?
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21 responses so far ↓
1 d // Apr 14, 2008 at 5:37 pm
What’s a broccoli book?
2 d // Apr 14, 2008 at 5:38 pm
And I read biographies and shit. The only fiction I read anymore is Neil Gaiman and poetry.
3 d // Apr 14, 2008 at 5:38 pm
Oh and the Tao Te Ching.
4 Jane // Apr 14, 2008 at 6:51 pm
Noel reads like…lima bean books, man. Don’t insult broccoli like that! (Noel, don’t smack me!)
Recent books I’ve enjoyed are as follows:
Confessions of a Wicked Stepsister — Maguire (also wrote Wicked)
The new one by Johnathan Franzen — I don’t have it in front of me for the name but he also wrote The Corrections, which was also very good
I don’t know, I’ve been reading a lot for school, so I guess I can recommend I am the Cheese and The Diary of Anne Frank?
5 Steph // Apr 14, 2008 at 7:06 pm
d - A broccoli book is something that’s good for you but probably isn’t terribly tasty…like broccoli. (If you like broccoli, do what Jane did and pick a veggie you *don’t like. For me, though, it’s broccoli, all the way.) Noel? Reads a LOT of broccoli books. :grin:
Jane - You pick your most hated veggie; I’ll pick mine. I’m sticking with broccoli. Yech.
Hrm. I’ve added “Wicked’ (no, I haven’t read it yet…shush) and “…Wicked Stepsister” to my TBR list. I keep eyeing them when I go in to get other books, and I just keep thinking I’ll get ‘em next time. I’m adding them. Hopefully, we will not repeat our Crimson experience here. :cackle: Oh and? :fleeeeee:
6 Robbi // Apr 14, 2008 at 8:58 pm
I’ve been having a dry spell here lately, myself. I bought Bitter is the New Black this last weekend, as well as a Harlan Coben (Myron Bolitar series) at a garage sale, but that’s it. Nothing I’ve read lately that I could really recommend. Oh! It’s been awhile, but I still love Comeback - the mother/daughter story. Not at all fluffy, though, but not broccoli-ish like Noel. :-D
7 Steph // Apr 14, 2008 at 9:02 pm
Robbi - I don’t think you’ve ever led me astray on a book. I’ll add Comeback to my TBR list. :)
8 Missy // Apr 15, 2008 at 7:25 am
Okay my picks: Wicked - I agree, fantastic book. I’ve yet to read the others in the series but I’ll probably be picking them up soon. The Time Travelers Wife - this is my absolute favorite book of all time. Amazingly written and heartwrenching at times. A great book about the power of true love and time. Marley & Me - dude as a dog person you’ll love this book. The made the mistake of finishing this book in the hairdressers chair and had like 10 women swarm me like “Are you alright miss?” Sex, Drugs & Cocoa Puffs - Absolutely hilarious memoir type book. Probably the funniest book I’ve ever read. I actually had tears streaming down my face from teh lulz on seveal occasions. Black & Blue - this one is hard to read but really sad and moving. Mists of Avalon - its super long and a lot of it is in midevil speak but its a good book once you get in the flow of the names and language. The Ultimate Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy - dude just because I love these. I think you’ve read them already anyway. Good Omens - I hated it the first time I tried reading it but it really grew on me after that. D recommended it and I dug it.
9 Steph // Apr 15, 2008 at 7:37 am
Missy - I trust you on the book thing. I added all of them. Well, except Hitchhiker’s ’cause I’ve already got that one. LOL.
10 Missy // Apr 15, 2008 at 7:51 am
Totally off topic but oddly, Hitchhiker is the only movie version that I love equally as hard as the book version.
11 Steph // Apr 15, 2008 at 7:55 am
Missy - I like the movie, but as a totally separate thing from the books. But that opening with the dolphins? CTFU every time.
12 Missy // Apr 15, 2008 at 8:06 am
I know it kills me. Plus Alan Rickman as Marvin?!?!! Super funny. Also I think its because they did a rad job casting. Mos Def is exactly how I pictured Ford.
13 Steph // Apr 15, 2008 at 10:01 am
Missy - I love Alan Rickman in nearly anything he does. So that was awesome. Also, Mos Def was sooooo Ford.
14 Noel // Apr 15, 2008 at 2:03 pm
Curse you all. Broccoli rocks. ::scowl::
I’ve been reading food related books lately, as I told the loop. I can resurrect the list and email it or post it if you want. I second Missy on anything by Klosterman, Sex Drugs and Cocoa Puffs rocks, and I also have IV. Detroit Rock City is one I’ve been meaning to pick up. I have a Jane approved book that’s on top of my TBR pile - Heat, by Buford. After that is Animal, Vegetable, Mineral by Kingsolver. I’ve also been reading lots of short stories lately because it fits my attention span of late. Have you read Nick Hornby? I think you’d really appreciate him - About a Boy is a movie, and that one with Jack Black and John Cusack that escapes me is his. High Fidelity. Along the H2G2 genre, Terry Prichard always makes me laugh out loud, and there’s 85 fafillion books in the Discworld series. Jhumpa Lahiri (sp?) has a new one out if you liked her others. And just for a little vegetation, Godel, Escher, Bach by Hofstader is on my TBR pile. Becaue, yanno. Gotta have *some fiber.
Oh and :P . Just remember, it was Jane who sold us all on The Crimson Petal…. ::flees::
15 Noel // Apr 15, 2008 at 2:04 pm
Oh oh oh! Missy’s also right on Good Omens. I actually stuck that one in the book box.
16 Missy // Apr 15, 2008 at 2:27 pm
Noel - I had a hard time with IV. You’ve really gotta be *into music to dig it I think. I love his writing style and it was funny but since I don’t read spin or rolling stone or any of that kind of stuff a lot of the lingo and references were lost on me.
But word to Nick Hornby - I’ve read almost everything and he’s got a funky writing style thats fun to read too.
Also don’t feel bad - shhhhh I’m a broccoli reader too. The most recent book I read was Living Rich by Spending Smart. It gave me a lot of rad ideas but don’t tell anybody *shiftyeyes
17 Missy // Apr 15, 2008 at 2:30 pm
Wait nevermind. I just amazon’d your list of broccoli reading and yeah. Brussel sprout city. Sorry dude.
18 Steph // Apr 15, 2008 at 2:37 pm
Noel - I’ve added all the ones that don’t sound very broccoli-ish. Hee. Also? I do not forget anything. BUT. Jane has sent me some really awesome books that totally made up for the six hours of my life I lost to “The Crimson Petal…”
Missy - When it comes to fic, I dig Noel’s taste huge. It’s the non-fic stuff that makes me go, “Yech! VEGGIES!!” However, I totally cop to owning a few of Suze Orman’s books. And a few of Dr. Phil’s.
And? LLOL about you reading Noel’s list and saying brussels sprouts. See, Noel?!? Hee.
19 Noel // Apr 15, 2008 at 5:10 pm
:P to you all. ::scowls darkly::
20 Steph // Apr 15, 2008 at 5:27 pm
Noel - Um. We love you?
21 Noel // Apr 15, 2008 at 6:34 pm
Man. You’d better. Maybe broccoli books are the reason everyone defriended me but you. ::paranoid glance::