I’m committed to spending at least a couple of hours a week not taking life so seriously. Any suggestions for some new books authored by women that will help?
I’m committed to spending at least a couple of hours a week not taking life so seriously. Any suggestions for some new books authored by women that will help?
0 Answers
moiram wrote on :
I am not sure if you are looking for an escape into fiction or something to lift your heart. If you are looking for something inspiring and heart lifting I would recommend Stephanie Dowrick, an Australian writer and psychologist. She has many wonderful and inspiring books. I am currently reading her latest book “Everyday Kindness, shortcuts to a happier and more confident life.” If you are looking for great engrossing fiction have you read any books by Geraldine Brooks? Again an Australian (who now now live in the USA.) All her books are fabulous. I particularly love “The people of the Book” and also her most recent novel “Calebs Crossing”
Leslie Saunders wrote on :
Thanks to everyone who responded to my question. Your suggestions are appreciated. As a FOF guru, we were initially asked to submit a test question. Obviously my test question worked.
My real area of specialization is intercultural relations, events, opportunities and events. In my professional life, I’m frequently asked for advice regarding intercultural challenges in a family, a community or a workplace,
Hi All!
If you have related questions, please feel free to ask! While I may not have all of the answers, I know where to find the right ones!
Cubie131 wrote on :
Love Walked In by Marisa de los Santos-wonderful writing and light hearted. This is my favorite book!
Leslie Saunders wrote on :
Thanks to everyone who responded to my question. Your suggestions are appreciated. As a FOF guru, we were initially asked to submit a test question. Obviously my test question worked.
My real area of specialization is intercultural relations, events, opportunities and events. In my professional life, I’m frequently asked for advice regarding intercultural challenges in a family, a community or a workplace,
Hi All!
If you have related questions, please feel free to ask! While I may not have all of the answers, I know where to find the right ones!
nidradeb wrote on :
Pick up “Start Where You Are” by Pema Chodron – here is the opening line: “We already have what we need. There is no need for self improvement…” 😉 so true!
Linda Arzoumanian wrote on :
My neighbor, Susan Cummins Miller is a great “mystery” author. She is a scientist and it shows in her works which are about the southwest. I couldn’t put HooDoo down until it was complete but I knew the entire area where the story was based.
3thingsuneed wrote on :
hi just wanted to add a new book by Stephen King 11/22/63 (849pgs).. it’s been on the NYT Best seller..I read it in 1 week it is that good and an easy read..
Gail Katz wrote on :
Hey Twink! Happy 2012 if you still read this question. Here is what I discovered this year: I am just like you, I love books, always have – always will. BUT I’d like to suggest that you check out some audio CD’s from the library. Put one on and do something fun at the same time. Often I’ll do some beading – or -making tassles ( a new fetish of mine–soon every pillow in the house will have them or –I’ll polish with good smelling orange oil a favorite antique while listening to the story. For some reason I’ve also gotten into listening to non fiction books and seem to enjoy them more this way. Hope this isn’t tooooooooooo late. Enjoy!
judithmarshall wrote on :
You might enjoy my novel, Husbands May Come and Go but Friends are Forever, which has been optioned for the big screen.
Sarah Baldwin wrote on :
I loved ‘Someone Will Be With You Shortly’ by Lisa Kogan… very funny
Eileen Davis wrote on :
Charming Rosamunde Pilcher writes about long ago and far away English countryside families, their loves, struggles and intrigues mostly during the WWII period — a simple, beautiful lifestyle that involved a lot of long lunches, walks in the countryside, friendship, meeting one’s own true love, losing, then finding….but beautifully written.
Kathleen Pearlman wrote on :
Forget all the exercise and self-help stuff. Go for fluff. Romance novels appeal to some, but I’m a mystery lover, but hate the gore of Patterson and, of late, Cornwell and Nevada Barr. I like M.C. Beaton’s two series mystery novels featuring Hamish Macbeth and/or Agatha Raisin (a Fab over 40 herself). They’re short, funny, never gory, and are a good cozy to curl up with. Take care and relax. Pick them up at your local library – and ask the sweet over 40s there for some suggestions.
Kathy Watson wrote on :
I read to my children when they were young and developed such an appreciation for children literature. I was so sorry when my child out grew his mother finishing the Harry Potter series with him. I am so proud of JK Rowling
rewriting her life with the Harry Potter series. Something about reading children fantasies helps me to relax and feel young again.
Rita Snipes wrote on :
Yes! “The Beach House” by Mary Alice Monroe – “A Beautiful Mind” by Sylvia Nasar or try “I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings”. I really enjoyed all 3 of these.
Rita Snipes wrote on :
“I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings” is written by Maya Angelou (Sorry)
Constance Snow wrote on :
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith. Not new at all. In fact it was written in 1948! But I just read it last year and I LOVED It. I can’t believe it escaped my reading lists all these years. It is such a great escape from the present. Dodie Smith takes you back to a time before Facebook and texting and Keeping Up with the Kardashians. Thank you, Dodie! You can almost smell the fresh grassy English air as you read this incredibly uplifting and charming book. Plus, my paperback copy had a beautiful Laura Ashley print cover of girls with umbrellas. Sigh…..
Marcia Reed wrote on :
Anita Shreve, Elizabeth Berg, Ann Rivers Siddons, Jodi Picoult, Fay Kellerman, Adrianna Trigiani, Amy Tan, Patricia Cornwell…that should do it!
Tannis Kobrinsky wrote on :
You might enjoy “Menonite in a Little Black Dress.”
Leslie Saunders wrote on :
Thanks everyone. My question was the test question all Gurus were asked to post to ensure that the FOF Guru option is working as it should
Cathy Buckwalter wrote on :
Well, start with any of Jane Austen’s books and you will be enormously entertained and get hooked and learn many things about life, relationships, love, friendship…and then read Ayn Rand’s FOUNTAINHEAD and/or ATLAS SHRUGGED and your psychological well-being will expand as well as your intellect!
victoria dorney wrote on :
Lisa Scottoline has a book about herself,her dogs and her daughter that would put a smile on your face and all women can relate to. If I remember correcting it is titled something like “My Third Husband Would Be A Dog”-she also does a series of books in the mystery/murder/women lawyers as the central characters. Her first novel that begins this is “Everywhere That Mary Went”. Patricia Cornwell (Kay Scarpetta Series)and Kathy Reichs (She of the TV Series “Bones” fame-Temperance Brennan)have excellent books.
Sue Grafton is always good-modern detective fiction-a fast escape with the foibles of female P.I. Kinsey Millhone. “A” is for Alibi is the first book in the series. I am adding these as that seems to be the genre that other Gurus have offered.
You don’t mention what type of books you are interested in other than authored by Women. Are you looking for Mystery, Romance, Comedy, Classics?
deena singer wrote on :
Nora Ephron’s book of essays, “I Remember Nothing: and Other Reflections” (Knopf). Let me know if you’re ready for heavy subjects though. I’d be happy to share those recommendations as well.
Marla H Bane wrote on :
I love the author Mary Doria Russell. She has written 4 books – all of which I have read – and a 5th is coming out next month. Two of them â The Sparrow and the sequel Children of God â are sci fi about earth’s first contact with aliens. But they go much much deeper than and address human nature, good and evil and the role of religion. Her 3rd novel A Thread of Grace, while fiction, is based on the Resistance in Italy during World War II and the plight of Jewish refugees in Northern Italy. Her last Russell’s novel, Dreamers of the Day is about the 1921 Cairo Peace Conference which laid the foundations for the modern Middle East. The novel that will be published in May is a Western and murder mystery about the unlikely friendship between Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday. They are all very different and thought provoking. I can’t remember how I stumbled across her first book but became a big fan. This is the link to her website and blog: http://marydoriarussell.info/
Michele Savage wrote on :
I like Kritin Hannah lately
Sharon Kidd wrote on :
For some reason, my two new Akita puppies have cut into my reading time, but I never skip my Pilates classes twice a week – really refreshes the mind, body, and spirit – playing with the puppies helps too!
Sharon Murner wrote on :
I enjoy the books written by J.D. Robb (Nora Roberts). These are usually quick read mysteries that are extremely well written.
Jane Robbins wrote on :
One of my favorite authors is Geraldine Brooks. I fell in love with her writing when I read her book “March”, the story of Mr. March, the absentee father and husband in Louisa May Alcott’s “Little Women.” I’ve read a number of Ms. Brooks books but this one has remained my favorite.
Kathleen Dolan wrote on :
again not new, but certainly a wonderful escape – Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series, I would also suggest long walks if you can -it’s a wonderful way to recharge and think things through…
Orelle Jackson wrote on :
I have to agree with carolecare. Yoga is my ultimate indulgence! Walking my dog makes my soul soar. I recently find myself going back to some classic books – right now I am on a steady diet of Edith Wharton. Allowing myself to re-read some of my favorites feels like reconnecting with an old friend.
Darla Martin wrote on :
If you enjoy mysteries Kate Atkinson is an author that might please you. I just finished “One Good Turn” and am waiting for “Started Early, Took My Dog”. I also recommend “Winter Garden” by Kristin Hannah. I actually won my copy from “FOF” and loved every bit of it.
Darla
Karen Canning-Millar wrote on :
While it’s not “new”… The Historian, by Elizabeth Kostova is a very good read.
Carol Stark wrote on :
Skip the book-try Yoga! It’s relaxing yet challenging. Lets you have time for YOU and helps you connect to your body as well as your mind!
Leslie Saunders wrote on :
I enjoy reading so skipping books will probably never be an option.
Rita Snipes wrote on :
Exercise is a wonderful thing. But I also love my quiet reading time!
deborah weed wrote on :
If the goal is to not take life so seriously, then why not do something that gives you the feeling of immediate joy. Why not take an acting class, or try painting. Laugh wholeheartedly at a comedy club or write about your own fun adventures. Yes! I agree, a terrific book can be a wonderful road map. Yet, a shortcut to this is to jump in. Here’s a quick story. . .One of my girlfriends went to a goals conference. Everyone was standing up and stating what they wanted to accomplish in business. Then, a woman stood up and said, “I want to have fun 365 days a year and take a picture of everything that I experience.” What a refreshing concept!
Lina Perl wrote on :
Great question! I have been hearing AMAZING things about Kristin Hannah’s books. Supposedly they’re absolute page turners and very well written. Night Road and Winter Garden are two that are supposed to be quite good. My true guilty pleasure, however, is the Twilight Series. I’m embarrassed to admit it, but I read all those Twilight books back to back and couldn’t get enough!
victoria dorney wrote on :
I agree the Twilight Series was a delicious escape and the type of books you did not want to put down or end. My oldest daughter turned me onto them. “The Host” is also good reading.
Rita Snipes wrote on :
OK Ladies!! If you liked (And I loved them) The Twilight Saga, PC Cast and her daughter, Kristen, have a GREAT series out called “The House of Night”. Great stories because it’s not just vampyres. The series has some great story lines. I am thoroughly enjoying these books. They can be purchased at Wal-Mart.
Colleen Tannenbaum wrote on :
I love anything by Anna Quindlen. Not light but always life-affirming and incredibly well written. I love Barbara Kingsolver for great storytelling that takes me away. Jennifer Weiner is good for light fun; Jodi Piccoult for compelling interest.
Diantha Roberts wrote on :
The Janet Evanovich series (Start with One For the Money.)..a hilarious quick read that will definitely help you with your goal!
Val Houpt wrote on :
You are so right. Any book by Janet Evanovich is a wonderful read. I have read all 18 books in her Stephanie Plum series and they are laugh out loud funny!