Your recommended books?

[Chalalan]

Time Travellers Wife is gorgeous so I second that nomination.
Behind the Scenes at the Museam by Kate Atkinson - one of my favourite books
The Live Ship traders / Royal Assasin / Tawny man trilogies by Robin Hobb - that woman can write!
Can't go past Wuthering Heights - Emily (?) Bronte and for something of a groundbreaker in its day - try The Tenant of Wildfell Hall - Anne Bronte - not as well known as the other Bronte books but excellent.
I love Tess of the D'urbevilles by Thomas Harding - very dark
and if you're interested in something a bit way-out-there - love it or hate it - try The Wasp Factory by Ian Banks - I love it and just thought that for a debut novel it was really brave and original. Other friends have hated it with a passion.

Have fun and let us know what you're reading. I miss discussing books.

[~Kaz~]

These are my picks (mainly for fiction):

Anything by Helen Garner (esp. Joe Cinque's Consolation, The First Stone and Monkey Grip) or Tim Winton (esp. Dirt Music, The Riders and Cloud Street). Andrew McGahan is pretty good too (Praise and 1988).

Another fave is John Birmingham - especially 'He died with a falafel in his hands' and 'The Tasmanian Babes Fiasco' - both hilarious, especially if you've ever done lots of communal or raucous shared living

I am also a Paullina Simons and Jodi Picoult fan - they're easy reads but also raise interesting issues and questions. I just finished Paullina Simons 'Road to Paradise' and am currently reading 'The spare room' by Helen Garner. I have 'The Kite Runner', and 'A Thousand Splendid Suns' (Khaled Hosseini) and 'Water for Elephants' (Sara Gruen) lined up after that!

[Hollybolly]

Kaz,

You will love The Kite Runner, A Thousand Splendid Suns & Water For Elephants
Water For Elephants was unexpected for me... after reading the back cover I just thought, yeah, yeah, blah, blah... but I really enjoyed it

We're doing Joe Cinque's Consolation for one of my book groups this month... picked it up today!!!

You guys should join the Bookswap group in the social groups

[~Kaz~]

Hey Holly,

Thanks - I didn't know there was a bookswap group in BB - feel a bit behind the 8 ball now! I will have to go and find it!!

Hoping that you "enjoy" Joe Cinque's Consolation is the wrong way to put it - that book made me quite angry and upset but it is really well written. I just love Helen Garner. She doesn't sensationalise things and her own personal reactions to the crime/story are an important part of the book.

[Ginger]

oh leesh- have you read 'Tuesdays with Morrie'? i absolutely love that book

[Heaven]

omg you have to read the 'Twilight' series by Stephenie Meyer. It's awesome, a friend gave it to me and I read the back and it said something about vampires and I was like omg this is not going to be good coz I'm not usually into fantasy type things (except Harry Potter of course), but it was AWESOME!! and I'm so addicted! The movie comes out at the end of the yr so get ready and read it!! First book is called Twilight, then New Moon, then Eclipse, and the 4th and final book is out August, can't wait!

[Lolli]

I highly recomend anyhting by Jodi Piccoult... My Sisters keeper or The Pact especially.

[Aimz]

I haven't read the previous posts but I will give you my top 5 reads:

1. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arther Golden - this is such a beautiful and intriguing story
2. Harry Potter Series (looks like you've already got to these!)
3. The Tomorrow Series by John Marsden - this is supposed to be teenage fiction but it is a brilliant series, I felt like I was there with a characters. The story over the 7 books is brilliant and hard to put down!
4. A Boy Called 'It" by Dave Pelzer - this is so sad but it's a true story of triumph over evil.
5. Trading Up by Candace Bushnell (author of Sex and the City) - this is such a funny read!!

Oh one more - The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks - absolute tear jerker!!

[AnyDream]

Leasha, DON'T read The Memory Keeper's Daughter while you are pregnant - it contains baby content that will have you howling for days.

I second "The Book Thief". It was my best read of 2006 AND I bought an audio copy for my stepmum who can't get it back off my Dad (who never reads anything but has been completely sucked into the story).

Another favorite novel of mine (the novel that made me start reading fiction again) is Cold Mountain by Charles Frasier. The movie is excellent but read the book!

Also, if you want a bit of human drama, you can't go past Elizabeth Berg. Any or all of her titles, I'd rate her right up there with Jodi Picoult.