Maureen’s Favorites
Maureen’s favorites:
- Barbara Kingsolver is one of my favorite authors. Her Poisonwood Bible is one of my all-time favorite books. It took me a while to get into The Lacuna, but when I reached the end I was soooo glad I got all the way through it. I haven’t read her latest yet, but it’s on my list of books to read.
- Detective stories: I like the same kinds of books that Catherine described, and I have read Fred Vargas and Louise Penney from her list. I like them a lot and I’ll keep moving through their books, and then I’ll go on to her other mystery authors.
- Patrick O’Brien wrote 20 novels referred to as the Aubrey-Maturin Series, and I’ve read them all. Captain Jack Aubrey and Steven Maturin, a naturalist and ship’s doctor, sail all over the world for the British Navy starting in 1805. The books should be read in order, starting with Master and Commander.
Russell Crowe played Aubrey in a movie of the same name, which I liked very much although the story is actually a combination of later books and not the same as the first book. I like the historical context and details and the sea-going adventures.
- I like to read classics, and recently I’ve been going back to Victorian novels. I’ve read all of Jane Austen and most of Charles Dickens, as well as Emily and Charlotte Bronte. Another writer of that time that I recently “discovered” is Elizabeth Gaskell. By the way, a very interesting book about certain writers of that period is Parallel Lives by Phyllis Rose. It gives portraits of 5 Victorian couples, people who were literary leaders of the time. Charles Dickens and George Elliot are among the people profiled within their relationships.
- I have enjoyed Colleen McCullough’s series on ancient Rome, starting with The First Man in Rome, and also Jean Auel’s prehistory series which starts with Clan of the Cave Bear. I don’t consider these exceptional literary works, but both authors have done extensive research and they write intelligently. I like them especially for the details about daily life in each historical context.
- The Cairo Trilogy by Naguib Mahfouz (3 books)
- My Reading Life by Pat Conroy, nonfiction
- Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
- Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
- Devil in the White City by Erik Larson, nonfiction
- Parallel Lives by Phyllis Rose, nonfiction
- Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky
- Bel Canto by Ann Patchett