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my ravenous brain

I love to read. I love to read books, especially. Reading books is one of my top five all-time fave-o-rite activities in which to indulge. I love the smell of books. I love libraries. I love bookmarks, and piles of books. I love big, coffee-table sized books, and eeny-weeny pocket-sized books. I like old books and new books and middle-aged books, hard backs or paperbacks, books with writing in the margin, and books with spines so new and stiff they creak when you open them. This is where I keep track of what books I have read over the course of the year. For those of you needing a recommendation, I have made the list according to my handy-dandy color-coded review system. And of course, any suggestions for future reading are welcome.

Colors mean: Loved It, Liked It, Thought It was Okay, Did Not Especially Enjoy But Finished Anyway
2009:

  1. gods in Alabama by Joshilyn Jackson
  2. Autobiography of my Mother by Jamaica Kincaid
  3. Between, Georgia by Joshilyn Jackson
  4. The Piano Tuner by Daniel Mason
  5. In Lucia’s Eyes by Aurthur Japin
  6. A River Sutra by Gita Mehta


    7. Obviously I’m not keeping track as well as last year. I’ve read way more than six books, but forgot to write them down, and then thought, “Oh, to hell with it anyway.”

2008:

  1. Paul Auster’s “New York Trilogy”
  2. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
  3. As Hot As It Was You Ought to Thank Me by Nancy Kincaid
  4. The Life of Pi by Yann Martel
  5. The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd
  6. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
  7. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
  8. The Spectator Bird by Wallace Stegner
  9. Out of Africa by Isak Dinesen
  10. The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
  11. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
  12. Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver
  13. We Are All Welcome Here by Elizabeth Berg
  14. A Thousand Splendid Suns* by Khaled Hosseini
  15. The Pull of the Moon by Elizabeth Berg
  16. Dream When You’re Feeling Blue by Elizabeth Berg
  17. Bastard Out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison
  18. The Kite Runner*by Khaled Hosseini
  19. The Sibyl by Pär Lagerkvist
  20. Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury
  21. The Five-Forty-Five to Cannes by Tess Uriza Holthe
  22. The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver
  23. The Sea of Grass by Conrad Richter
  24. Pigs in Heaven by Barbara Kingsolver
  25. Animal Dreams by Barbara Kingsolver
  26. Clock Without Hands by Carson McCullers
  27. Skinny Legs and All by Tom Robbins
  28. Changes by Ama Ata Aidoo
  29. Highland Dream by Tess Mallory
  30. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho*
  31. The Valkyries by Paulo Coelho
  32. The Prophet by Khalil Gibran
  33. The Neon Bible by John Kennedy Toole
  34. A Chance to See Egypt by Sandra Scofield
  35. Memories of My Melancholy Whores by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
  36. The Three Marias by Rachel Quieroz
  37. The Christmas Box by Richard Paul Evans

*maybe one of the best books I’ve ever read

Comments»

1. Janey Lynn - March 14, 2008

May I suggest Eleven Minutes by Paulo Coelho…great book! And considering I’ve read almost all of th ebooks on yoru list, I dare say you might agree with me.

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2. millyonair - March 14, 2008

Thanks, Janey. I just finished Eat, Pray, Love and am in need of a new book.

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3. Philippa - March 18, 2008

Might I suggest Yoga for People Who Can’t be Bothered To Do It, by Geoff Dyer. Funny travel with a brain. Think you’ll like it cos I too am big Eat Pray Love and Paul Auster fan.

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4. R, D & MJ - June 24, 2008

I have the Poisonwood Bible because after I read The Bean Trees by B. K. I bought all of her books. I have also read Pigs in Heaven and right now Dennis is reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.
I will be reading Poisonwood Bible next I think but have liked her stuff a lot so far.

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5. harleyseye - September 13, 2008

Hello-This is Roz writing as Harleyseye. I am not sure what he blogs about, probably business. But me, I just use this site to keep up with you. Anyway, I too, thought that A Thousand Splendid Suns was one of the best books I have ever read. At one point I threw it to the other side of the room because I didn’t want to know what happened next. This was right after they were caught at the bus station trying to escape. I am on an Amy Bloom kick right now. I have read some of the required summer trash. A girl always needs a little fantasy. I am sad that you didn’t like The Mermaid Chair. I read the SLofB a couple of years ago and have picked up TMC many times but never checked it out.

My advise, buy the gypsy wagon. If we didn’t have the Mags to worry about (Harley loves her, too!!!!!) we would be vagabonds. Tell George that Maggie says, “Meow.”

Did you know that I was in the play, Tell Me that You Love Me, Juney Moon? Funny stuff.

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6. catherine - November 14, 2008

love in the time of cholera-Garcia Marquez
through a glass darkly-karleen Koen
Little miss strange-Joanna Rose
A Heartbreaking work of staggering Genius-Dave Eggers
a million little pieces- james frey
extremely loud and incredibly close-jonathan safran foer
rant-chuck palahniuk
the things they carried-tim obrien

i love to read:)

oh and jitterbug perfume by tom robbins…definitely a favorite:)

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7. R, D & MJ - February 11, 2009

I did not like a million little pieces AT ALL, but that’s just me. It did not ring true to my experiences with addictions both my own and others.

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