I love that you have done book reviews from time to time because it motivates me to find time to read in my busy life. Some of my friends and I are talking about starting a book club. Could you provide us with a top-ten “must read for book club” list? (Ones you particularly enjoyed, as well as ones that lend themselves to great discussion.) Thanks!
I have been getting a few similar questions like this lately so here you go:
I wrote a book review about a couple recent favorites back here, {Unbroken and Cutting for Stone} and my general theory with a bunch more details about my favorites is here, but here’s a quick list of books that have created great book club discussions:
My all-time favorite book is The Good Earth. I wrote way more about it back here, but basically it’s an incredible story that takes me into another world and teaches the joy and confidence that hard work brings.
Cold Sassy Tree
Pope Joan
The Thirteenth Tale
Unbroken
East of Eden — This one’s long but really one of my very favorite books about the generations of families and their struggles and triumphs. Loved our discussion about this one too.
The Red Tent
The Glass Castle
Rebecca
Jane Eyre
These is my Words
The Help
I’m dying to ready A Tree Grows in Brooklyn…I’ve heard that one is great too.
I put a picture of each of these books on my side bar. Click on them if you want more information about each book.
Please send other suggestions. I love good book recommendations.
**I can’t believe I forgot The Book Thief. Oh I loved that one. So beautifully written. We had a great discussion about The Great Gatsby too. And The Help. How could I forget that little gem? Wow, there are a lot of good books out there.
i loved unbroken and these is my words!! my recent favorite is moloka'i. book thief is one of my all time favorites!! there's nothing better than a good book!
jen 🙂
you MUST read a tree grows in Brooklyn Shawn. it is my favorite book. you will love it. I can lend you a copy when I come see you next week, if you want 🙂 love you
I also loved Cold Sassy Tree and The Glass Castle, definitely two of my favorites. I just finished Saving CeeCee Honeycutt, and it was really good. It was a cute book with some great messages, and one that I will be reading again!
"Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again…" Rebecca is still my favorite book of all-time and Unbroken was my favorite read from last year. Excellent choices!
Our book club has read most of these books and loved them! I'm off to pick up a couple that we haven't read from the library!!
Thanks for the book list, I'm ready to read again. I will be seeing your parents this weekend,as they will speak at the Museum of the San Rafael. I have always admired your parents and their parenting advice. I linked to your blog a while ago and I enjoy your enthusiasm.
Hi! Haven't commented before but I read your blog often. Thanks for sharing…you are humorous and real! The combination is delightful. You will love "A Tree Grows In Brooklyn". One of my favorites. And "Rebecca" I have always loved. I read it when I was 14. Thanks again for sharing.
The Hiding Place by Corrie TenBoom is a must read…if everyone's okay with sadness. "Uprising" by Margaret Haddix was excellent.
My former book group loved young adult fiction…these were great…The Westing Game, Way Down Deep, and Ella Minnow Pea.
You have some great picks on here! I loved Unbroken, and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is great too. I am a sucker for classics, so my favorite book of all time is The Great Gatbsy. Such beautiful writing. But my very close second favorite took me into Contemporary lit. Peace Like a River by Lief Enger is by far one of the most beautiful stories every written. Every word is gorgeous and it is the story of a family – through and through. It is appropriate for Max and Elle too. I taught it to 11th and 12th graders. Amazing.
How about a guy’s opinion? These are a few of my favorites and not in any particular order. Some of them are older, but I think they are classics.
“My Name is Asher Lev” by Chaim Potok is my favorite of his books (they are all worth a look) – a great look into modern American Jewish culture.
“Three Weeks With My Brother” by Nicholas Sparks – this is NOT A Novel, it’s a memoir and very engaging. I read it and then we listened to it as a family on a trip to Yellowstone and our teenagers and my wife were all fully enrapt in the story. A look at family life, with all of its complexity, challenges and love.
“Mornings On Horseback” by David McCullough – the story of Teddy Roosevelt, and how he was brought up. As a parent, I found this book so encouraging and helpful. And I would recommend all of McCullough’s books – great histories and biographies.
Great reads with children: “From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler”, “Where the Red Fern Grows”, “Charlotte’s Web”, “The Alchemist” . . .
“In Defense of Food” by Michael Pollan – a justification for eating real, healthy food.
“Team of Rivals” by Doris Kearns Goodwin – the story of how Abe Lincoln brought his rivals together into a team to save the nation!
Hi Shawni!
This is Lindsay, your cousin Sam's wife. Thanks for doing a post about books! I've had to read about ten books every three weeks for my MFA program, so I started a blog about books for those who need suggestions for both their kids and themselves:
mayeverywordtell.blogspot.com
I love to promote great books for all ages! Check it out if you need ideas, particularly for books for kids!
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is probably my top favorite book EVER. you will lOVE IT!
I wrote down 2 of these that i haven't read yet!
thanks!
tara
A few other books:
I LOVED…
The Solitaire Mystery: A Novel About Family and Destiny
and
Left to Tell (is good and heart wrenching)
and
Ella Minnow Pea (it's easy, but cute & fun)
PS How did you do the cute little book covers with amazon link on your sidebar?
One of my all time favorites is "The Poisonwood Bible". It's truly an amazing book.
Another question for a future Friday Q&A: Is your community mostly LDS? Do your children have any non-LDS friends? Do you have any non-LDS family members? If so, how do you teach your children to interact with those non-LDS classmates / family? If not, how are you exposing them to people of other faiths? I ask because one of the things I love about reading your blog is how church and life seem to intersect so well- and I have found that to be the case with many LDS friends – they truly socialize and participate in the church throughout the week. Whereas, for many, church is just on Sunday and does not seep into the "rest" of the world. However, the flip side of that is that the LDS communities can sometimes seem very insular to those outside the faith. What are your thoughts, and how to do you maintain a balance?
ooohh i just went to amaazon and ordered a bunch of those and for a couple of dollors.. bargain!!
here are some that i loved
The book thief
Poisonwood bible
sarah's key
the forgotton garden
i just started ' a thousand white women' looks like a good one 🙂
i love getting all these new book ideas!
Some of my favorites (not mentioned):
-My Name is Asher Lev by Chiam Potok
-Fugitive Pieces by Anne Michaels
this is probably the best fictional book I have ever come upon
-Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
I have more but this list goes on and on. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is fantastic!
Happy reading 🙂
Read Crime and Punishment!!! I know it's considered something to read for high school lit class or whatever, but my husband and I read it and couldn't stop talking about it. 🙂 🙂 Another good one to read is called The Giver. It won the Newberry Medal back in the '90s. I read it "for fun" and have re-read it several times…Excellent "thinking" book. 🙂
Great book ideas! I have a question for you: You obviously inspire many women and mothers. I have seen some things on the web that people have obviously take your idea and changed it a little bit. Are you ok with people using your ideas (things for kids, decorating, mission statements, etc)?
I love The Glass Castle too. Have you read the other book written by her? Can't remember the name of it right now. I LOVE A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. It's been one of my favorites for a LONG time. I am reading The Mermaid Chair right now and it's wonderful too.
Love "These is my words"! I recommend the whole series. I think there's 2 or 3 more books that continue the story.
Half Broke Horses is the other book by Jeanette Wells who wrote Glass Castle. I LOVE Funny in Farsi and Laughing with an Accent.
I love "A tree grows in Brooklyn".
The one I'm reading right now which I've heard so many great reviews on is "Tuesdays with Morrie" by Mitch Albom. It is non-fiction which makes it all that more meaningful. A man's former university professor is dying and shares his last words of wisdom with him on Tuesday's. It's very good for teenagers too (my younger sister had to read it for school). Anyway, I have most of the pages marked because it's so beautiful.
Stumbled on your blog a few days ago and love it! Such a good mix of family traditions, decorating, and everyday life! Great book list, some that I have read and love and some that I will add to my list! Thanks for sharing :). P.S. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is on my top 5 list – read it for sure!
I'll join with others in my praise of "A Tree Grows In Brooklyn". I love all the suggestions here. I need to get a pen and paper and make a list. If you enjoy "The Giver", you should also read "Gathering Blue" by the same author. "The Graveyard Book" (newberry award) is awesome too. All the suggestions here are good. Yay!
So funny because I'm currently reading 'These is my words' and I do like it very much.
I believe I have read all of the books you've suggested and liked all of them. I'm particularly fond of Unbroken and Rebecca.
You'll love 'A Tree Grows in Brooklyn'. I've read it twice (I rarely do that) because it was so fabulous.
I also loved The Book Thief. Here are a few wonderful books I didn't see mentioned in your comments…
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows — abolutely lovely!
Wait Till Next Year by Doris Kearns Goodwin
Little Heathens (I don't recall the author) a wonderful memoir of a childhood during the depression.
Glass Castle is one of my favorite books! A teacher I was close to years ago recommended I read it, and it inspired me so much, having come from a similar background. Right now, however, I'm currently most of the way through East of Eden and LOVING it!
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
i forgot about that one, i loved it too!!!!!!!!
My recommendation is "The Ladies Auxiliary" by Tova Mirvis. It's about a close knit orthodox Jewish group in Memphis and the precarious relationship between the ladies and their teenage daughters. It's warm, enchanting, and funny. I loved the many similarities between the jewish ladies and LDS relief society sisters. It also lends itself to a great book club discussion!
My favorite book of all time is Resurrection by Tolstoy. It is very thought provoking and a beautiful story of repentance. My husband just read Unbroken, at your recommendation and loved it. I started Cutting for Stone, but found it a little too graphic and had a few questionable parts.
shawni,
this is totally off topic but it's saturday 😉
Q: I know you write out list of chores on saturday morning, but i wondered if you have a starting time, and how long does it usually take the kids to do their chores? Also do u have a saturday friend rule?
We have such similar taste! I have read almost your whole list and loved them as well. You will LOVE A Tree Grows in Brooklyn! A recent favorite is The Forgotten Garden.!
I wanted to second The Ladies Auxiliary. It would be an excellent book for discussion. Also, a new book to add is The Runaway Quilt and it's sequel The Lost Quilter. They are fiction but describe how some believe that quilts strung out on clothes lines could have been a sign of a 'safe house' for the underground railroad.
Pope Joan should make everyone's Top 10. Absolutely incredible. Thanks for taking the time to create this list for us!
Have you heard of goodreads.com? Are you on there?
If not, I recommend it. It's a great way to keep track of books you have read, books you want to read and books your friends are reading for free.
MY FAVORITE LDS BOOKS:
*Yearning for the Living God by Enzio Busche
(I'm a bit bias because I studied German at BYU, served a great deal of my mission in Dortmund, Germany where Enzio Busche is from, Enzio Busche sealed me and my German husband in the temple and I'm living in Germany now (so I love the German language, country, and people) This book is wonderful! I've read it twice now and LOVE it!
*Faith Rewarded by Thomas S. Monson (This book is basically President Monson's journal. I'm also a bit bias on this book since President Monson writes about his experiences and the miracles of the saints in former Eastern Germany. I'm currently living in Eastern Germany and love the people here. I've met Germans who were there in Görlitz when President Monson made such a prophetic promise to the German people)
*The Continuous Atonement by Brad Wilcox
*Jesus the Christ by James E. Talmage (I'm currently reading this book and I LOVE it so much! I've learned so much about the Savior so far. I really want a leather-bound copy of this book since I want to read this book again and again every few years)
SOME OTHER FAVORITES
*Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl
(This book is so profound!)
*Anne of Green Gables (I was named after her…my middle name is Anne….Anne with an "e")
MY FAVORITE CHILDREN'S PICTURE BOOKS
(I love, love, LOVE Children's picture books!!)
*The Empty Pot by Demi
(Beautiful illustrations and the perfect lesson about honest and diligence. I need to buy a copy of this book for my library the next time I'm in the U.S.)
*The Greatest Treasure by Demi
*Flotsam by David Wiesner
*Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans
*I'll Be With You Always" by Joni Eareckson Tada
*Oh, the Places You'll Go by Dr. Suess
*The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney (GORGEOUS illustrations)
*People by Peter Spier (Great book on diversity)
*Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin (I think you would like this book since it's about photography)
*How I Learned Geography by Uri Schulevitz
*Beach by Elisha Cooper
*Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney
*Once Upon a Time, the End (Asleep in 60 seconds) by Geoffrey Kloske (Short bedtime stories for kids when you are short on time 😉
*My Big Little Golden Book about God by Jane Werner Watson
*Kamishiba Man by Allen Say
*Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges (True, inspiring story)
-> and so many more titles 😉
p.p.s If you are looking for a good audio book, The Help by Kathryn Stockett is AMAZING on CD! I LOVE listening to the southern accents/voices. They had different voices for each of the characters 😉
My all time favorites are A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (yes–you MUST read it!), A Little Princess, and this gem I found a few years ago called A Lantern in Her Hand. Great story based on the life of an amazing woman. http://www.amazon.com/Lantern-Her-Hand-Puffin-Classics/dp/0140384286/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1328492133&sr=8-1
These is my words is my very favorite! Best love story ever!
Oh–I forgot Jane Eyre and the classic…A Joyful Mother of Children. 🙂
Ok, I don't usually leave comments on your blog but you listed some fantastic books and I wanted to share one with you. This book is seriously one of the best books I've ever read and has made me want to be better in every aspect of my life, it's called, Yearning For the Living God by F. Enzio Busche.
Great list. I'm going to pick up Rebecca and Unbroken. I'll second the recommendations for A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Poisonwood Bible, and The Ladies Auxiliary.
Thank you for these. Many of my favorites are on your list, so I need to make sure I add the ones I haven't read to my to-read pile!
The Good Earth is one that vies for my top favorite, too. I chose it for book club once and nobody liked it! I was so disappointed because I love it so much.
I second the Q&A that KM asked here. These are questions I have wanted to ask for a long time, but never really had the courage to do so for fear of insulting anyone. I am not LDS, but have been a long time follower of your blog and so, so wish we had a church community that was as interactive as yours.
And another Q&A…. where do you live? I'm not asking specifically (in a creepy way), but it seems you always have beautiful weather and I LOVE the trails you hike. My husband and I are looking to move out west and I'd love to live in such a gorgeous place. (We are currently in Chicago).