Meghan's List

I have been in Thailand for 16 months, yet I don't even have 16 books to report on.  I'm a slow reader.  Fortunately, this year has afforded me plenty of down-time, and I've gotten to read more books than average for me.  As Thai time is always slow, I've learned to carry a book with me so I'm never "waiting".  This year I've read alot about the part of the world I'm in, all from a Western perspective.  I've read books on India, China, Thailand, and Burma (and a couple about the circus for good measure!).  Before coming here, I can't say I had any real interest in this part of the world.  It is backwards from everything I knew before, in good ways and bad.  My friend P'Pomm compares it to a meatball on a stick, where Thailand is the stick's point of entrance and the US is the exit point.  I got in almost over my head, and at this point I am more than ready to return to some sleeveless shirts, good music, family, hugs, and understanding.  It has been a rough year, while at the same time full of amazing adventures.  Here's a list of the books that have kept me entertained on those quiet nights and long train rides:

Saving Fish From Drowning - Amy Tan - I just started this book today.  I'll update when I'm done, but as of now, 20 pages in, I love it already.  This story was given by a ghost to a transcriber, which Tan based the book upon.  There's a murder mystery to unfold in the Burmese wilderness... this should be good!

The Hundred Secret Senses - Amy Tan - Tan is a great storyteller, and this book weaves two stories--one from present day SF and the other from 19th century China--together through communication with the supernatural.  Intriguing characters, especially Kwan.

Yoga School Dropout - Lucy Edge -  I think I'd find this super helpful if I was planning a yoga holiday in India... but I'm not.  Thorough Indian yoga travel story, not brilliant literature.

Another Roadside Attraction - Tom Robbins -  Was Amanda's character created for me?  All my favorite elements smashed into one book by one of my favorite authors... I hated for it to end.

Food of the Gods - Terrence McKenna - Ethnobotanist talks about human evolution, altered states of consciousness, and our connection with the Divine.  Some parts (especially the archaeological sections) are dry and slow to get through, but this is a small portion of the book.  Overall an interesting read to shed light on an unconventional subject.

Reefs to Rainforests - Thom Henley - Natural History, Plants & Fauna, on 5 ecosystems found in Southern Thailand: mangrove forest, tropical forest, coral reef, mountains, and tidal areas.  This guides you through those hikes and swims, lets you know what you're looking at, and makes it 100 times more interesting.

Waterfalls and Gibbon Calls - Thom Henley - Natural history, Plants & Fauna, Cultural background, Park info on Khao Sok National Park.  Detailed info with great sketches and totally readable.

Water for Elephants - Sara Gruen - Gripping from the very beginning.  Laughing and crying within minutes of starting this book.  I LOVE THE CIRCUS! and TRAINS!  2 in 1 fun!

Real Magic - Wayne Dyer - An inspiring read about miracles and the power of living from the present with love.

Diet for a New America - John Robbins - Animal husbandry, pesticides, slaughterhouses, nutrition, science, all kinds of facts to help you convince your family that you are the normal one...  This book is SO old, yet surprisingly still relevant.  I found it lying around at the beach for free, but it might serve you better to pick up a similar read with updated stats if you're interested in knowing the truth about what you're feeding yourself.

Piano Demon - Brendan Koerner - (Kindle single) The globetrotting, gin-soaked, too-short life of Teddy Weatherford, the Chicago jazzman who conquered Asia.  Nice short read, interesting look back into history, from a view rarely exposed.

                                   WHO IS THIS BEAUTIFUL GODDESS?
                                          CAN ANYONE GUESS?
                         IF YOU GUESS WRONG I WILL GIVE YOU A HINT
                               AND YOU WILL KNOW HER IMMEDIATELY!

SANDY'S 2012 LIST CONTINUES

by Augusten Burroughs

57.  KILLING HOPE by Keith Houghton****
A free book on Kindle that I enjoyed.  Fast paced. About a serial killer and the super detective that handles the case. Once I began this book I couldn't put it down and finished it in one night. 

58. BREAKING TWIG by Deborah Epperson**** A southern story about the strength and endurance of the human heart.  Twig has so many struggles, mostly her vicious, abusive mother. Through incredible strength of spirit she perseveres.  This book was offered as a free book on kindle and is the authors first book.  I found several spelling and grammar mistakes in this book but  I like to find things the editor overlooked. Just saying. 

59. A VISIT FROM THE GOON SQUAD by Jennifer Egan****This novel won a Pulitzer Prize for fiction and I expected  it to be beautifully written but didn't expect the shape shifting format.  The book jumps through time at every chapter. Some characters are never heard from again by the end of the book.  This book is about people on the fringes of the punk music industry, a kleptomaniac, and the way lives intertwine over time. I enjoyed this book and think that when I re-read it later I will like it even more.


60. THE MILL RIVER RECLUSE by Darcie Chan **** Never think that some books offered for free on Kindle aren't gems because this one was free and a beautiful story. A first novel from the author, set in Vermont, and I loved these characters.   

Best Loved Books – Carol

Emma – Jane Austen  -  I love this book so much, it is so wonderfully written , I read it at least once a year, actually I read all her books at least once a year!  This one is my personal favorite of Austen, narrowing beating out Pride and Prejudice, which is also very high on my list.  Of the main character,  Emma Woodhouse, Austen said “I am going to take a heroine who no one but myself will much like”, but I love Emma and her meddling ways.

Christy- Catherine Marshall – PopPop recommended this one to me when I was just barely in my teens.  I have always loved it and read it many times.  The heroine, Christy Huddleston, leaves home at age nineteen to teach school in the Smoky Mountains, and comes to know and love the resilient Appalachian people, with their fierce pride and terrible poverty.  I loved the character Christy, but most loved her friend Fairlight Spencer.

Coming Home – Rosamunde Pilcher – This beloved book is my favorite Pilcher novel, which is saying a lot, because The Shell Seekers as well as September are also very high on my "favorite books ever" list.  In all her books, but especially Coming Home, Pilcher creates characters that I fall in love with, care about, and who stay with me forever. 

Harry Potter, the entire series – J K Rowling – I fell in love with these books way before any movies were made, and still love the characters, the storyline, and wish more than anything that Rowling would continue to write about Harry, Ron, and Hermione.  If you have only watched the movies, I encourage you to read the books, there is so much more to the story than the movies portray. 

Ender’s Game, the entire Ender and Bean series – Orson Scott Card – These books will totally take over your life if you aren’t careful.  I came to care so much about these children,  and love that Card continues to write about them as they grow up, and indeed even after they are grown.  This is another series that I re-read often.  I wish you all would read these books, they are just that wonderful.

BEST LOVED BOOKS CHALLENGE

My Dream Room

                                                      


Let's all name 5 all time favorite books right off the top of our heads.  Let's not over think it  just the first books that spring to mind.


               SANDY'S WELL LOVED BOOKS

1. STONES FROM THE RIVER by Ursula Hegi*****
An unforgettable, beautifully written story of a German town during  Nazi occupation.The main character, Trudi, is a dwarf librarian who know everyone in the town and is the keeper of their stories. Through Trudi, you get to know a cast of characters in the town trying to go through their normal lives while reacting to Hitler's propaganda. To me this book has it all-love and loss,births and death, devotion and inhumanity. This book will never leave me. To me it is a Classic.


2.  THE DOLLMAKER by Harriet Arnow*****This is a lengthy book that is depressing while also being uplifting and hopeful.  During the war, a poor Appalachian family moves north to the slums of Detroit in hopes of working for the war effort and having a better life. A story of struggle and endurance and of a Mother's love for her children. This is a book that makes you think of it long after you have finished it--kind of like you lived through it with this family. If you read one book this year make it The Dollmaker. Its lessons are many and important. An American Classic.


3. THE STAND by Stephen King ***** In my opinion this is King at his finest. You just can't beat a battle of good over evil. I have read this book several times over the years and find its character studies fascinating. I've never forgotten Stu, Frannie, Harold, Nick the deaf/mute boy, Tom Cullen,Glen Bateman,and of course Mother Abigail and Flagg.


4. SONGS IN ORDINARY TIME by Mary McGreggor Morris****1/2 This is a terribly long book and it is slow going at the start. You have to get through the first 100 pages or so before you are pulled into this family and their intricate web of lies and truths.  A 60's single mother struggling to raise her family gets hooked up with a con man.  The story is moving and sometimes humorous but totally unforgettable.This book doesn't really have an ending just a new beginning as the family picks itself up and gets on with their lives.  Loved it.



5.  ANOTHER PART OF THE HOUSE by Winston Estes
*****Remember how Pop Pop collected Reader's Digest Condensed Books? I first read this book in Pop Pop's condensed version and fell in love with the story. Re-read it several times over the years. A few years ago I found an original copy in the Houston-Love Library in Dothan! A very well written story of a Texas family during the Depression. If any of you are interested in having some of Pop Pop's book collection let me know, I have them all hoarded up at my house.

































 SANDY'S BEST LOVED BOOKS

                                     CAROL'S FAVORITE AUTHORS

      In no particular order, just some of my favorites.

• J K ROWLING
• STEPHEN KING
• PATRICKROTHFUSS
• JAN KARON
• MAEVE BINCHY
• ROSAMUNDE PILCHER
• JANE AUSTEN
• BILL BRYSON
• ORSON SCOTT CARD
• SPENCER QUINN
• JODI PICOULT
• JOHN GRISHAM
• JANET EVANOVICH
• LAURA INGALLS WILDER
• J R R TOLKIEN
• REX STOUT
• KARLEEN KOEN
• ANN B ROSS
• GEORGE R R MARTIN
• KEN FOLLETT
• STIEG LARSON
• CATHERINE MARSHALL
• CHARLENE HARRIS
• HARPER LEE
• MARGARET MITCHELL
• LOUISE L HAY
• BARBARA KINGSOLVER
• CHARLOTTE BRONTE