I enjoy reading from a variety of genres but will most often pick up a biography or historical fiction when bored. My most recent read that I would recommend to others is Ariel Lawhon's "I Was Anastasia" about the last royal family of Russia. I liked devices used to tell the story, the flow of language and well-developed characters as well as well-researched historical content.

Thank you for sharing your choices. It's always interesting to find other books others recommend.

Well I tried again and only got mad. LOL

Here is a sample (free) First paragraph, Chatper 1

[TABLE]
<tbody>[TR]
[TD] Riverrun, past Eve and Adam's, from swerve of shore to bend[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]of bay, brings us by a commodius vicus of recirculation back to[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Howth Castle and Environs.[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD] Sir Tristram, violer d'amores, fr'over the short sea, had passen-[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]core rearrived from North Armorica on this side the scraggy[/TD]
[TD]5[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]isthmus of Europe Minor to wielderfight his penisolate war: nor[/TD]
[TD]6[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]had topsawyer's rocks by the stream Oconee exaggerated themselse[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]to Laurens County's gorgios while they went doublin their mumper[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]all the time: nor avoice from afire bellowsed mishe mishe to[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]tauftauf thuartpeatrick: not yet, though venissoon after, had a[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]kidscad buttended a bland old isaac: not yet, though all's fair in[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]vanessy, were sosie sesthers wroth with twone nathandjoe. Rot a[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]peck of pa's malt had Jhem or Shen brewed by arclight and rory[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]end to the regginbrow was to be seen ringsome on the aquaface.

[/TD]
[/TR]
</tbody>[/TABLE]

The Good Fight....Danielle Steel

Just finished listening to The Deathly Hallows (Harry Potter) - JK Rowling

So what are people reading now?

I'm just finishing the latest Jack Reacher book, Past Tense. I finished a number of books while I was on vacation visiting my friend in Arizona including one of the Elm Creek Quilts books, The Cross-Country Quilters. I'm enjoying the series and have heard good things about her other books especially Mrs Lincoln's Dressmaker. Non-fiction was The Trauma Cleaner which while fascinating was not at all what I expected by judging the book by it's cover. I re-read the Beekeeper's Apprentice, first in the Mary Russell series, had read it when it first came out and now have 20 years of sequels to read -- the Beekeeper btw is Sherlock Holmes. Also finished Deck the Hounds, the latest Andy Carpenter book. They are short lightweight mystery stories always with a dog, I really don't like the Andy Carpenter character very much but he's grown on me.

I listen to audio books from my local library system and it never fails that no matter how many books I have on hold or for how long, they all come off hold at the same time so I'm currently in a glut of books. Coming up I have a Clive Cussler/NUMA story, Sea of Greed; Faerie Knitting by Alice Hoffman; Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver; The Darkness by Ragnar Jonasson (a short Icelandic mystery); and Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon -- so many books, so little time! The nice thing about audio books is I can sew/iron while listening :)

I started Unsheltered but couldn't get into it. Disappointed because I like Barbara Kingsolver.
Just finished an older Jodi Picoult- The Pact. Can't recommend it though. It was so melodramatic! One-dimensional characters, far-fetched plot, etc. Oh well.......
I also love audiobooks. I can "read" while I'm cleaning, driving, sewing etc.

I got Leah Day's book, Mally the Maker - sweet book. quilting related.

Just finished re-reading the Harry Potter series- those were fun, first time in a while that I’ve spent time with escapist fiction. Now I’m working on a very strange sci-fi called The Rosetta Man. Not sure if I’m enjoying it or not. When I pick it up it does hold my interest, but I don’t feel compelled to find time for it like I did with the Harry Potter series. Most of my reading these days is news or science articles or how to books. I miss being able to really get into some good escapist fiction...

Rob

I told my friend in England about Leah Day's book and she ordered it for her Granddtr.

“The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho.

The forgotten Garden is one of my favorites. I loaned it out and haven't got it back, been 11 months. How many people have had this, delicate when it's family.