Summer Reading

There is a book swap going on RIGHT NOW on the TP-- swaps board (I started it )

Oh yay! Thanks for the good ideas, y'all! I will definitely look into some of them. I've been curious about The Other Boleyn Girl, Itsybitsy, so I'm glad to hear it's good. I took a course about "women in power" in early modern Europe, so I really like books about that era, and I've read books about Elizabeth I and Anne Boleyn already. Love that royal drama stuff! I also read a fictionalized novel about Cleopatra, and it was really entertaining. I think it was called When We Were Gods.

Flapjack, I read Mists of Avalon last summer! OK, actually I started reading it, and then had to go back to school, so I ended up watching the mini-series to find out how it ended! : I loved it though. Isn't there another in that series?

A friend of mine is reading The Outlander series so I might be able to borrow the first from her. Any recommendations on that one? What is it even about?

Oh have any of you read The Red Tent? I *loved* it, so if you haven't read it yet, you should definitely pick it up. I also read The Time Traveler's Wife recently, and ate it up. I loved it as well. One I read last year and didn't really like was The Dogs of Babel. There was one subplot that was really stupid, and I didn't like the ending.

Keep 'em coming!!!

Oh- I read the Chaim Potok books in college and they were really good! We only had to read the first one but I liked them so much I read them all.

Amy- I am really into Outlander right now. For some reason I thought you were the one who liked them and gave everyone the first book at your wedding??? I guess not- who was that? I thought that was a neat idea. Anyway, they are sort of time travel- historical fiction- romance. I'm really not into straight romance or fantasy, so I never wanted to read them, but they got such glowing reviews from a lot of people whose taste I very much trust, so I finally gave in and read them and I am addicted!!!

OMG- The Red Tent- I can't beleive I didn't mention that! My favorite book of all time. It is such an awesome book for any woman to read. As someone who is familiar with and interested in the Biblical account, it was so cool to actually read how it might have happened and what life was like then. I re-read it after my miscarriage and it was so healing...like I was part of the cycle of life and was going through what women have gone through since creation. Really incredible.

ozzyemm- thanks for the tip about the TP book swap- I will have to check it out!

I have been reading anything and everything Nicholas Sparks (southern romance). Of course I have been also reading any and all pregnancy books I can get my hands on.

A book swap sounds like fun. I'm sure we have enough books between us.

A book swap sounds like a fun idea! I don't think I'll be able to participate (anytime soon, anyway) because I'll basically be gone between this Monday and the first week of August (I'll still be online though ).

I did get a bunch of great parenting books for my birthday too, but I need to throw a little brain junk-food in there along with the serious stuff!

Itsybitsy, I can't remember for sure, but I think that was Flapjack. Well it sounds like a good series; maybe I'll see if I can borrow my friend's book before I leave.

Hi, I'm from the December boards, but Amy and I seem to hang out at each others boards a bit! :LOL Gosh, Amy, I hope that doesn't mean that I'll end up birthing in November and you'll end up in December!!! :

Mmm, fabulous books!!!! I've read and loved so many of them!!!

The one I just got done with was a fast one day read... or a week if you get interrupted a lot. (I just had a lucky day) I'm slightly embarrassed to put it on this list along with The Red Tent and Secret Life of Bees and all the other great books that I've read and loved...

I read, "Bergdorf Blondes". It was pure fluff and I LOVED every minute of it. Funny and such an interesting look at people who must be like Paris Hilton. It really was interesting... like a Fine Literature meets E! pancake... where the fine lit gets a little squished.

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Oh, you should read the whole book. The mini-series left out and altered so much, didn't have the same feeling at all to me. And yes, there are three other books in the series, all prequels (not as good, deep or detailed IMO, but still worth a read). Bradley's historical novel about Cassandra of Troy is also very good, it's called The Firebrand (Trojan war, Greek gods and all that, from the perspective of Paris' twin sister).

If you're into the King Arthur kind of stuff, Persia Wooley's trilogy about Guinevere is quite good, quite different than Bradley's view but I enjoyed it as well.

Tad Williams' The Dragonbone Chair series is very good, in the fantasy genre of "simple-servant-boy-forced-into-impossible-situation-saves-the-world-and-becomes-king," which can be trite but this series is very well done. Williams' Tailchaser's Song is also very good.