I just finished The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh. I will review it in a later post. But here's what I discovered: I liked this book so much that I felt it was better than a 4.0. That got me to thinking (surprised?). How many books have I read that I would rate a 4.5. I came up with a total of 12 - 12 out of 3000-4000! Are you kidding me? So, here they are - in alphabetical order (I know, I'm becoming predictable):
Baldacci, David - Wish You Well
Clavell, James - Shogun
Conroy, Pat - My Losing Season (non-fiction)
Conroy, Pat - South of Broad
Diffenbaugh, Vanessa - The Language of Flowers
Follett, Ken - Pillars of the Earth
Follett, Ken - Winter of the World
Haley, Alex - Roots
King, Steven - 11/22/63
McMurtry, Larry - Lonesome Dove
Michener, James - The Source
Walls, Jeanette - The Glass Castle (non-fiction)
There certainly may be others, but I did go through my 5 FFTNFR lists. And let's not forget that there are many 4.0's that are darn good. But I have to say that these 12 appear to be the cream. Who agrees (and disagrees)?
I've only read 3 of those books, but have been meaning to pick Lonesome Dove up - it was one of my dad's all time favorites.
ReplyDeleteDo you agree or disagree with me on the 3 you did read?
ReplyDeleteLonesome Dove is a 1000-page book that had very little action, but I was disappointed when it ended.
Here is bermudaonion's response.
ReplyDelete"I've read THE LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS, 11/22/63, and THE GLASS CASTLE and I loved every one of them."
Several that may be of similar quality; Consilience, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, The Fencing Master, Genghis Lords of the Bow, and The Evolution Man.
ReplyDeleteI've read 4 of those, The Glass Castle was my favorite, but Roots was a solid 4.5-5 for me. I liked Pillars a lot but didn't love it and I read Wish You Well forever ago and don't really remember much about it so I guess I didn't love it :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for feedback, Stacy. Despite the somewhat mixed results, you won't go wrong with The Language of Flowers.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely agree with you on Language of Flowers. I loved the book but it was not quite a five for me. The ending wrapped up a little too quickly. If forced to round up or down I would go up to a five. The only other book I've read from your list is 11/22/63 and I give that a solid five stars.
ReplyDeleteWish You Well is a little like Language. It's the story of 2 young children from the city who become orphaned and are sent to live with their grandmother in the backwoods of West Virginia. Not everybody loves this book like I do. It's just one of those that really resonated with me, like Language did.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read any of those but now you've made me excited to read Follett's Century Trilogy. Thanks for stopping by my blog!
ReplyDeleteI'll look forward to reading your reviews.
ReplyDelete