The cold weather seems to be heading back this way, and with it comes spending a lot of time indoors. I need a new list of things to read, and I am at a loss. What are your favorites? They can be old, new, vintage related, not really vintage related... I just need some new inspirations.
It embarrasses me to share with you, that I have not read a book in nearly a year. To be fair I have two small children who don't allow me a lot of time, but I would like to remedy this. So please share your favorite reads with me!
Thank you all for being blog readers, I really enjoy this small outlet we all share! I am really glad I can be a part of this small internet community.
Monday, March 29, 2010
The Scholar in You
at 8:47 AM
Labels: books, reading, vintage books
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29 comments:
Favorite books I've read in recent years:
-Memoirs of a Geisha
-The Memory Keeper's Daughter
-Girl With the Pearl Earring
-The Secret Life of Bees.
I must confess, I do find it quite difficult to make the time to read these days, and when I do it usually ends up being from my school reading list. We read Greengage Summer years ago in school, and I loved it!! Also, if you haven't already read it, Atonement is really good, so is To Kill A Mockingbird. I know they are all quite standard books, sorry, but those are my favourites!
Love the blog by the way, hope you find something nice to read!
From Carys of La Ville Inconnue
I am currently reading through the Mapp and Lucia sreies of books by E.F Benson. lovely and light hearted, set in the 30's english country side. If you havent read it you must! they're very funny too.
love your blog
Emily :D.
http://frillymissmilly.blogspot.com
Atonement. ::sigh::
I read a really weird concoction of books, and always have at least a couple going at one time. Right now, I'm reading Flying Mannequins, In a Fashion (Oleg Cassini's autobio), Shutter Island, and a book about Gilbert Adrian. That's pretty tame, for me.
The World According to Garp
I am one of the odd ducks that only reads non-fiction. Even as a child I always went for the biographies and reference books... so here are some non-fiction titles for you if you are looking for that sort of thing:
"Flapper: The notorious life and scandalous times of the first thoroughly modern woman." by Joshua Zeitz (good overview and easy to find)
"Dillinger: The Untold Story Expanded Edition" by Girardin and Helmer (this is a neat book because it was originally written 60 years ago with the aid of Dillinger's lawyer, then re-edited and expanded in 1994)
"The Way We Wore: Styles of the 1930s and '40s and Our World Since Then" by Marsha Hunt (Hunt was an actress in the 30s and 40s and has written her memoir chock full of her personal photos showing the amazing fashion of the time)
Have fun reading!
wow, how crazy you posted this, I was just about to start posting my own annotated booklist on my blog!
anyways, two of my most favorite novels, both by PNW authors are:
Cruddy by Lynda Barry and Geek Love by Katherine Dunn. Beware: if you don't like dark humor, neither book is for you.
melina bee
John Fante: The Brotherhood of the Grape, 1933 Was a Bad Year, West of Rome, Wait Until Spring Bandini
Hemingway: The Sun Also Rises, A Movable Feast, The Garden of Eden
Nabokov: Laughter in the Dark
Updike: Of the Farm
John Fante: The Brotherhood of the Grape, 1933 Was a Bad Year, Wait Until Spring Bandini, West of Rome
Hemingway: The Sun Also Rises, A Movable Feast, The Garden of Eden
Nabokov: Laughter in the Dark
Updike: Of the Farm
oh yeah, here is a video of me reading the first few pages from my favorite novel Cruddy, in hopes of enticing you. needs to be re-recorded and edited, but hopefully it is enough to make you want to read this tremendous book
Cruddy
I unashamedly love Jane Austen. Just putting that out there.
I also love Margaret Atwood and Sarah Vowell. Borders had a 40% off coupon this past weekend and I bought A People's History by Howard Zinn and Great Expectations by Charles Dickens.
Ultimate favorite books would be Animal Farm by George Orwell and Johnny Got His Gun by Dalton Trumbo.
The books I always recommend are;
1. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden. A fantastic read and a really good insight into the mysterious geisha culture.
2. The House at Riverton by Kate Morton - A period set book with a twist, literally could not put it down!
Hope you find something enjoyable to read with everyone's suggestions - I love being able to lose myself in a book :)
I totally second Geek Love--great book. I just read Her Fearful Symmetry and really enjoyed it. For nonfiction, Douglas Coupland's books are always an interesting read. Poetry is also a wonderful option for a busy mom on the go. A good poem can sustain you for days. French symbolist poets, American poets from the 20s-60s, and more modern choices like Mary Oliver or even Bukowski can be good places to start.
I'm a huge Paul Auster fan. I would suggest you start with "The New York Trilogy" and if you like that then branch out from there. His books are infinitely interesting, full of the unexpected, and a quick read. If you don't have a lot of time to read (a full novel) I would also suggest books of short stories, I love Anthony Bourdain's "The Nasty Bits" it is a fun and short read that can be put down and picked up a million times. Any book from the Jeeves and Wooster series is drop dead hilarious and has caused be to laugh out loud while on public transit- a mighty hard task.
The House at Riverton is a really good read with an interesting twist at the end.
I would also recommend Margaret Atwood - Blind Assassin was the first one of hers I read and it made me want to read more!
I also love the classics so anything by Jane Austen or the Bronte sisters is highly recommended
For non fiction I was unable to put down Sky Burial by Xinran ( I have recommended it to people after reading it with my book group and everyone loved it) and Wild Swans by Jung Chang.
Happy reading!
I'm reading the Art Students War by Brad Leithauser right now. I'm hooked. It's set in 1943 in Detroit and I think you would really like it.
hugs,
Fritzi Marie
I love to read. I am always scouring thrift stores for books. I have a hudge collection!
I am reading The Bell Jar by Silva Plath. This is a great book! It is parreelled to her own life. You really feel like you are part of her life.
Eat Love Pray
Check out ghost girl by Tanya Hurley (ghostgirl.com). I loved it. It is geared toward the teen crowd but who cares, it was great and I want to read the next two that are out. The pages are decorated and each chapter opens with quotes.....
I agree with the Secret Life of Bees recommendation, fabulous book. I am a fantasy fan, so I don't know if you'd like those recommendations... if you do, Marian Zimmer Bradley's Mists of Avalon is wonderful.
As a blogger I loved Julie and Julia- still haven't seen the movie!
Marie @ Lemondrop ViNtAge
Spring into Spring giveaway
I don't know if you've seen the marvellous period film 'Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day' (and if you haven't then I highly recommend it as the costumes are divine) but it was based on a book which I have to admit I haven't read but if the film's anything to go by then it'll be fantastic.
Toria
welsh-pixie.blogspot.com
I love Shanghai Baby. It is one I can read over and over again without getting bored. I'm currently reading Wild Swans. It's full of Chinese history (without being heavy or too boring) which is fascinating, told through the story of a family. It's all true memories of the writer and her family.
Hope you find something that grabs you soon :)
Lottie x
Alexander McCall Smith's No 1 Ladies Detective Agency series - it's heart warming, humourous and poignant without being sappy, he talks about manners and caring for others, all through the eyes and words of an African woman. It is easy to read too and always leaves me feeling happy and positive. HIGHLY recommended!
Barbara Kingsolver - any, but especially The Poisonwood Bible and Animal, Vegetable, Miracle (nf).
Audrey Niffenegger - The Time Traveler's Wife
Another vote for Geek Love!
I've started reading Anna Quindlen's books and have been loving them. I recommend One True Thing and Rise and Shine.
If you haven't read it, check out A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith (i think). This is the one vintage book on my list!
The best part of my job is that I get to talk about books I like to other people!
Some favorites and some recent reads I'd recommend:
-Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
-Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
-Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
-The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
-The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
-Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris
-Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote
If you want a fast but great read try The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick. It's a children's book, but the story is told almost entirely in pictures and feels like a feast for the imagination.
hi! you and your work are amazing and lovely! i have been trying to find a way to email you thru my ubuntu, and it's not working, so i hope you get this & respond to me.
i also live in portland, oregon, i am a 41 year old single mom that is entirely self-taught with sewing, i am working hard to establish income with it right now, and i would love to discuss & or perhaps help with anything you might need help with. ??? i'm great with hand sewing, and basic machine work. very detail oriented &, often to the demise of my sanity, perfectionist. cheap fabrics & poor construction make me wince, but i have yet to gain the confidence to start chopping into quality. yes i have good scissors. :P
influences are, obviously vintage, but i would like to incorporate more psychobilly/punk styling with vintage touches. i would be more than willing to work in exchange for perhaps a bit of teaching in pattern drafting, or whatever.
would love to hear back from you at:
nux_v0mica AT hotmail.com
that 'o' in v0mica is a zero. and no it has nothing to do with the band, i've had this email 10 years.
-julie generic
PS my son is eleven, and gets along with everyone, in the event we were to meet & the kids were to hang out. :)
One thing you might try (I just did and LOVE it) is goodreads.com. It's a social networking site where you list books you have read, are currently reading, and want to read. You can then friend people and see what they are reading. It is a great way to get book recommendations. If you decide to join, I'd love to friend you. :)
Anything by Agatha Christie!
I second goodreads. You can see my profile (and books I've read) here.
-Andi x
Everything by Sarah Waters. She manages to meld lesbian love stories, historical events and mystery/suspense/crime seamlessly. The Crimson Petal and the White by Michael Faber was lovely, and so was The Lady in White by Wilkie Collins.
Ok I wasn't going to comment but I have to say I love the Secret Life of Bees and Memoirs of a Geisha so I will have to now read the other two Emily listed. One of the greatest books of all time East of Eden. I also enjoyed Ya Ya Sisterhood. I generally like anything set in 40' 50' Southern states revolving around women.
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