looking for "pleasurable" reading ala eat, pray, love

[mamalex]

a group of friends are creating a book club to read yummy books like eat, pray, love. we'd like mostly novels...no personal growth non-fiction, and no depressing reads. this is for a group of (intelligent) women who want to get together and nourish each other. any great titles?

[TranscendentalMom]

I wish I knew another book like E,P,L to read! I did enjoy Gilbert's other book "the last american man" tho its not the happiest story in the world. I've heard "Three Cups of Tea" is a really good uplifting read. My mom has been begging me to read "Atonement" by Ian McEwan and "Middlesex" for ages. Most "intelligent" books seem pretty heavy so its hard to come up with something! One of my favorite books is "Love in the Time of Cholera" its a great love story with happy and sad elements. The movie comes out soon.

[lizzylou]

Eat, Pray, Love kind of reminded me of A Woman's World. Each chapter is a seperate story of a woman's journey in a new place. I found it empowering - in many instances they were solo travelers, and how often do you hear of that? The writing is eloquent and moving.

It's obviously not a novel so it might not be a good fit for your club... but it along the lines of E,P,L so I wanted to mention it.

[kathryn_johnson]

Hey Alexa,

I just finished re-reading Eat, Pray, Love this past week - my husband got me the book (I read it from the ACC Library the first time) for my birthday. I'd love to be involved in this book club ... if I can find time . One suggestion I have is The Time Traveler's Wife, if you haven't read it already. I think I've read that four times now ... twice when I was pregnant .

-Kathryn

[Olerica]

I really like Ruth Reichl's "Tender at the Bone". Her book reminded me a bit of Elizabeth's time in Italy.

She's an excellet food writer and really takes you through the journey emotionally. I've not read anything else by her, but I will now that I realize that she's written other books.

[BookGoddess]

Originally Posted by Olerica

I really like Ruth Reichl's "Tender at the Bone". Her book reminded me a bit of Elizabeth's time in Italy.

She's an excellet food writer and really takes you through the journey emotionally. I've not read anything else by her, but I will now that I realize that she's written other books.

I was about to post that. Great minds must think alike!
Reichel's follow up book, Comfort Me With Apples, is also good, but it's best to start with Tender at the Bone. It's funny, mouth-watering, and engrossing.

[neptunemama]

I'm really enjoying Saving Fish from Drowning by Amy Tan. I've never read anything by her before and this book is engaging.

You might also check out A Year in Provence (don't know the author) or Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes.

The next book for my book club is The Secret Life of Bees. I haven't read it yet but it's supposed to be quite good.

[anitaj71]

Anything be Amy Tan . . her stories are wonderful. " A town Like Alice" by Nevil Shute is one of my all time favorites.

Are you looking for Nonfiction?

[BookGoddess]

Other possibilities -
A Year in Tuscany by Francesa Mayes
A Thousand Days in Venice by Marlene de Blasi
A Thousand Days in Tuscany by Marlene de Blasi
Tales of a Female Nomad: Living at Large in the World by Rita Goldman Gelman