Recommendations!

Summer Time!

I will be away for over a week…enjoying time with my family and sunning myself on the beach.

This blog has really grown! I realize, for a new follower, how impossible it would be to scroll through hundreds of old posts. I decided to create a “short” guide of recommendations. Here are some books I think you should be reading this summer!! They are loosely organized into categories…read out of your normal genre or try something new! If I had to choose only one book (On the fly! This was really hard for me!) to recommend per category, those are purple and italicized.

 I would love some comments on your favorites…you can always talk books with me through this site or send me an email at lilablogs@yahoo.com. The more bookish friends I have, the better. You can even email me to say my taste sucks…arguments are always welcome.

Be back soon J

Being a Better You:

            Being In Balance by Wayne Dyer

            Having it All by John Assaraf

            The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman

Classic (according to me):

            A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway

A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Old School by Tobias Wolff

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

The End of the Affair by Graham Greene

The Mysterious Stranger by Mark Twain

The World According to Garp by John Irving

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Villette by Charlotte Bronte

Curious Minded:

            A World of Curiosities by John Oldale

At Home by Bill Bryson

Freakanomics and SuperFreakanomics by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner

The Intellectual Devotional by David Kidder

The Know It All by A.J. Jacobs

The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell

Drama (with depth!):

            A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

Every Last One by Anna Quindlen

Fateless by Imre Kertesz

Intimacy by Hanif Kureishi

            Shelter Me by Juliette Fay

Traveling Light by Katrina Kittle

            The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom

The Kindness of Strangers by Katrina Kittle

            The Post Birthday World by Lionel Shriver

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

The Third Life of Grange Copeland by Alice Walker

Veronika Decides to Die by Paulo Coelho

Memoir/Biography/History:

            102 Minutes by Jim Dwyer

A Long Way Gone by Ismael Beah

A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard

Aquariums of Pyongyang by Chol-hwan Kang

Destiny of the Republic by Candice Millard

Escape by Carolyn Jessop

Even Silence Has An End by Ingrid Betancourt

Gabby by Gabrielle Giffords and Mark Kelly

Guts by Kristen Johnsten

I Shall Not Hate by Izzeldin Abuelaish

If This is a Man by Primo Levi

Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer

Jack Kennedy by Chris Matthews

Kaffir Boy by Mark Mathabane

Let’s Take the Long Way Home by Gail Caldwell

Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl

Nicholas and Alexandra by Robert Massie

Not Without Hope by Nick Schuyler

Prague Winter by Madeline Albright

Running With Scissors by Augusten Burroughs

Stitches by David Small

The Latehomecomer by Kao Kalia Yang

The Nazi Officer’s Wife by Edith Beer

The Presidents Club by Nancy Gibbs and Michael Duffy

Humor:

            This is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper

My Horizontal Life by Chelsea Handler

           

Mommy Books (The last one could also be a Daddy book):

            Didn’t I Feed You Yesterday by Laura Bennett

            Ketchup is a Vegetable by Robin O’Bryant

            Lift by Kelly Corrigan

            The Five Love Languages of Children by Gary Chapman

Romance (Historical):

            A Kingdom of Dreams by Judith McNaught

Forbidden by Elizabeth Lowell

Only With Your Love by Lisa Kleypas

            Rememberance by Jude Devereaux

The Black Lyon by Jude Devereaux

The Duke & I by Julia Quinn

Romance (Sweet):

            Head Over Heels by Jill Shalvis

Just One of the Guys by Kristan Higgins

Kiss An Angel by Lisa Kleypas

Match Me If You Can by Susan Elizabeth Philips

My One and Only by Kristan Higgins

Natural Born Charmer by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Rainshadow Road by Lisa Kleypas

Stay by Allie Larkin

The Boy Next Door by Meg Cabot

The Hathaway Series by Lisa Kleypas—First book is Mine Till Midnight

The Ideal Man by Julie Garwood

This Heart of Mine by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Until There Was You by Kristan Higgins

Romance (A bit spicy):

            A Little Bit Wild by Victoria Dahl

            Back in Black by Lori Foster

Lead Me On by Victoria Dahl

Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase

Say No to Joe by Lori Foster

See Jane Score by Rachel Gibson

Slow Heat by Jill Shalvis

Romance (humorous):

            All I Ever Wanted by Kristan Higgins

            Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie

Lady Be Good by Susan Elizabeth Phillps

Manhunting by Jennifer Crusie

Romantic Suspense:

            Ashes to Ashes by Tami Hoag

Black Ops, Inc Series by Cindy Gerard—First book is Show No Mercy

            Cry No More by Linda Howard

Guardian Angelino Series by Roxanne St. Claire—First book is Edge of Sight

            Highland Guard Series by Monica McCarty—First book is The Hawk

            No One Heard Her Scream by Jordan Dane

           

Satire:

            Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut

Catch 22 by Joseph Heller

God Bless You Mr. Rosewater by Kurt Vonnegut

Spirit Stirring:

            The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz

The Prophet by Khalil Gibran

Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life by Karen Armstrong

Wandering by Herman Hesse

            Wherever You Go, There You Are by Jon Kabat-Zinn

Suspense/Police Drama:

            Alex Cross Series by James Patterson—First book is Along Came a Spider

Eve Duncan Series by Iris Johansen—First book is Face of Deception

Harry Bosch Series by Michael Connelly—First Book is The Black Echo

In Death Series by J.D. Robb—First book is Naked in Death

Jonathan Stride series by Brian Freeman—Frist book is Immoral

Lucas Davenport Series by John Sandford—First book is Rules of Prey

Peter Decker Series by Faye Kellerman—First book is The Ritual Bath

Rizzoli/Isles Series by Tess Gerritsen—First book is The Surgeon

Vampires, oh my:

            Sookie Stackhouse Series by Charlaine Harris—First book is Dead Until Dark

            Twilight Series by Stephanie Meyer—First book is Twilight

            Black Dagger Brotherhood Series by J.R. Ward—First book is Dark Lover

YA/Coming of Age:

            Genesis by Bernard Beckett

Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins

Paper Towns by John Green

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

The Giver by Lois Lowry

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton