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GON Reader Book Recommendations
by Maria Gracia
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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!
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