Surprisingly I’ve read some of the same books. Loved the Covenant of Water as much as his previous book Cutting for Stone. Hearing it read for 30+ hours in the authors voice was wonderful. I’m now listening to Mind Magic by Dr. Doty, a sequel to Into the Magic Shop. The Untethered Soul was life changing. I read the book but now have the audio version to listen to. Interestingly Verghese and Doty are both physicians affiliated with Stanford. I Read the Pillars of the Earth Series several years ago. I’m looking forward to reading Matthew McConaughy’s Greenlights. I have to read some of your other selections too especially Weyward. Reading has been a lifelong passion and I don’t think many days have passed in my 80 years that I wasn’t reading something.
Thank you! I always appreciate book recommendations. My favorite way to read is ebooks. “Real” books are so hard to read for me now, they are so dark compared to my phone or ipad. I love having my books with me whoever I go. I generally read a little before work and on my lunch break and at the end of the day. I’ve been posting book reviews/summaries on my Facebook. I’m just getting started on Substack and will be posting them here as well now.
My mother read voraciously, and my sister and I followed in her footsteps. Some of my fondest memories are going to the bookmobile when it came to our little town and making special trips to the “big library.” But when computers came along, I was all-in and spent more and more of my leisure time online. I got my first computer in 1993. I loved meeting friends online and hanging out in chat rooms and on message boards. I started journaling online in the late 90’s. And then social media took over, sucking more of my time. When I did read, I felt like I “should” read spiritual and self help books. I have a lot of unread nonfiction. Thankfully I started reading fiction again and now find a better balance between books and social media (and playing games on my phone…)
Anyway,I saw the title of this in email when you posted it and meant to comment because you mentioned historical fiction and female protagonists. I love books with strong female characters and love historical fiction. I would highly recommend the author Kate Quinn. I still have a lot of hers to read but my favs so far have been set during war The Rose Code (codebreakers in Engand), The Alice Network (spies), the Diamond Eye (Soviet sniper and war hero) - but my fav is the Huntress that has one of my favorite characters ever, a Siberian woman who becomes a pilot and part of an all female Soviet night bombing regiment. She bases her books on actual events and/or people. Another fav author with strong female characters is Kristin Hannah. I’m currently reading her newest book, The Women, about nurses in Vietnam and post-Vietnam. I also loved The Four Winds (set in the dust bowl during the depression) and The Great Alone (set in Alaska).
Thank you for sharing your reading journey with us, Jamie. I will check out your spy book recommendations. I love that stuff! Just finished the audio version of The Women by Kristin Hannah and LOVED it! Julia Whelan crushed it as a narrator and has become my new favorite audiobook narrator. Revisiting Vietnam from a woman’s perspective really affected me. I still think about that book.
I just finished reading "I Would Meet You Anywhere" by Susan Kiyo Ito, a memoir. Hard to put this down. About her 40-year journey to find her birth parents and the commercialization of adoptions. Have tissues nearby.
ooooh, I can't wait to think about my favs. I will be back with mine! I loved getting to see which ones you love and I can't wait to see what other sister travelers enjoy~
Recents: "Say Nothing", if you have any interest in Irish history. True IRA murder story. And Before the Coffee Gets Cold...easy read but caught me sobbing unexpectedly.
Surprisingly I’ve read some of the same books. Loved the Covenant of Water as much as his previous book Cutting for Stone. Hearing it read for 30+ hours in the authors voice was wonderful. I’m now listening to Mind Magic by Dr. Doty, a sequel to Into the Magic Shop. The Untethered Soul was life changing. I read the book but now have the audio version to listen to. Interestingly Verghese and Doty are both physicians affiliated with Stanford. I Read the Pillars of the Earth Series several years ago. I’m looking forward to reading Matthew McConaughy’s Greenlights. I have to read some of your other selections too especially Weyward. Reading has been a lifelong passion and I don’t think many days have passed in my 80 years that I wasn’t reading something.
Thank you! I always appreciate book recommendations. My favorite way to read is ebooks. “Real” books are so hard to read for me now, they are so dark compared to my phone or ipad. I love having my books with me whoever I go. I generally read a little before work and on my lunch break and at the end of the day. I’ve been posting book reviews/summaries on my Facebook. I’m just getting started on Substack and will be posting them here as well now.
My mother read voraciously, and my sister and I followed in her footsteps. Some of my fondest memories are going to the bookmobile when it came to our little town and making special trips to the “big library.” But when computers came along, I was all-in and spent more and more of my leisure time online. I got my first computer in 1993. I loved meeting friends online and hanging out in chat rooms and on message boards. I started journaling online in the late 90’s. And then social media took over, sucking more of my time. When I did read, I felt like I “should” read spiritual and self help books. I have a lot of unread nonfiction. Thankfully I started reading fiction again and now find a better balance between books and social media (and playing games on my phone…)
Anyway,I saw the title of this in email when you posted it and meant to comment because you mentioned historical fiction and female protagonists. I love books with strong female characters and love historical fiction. I would highly recommend the author Kate Quinn. I still have a lot of hers to read but my favs so far have been set during war The Rose Code (codebreakers in Engand), The Alice Network (spies), the Diamond Eye (Soviet sniper and war hero) - but my fav is the Huntress that has one of my favorite characters ever, a Siberian woman who becomes a pilot and part of an all female Soviet night bombing regiment. She bases her books on actual events and/or people. Another fav author with strong female characters is Kristin Hannah. I’m currently reading her newest book, The Women, about nurses in Vietnam and post-Vietnam. I also loved The Four Winds (set in the dust bowl during the depression) and The Great Alone (set in Alaska).
Happy Reading!
Thank you for sharing your reading journey with us, Jamie. I will check out your spy book recommendations. I love that stuff! Just finished the audio version of The Women by Kristin Hannah and LOVED it! Julia Whelan crushed it as a narrator and has become my new favorite audiobook narrator. Revisiting Vietnam from a woman’s perspective really affected me. I still think about that book.
I just finished reading "I Would Meet You Anywhere" by Susan Kiyo Ito, a memoir. Hard to put this down. About her 40-year journey to find her birth parents and the commercialization of adoptions. Have tissues nearby.
I can attest to reading many of these and they are excellent!
ooooh, I can't wait to think about my favs. I will be back with mine! I loved getting to see which ones you love and I can't wait to see what other sister travelers enjoy~
Just put myself on the Libby waiting list for Weyward and Greenlights🙂
Recents: "Say Nothing", if you have any interest in Irish history. True IRA murder story. And Before the Coffee Gets Cold...easy read but caught me sobbing unexpectedly.