Now that summer is knocking at the door, it's time for ENRICHING summer reading. With this in mind, I thought you'd all enjoy Whitney's "Books and Binding" blog post....
Books and Binding by Whitney Johnson
On Friday, May 8, we had our Boston-based Resolutionary Challenge celebration at Henrietta's Table. As we sat in the springtime sunshine, the conversation turned to our love of books, and how during the course of our 12-week challenge, the online discussion of books, more than any other thread, seemed to bind us to one another, many of whom we had never met.
Is it possible that like Liesel in The Book Thief, when we share stories, especially great ones, there is an express fondness for those with whom we share, as well as a seeing of both ourselves and our shared humanity in these stories?
By request, I've compiled the list of books recommended by this year's Resolutionaries. If a book was recommended by more than (1) person, I'll include the total count in parentheses. If I've read and can recommend the book, I'll asterisk.
Happy reading!
Fiction
A Thousand Splendid Suns -- Khaled Hosseini
Bless Me, Ultima -- Rudolfo Anaya
Gilead -- Marilynne Robinson (3)
Love Marriage - V.S. Ganeshananthan
Peace Like a River -- Leif Enger (2)
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society -- Mary Ann Schaffer and Annie Barrows
The Kite Runner -- Khaled Hosseini
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency -- Alexander McCall Smith (*)
The Road -- Cormac McCarthy
The Secret Life of Bees -- Sue Monk Kidd (2)
Uncle Fred in the Springtime - P.G. Wodehouse
Water for the Elephants -- Sara Gruen
Historical Fiction
A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
Here Be Dragons -- Sharon Kay Penman Ines of My Soul - Isabel Allende
Moloka'i -- Alan Brennert (2)
Sarah's Key -- Tatiana de Rosnay
The Book Thief -- Marcus Zusak (4) (*)
The Many Lives and Secret Passions of Josephine B -- Sandra Gull (*)
The Game of Kings -- Dorothy Dunnett
Classics
Age of Innocence - Edith Wharton (1)
East of Eden - John Steinbeck (*)
To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee (*)
Wives and Daughters - Elizabeth Gaskell
Mystery
The Camel Club - David Baldacci
Young Adult Fiction
Amaranth Enchantment -- Julie Berry (3)(*)(Please read prior to July 9th RS Enrichment. We'll be passing around copies. -rebecca)
Book of a Thousand Days -- Shannon Hale (*)
Fablehaven -- Brnadon Mull
Lirael -- Garth Nix
My Antonia -- Willa Cather
The Giver -- Lois Lowry (2)(*)
The Graveyard Book - Neil Gaiman
The Hundred Dresses--Eleanor Estes (Please read prior to September's RS Enrichment. We'll be passing around copies, but you should be able to find this quick read at your local library -rebecca)
Note: My daughter and I prepared a list of questions re: Amaranth Enchantment for mother-daughter book clubs. Click here to download.
Non-Fiction
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life -- Barbara Kingsolver et al
Blink - Malcolm Gladwell (*)
Outliers -- Malcolm Gladwell (2)(*)
The Peacegiver - James L. Ferrell
The Tipping Point - Malcolm Gladwell (2)(*)
Autobiography
Me Talk Pretty One Day -- David Sedaris
Personal History -- Katharine Graham (*)
West with the Night -- Beryl Markham (*)
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Thank you for sharing this list with us, Whitney. If anyone would like to add suggestions to this list, or share comments about any of the books on this list, you can either comment on this post, or email me and I will update this list periodically. rebecca {at} menzie {dot} org.
Enjoy!
PS. If you want to share this list on your blog, please credit and refer to Whitney's original post...
All best,
Rebecca
Posts
The Road by Cormac McCarthy is a dark, cold journey of father and son through a bleak, desolated world. Loved it and couldn't put it down! I think the casting of Viggo Mortensen as the father is a stellar pick! Recommend this book whole-heartedly!
ReplyDeleteWater for Elephants - a very colorful use of the English language about carnies! Great surprise at the end. Another read I couldn't put down at night. Sara Gruen is amazing!
ReplyDeleteThanks for re-posting this, Rebecca. After reading Whitney's original post I picked up and started reading my copy of "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" that has been on my bookshelf for at least a year. I'm loving it. Very inspiring and making me really think about how I nourish our family with food.
ReplyDelete