<p>I had heard that A Map of the World was good. Thanks for the reminder, VeryHappy! I can’t wait to read it!!</p>
<p>Bumping this thread for a twist on the original question:</p>
<p>D and I are driving to and from Ohio (from GA) next week, to attend her college orientation. I have made this drive as the solo driver before, and stayed awake listening to books on tape (CD). I need a suggestion - doesn’t have to be a recent book, but preferably one my library has. Needs to be one that will appeal to my almost 18-year-old D, too. Prefer fiction, novel rather than short stories. I tend to prefer mysteries and “beach reads.” She prefers fantasy and science fiction. (Last time I did this was 4 years ago - we listened to Harry Potter.) Anybody got any suggestions for us?</p>
<p>How about the Marisha Pessl book – Special Topics In Calamity Physics? I’m sure someone mentioned it upthread. It’s a pretty good academic-teen mystery, not unlike Donna Tartt’s The Secret History, which would also be good.</p>
<p>On the science fiction / fantasy front, if you and she haven’t read Ursula K. LeGuin’s two magna opi – The Left Hand Of Darkness, and The Dispossessed – I can’t imagine a better book to fill a car trip to a new place than either (both are about going to new places). (Between them, I would opt for Left Hand Of Darkness first, and that’s more likely to be on tape in your library anyway, as I think it’s more popular.)</p>
<p>Thanks! I’ll look for them.</p>
<p>If you don’t mind a little bit raunch, but very funny Mathson and I laughed ourselves silly listening to Carl Hiaasen’s Skinny Dip. It’s a great beach read so probably more up your alley than your daughter’s.</p>
<p>For sci fi - I’d try Lois McMasters Bujold especially her fast paced space operas about Miles Vorkosigan. Ursuala LeGuin is great. I’ve liked her two or three most recent books very much as well as the ones that were suggested in #63. Elizabeth Moon is also another author that I think would be good as an audio book. You would want to be careful about what you choose there are a lot of trilogies!</p>
<p>Just finished Map of the World by Jane Hamilton: where have I been? I am going to pick up a copy of her latest when I travel. I am off to Ireland and so am rereading How the Irish Saved Civilization.</p>
<p>binx, I bet you and your D will enjoy David Sedaris – hysterically funny. I listened to ‘Naked’ with my 16 year old and we howled with laughter. </p>
<p>My fantasy/sci fi recommendation would be The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman. A classic (now being made into a movie - hope they don’t ruin it!) on its own, and the first part of a highly acclaimed trilogy that goes under the umbrella title “His Dark Materials.”</p>
<p>I’ve listened to the audio version of The Golden Compass. It’s a little different than the usual - they have different actors reading the parts. It took a little getting used to, but it’s very good.</p>
<p>Me Talk Pretty One Day - David Sedaris</p>
<p>The Bad Daughter - Julie Hilden</p>
<p>reread She’s Come Undone - Wally Lamb</p>
<p>Some Can Whistle - McMurtry</p>
<p>HEYDAY - Kurt Anderson.</p>
<p>Historical fiction set in Europe and the US in the tumultuous year of 1848. Good read</p>
<p>OMIG, Mathmom and I are channelling. I’m leaving on a six hour drive tomorrow, and I was test driving some books for the car, and ended up listening to all of “Skinny Dip”, might not be appropriate for the 18 year old, some raunchy language and situations, but hilarious. I traded it in for another Hiassen book for the trip. AND, to prove that Mathmom and I are the same person, the books I wanted to get on tape, but my library doesn’t have them, were the Bujold books!
I find that some books make betterlistening in the car than others - books that are very “literary”, atmospheric and with shifting viewpoints are too hard to follow for the driver - while I like The Golden Compass, I might get a little lost as the driver. Another problem with fantasy books, I tried to listen to one of my favorite series once, is that they can just sound silly read out loud.
Harry Potter makes great car ride material, even the 3rd time through, if you have to pay attention to the road, you can easily pick up the thread of the story. Bill Bryson is also good, try A Walk in the Woods, it has some bad language used at a very appropriate moment.</p>
<p>Going back to recently read books, not necessarily car listens, I just finished “What is the What”, David Eggers’ fictionalized story of one of the Lost Boys of Sudan. My God, what an incredible book. I thought it would be hard to read, but despite many, many horrific and/or gripping events, i read it very quickly. Just an incredible book about an incredible young man. I highly recommend it.</p>
<p>I also recently read Christopher Buckley’s newest novel, “Boomsday”. Not one of his best, lots of funny lines, but the plot kind of meanders off and basically just ends. but very readable.</p>
<p>Also just read Margaret Drabble’s latest, "The Sea Lady’. I’ve been a fan of hers forever, though some of the later ones didn’t work as well for me. This was one of her better, I thought. Gorgeous language, interesting characters.</p>
<p>You can see the semester is over, and i have much more time to read since I’m only working one job right now!</p>
<p>Count me in as a big Hiasson fan - I have read them all except Nature Girl - his most recent. They are great “car” books. I’m not a Grisham fan generally, but his books are good for the car too. </p>
<p>I’ll add Morning Noon and Night by Spalding Gray to my list for the year. I reread it because of his suicide in '04. Very poignant in light of that.</p>
<p>I recommend this non fiction book:</p>
<p>I married my mother-in-law</p>
<p>“Seventeen writers plumb their individual in-law experiences for extraordinary and unexpected wisdom about this uninvited and intense relationship. By turns blunt and poignant, horrifying and touching, the essays reflect some of the myriad aspects of this complex relationship.”</p>
<p>Although not all “Books of 2007”, this past year I enjoyed reading Augusten Burroughs’ “Running With Scissors” and my favorite of his was “Sellevision.” I simply cannot watch those shopping channels anymore without chuckling.</p>
<p>Also read a lot of Tom Perrotta- “Little Children”, “Wishbones,” “Joe College,” and my favorite of all, “Election.”</p>
<p>Doubleplay,</p>
<p>I read Joe College a few years ago and thought it was a riot! I’ll have to check out Election!</p>
<p>I just finished reading “Skinny Dip” and thought it was great. I had never heard of th author (sister gave me the book) but now want to read more.</p>
<p>Right now I’m reading “Wicked” and enjoying it. </p>
<p>Someone mentioned E.L. Doctrow’s “The March”. I give that one an endorsement too.</p>
<p>I just finished swimming my laps and while there I realized that one of the best books that we listened to in the car was a surprise-one that I ordered to listen to by myself, but both kids (teenagers) were so interested in it that we all listened and my college age son took it with him to finish.</p>
<p>The Hiding Place.</p>
<p>It’s non-fiction, historical, WW2 first person accountant of the Dutch resistance by Corrie Ten Boom (some of you will remember her from her visits on talk shows when she was older.) It is not dull or hard to listen to. It’s fascinating and was a revelation to me about how much my kids had learned in their h.s. history classes. Our library had a very old copy on cassette so good luck finding it.</p>
<p>I just finished “Resistance” by Anita Shreve. I really enjoyed it, which is not a surprise, since I’ve enjoyed other books by her.</p>
<p>just finished Michael Chabon’s Yiddish Policemen’s Union. I love his books.</p>