Happy Tuesday, Bookworms!
I’ve been out of the listing game the past couple of weeks, but I am jumping back in with both feet. Today’s prompt (thanks, as always, to the folks at The Broke and the Bookish) is books that people have recommended to us. I’m kicking this bad boy up a notch and calling out some of the insatiable book pushers who have demanded I read all the things. Ready???
1. The Eyre Affair
by Jasper Fford: I can’t attribute this one to a single person because pretty much everyone and their mom has told me I need to be reading the Thursday Next series. One of these days, I promise.
2. The Walking Dead Comics by Robert Kirkman: I’m so effing hooked on the show it’s completely ridiculous that I’ve heretofore ignored the source material. I’m ashamed, and publicly shaming myself. Bad Katie!
3. Year of Wonders
by Geraldine Brooks: This book has been recommended to me a number of times, because I love me some plague. The most recent recommendation I received came from Rhian, one of my super fantastic regular readers. I’ve got it on hold at the library, girl, I promise!
4. The Crimson Petal and the White
by Michael Faber: So this one time, THE Emma Donoghue stopped by my blog and she told me to read this book. Because I’m totally the sort of person famous authors are chummy with, Emma knows I dig hooker books in a big way. It wasn’t just a random act of googling that caused her to land here that one time or anything…
5. The Sparrow
by Mary Doria Russell: This book has come to my attention on a number of occasions, but the gal who actually got me to make the purchase was Andi from Estella’s Revenge. (Have I mentioned she’s going to be writing for Book Riot’s newest venture? I’m so proud!!!) It’s just sitting on the e-reader. I’ll get to it. Gah, this TBR pile will be the death of me!
6. The Chaos Walking Trilogy
by Patrick Ness: My girl Heather Ethel from The Capricious Reader simply RAVES about these books and I need to know what all the commotion is about.
7. Lonesome Dove
by Larry McMurtry: One of my favorite non-book-bloggers in all the land is Lauren from Filing Jointly… Finally. She’s been rather quiet of late in the online sphere because of this ridiculously cute kid she had. But. She’s also a voracious bookworm and has not so subtly demanded that I read Lonesome Dove. She is usually right about these things.
8. Anything by Christopher Moore: Sarah from Sarah Says Read loves her some Christopher Moore, and her descriptions typically make me think I should have read his entire catalog… Yesterday.
9. Anything by Harkuri Murakami: So, there may have been an episode of book shaming involved in my reluctance to try to read Murakami, but that Monika from A Lovely Bookshelf on the Wall has been relentless in her quiet nudging way… I’m going to cave in soon, I just know it.
10. Tiny Beautiful Things
by Cheryl Strayed: I’ve read zero Cheryl Strayed, but every time I see Shannon from River City Reading getting all wistful about this book, I feel like I’m missing something really wonderful.
Your turn, Bookworms! What have people been recommending to you? Since my TBR is impossibly long anyway, a few more won’t hurt. What should I add to the list?
*If you make a purchase through a link on this site, I will receive a small commission.*
Like this:
Like Loading...
Annabel Smith
I second the Murakami recommendation. Start with The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle if you’re going to go there. Tiny Beautiful Things sounds good. People keep recommending A Girl is a Half Formed Thing but I have no desire to read it whatsoever. Also, Rory from Fourth Street Review is scandalised that I’ve never read any Richard Russo and I do intend to remedy that. Also Marilynne Robinson’s Housekeeping has been recommended to me by lots of people I respect, mostly other writers, so I really do need to give that one some attention.
Words For Worms
Wind-Up Bird Chronicle? Duly noted. Rory totally talked me into reading Richard Russo too!
Annabel Smith
Did you find Rory’s recommendation worthwhile?
Words For Worms
Yes, actually. I read and enjoyed Empire Falls. Rory rarely steers me wrong.
tanya (52 books or bust)
So Trish at Love Laughter and A Touch of Insanity is hosting A Sparrow Read A Long in September. I’m doing it so that I can no longer be shamed about not having read it. Then I’m going to pull out some Murakami and knock it off my list as well. And yes, you should read the Thursday Next series.
Words For Worms
Yes! I’m going to do it tooooooooo!
TJ
I can highly recommend the Thursday Next series, and the nursery crimes by Fforde are pretty funny, too. Lonesome Dove is big, but well worth the effort. I still have Murikami to read as well…
Words For Worms
I need to get on the stick!
Darlene @ Lost in Literature
Ok, I’ll tell you again…
You need to read Cleopatra’s Daughter by Michelle Moran.
There’s so much stuff in it that you love.
Just do it.
Words For Worms
Gah I know!
ThatAshGirl
Hell yes to Jasper Fforde, it’s like this series was WRITTEN for book nerds like us.
Second hell yes to anything and everything Christoper Moore. Start with Fool (basically a parody of King Lear) and then expand if you enjoy.
Third hell yes to Patrick Ness (tee hee that rhymes). I have the trilogy downloaded and will get to it sooner rather than later.
Top books that people keep recommending that they can’t believe I haven’t read yet….
Ann-Marie McDonald – The Way the Crow Flies
Barbara Kingslover – The Poisonwood Bible
Sue Monk Kidd – The Secret Life of Bees
Ray Bradbury – Fahrenheit 451
ThatAshGirl
I’m gonna say hell no to Haruki Murakami. I attempted to read 1Q84 but really just couldn’t. I kinda wanted to gouge my eyes out.
Words For Worms
I failed at 1Q84 too…
Words For Worms
Uh, I’m a little shocked at most of these too, yo. I haven’t read The Way The Crow Flies, but Fall on Your Knees was incredible!
ThatAshGirl
Bad book worm. No cookie. 🙁
And Ann-Marie is Canadian yo. To top it off, I was working at a bookstore when most of them were popular.
Andi (@estellasrevenge)
Yes, yes, yes! THE SPARROW
Words For Worms
Super excited!
Jancee
Yes! The Eyre Affair may be one of my favorite books of all time! I’ve read it probably 4 or 5 times now, and it is still good every time.
Words For Worms
Ooooh I need to get to it!
Heather
I’m a huge Murakami fan…hard to tell you where to start. They’re all a bit weird (which is why I love them). I’d say start with Wind-Up Bird or 1Q84.
Words For Worms
Thanks for the recommendations!
Heather
Yes yes yes to so much of these! But especially CHAOS WALKING. Those books have my heart. And Lonesome Dove is the best western ever. I’ll shake my walker at anyone who disagrees.
Words For Worms
LOL, I wouldn’t want you to have to shake your walker. You might break a hip.
Shannon @ River City Reading
I’ve mentioned Tiny Beautiful Things?
BAHHHHHHHHHHHahaha.
I’m so jealous that Emma Donoghue knows about your love for hookers.
Words For Worms
Tee hee, it’s my one claim to fame 🙂
Kristy Woodson Harvey
These all sound great! A friend just told me to read Where’d You Go, Bernadette? It’s waiting on my nightstand! I think I’d have more books than time even if I read all day every day! Don’t you? Thanks for the recs!
Words For Worms
oooh I loved Bernadette!
Rhian
I realised that people I know very rarely recommend books to me. Mostly people come to me for suggestions. I suspect I read more than most of my friends.
Since you have Year of Wonders on your library list, you may as well add People of the Book by Ms Brooks as well. 😉
Words For Worms
You’ll be pleased to know I just finished Caleb’s Crossing 🙂
Tiffany @ Avid Reader
The Walking Dead series is really really good! You’ll notice some pretty big differences then the TV show though.
Words For Worms
I think I’m mentally prepared for very different storylines 🙂
Jenny @ Reading the End
HELL. YES to the Patrick Ness books. Only I am worried that all the bloggers having raved about it will have raised your expectations too high, and you’ll be disappointed as a result. That happened to Aarti of Book Lust, and I felt guilty for having raved so much about the Chaos Walking books. They aren’t perfect! But they are pretty good.
Words For Worms
I’ll try to temper my expectations, but I have a good feeling about them.
Amy @ Read a Latte
I need to know what the Chaos Walking trilogy is all about too! I see it all the time now at Target and it’s just asking for me to grab it. I started Tiny Beautiful Things but haven’t finished yet – it’s BEAUTIFUL so far though!
Words For Worms
Ooooh good to know!
Melinda
I haven’t read any of these books either and I’m particularly ashamed about not reading Murakami
Words For Worms
That makes two of us 🙂
Trish
Oh you must read Murakami! And yay for The Sparrow.
Words For Worms
I will, I promise!
AMB (Koiviolet)
I really enjoyed The Eyre Affair, which I read about a decade ago.
As for me, people always tell me to read A Tree Grows In Brooklyn (after they are horrified to learn that I’ve never read it). Well, I made a good faith effort to try it this week, but it failed before it even began. I couldn’t get beyond the Forward! I’ll have to give it another chance at a later time.
Words For Worms
LOL! The forward?! Skip that noise! I never read the forwards on classics, they’re usually so stuffy. It’s a really fantastic book though, once you do get around to it. I love me some Francie Nolan.
Sarah Says Read
YESSSSS Christopher Moore. Katie, you will love Lamb, I just know it. It’s so great.
I also really need to read TWD series. I started them, but never kept going and now I just of just need to start from the beginning again. The honeyman has two giant compendiums of them, which is handy but damn they’re heavy.
Words For Worms
The compendiums look so unwieldy, but I’m going to have to poll my pals and see if anyone has got a copy I can borrow. I’m dreadful with library fines…