MMW Book Page05 Sep 2007 03:22 pm
By Heather O.
Need a good read? You’ve come to the right place. Read on.
Have a good read to share? Ok, here’s how it works. Put the name of a good book, the author, and then categorize it as follows:
Light reading: happy ending
Light reading: sad ending
Heavy Reading: happy ending
Heavy Reading: sad ending
Heavy Reading: I bawled my eyes out and you will too unless you’re a soulless twit.
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[…] Ok, ready…. GO! […]
Pingback #1 by Mormon Mommy Wars » Books, books, and more booksSeptember 5th, 2007 at 3:32 pmTil We Have Faces, by C.S. Lewis: Heavy reading; happy (sort of) ending
Enchantment, by Orson Scott Card: Light reading, happy ending
Peace like a River, by Leif Enger: Heavy reading: Happy ending
Comment #2 by Heather O.September 5th, 2007 at 3:36 pmI second Enchanment—that’s a fun book to read.
Running with Angels by Pamela Hansen—Heavy reading, Happy ending
The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio by Terry Ryan–Light reading-happy ending, although has some serious subject matter included.
Comment #3 by AubreySeptember 5th, 2007 at 4:05 pmLight Reading, Happy Ending:
Austenland, The Goose Girl, or Princess Academy by Shannon Hale
Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
The Blue Castle by Lucy Maud Montgomery
Just Ella by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Heavy Reading, Happy/Sad Ending:
Comment #4 by KarlaSeptember 5th, 2007 at 4:15 pmLeft to Tell by Immaculee Illibagiza
Just wanted to add that Left to Tell is a true story about a woman finding faith during the Rwandan Holocaust
Comment #5 by KarlaSeptember 5th, 2007 at 4:16 pmOutlander series, Diana Gabaldon Heavy Reading: I bawled my eyes out and you will too unless you’re a soulless twit.
Comment #6 by pollySeptember 5th, 2007 at 5:19 pmNicholas Nickelby, Charles Dickens, Heavy Reading: I bawled my eyes out and you will too unless you’re a soulless twit.
Enders’ Shadow Series Orson Scott Card, While I loved Enders Game, I really love the character of Bean. Heavy Reading: I bawled my eyes out and you will too unless you’re a soulless twit.
A Door Into Summer, Robert A Heinlein, light reading, happy ending.
I could go on and on and on and on, well you get the idea. These are just a very few of my favorites. I will read anything and everything I can.
Left to Tell is wonderful.
In Between Reading, happy and sad ending: Thousand Splendid Suns (by the author of the Kiterunner
Comment #7 by SueSeptember 5th, 2007 at 5:27 pmRunning with Angels by Pamela Hansen—Heavy reading, Happy ending
I second that one. I did an interview with her a while back about that book, etc. You can find it here if interested.
Comment #8 by m&mSeptember 5th, 2007 at 7:56 pmI second PEACE LIKE A RIVER…one of the best endings EVER WRITTEN.
I can’t remember the ending:
East of Eden By John Steinbeck
She’s Come Undone by Wally Lamb
Wicked By Gregory MAguire
Heavy Reading: happy ending
MISTS OF AVALON By Marion Zimmer Bradley
PILLARS OF THE EARTH By Ken Follet
To Kill a Mockingbird By Harper Lee
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn By Betty Smith
Heavy Reading: I bawled my eyes out and you will too unless you’re a soulless twit.
Comment #9 by KageSeptember 6th, 2007 at 2:39 amMY SISTER’S KEEPER By Jodi Picoulet
POISONWOOD BIBLE By Barbara Kingsolver
O PIONEERS! and MY ANTONIA by Willa Cather: Light Reading
SAINT MAYBE by Anne Tyler Light reading:Happy ending
Comment #10 by BecksySeptember 6th, 2007 at 5:49 amLight reading: Happy ending
“The Princess Bride” by William Goldman (no, it’s not by S. Morgenstern, that’s part of what makes this book so clever and funny!)
And I feel like I need to give a second opinion on “Wicked”. I really looked forward to reading the book because the musical I love, love, love! But I was very disturbed by some of the love content in the first of the book and had to finish reading when the f-bomb was dropped 3 times on one page. While the story is fabulous and made an amazing musical, I couldn’t finish the book. But that’s my opinion and I know plenty of people who read it and that didn’t bother them. I just wanted to offer a second opinion in case someone is as sensitive to that as I am.
Comment #11 by CheckersSeptember 6th, 2007 at 8:14 amI’m not even sensitive - I’m actually really liberal and read all kinds of books with swearing without even blinking or even registering it really, if it’s a good book, but I really disliked Wicked. I thought it was really kind of unnecessarily perverse in all sorts of ways. I liked Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, but Wicked - not so much.
Comment #12 by SueSeptember 6th, 2007 at 8:57 amThe Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver, Historical Fiction about a missionary family left to fend for themselves in the Congo jungle during the 1950’s.
The Life of Pi, Yann Martel, Fiction at its best!
The Road, Cormac McCarthy, Fiction, Heavy themes, bright conclusions
Memoirs of a Geisha, Arthur Golden, Historical Fiction
Rain of Gold, Victor Villasenior, Nonfiction but you’d never guess from the amazing, magical stories this man has to tell of his family growing up in Mexico. READ IT!
The Secret Life of Bees, Sue Monk, Fiction
Swimming to Antartica, Lynn Cox, Nonfiction about a long distance swimmer who pushed herself farther than anyone could imagine.
Comment #13 by SarahSeptember 6th, 2007 at 12:17 pmThe Hiding Place–Heavy Reading, happy and sad. True story of a dutch Christian woman who hides Jews in WWII and ends up in a concentration camp herself.
The Great Divorce, by CS Lewis–Heavy and Light reading (goes quick, but there’s a lot) and neither a happy or sad ending, just enlightening. *This is my favorite book. –and it’s not about marriage either.
The Alchemist, by Paul Coelho–Heavy-ish reading, happy ending (i think).
Danny the Champion of the World by Roald Dahl, light reading happy ending. This is technically a kids book, but it was my fav.
Comment #14 by MiggySeptember 6th, 2007 at 2:53 pmI second Life of Pi. Weird, but good.
Pope Joan by Donna Woodford Cross. Light, happy ending, questionable historical fiction. Great read!
Kitchen Table Wisdom by Rachel Naomi Remen. Non-fiction. Heavy reading because it is not a novel, and it reads into your soul.
These Is My Words by Nancy E. Turner. Medium read, happy ending (I think) great story of non-LDS pioneer girl/woman. Very genuine.
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. Medium read, very insightful, geniune, connecting. Satisfactory ending. My current favorite.
The Sand Reckoner (historical fiction about Archimedes) by Gilian Bradshaw. medium reading, good ending.
Beacon at Alexandria (historical fiction about occuring in Alexandrian times) Medium read, great ending. Great book, Bradshaw is a great writer.
I also did not like Wicked.
Comment #15 by NuttySeptember 6th, 2007 at 5:02 pmFor light (crime fiction) reading, happy endings–
Dorothy Sayers’ Peter Wimsey series
Comment #16 by GuinevereSeptember 6th, 2007 at 5:09 pmElizabeth Peters’ Amelia Peabody series
The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns both by Khaled Hosseini — beautifully written and a bit sad.
Comment #17 by SuzanneSeptember 6th, 2007 at 5:49 pmGLIMPES INTO THE LIFE OF MARJORIE PAY HINCKLEY
Comment #18 by StarababaSeptember 6th, 2007 at 5:49 pmNon-Fiction
GLIMPSES INTO THE LIFE OF MARJORIE PAY HINCKLEY by Virginia Pearce–Light reading
Youth Fiction (my favorite)–pretty much all of these are light reading with happy endings:
A LONG WAY FROM CHICAGO by Richard Peck
Comment #19 by StarababaSeptember 6th, 2007 at 6:02 pmA YEAR DOWN YONDER by Richard Peck (sequel to A Long Way From Chicago)
ELLA ENCHANTED by Gail Carsol Levine
ARTEMIS FOWL series by Eoin Colfer
FABLEHAVEN series by Brandon Mull (LDS author)
HOLES by Louis Sachar
CHARLIE BONE series by Jenny Nimmo (along the same lines of Harry Potter but not near as good)
HOPE WAS HERE by Joan Bauer
PETER AND THE STARCATCHERS and its sequel PETER AND THE SHADOWCHASERS by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
I have to add I love Charlie Bone, not Harry Potter, but pretty darn good stuff.
Inkheart series, by Cornelia Funke. Light reading, no ending yet. BUT looking forward to seeing it on the big screen with Brenden Fraser as Mo!
A Midwife’s Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard produced by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich. She was a really fascinating woman.
Comment #20 by pollySeptember 6th, 2007 at 6:47 pmPeace like a river - Awesome!
Memoirs of a geisha - Very Interesting!
A Long Way Gone - Nonfiction; Heavy reading, happy ending. This is a very smooth flowing well written book. The Author is 22 and is telling of his childhood in a war-torn country. How he survived, and becoming a child soldier. A must read - good for wayward teens as well.
the Maximum Ride series by James Patterson - Young Adult Fiction. Light reading, happy ending. I’m not a fantasy reader, but James does such an incredible job that anybody could read it.
Letter’s For Emily - Fiction; Light reading, happy ending. Morals, morals, morals. A very good story, with invaluable life lessons.
The five people you meet in heaven & Tiesdays with Morrie - Great Reads!!
Comment #21 by Clevercutie8September 7th, 2007 at 4:40 amI second the Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom
Along the same vein - The Devil’s Arithmetic. Sort of heavy reading, happy ending. It’s a children’s fiction book about the concentration camps. Very good.
The Eragon series is good: light reading:happy ending. Along the lines of Harry Potter
I loved David Copperfield. Heavy:happy
Comment #22 by AmySeptember 7th, 2007 at 4:33 pmBecause I read so many books I can never think of ones until later. Unfortunately today I was reminded of one of the best authors ever. If you haven’t read her books, please, do so. Today we lost Madeleine L’Engle. She was 88. A tragedy. I have read all of her novels and they are all wonderful. Sometimes sad, tragic, heavy. But always uplifting. And a reminder of our Father’s love.
Comment #23 by pollySeptember 7th, 2007 at 9:53 pmRest in peace.
Polly
All light reading with good endings. As a mother of 3, I really don’t have time to get into deep reading yet. I love these books.
“The Secret Journal of Brett Colton” by Kay Lynn Mangum.
Comment #24 by mommyto3September 17th, 2007 at 7:13 am“A Love Like Lilly” by Kay Lynn Mangum.
“To Love & Promise” by Rachael Ann Nunes
Anything by Gerald Lund
Anything by Dean Hughes
most books by Antia Stansfield
I just finished Left To Tell. Everybody needs to read that book.
Comment #25 by Heather O.September 22nd, 2007 at 2:08 pmTending Roses by Lisa Wingate was a light read with a happy ending. Plus some really “makes you think” stuff about motherhood and family relations. Loved it.
Comment #26 by NancyOctober 4th, 2007 at 6:48 amI wanted to third The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten BoomThe Hiding Place, it is a great story.
Also, I just finished Suzanne’s Diary for Nicholas and it was wonderful. It is a light quick read but has the I bawled my eyes out and you will too unless you’re a soulless twit ranking.
I also really like “Believing Christ” by Stephen Robinson.
Comment #27 by PreOctober 6th, 2007 at 7:26 pmI did the serious, depressing, important book thing in college and now, for the most part prefer happy endings. So: The Miss Julia series by Ann B. Ross (some of the later books are starting to feel a little contrived)are charming and a hoot and The Magic Hour by Kristin Hannah and I surprised myself by really liking The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. Another charming read (If you can get somebody to sensor it for you first–trust me) is Water For Elephants–some parts of it are a little dark but I loved it.
Comment #28 by AllyOctober 29th, 2007 at 1:00 pmWanted to agree with Starababa about Young Adult fiction. My very favorite genre and your top 2 books are (I’m ashamed to admit)only recently read and among my favorites but everything on that list I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!
Comment #29 by AllyOctober 29th, 2007 at 1:04 pmI want to comment on Wicked also. It was really disturbing. At page 12 I got up and threw it away. I was very upset by what I read in it.
My recommendation:
Many Waters by Madeleine L’Engle
Comment #30 by CynthiaNovember 3rd, 2007 at 4:25 pmI think heavy reading , happy ending
Here’s another one:
Comment #31 by Heather O.November 7th, 2007 at 6:31 amGilead, by Marilynn Robinson. Beautiful–medium reading, with nice ending.
World War Z by Max Brooks.
mid-heavyish with an ending that is more positive than negative.
The best sci-fi book I’ve read in a very long time.
Comment #32 by MaryEllenNovember 7th, 2007 at 6:51 pmNon-fiction:
Kabul Beauty School - Deborah Rodriguez:A wonderful book about a hairdresser who goes with a relief group to Afghanistan after the fall of the Taliban.
Can I Cook My Sister - Wendell Jamieson: A funny read about a Dad who goes on a quest to find real, serious answers to his son’s questions - all of them.
Kitchen Privileges: A Memoir - Mary Higgins Clark: A short read about the famous author’s life and influences.
Fire in the bones : William Tyndale, martyr, father of the English Bible - S. Michael Wilcox.
1776 - David McCullough
Fiction I can recommend without qualification:
The Secret Life of Bees - Sue Monk Kidd
Fever 1793 - Laurie Halse Anderson
Poisonwood Bible - Barbara Kingsolver
Sarah’s Song - Karen Kingsbury
Dearest Dorothy, Are We There Yet? - Charlene Ann Baumbich
Eragon & Eldest - Christopher Paolini
Fiction I can recommend, but might not be appropriate for everyone:
Comment #33 by MeredithJanuary 15th, 2008 at 3:20 pmWater for Elephants - Sara Gruen
Atonement - Ian McEwan
The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan - Lisa See
The Golden Compass - Philip Pullman
Can You Keep a Secret - Sophie Kinsella
The Other Woman - Jane Green
Qualifier: I’m not a particularly sensitive reader, though there were some books assigned in college that I would NOT read.
Having said that, I second Rain of Gold, and Can You Keep a Secret. (I actually love all Sophie Kinsella’s books.) I “third” The Secret Life of Bees.
Another great one is BLESS ME, ULTIMA by Rudolfo Anaya.
One of my most favorites is DANDELION WINE by Ray Bradbury.
Comment #34 by NicholeJanuary 22nd, 2008 at 8:33 amTo whoever recommended “She’s Come Undone.” I also would like to place a warning for that book. I’ve read it and it’s extremely disturbing. It could’ve been much more tasteful in getting across its point.
Comment #35 by KarenJanuary 23rd, 2008 at 4:42 pmMy friends and I have recently discovered Goodreads.com. It’s like Facebook for reading. You can connect with people and check out their virtual “shelves”: what they want to read, are reading, have read, etc, as well as a 5 star rating system and commenting. It’s been a fabulous way to get book recommendations.
Comment #36 by MarenJanuary 29th, 2008 at 4:31 pmAll mine have good endings.
For those who like YA Fiction:
Half Moon Investigations by Eoin Colfer(try to get it as a book on CD and you’ll get to hear an irish accent the whole time…yay!)
Fablehaven (loved!)
The Twilight Series (probably stating the obvious here)
Enchantment (one of my all time favorites)
Daniel and Nephi by Chris Heimerdinger
Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordian
Heavy reads:
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
Historical Fiction series:
The Russians series by Michael Phillips and Judith Pella
The Zion Covenant series by Bodie Thoene
Ribbons West series by Judith Pella
The Stonewycke Trilogy and the Stonewycke Legacy by Michael Phillips and Judith Pella
Christian: (a little heavy on the born-again business)
Comment #37 by ErikaFebruary 1st, 2008 at 10:55 pmCheney Duvall M.S. series by Lynn Morris (light, fun read)
I am pretty sensitive to violence, language and sex so these books don’t have that. But they are GOOD reads.
I want to heartily recommend the Macall-Smith titles:
_#1 Ladies Detective agency_-7 books. My friend who has lived in Africa says this is very realistic. Modern happy African town life. You’ll find it in the mystery section
_44 Scotland Street_-4 books modern happy town life in Edinburgh Scotland
_Portuguese irregular verbs_-3 books not about verbs. Like Lemony Snicket for grown-ups a series of odd but interesting events.
_Secret Life Of Bees_ 1960 Southern U.S. life
_Dragonriders of Pern_-Anne McCaffery Looong series of great books(fantasy)
_Pawn of Prophecy_ by David Eddings and wife Leigh Looong great series (fantasy)
For a really good and do-able exercise book get _The Core Program_ by Brill
Great kids books I read for myself:
Comment #38 by Joyce in OregonFebruary 10th, 2008 at 4:22 pm_Frindle_-Andrew Clements
_Redwall_-Brian Jacques looong series 17 or more animal fantasy
_Ronia, the Robber’s Daughter_-Astrid Lungren
_Circle of Magic_-Tamora Pierce
_Midwife’s Apprentice_-Karen Cushman
_Nory Ryan’s Song_-Patricia Reilly Giff
Hi. New to site and new to blogging or commenting in general. But love books so have to comment.
Comment #39 by DeAnn O.March 10th, 2008 at 11:39 amLife of Pi by Yann Martel–best book I’ve read in the last ten years!
Ahab’s Wife–fairly heavy, good ending, one questionable episode.
Also disliked Wicked (and love the musical). His other book about the ugly stepsister is also poor. I just feel they’re poorly written–he writes himself into a place that he then can’t get satisfactorily out of OR just doesn’t get to the “greatness” that he IS capable of setting up.
Jane Eyre–all-time favorite. Up there with Pride and Prejudice.
The Lovely Bones–can’t remember author. Good but sad.
Water for Elephants–so interesting!
Currently reading Snow Flower and the Secret Fan–really good, can’t believe how horrible the binding feet process is, will probably be sad.
Lots of Barbara Kingsolver’s are good. Poisonwood Bible the fave, though.
The Sun in Splendour by Sharon Kay Penman–a different take on Richard III, my favorite Shakespeare tragedy. Great! Have read several of her other historical fictions. Love, love.
The Time Traveler’s Wife–LOve, love. Also a couple of questionable episodes. Sad ending.
Thanks. Could go on for a while, but…
I also LOVE YA novels
Twilight Series of course
Eragon/Eldest
Fablehaven!
Pride and Prejudice:One of my favorites
Beauty: A retelling of Beauty and the Beast: by. Robin Mckinley. Light read: Happy Ending!
Memoirs of a Geisha: I really liked this book. It was very interesting!
LDS Fiction
Faith of our Fathers: N.C. Allen: I really liked this series
Anything by Lund is great also! The Kingdom and the Crown is so good!
Non Fiction
I am a Mother: Jane Clayson Johnson: Makes you feel good when you have had a bad day.
The hiding place: Corrie Ten Boom
I also second the Goodreads website. I have gotten a TON of good recommendations! Thanks for the ideas ladies!
Comment #40 by ChanteleApril 2nd, 2008 at 4:33 pmCold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns (not sure how to categorize) turn of the century small-town Georgia, narrated by 14-year-old Will Tweedy. One of my all-time favorites.
Comment #41 by candaceJuly 26th, 2008 at 6:18 pm[…] Mormon Mommy Wars » MMW Book Page Related books: […]
Pingback #42 by John Steinbeck, East of EdenAugust 20th, 2008 at 12:02 pmPEONY IN LOVE by Lisa See–Heavy-ish reading, superb ending
As a fellow LDS member, I found very interesting connections to traditional Chinese ideas of an afterlife and our own understanding of an eternal existance. GREAT READ!
Comment #43 by alyssaOctober 9th, 2008 at 7:09 pmI know one. Have any of you read “The Crayon Messages: A Visiting Teaching Adventure”? I thought it was pretty good- I wrote it.
Comment #44 by Christine ThackerayDecember 27th, 2008 at 8:04 pmI loved:
“The Mysterious Benedict Society” by Trenton Lee Stewart. Great reading for adults and for ‘tweens’.
“The Willoughbys” by Lois Lowry. Short and sweet. My family is passing the book around like wild fire. After we finish reading, we write a little note about the book in the front to document who has read and loved! Also a great book for kiddos and adults alike!
“The Memory Keeper’s Daughter” by Kim Edwards. Took a while to get into this book, but it was a great read overall. Kind of sad. And they made a Lifetime movie about it.
“The Shopaholic” series by Sophie Kinsella. Easy reads and hillarious!
Same goes for Emily Giffin’s “Something Borrowed” “Something Blue” and “Baby Proof”.
I tried to read “Reading Lolita in Tehran” by Azar Nafisi, but just couldn’t get into it.
And I am currently reading “Same Kind of Different as Me” by Denver Moore and Ron Hall. This is a true story, and even though I’m only on the 5th chapter, it’s intriguing to find out what will happen next.
Comment #45 by ClareFebruary 2nd, 2009 at 5:11 amOur book group just finished discussing “Dreamers of the Day” by Mary Doria Russell — A forty-year-old schoolteacher from Ohio still reeling from the tragedies of the Great War and the influenza epidemic comes into a modest inheritance that allows her to take the trip of a lifetime to Egypt and the Holy Land. Arriving at the Semiramis Hotel, site of the 1921 Cairo Peace Conference, she meets Winston Churchill, T. E. Lawrence, and Lady Gertrude Bell. With her plainspoken American opinions, she becomes a sounding board for these historic luminaries who will, in the space of a few days, invent the nations of Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and Jordan. While neither a pawn or a participant at the conference, she is drawn into the geopolitical intrigue surrounding the conference.
It was a fabulous discussion — so much to talk about. Everyone loved it.
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