<p>Let’s do another little book exercise. Please share the most recent book you’ve finished, what you are reading right now, and what you hope to read next. </p>
<p>I’m always looking for good books and trust the judgement here in the Parent Cafe above most when it comes to reading material! So feel free to share your opinions about your books as well.</p>
<p>Me…</p>
<p>Just finished: “Middlesex” by Jeffrey Eugenides
One of the best books I’ve read.</p>
<p>Currently reading: “Stormy Weather” by Paulette Jiles
Just started…so far very good, some geographical inaccuracies that are bugging me a little.</p>
<p>Next: “Mayflower” by Nathaniel Philbrick
Loved his previous book “In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex”</p>
<p>Just gave up on Michael Chabon’s latest “The Yiddish Policeman’s Union.” He’s one of my favorite authors, but I’m just not into this novel.</p>
<p>Now reading “Water for Elephants.” Love the narrator in this one.</p>
<p>Next up, I think I’ll be writing a book, not reading one… Though I would like to try Cormac McCarthy’s “The Road” and “A Thousand Splendid Suns” by Khaled Housseini.</p>
<p>You’re gonna hate my books. I like historical fiction. Just finished Jean Plaidy’s “The Queen’s Secret” about Katherine of Valois. Now I’m reading this really old book by Anya Seton, “Green Darkness”. It’s OK…</p>
<p>I like just about anything by Phillipa Gregory, Jean Plaidy, Sharon Kay Penman, Margaret George…</p>
<p>One of my favorite books of all time is “Land Remembered” by Patrick Smith, who is a local Florida writer. The book is about the history of Florida and is heartwarming. It reminds me of the stories my grandma used to tell me about her family.</p>
<p>Just Finished:
The Lucifer Effect by Phillip Zimbardo
This book focuses on the Stanford Prison Experiment, which highlighted the fact that people’s actions are largely contributed to by their environment and treatment. A perfectly average Joe will act like a disrespectful and thuggish prisoner if you treat him like one.</p>
<p>Reading Now
Thinking In Pictures and Other Reports from My Life with Autism by Temple Grandin
A startlingly clear picture of the thought process of Temple Grandin, a high-functioning autistic.</p>
<p>Loved Power of One, Loved Middlesex. I just finished “Eat Love Pray” by Elizabeth Gilbert. True story in paperback about a woman’s journey to India, Indonesia and Italy. The title says a lot. I highly recommend it. </p>
<p>Also for the strong that can handle an emotional roller coaster, Nineteen Minutes or anything by Jodi Picoult. </p>
<p>For fun/light reading, Philippa Gregory is great. </p>
<p>Another emotional roller coaster-Skylight Confessions, Alice Hoffman.</p>
<p>Speaking of autism, Born on a Blue Day. Amazing. I read it, my son read it, I drove my husband crazy talking about it. The only book I’ve ever read that made me feel like I understood the whole savant thing. His explanation/visual of how he sees numbers and colors and shapes was fascinating.</p>
<p>I just finished the book momof2inca gave up on( new Chabon) . Loved it. On the lighter fare side( mysteries) I am reading Barbara Hambly’s series about Benjamin January.</p>
<p>I’ll probably finish Middlesex today. I’m not that wild about it. Next up will be The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson. Two of my children loved it so I thought I would give it a try.</p>
<p>I am presently reading The Devil in the White City, and while a little tedious at times, its intertwined story lines complement each other very nicely. I have not finished yet, but I too would recommend it.</p>
<p>I’m halfway through Ominvore’s Dilemma, by Michael Pollan. His writing is wonderful. He takes us, first hand, through the food loop from the cornfield to the dinner table with such style and humor that it is thoroughly engaging in spite of the disturbing information he presents. Highly recommended.</p>
<p>Next on my list is Water for Elephants - a find at fifty-cents at my favorite library resale store.</p>
<p>The Lucifer Effect sounds great - thanks Dis-grace! </p>
<p>I read Mayflower [previously mentioned] because I had always assumed the people who came over on that ship were mentally ill religious cultists and couldn’t figure out why people were so proud to be Mayflower descendants. I decided after reading the book that the Mayflowerians [?] didn’t seem any more or less mentally ill than anyone else I usually run into but I do think the men were bizarrely unempathetic to drag women over there with them. One woman jumped overboard and committed suicide after they anchored in the bay.
I’m currently reading a book one of my kids read for his ap bio class - Never Cry Wolf by Farley Mowart. It’s a surprisingly funny [true] book about a naturalist who went to study wolves to see why they were [allegedly] killing Arctic caribou. </p>
<p>I just finished John Sandford’s new mystery, Invisible Prey, but can’t quite figure out why I keep reading mysteries, as they’re sort of a waste of time. </p>
<p>I’m moving and just gave away hundreds of books to my local library and am quite sad about it.</p>
<p>heidi, how did you like Mayflower? I really enjoyed Philbrick’s previous book, “In the Heart of the Sea”, one of my all time favorites. Just finished “A Long Way Gone-Memoirs of a Boy Soldier” Great story of a 13 yr old boy conscripted into the Army during the civil war of Sierra Leone.</p>
<p>Reading “His Excellency George Washington” which is the current feature book for “All Fairfax Reads” in our county library system. When done, will return to learning from the Teaching Company series and mind candy of mystery and related fiction.</p>
<p>Technically, I don’t read so much any more as listen to most of these as audiobooks…driving, exercising, any other opportunity…better than TV!</p>
<p>Lukester, I enjoyed Mayflower and would recommend it. A lot of the book was about the Mayflowerites’ interactions and skirmishes with the surrounding Indian populace. “In the Heart of the Sea” and “A Long Way Gone” both sound good and, together with the Zimbardo book, should get me to super saver free shipping on Amazon!</p>
<p>The last mystery I read, I got so impatient I just ended up reading the last chapter. I realized that I don’t really like the genre though I will always read the latest Dick Francis and reread Dorothy Sayers from time to time.</p>
<p>omgosh…I’m laughing at the coincidences. Looks like a few of us were reading “Middlesex” at the same time and are reading or about to start “Mayflower”. And, coincidentally again, I have two other books already purchased and in my read pile…“Devil in the White City” and “A Thousand Splendid Suns”!</p>
<p>I have to admit, I intended to read Middlesex years ago and forgot about it until Oprah recently put her sticker on it. Saw it on a checkout counter at Best Buy and grabbed it. I loved the book and will pass it on to my kid’s pediatrician today. (She and I exchange books…same taste). </p>
<p>I think Middlesex snagged me because my best friend from high school is Greek. Her parents were from NYC and grandparents from Greece…and they relocated to a tiny South Texas town to open a Greek restaurant (they now have several). My friend’s parents ‘allowed’ me to work with her in their ‘family only’ restaurant…so all the family interactions in the book ring authentic to me. (Later she was a bridesmaid at my wedding and I at hers. Nothing in this world as fun as a Greek wedding.) And since Calliope was born in 1960, I also can relate to all the cultural references, including the Love’s Baby Soft powder and the dry ‘spray shampoo’…lol! I just thought it was a tremendous story.</p>
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Though I would like to try Cormac McCarthy’s “The Road” and “A Thousand Splendid Suns” by Khaled Housseini.</p>