A Few Good Reads

I've been thinking about books lately, the ones I've read in the past that I really enjoyed.  And I thought about how I enjoy the combination of a good cup of coffee with a good book.  So that's today's post - books with coffee! 


The book that is foremost in my memory right now is The Eight by Katherine Neville.  I think that's probably because the copy I've read 2 or 3 times before belongs to my wonderful sister-in-law and I returned it to her at Christmas.  I only had it in my possession for, oh...years.  Sorry Trace!  What I enjoy so much about The Eight is that it's a blend of genres I love.  Mystery, murder, adventure, historical fiction.  And it's a thinker.  It traces the history of a mysterious chess set across centuries and around the world.  So good!


I'm also a fan of Jane Austen.  I enjoy the humor in her books and the use of language.  Persuasion, Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility...all so good.  And Emma, too, although it's a long one.  Quick side note:  Hubby and I were at a restaurant one night and our waitress came by with a fresh loaf of crusty bread, asking us if we wanted "another thing of bread."  Another THING of bread?  Did she not know the word "loaf"?  It just struck us as so strange!  You would never catch a J.A. character requesting a "thing" of bread.

I've read a couple of Willa Cather's books, too.  My Antonia and O Pioneers!  are both very good books.  O Pioneers! was made into a movie and I have yet to see it.  Did you know it was filmed right down the road from us?  Really!  And the farmland and house it was filmed on is owned by a friend, so I've seen the home.  Really!  And further yet, that homestead was first owned and lived on by a church member and her family before her.  Really!  Cool, huh?  So now I must see the movie.  Anyway, the books are about the early days of Nebraska and the midwest, the struggles, the hardships and how we survive it all with family and friends.  Good reads.

Ooo, this is a good one!

Agatha Christie is an author I return to every few years.  I spent a whole summer with her one year.  I was probably middle school age and our family was on vacation.  I found the local library and devoured all of the A.C. books they had.  My grandmother was a great fan of mysteries, so I'm sure I got it from her!  I know I borrowed a few books off of her shelf, too.




There is another book I read years ago.  I checked it out from the local library on a whim.  But once I started reading it, I fell in love with it.  And I knew my mother would enjoy it too, so it was a gift to her that year.  She did enjoy it.  And for the life of me I cannot remember the name of it!  Time to call mom...



One book that has been a timely one for me, and Hubby, is Dakota by Kathleen Norris.  It is a memoir, a series of thoughts, stories, and observations about the authors time living in the midwest.  She inherited her grandparent's place, one where she spent time as a child.  So these observations are ones of an easterner from the "Big City" being made as an outsider.  It's a very thought provoking book.


As I looked through our bookshelves I found so many books that bring back good memories.  The Harry Potter series, The Secret Garden, The Lord of the Rings series, To Kill a Mockingbird, Wuthering Heights, the Little House series.  Not to mention a string of non-fiction. Thanks for letting me share with you today all the reasons there are to pick up a book.  What are some of your favs?