Comments on: Top Ten Books I Loved Before I Started Blogging

By: Catherine

Catherine — Wed, 11 Oct 2017 23:58:18 +0000

In reply to Naomi. It was so much fun putting it together. And given the hit or miss year I've had I may be going back to some of these in Nov and Dec!

By: Naomi

Naomi — Wed, 11 Oct 2017 20:45:31 +0000

I have Truth and Beauty, but haven’t read it yet – I didn’t know the woman in the book is Lucy Grealy. Now I’d like to read them both!

I’ve only read 2 of your books – Memoirs of a Geisha and House of Sand and Fog. I love lists like this that remind me of all the good books of the past (many of which are still on my list)!

By: Catherine

Catherine — Fri, 29 Sep 2017 19:46:47 +0000

In reply to Susie | Novel Visits. Autobiography of a Face would be perfect for NF November! And then you could read Ann Patchett's book Truth & Beauty about her friendship with Grealy.

By: Susie | Novel Visits

Susie | Novel Visits — Wed, 27 Sep 2017 03:56:30 +0000

When i first began to read your post, I was thinking that I’d have read most of your pre-blog books, but actually it was only four: The Red Tent, Memoirs of a Geisha, House of Sand and Fog and Ahab’s Wife. Those were such wonderful choices! You definitely have me wanting to read Autobiography of a Face. Maybe in nonfiction November?

Thanks for the shout out. We need to get together and talk books sometime!

By: susan

susan — Tue, 26 Sep 2017 22:29:16 +0000

I have read 5 from your list and they did pretty much blow me out of the water: Red Tent, Memoirs of a Geisha, House of Sand & Fog, Ahab’s Wife, and Hedgehog. All took me into their worlds & spit me out. Great reads!
Christ off the top of my head : pre-blog favorite books: Out of Africa, West With the Night, Atonement, Kite Runner, Where I’m Calling From : Raymond Carver, The Color Purple, Invisible Man, and some Joan Didion thrown in. Ha. Something like that, but maybe I need to check my (old) bookshelf.

By: Catherine

Catherine — Tue, 26 Sep 2017 21:42:03 +0000

In reply to Amanda. Agreed! I love Goodreads for all the bits of paper it allowed me to get rid of. And now, when I hear about a book it goes right on my GR reading list. Geisha is a gorgeous one. I think it's one of the few where I loved the movie as much as the book.

By: Catherine

Catherine — Tue, 26 Sep 2017 21:40:21 +0000

In reply to Sarah's Book Shelves. Sorry not sorry! They're all awesome books- and not too long either. I had to laugh- the pages I photographed of that reading diary has Plum Island on it, which was my first DeMille! I thought of you immediately. The following pages had two or three more of his books!

By: Catherine

Catherine — Tue, 26 Sep 2017 21:38:19 +0000

In reply to Kristin.

Exactly. It’s pretty much what I was reading mid to late 90s and early 2000s.

It’s funny that you mention Poisonwood Bible- it’s on one of the pages of that book in the photo, so I read it around that time.

By: Amanda

Amanda — Mon, 25 Sep 2017 19:57:10 +0000

I love this! I have a book journal just like that somewhere still. I was just glad to ditch the 200 pieces of random paper I’d have with titles. Memoirs of a Geisha is such a great one.

By: Kristin

Kristin — Mon, 25 Sep 2017 18:59:46 +0000

I have 3 of those on my list – Ahab’s Wife, The Red Tent, and Memoirs of a Geisha. I’d add Poisonwood Bible from the same era. Is the list supposed to be pre-blogging but post-classics (like TKAM)?