Monday, September 22, 2008

My Fall into Reading 2008 List

Since I'm completely addicted to reading, my list is 20 books long. :) Here's to hoping I haven't bitten off more than I can chew!

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie-I've never been big into murder mystery type books but I recently read a fictional book club book in which they read this and it actually seemed pretty interesting. I've never seen the movie either so I won't know the ending, which I hear is a surprise.

Dracula by Bram Stoker-I've recently realized that there are several classics out there that I have neglected to read and I need to remedy that. Considering it's fall and near Halloween, I thought I would go with Dracula. I've seen the movie in its many incarnations but I've never picked the book up.

(The Keep by Jennifer Egan-This is not a horror novel but it seems like it will be another good Halloween read with its gothic environment and creepiness. I've never read any Egan but I'm trying to expand my repertoir. I tend to find an author I love and then read all of their books. )*

The Shack by William P. Young-I'm definitely intrigued by this one....it is based on the diary of the author which he then fictionalized. It's about his journey to God.

The Queen's Bastard by C.E. Murphy-I've read all of Murphy's other books (see above, about falling in love with an author) and this one seems like it will be right up my alley. It's supernatural mixed in with court intrigue.

Magic Lost, Trouble Found by Lisa Shearin-Fantasy, a weakness of mine.

Seal Island by Kate Brallier-This one is a mystery/love/supernatural story.

Perfect Match by Jodi Picoult-I love her writing and the fact that she takes such controversial topics and makes you look at every side of them. She can make you feel pity for the supposed "bad guys" and anger at the "good guys". I'm trying to finish all of her books (again, see above).

Beyond Left & Right: Helping Christians Make Sense of American Politcs by Amy Black-Our pastor recently recommended this book while doing a series on voting biblically.

Chocolat by Joanne Harris-I'm sad to admit that I've never read this or seen the movie.

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield-I picked this one up from the library before because I always love a good ghost story, but somehow I never had the time to read that. It's time to remedy that.

Imaginary Men by Anjalii Banerjee-A well rounded reading list for me always needs to have some chick lit on it!

Doesn't She Look Natural? by Angela Hunt-And one step better than chick lit is Christian chick lit.

Finding Anna by Christine Schaub-This is the first in a music series where Schaub gives a story behind certain hyms. This is based on one of my favorite hymns, It is Well with my Soul.

Gods and Kings by Lynn Austin-This is a fictionalized account of the Old Testament.

Simply Divine by Wendy Holden-British chick lit.

The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry-A little bit of love, a little bit of suspense. It takes place in Salem, MA.

The Beach House by Jane Green-Green is another one of the authors that I have fallen in love with.

The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff-This is a ficitionalized account of one of the many wives of Brigham Young and how she devoted her life to destroying the Mormon leader.

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke-A young adult fantasy novel....it has always been on my list to read but it was recently moved to the top when I took my kids to the movies this weekend and saw that it has been made into a movie that will be coming out in January.

If you are interested in seeing what everyone else is reading, or in joining yourself, check it out: http://www.callapidderdays.com/2008/09/fall-into-reading-2008-time-to-read.html?showComment=1222089300000#c5547571690504590999

*I've removed The Keep from my list. I got about 80 pages in and I just could not force myself to go any further. I'm going to replace it with the second book in the Raine series by Lisa Shearin, Armed & Dangerous.

18 comments:

Unknown said...

Great list! So many of them sound like books I would be interested in, I'll have to remember to check some of them out. I haven't read Chocolat, but, it's one of my all-time favorite movies. Good luck.

Beth F said...

I'll be following your reviews. I've read a number of the books on your list, so I'm interested in what you think.

Lisa Shearin said...

Hi Meg,

Thanks for adding Magic Lost, Trouble Found to your reading list. ; ) When you finish it, you'll have to email me and let me know what you think (lisa@lisashearin.com). It's the first in a series -- Armed & Magical came out in May, and The Trouble with Demons will be out next April. I'm writing the fourth book now.

BTW -- I remember reading Dracula years ago. I really enjoyed it.

Take care,
Lisa

Robin M said...

Thank you for visiting my blog. Your list looks great. I want to read them all. I have read "The Thirteenth Tale" Great Book - It was hard to put down.

Happy Reading

Robin of mytwoblessings

Crissy said...

Ohhh. You have chosen a lot of great books for fall.

I so loved The Thirteenth Tale. Autumn is definitely the time of year to read it.

Trina said...

I also want to read The Shack & thanks for sharing your list.

Happy Fall Reading :)!

Katrina @ Callapidder Days said...

Wow, looks like a great -- and varied! -- list. I love Agatha Christie, but I am am a fan of murder mysteries so I suppose I'm biased. :)
And The Thirteenth Tale was really good, very well-written and it pulled me right in.

Thanks for being part of the challenge!

CeeCee said...

Great list! I've heard great things about Angela Hunts books and The Shack. You never can go wrong reading Agatha Christie. Enjoy!

Lindsay said...

What a good variety of books. I really enjoyed Murder on the Orient Express. I love Jodi Picoult however I haven't read Perfect match. You have a bunch that I have on my TBR list.

Anonymous said...

Hey, thanks for stopping by my blog!

Your list sounds awesome! I need to print it out to keep for future reference!

Perfect Match is great - it'll make you cry, though!

Unknown said...

I don't think I've read a Picoult book yet that hasn't made me cry!

Bitsy (aka Elizabeth) said...

Thanks for visiting my blog! I've read 13th Tale and LOVED it! Queen's Bastard sounds good, too. Have you read any of Philippa Gregory's books about Henry VIII. They are really good. Also look forward to your review of Jodi Picoult's book ~ I love her stuff.
Happy Reading, Bitsy :)

Kayren said...

I read Murder on the Orient Express for the first time this year. I'd never seen the movie either. The ending is a surprise. It was a little more difficult for me to read because it was written in a different style than I'm used to, but I still enjoyed it...part of getting out of my box. Mystery, especially cozies, are my favorite.

I've also read The Shack recently, and a few years ago I read the first three books in the Gods and Kings series by Lynn Austin. I never did read the last two. They bring Biblical battle scenes and such a little more graphically into perspective than I'd ever personally read and I'd just kind of had enough. But I loved the way it brought the historical part of that particular era of Biblical history to life and into perspective. It was truly fascinating. So there's both sides of that coin - I'm anxious to see your review and see what you think about them.

Kodelle said...

I love Dracula. I keep hearing about The Thirteenth Tale. I hope its good.

Anonymous said...

You've got quite an ambitious list! I'm participating in this challenge, too, but there are only 11 books on my list.

A said...

I am looking forward to My sister's Keeper. Glad to know you enjoyed the book.

Someone recommended the 19th Wife to me. I will look forward to your review of the same.

Kara said...

Thanks for visiting my blog...My mother has given me The Shack to read and then wants to discuss it with me...I am very intrigued by this book!!!

heidi @ ggip said...

I agree with your statement on Jodi Piccoult books. Good luck!