Monday, February 11, 2008

I Owe You

Wow, you folks have really outdone yourselves. When I ask for something you really come through. Okay, what I need now is a job or $10,000 cash to jump start my felt stuffed animal business. Ready...go!

I LOVED reading through all of your book recommendations. Do you think there's a job out there that I can just sit and listen to people talk about the books they love or hate. Like a professional book club moderator or something? I promise to bring really good snacks. Anyone who has been to one of my book clubs knows this to be true.

For your enjoyment I will now break down your recommendations into several different categories:

(In my heart, I have italicized all of these titles, like a good girl, but it's just too exhausting to do it in reality. So just imagine it, okay.)

Books I've Already Read:
Pride & Prejudice (love); Persuasion (love); the Hitchhiker's Guide series (oh the laughing, love); The Kite Runner (Nearly drown in a pool of my own tears, love); The Chosen (Did you know that this is one of my all time faves? Have you read Davitas Harp? Do.); Les Miserables (love); A Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime (Very interesting. Love); Lord of the Rings (I wanted to take a nap after all that walking and tree poetry); Chronicles of Narnia (love); Great Gatsby (love); Cold Mountain and Thirteen Moons (loved both, but Cold Mountain more.); Green Eggs and Ham (I would eat it on a train); The Princess Bride (wove).

Books I've Been Meaning to Read but Have Forgotten About Because I Have a Memory Like Unto a Goldfish:
The Brothers Karamazov; The Count of Monte Cristo (own it); Bel Canto (own it); Gone With the Wind; Crime & Punishment (Enough with the Russians already!); Cold Comfort Farm ("There'll be no butter in Hell!" Golly, I love this movie.); Atlas Shrugged; 1776; Three Cups of Tea.

Books That I Will Be Picking Up At the Library, Even Though I Probably Would Never Have Looked At Them Unless Someone Had Recommended Them, Which, Thankfully, You Have:
Coast Road; Wild Swans; Coming of Age in Mississippi; Guests of the Sheik; A Very Small Farm; Best American Short Stories 2007; Bound on Earth; The Spirit Catches You & You Fall Down; the Enders Shadow series (oh, and I have read Ender's Game so I'll be in the know); The Way West; Partly Cloudy Patriot; Manhunt; Me and Marley (Seriously, a dog book? Okay, if you say so.) The Wisdom of Crowds; World Without End; A Year in Provence; Debbie Macomber's non-smutty romance novels.

Books That I will Read Just To Get People to Stop Recommending them To Me But Will Probably Love and Will, When Pressed, Sheepishly Admit To It:
The Twilight series.

Books I Will Not be Reading Because It's Very Hard to Read When You're Hiding Under Your Covers With Your Eyes Shut Tight:
IT & The Stand

This is such a fun game! My next post will be my recommendations. Lucky ducks, you.

PS - Don't feel like you have to stop now. If you read a great book please let me know. And if you didn't get a chance to share your recommendations, there's still time! Don't be shy.

9 comments:

Wendy said...

So Rachel, I really think now is the perfect opportunity to discuss my proposed business venture of the handmade baby stuff web site. Are you by any chance a talented web page designer, or have the desire to become one in your spare time? I'm paying for hosting on my business site even though there is nothing there! Anyway, that has nothing to do with book recommendations. I am sorely tempted to add my two cents about a few of the books mentioned in this post that you haven't read yet, but no one loves a critic, right? (Let me just say that fictitious nocturnal half humans aren't all they're cracked up to be...)

Amanda said...

Rachel did you get my voice mail about you being an editor? How do you feel about that? Young Adult fiction would be good. Then you could read lots and fast while still enjoying other books and you could have the Georgia books cross your desk and be one of the first to pee your pants laughing. Just a thought?

themayerfamily said...

I agree with Amanda, I think you should consider also a job I thought would be fun, though I don't know how much it pays. I came across it when I lived in Utah. We showed up for a book fair and a lady came out to explain the books and get the kid's interest piqued. So then she tells us that her job is to read lots of books and select them for different book fairs for the kids--and also to make suggestions for the order forms. I thought it sounded great.
I also think Wendy has a great idea. There are tons of mom's who love to shop the cutsy shope online. Wendy, what kind of stuff are you thinking of?

Anonymous said...

You could travel around from festival to festival and set up an Etsy booth. In the summer in Utah there are Cherry days, Strawberry days, Onion days, Pioneer days, Swedish days, and about 50 others. I bet you'd make a killing and could support yourself quite comfortably with the low cost of housing (compared with California) that exists in Utah. We could share a booth and I can sell duct tape wallets.

Chris said...

OK, back to the books. I didn't see "War, What Is It Good For" on your list. I hear that Dad has a copy that you can borrow.

Another book that I forgot to mention was "The Life of Pi" about a young boy who was stranded in a lifeboat with a tiger...or was he? It's one of those books that makes you think, so if you don't want to think, I'd pick something more fun.

rachelsaysso said...

Chris, I've read Life of Pi and loved it. What an amazing book.

I love all these ideas! Wendy - I'm totally in for the website. I'll contact you on the side to work out the details but I'm totally in. And Sara - I'm going to call Scholastic tomorrow and find out if I can have the book fair job. That would pretty much be my dream job. To read kids books and then recommend them. I already pretty much do that for free already.
And Rac - I actually was invited to participate in a boutique out here for Etsy in May. I'm going to give it a shot and see how I do.

Anonymous said...

LOL feel lucky you're not Kyle and have actually read Harry Potter. The poor man must dream of my voice repeating the name over and over.

Side note - you don't have to love them. We'll still be friends.

Ms. Liz said...

what about Stardust? Have you read that? Its so precious and beautifully written. I think you'd love it and I forgot to mention it.

Anonymous said...

Read "IT." It will scare the u-no-wat out of you, but at the same time make you root for the kidz as adults.