Good Book Advice

Non-Fiction

"My Life in France", Julia Child's own account of meeting her husband, learning to cook, and how she became "Julia Child". One of my favorite books of all time.

"Appetite for Life", a biographical account of Julia Child's life...also a very good read.

"The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt" and "Theodore Rex", Edmund Morris

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Fiction

Just about everything by Jodi Picoult. Easy to follow, engaging stories, easy to pick-up and put down.

I like Philipa Gregory for historical fiction.

I read a lot, but these are the ones that I read over and over.

The next non-fiction (non-school) book on my list is "A Camera, 2 kids, & a Camel" by Annie Griffiths Belt. Haven't read it yet, but I've been dying to.

http://www.amazon.com/Camera-Two-Kids-Camel-Photographs/d...

http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/pho...

While I was nursing I ran through the entire list of Rex Stout's "Nero Wolfe Mysteries" (50 or 60 *short* books, written in the "present" which started in 1929 and ended in the 60's)... and the 10 or so (at the time, now there are 19) Elizabeth Peter's "Amelia Peabody Mysteries". I'd never really gotten into mystery before... so it was a fun jaunt. Amelia Peabody is HILARIOUS, and one better... the author actually is an egyptologist. She's written some very good non-fiction books about Ancient Egypt as well.

"The Red Tent" by Anita Diamant-- i've read it 5 times, and it never gets old. I loved Shattered Dreams and also tend to read nonfiction. This is a historical fiction novel based on the life of Dina from the Old Testament (she was completely overlooked in the bible, but the stories of her 12 brothers are infamous). I hope you love it if you choose to read it :)

I just finished "Little Bee"...It's powerful and haunting (it's being made into a movie now). Still thinking about it. It's fiction, but truly could be someone's story.

Memoirs of a Geisha- Arthur Golden
The Red Tent- Anita Diamant
She's Coem Undone Wally Lamb
The Gold Coast-Nelson Demille
Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bon's Lorna Landvik
The asweet Potato Queen Book of Love- Jill Conner Browne
Snow in August-Pete amill
Let The Great world Spin- Colum McCann
Devine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood-Rebecca wells
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle-Davis Wroblewski
The Color of Water-James Mc Bride
The Bone Setters Daughter-Amy Tan
One thousand White women-Jim Fergus
Wild Girl-jim fergus
Pillars of the Earth-Ken Follett
On the corner of Bitter and Sweet-Jamie Ford
The Help-Kathryn Stockett
The Joy Luck Club-Amy Tam
The Snow Flower and The Secret Fan- Anna see
Black and Blue Anna quindlen
My Sisters Keep-Jody Picoult
The Space Between Us-Thrity Umbrigar
Water for Elephants-Sara Gruen
The Camel Book Mobile- Masha
Little Bee-
These are my top 20 or so. I think Oprah might have some competion!!(lol)
Congrats on upcoming birth!!

I am reading "Stones into Schools" by Greg Mortenson and I seriously have to force myself to stop reading at night so I can get a few hours sleep! His first book "Three Cups of Tea" is also a must read. He writes about starting schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan and paving the way for girls to be educated in a male dominated society.
It's an amazing story. I am going right now to keep on reading! :)

You've gotten some great answers already! I would agree that "Little Bee" is good, but I found it disturbing. "Water for Elephants" and "The Help" are also great reads! I too LOVE Jodi Piccoult and although classified as fiction she deals with very real issues.

But if you like non-fiction, "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls, "These is my Words, The Diary of Sarah Agnes Prine 1881-1901" is a historical novel and "Life List, A Woman's Quest for the World's Most Amazing Birds" by Olivia Gentile. "Life List" I would have never picked up on my own but it was a book club pick and surprisingly if found it extremely difficult to put down! It's about a woman who travels the world over decades and the sacrifice of her family to attempt to see every species of bird. I know sounds boring as hell, but it was good!

Read in good health.

I just finished little bee as well. It was great! i lent it out to a friend immediately.
i also recently read water for elephants which was great, and the help. the help was a really great story. the help is fiction, but its during the civil rights movement in jackson, mississippi and it very well could have been real, a lot of the things that happen are based on real events. its a very touching novel.

im reading conversations with god now, so far i like it. its making me think about life a lot.
i havent read eat, pray, love yet... a friend borrowed it before i got around to it and never gave it back, but i think that's nonfiction and is being made into a movie

some other books i really enjoyed were The god of small things, 100 years of solitude, farenheit 451

I think it really depends on what genre you like. If you are into thrillers, try Dean Koontz, he has a ton of books in paperback. I would recommend Watchers for a first time Koontz reader. His Frankenstein series is also excellent, as well as his Odd Thomas series!

If you like romance and mystery look for some books by Nora Roberts, Catherine Coulter and Judy Garwood. My favorite is Judy Garwood, I would highly recommend Ransom and Saving Grace (probably my favorite historical romance, with a mystery twist of course.) If you're not into the historical stuff, try Killjoy, great copy mystery type book!

I would suggest to go to Half Price Books, I always find tons of stuff there.

Good luck!

The Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. It's a historical fiction book with a little bit of time travel and romance thrown in. Jamie Fraser is the ideal man; quite nice to dream about. This book is the start of a whole series that made me wish I was Scottish, or could at least fall through Stonehenge-like rocks and live in Scotland of the 1700's

You have to read The Help. It is one amazing book and it won't spook you in the middle of the night.