What I’ve Been Reading
Updated May 12, 2020
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Pregnancy has helped me rediscover my love for reading. I keep a stack of books by our bed so when I am feeling sick and can’t get out of bed at least I have something to read. Sometimes I read a book a day-if it’s a bad day or I am really into the book and can’t put it down:) Here are a few of my latest favorites.
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
House Rules by Jodi Picoult
The Dwelling Place by Elizabeth Musser
What are you reading right now? Please share! I am always looking for new books to read.
The Wednesday Wars is pretty much my favorite book of all time (Gary D. Schmidt is the author).
Really liked The Help! Just finished Cutting for Stone: excellent read. Currently reading Room…it’s a bit odd, but interesting.
Olga – did “Cutting for Stone” pick up a little as the book went on? I’ve been reading it for 2 weeks now and I’m 1/5th of the way through it and it’s tough to get into. I keep reading along though, hopeful that it will start to pick up. I’ve heard such great things about it – I’m just having a hard time getting into it!
I started reading a lot once the baby was born too. When your nursing too many hours a day to count, a good book helps the time pass. I’ve been wanting to read ‘The Help.’ I need to go get it, stop procrastinating!
I’m reading Live Wire by Harlan Coben. He is one of my favorite authors, and as soon as a new book comes out I get it asap.
oh, and I’ve been reading Jane Green and Francine Rivers books.
I just finished The Help recently. It was so great!
Currently reading Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen, and I also just read her novel The Peach Keepers. They are quick reads – about 200 pages each.
I was in love with The Help! Right now I’m reading Shanghai Girls which is good so far. I loved both the Hunger Games and Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series- I flew through both of them!
i’ve been getting back into reading all the time, too. I definitely go through phases!
Lately:
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle (for the 10th time) by Barbara Kingsolver
for fun, The Coffeehouse Mystery series by Cleo Coyle. this has fun coffee tidbits and recipes!
The American Chef by Walter Sheib
I lovvvvvve Animal, Vegetable, Miracle!!
I loved Animal, Vegetable, Miracle!
I have Like Water for Elephants and A Year in Provence in my bag for my trip. I love The Help.
Oh my goodness. The Help and The Dwelling Place are two of my ALL-TIME favorite books!! I’m OBSESSED with The Swan House and even took wedding pictures in front of it. I’m not reading anything right now due to a move, but am hoping to start Like Water for Elephants soon. Thanks for sharing!
I just posted about my most recent reads, too! Great minds think alike?
I highly recommend The Ape House (Sara Gruen), These Things Hidden (Heather Gudenkauf) and Time of My Life (Allison Wynn Scotch)!
Reading is wonderful! If you liked “The Help”–you need to read “The Kitchen House” by Kathleen Grissom! I couldn’t put the book down, it is a huge page turner!! Another good book was “Sarah’s Key” by Tatiana De Rosnay:) Enjoy!!!
I’m reading American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld right now and am enjoying it a lot. It’s long but reads really fast.
oh great, more to add to my ever growing “to read” list!! Some of my favorites from last year were The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale (loved the whole series!) and The Host by Stephenie Meyer. Here’s a link to my favorites from last year – http://joshanddeborah.blogspot.com/2010/12/2010-books-in-review.html
The HELP is one of my favorite! Another one is “The Forgotten Garden”
Currently I am reading “My Name is Mary Sutter”
Oh my, are you a Jodi Picoult fan?! I haven’t read House Rules yet, it’s on my bookshelf though waiting for me. But she is my all-time favorite author! Have you read Mercy or The Pact? Those are two of her best (in my opinion) but any book of hers is a page turner. Let me know if you read any more of her books, I’d love to know what you think!
I will check out Mercy and The Pact. Thanks!
I loved the Help! I’ve passed that one on. If you haven’t read Water for Elephants, it’s a really great one too!
Anna Karenina, the classic I’ve been reading for far too long.
Loved The Help and anything by Jodi Picoult. Her newest (Sing You Home) is also outstanding. Just read Lake of Dreams by Kim Edwards (who also wrote The Memory Keeper’s Daughter). it was oh so good. I also recently read Room (can’t remember the author). It was an unusual book and very compelling.
I just finished reading The Other Hand (British version is Little Bee) by Chris Cleave — an absolutely heart-wrenching story. I’m also about to start The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein, it’s supposed to be great!
Just finished The Saturday Big Tent Wedding by Alexander McCall Smith. I’m a big fan of all The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency books.
Janet Evanovich has a great series that is laugh out load, it starts with One for the Money.
Emily Griffin is another series that is good.
Jan Karon books (the Mitford series) are absolutely amazing! They are the kind of book that you just want to curl up under a blanket and read while sipping hot cocoa. I love them so much that I actually won’t let myself read more than one a year so that I don’t get through them too quickly.
I’m in love with Audible Books. The Help was amazing, read with southern accents, I loved it. Saving Cee Cee Honeycut was also fun to listen to.
Other good books include:
Mr Darcys Diary
Same Kind of Different as Me
Anne of Green Gables–Audible
Aspire
Cold Sassy Tree–Audible
These is My Words
Black Heels to Tractor Wheels
The Glass Castle—has some language
Hope these help. I’ve had several surgeries and must rest often, books and audible books often save the day.
Thanks for your suggestions.
I really enjoyed “The Help.” Just finished reading “Like a Bird Wanders” and really enjoyed it. I love to read about history and am currently reading the first book of the Shelby Foote Civil War set. If you like Jane Austen, you might like the “Fitzwilliam Darcy, A Gentleman” trilogy. It’s “Pride and Predjuice” told from the perspective of Mr. Darcy. Good read.
Here are some of my favorites from this past year:
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Shaffer/Barrows- Takes place during WWII, beautiful story of love, friendship and the ability to overcome. Entire story told in letters.
Little Bee by Cleave- Very poignant story of a Nigerian refugee.
Water for Elephants by Gruen- Takes by in the 30’s when circuses travelled by trains. Gritty and dark, yet tender and loving.
Friday Night Knitting Club (and sequal Knit Two) by Jacobs- Wonderful story of friendships with a good plot that comes together beautifully. (I often have a hard time with “chicklit” because the plot/writting is weak)
I also loved The Help….can’t wait to see the movie
Have you ever read Rosamunde Pilcher? I love her books, especially The Shell Seekers and Coming Home. I love to read and love these kinds of posts to find new authors and books to try. Hope you feel better real soon!
I will have to check those out, thanks!
Ooh! Thanks for sharing! I love hearing what others are reading. My best book recommendation is “Little Heathens: Hard Time and High Spirits on an Iowa Farm during the Great Depression.” It’s about growing up on a farm during the depression. Not depressing, just sweet little stories about the simple life. Lots of heart-warming family moments. A little about food, a little about ag. I read it twice, put it on my Mom’s Kindle and even my honey read it! Can’t recommend it enough!
Hope you feel better, Maria! Sending good thoughts/prayers/wishes/hugs your way 🙂
Thanks for the suggestions!
After Christmas, I read “Look again” by Lisa Scottoline in two days! I passed it on to my mother in law and she finished it in under a week too. We couldn’t put it down!
I am reading The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton. It’s been in my wish list for months and it was just picked for book club. Why didn’t I start this earlier?
The Help was great and I’m going to go look into the other two books you mentioned. I’m always looking for new things to read also!
I am a die-hard Jodi Picoult fan! I LOVED House Rules as a I have son who is very high functioning aspergers who is 21. I LOOOOOOOVE her stuff and have almost all of them.
Well your list of books is a lot more fun than mine!! All I’m reading is “Your Pregnancy Week by Week” I’m so sick! I’m starting to not be able to look at all of the food blogs I follow!! Tell me, is there an end to this madness?!?!
I had the same problem, couldn’t read food blogs or cookbooks, so I went to regular books. Congrats to you! I hope you feel better soon.
I love book recommendations!
I’ve just started Sing You Home by Jodi Piccoult. SO good. I loved The Help. I started “Books on Thursday” on one of my blogs because I read so much!
http://www.AdventuresofanOnlyChildMom.com
I just finished reading “The Help” a few weeks ago. I loved it – and couldn’t put it down!
I am currently reading “Cutting for Stone” but am having a hard time getting into it.
A few other books I’ve read recently that I loved were:
1) The Pioneer Woman’s book – “Black Heels to Tractor Wheels” – so cute! great read!
2) Water for Elephants – I love love LOVED this book. I couldn’t put it down.
3) The Art of Racing in the Rain – it is told from a dog’s perspective. Truly a read read and I really had a hard time putting it down. I’ll admit – it jerks a few tears though!
Congratulations on your little “pea” on the way soon! I read your blog everyday and look forward to all of your posts.
Thank you Nicole!
I just read The Help, and definitely enjoyed it – and Jodi Picoult is one of my favorite authors. I’ll have to put House Rules on my Good Reads list! I’m currently reading Life, on the Line: A Chef’s Story of Chasing Greatness, Facing Death, and Redefining the Way We Eat, which is a great read for a foodie such as myself. I’ve also been loving books by Dennis Lehane and Elizabeth Berg.
I have to say I’m a travel book junkie. I love to read about women traveling to amazing places, doing amazing things. One of my favorites is “Tales of a Female Nomad: Living at Large in the World” by Rita Goldman Gelman. Loved it!!!! She travels the world, learns the language of the people she lives with and relates through cooking and through children. Wonderful Read. On a more serious note, still “A Prayer for Owen Meany” by John Irving.
If you have never read Life of Pi I think you should. It’s one of my favourite books and at the time I read it was one of the best things I had read in about a decade (it still continues to be). It’s an incredible examination of spirituality, of what it means for something to be true or fictitious, our perceptions of the world and those in it. It’s brilliant. If you do read it I have two two tips: 1) Read the authors intro, it’s actually part of the fiction 2) The first 100 pages are a little slow and more heavily detailed for a reason. Everything changes after that though :).
I read House Rules it was good.
I need to read Help!
On my bookshelf now is “Toys” by James Patterson, “Love You More” by Lisa Gardner, “Devious” by Lisa Jackson and last but not least “Sing You Home” by Jodi Picoult.
I love reading too! I still read all the time when I am nursing my baby–it is a great way to relax after baby comes 🙂
I loved The Help, but I haven’t read the other two. I just finished reading David Copperfield and just started Jane Eyre (I’m am trying to catch up on the classics!)
I did the same thing when I was pregnant, and actually have been able to keep it up since Brandon was born. My kindle made it so easy to feed the baby and read with one hand! I loved the 2 Jeannette Walls books. Those are probably the best I’ve read recently.
I LOVED The Help! I literally finished it in 2 days, and then wished I hadn’t read it so fast because I couldn’t stop thinking about it for days!!!
I have a zillion books at my house. I should run some over that I think you’d like.
Thanks for the books!
I just finished reading “The Heretic’s Daughter” by Kathleen Kent. It’s historical fiction, but based on a real-life grandmother of the author’s (back 9 generations) who was accused and subsequently hanged as a witch during the Salem Witch trials.
Another book I read (last year) was “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society” by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. It is also historical fiction and is set during the WWII years.
I am currently reading “The Postmistress” by Sarah Blake. Another historical fiction novel (can you tell I like historical fiction?) set during WWII about a female postmaster in Massachusetts who reads a letter that comes into the post office but doesn’t deliver it and the consequences that follow. I have just started reading it, but it hooks you in from the first page.
Hope your morning sickness subsides soon so you can enjoy being pregnant. You are so blessed! Enjoy reading and relaxing and let your hubby pamper you!
Thank you!
I’m reading Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand (author of Seabiscut) it is one of the most interesting books i’ve read in awhile. Amazing what one man can survive!
The Fourth Target, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, Little Bee, The Kommandants Girl, The Piano Teacher, Sarah’s Key, The Hour I First Believed, The Namesake, A Tree Grows In Brooklyn, The Thirteenth Tale, The Birth House, People of the Book. Was that helpful???
Love the blog!
Very helpful, thank you!
So glad that you’ve been reading more! Enjoy this special time b/c in the 4.5 yrs since my daughter has been born, I think I’ve read only ABC books 🙂 And blogs. lol
I’m reading The Help right now too! Great book. I’m not reading it now, but I think you would enjoy The Emperor’s of Chocolate! It’s all about Hersheys and Mars…like history of the companys, chocolate wars and a bit of business and marketing. Very good!
The Guernsey Literary and Potatoe Peel Society; Sarah’s Key; One Thousand White Woman by Jim Fergus; Kite Runner & A Thousand Splendid Suns–both by Khalid Hosseini. And I reallly enjoyed The Help. I have heard that Bound South is good also, along the same story lines of The Help.
The Help is one of my favorites! I’m an avid reader, so I’ve got a few for you. Sarah’s Key, Ape House, Cutting for Stone, Little Bee, The book thief and Shadow in the wind! Enjoy!
I just finished The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry (odd name, I know) but I loved the book!
Water for Elephants is one of my favourite books – definitely put that on the list if you haven’t read it!
I loved Water for Elephants too!
Lincoln Lawyer!
I just finished “Room” by Emma Donoghue and now I’m working on “Lover Eternal” from JR Ward 🙂
I hope you get to feeling better. I lived on Lemon Heads and Sour Patch Kids when I was pregnant with my daughter. I had all-day sickness for all three trimesters!
Those look like great reads. I am compiling my beach book list and I will be adding those. Right now I am reading The Island bt Elin Hilderbrand. I really like it so far.
Brittany I just finished The Island, It was good I couldn’t put it down. I’ve read a few of her other books and loved them all. If you like her also try Kristin Hannon’s books there great. I’m a Jodi Picoult fan and both of these other authors are right up there with her.
The Help is such a great book – loved it! I recently read The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton and thought it was one of the best I have ever read – I highly recommend it 🙂 Right now I am reading Heart of the Matter by Emily Giffin and it’s pretty good too. Happy Reading!
the help was one of the best books i’ve ever read, loved it. are you on goodreads.com? it’s like a facebook for readers, and i love it because you get reviews and suggestions on books. i love reading!
I’m not on Good Reads. I will have to check it out.
I loved The Help. You’ll have to report back and let us know how the other two books turn out.
I recently read the Help and LOVED it!
If you’re looking for some good non-fiction, I read “The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind” and found it pretty fascinating!
Other favorites from the past include The Glass Castle, Skeletons at the Feast, The Book Thief, and my all-time favorite, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.
Happy Reading!!
I read “The Help” too, such a good book. If you haven’t read “The Art of Racing in the Rain”, I’d definitely recommend that. Its a beautiful book. I also recently picked up “The Forgotten Garden” as I’ve heard so much about it.
Glass Castle – absolutely FASCINATING!!! The Hunger Games series
I really loved The Help too. Some books I’ve loved recently:
The Imperfectionists
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society
Palimpsest (Valente)
Great House by Nicole Krauss
I loved The Help. I’m currently reading Sing Me Home. I was iffy about reading it at first but i’m actually really enjoying it!
I enjoyed Loving Frank— One of the recent books re Frank Lloyd Wright and his life.
Molokai – Barnett A fascinating look at the lives of the people sent to the island before antiobiotics were found to cure leprosy- looking at Pearl Harbor at the beginning of WWII.
The red tent- An all time favorite.
I always have at least 2 books going at a time plus a book on CD for my commute…..I’m lost without something good to read- life is too short to drink bad wine or read lousy literature!
Our book club read The Help and House Rules this year. I really enjoyed them both. Just finished Black Heels to Tractor Wheels today….loved it! A fun read! Next up for book club is Water for Elephants.
I just finished The School of Secret Ingredients. It’s about a woman who owns a restaurant and teaches a cooking class. It is sweet, full of lovely imagery about cooking, and tells the tale of her students. Foodies would probably love this one.
I’ve read that book and loved it!
I just started reading your blog and love browsing through all your recipes. I am a huge reader. I’m currently reader The Lake of Dreams, by Kim Edwards author of Memory Keeper’s Daughter. Have you heard of goodreads.com? It’s a great way to track the books you read and find out what your friends, and other readers enjoy, as well.