Starting with the classics

amother

Mauve

Wed, Oct 03 2018, 7:17 pm

Ok, so I’m a huge reader and read secular books on a daily basis. But I like the “junky” chick lit type of books. Sophie kinsella, Lauren weisberger, etc.
I’d love to cultivate a more sophisticated taste but I’d like to start with the lighter more chick lit-y classics. Suggestions?

P.s. I hate anything that messes with my head psychologically. Like withering heights or any psychological stuff. No Stephen king for me, tyvm!

amother

Magenta

Wed, Oct 03 2018, 7:27 pm

Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
Daddy Long Legs by Jean Webster
The Far Pavilions by M. M. Kaye

(Maybe you would like The Scarlet Pimpernal? I remember thinking it was very romantic when I read it as a teen. But as I recall, it comes across as a bit old fashioned.)

fmt4

Wed, Oct 03 2018, 7:30 pm

Marjorie Morningstar - amazing book and totally fits your category
I capture the castle - same
Jane eyre- a little harder but one of my favorite books of all time once you get into it
Portrait of a lady - also a little slow to get into but once you do...
little women - more juvenile but really good

Mommyg8

Wed, Oct 03 2018, 7:35 pm

Anne of Green Gables, Emily of New Moon. Caddie Woodlawn. Johnny Tremain. These are kid books but I can still read them now.

James Herriot. Agatha Christie. Dorothy Sayers.

To kill a mockingbird.

Erma Bombeck.

Reality

Wed, Oct 03 2018, 7:46 pm

Are you looking for kids books or adult books? Some people are suggesting kids books. I love Anne of green gables but most people read that book in middle school.

I wouldn't call Marjorie Morningstar a classic. I love Herman Wouk but are his books considered classics these days? Anyway I think The Winds of War and its sequel War and Remembrance were better.

Are James Michener's books considered classics as well?

amother

Mauve

Wed, Oct 03 2018, 7:46 pm

I’ve read caddie Woodlawn, johnny tremain, Agatha Christie’s, Anne of gg, erma bombeck, and daddy long legs (LOVED!). I’ve read a lot of these classics, but looking for more. I’m not totally junked out... 😛

Mommyg8

Wed, Oct 03 2018, 7:51 pm

Reality wrote:

Are you looking for kids books or adult books? Some people are suggesting kids books. I love Anne of green gables but most people read that book in middle school.

I know Anne of Green Gables is a kids book, but first, it was originally written for adults, believe it or not. Second, I am considered a reasonably intelligent person by my friends, and I have read both thw Little Women and Anne of Green Gables series well into my adulthood. And enjoyed both series very much. If you last read either of these series in middle school, I suggest you read them again. You may be pleasantly surprised.

Reality

Wed, Oct 03 2018, 7:53 pm

Did you read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn? If you did and you liked it I would recommend Betty Smith's other book Joy in the Morning. Its about a newlywed couple's struggle to find a balance in their relationship.

anon for this

Wed, Oct 03 2018, 7:55 pm

If you're looking for short stories, Saki (H H Munro) is fun. His work is in the public domain and can easily be found online or in e-book form. My favorites are "The Storyteller" and "The Open Window".

Shirley Jackson's books and short stories are also kind of disturbing, especially "The Lottery", but "Charles" is amusing and not scary.

Reality

Wed, Oct 03 2018, 7:57 pm

Mommyg8 wrote:

I agree with you 100%! I have read the entire Anne of green gables series and johnny tremain many times as an adult.

I just wondered if the op wanted more mature books to read.

amother

Magenta

Wed, Oct 03 2018, 8:08 pm

I still reread and love Anne of GG, but I recognize that some of it is probably due to nostalgia. I don't know if I would feel the same way reading it for the first time as an adult, tbh.

OP, if you like a historical epic kind of novel, give Margaret Mitchell or M. M. Kaye a try.
If you want something a bit more classic in the classical sense, maybe "Daniel Deronda" by George Eliot? It grabbed me from the very first page and I had a hard time putting it down when I first read it. Or maybe "Emma" would be a good intro to Jane Austen--easier to get into than P&P as much as I love Mr. Darcy;)

fmt4

Wed, Oct 03 2018, 8:20 pm

Reality wrote:

She said she wanted chick-litty classics. I didn’t think Middlemarch was appropriate lol. I think Herman wouks books are considered classics of a certain era. I also loved the winds of war and war and remembrance but I wouldn’t call them chick-litty!

amother

Mauve

Wed, Oct 03 2018, 8:23 pm

I’ll take Mr. Darcy as Colin Firth only! 😉
I did speed read Emma once to help someone with a college essay.
And I’ve read Anne many many times between the ages of 10 and 18. I’ll revisit for sure.
I’d love to hear some more adult options. Doesn’t have to be authors of yesteryear 😆 (the sound of that!) but any current authors who write classically as well.
Basically, I’d love something that’s a bit challenging as a read, but not too challenging, and that stimulates the brain but is also not-put-downable... sort of like Eytan Kobre in a fiction version!

Reality

Wed, Oct 03 2018, 8:43 pm

fmt4 wrote:

Yes that is true!

Plenty of romance in the winds of war. Maybe OP would go for it?

Last edited by Reality on Wed, Oct 03 2018, 8:45 pm; edited 1 time in total

fmt4

Wed, Oct 03 2018, 8:49 pm

amother wrote:

In terms of contemporary, I absolutely adore jhumpa lahiri’s fiction. She wrote the namesake, which you may have heard of, but I would start with her short story collections- interpreter of maladies is the Pulitzer Prize winning one, but unaccustomed earth is also incredible. It’s mostly vignettes about the lives of first and second generation immigrants from India, but the themes are universal and timeless. I cry at every single story. Highly recommended.
Also if you want a beautiful WWII book- all the light we cannot see is great.

amother

Magenta

Wed, Oct 03 2018, 8:57 pm

Current authors/books?
Carol Snow- her books might be technically chick lit, but always have a bit of hidden depth to them and are quite well written.

Connie Willis- I really like her historical time travel books, would recommend you start with Doomesday Book. Not as morbid as it sounds! Her books always have a blend of humor and drama, and are thought provoking as well.

I recently reread Blackbird House by Alice Hoffman, and it held up pretty well.

devorah1231

Wed, Oct 03 2018, 9:04 pm

The Blue Castle, by LM Montgomery - I LOVE this book
Pride and Prejudice, children's versions are good too. If you can handle the adult version, she wrote other books, and there are tons of great fanfiction stories