YouLookFab Forum » Topic: Book recommenations

YouLookFab Forum » Topic: Book recommenations https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/book-recommenations Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Sat, 25 Apr 2026 01:22:48 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 <![CDATA[Search]]> q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php Mona on "Book recommenations" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/book-recommenations#post-1477420 Mon, 20 Apr 2015 11:16:23 +0000 Mona 1477420@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Thanks for all the suggestions ladies. I can't wait to start reading all these books. I have to decide on a few to put in my kindle for flight. Sending you a PM, Gardenchick! Sal on "Book recommenations" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/book-recommenations#post-1476235 Fri, 17 Apr 2015 22:10:52 +0000 Sal 1476235@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Great thread! I have not been such an avid reader recently ...YLF has to be part of the reason. Here are some I have enjoyed in the last couple of years| Americanah. The Goldfinch - this one is not for everyone though. Game of Thrones. The Rosie Project. The 100 Year Man that climbed out the window. Little Bee. I also have enjoyed a Donna Leon on our recent South American trip. And I love Georgette Heyer too, my favourite being The Grand Sophy and Regency Buck. I have also enjoyed a couple of thrillers by Tana French and am reading one by her now, " The Likeness". Inge on "Book recommenations" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/book-recommenations#post-1475889 Fri, 17 Apr 2015 12:07:38 +0000 Inge 1475889@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Fun! I'm taking notes here too. I really enjoyed the last three books I read: - Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, after civilization collapses, a troupe performs Shakespeare and music to scattered survivor communities in the Great Lakes region. - The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt, cowboy noir meets picaresque storytelling mixed with meditative passages. - The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North, about a man who is constantly reborn, with all the memories of his previous lives intact. Anna - I cried at the ending too. I'm seconding Janet's recommendation for the Dust series. I think I'm going to try some of his other books next. Lisap - I haven't read any Anne Tyler books yet, but have seen so many good recommendations that I'm eager to get started soon. Gaylene - Now I'm intrigued by the Mary Roach books. Kellygirl - Putting The Passage on my list too. UmmLila (Lisa) on "Book recommenations" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/book-recommenations#post-1475579 Thu, 16 Apr 2015 20:16:58 +0000 UmmLila (Lisa) 1475579@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Like Gaylene, I like mysteries set in other countries for airplane reading. In addition to Barbara Nadel (Turkey) and Donna Leon (Italy), which she mentioned, I also like Shamini Flint (Malaysia/Singapore), and Zoe Ferraris (Saudi Arabia setting). On a recent trip I read some Josephine Tey novels, which are old fashioned British mysteries. My daughter is always making me read her YA books and presently I am reading The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black. gardenchick on "Book recommenations" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/book-recommenations#post-1475535 Thu, 16 Apr 2015 18:50:05 +0000 gardenchick 1475535@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I think you have enough here for a year of plane rides! But here are a few more: Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Being Mortal by Atul Gawande Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami I track books I read on Goodreads. Send me a PM if you want to connect directly there. Mona on "Book recommenations" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/book-recommenations#post-1475318 Thu, 16 Apr 2015 11:13:57 +0000 Mona 1475318@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ kerry, I am usually equally comfortable reading both actual book and on Kindle. It depends on what is available at my local library. They did not have "The Goldfinch" in electronic format so I had to borrow the actual book. kerry on "Book recommenations" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/book-recommenations#post-1475189 Thu, 16 Apr 2015 02:02:33 +0000 kerry 1475189@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Anything written by Elizabeth Berg. Thanks for this thread. I'm checking out my local library for all of these books! Anyone have a kindle but much rather read an actual book? I know kindle's great for travelling but I tried it at home and it didn't stick! rabbit on "Book recommenations" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/book-recommenations#post-1474999 Wed, 15 Apr 2015 19:41:41 +0000 rabbit 1474999@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Oh Bill Bryson is great for that!   I loved his book on the UK (from a US perspective) -- I was cry laughing with his description of the Glasgow accent and his first bed and breakfast experience.   His book on the US was really interesting and funny too. Gaylene on "Book recommenations" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/book-recommenations#post-1474965 Wed, 15 Apr 2015 18:03:49 +0000 Gaylene 1474965@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Hey, everyone needs literary Snickers bars now and again! Janet's comment reminded me of the torrid romance books my roommate and I used to read while doing our honors English degrees. We used to hide them behind T.S. Eliot and Trollope, but they were the perfect antidote to hours of reading "great" literature. I think that's why it's so hard to recommend books-- a good book, to me at least, really depends on my state of mind and the situation. I marvel at people who read "Wolf Hall" on a plane. It's a great book, but I'd be looking around for a cheese sandwich after every announcement ETA: Which reminds me--my recommendation for a day surgery book is one of Bill Bryson's books. I was laughing so much at his "A Walk in the Woods"--about his novice experience on the Appalachian trail--that the nurse didn't bother giving me the pre-op sedative. She said she'd never seen anyone so relaxed before surgery. When it came time for me to be wheeled to the OR, I just wanted to get the process over and done so I could get back to my book. Janet on "Book recommenations" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/book-recommenations#post-1474910 Wed, 15 Apr 2015 16:13:29 +0000 Janet 1474910@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Lisa beat me to it. "Seabiscuit" is the one you're thinking of, Lisa. Also a very good book! Hey, literary mac and cheese -- or even literary Snickers bars -- have their place! I enjoy a Jack Reacher book now and then. Anonymous on "Book recommenations" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/book-recommenations#post-1474871 Wed, 15 Apr 2015 14:26:38 +0000 Anonymous 1474871@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Laura Hillenbrand.  (Unbroken) Major literary prize winner - also wrote the - ah - horse book , why can't I think of the name..... Mona on "Book recommenations" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/book-recommenations#post-1474800 Wed, 15 Apr 2015 12:36:31 +0000 Mona 1474800@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Janet, I have added your titles to my list. Who is the author of "unbroken"? I will be only taking Kindle with me so whatever I can get on it. I agree, Gaylene. The story has to be very compelling and interesting to be read in airports and planes. I take medication before flying to ward off the air sickness and it makes me sleepy on the plane but last time I flied, I was awake for almost half the flight and the book I had did not keep me much interested. So I ended up watching a few movies and by the end of it, was ready to jump out of the plane. Mala, I don't know how I missed that one by Husseini. I will put it on my list. Peri, I love Greek mythology too and will gladly read this series. Suz, I did a little research on "We need to talk about Kevin" and I think I would love to read this book. Jackie, I really enjoyed The Red Tent so I am on the look out for "The dovekeeper". annagybe, I have read My life in France and enjoyed it a lot. rabbit and kkards, I get air sick on the plane but don't get anxious. I will add the  Georgette Heyer's title to my list. kkards on "Book recommenations" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/book-recommenations#post-1474768 Wed, 15 Apr 2015 11:00:40 +0000 kkards 1474768@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ i second everything rabbit said. i need light and happy reading on planes (i'm a great flyer, but turbulence and the noise really make it hard for me to read anything deep). totally recommend georgette heyer's. also, if you haven't already read it, Crazy Rich Asians, one of the best books i read last year.  rabbit on "Book recommenations" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/book-recommenations#post-1474660 Wed, 15 Apr 2015 03:56:34 +0000 rabbit 1474660@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ These are great ideas I need to add to my reading list. I will come clean and admit that my travel reading (I have flight anxiety)  is the equivalent of mac and cheese comfort food.  I read Georgette Heyer's original regency romances -- they are so charming. annagybe on "Book recommenations" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/book-recommenations#post-1474652 Wed, 15 Apr 2015 03:47:21 +0000 annagybe 1474652@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ It's old but thoroughly enjoyable, but will make you hungry:  My Life in France by Julia Child. Even my non-reading computer nerd friend liked it. On a flight back from Hawaii, I read the Elegance of the Hedgehog. Great book, but the ending made me cry, so not quite airplane reading. jackiec on "Book recommenations" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/book-recommenations#post-1474622 Wed, 15 Apr 2015 03:16:30 +0000 jackiec 1474622@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I read a lot too, and love these posts for inspiration for my next read... I agree that plane & travel reading is different from home reading.  I like Gaylene's suggestions. I've read both Loving Frank, and Paris Wife and liked them both. Janet recommends "The Art of Racing in the Rain," and it's a great travel read. I ugly-cried in public with that one. Unbroken was also a good read. I read that quite a long time ago. On my last trip I enjoyed "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline. Not a long book but really enjoyable. A story born of the thousands and thousands of orphans shipped eastward from crowded US cities to the midwest in search of homes in the mid to late 1800's and early 1900's.  Other great reads are "The Dovekeeper" by Alice Hoffman, along the lines of "The Red Tent" "The Painted Girls" by Cathy Marie Buchanan - set in Paris "Me Before You" by Jojo Moyes - moving story "The Pearl That Broke its Shell" by Nadia Hashimi - set in Afghanistan "All The Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr - set in WWII "The Invention of Wings" by Sue Monk Kidd - slavery in early 19th century S.Carolina & the relationships therein I'm just scrolling through my Kobo list. I have piles of historical fiction books that maybe you're not interested in. I love reading about the Tudor Court, Marie Antoinette, Josephine (The Josephine Trilogies), Catherine de Medici, Catherine the Great, Cleopatra, Nefertiti, and everything around and in-between empowered women of history. Hope that helps :) Suz on "Book recommenations" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/book-recommenations#post-1474592 Wed, 15 Apr 2015 02:41:07 +0000 Suz 1474592@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ You have got some great recommendations.  Most of my reading of late has been older books or research for what I am writing. I just re-read Margaret Laurence's The Stone Angel. It stands up and was moving to me as my own mother is the age of the narrator (and has some of the same character traits).  I have also been reading essays: Eula Biss's On Immunity and Leslie Jamison's The Empathy Exams as well as some anthologies. And poetry.  But I agree that on a plane it is great to sink into a long story. One memorable plane ride many years ago I read Lionel Shriver's We Have to Talk About Kevin, which is an amazing book, but not exactly a light and cheerful one. :)  The next novel on my own (endless) list is Ali Smith's How to Be Both. She is an amazingly inventive writer.  Peri on "Book recommenations" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/book-recommenations#post-1474585 Wed, 15 Apr 2015 02:32:38 +0000 Peri 1474585@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Okay, you can tell I work with kids, because I love kid's books. I read to escape and relax so I don't do deep and depressing. The most fun books I have read lately have been the Lightening Thief series...all 10. I loved Greek mythology as a teenager and these books are such a fun...and funny... interpretation of that. The series grows more complex as the characters age, so I actually liked the second set even better.  ma on "Book recommenations" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/book-recommenations#post-1474544 Wed, 15 Apr 2015 01:13:14 +0000 ma 1474544@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ It sounds like you've got more than enough suggestions to get you through a long flight but I thought I'd mention And the Mountains Echoed by Hosseini since you enjoyed his other two, it's worth a read if you haven't. I also loved Reading Lolita in Tehran by Nafisi, anything by David Sedaris (short story), River Town by Peter Hessler, This is the Story of a Happy Marriage by Patchett, This Boys Life by Wolff, and How to be a Woman by Caitlin Moran ( which was supper cheap on Amaon kindle when I bought it.) Besides Hosseini, these are all non-fiction but SO GOOD nonetheless! Gaylene on "Book recommenations" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/book-recommenations#post-1474529 Wed, 15 Apr 2015 00:39:07 +0000 Gaylene 1474529@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ "And if you don’t get it right, the reader will put down your book, go into the kitchen and make a cheese sandwich, and never come back.” This my favourite Alistair Macleod quote and I think it describes a good airplane book to a T. There are all kinds of good books, but, to me, a good airplane book is one where I get so caught up in the story, I forget I've been jammed into a metal tube for hours and the landing comes as a jarring surprise. There are some other writers, in addition to the ones I listed earlier that I also depend on to give me that kind of book: Alistair Macleod, of course (check out his short story collection " Island"), Anne Tyler (thanks for reminding me, Lisa!) Alice Munro ( another amazing short story writer!) Kate Atkinson ( agree with Kelly--"Case Histories" and "Life After Life) Guy Gavriel Kay ( historical fantasy that draws me in even if I'm not a particular fan of the genre) And another suggestion for a nonfiction book that I've just started that looks promising: "On Looking: A walker's guide to the art of observation" by Alexandra Horowitz. The book is structured around a series of walks the author took around her Manhattan neighborhood with experts in a diverse range of subjects. What she "saw" on each walk was a totally new world within her familiar one. Oh, and anyone who is planning a trip to Paris should spend the flight reading Adam Gopnik's "From Paris to the Moon". I've read several books on Paris but none come close to Gopnik's descriptions of the city. And a big thank you to Janet for reminding me about Haruki Murakami. His book was on my reading list, but somehow dropped off my radar. Janet on "Book recommenations" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/book-recommenations#post-1474475 Tue, 14 Apr 2015 22:10:43 +0000 Janet 1474475@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Ooh, I love book threads. I'll be making a list.  Gaylene, I've been curious to read Mary Roach. Believe it or not, I've had "Stiff" on my bookshelf for years. I bought it, and then my mother passed away, so I was so very, very not in the mood to read that. I think I could handle it now, 7+ years later!  I recently finished "1Q84" by Haruki Murakami. I think it's now my second favorite of his books, behind "Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World." It's a BIG book so probably best read on kindle or tablet for travel.  Someone here recommended Hugh Howey's "Dust" trilogy a while back, and I really enjoyed that. Good for fans of sci-fi dystopian fiction.  I loved "The Goldfinch."  I have "The Art of Racing in the Rain" up next. It comes highly recommended by one of my friends who I trust totally with book recommendations. He was the one who recommended I read "Unbroken," back when it first came out.  Mona on "Book recommenations" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/book-recommenations#post-1474464 Tue, 14 Apr 2015 21:44:24 +0000 Mona 1474464@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Gaylene, I just checked online and all these books sound very interesting. I agree that, on the plane, it is best to take detective novels that are really engaging. I love those anyway. I have just finished a novel "The Son" by Jo Nesbo and really enjoyed his style of writing. He also writes detective stories including series. Lisap, I am on the hunt for these titles. I liked Gone Girl very much and would love to read "Girl on a train". So many new titles.....I think, I am set for summer!  Anonymous on "Book recommenations" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/book-recommenations#post-1474412 Tue, 14 Apr 2015 19:18:24 +0000 Anonymous 1474412@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I read all the time - and here are a few I've read recently and enjoyed: 1.  anything by Louise Penny - Canadian mystery writer - this was an unexpected pleasure as typically the "cozy" mystery style doesn't appeal to me, but these are quite enjoyable and easy to read 2.   A Spool of Blue Thread - newest novel by Pulitzer Prize winner Anne Tyler 3.  Girl on a Train - if you liked Gone Girl......:) 4.  Punishment - newest novel by Giller winner and fellow Canadian Linden MacIntyre 5. The Pocket Wife - new writer Susan Crawford - a literary thriller getting lots of publicity  Good luck! Gaylene on "Book recommenations" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/book-recommenations#post-1474403 Tue, 14 Apr 2015 18:42:54 +0000 Gaylene 1474403@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ OK, here are a couple of books I've enjoyed recently: Motherland by Maria Hummel-- A young German mother's attempt to hold her family together just before the country's collapse in WWII. Not your usual WWII novel because of its unusual point of view; based on a true story. If you like it, I'd also recommend Hans Fallada "Alone in Berlin" for another novel, written in 1946, and told from the perspective of an working-class German couple who start resisting the Nazi regime. The Mistress of Nothing by Kate Pullinger: Also loosely based on an actual journey made by Lady Duff Gordon to the Nile at the turn of the century. The story is told from the POV of her maid, Sally, who undergoes a transformation from a Victorian lady's maid into her own sense of self as a person. The Inn at Lake Devine by Elinor Lipman: Actually any of Elinor Lipman's books are a fun read. To me, she is a modern day Jane Austen in the way she dissects human foibles in a penetrating but light-hearted, humorous way. Loving Frank by Nancy Horan: The story of the Illicit love affair between Frank Lloyd Wright and Mamah Borthwick. Also based on real life. Same genre as "The Paris Wife" by Paula McLain. If you want something off beat, Mary Roach writes about fascinating topics in an often funny, but easy to read style. "Packing for Mars" is about the sometimes squeamishly hilarious side of space travel while "Stiff" is about bodies after death, "Gulp" tackles the alimentary canal, and "Bonk" tackles sex. Her topics seem gross but once you start reading you get fascinated by the complexity of the science. Once you read one of her books, you'll read them all. Finally, my favorite reads on a long plane rides are well-written detective novels set in an exotic (to me) locale. Gets me in the mood for a new adventure when I land. Barbara Nadel sets her plots in Turkey, Donna Leon uses Venice, and there are hosts of others. I pick my location and ask for a recommendation in a good bookstore--or do a bit of on-line sleuthing in advice to see which writers get good reviews. I read a few pages, and, if I get hooked, then buy the book. Usually these writers produce a series so, once I find a storyline and style that appeals to me, I download a couple in the series to devour when I'm waiting in airports or need something to read in the middle of the night if I'm jet lagged. Mona on "Book recommenations" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/book-recommenations#post-1474362 Tue, 14 Apr 2015 17:27:52 +0000 Mona 1474362@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Hi Gaylene, I enjoy quite a bit of variety so please suggest away. Some of the books, I have recently enjoyed are House of dreams House of illusions (sequel to the above) by Pauline Gedge The Goldfinch Book of Negroes The help Kite runner A thousand splendid suns three cups of tea These books are not all recent but I have a lot of catching up to do on reading. Gaylene on "Book recommenations" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/book-recommenations#post-1474321 Tue, 14 Apr 2015 16:09:33 +0000 Gaylene 1474321@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I've read quite a few interesting books recently, but it's hard to make recommendations without knowing your tastes. One person's boring is another's couldn't put it down. What genres or authors do you enjoy, Mona? kellygirl on "Book recommenations" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/book-recommenations#post-1474290 Tue, 14 Apr 2015 15:33:21 +0000 kellygirl 1474290@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Plane reading is a different kind of reading for me. I tend to get distracted and fidgety on flights so I need something that is engaging and doesn't require too much thought. Good luck! Can't wait to hear what others are recommending. Thanks for posting this.  Mona on "Book recommenations" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/book-recommenations#post-1474287 Tue, 14 Apr 2015 15:27:55 +0000 Mona 1474287@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Thanks, Kelly. I actually have not read Kate Atkinson at all. So I will definitely put it on my list. I have checked some of the older threads here on the forum for book recommendations but thought I would post again to get some of the newer books. I will definitely check out the passage too. kellygirl on "Book recommenations" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/book-recommenations#post-1474273 Tue, 14 Apr 2015 15:13:30 +0000 kellygirl 1474273@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ I'll be watching this thread with great interest. Have you read Case Histories?I know Kate Atkinson has been mentioned many times here but I really love her books and find them hard to put down. I just finished the fourth in her series and I enjoyed it almost as much as the first. On the way other end of the spectrum, I read The Passage by Justin Cronin. Surely not everyone's cuppa but it was hard to put down--great plane reading. In fact, I read it on a flight to Hawaii!  Mona on "Book recommenations" https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/book-recommenations#post-1474175 Tue, 14 Apr 2015 11:26:32 +0000 Mona 1474175@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ Hello ladies, I am leaving to visit my parents in three weeks. It is a long flight 19 hours with a stopover of 3 hours. Are there any good books that you have read that would be good to take on kindle? I am open to all kinds of books so feel free to make as many suggestions as you can think of. TIA