The Next Best Book Club discussion

Hi.

I am brand new here; but have enjoyed reading since I was a child. And I always appreciate reading suggestions.

Sometimes when I'm on a reading binge, like now, I will fall in love with a particular book or writer; and become very sorry when I complete that writer's "Canon". I then go looking for another writer that will satisfy the appetite now built for "that type of writing". I know that this is very subjective judgement.

I have just completed most of Barbara Kingsolver's best known fiction: "The Bean Trees", "Pigs in Heaven", "Animal Dreams", "The Poisonwood Bible", and finally "Prodigal Summer". I have fallen in love with her characters.

Hoping that a website like this might help, I am looking for book reccommendations along the line of: "If you liked this book(author), then you might also like this other book (author).

Would someone here advise me toward a discussion group of feature here that might help?

Thank you in advance

If you browse a book you read and liked here, just by searching it and reading the reviews, along the right hand side of the page, you should see other books that were viewed by people who viewed the book you are viewing (are you with me so far?)

Thats as close as this site gets to those kind of links, tho I have asked Otis (the awesome creator of this website) to consider adding an option like that here.... I use Barnes and Nobles for that currently.

Welcome to the group, btw.

Welcome Mosca!
I can't promise that you will like it but I adored A prodigal summer and thought The poisonwood bible was good.....I had to think about Nicholas Evans' books. Have you read any of them?
Maybe other people with a more healthy interest in his books can tell you of there is a good chance you might like those.

Wow Fiona, it is creepy that we were thinking about the same thing at the same moment! Mosca, maybe you can start with his first book The Horse Whisperer. I thought The Loop was intense. Well for me it was very intense as it left me unfuctionable for the rest of the day.

Welcome Mosca! I also like Barbara Kingsolver - I liked Poisonwood Bible and loved The Bean Trees. I'm hesitant to read Pigs in Heaven - I heard it's some sort of continuation of The Bean Trees and the characters go in a different direction - is that true? I have Prodigal Summer on my TBR.

Hi mosca. Welcome and happy reading. I too am a BK fan. Poisonwood Bible and Prodigal Summer are great... want to read the others.

Can't think of any that you might want to binge on. My recurring binge is Dorothy Sayers ("ancient" mysteries (c. 1930s) set in England with aristocratic sleuth; I love them and re-read the cycle every two years or so).

I know someone will come up with something that will tickle your fancy!!

Welcome to the group.

Hi Mosca, Have you tried Andrea Barrett The Air We Breathe: A Novel? She developes some very interesting characters and I believe some of them also appear in Ship Fever.

Wow! I'm amazed by the number of responses. Thank you all.

Lisa, yes "Pigs in Heaven" is a continuation of "The Bean Tree". But I enjoyed it as much. It also brings the Native American culture of the child into the story. I reccommend it.

I will look into Nicholas Evans next library visit as you folks are suggesting.

At this time, I am looking for female writers because, as a male, I feel that many of the women writers bring a special emotional content into their characters that I am looking for right now. Personally, I am in a very difficult situation and I need the calming, but intense, perspective that I found in "The Prodigal Summer". I found the emotional intensity in "The Poisonwood Bible" difficult, but rewarding.

Please keep suggesting. I am probably as picky a reader as any of you; but am very grateful for others perspectives. This is a great website.

p.s. Thank you, Donna, I am not acquainted with Andrea Barrett, but will check her out.

Hi Mosca and welcome. I haven't read any Barbara Kingsolver books, but I do plan to read the Poisonwood Bible at some point.

Hi Mosca, there is another member here on TNBBC, on holiday for the moment, that is as obsessed by Nicholas Evans books like me, jsut that he is a male. Also his books are so intensive adn for now I wouls only put Prodigal summer on a level as intense as The horse whisperer or The loop. Hope you find them at the library and enjoy them.

The poisonwood I thought was very heavy and in some way intense, but liekd it less than The prodigal summer.

I don't know if it is a good suggestion but I had to think about Snow Flower and the Secret Fan: A Novel which I jsut read. maybe somebody else who read it can tell if that would be a good suggestion. It is written by a female writer.

Welcome to the group - I'm sure you'll find lots of new stuff to add to your reading list. I've not read prodigal summer yet but it has come highly recommended by many people here so I've got it on my TBR list.

Hi Mosca, Welcome to the group. I have The Poisonwood Bible on my TBR list...hope to get to it soon.
Hope you enjoy the group. :~)

I can't think of any female authors, and I really feel that I have read too few of them. Maybe we should officially ask for some recommendations?

I'll get right on that! ;)

Best female author I've run across in a long time is Sara Gruen who wrote Water for Elephants

Speaking of authors of the feminine persuasion, I just finished a book by Rachael King The Sound of Butterflies - Such good writing, exotic location, deep and sound characters, interesting historical setting.

Here's a key word string which might humbly describe it :

Humid, jungle, rubber plantations, slavery, obscene wealth, bugs, bugbites, Victorian, collectors, lust, sexual innuendo, hammock, bugs, crates, primitive, sad, happy, high, scary.......I highly recommend it

Wow. That one is now teetering on top of my TBR mountain. Thanks Mary! ;)

Welcome! I am a huge fan of Barbara Kingsolver as well.

Have you ever read anything by Anne Tyler? She has written quite a few books and I really enjoy her way with dealing with ordinary situations in a non-ordinary way. I love to read about quirky people. They are all relatively quick reads too.

I really love TNBBC, but it is really cutting into my reading time. :))))