I enjoyed The Poisonwood Bible when I read it 15 years ago - from memory it features some plant and animal life and has a similar homesteading vibe to some of the outlander books (havenāt finished that series although enjoyed what I read of it).
Currently reading Demon Copperhead by the same author and itās good (so far). Right now itās autumn and they are cutting tobacco and itās really heavy work - reminded me of your previous comments about harvest season being really tough.
Ooo ok. I think this might be a good bet then. I donāt mind long if itās good. The Pull of the Stars I read in two days and I was not happy to be done so quickly.
Ah, Barbara Kingsolver! Iāve read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle but for some reason Iāve never read her fiction. I will add both of these to my list. Much appreciate it, Ellie!
Hmmm, ok. Interesting! I will add this to my list. Just so long as itās not as haunting as The Future Home of the Living God, also by Erdrich, because that *wrecked* me. Iām still not over actually.
Wow - what a jam-packed thread of book recommendations! For me, what rang out was, āWhat to read after Outlander?ā I think this is a question all fans of Diana Gabaldonās beloved Outlander series are left with.
And here are some other reads I might also recommend:
Pioneer Doctor: The Story of A Womanās Work by Mari Grana
Not so āzingy,ā but a historic story of a real early female American doctor.
Janet Evanovichās books, kind of, maybe just because I was reading them around the same time I started the Outlander series, and because Iām a nerd for writerās process and from interviews I know sheās like a polar opposite:
Where Gabaldon says she writes non-chronologically and in the middle of the night, Evanovich says she writes methodically with coffee at 5am. A totally different feel and setting, but entertaining and prolific: https://evanovich.com. However, while the backbone of her work is strong-willed female leads like Gabaldonās, her work does not have the feeling of the religious or moral theme running through that, to me, drives so much of the power of Gabaldonās work.
Jan Karonās books:
I personally couldnāt get into it, but many readers have recommended Jan Karonās Mitford series for itās uplifting, small town, religious charm: http://www.mitfordbooks.com The are all orange in the versions I have seen, so I think of them when I think of āFallā reading.
Patricia Wredeās The Enchanted Forest Chronicles
Juvenile, yes, but features strong, female characters and wholesome relationships across two generationsāwhich reminds me of Gabaldonās following of Claire and Brianna.
Iām reading The Seas by Samantha Hunt, itās strange & poetic. Maybe dystopian because itās set in a coastal town where alcoholism is rampant, but itās written through the eyes of a love-struck 19 year old mermaid, so š¤·āāļø
I also found Tom Lake by Ann Patchett deeply cozy, especially read on Audible by Meryl Streep. The drama is low, the love is high.
Ok The Seas sounds amazing. Thatās going on my list for sure, and maybe Iāll get it soon actually because Iām going to a coastal town. I have a copy of Tom Lake on hold at the library but now youāve got me wondering if I should just listen to the audiobook. Meryl Streep + Ann Patchett?! Wow. Thank you, Jenni!
Lol you ban suggestions of Sci fi and dystopian fiction so I don't have anything left š¤·āāļø
If you change your mind I really like the Red Rising books by Pierce Brown. Or if you want something dystopian that's eerily similar to real life but very inspiring, Article 5 by Kristen Simmons basically predicted a Trump- like president back when it was published in 2012.
Ha! Thanks all the same! Iām just not sure I can take dystopian right now, but if the urge hits me at least I have some titles for good ones. I think I hit dystopian a little too hard right when things were gettingā¦funky. I think I read Future Home of the Living God by Louise Erdrich and California Edan Lepucki back to back. In 2017. Too much.
Recent books that are future classics: Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow & The Candy House. Dinosaurs by Lydia Millet is a novel in which the climate crisis is present, but not the focus of the book--in a really refreshing way, but it is not a tight plot that is neatly resolved. Kingsolver also does a great job with touching on the issues of the day, but lightly. I really liked Unsheltered and Prodigal summer. If you liked the classics, perhaps you might enjoy Madeline Miller's retelling of Greek myths? Circe and the Song of Achilles were both wonderful. Maggie O'Farrell and Geraldine Brooks do historical fiction so well.
Ok, this is the second time both Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow have come up for me and also Circe. So they and your other suggests are definitely headed to the list. Thank you!
Ok itās fantasy but Olivia Atwaterās book 10,000 stitches is about regency era England and how horrible it was for anyone who wasnāt at the top of society. It has a happy ending and is a lot about labor organizing and also elves! I LOVED it.
The Friend and What are You Going Through both by Sigrid Nunez are my fave novels right now. Her style is all her own except maybe a little Woolfian. Comforting relatable voice. Creative liberties with style. Featuring dogs, cats, beauty and complexities of friendship.
Picky readers unite! I haven't the time or bandwidth for anything short of 'hell yes'. (For example, I just read the beginning and the end of The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah, which may or may not get me kicked out of all book clubs everywhere). Glad to read thru these recommendations! And thank you for reading and sharing my Poetry Journals, it means the world!
Hehehe! I tried The Nightingale years ago when I worked in a library and *everyone* was reading it. I could not get into it, not even enough to be concerned how it ends. So if you get kicked out I definitely will be too. :)
Have you read anything by Barbara Kingsolver?
I enjoyed The Poisonwood Bible when I read it 15 years ago - from memory it features some plant and animal life and has a similar homesteading vibe to some of the outlander books (havenāt finished that series although enjoyed what I read of it).
Currently reading Demon Copperhead by the same author and itās good (so far). Right now itās autumn and they are cutting tobacco and itās really heavy work - reminded me of your previous comments about harvest season being really tough.
I second BK - the poisonwood Bible is one of my favorites, but it is long.
Ooo ok. I think this might be a good bet then. I donāt mind long if itās good. The Pull of the Stars I read in two days and I was not happy to be done so quickly.
Ah, Barbara Kingsolver! Iāve read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle but for some reason Iāve never read her fiction. I will add both of these to my list. Much appreciate it, Ellie!
The sentence by Louise Erdrich was one of my recent fave novels - sort of a ghost story but not in a class spooky sense.
Hmmm, ok. Interesting! I will add this to my list. Just so long as itās not as haunting as The Future Home of the Living God, also by Erdrich, because that *wrecked* me. Iām still not over actually.
I havenāt read that one š¬
It was so good but the ending is massively ambiguous, which I was not prepared for.
Wow - what a jam-packed thread of book recommendations! For me, what rang out was, āWhat to read after Outlander?ā I think this is a question all fans of Diana Gabaldonās beloved Outlander series are left with.
I thought Iād share Dianaās own list: https://dianagabaldon.com/wordpress/resources/the-methadone-list/
I really enjoy keeping up with the the book excerpts on her homepage: https://dianagabaldon.com/wordpress/
And here are some other reads I might also recommend:
Pioneer Doctor: The Story of A Womanās Work by Mari Grana
Not so āzingy,ā but a historic story of a real early female American doctor.
Janet Evanovichās books, kind of, maybe just because I was reading them around the same time I started the Outlander series, and because Iām a nerd for writerās process and from interviews I know sheās like a polar opposite:
Where Gabaldon says she writes non-chronologically and in the middle of the night, Evanovich says she writes methodically with coffee at 5am. A totally different feel and setting, but entertaining and prolific: https://evanovich.com. However, while the backbone of her work is strong-willed female leads like Gabaldonās, her work does not have the feeling of the religious or moral theme running through that, to me, drives so much of the power of Gabaldonās work.
Jan Karonās books:
I personally couldnāt get into it, but many readers have recommended Jan Karonās Mitford series for itās uplifting, small town, religious charm: http://www.mitfordbooks.com The are all orange in the versions I have seen, so I think of them when I think of āFallā reading.
Patricia Wredeās The Enchanted Forest Chronicles
Juvenile, yes, but features strong, female characters and wholesome relationships across two generationsāwhich reminds me of Gabaldonās following of Claire and Brianna.
https://pcwrede.com/pcw-wp/books/enchanted-forest/
Kathleen Raganās Fearless Girls, Wise Women and Beloved Sisters
Episodic, quick reading, but this anthology has been very meaningful to me! I recommend all women to have a copy of it for coffee table reading.
https://www.kathleenragan.com/books-and-anthologies
Happy reading!
What a list! Thank you!
Iām reading The Seas by Samantha Hunt, itās strange & poetic. Maybe dystopian because itās set in a coastal town where alcoholism is rampant, but itās written through the eyes of a love-struck 19 year old mermaid, so š¤·āāļø
I also found Tom Lake by Ann Patchett deeply cozy, especially read on Audible by Meryl Streep. The drama is low, the love is high.
Ok The Seas sounds amazing. Thatās going on my list for sure, and maybe Iāll get it soon actually because Iām going to a coastal town. I have a copy of Tom Lake on hold at the library but now youāve got me wondering if I should just listen to the audiobook. Meryl Streep + Ann Patchett?! Wow. Thank you, Jenni!
Lol you ban suggestions of Sci fi and dystopian fiction so I don't have anything left š¤·āāļø
If you change your mind I really like the Red Rising books by Pierce Brown. Or if you want something dystopian that's eerily similar to real life but very inspiring, Article 5 by Kristen Simmons basically predicted a Trump- like president back when it was published in 2012.
Ha! Thanks all the same! Iām just not sure I can take dystopian right now, but if the urge hits me at least I have some titles for good ones. I think I hit dystopian a little too hard right when things were gettingā¦funky. I think I read Future Home of the Living God by Louise Erdrich and California Edan Lepucki back to back. In 2017. Too much.
Recent books that are future classics: Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow & The Candy House. Dinosaurs by Lydia Millet is a novel in which the climate crisis is present, but not the focus of the book--in a really refreshing way, but it is not a tight plot that is neatly resolved. Kingsolver also does a great job with touching on the issues of the day, but lightly. I really liked Unsheltered and Prodigal summer. If you liked the classics, perhaps you might enjoy Madeline Miller's retelling of Greek myths? Circe and the Song of Achilles were both wonderful. Maggie O'Farrell and Geraldine Brooks do historical fiction so well.
Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow was my beach read this summer. Sooooo gooood
Ok, this is the second time both Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow have come up for me and also Circe. So they and your other suggests are definitely headed to the list. Thank you!
Ok itās fantasy but Olivia Atwaterās book 10,000 stitches is about regency era England and how horrible it was for anyone who wasnāt at the top of society. It has a happy ending and is a lot about labor organizing and also elves! I LOVED it.
Ok, this sounds very intriguing. Labor organizing and a happy ending??? Um, yes please. This is going on my list. Thank you!
The Friend and What are You Going Through both by Sigrid Nunez are my fave novels right now. Her style is all her own except maybe a little Woolfian. Comforting relatable voice. Creative liberties with style. Featuring dogs, cats, beauty and complexities of friendship.
Ooo I looked up both of these and I like the sound of them. Thank you, Jessica!
Thanks so much for sharing!
Picky readers unite! I haven't the time or bandwidth for anything short of 'hell yes'. (For example, I just read the beginning and the end of The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah, which may or may not get me kicked out of all book clubs everywhere). Glad to read thru these recommendations! And thank you for reading and sharing my Poetry Journals, it means the world!
Hehehe! I tried The Nightingale years ago when I worked in a library and *everyone* was reading it. I could not get into it, not even enough to be concerned how it ends. So if you get kicked out I definitely will be too. :)
The nightingale was so overrated š
Haha! Iām feeling like Iām in increasingly good company with my opinion of The Nightingale. :D