I love different types of books , I love cook books, picture books, travel books, and of course reading books. It is the reading books I wish to discuss. I am always trying to find a new good book to read, there is almost always a problem with that though. I have found if the book is amazing I can't put it down (so I am up all hours of the night reading or I start dreaming about). So the problem comes that either way I don't get enough sleep when I start a new book.
Another thing I have been trying to do is step outside my comfort zone. I have a type of book I like to read and a type of author, so a lot of the books are very similar and sometimes that just gets boring. But I have found it is the safest way to go for me.
The reason it is the safest is because if I ever try a new author or a new style I end up regretting it. For example I got this book the other day from the library. I knew who the author was and THOUGHT it might be a good read. Well unfortunately for me it wasn't so good (in my opinion). It would have been good if it didn't have all the swearing and and other slightly graphic things in it. AND the unfortunate thing was I still read the whole thing. (It was "good" enough to keep me turning pages). But then it makes we weary in reading other books. In fact the other book that I got by the same author I took back without even opening it. (didn't want to chance it)
I realize that I am possibly too sensitive to these type things because I can't stand some of the "best seller" books, but everyone else loves them. So whats a girl to do? Is there a thing online that tells you ratings of books? I did a Google search (not an extensive one) and it seemed the rating was focused on what people thought of it. What I want is like what they have for the movies. And I want to read a book at an adult reading level - obviously kids books are "g" rated. I don't want to read kids books (unless it is to a kid). But I would love something to tell me what to expect. I think it is possible to have a good book that doesn't have filth, gore, graphic details and or profanity. Am I alone in this?
7 comments:
Noble cause my friend! Noble cause . . . it depends on the genre you want, but I have a lot of books to suggest: Have you ever read the Alliance? Good read. Much more where that came from . . . talk to me.
Two of my favorite books I have read are ones I read in book club and wouldn't have picked up other wise. The two I would say you should try are A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and the Secret Life of Bees. I would start with the Bees. No bad parts, and the author is great at painting a picture. I could put it down, but I wanted to keep reading. Just my two cents. :)
"The Barrington Saga" is an excellent series and has good church ethics in it. :)
I have a list from our RS book club. We have to make sure the books are up to church standards before selecting them for the group.
I also get the Seagull Book ad, which tells you about the plot of each book. Then you can get the books at the library.
i'm the same way Bren. I figure my time is too precious to waste on 300 pages of something that doesn't help or entertain me! But by the time you figure out it's garbage, you're halfway into it. I think that you're too "nice" to the author and like to give them the benefit of the doubt. :) Just abandon a bad one and imagine a better ending than was probably written!
Mindy has an excellent suggestion in The Alliance. Really anything by Gerald Lund I have enjoyed - One in Thine Hand is one of his that is also very good. One of my favorite authors is Wilkie Collins - he was contemporary with Charles Dickens and Oscar Wilde, but is less well-known. He wrote a bunch of mysteries and other type things that are interesting and well-moving, intricate and yet not over my head. The funny thing is a lot of the plot summaries of his books that I've read tend to suggest inappropriate romantic content, but they have always been over-exagerated. I've never found anything offensive in them. Let me know if you want some title suggestions! Sorry for the long post...
I have a hard time suggesting books or movies, because what someone likes is garbage to someone else. My sister started a blog so that a bunch of us could share books we have read. If you would like to join this blog, just leave a comment at http://reviewingourescapes.blogspot.com/
I also have a link to www.shelfari.com it gives you other peoples opinions. I hope either of these help you find some new books to try. Good Luck
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