As promised, here is my belated 100th post giveaway entry!
I’ve been trying to come up with entry criteria but due to lack of sleep thanks to a very cute little girl I haven’t got the imagination. So! I recently finished reading The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
With that in mind, to enter this giveaway I would like you to recommend a book to me – it can be any genre at all – and tell me why I need to have this book in my life. If you’re not a literary type then feel free to recommend a website that you think I need to see.
In return? One of you lucky types will win four stitch markers, a pair of gorgeous pink resin knitting needles (made by Kerry at PennyDog Jewellery) and the knitting bag made by me and embellished with a removeable needlepointed flower brooch by Debbs for the Crafteroo mixed media craft challenge (with apologies for the picture of the bag, it’s not the easiest thing to photograph!).
Go!
Posted under recommendations, site stuff
This post was written by Vonnie on May 26, 2009
Oh, this is hard. There are so many books I want to recommend to people!
If I had to recommend one, I think it would be Gone With The Wind, by Margaret Mitchell. It’s one of my favourites, and I honestly think everyone should read what I can only describe as the greatest love story ever written!
I could recommend an absolute stack of books but I’ll narrow it down to a few choices….
The Time Travellers Wife – Audrey Niffenegger – one of the few books to leave me in tears, but absolutely wonderful.
The Age of Innocence – Edith Wharton – this was one of my A-Level texts and I love it. I’ve bought it about 3 times now because I keep losing my copies.
Translations – Brian Friel – this is actually a play and another A-Level text. A great story about Ireland just prior to the famine and the ‘English-ifying’ of place names.
If I had to recommend just one it would probably be Translations. It’s quite short, so you could probably zip through it during nap times and suchlike.
Hmmm, I can think of so many!
First, all of the Discworld novels by Terry Pratchett – awesome.
Enders Game – by Orson Scott Card – one of the most awesome SF books ever.
Jess
Congratulations Vonnie on your 100th!
Here’s to many many more. You wrote recently about not wanting to go back to work. I for one of many – don’t want you to go back to work either, so I’m recommending this book to you, for purely selfish reasons!! So that even more blog posts and sharing of your crafts and ideas continues 
The book is called “A bit on the side 500 ways to boost your income” by Jasmine Birtles!
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bit-Side-Ways-Boost-Income/dp/0749925698/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1243339052&sr=8-1
I would recommend Perfume by Patrick Suskind – it is translated from French and is about a child who is found as a baby, abandoned by his mother, an unusual child as he has no smell of his own – he becomes an absolutely amazing perfumere…very succesfull but people cannot relate to him because he has no smell…
Its some 10 years since I read it, it is beautifully written, short, compelling and slightly sinister.
And it is for those qualities that I recommend it to you
I would have to say “My Sisters Keeper” by Jodi Picoult , definately one of those books that you had to read no matter what until it was finished, It is out in the pictures soon and i am swithering whether to go an see it because i know the book was so good. It is a stand alone book, however some of the characters make appearances in her other books , due to their professions. Definately for me a must have so much so that i have been buying and trying to read her other books now as well.
I’ve read a lot of good books so far this year. Top of my list is The End of Mr Y by Scarlett Thomas. It’s an amazingly intelligent read and one I thoroughly recommend. Also, if you’ve not already read it, Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman. I’m not much of a fantasy fan but this book is exceptionally well written. I think it works so well because of the mixture of familiar (London) setting with otherworldly. You can read it as a piece of fantasy fiction or look at it as a social comment.
My suggestion- clam of The cave Bear by Jean Auel. I have the whole series and go back to them again and again. It’s a mixture between romance, adventure and historical fiction. It’s one of the few series that I refuse to wait for it to come out in paperback and will buy the hardback as I can’t wait to hear what happens next!
I absolutely loved The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick. It’s a 500 page children’s book that I read in one sitting!(lots of pictures)
My recommendation is Shadow of the Wind, by Carlos Ruiz Zafón. It’s so interesting, so full of atmosphere and so descriptive. I’ve made lots of my friends and workmates read it and they’ve all loved it too. I’m just about to start another of his (The Angel’s Game) and I hope it’s even nearly as good as Shadow of the Wind!
I read all manner of books (and then pass them on to friends) I recently fell in love with The Time Traveller’s Wife, really beautiful and one I will read again.
Betty Smith’s A Tree Grows In Brooklyn is a well read one on my shelf too.
The book I return to again and again is Tully by Paulina Simons. I bought it in a charity shop in my teens because I liked the cover! I loved the story then of three high school friends and how they grow and their lives change. I have re read it many times and never tire of it and always put it down having gained something new.
Happy reading!
xxx
One of my many favourites is ‘Big Stone Gap’ by Adriana Trigiana. It tells the story of Ave Maria Mulligan, self proclaimed spinster, who is the local pharmacist. It is just a wonderful story – and if you enjoy it there are four sequels!!
If you want wonderful storytelling that makes you go ‘aaah’, then anything by Maeve Binchy – my favourite is ‘Scarlet Feather’ In suggesting these, I have assumed that for the moment you need something you can enjoy while tired out by the gorgeous Greer!
One of the best books I’ve ever read is “A Thousand Splendid Suns” by Khaled Hosseini, the author of “The Kite Runner”. It’s the sort of book that I just couldn’t put down, and it left me in tears at times, but was ultimately such a heartwarming read. I think it affected me especially because you could tell there was so much truth to the story, which made the sad bits even sadder.
I’d recommend the Time Traveller’s Wife too – such a different concept to write about, and it always makes me cry.
If you fancy a quick, feel good book to read though, any of Katie Fforde’s books are fun!
You asked about websites too – I came across http://www.knitsinthecity.co.uk whilst writing my blog post today. Lots of yarn-type eye candy there!
Congrats on your 100th post!
This is a great idea. And I’d have to agree with the Discworld series – pure genius.
But I was going to recommend a certain book, then heard you don’t want to go back to work…but then was even more sure my choice was right for you!
The book I think everyone in the whole world should read (starting with you)is ‘How to Be Idle’ by Tom Hodgkinson. It’s a very funny, clever look at the world today and a true celebration of idleness. And not in a silly way but in a revolutionary way. Mind-blowing, inspiring and just great.
Everyone else, you all read it next.
In fact seeing as you have at least one child, The Idle Parent would be even better. It’s similarly inspirational and brilliant but about parenting.
Read this book!
A really good book that I read a long time ago is THE MINDS OF BILLY MILLIGAN by Daniel Keyes.
It’s the true story of Billy Milligan who has multiple personality disorder. He has twenty four people living inside his head. He was acquitted of kidnap and rape of three women by reason of insanity caused by multiple personality – the first such court decision in history. In the book you get to meet all of the different personalities.
It was a really good read and a great insight into this disorder.
One Hundred Years of Solitude
by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Get some Neil Gaiman doon ye(it’s good for the heart)…if you can get your hands on something that’s also illustrated by Dave McKean it will quadruple the pleasure.
Clockwork Orange(Anthony Burgess) is a favourite, the language…made me throw up a couple of times and had to give myself a ‘happy’ break before I could read part 2 but I guess that’s what makes it such a good book.
This is such a generous giveaway! And it’s so nice to be able to recommend books. But amazed you have time to read!
I’m liking Patrick Gale at the moment, especially ‘Notes from an Exhibition’, but any of his. I love how he combines insights into family life with a love of Cornwall, art and creativity.
happy reading.
Oh my word! so many books,
small island by andrea levy, half of a yellow sun by chamamda ngozi adchie (made me cry) I would also recommend a special relationship by Douglas Kennedy
there is a hundred more that I could recommend hope you find something that you like
My favourites from the books I’ve read recently:
- Sue Grafton’s alphabet series with Kinsey Millhone, PI, I’ve read from A to T.
- Any Jane Austen book – I re-read them regularly, Pride & Prejudice is my favourite.
- Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum novels, I’ve read from 1 to 13 & most of the in-between books (I think) Bounty Hunter, Stephanie, is lucky enough to have 2 hunky blokes in lust /love with her, Morelli & Ranger, I’d have them both too!
- All Alexander McCall Smith’s books – love them all, no favourites
- Elizabeth Noble’s Things I Want my Daughters to know made me cry a few times.
- James Patterson, I first read Stories for Nicholas (or something like that) & then tried his crime novels. I hate gore, so usually avoid crime, but these are more thrillers, v little gore & have short chapters, so easy to read around child wrangling.
- Kate Atkinson – any, have read them all. Her short story book made the most impact on me, fantasy style, some of the intertwine, must re-read it again actually.
- Ruth Picardie’s Before I Say Goodbye, read at home, I howled at the end.
- Kate Jacobs’ The Friday Night Knitting Club, loved this, even though I can’t knit to save my life, think it’s being made into a film.
Hundreds more, but that’s my favourite from this year. Loved The Time Traveller’s Wife too a couple of years ago, that’s being made into a film too, hope it’s as good as the book.
Seeing quite a few of my favourite books up there! One of the books most special to me is The Secret History by Donna Tartt…. it’s fantastically written, and is a brilliant story.
Helping children get the most out of school by Sarah Lawson is my recommendation. I bought this book to help me with my job of T.A. however I found it most valuable for my own child’s education especially in his early years.