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What’s on your bookshelf?
11 years ago by
It’s starting to get colder outside which means I’m getting lazier…errr…spending more time indoors and looking to read a few good books. I am just finishing up Yes Chef, Marcus Samuelsson’s memoir (READ IT!) and my bookshelf is looking a little empty. Any suggestions for a good cold weather read? What is on your bookshelf?
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Emmanuel Carrère – D’autres vies que la mienne
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David Foenkinos – La délicatesse
Tracy Chevalier – Prodigieuses créatures
Katarina Mazetti – Le mec de la tombe d’à côté
Paul Auster – Sunset Park
Dominique Loreau – L’art de la simplicité (sur le decluttering !!)
Fariba Vafi – Un secret de rue
Nadja – Les filles de Montparnasse
Jonas Jonasson – Le vieux qui ne voulait pas fêter son anniversaire
Annie Barrows et Mary-Anne Shaffer – Le cercle littéraire des éplucheurs de patates
J’avais commencé “le mec de la tombe d’à côté” mais jamais fini, un peu vulgaire non ?
J’adore : la simplicité de la vie
un kindle :D je viens de re-lire lolita: je l’ai aime d’avantage
http://lilaesthete.wordpress.com/
‘Silk’ by Alessandro Baricco
‘My Family and Other Animals’ by Gerald Durrell
‘Killer in the Rain’ by Raymond Chandler
All recommended!
Eat Pray Love is a relly good book, then if you like the classics, Shakespeare’s sonnets are an investment for your soul. Right now I am quite into african literature, so I would recommend ‘Things fall apart’ by Chinua Achebe and its sequel, ‘No longer at ease’.
Just to name a few… :)
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe is a great one! *proudly Nigerian*
http://www.stylishevafter.blogspot.com
Que des romans policiers, faut aimer!
Jerome Ferrari – Le sermon sur la chute de Rome !!
Car tu es corse, que moi aussi, et que lui aussi ! haha
Ce livre est incroyable. Il vient d’avoir le Prix Goncourt et le mérite largement.
Voici le résumé. http://www.actes-sud.fr/catalogue/litterature/le-sermon-sur-la-chute-de-rome
Enormes baisers Garance.
From Corsica, with love.
I have loads of history and historical fiction on my bookshelf and I don’t think that’s something that everyone would enjoy. However, I’d highly recommend Leonardo’s Swans by Karen Essex and Luncheon of the Boating Party by Susan Vreeland to anyone.
aspiringforever.blogspot.com
Patti Smith: Just Kids
Daniel Lanois: Soul Mining
The last really phenomenal book I read was “Cleopatra: A Life” by Stacy Schiff. If you haven’t read them, two of my all-time favorite novels are “The Amazing Adventure of Kavalier & Clay” by Michael Chabon (a good New York story and a Pulitzer winner) and “Paint it Black” by Janet Fitch (a good L.A. story).
Karoo de Steve Tesich et Le Sermon sur la Chute de Rome de Jérôme Ferrari of course!!!
Ayn Rand – The Fountainhead. It’s just amazing. You won’t be able to stop reading. It was written in the 20th. It’s about NY and about architecture and pride and love and what you are willing to sacrifice for staying true to yourself …
In English:
Steve Jobs, a biography by Walter Isaacson… if you want to understand your iPad’s soul
50 shades of grey, by E.L. James… to check if it’s worth the talking
En Français:
Yves Saint Laurent, une biographie par Laurence Benaïm… un pavé passionnant
Un voyage en Inde, une mélancolie contemporaine de Gonçalo M Tavares… traduit du Portuguais
D’autres vies que la mienne, de Emmanuel Carrere
Helena Rubinstein: La femme qui inventa la beauté.
Je suis devenue limite insociable cet été tellement j’étais absorbée par ce livre tellement engageant, motivant et vrai. Un très bon livre à lire qui motivera toute les independant women que nous sommes ;-)
Non mais vraiment, la carrière de cette femme devrait vraiment être adaptée au cinéma tellement elle nous prends. En plus du voyage a travers le temps années folles, guerre, années 50, new look etc, grâce a madame Rubinstein on part à la rencontre de toute les icônes du siècle précédent; Picasso, Colette, Poiret, Dior, Yves St Laurent…
L’histoire d’une femme qui n’arrêtera jamais de travailler, jusqu’à son dernier jour, quitte à en délaisser sa famille…
Un MUST Garance!!!
Ps: D’ailleurs c’est grâce à elle qu’on peut maintenant définir nos peaux en tant que grasse, mixte ou normale…
Ps2: Hep..! Pas la peine d’ouvrir une nouvelle fenêtre… Voila le lien d’Amazon ;-)
http://www.amazon.fr/Helena-Rubinstein-femme-inventa-beaut%C3%A9/dp/2246755719
I loved Yes, Chef, you should also read
The queen’s lover
Gone Girl
Anything by Ian McEwan
White Truffles in winter
Age of miracles
I hope you enjoy them!
J’ai récemment fini “Le monde selon Garp” de John Irving et c’est génial! C’est déjanté et dramatique… un style très particulier! J’ai vraiment adoré, je le recommande!
The Life of Pi by Yann Martel, and The Moon and the Sixpence by w somerset maugham.
Where’d You Go Bernadette by Maria Semple is a fantastic book.
“Journey by Moonlight” by Antal Szerb (especially recommended if you haven’t read any Hungarian books yet!)
L’encyclopedie du savoir relatif et absolu – Bernard werber
Theatre – Eric-Emmanuel-Schmitt
La part de l’autre – Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt
Cyrano de Bergerac – Edmond Rostand (On ne peut jamais s’en passer :) )
Freakonomics – Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
A memoir – Grace Coddington
Why be happy when you can be normal? Jeanette Winterson
Gone Girl – Gillian Flyn – Awesome couldn’t put it down. saw it under SJP’s arm and bought it!
Je suis d’accord avec Klaus, ‘Just Kids’ de Patti Smith est excellent. Aussi: ‘The New York Trilogy’ de Paul Auster, ‘Pnin’ de Nabokov et ‘Fun Home’ d’Alison Bechdel (graphic novel). Bonne lecture!
Gone Girl is an intriguing novel that insists on being read in a matter of days. If you enjoy twists, you’ll treasure this book!
I don’t have anything to add, but I am interested to hear what others have to say! Great question! I love a good book recommendation!
Theresa
http://bomamma.blogspot.com
me too…! I am just looking at the comments for suggestions. just finished a one hundred years of solitude. It was a good read. But now suddenly I have no books to read on my shelf!
_Middlesex_ par Jeffrey Eugenides – vous ne le regretterez pas :)
Also then read The Marriage Plot by Eugenides. Now also (trying to start) reading Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall and Bringing up the Bodies after recent rave review from NYT and NYer.
I’ve just finished ‘Lamb’ by Christopher Moore – nothing serious, it’s just sooo funny!
The Tigers Wife by Yea Obreht and Seven Years by Peter Stamm are both excellent.
Oooooooooooh, J’ADORE ce genre d’inspiration et j’espère que tout le monde laisseras des commentaires. Pour l’instant j’essaye de finir l’autobiographie de George Sand et je pense lire The old man and the sea ….quand j’ai fini l’autre. (Ca n’intéresse peut être personne, mais un des livres de la liste du premier commentaire, “Jonas Jonasson – Le vieux qui ne voulait pas fêter son anniversaire” s’appelle en suédois “Le centenaire qui sortit de la fenêtre et disparut”. Toujours intéressant les traductions!!)
I second the vote for Patti Smith’s Just Kids. Another favorite… A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole. It’s fulllll of amazing characters and beautifully written. xo
Just finished taking a graduate class about female travelers….I recommend:
Tracks by Robyn Davidson (nonfiction)…four camels and a trek across the Australian desert
The Secret Life of Alexander David-Neel by Barbara and Michael Foster (she travels to Tibet in the 1920’s and brings Buddhism back to the west, inspiring the beat writers…techy read but you’ll be forever grateful for the info)
Doomesday Book by Connie Willis (fiction)…a John Grisham-type read
”The Lymond Chronicles” by Dorothy Dunnet
From the NY Times review By Anne Macolm, Dec. 2000
I imagine the early readers of Tolkien and O’Brian must have felt a slightly wistful satisfaction when the world eventually caught up with them… So it is with mixed feelings that I disclose the secret that readers of Dorothy Dunnett have shared for almost 40 years.
The rest of it.
http://www.nytimes.com/books/00/12/24/reviews/001224.24malcolt.html
the secret history by donna tart, my fav book!
My second love reading!
Mrs Robinson’s Disgrace – The Private Diary of a Victorian Lady by Kate Summerscale
How To Be a Woman by Caitlin Moran
Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones
Open City by Teju Cole
Blue Nights by Joan Didion
To name but a few and my wishlist is getting longer…
I love Blue Nights and Open City. What else can you recommend, Angela?
Alaa El Aswany ‘L’immeuble Yacoubian’, ‘Chicago’
Carla Guelfenbein ‘Ma femme de ta vie’
Russell Banks ‘Sous le règne de Bone’ un road trip prenant
Alice Ferney ‘grâce et dénuement’
le tout chez Actes Sud et conseillé par des collègues d’un jour au salon du livre de Genève (et approuvé par moi après lecture! ;)
aussi Jonathan Safran Foers ‘extrêmement fort et incroyablement près’ et ‘faut-il manger les animaux?’
et puis Zadie Smith ‘L’homme à l’autographe’ et ‘On beauty’ (en anglais, parce que l’édition anglaise est trop belle)
pas forcément des nouveautés mais des coups de coeur des 2,3 dernières années (peut être plus?)
ps : je plussoie ‘le mec de la tombe d’a côté’, pas de la grande littérature mais très agréable à lire.
dans le genre divertissement, il y aussi “les chroniques de san francisco” d’Armistead Maupin…
Aaaah les chroniques de San Francisco d’Armistead Maupin, UN DELICE A LIRE :D
If you love music especially Jazz – Half-Blood Blues by Esi Edugyan
A story about the connection we have to certain clothes and the people we love who wear them –
Measure of a Man by JJ Lee (for Scott especially)
If you like a philosophical tilt to your story – The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery – originally written in French I believe (excellent!)
Happy Reading!
Just Kids by Patti Smith
Amy, My daughter, by Mitch Winehouse (cried my eyes out)
Selfhelp book to learn myself guitar (my neighbours love me)
Dreams encyclopedia
and also a taschen 100 favorite movies all time, nice to read and gives you more ideas for this winter;-)
Tu as sans doute déjà lu, mais je viens de finir 1Q84 de Haruki Murakami. Très très bien pour les casaniers.
“Bossypants” by Tine Fey is hilarious and will have you laughing in no time :-D
If you loved yes, chef, you would love Life, on the Line: A Chef’s Story of Chasing Greatness, Facing Death, and Redefining the Way We Eat
PG Wodehouse wrote about 80 novels, I believe I have them all. He is as funny today as 100 years ago, and all the people are well dressed, well mannered, and live in lovely houses!
Wow, thought I was the only one who read him! “Leave it to Psmith” is my fave!
Blood, Bones, Butter By Gabrielle Hamilton is exquisite!
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield is a page turning mystery… I couldn’t get enough of that book!
Ali in Wonderland by Ali Wentworth is hilarious (its a short frivolous read but sometimes you just need some of those in your life)
East if Eden by John Steinbeck is my all time favorite book! I re-read it at least once a year, and every single time I am blown away by Steinbeck’s prose.
The Mountain is young…….Han Su yin
Thorn Birds…..Colleen McCoulough
Julia Child
Life Among Giants by Bill Roorbach
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
All the Jane Austen novels.
And I’m hoping to add some Ian McEwan novels (excited to read Sweet Tooth) and Where’d You Go Bernadette.
Paul Auster (trilogie new yorkaise) et sa femme Siri Hustvedt (Tout ce que j’aimais).
Je les ai découvert il y a environ 6 mois et depuis j’enchaîne leurs bouquins, je suis complétement fan.
‘Tout ce que j’aimais’ is very good :) I offered it to so many people, all artists friends.
Marilyn the last secret by william reymond , a little bit of Pancol …
Around this time every year I get in the mood for the big Russian classics. I am re-reading Anna Karenina and waiting impatiently for the film to come out.
The History of Love and Great House both by Nicole Krauss are phenomenal–you must read them. Also, check out Blood, Bones, and Butter, if you’re looking for some nonfiction.
Tous les commentaires ci-haut me semblent vraiment judicieux mais j’ajouterais mon grain de sel;
TOUS les romans de Douglas kennedy (il faut commencer par LA POURSUITE DU BONHEUR).
Dans un ordre plus montréaliste (oui j’adore ma ville); le superbe catalogue de l’exposition JEAN PAUL GAULTIER, DE LA RUE AUX ÉTOILES produits par le Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal et qui a gagné de nombreux prix. Plusieurs personnalités furents invités à y écrire un texte et le design est superbe.
Et finalement, BLONDE, de Joyce Carol Oates. C’est LE LIVRE sur Marilyn.
Fifty shades of Grey! It should keep you warm for the winter!
Gone Girl! you won’t want to put it down. xxo
I just finished “Gold” by Chris Cleave – definite tear-jerker! My whole team at work recently read “Gone Girl”, too, which is a twisty, sexy thriller. THAT one was tough to put down!
Your comment came right after I had read goop’s newsletterabout fall reading!
http://www.goop.com/journal/see/201/word
Funny ????
Sex at Dawn – non fiction on the evolution of sexual psychology, great read, funny, witty and insightful.
Enjoy!!!
Paul Auster- Sunset Park!
I’d recommend:
Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson
Citizen Vince by Jess Walter
Life of Pi by Yann Martel
The Thoughtful Dresser by Linda Grant
This House of Sky by Ivan Doig
Je viens de finir Les Spellmans Associés , l’histoire d’une famille de détectives privés complètement déjantés qui se passe à San Francisco. J’ai passé un très bon moment , bonne d’évasion et de fou rire … qui change de l’automne , les feuilles mortes, le gris et le froid ..
Je te le conseille vivement !
http://www.isatoutsimplement.org
Tous les Paul Auster, William Burroughs, Bukowski et Aragon! Quand on aime Paris, on dévore “Aurélien”!
toute la série Wilt de Tom Sharpe: c’est grinçant, loufoque, et ça contient toute les subtilités de l’humour anglais.
yikes! so many 50 shades. listen to me ladies!!! if you want to read something steamy that’s actually good literature try james salter’s “a sport and a pastime.” it’s the most tender and beautiful prose, and yes, lots of s-e-x.
some books i’ve enjoyed that have been mentioned so i’ll give them another thumb up:
-“kavelier and clay” (chabon) i also like chabon’s “mysteries of pittsburgh” but mostly because there’s a lot of nice references i dig. a “jules et jim” mention within the first few pages!
-nicole krauss
-ian mcewan
-“just kids” (patti smith)
-raymond chandler was mentioned, i personally enjoyed “the big sleep”
somebody mentioned graphic novel by alison bechdel. can i add anything by daniel clowes (“ghost world” and “mr wonderful” are both amaaazing,) and adrian tomine is nice as well. just finished up vanessa davis’ “make me a woman.” it’s not a graphic novel but a bunch of comics as well as scraps of illustrations, mostly super funny.
some things i’ve enjoyed recently:
“the picture of dorian gray” (oscar wilde)
“distress from cleverness” (alexander griboyedov) funny play!
“bossypants” (tina fey) READ THIS
“the unbearable lightness of being” (milan kundera)
“the counterfeiters” (andre gide)
always in the same city i’m living in: susan sontag’s journals (infinitely inspiring to me) and catallus’ poems translated by frank copley
currently reading cheryl strayed’s “wild” but i’m not totally loving it…
annnnd to ultimately answer your question, alex, i personally think that a really lovely read to cuddle up with in cold weather would be a bronte or austen. “jane eyre”, “wuthering heights” or “pride and prejudice”.
that was crazy long, sorry.
xo:)
Recently read (and loved):
Ryszard Kapu?ci?ski, THE SHADOW OF THE SUN: humanity, poetry, adventure, history, all taking place at different places and times in Africa throughout the 20th century (non fiction)
Truman Capote, IN COLD BLOOD: stylish journalism, America of the 50’s, the grey zone of humanity (non fiction)
Micheal Cunningham, THE HOURS: delicate writing, Virginia Woolf, women looking for a way to be free at different times and place throughout the 20th century ( fiction)
Doug Peacok, WALKING IT OFF: A VETERAN’S CHRONICLE OF WAR AND WILDERNESS : Natural writing, freedom, the beauty of nature and of cosmos (non fiction)
On the shelf (well bed table in my case):
Paul Auster, SUNSET PARK(fiction)
Richard Powers, THE TIME OF OUR SINGING (fiction)
ENJOY!
Rimmel, de Jacques Serena.
“Il y en a un qui en a aimé une, qui peut-être l’aime encore, ou le croit. Il y en a un autre, qui a eu l’occasion de la sauter, cette aimée, il ne sait plus trop, à force. Il y en a une, vraisemblablement pas la même, mais qui veut bien aider à comprendre. Et une qui attend. Ailleurs. Qui devrait être celle dont il est question.”
I’ve just finished The Evolution Man (1960) by Roy Lewis, it’s sooo funny and smart (and short!), you would enjoy it I’m sure!
Hello Alex,
I don’t know if you read books in french, so I’ll suggest you all the books form the american author Dennis Lehane. Thrillers are for me the best books to read when it’s cold outside.
Oh David Anderson… You who love the book My Family And Other Animals… You Are my type of human!
The perks of being a wallflower! A LIRE ABSOLUMENT! :) enjoy
N’importe quel roman de Françoise Sagan!
“Amy, ma fille” – la biographie d’Amy Winehouse par son père, Mitch Winehouse.
Il est absolument bouleversant & je suis sûre qu’il peut même intéresser les gens qui ne sont pas fan de sa musique.
See you:)
http://ohplayitlouder.blogspot.fr
Yasmina Khadra – Ce que le jour doit à la nuit
Jean Giraudoux – La guerre de Troie n’aura pas lieu
Alexandre Dumas – La dame aux camélias
Grégoire Delacourt – La liste de mes envies
David Foenkinos – Nos séparations
Françoise Sagan – Le lit défait
Maupassant – Bel Ami …
Ensemble C’est Tout – Anna Gavalda (fantastic, just finished it!!!! Don’t watch the movie first).
The Table Comes First – France, Family and the Meaning of Food (for another foodie read)
For stories about winter that make you want to curl up by a fireside:
Short stories – the Russian genius Pushkin
Short stories – Nabokov, the best being “Spring in Fialta”
Anna Karenina – Tolstoy… I guess winter makes me feel like I should read about Russia :)
Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom – life, love, wisdom.
Mémoires d’Hadrien: Marguerite Yourcenar
a wonderful book that taught me so much about love and life.
also worth reading to understand the meaning of a wonderful poem:
Animula vagula blandula,
Hospes comesque corporis
Quae nunc abibis in loca
Pallidula, rigida, nudula,
Nec, ut soles, dabis iocos…
lot of love Serena
I don´t really read books, still I do have some favourites:
My life in New Orleans by Louis Armstrong (about his childhood and youth)
The making of The African Queen by Katherine Hepburn
Siddharta by Hermann Hesse (about a young man and his search for the truth)
Sept entretiens… et un peu de philosophie, d’Ariel Wizman.
Persuasion, de Jane Austen.
Réfléchissez et devenez riche, de Napoleon Hill.
I could really recommend, “On the road” By Jack Kerouac, and “She’s come undone” By Wally Lamb! The last book is pretty sad, and depressed but it is a wonderful read! On the road is just a classic, and you must read it!
Hi,
I love the idea of sharing what is on our bookshelves
I read Things fall apart by Chinua Achebe some years ago, and since then I recommend it to everyone. At the moment I am reading a great Spanish classic, Lazarillo de Tormes, a comic story about a poor little boy in the XVIth century.
Patti Smith “just kids”
Jean-Christophe Rufin “Le grand coeur”
Paul Auster ” the red notebook”
Siri Huvstedt ” the summer without men”
et beaucoup d’autres :)!!
mais ceux-là m’ont vraiment scotché…
bonne lecture!
cécile
Tom, petit Tom, tout petit homme Tom, de Barbara Constantine
How to talk to a widower, de Jonathan Tropper
Right now I’m hooked on “A Song of Ice and Fire” by George R. R. Martin, but I’m not sure if fantasy fiction is everyone’s cup of tea (although I wasn’t such a big fan of the genre before starting to read this, but the TV show “Game of Thrones” convinced me to give it a try).
Apart from that I’m currently reading “Le Pere Goriot” by Balzac.
xoxo
Nana – Emile Zola (Un grand classique, la gloire, la déchéance, l’amour, l’abandon, la magie du XIXème)
Calling Romeo – Alexandra Potter (Great chick lit’)
Fifity Shades of Grey – EL James (To know what so many people read and talk about! ah!)
Ivresse de la Métamorphose – Stefan Zweig (Troublant, on ne l’oublie pas de suite ce bouquin)
La Bicyclette Bleue – Régine Desforges (Pour les fans du genre grande saga, fresque historique)
Et nous! Une série à lire en ligne: http://parisiennes-en-serie.com/
Le problème avec les livres qui sont sur mon étagère (et au pied de mon lit, et dans une boîte près de mon lit, et sur ma commande et… presque partout) c’est qu’ils sont tous entamés et je ne sais jamais lequel continuer.
Je me suis quand même décidée de me replonger dans “Terre des Hommes” de Saint-Exupéry. C’est un des livres les plus poétiques que j’ai pu lire jusqu’à présent; il est fournit de lignes qui incitent au rêve et à l’évasion.
Je ne pourrai pas conseiller de livres sortis récemment car je ne lis pas vraiment (pas du tout) les nouveautés. Mais un des livres qui m’a le plus marqué ces mois-ci était “Récits d’une vie fugitive” de Chen Fou.
Noé,
on Couleur Spleen.
The Bookthief by Markus Zusak is amazing-and the Joker by him too!
xoxo Alex
A Confederacy of Dunces – John Kennedy Toole
This book is hilarious. The story behind it being published is very sad. It should be made into a film. I used to live on Hampson St, New Orleans where Toole lived.
Hi Alex!
Oh my God, sooo many to recommend!
The Night Circus – Erin Morganstern
The Book Thief – Markus Zusak
Life Expectancy – Dean Koontz
The Shadow of the Wind – Carlos Ruiz Zafon
The Thorn Birds – Colleen McCullough
The Black Violin – Maxence Fermine
The Crysilids – John Wyndham
The Pyrates – George MacDonald Fraser
Daphne du Maurier –
Rebecca
My Cousin Rachel
Frenchman’s Creek
The House On The Strand
Jamaica Inn
Hungry Hill
Mary Ann
The Glassblowers
The Loving Spirit
The King’s General
Classics
Anna Karenina
War and Peace
North and South
Far from the Madding Crowd
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Dr Jakyll and Mr Hyde
Frankenstein
Villete
Jayne Eyre
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
Wuthering Heights
Hopefully there is something there that takes your fancy!
Love Amy xxx
Three winter reads:
1. Out Stealing Horses – Per Petterson
2. Thirteen Moons – Charles Frazier
3. Housekeeping – Marilynn Robinson
All delicious.
Currently I am reading “The Amazing Adventure of Kavalier & Clay” by Michael Chabon. But my all time fav is “Extremely loud and incredibly close” by J.S.Foer and eternal classic “Gone with the Wind”!!!
Hope you’ll find something you like! As I was going through the books recommended here, they all look more than interesting, so might pick up something new as well – haha. Have a great weekend! Lenka
etiene-et-eugene.blogspot.com
The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachmann
How Not to Look Old by Charla Krupp
How to Never Look Fat Again by Charla Krupp
Finding Ultra by Rich Roll
Innumeracy by John Allen Paulos
The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler
Also reading, to my daughter, Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder (I forgot how good it is!) and we just finished Ellen Tibbets; Luckiest Girl and Fifteen, all by Beverly Cleary, who is the greatest young adult writer ever)
My Family and Other Animals is laugh-out-loud funny.
Le coeur n’a pas de rides par Marina Rozeman. En français. Reportage sur les coups de foudre après 70 ans. Sensible, adorable.
It’s in French but a very easy read, totally inspiring and written with a great sensitivity toward its subjects. Love can be found even late in life.
always and forever…sur mes etageres….Nabokov!!!!!!
En ce moment, je lis Magari d’Eric Valmir, ça parle de l’italie et c’est magnifique.
le dernier ouvrage de charlotte Valandrey, une autobiographie magnifique
I always love a good book recommendation list! I definitely agree with the following (already mentioned):
Middlesex – Incredible
Life of Pi – Read it before the film comes out, it is excellent!
Just Kids – So smart, have only read it in snippets but its definitley on my To Read list! Patti Smith is ultra-intriguing.
I also like psychology/factual books, and so would also recommend:
Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell (really, anything by Malcolm Gladwell – he’s such a great storyteller! No wonder he writes for The New Yorker)
Willpower by Roy Baumeister – amazing for every aspect of life
http://luckyvictor.wordpress.com
Le pouvoir de chien John Savage
Ne tire pas sur l’oiseau moqueur Harper Lee
Ce sont 2 chefs d’oeuvre de la litterature américaine
2 polards, Le Poète de Michael Connelly et Le Dahlia Noir de James Ellroy
Pour la détente, bien qu’extrèmement bien écrit, Mon chien stupide de John Fante
The Happiness Project par Gretchen Rubin.
Passionnant et instructif ;)
What about a change of view of the kitchen? Pendant in the kitchen by Julian Barnes. it’s super good. If you love cooking, you can really relate to him and the style of writing reminds me of reading a blog, casual, real, and fun.
L’intégrale 1Q84 de Murakami. La biographie de Steve Jobs, passionnante.
Alors en ce moment je lis le dernier Fred Vargas l’armée furieuse.
-50 nuances de Grey
-Les yeux jaunes des crocodiles de Katherine Pancol
-Virginia Woolf les vagues
Ce sont les derniers livres que j’ai lus et je les conseille.
Hey Alex (girls, it’s not Garance’s post!),
Lisa’s recommendations are great: Russel Banks is one of my favorite author. The Rule of Bone is good, yet I prefer The darling, and Cloudsplitter (I’m on my way to read them all).
Alaa El Aswany is great too. I also like Naguib Marfouz (Belle du Caire, Le cortège des vivants, La Trilogie du Caire).
I love Nancy Huston (Instrument of Darkness, The Mark of The Angel, Dolce Agonia, Fault Lines, Slow Emergencies).
Zadie Smith ‘On beauty was very good’
You should discover Sophie Fontanel as a literature author. Very sensitive and intelligent writing.
Also Jerome Garcin is great.
Eric Reinhardt ‘Le systeme Victoria’ is one of the book that i really got involved in recently. Very intense.
I Like Mathias Enard, nostalgic writing, beautiful style.
I was sooooo sad to close Lonesome Dove by Larry McCurtry ! Read it while traveling west this summer, amazing story. In western there is also Shane by Jack Shaeffer. I felt like i was reading a movie.
Fred Vargas is good, and following the caracters is nice.
For totaly crazy writing there is The Book With No Name by an anonymous and the following books.
And i almost forgot Tonino Benacquista (one of my favorite too) ‘Malavita (Malavita again is good but not excellent like the first one is) and ‘Homo Erectus’.
Well, enjoy reading ! I love books so much…
– Why be Happy When You Could be Normal? by Jeanette Winterson
– The Shaking Woman or A History of My Nerves by Siri Hustvedt
– Alys Always by Harriet Lane
Read them in your pyjamas! It’s the BEST!
http://poplinlondon.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/reading-in-your-pyjamas.html
I’ve just finished reading Lust for Life by Irving Stone. The story of Vincent van Gogh’s life. It’s both very inspirational and incredibly sad. I don’t ever recall being so moved by a book. Knowing it’s factual, makes it even sadder. It’s up there with the best books I’ve ever read.
AMELIE NOTHOMB EVIDEMMENT mais attention les meilleurs:
– Catilinaires
– Hygiène de l’assassin
– Ni d’adam ni d’ève
– Biographie de la faim
– Stupeur et tremblement…
En fais les meilleurs c’est surtout quand elle parle de son enfance au japon, c’est spéciale donc il faut vraiment commencer par ceux là…
I don’t know if you’re looking for light reads or heavy mindblowing stuff. But for the heavy stuff I can recommend:
Aleph by Paulo Coelho
Blink by Malcolm Gladwell
Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely
really anything by Paulo Coelho (big BIG fan of him)
For the light reads:
The Book of Awesome by Neil Pasricha
Coco Chanel by Justine Picardie
Room by Emma Donoghue
These books aren’t the most current ones, but they sure as hell worth reading. Hope you love it Garance!
http://thedillychic.blogspot.com
David Grossman “To the End of the Land.” Beautifully written – about love, loss and the Israeli / Palestinian conflict.
Je te conseille :
Le vieux qui ne voulait pas fêter son anniversaire de Jonas Jonasson, vraiment TOP !
“Pour en finir avec Dieu” de Dawkins et “Le livre noir de la psychanalyse”:
Histoire de lutter contre l’obscurantisme et dans l’attente d’un nouveau siècle des lumières!
“Personne n’est parfait” d’Hirotada Ototake:
Pour pleurer, rire, être ému, relativiser, vivre.
ça date un peu mais je les ai tellement aimé:Kafka sur le rivage de Murakami
la route de Cornac Mac Carthy
cent ans de solitude de gabriel garcia marques
Naufrages de Akira Yoshimura…
The Great Expectations by Dickens. This sort of weather is perfect for a book like that: the great classical novel at its best , very witty(for me it was the best part of the book) , extremely interesting characters (e.g. Miss Havisham) – if you haven’t already read it I highly recommend that you do :)
L’elegance Du Herisson / The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery
50 Shades of Grey!
I read the first on in two days, and is just starting on number two.
If you haven’t read them, do it now! They are amazing and cathing ;-)
oups j’allais oublié :Syngué sabour : Pierre de patience de Atiq Rahimi
Je voudrais que quelqu’un m’attende quelque part – Anna Gavalda
A year in the merde – Stephen Clarke
Métaphysique des tubes – Amélie Nothomb
Cien años de soledad – Gabriel García Márquez
L’attentat – Yasmina Khadra
Freedom – Jonathan Franzen
Steve Jobs, a biography – Walter Isaacson
On the road – Jack Kerouac
The Casual Vacancy – JK Rowling
La ballade de l’impossible – Haruki Muraki
LA GRAND-MERE DE JADE
à la fin on a just envie de prendre l’auteur dans le bras
mon livre de l’année, à relire et relire
ou
LA FIN DE L’ETE
et hier je viens de commander
CE MAGNIFIQUE CIEL BLEU
et
DE LA BRIEVETE DE LA VIE
Et en attendant : mon blog sur lequel je refais le monde en anglais ;) avec des belles photos
http://www.maximewillems.blogstpot.com
Le dernier livre du photographe Tim Walker, un éblouissement, le laisser ouvert sur une étagère et chaque jour tourner une nouvelle page …
Hi Garance, have you read Yann Martel’s “Life of Pi”. It’s kind of an obvious choice but there is something truly magical about this book. As adults, we so rarely have the opportunity to escape into fantasy and that is just what Pi offers. It remindered me of the books I read as a child such as “Where The Wild Things Are”, it’s pure imagination and that is a real treat! xx
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn is the book to read this year!
En ce moment, je me replonge avec plaisir dans les mémoires de Simone de Beauvoir. Je parcours son oeuvre avec délectation et d’autant plus que venant de revoir le téléfilm consacré à sa relation avec Jean-Paul ” les amant du Flore”, la voix d’Anna Mouglalis qui y jouait Simone, incarne ses mots avec une délicieuse sensualité.
Je viens de terminer “Oh” le dernier Philippe Djian: excellent.
A recommander si l”univers de Djian vous séduit “Incidences”, également excellent. Ce qui est bien avec cet auteur, c’est que l’on peut retrouver l’esprit, l’ambiance avec la musique de Stephan Eicher puisqu’il en écrit certaines paroles.
J’aime beaucoup coupler l’ambiance d’une lecture avec une musique: cela me vient souvent naturellement.
Autre domaine mais tout aussi passionnant, une autobiographie, celle d’Helmut Newton : Autoportrait chez Robert Laffont. Si l’on aime ce photographe, on entre avec jubilation dans son histoire, sa vision, son monde.
Pour les acros de la mode, des fanfreluches, des colifichets et des affriolants froufrous, rien ne vaut “Au bonheur des dames” de Zola. Addictif et superbe :)
Indeed :)
En ce moment je voyage et dans mon sac a dos il y a “Loin de Chandigarh” de Tarun J.Tejpal et une “Histoire de la Rome antique” de Lucien Jerphagnon (je suis une inconditionnelle)
les enfants terribles et la difficulté d’être de cocteau, les gens de philipe labro, la casati de camille de peretti
Mon livre de l’annee ( qui n’est pas du tout une nouveaute..meme j’en lis beaucoup): “Le chant des regrets eternel” de Wang Anyi
A quand un profil d’Alex ?
Tres bonne idée!
Haruki Murakami – I have most of his books on my shelf, definitely my favourite.
And as others have already said: Jonas Jonasson’s “The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared”. I’ve never been laughing so much while reading a book (maybe because of my Nordic sense of humour).
Definitely “The Hare with the Amber Eyes” by Edmund de Waal or “The Siege” by Helen Dunmore – both would be great to curl up with on a late fall/early winter evening!
Joseph Anton by Salman Rushdie
All We Know: Three Lives by Lisa Cohen
The Art Forger (by Barbara Shapiro)
Haruki Murakami 1Q84
Yes!
I’m a big, big fan of Haruki Murakami. One of my favorites is ‘Kafka on the beach’.
– “The magic Mountain” by Thomas Mann
– Henry James “Portrait of a lady”
– Anthony Summers “Goddess, the Secret Lives of Marilyn Monroe” blew my mind about 25 years ago. So sad. I’m totally into Biografies,mmmm.
And there are so many other favorites! And thanks for some good tips (Paul Auster, Patti Smith, Paulo Coelho).
Gone Girl (So messed up but so good!)
Any of the Anthony Bourdain Books.
Paris My Sweet by Amy Thomas
Steve Jobs book was really interesting.
Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me by Mindy Kaling (So funny!)
What Remains by Carole Radziwill (I laughed, I cried. This bok left me heartbroken for her and the entire Kennedy Clan. She really is a wonderful writer)
1 Dead in the Attic by Chris Rose (A wonderful collection of true stories following Hurricane Katrina. You will laugh, cry and say WTF)
Seating Arrangements
Apron Anxiety
The Time Travellers Wife
These are three books which were impossible to put down…. (drumroll)
The Agony and The Ecstasy: A biographical novel on Michelangelo by Irving Stone (FANTASTIICC!!)
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See, a poignant story of the lifelong friendship btwn two girls in old China
Love, Janis by Laura Joplin, Janis Joplin’s sister wrote an honest, empathetic biography about Janis, which for once did not focus on her use of drugs, by the end you just know her so intimately
Read them all! I hope you like them
The Sister by Sandor Marai
Ambers by Sandor Marai, actually any book
by him, he is that good!
You are going to find beauty and wisdom in
every page.
If you haven’t already, I really recommend that you read the Steve Job’s biography by Walter Isaacson. The writing is superb.
“Pattern recognition” ,William Gibson.je suis nulle pour les résumés, le mieux c’est de lire le résumé sur Wikipédia ;-)
“L’écumes des jours” de Boris Vian.une belle histoire d’amour.Un classique de littérature contemporaine…
Blood, Bones and Butter by Gabrielle Hamilton
Blue Nights by Joan Didion
Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed
How to be a Woman by Caitlin Moran
Ca tombe très bien ta note Alex, à Montréal on est en plain Salon de livre. Lis ce roman, tu ne va pas regretter : « La femme au miroir » – Eric Emmanuel Schmitt. Sublime ! xxx
Pfou moi je l’ai trouvé très banal et déjà vu. Il nous a habitué à mieux, je pense notamment à ‘La part de l’autre’.
The End of The Affair – Graham Greene
or anything by David Sedaris! x
En ce moment j’ai
-Orgueil et préjugé de Jane Austen
– Le lien maléfique d’Anne Rice (faut d’ailleurs que je m’achète la suite)
– La mort s’invite à Pemberley
– Entretien avec un vampire d’Anne Rice
Elle est trop bien Anne Rice, mais il faut aimer le fantastique.
just kids by patti smith
anna karenina —pevear & volokhonsky translation
middlesex by jeffrey eugenides
haruki murakami !
Rather random and eclectic, but all favourites, must-reads:
The Waves/Mrs Dalloway/To the Lighthouse – Virginia Woolf
Written on the Body – Jeanette Winterson
The Last Flight of the Flamingo – Mia Couto
East of Eden – John Steinbeck
The House of Spirits – Isabel Allende
Kafka on the Shore – Murakami
The Unbearable Lightness of Being – Milan Kundera
LA COULEUR DES SENTIMENTS !!!
Dois-je en rajouter un après la liste me précédant?
Je le fais parce qu’il vaut vraiment le coup : “le goût du bonheur : Gabrielle”, suivi de “le goût du bonheur : Adélaïde” et de “le goût du bonheur : Florent”.
Une histoire presque banale qui nous conte la vie d’une famille moderne au XIXè siècle au Canada, on suit avec envie leurs joies comme leurs tourments. Entre histoire d’amour, romans historiques et mode on ne le lit pas, on le dévore!!
Just Kids – Patti Smith
Wild – Cheryl Strayed
Tiny Beautiful Things – Cheryl Strayed
I’ve reread all three – which I never say about any books.
I also liked, Chef. For mysteries the best is Jo Nesbo, all his books are good. Also, Dark Star Safari by Paul theroux
Fitzgerald – Gatsby le magnifique
H.Laurie – Tout est sous contrôle
Gogol – les Âmes Mortes
“Les Ames Mortes” est franchement parfait, juste, dans l’air du temps et en même temps légèrement décalé comme j’aime. “Tout est sous contrôle”, acheté à l’origine juste pour son auteur, il se révèle détendant, profont et drôle en même temps. Puis Gatsby parce que Gatsby quoi!
Des livres de Modiano, toujours !
Le dernier en date : L’Herbe des nuits, paru en octobre.
Right now I have and recommend –
Madame Bovary- the newer fantastic translation by Lydia Davis
God Delusion- Richard Dawkins
Gone Girl- Gillian Flynn
The Year of Magical Thinking- Joan Didion
Imaginative, un-pretentious, set in Japan, completely myserious and amazing!
THE WIND UP BIRD CHRONICLE – HARUKI MURAKAMI
Great post idea, Alex! So much to learn from everyone:) It’s a bit late but I want to add my humble opinion about this. Richard Ford’s trilogy es absolutely worth-reading, you just get to love his character Frank Bascombe.
Pharrell – Places and Spaces I’ve Been”
Tous les livres de Henry Miller
Tolstoy – “War and Peace” et “Anna Karina”
Fitzgerald – “Tender Is thé Night”
Dany Laferrière – “Comment Faire l’amour avec une Nègre sans se fatiguer”
Une biographie de Clarice Lispector et une autre de Lou Andréa Salomé, la muse de Nietzche, Freud et Rilke… Un bonheur de lire la vie de ces femmes !!!
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith is a great book about first love!
Guerre et Paix de Tolstoï :-)
“The bean trees” by Barbara Kingsolver. Set in the American southwest of Tucson, AZ., Also, for a good trash read, “The racketeer” by John Grisham.
Le Sari Rose, la vie de Sonia Gandhi… very inspiring !
Génial le sari rose! Moi aussi, j’ai adoré!
Des romans :
_ Anna Karénine – Tolstoï
_ Le jardin des Finzi Contini – Bassani
_ Le Club des incorrigibles optimistes, Guenassia
Des livres de photo :
_ Les désirs sont déjà des souvenirs, Claude Nori (éditions contrasto)
_ Presents, Paul Graham (Mack)
D’autres livres :
_ Catalogue d’expo Edward Hopper
_ Catherine II, un âge d’or pour la Russie (Fayard)
Etc, etc, etc.
The Language of Flowers is an amazing and powerful book!
“How to Make Love Like a Pornstar” by Jenna Jameson!!! No but really..
Moi, à ce moment-là j’suis en train de lire “Manette Salomon” Edmond et Jules de Goncourt, pour moi c’est genial, art, littérature, Paris, un peu de tout.
The Alchemist by Paulo Coehlo.
Game of Thrones – who would have thought!?
Fiction:
– Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World (Haruki Murakami)
– An Equal Music (Vikram Seth)
– The Neverending Story (Michael Ende)
– The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint Exupery)
Short stories:
– anything by Guy de Maupassant
– The Four Million (O. Henry)
Non-fiction:
– Quiet: the Power on Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking (Susan Cain)
– The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat (Oliver Sacks)
– Born To Run (Christopher McDougall)
Salut Garance ;)
Je suis désolée de te proposer encore un livre à lire après tous ceux que tu as déjà eu avant moi !
Je voulais te conseiller Ensemble, c’est tout ! d’Anna Gavalda, C’est un livre magnifique qu’on ne peut pas lâcher :P
Bonne lecture
Azinute ?
“Ce que le jour doit à la nuit” de yasmina khadra, l’auteut de “l’attentat” et des “hiondelles de kaboul”, un homme qui ecrit ous le pseudo de sa femme..
L’histoire de l’algerie francaise, de la guerre et du depart des pieds-noirs, raconté àtravers les yeux d’un enfant arabe qui tombe amoureux d une petite francaise…
Le film a ete adapté au cinema, avec nora azedener
Magnifique, à lire!
by the talented and handsome hemingway
a moveable feast
a dangerous summer
Bonjour Garance,
Je te conseille:
LA VERITE SUR L’AFFAIRE HARRY QUEBERT de JOEL DICKER.
Jeune auteur suisse de 27 ans Joël Dicker a été couronné par le grand prix du roman de l’Académie française.
Bonne lecture!
twice born – Margaret Mazzantini
I’ve never read a book more beautiful than this… if you haven’t time to read it, you see the film, it is so strong and so beautiful …
Hi Alex!
Nice to see you and Em posting, while Garance is off at Sanitarium (ok The Standard Hotel…same thing)…a beautiful place to help her recover sanity after fashion faux pas). Too soon?
Shout out to G: You’ll be fine….you’re French., Style DNA will fully recover. Hey,we all have ‘off’ days. But Garance, and I say this with great affection, “your’s was a doozy”! Be kind to yourself. We all love and forgive you. Get well soon!
Alex,….”Four Seasons in Rome”: Anthony Doerr.
I started it at 5ish one evening, went straight through to 6 or 7 am.
started that sllllloooooowww read about halfway through, that you do when you don’t want a book to end. Then began copying long passeges into old school notebooks, just because it was so pleasurable to write his words, …new stall tactic. Then i read it again.
It will keep you warm. Enjoy!
annabella
Je lis Toqué! Les artisans d’une gastronomie québécoise
Les images sont magnifiques, le livre ouvre l’appétit et oblige à une réflexion la place de la gastronomie québécoise ainsi que sur le travail des producteurs quant au résultat final servi sur table. Gé-nial.
http://vimeo.com/43546384
dans les livres que j’ai lu dernièrement :
Les visages – Jesse Kellerman
Le bal des Maudits – Irwin Shaw
Le club des incorrigibles optimistes – Jean-Michel Guenassia
Je lis principalement dans le métro et le RER (ah ! la vie parisienne !) ça me permet de moins m’énerver quand j’entend ” notre train est momentanément arrêté ” ou ” suite à un incident voyageur, le traffic sur la ligne est perturbé ” !
Hey Alex,
PS Thanks for recommendation of “Yes Chef”! I can’twait to read it.
My first “real” job out of college was as a PR assistant. at the now famous Culinary Institute of America (CIA), when the foodie movement was just beginning to take off…mid 70’s. Ancient history,I know. But it was quite heady stuff for a small town girl to be thrust into that world of top chefs with huge personalities and noterity….and deal with all the press that was suddenly on the trail of this ‘new foodie’ phenomenem. All took place improbably at a former huge castlelike Jesuit Seminary on the Hudson. I was a complete know nothing,,,but let me tell those jesuits had built the perfect wine cellar which ’21’, and Restaurant Associates stocked with the world’s finest. Every single day, i had lunch with some restaurant critic or food writer, tv show, dignitary or budding foodie of note…and thought nothing of enjoying bottle after bottle ofchateau Talbot.’64….and the finest food then available….pretty much anywhere in America. I learned fast;). It was a dream job, and getting to know the Chefs (most retired from European restaurants)…who were now teaching, working practically part-time by industry standards was enlightening Have never personally come across a profession that is so demanding and yet so beloved and attracts such a vast variety of humans. Must be the food.
I just remembered that Garance’s father is a Chef…so a world she knows intimately. I’m very excited to read…”YES CHEF”. Just the title gives me chills, having heard and said that phrase a zillion times. Greatly appreciate the recommendation.
Thanks Alex,
Great idea. Smells like a book club in the jelling! We all miss our bookstores,and are jealous of yours;)!
Annabella
Kathy Reichs – 206 Bones
Stieg Larsson – The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets Nest
Lavender Youko – Persephone
Robert Ludlum – The Bourne Dominion
Rules of civility (Amor Towles). L’equivalent coin du feu d’un vrai bon roman de plage.
“Home” de Toni Morrison…Une écriture si belle, une histoire si poignante! Et je le trouve plus facile à lire que d’autres titres de cette auteure.
Allez, on se limite juste à 3 (non, parce que chez moi, c’est comme qui dirait envahi de livres) :
* “C’était en mai, un samedi” David Lelait-Helo, parce que Dalida me touche.
* “Rien n’est trop beau” de Jaffe Rona. Parce qu’un “sex in the city” des années cinquante écrit pendant les années cinquante, cela donne des petites perles comme des meilleures amies qui se VOUVOIENT.
* “Ne tirez pas sur l’oiseau moqueur” de Harper Lee. Un classique découvert récemment et que j’ai adoré : le style, le point de vue narratif, l’histoire. Et la claque, pourquoi je ne suis pas comme Atticus ? Les connaissances à qui je n’en ai pas encore offert un exemplaire en recevront un à Noël.
Et sous mon lit, pour le soir, “Simple Diary, livre 1” en version rouge de Philippe Keel.
The Invisible Bridge – Julie Orringer – FANTASTIC.
Anna Karenina – Tolstoy. Trying to read before the movie comes out.
The Night Circus – Erin Morgenstern
The Book Thief – Markus Zusak
Game of Thrones series
Beautiful Ruins – Jess Walter – Save for the beach, a quick read.
Très bonne idée de proposer des livres. J’ai vu recommander des livres que j’ai aimé moi aussi de Yasmina Khadra, Harper Lee ainsi que des grands classiques.
En ce moment je lis et j aime beaucoup The Spinoza problem by Irvin Yalom
En ce moment je suis au milieu de Fifty shades of grey… Le livre fait tellement parlé de lui que ca a piqué m’a curiosité ! Pour le moment il est à la hauteur de sa réputation :) On verra par la suite…
bon ce n’est pas très original mais moi j’ai vraiment adoré la série des Hunger Games.
alors si tu ne l’a pas encore lu, je te la conseille vivement!
Books on my floor, actually, that never get put away:
Craig Nelson’s Rocket Men: The Epic Story of the First Men on the Moon (non-fiction about NASA and Apollo 11)
Steven Pressfield’s Gates of Fire (historical fiction about the Spartans at the Battle of Thermopylae)
Richard Preston’s Wild Trees (non-fiction regarding tree ecology/aboriculture; the descriptions of tree climbing are remarkably well-done)
Neil Gaiman’s Fragile Things (a collection of short fantasy/sci-fi stories and poems)
and Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series are always hilarious and enjoyable (i think Monstrous Regiment might be my favorite, but that changes daily). Really, i would recommend anything by any of those authors.
The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath
Never Let Me Go — Kazuo Ishiguro
The Casual Vacancy — J.K. Rowling
The Portable Dorothy Parker
A Song of Ice and Fire Series — George R.R. Martin
Sort of a last years read, but I couldn’t put down 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami. I usually read on the bus, but this one, I would hurry home from the bus stop and continue once at my apartment.
Je viens de finir “The Casual Vacancy” de JK Rowling, que je ne recommande pas : l’écriture et le rythme sont beaucoup moins soignés que dans les “Harry Potter”, et ça verse un peu dans le sensationnalisme. Cependant ce n’est pas entièrement dépourvu d’intérêt, comme étude sociale et anthropologique.
Je viens de commencer à relire pour la 3ème fois “The Hobbit”, merveilleux.
Recommandation perpétuelle : “Bel-Ami” de Maupassant, “Une page d’amour” de Zola, “La Promesse de l’aube” de Gary, “Suite française’ de Némirovsky…
Bonne lecture !
Je viens de relire les nouvelles et romans de Stefan Zweig, ça me donne des frissons.
Allez, lisez-le!
Cousin Bette by Balzac – fantastic intrigue and what prose!
anything by Saul Bellow but particularly Herzog and Humbold’s Gift
also anything by Nabokov – particularly Lolita – Ada or Adour – brilliant.
I’m just starting Euginides Middlesex – seems good.
Pour éclater de rire “Queue de Poisson” de Carl Hiaassen
Le “Just Kids” de Patti Smith est une pure merveille.
Le brillant et intrigant “Méthode Schpenhauer” d’Irvin Yalom
“Une année studieuse” d’Anne Wiazemsky qui raconte sa rencontre et son mariage avec JL Godard dans le Paris juste avant 68.
L’envoûtant et subtil Murakami avec “1Q84” ou “Kafka sur le rivage”
“Rien ne s’oppose à la Nuit” de Delphine de Vigan, une livre émouvant, puissant, inoubliable.
“Limonov” d’Emmanuel Carrère pour le style et le personnage incroyable que l’on découvre : poète, butler, écrivain, garde du corps, engagé dans la guerre en ex-Yougoslavie, opposant à Poutine….
Et un BD exceptionnelle qui se déroule au Quai d’Orsay quand Dominique de Villepin est le flamboyant ministre des Affaires Étrangères tout simplement appelée “Quai d’Orsay”.
You Came Back – Christopher Coake
beautiful book by Margaret Mazzantini, Twice Born (and read it before you see the movie) . I just love all of her books.
I can’t wait to read Yes, Chef too! I was totally blown away by the excerpt Vogue published a few months back- as well as that amazing photo of Marcus and his gorgeous wife! Might add that to my reading list while I’m traveling in December.
At the moment, can’t wait to get started on World War Z, which a friend has sent me on e-book. I’m also hoping to finish my copy of Joseph Campbell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces while re-reading Robin McKinley’s Spindle End – the best retelling of Sleeping Beauty that I’ve yet to read and a must-read for fans of L.M. Montgomery!
“Master and Margarita” by Bulgakov (my favorite book)
Anything by Coelho
Anything by Anna Gavalda
Short stories by Akutagawa
Mon livre de l’année : “Et puis Paulette…” de Barbara Constantine.
Croyez moi sur paroles un hymne à la vie !
Lectures préférées 2012:
¨Le rapport de Brodeck¨ de Philippe Claudel (triiiiste mais magnifiquement écrit)
¨Un brillant avenir¨ de Catherine Cusset
¨Le Club des Incorrigibles Optimistes¨ de Jean-Michel Guenassia
à lire absolument!
‘The 100 year old man who climbed out of the window and disappeared’ by Jonas Jonasson. Inspiring characters in an absurd journey through Sweden and through history.
My book of the year: Mr Penumbra’s 24 hour Bookstore by the ever incredible Robin Sloan.
Read it! You won’t believe how hip, funny and cleverly modern it is!
Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Shteyngart
Zeitoun by Dave Eggers
I was dying to have Moomin stories by Tuve Jansson ever since I was a child and my favourite book just fell apart ’cause I used to reread it so often. I’ve been thinking ’bout buying it but there was always something in the way and yesterday, finally, I bought it!!
All Moomin stories in one huge book) With same illustrations from my childhood)
Auteur Norvégienne > Anna B. Radge : La terre des mensonges (1er bouquin de la trilogie…)
The Beautiful and Damned by Fitzgerald
fragments de marylin monroe
l’Alchimiste de paul cohelo
Tout Sagan, parfait pour l’hiver.
Tout madame Fontanel quand elle est sérieuse, c’est du soleil en lettres.
Et Maupassant, comme une couette dans une vieille maison de fa,mille.
Et une suggestion (très) perso. Pour mieux connaitre le next Givenchy boy (selon les rumeurs, le torero Jose Maria Manzanares), cet excellent livre : http://www.amazon.fr/Peajes-Carretera-Jose-Mari-Manzanares/dp/8472904679/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1353336426&sr=8-1
My Life in France by Julia Child is one of the best books I’ve read in recent years. Very inspiring!
Hi Alex,
I’m currently reading “The buddha of suburbia” from Hanif Kureshi and I love it! It is clever and really funny.
Otherwise, I could recommend you my big favorites:
“Bonfire of the vanities” by Tom Wolfe
“The master and Marguerite” by Mikhail Boulgakov
“The demon” from Hubert Selby Jr.
“Dalva” from Jim Harrison
“The dying animal” from Philip Roth
“Au delà de cette limite votre ticket n’est plus valable” from Romain Gary
“L’etranger” from Albert Camus
“Address unknown” from Kathrine Kressmann Taylor
xoxo
Here are a few that no one seems to have mentioned, but are wonderful nevertheless. These two ladies are excellent writers and you can’t go wrong with anything they’ve written! But, ut these are my recommendations:
– A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan *I think you will like this very much.* Plus, she’s from Brooklyn ;-) Give it a Google. Oh here… http://www.amazon.com/Visit-Goon-Squad-Jennifer-Egan/dp/0307477479/ref=la_B000AQ783G_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1353969103&sr=1-1
– Veronica by Mary Gaitskill (novel) Bad Behavior (short stories) As per Wikipedia, quite accurately “Her fiction typically is about female characters dealing with their own inner conflicts, and her subject matter matter-of-factly includes many “taboo” subjects such as prostitution, addiction, and sado-masochism. Gaitskill says that she herself had worked as a stripper and call girl.” This is not lameass suburban-housewife “erotica”. Her perspective is so intriguing, Garance! Its not about the titilation of taboo; its about the clear & crisp expression of the humanity that exists in these situations. She’s addictive! I recommend you start with Bad Behavior… Here ya go: http://www.amazon.com/Mary-Gaitskill/e/B000APECUY/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1353969174&sr=1-2-ent
– All You Need To Be Impossibly French by Helena Frith-Powell A British woman attempts to be a Frenchie! This one is just for fun, but if you read it you MUST tell us how much of it is true!
Happy Reading, my dear!
– Le Dieu des petits riens, Arundathi Roy
– L’art de la joie, Goliarda Sapienza
– Tout est illuminé, Jonathan Safran Foer
– Le guépard, Lampedusa
– La Storia, Elsa Morante
– Chien Blanc, Romain Gary
Allez, je m’arrête là, mais ils sont tous géniaux! Si je devais en choisir un ce serait L’art de la joie (toutes celles à qui je l’ai passé l’ont adoré, de ma grand-mère à ma meilleure copine)
bises!
How to be a woman by Caitlin Moran
A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth
– Eloge de l’ombre de Junichirô Tanizaki
C’est, en fait, une éloge au Japon, à l’élégance et à la pureté. Il se lit en quelques heures (pardon, il s’avale en quelques heures) mais on y pense pendant longtemps!
P.
Three of my favourite book ever:
High fidelity – Nick Hornby
Memoirs of a geisha – Arthur Golden
One day – David Nicholls
baci,
CRIS
I highly recommend a selection of poetry by Rumi. The Persian mystic delves into the full fervor of love and divine oneness. Reading this inspired verse is to float atop the clouds!
Enjoy!
My last good read was the Art of Racing In The Rain by Garth Stein. Told from the point of view of a dog! I have a dog, and so I so so so love it!
Right now, I’m reading Extremely Close and Incrdibly Loud by Jonathan Foer. Still starting so I can’t comment much yet. Up next is Adventure Capitalist by Conor Woodman, just because I think Conor’s such a cutie. Haha! ;)
A lire absolument, je n’ai pas posé ce livre pendant une semaine, Joël Dicker – La vérité sur l’affaire Harry Quebert. Il a reçu le prix Goncourt des Lycéens 2012 et a été couronné par le Grand Prix du Roman de l’Académie française. En plus l’auteur est Genevois :)
Bonne lecture et bonnes vacances à toute l’équipe.
My reading experience of the year: War and Peace by Tolstoj!
Alltime classic and my only bible: Smilla’s Sense of Snow by Peter Höeg! I.ve only read it 5 or 6 times but it’s truly a breathtaking story, set in Denmark and Greenland during one Christmas. I am Smilla.
Anything by Dickens is Great (Bleak House and A Tale of Two Cities especially). Adored Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantle and I will read the sequel Bring Up the Bodies over Christmas. Secret suggestion: Stuart – A Life Backwards by Alexander Masters! It’s a biography and it will change your life. Merry Xmas!
State of Wonder by Ann Patchett.
Hope Davis reads it in an audiobook also.
Just Kids – Patti Smith
Right now I am reading the novel “The Elegance of the Hedgehog” (L’Élégance du hérisson) Muriel Barbery, I recomend it.
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