Back to Organizing Articles Index
Featured Article
GON Reader Book Recommendations
by Maria Gracia
Join our newsletter to be notified when the newest Organizing Article is
available.
I recently asked GON readers what their favorite book was and I received a
TON of replies. Here are a batch of them...perhaps you would like to add
these to your summer reading list
Hi, my favorite book is not a novel, but biographic, fun, interesting, and
amazing sometimes: Secret Lives of the First Ladies by Cormac O’Brien. --
Helena Martin
Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series --Ramona Hagemeister
My favorite books are the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich. There
are twenty-five books in the series with number twenty-six on the way this
fall. --Becky
My favorite book is Strange Fruit by Lillian Smith --P. Davis
Favorite books? Any one within 10 feet! Seriously, I read the cereal box if
nothing else is around. That said, my favorite is Mercedes Lackey's Arrows
of the Queen. --Elaine Ferris
My favorite book? Thought you’d never ask! It’s War and Peace by Leo
Tolstoy. It took me one year to get through it while I was raising four children
and working full time. I read it on the bus, before bed, while kids were
playing. I can’t recommend it enough. --Mary Ellen Galvin
Hi, Maria! So many books, old and new, have captured my imagination, but a
contemporary author whose books I always find hard to put down is Kate
Morton. My favorite is still The Forgotten Garden, but they are all a wonderful
blend of history and mystery. Also, did you recommend Readers of Broken
Wheel Recommend? I seem to recall that you did, and if so, thanks! I
couldn’t put that one down either. Blessings, --Ann Metzler
The Firm by John Grisham. Classic: Gone With The Wind by Margaret
Mitchell. --Dean Lindblad
Favorite book that you can't put down: Natchez Burning by Greg Iles --Susan
Raymond
Many, many favorites, but my latest is The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by
Gabrielle Zevin. --Laura Yaramishny
Maria, I have LOTS of favorite books, but my most recent is the one our book
club just finished. Every one of us said it was the best one we’ve read in
recent years, and we’ve read many. It is Ordinary Grace by William Kent
Krueger. I shared it with my husband and he loved it too. It’s not a happy
book, but you will feel better about yourself and other humans after you read
it. --Charlotte McAnally
Very difficult to name a single book. I would have to slot them genre wise and
I love so many of them! Still from childhood, Enid Blyton's Circus of
Adventure, from Classical, Dickens' Great Expectations, from Graphic
novels, most of Modesty Blaise. As a final call, I would choose Modesty
Blaise comics. --Salim
If you like fantasy, I highly recommend Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik. --
Linda Wallace, Severn, MD
First of all, thank you for all the great tips you share every day! They are
really valuable, and the newsletter is fun to read. Now I have the very tough
task of choosing ONE favorite book. I have so many favorites! So I think I'll
share one that may not be as well known as some other favorites: The
Daughter of Time, by Josephine Tey. It's a mystery, and it's history.
Josephine Tey only wrote 8 mystery novels, many featuring Scotland Yard
detective Alan Grant. In The Daughter of Time, Grant is laid up in the
hospital, bored, and decides to investigate the historical mystery of the Little
Princes, supposedly murdered by their uncle, King Richard III. It's a great
book, and I can't recommend it highly enough. Thanks again, Maria! With
best wishes, --Andrea Ozment
Hi Maria, I’ve just recently read A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult. It’s a
sensitive topic, but beautifully written to tell many people’s stories on the
subject. Well worth the read. Enjoy! --Jules Queensland, Australia
Hi Maria, Not necessarily my favorite book, but a good book I read recently
was Mourning Has Broken by Erin Davis. Cheers! --Linda
A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving --Caroline Lang
Favorite book: The Bible, anything by Steve Berry, and cozy mysteries. We
had a heartwarming exchange of e-mails two years ago after my significant
other passed away and I was dealing with a myriad of situations, people and
things. You were most kind to me and I always remember that when reading
anything you send along. Update: one month before Kevin and I moved in
May 2017, we rented a storage unit for our lesser used things. He passed
June 2017 and I was finally motivated recently to clear the unit and the
expense out. On a fixed income, it was indeed a relief. As sad as any death
is, I was thankful for the memories and the learning gained. Last week, a
good friend of ours lost her husband to a sudden illness and it has been a
great exchange of messages of love, compassion and advice in such a
terrible time. She has been open to the exchange and it has done my soul a
great amount of good to help someone going through a time I have been
through. I thought of all you helped me with then (still do) and how a sour,
sour lemon can indeed eventually turn into sweet lemonade. Thank you for
being a friend indeed. Love and blessings, --Glenna Peterson
Dear Maria, Thanks for all the updates, all your encouragement, and
motivation. It's nice to hear that even your daughter is getting involved in
writing about getting organized. To reply to your question about my favorite
book, when I was a kid, I really enjoyed reading the story of Winnetou.
However, now that I'm more mature, you could say, I enjoy reading my Bible
on a daily basis. Best, --Sheila Baker
Favorite book: Something Like Happy by Eva Woods. It's emotional but not
overly so, also lighthearted. As my favorite chick-flick book or chick-lit, I Love
Everybody by Laurie Notaro - non-fiction essays shared as if by a good
friend, and each one puts a smile on your face. Bridget Jones' Diary by
Helen Fielding - for obvious reasons. These books were my finalists, and I
absolutely can't pick only one title (sorry).
At the age of two I was reading independently, and books have been a big
part of my life ever since. These days, with kids, husband and a demanding
full-time job, I can only read a few pages while blow-drying my hair each
morning and during my lunch breaks...and it's vital to my well-being to fit it
any reading I can. So, after 10 minutes, I was able to filter down my list to 3
titles (down from 19.)
While on the subject of reading, I organize my lists of books I want to read
and those I've read, all organized by subject, on GoodReads. I keep my
profile private, but people can network based on reading interests. Users
create virtual shelves (lists), which could include, Self-Help, Vegan Cooking,
Mysteries, etc. as a small assortment of categories. I also created a 'Library-
Next' list to keep those of the most interest. Each title is identified as either,
'Want to Read,' 'Currently Reading,' or 'Already Read.'
Readers can review those they've read. The best feature is that a reader can
view several categories at once. When I'm at the library or bookstore, it's
easy to pull up my list of 'Library - Next' for each family member's 'Want to
Read' shelf and I can filter by additional categories. This is extremely helpful
since these lists can become enormous. With one click you can access a a
list of all titles published by a preferred author, or all of the titles published in
a series.
Also, while viewing a book I've read and rated highly, I can instantly view
additional titles that were categorized/rated as similar to this book, so I'm
introduced to potential future favorites very easily.
Another tip: subscribe to BookBub and those interested will be emailed a
daily or weekly list of ebooks at temporarily reduced prices or free. Now
KindleUnlimited requires a subscription fee, but some titles are truly free (not
a KindleUnlimited offer) on Amazon.com. I get to select which categories I'm
interested in so I don't see every title in my email messages. I add these
titles to my GoodReads.com lists if the descriptive blurb interests me, or if I
download one (yes, one of my shelves is 'Kindle download' so I can locate
the title at a later time, after I finish my current book.
As many have reported, I too enjoy your daily and weekly emails. Different
tips have made a huge difference in my life over the years. I look forward to
reading the inspirational quotes at the closing of each message. --R.S.
Thanks to EVERYONE who sent in their wonderful book selections and
notes! Happy reading!
Back to Organizing Articles Index
The Original
Get Organized Now!
Website - Since 1997
by Maria Gracia
GON Organizing Articles
By Maria Gracia - Get Organized Now!™
Copyright 1998 - 2023 Get Organized Now!™
611 Arlington Way, Watertown, WI 53094
All of our GON information on this website, discussion forum, newsletters and
e-mail correspondence, is protected by copyright laws. Reprint is strictly forbidden,
unless stated otherwise on individual pages. Anyone posting copyrighted material or
correspondence, without permission from the owner of this website, will be liable for
damages. For reprint permission, please contact the owner of this website.
Recommendations: If you happen to purchase anything I recommend in any of my
communications, I may receive a small compensation. Still, I only recommend what I
truly believe in and share with my friends and family. If you ever have an issue with
anything I recommend, please let me know. I want to make sure I am always serving
you at the highest level.