Monica_in_Switzerland Posted April 28, 2017 Share Posted April 28, 2017 Well, shoot. Why didn't *I* mention LOTR, a book that hits me so hard that I can't read anything else for a month after I finish it, because everything else pales in comparison? And actually, I have read "A Canticle for Leibowitz" and enjoyed it. That was decades ago and I don't remember it all that clearly. It's probably time for another visit. "The Fifth Sacred Thing" was fascinating to me, but for very specific things, like its setting (San Francisco), and its focus on the nature under the concrete there. Reminds me of some old family stories. "Plain and Simple" is one book that I have read and reread and recommended, over and over. I'm hesitant to mention it due to the ridiculous plethora of Amish Christian romance novels floating around currently. But it's not a romance novel; rather it is the memoir of a mid-life crisis type of journey, female style, and beautifully written and quite reflective. LOTR and Narnia... I get so much out of them every.single.time. I can remember disliking The Silver Chair as a kid. Now that I more fully understand it, it's probably far and away my favorite Narnia story, but heartbreakingly accurate. Puddleglum reduces me to SOBS when he defends the sun and sky to the Sorceress. Gah. Now I'm crying. :leaving: 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted April 28, 2017 Share Posted April 28, 2017 LOTR and Narnia... I get so much out of them every.single.time. I can remember disliking The Silver Chair as a kid. Now that I more fully understand it, it's probably far and away my favorite Narnia story, but heartbreakingly accurate. Puddleglum reduces me to SOBS when he defends the sun and sky to the Sorceress. Gah. Now I'm crying. :leaving: Right. And I have grown to love The Last Battle similarly, after really not appreciating it at all as a kid. And as for sobs...there are two spots in Harry Potter that get me every. time. One is when Nevil comes out with the sword, knowing he will die, with no magical powers, to fight Voldemort simply because it is the right thing to do. Oh my gosh. And the other is when the whole school rises up to prevent Slytherin from turning Harry over to Voldemort, all simultaneously, again simply because it is the right thing to do, though obviously hopeless. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SJ. Posted April 28, 2017 Share Posted April 28, 2017 No One is Here Except All of Us, by Ramona Ausubel East of Eden, John Steinbeck And the Mountains Echoed, Khaled Hosseini The Cellist of Sarajevo, Steven Galloway The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet, David Mitchell The Narrow Road to the Deep North, Richard Flanagan Girl at War, Sara Novic A Woman in Berlin: Eight Weeks in the Conquered City: A Diary, Anonymous 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica_in_Switzerland Posted April 28, 2017 Share Posted April 28, 2017 Right. And I have grown to love The Last Battle similarly, after really not appreciating it at all as a kid. And as for sobs...there are two spots in Harry Potter that get me every. time. One is when Nevil comes out with the sword, knowing he will die, with no magical powers, to fight Voldemort simply because it is the right thing to do. Oh my gosh. And the other is when the whole school rises up to prevent Slytherin from turning Harry over to Voldemort, all simultaneously, again simply because it is the right thing to do, though obviously hopeless. Practically every scene with Nevil chokes me up. Love him. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penguin Posted April 28, 2017 Share Posted April 28, 2017 The most recent one that moved me was The Beautiful Struggle: A Father, Two Sons, and an Unlikely Road to Manhood by Ta-Nahesi Coates. (I can't wait to read Laurus, BTW!) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah CB Posted April 28, 2017 Share Posted April 28, 2017 The Cellist of Sarajevo, Steven Galloway Yes - this is one that is still with me even years after reading it. So powerful. And I love Canadian lit ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted April 28, 2017 Share Posted April 28, 2017 (edited) News of the World by Paulette Jiles Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut A General Theory of Oblivion by Jose Eduardo Agualusa (also his book The Book of Chameleons) The Plover by Brian Doyle (also his book Mink River) The Beast: Riding the Rails and Dodging Narcos on the Migrant Trail by Oscar Martinez Guantanamo Diary by Mohamedou Ould Slahi The Razor's Edge by W. Somerset Maugham (we are doing a read-along of this in May in the Book-A-Week thread) Gnarr! by Jon Gnarr The Good Lord Bird by James McBride A Dream in Polar Fog by Yuri Rytkheu Sergio Y. by Alexandre Vidal Porto Rare Encounters with Ordinary Birds by Lyanda Lynn Haupt Edited April 28, 2017 by Stacia 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted April 28, 2017 Author Share Posted April 28, 2017 I love how many of these books are by authors outside of the US or feature stories/settings outside of the US. I would also love any great suggestions for books that cover the Native American or African American experience here in the US (or other minorities) as well as other books from around the world. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Misha Posted April 28, 2017 Share Posted April 28, 2017 (edited) A Prayer for Owen Meany - John Irving A Widow for One Year - John Irving (just about anything by John Irving) The Book Thief - Marcus Zusak Til We Have Faces - C.S. Lewis American Gods - Neil Gaiman (if you get the audiobook, make sure to get the 10th anniversary full-cast version. It's amazing.) My Brief History - Stephen Hawking Just Kids - Patti Smith The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle - Haruki Murakami Edited April 28, 2017 by Misha 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faithr Posted April 28, 2017 Share Posted April 28, 2017 (edited) I'm glad someone else loves it too! I didn't want to say a lot and come across as nutty (not that you are!). But wow. It makes me heartsick just thinking of his level of love and devotion for Ustina. He loved her but his love was selfish and then he had to spend his whole life making reparation. The whole thing was a metaphor for our search for redemption. It was just so beautiful. I am getting teary-eyed just thinking about. I might reread it very soon! Edited April 28, 2017 by Faithr 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrysalis Academy Posted April 28, 2017 Share Posted April 28, 2017 Recently - A General Theory of Oblivion - Jose Eduardo Agualusa Exit West - Moshin Hamid News of the World - Paulette Jiles The Color Purple - Alice Walker Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell The Age of Innocence - Edith Wharton The Plover - Brian Doyle Our Town - Thornton Wilder Cry, The Beloved Country - Alan Paton The Left Hand of Darkness - Ursula LeGuin The Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moonhawk Posted April 28, 2017 Share Posted April 28, 2017 (edited) Shadow of His Wings, by Fr. Geron Goldmann (Catholic) The Deed of Paksenarrion, by Elizabeth Moon. (Fantasy) Edited April 28, 2017 by Moonhawk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbutton Posted April 28, 2017 Share Posted April 28, 2017 Lastly, there are children's books that linger in my soul--too many to list, but when I am around people who have read them, it is amazing how often they surface in conversation. I can see how reading the Great Books can bind you as a community; for those of us who aren't quite there, reading what I might call the "Great Books for Children" also gives you a common culture that cuts across lines, and that's really satisfying. In this direction, The Chestry Oak is really good. It is on one of the Notgrass lists for history, and I heard on here that it was good. I bawled through the last half of the book on and off. It was very, very good. I also loved Inside Out and Back Again about a young refugee girl from Vietnam. It's all poems. https://www.amazon.com/Inside-Out-Back-Again-Thanhha/dp/0061962791/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1493420692&sr=8-1&keywords=inside+out+and+back+again 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
readinmom Posted April 28, 2017 Share Posted April 28, 2017 To Kill a Mockingbird Wonder Of Mice and Men Pride and Prejudice The Secret Garden Little Women How Green Was My Valley 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ssexton Posted April 29, 2017 Share Posted April 29, 2017 A Gentleman in Moscow. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted April 29, 2017 Share Posted April 29, 2017 (edited) H is for Hawk: bereavement, hawks, THWhite, hawks, hope, hawks, fathers, did I send say hawks? Edited April 29, 2017 by Laura Corin 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scholastica Posted April 29, 2017 Share Posted April 29, 2017 I now have a lot more books to request. I just listened to the first Call the Midwife book and really enjoyed it. I do need to balance out these deep, soul touching books with some lighter fluff. I just finished "A Gentleman in Moscow" and found it both light reading and uplifting. It was a bit pretentious in some ways, like the author showing off his knowledge or research in food and wine, but other than that it was an enjoyable distraction. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Junie Posted April 29, 2017 Share Posted April 29, 2017 My Antonia by Willa Cather 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UnionJack Posted April 29, 2017 Share Posted April 29, 2017 Another vote for Peace Like a River... and also The Brothers K by David James Duncan. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted April 29, 2017 Share Posted April 29, 2017 So many of the ones already mentioned are on my list. The Grapes of Wrath Les Miserables The Count of Monte Cristo - shows me how the desire for revenge can consume a person Remains of the Day - reminds me not to let chances pass me by Anna Karenina Born a Crime The Way We Live Now The God Virus The Sunne in Splendor The Handmaid's Tale The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted April 29, 2017 Share Posted April 29, 2017 My Antonia by Willa Cather That was my first Willa Cather and is still my favorite of her novels. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellydon Posted April 30, 2017 Share Posted April 30, 2017 Little Britches 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted April 30, 2017 Share Posted April 30, 2017 The Rolvaag books about Norweigen settlers in South Dakota. Wow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom31257 Posted April 30, 2017 Share Posted April 30, 2017 I've mostly read children's and young adult fiction the last few years because I lead a book club, but a very moving story I chose not to use in the club was The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo. I felt like some of the kids I had were not ready for a particular story line in it. Anything I've ready by her has been very deep and moving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomsintheGarden Posted May 1, 2017 Share Posted May 1, 2017 My Antonia by Willa CatherThis.Many that are already listed, and also Beloved by Toni Morrison. Hard read, but it was worthwhile. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LMD Posted May 1, 2017 Share Posted May 1, 2017 OH! Anna Karenena, which I read for the first time just a few years back. One of the best, most complex books I have ever read. Superbly constructed. yes! amazing book. and along those lines, I decided a few years ago to focus on reading more classics and for the most part, have been impressed! Crime and Punishment, grapes of wrath, age of innocence... 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LMD Posted May 1, 2017 Share Posted May 1, 2017 for modern, I love Catherynne Valente. Her novel, Deathless, is just exquisite. It blends Russian Mythology against the backdrop of the siege of Stalingrad. So beautiful and gritty, like a fairy tale for grownups. Prepare for some weirdness though! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 1, 2017 Share Posted May 1, 2017 I've mostly read children's and young adult fiction the last few years because I lead a book club, but a very moving story I chose not to use in the club was The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo. I felt like some of the kids I had were not ready for a particular story line in it. Anything I've ready by her has been very deep and moving. I bawled my eyes out through much of the book. I agree, it's a total gem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LMD Posted May 1, 2017 Share Posted May 1, 2017 I bawled my eyes out through much of the book. I agree, it's a total gem. ditto! we actually did do it for book club and all the kids (and parents) loved it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.