Chris
- Raised from the Ground by José Saramago – I love this wonderful Portuguese author and this is about a poor family stuck in dire straits in Portugal.
- The Giver by Lois Lowry – Passed on from the kids and one of our family reads. Interesting book on life and questions our purpose.
- Holy Cow: An Indian Adventure by Sarah Macdonald – A humorous take on American living in India but gets old quick and reminds me a bit of the god awful Liz Gilbert.
- The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown – I enjoyed this mystery and its religious connotations.
- The Illuminaries by Eleanor Catton – A young author that is huge in her homeland of New Zealand. This is a heavyweight read like The Grapes of Wrath for kiwis.
- Skinny Dip by Carl Hiaasen – Entertaining author and this one keeps you going. Great beach book. He also writes excellent books for kids and is a Florida native!!! Yoha!
- Two Wheels in the Dust by Anne Mustoe – If you want to learn about Rama & Sita with the powerful Hanuman with a traveling granny bicyclist then this is perfect for you! As for me…Pass!
- How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare by Ken Ludwig – Learn (and memorize) Shakespeare. You’ll be surprised at how easily your kids can pick up the lines while you, on the other hand, may be challenged!
- The Orphan Master’s Son by Adam Johnson – Glad I was given this powerful novel on N Korean life. Strong recommendation of historical fiction.
- Animal Farm by George Orwell – A timeless classic. I read this right after The Orphan’s Son and they are a great pairing. Thank you Shannon Turner for the books!
- The Art Forger by B.A. Shapiro – A weekend mystery read to be enjoyed by those interested in the art world.
- The Coroner’s Lunch by Colin Cotterill – The first of a Lao murder mystery series. Fun read. Thanks Courtney!
- Whirlwind by James Clavell – If you haven’t read Clavell, then start with Shõgun or King Rat. Whirlwind is historical fiction re 1979 Iran revolution.
- Joe by Larry Brown – No plot for Joe Garbage!
- Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger – Classic American literature; highly recommend for you and your teenager.
- The Marching Season by Daniel Silva – A beach book and there is a lot better out there than Sorry Silva.
- The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyle – Everyone in our family read this fantastic book on the holocaust.
- 33 Teeth by Colin Cotterill – The 2nd Lao series starring Dr. Siri.
- The Fallen Angel by Daniel Silva – My 2nd and last to be read. This is a spy/murder/vatican novel meant for a beach.
- A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby – Story of 4 suicidal people meeting on a roof; some funny lines in it and typical Hornby.
- A Painted House by John Grisham – Excellent read and I immediately passed it on to Sebastian who devoured this novel!
- Anarchy and Old Dogs by Colin Cotterill – The 4th Lao series starring Dr. Siri but this one is set in Southern Lao where we went!
- Holy Cow! – I left our 1st copy on the bus, then found a new one so we are reading it in pieces. About India and its unusual ways…
- White Teeth by Zadie Smith – A comedy of characters but got a bit drawn out.
- Captains of the Sands by Jorge Amado – Famous Brazilian author and exciting story of poor and homeless boys in Bahia. A great read for 13 and up. Sebastian liked this book too.
- Aloft by Chang Rae-Lee – Leti handed this to me about a distant father that doesn’t really want to be. A number of incidences keep it entertaining and I’d like to read some more of CRL.
- Looking for Alaska by John Green – I really like this book and it’s a great read for 8th grade on up…reminds me of Catcher in the Rye on several counts.
- Bossypants by Tina Fey – A hilarious laugh out loud beach book!
- The Elephant Vanishes by Haruki Murakami – A collection of short stories that I really enjoyed. Murakami has a way with words to describe life crystal clearly. I can’t wait to dig into more of his books!
- An Indian Summer by James Cameron – I errantly purchased the wrong book (same title) but this is a nice easy read from the 1970s perspective on life in India from a Westerner perspective. The correct book of same title is by Alex von Tunzelmann!
- India Shastra – Reflections on the Nation in Our Time by Shashi Tharoor – A modern tomb written just last year about current India government, politics, economics and the country’s own historical uniqueness and culture. Wow! An Indian tomb!
