Can you recommend a book?

Kristingj · Post by **Kristingj** » February 12th, 2012, 2:20 am

Right now, I have a job where I can listen to an audiobook, but I am having difficulties finding one... odd, I know. But I am in a bit of a down mood, and I need something feel-good, like "The Secret garden". But I haven't been able to find one... or several. I have tried out some collections of shorter works, but can only seem to find stories that make me sad.
So I need some suggestions on books that might lift my mood, and keep me through 8-hours work days.

Books listened to:
- The Melting of Molly. by Maria Thompson Davies
- The Enchanted Barn by Grace Livingston Hill
- Told After Supper by Jerome K. Jerome
- Patricia Brent, Spinster by Herbert Jenkins
- A Spinner in the Sun by Myrtle Reed
- The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim
- The Adventures of Sally by P. G. Wodehouse

Books yet to listen to:
- The Calico Cat by Charles Miner Thompson
- Perfect Behavior by Donald Ogden Stewart
- The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens
- The King of Schnorrers by Israel Zangwill
- Brenda, Her School and Her Club by Helen Leah Reed
- Miss Ashton's New Pupil by Sarah Stuart Robbins
- A New England Girlhood: Outlined From Memory by Lucy Larcom
- The Money Moon by Jeffery Farnol
- The Awful German Language by Mark Twain
- The Prisoner of Zenda by Anthony Hope
- The Agony Column by Earl Derr Biggers
- Right Ho, Jeeves by P.G.Wodehouse
- My man Jeeves by P.G.Wodehouse
- The Cricket on the Hearth by Charles Dickens
- Queen Lucia by E. F. Benson
- The Girl on the Boat by P.G. Wodehouse
- Heidi by Johanna Spyri
- Some Experiences of an Irish R.M. by Edith Œnone Somerville and Martin Ross
- The Wrong Box by Robert Louis Stevenson and Lloyd Osbourne
- The Grace Harlow Books by Jessie Graham Flower
- The Cricket on the Hearth by Charles Dickens
- Kim by Rudyard Kipling
- Anything Once by Douglas Grant (aka Isabel Ostrander)
- White Fang by Jack London
- The Call of the Wild by Jack London
- Greener than you think by Ward Moore

And, of course, the Staff picks

Post by **Availle** » February 12th, 2012, 2:32 am

The Melting of Molly. Whom do I choose? I just loved it.
http://librivox.org/the-melting-of-molly-by-maria-thompson-daviess/

The Calico Cat. How far can a lie go? Partially laugh-out-loud funny.
http://librivox.org/the-calico-cat-by-charles-miner-thompson/

In general, you may want to have a look at the staff-picks: (sorry for the self-promotion...

)
http://wiki.librivox.org/index.php/Staff_Picks

carolb · Post by **carolb** » February 12th, 2012, 3:30 am

Sorry to hear you're feeling down, Kristin.

Here's one that had me laughing out loud while I was doing housework!
http://librivox.org/perfect-behavior-by-donald-ogden-stewart/

You're doing a great job here at LV - thank you!

Carol

Carolin · Post by **Carolin** » February 12th, 2012, 3:33 am

i always check the staff picks, you always do a great job there, ava

id recommend mystery stories -- they usually keep you entertained without too much heartbreak? if you do thing you need some happy end love story kind of thing try a spinner in the sun. one of my favorite romances ever i think. i did bc it so please flag this also as self-promotion

CK

eta: and thanks carol, i just downloaded perfect behavior, since i believe i am myself a "lady in a social 'crises'".. lets see if this helps me any

carolb · Post by **carolb** » February 12th, 2012, 3:46 am

Well. I hope it cheers you up too, Carolin

Carol

Kristingj · Post by **Kristingj** » February 12th, 2012, 3:56 am

Availle wrote:The Melting of Molly. Whom do I choose? I just loved it.
http://librivox.org/the-melting-of-molly-by-maria-thompson-daviess/

The Calico Cat. How far can a lie go? Partially laugh-out-loud funny.
http://librivox.org/the-calico-cat-by-charles-miner-thompson/

In general, you may want to have a look at the staff-picks: (sorry for the self-promotion... )
http://wiki.librivox.org/index.php/Staff_Picks

Thanks! I'll try out Molly first, sounds very sweet:D
And I haven't heard about staff pics before, so thanks:)

Kristingj · Post by **Kristingj** » February 12th, 2012, 4:00 am

carolb wrote:Sorry to hear you're feeling down, Kristin.

Here's one that had me laughing out loud while I was doing housework!
http://librivox.org/perfect-behavior-by-donald-ogden-stewart/

Thanks, I'll try it out:)
I'm in this place in my life where I'm not really sure where to go next. I have a bachelor degree, but I'm wondering if it was the right one to take, and all in all I just want to find a job that I can enjoy and gives me some energy instead of just sucking the life out of me (yes, I tend to be dramatic:P). I managed to stay in a life sucking job for a year before I had to throw on the towel...

carolb wrote:You're doing a great job here at LV - thank you!

Carol

Thank you

Kristingj · Post by **Kristingj** » February 12th, 2012, 4:02 am

Carolin wrote:i always check the staff picks, you always do a great job there, ava

id recommend mystery stories -- they usually keep you entertained without too much heartbreak? if you do thing you need some happy end love story kind of thing try a spinner in the sun. one of my favorite romances ever i think. i did bc it so please flag this also as self-promotion

Thanks!!
How's the pan working? Did you manage to make the rise-thingy?
And how's the classes coming? Let me know if you need some help with the Norwegian:P

RuthieG · Post by **RuthieG** » February 12th, 2012, 4:22 am

If you want a laugh, try Told after Supper by Jerome K. Jerome.

Also shameless self-promotion... but it is so very funny.

Ruth

Starlite · Post by **Starlite** » February 12th, 2012, 5:05 am

A nice feel-good story

The Enchanted Barn

Nice rich guy falls in love with intelligent poor girl and changes her life.

Esther

Kristingj · Post by **Kristingj** » February 12th, 2012, 5:29 am

RuthieG wrote:If you want a laugh, try Told after Supper by Jerome K. Jerome.

Also shameless self-promotion... but it is so very funny.

Ruth

Starlite wrote:A nice feel-good story

The Enchanted Barn

Nice rich guy falls in love with intelligent poor girl and changes her life.

Esther

Thank you both! I'm almost looking forward to go back to work tomorrow:D

Lucy_k_p · Post by **Lucy_k_p** » February 12th, 2012, 12:14 pm

I think the Pickwick Papers is pretty hilarious.

Also The King of Schnorrers is very funny.

miss stav · Post by **miss stav** » February 12th, 2012, 1:46 pm

Hi Kristin,
sorry to hear that you are feeling down. I do understand you about the job problem. You know? It's the people who make or brake your day, not only the job itself.
Feel good storys for... Let's see. Are you in the mood for a few school storys? If you are, you have:
* The Grace Harloey books (lovely, funny, perfect for a distraction.)
* Brenda, her School and Her Club (more mature and realistic.)
* Miss Ashton's New Pupil (simply beautiful.)
* May be A New England Girlhood might sute you.
But the first book I thought about when reading your post was Pride And Prejudice. I found it so funny. There are so many versions of it, and I'm sure there'll be many more in the future, so you have a choice.

Post by **chocoholic** » February 12th, 2012, 8:36 pm

Here are a few others for you (and I am not being very original, I think I've recommended all these before but I don't care, I like them):

Patricia Brent, Spinster -- young woman making her own way in London shanghais a young man into pretending to be her fiance; hijinks ensue. Some wistful passages but very funny overall and of course has a happy ending.

The Money Moon -- a lighthearted and goodhearted romance

The Awful German Language -- this had me laughing out loud in the car. I can't remember if you know German but it is funniest if you have studied it (or tried to).

The Prisoner of Zenda -- swashbuckling escapism

And there was one other romance that I can't for the life of me remember the name of but I'll post back if it comes to me. Something about an American in London and a newspaper ad. (Big help, I know

)

p.s. Ditto Melting of Molly (loved it) and Pride and Prejudice... I haven't read the others in this thread but now I have my eye on them too.

edited 45 min later to add: The Agony Column. That was the one with the newspaper ad. I knew I'd remember it eventually.

So did you want romances? Most of us seem to be skewing that way for you.

Kristingj · Post by **Kristingj** » February 12th, 2012, 10:34 pm

first of all, thanks to everyone:)

miss stav wrote:
But the first book I thought about when reading your post was Pride And Prejudice. I found it so funny. There are so many versions of it, and I'm sure there'll be many more in the future, so you have a choice.

Ahh... I have to admidt I am sceptical. I tried sense and sensebility, listened to 15 chapters before I just had to leave it.

chocoholic wrote: So did you want romances? Most of us seem to be skewing that way for you.

Well, I don't mind it, if that's what you mean:P