What one book have you so enjoyed that you'd like everyone to read, because you want them to share the pleasure?

[Kareni]

What one book have you so enjoyed that you'd like everyone to read, because you want them to share the pleasure?

This could be fiction or non-fiction.

My recommendation would be for Linesman by SK Dunstall. I first read this almost two years ago, and I've probably read it and the two sequels a dozen times. It's become a comfort read. 

My adult daughter loves it, my husband enjoyed it, a friend having chemo read it and shared it with her sister, and on line acquaintances have read and enjoyed it. It's found a few new fans in the Book a Week thread (probably because someone keeps mentioning it).

Here's the Amazon link and the blurb; the price is currently ... ETA:  Now $2.99 on May 13, 2020 ~

Linesman by SK Dunstall

www.amazon.com/Linesman-Novel-S-K-Dunstall-ebook/dp/B00Q5DLXUW

 "First in a brand new thought-provoking science fiction series.

The lines. No ship can traverse the void without them. Only linesmen can work with them. But only Ean Lambert hears their song. And everyone thinks he’s crazy…

Most slum kids never go far, certainly not becoming a level-ten linesman like Ean. Even if he’s part of a small, and unethical, cartel, and the other linesmen disdain his self-taught methods, he’s certified and working.

Then a mysterious alien ship is discovered at the edges of the galaxy. Each of the major galactic powers is desperate to be the first to uncover the ship’s secrets, but all they’ve learned is that it has the familiar lines of energy—and a defense system that, once triggered, annihilates everything in a 200 kilometer radius.

The vessel threatens any linesman who dares to approach it, except Ean. His unique talents may be the key to understanding this alarming new force—and reconfiguring the relationship between humans and the ships that serve them, forever."

What is your recommendation?

Regards,
Kareni

[moonflower]

I'll look it up, OP 🙂

For me, it's the Tombs of Atuan.

[MercyA]

All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot

[moonflower]

I have to say, though, I reread the Little House books every time another kids comes of age to read them, so every 2-3 years.  We just went through them again this summer as DD7 is almost 8 and reading fluently, and they are just lovely books.  I think part of that is that they were such a part of my childhood; my mom read them to me starting at about 4 and I've always had a set on hand.   They are the ultimate comfort read, even as an adult

[vonfirmath]

53 minutes ago, Æthelthryth the Texan said:

Wow. That's tough. I think the book I've been most evangelical about in recent memory has to be Can't Hurt Me by David Goggins and that is recent. But wow, that was a heck of a book.**

I have some fiction books I've loved much more, but I feel like those are so very personal and subjective- it's really going out on a limb to recommend fiction works- so I rarely do. I feel like beloved books are such an intimate thing almost....... I couldn't stand the rejection if someone hated my most beloved! 

(But if you really have to know I think my all time favorite book at this point of my life is Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel, which has not only claimed the top spot but also definitely has achieved comfort read status which is super special;   but I rarely mention it to people IRL, because if they hated it I'd simply have to stop speaking to them because seriously, how can you hate Wolf Hall?!? And how is Thomas Cromwell not the most fascinating person who has ever lived......! I mean, something is seriously lacking in people who can't see that and I would have to rethink my entire estimation of a person who did not find value in the same books. Here I can just put those people on "ignore," but that isn't available IRL, so I have to cut them off.  (Totally kidding. On most days.)))

**if you are not offended by the F-word. If you are, then move along. 

 

I've been wanting to read more about Thomas Cromwell. I've used my one audible credit to get this book to listen to.

 

 

[Farrar]

I don't think any one book is for everyone and when I recommend books, I tend to try to be specific to the person.

That said, one book I generally like to share because I wish more people would read it (and it's not like it's unknown - it did very well and many people have, just not as many as I think would like it) is A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth.

It's an incredibly thick saga about a set of interconnected Indian families in the 1950's. Lata, the central character, is ready to marry and three prospects present. One is a hard working shoemaker. Another is a wealthy poet. Another is a super hot boy she happens to meet at her college who (gasp) turns out to be Muslim. It's a really quick read, despite the length. There's a lot about Indian politics of the time. It's set in a fictional town with a whole fictional set of political figures. The families all cross religions and worlds. While the whole story centers around Lata and her "suitable boy," another character, a sort of layabout named Maan, also figures very prominently.

It's being turned into a BBC mini-series soonish. Vikram Seth was supposed to write a sequel that was supposed to come out a couple of years ago, but there hasn't been much about it. I hope it still happens. It was going to be called A Suitable Girl.

[Tanaqui]

Now I want to read it just so I know who she marries. And I hardly ever read adult realistic fiction. Just never works out for me. (Weirdly, I don't have that problem with adult genre fiction or YA/MG/Kids realistic historic or contemporary.)

[Tanaqui]

Back on topic, I've read Linesman, but my mother was really sick that week and I barely took any of it in. I'm going to have to re-read it at some point.

As for books I enjoy so much that I want everybody to read them, I stand staunchly by Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer. I love that book without reservation. I wish it had been around when I was a kid. (Heck, most of the books I spend my time rec'ing - and I've got two threads I have to reply to this weekend! - are books I wish I'd had when I was a kid.)

If we're talking books for adults, I really really liked the Lady Trent series. Not fast paced at all, but I could read them over and over again.

[LMD]

Sounds great Kareni, I just looked it up!

Mine is Deathless by Valente. Love that book, beautiful and brutal.

[Rosie_0801]

2 hours ago, Tanaqui said:

As for books I enjoy so much that I want everybody to read them, I stand staunchly by Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer. I love that book without reservation. I wish it had been around when I was a kid. (Heck, most of the books I spend my time rec'ing - and I've got two threads I have to reply to this weekend! - are books I wish I'd had when I was a kid.)

 

I bought that for dd, probably on your recommendation, and it is one of her favourites. ❤️
She keeps reading it out on the phone to me even though I've read it too.

I think everyone should read the Secret Garden. Or, even better, have it read to them by someone who can do the Yorkshire properly.

[linders]

Bookmarking this! And what seemed like a simple question is tough - so many people in my life are very "specific" readers - "just non-fiction" or "no science fiction" or "not historical fiction!" Or sadly, one of my closest friends, who doesn't enjoy reading, at all.

[J-rap]

This is a great topic...  I'm keeping notes on these books!  I'm intrigued by Linesman ~ I don't normally read sci-fi, but now suddenly I think I might like to!

I can't think of one book I'd recommend to everyone.  I do think there are about three books that I've recommended more than others though:  David Copperfield, Poisonwood Bible, and Cry, The Beloved Country.  (Although probably David Copperfield is the only one that's more pleasantly enjoyable.  The others are more difficult topics.)

Maybe a sheer enjoyment book would be the entire Betsy-Tacy series.  They're a children's series, although I didn't discover them until I was in my mid-30's and absolutely loved them, even as an adult.

(Sorry I listed four instead of just one!)

 

[Carol in Cal.]

Hillbilly Elegy

Uncommon Ground

The Overstory

Kids:

The Diamond In The Window

Number the Stars

In Place of Katya 

[HomeAgain]

3 hours ago, Rosie_0801 said:

 

I think everyone should read the Secret Garden. Or, even better, have it read to them by someone who can do the Yorkshire properly.

This.  Though I have to share a slight funny - I do voices for our books, and I do a pretty good Yorkshire accent along with others.  After way too many years of this it comes along pretty well.  Last year I read a different book to my youngest, and one of the characters was from the same area.  He complained that the character sounded just like Martha. 😄  Well, yeah, kid.  There's only so much range this voice has.

1 hour ago, J-rap said:

This is a great topic...  I'm keeping notes on these books!  I'm intrigued by Linesman ~ I don't normally read sci-fi, but now suddenly I think I might like to!

I can't think of one book I'd recommend to everyone.  I do think there are about three books that I've recommended more than others though:  David Copperfield, Poisonwood Bible, and Cry, The Beloved Country.  (Although probably David Copperfield is the only one that's more pleasantly enjoyable.  The others are more difficult topics.)

 

 

 I picked up the Poisonwood Bible last week at a thrift store for my flight back home.  I mostly picked it up because it was thick, cheap, and I vaguely remembered it being on a bestseller list.  I'm still reading it.  It's thick - but really good.  The writing pulls you in and the descriptions are interesting.  I didn't think I would like it as much as I do.  It might be one of my new favorites.
My "comfort book" would have to be one of two: The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio, or A Tree Grows In Brooklyn.  The first was made into a movie but the book is so much better and more intimate with the family.

[PrincessMommy]

18 minutes ago, Carol in Cal. said:

Hillbilly Elegy

Uncommon Ground

The Overstory

Kids:

The Diamond In The Window

Number the Stars

In Place of Katya 

I've just started Overstory on audible.  It's weird... I'm going to keep going because it has so many good reviews.  

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

Oh, asking a bunch of book nerds to narrow things down is just SILLY!

 

For middle school/upper elementary:

- Narnia

- The Willoughbys

- Holes

discovered the last two as an adult and they blew me away!  

 

For adults:

I'm going through this "Asian epic" phase right now, so I feel everyone should read (so I can then talk someone's ear off:  what's up with the ending to Shogun???) 

- The Good Earth

- Shogun

- Wild Swans

 

But when I'm not in my epic phase, the books I tend to recommend the most often:

- Daughter of the Forest series for a light-ish but beautiful fantasy/fairy tale

- Ender's Game

- Pride and Prejudice  When people tell me they don't like this, I just assume they have terrible taste and judgement.  It's a good sieve for vetting new friends.

 

Non Fiction I most often recommend:

- Atomic Habits

- Spark

- People Skills

 

 

[vonfirmath]

19 minutes ago, Monica_in_Switzerland said:

O

 

But when I'm not in my epic phase, the books I tend to recommend the most often:

- Daughter of the Forest series for a light-ish but beautiful fantasy/fairy tale

- Ender's Game

- Pride and Prejudice  When people tell me they don't like this, I just assume they have terrible taste and judgement.  It's a good sieve for vetting new friends.

 

 

 

 

My son (7th grade) just picked up Ender's game and LOVES it.

[BarbecueMom]

8 hours ago, Tanaqui said:

If we're talking books for adults, I really really liked the Lady Trent series. Not fast paced at all, but I could read them over and over again.

This is mine.  I was SO attached to every character and did not want this series to end.  I am a very private person when it comes to my favorite books, but I will loan this one out and prattle on and on about it to anyone who appears willing to read/listen.

[Twigs]

Jane Eyre.

Edited September 12, 2019 by Twigs

[Angie in VA]

I don't like fiction. There. I said it. If I am allowed to stay here, I will share mine. 

I see Monica in Switzerland mentioned the one book I have bought and given to many people for its message, and that is:

 Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain by John Ratey

It's 10+ yrs old, but the first two chapters alone made me get off my boohiney and exercise. Amazing. Schools could change. Societies. The world? Really. 

 

 

When I went to Amazon to link it, that page said, "Purchased 3 times" LOL. That doesn't count other places I've bought used versions. 

Edited September 12, 2019 by Angie in VA
Clarity. At least, I live in hope.

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

40 minutes ago, BarbecueMom said:

This is mine.  I was SO attached to every character and did not want this series to end.  I am a very private person when it comes to my favorite books, but I will loan this one out and prattle on and on about it to anyone who appears willing to read/listen.

 

These look good!

[Pen]

 

Through the Eyes of a Stranger (Yaro Tales) https://www.amazon.com/dp/1441545654/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_lnLEDbEZ6VS06

 

I decided to play by the rules and cut my selection to this one.  Especially because it has a hopeful feeling for times when world or life is seeming hard.  

And probably most people will never have even heard of it.  

I am still hoping for a sequel.  

I’ve decided like some others here it could use a bit of excerpt or review.  I first learned of it, via a quote in a seed catalog.  No doubt the only fiction book I’ve ever found that way. 

It has, like many books do, an escape from a dystopian world. Different than most, it has more time devoted to the better world the main character escapes to, but with the main character still in danger due to being wanted for 2 murders (which he didn’t commit). And stories of the 2 places are interwoven.

I see there’s very little info and no “look inside” on Amazon.  It starts:

 

 

 

...

meanwhile I plan to try out Linesman (I started the look inside and I already know I want to continue it) and Spark (already borrowed on Hoopla)! 

 

Eta: and probably will read many more mentioned on here too such as Plover was made to sound intriguing.  

 

Good thread Kareni!

 

Edited September 12, 2019 by Pen

[Pen]

 

Cutting this down to just one also (which still leaves 2 total):  

Nonfiction—

 

about philosophy of life really...

The One-Straw Revolution: An Introduction to Natural Farming (New York Review Books Classics) https://www.amazon.com/dp/1590173139/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_dILEDbBM1ZZW9

 

Anyway, both this book and Through the Eyes of a Stranger are on my shelves as real books, Spark Joy, and survive declutter purges.  

(Though so do others like Complete Works of Shakespeare, Pride and Prejudice ...  😉) 

 

Edited September 12, 2019 by Pen

[Kanin]

Every single Alexander McCall Smith book!  🙂

Harry Potter 🙂 

[Matryoshka]

3 hours ago, Monica_in_Switzerland said:

Oh, asking a bunch of book nerds to narrow things down is just SILLY!

Preach! 😂

Quote

- Wild Swans

I thought this book was fantastic, and I know almost no one else who's read it, so this would make my list for this question.  I have many favorite books that many have read (P&P, Jane Eyre, for example...) but in the context of this question, I think more about books like this..

Quote

- Pride and Prejudice  When people tell me they don't like this, I just assume they have terrible taste and judgement.  It's a good sieve for vetting new friends.

Yeah, not liking P&P is suspicious...

Quote

Non Fiction I most often recommend:

- Spark

I just put Spark on hold at the library a couple of days ago!  Should be in today... 🙂

4 hours ago, PrincessMommy said:

I've just started Overstory on audible.  It's weird... I'm going to keep going because it has so many good reviews.  

I am one of those who loved that book.  It does have a unique structure - at the beginning it seems like a lot of disconnected short stories about different people, but in the second part of the book it all comes together.   Keep going!

1 hour ago, Pen said:

The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate_Discoveries from A Secret World https://www.amazon.com/dp/1771642483/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_cULEDbD84EBK4

I actually found having read this book made me appreciate The Overstory a lot more...

Quote

and then too, but is it fiction or nonfiction? 

All Creatures Great and Small  

Autobiographically-inspired fiction.  Darrowby is a fictional town.  James Herriot is the nom-de-plume of Alfred Wight, and all the characters, though based on people he knew, have fictional names (Sorry, the character of Siegfried is based on a Donald... the whole eccentric opera-loving parents is fiction), and some are composites.  His wife's backstory is actually very different than in the books (I don't think her father was even a farmer), and the timeline of the books (when he started practice, when he was in the RAF) was different than in the books.  If you love these books (and I do; I just finished rereading All Creatures about a week ago!), I highly recommend reading the biography of Alfred Wight by his son  Jim Wight, titled The Real James Herriot: A Memoir of my Father.  Alfred Wight was a very private man and tried very hard to stay anonymous during his lifetime (though I think it eventually got out...)

Edited September 12, 2019 by Matryoshka

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

Oh, thought of another good middle grades one that does not get nearly enough recognition:

Gregor the Overlander series by Suzanne Collins (author of Hunger Games).  These are fantastic, comparable to Harry Potter.

[Matryoshka]

So speaking of books I've loved that are less-known, I loved Together Tea by Marjan Kamali, but I know literally no one else who has read it.  It's a bit P&P-ish in that the mother is desperate to marry the daughter off, but the family is Iranian-American, it's set in modern times and partly in Iran, and the book is almost as much about the mother kind of finding herself again as her own person after motherhood (relatable) as about the daughter finding love - which she eventually does.  I don't usually even read books that have a romantic theme.  For some reason this book made me warm and happy and more people should read it!

The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison - well, I know lots of WTM people who've read it, but none IRL...  

[fastweedpuller]

I thought of 4 because they should be read as a group:  the Neapolitan novels by Elena Ferrante.  I could.not.wait for each new one to come out...and waited as long as I could to start the last, knowing it was the last.  Sigh.

[BooksandBoys]

3 hours ago, Angie in VA said:

I don't like fiction. There. I said it. If I am allowed to stay here, I will share mine. 

I see Monica in Switzerland mentioned the one book I have bought and given to many people for its message, and that is:

 Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain by John Ratey

It's 10+ yrs old, but the first two chapters alone made me get off my boohiney and exercise. Amazing. Schools could change. Societies. The world? Really. 

 

 

When I went to Amazon to link it, that page said, "Purchased 3 times" LOL. That doesn't count other places I've bought used versions. 

Another vote for Spark. I reread it every few years when I need a kickstart on my movement. It’s stellar. 

I adore The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley. It’s gorgeous. Most of her books are (except the ones that aren’t). Her writing make me feel like I’m wrapped in warm silk. 

But really, how can I narrow this down? I adored Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver and Prodigal Summer by the same author. Both make me want to go outside and understand the earth better. My comfort reads are the Laura Ingalls Wilder books and the Anne books (but only the first 6).

[Matryoshka]

Trying to think of more books that specifically meet the OP's criteria that I'd recommend because I want others to 'share the pleasure' ...

A nonfiction one that hit me that way was Born a Crime by Trevor Noah.  So, so, so good.  But get it as an audio.  No, really.   The author narrates and makes it even a zillion times better.  I can't even imagine how reading a click language on the page would in any way compare to the author speaking it with feeling!  

Edited September 12, 2019 by Matryoshka

[Tanaqui]

1 hour ago, Matryoshka said:

The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison - well, I know lots of WTM people who've read it, but none IRL...  

 

Oh, that's such a good book. If you like it, you may want to consider one of Becky Chambers' books - they tend to end up in similarly happy places.

[Chrysalis Academy]

Definitely The Goblin Emperor!! That book makes me so happy.

But to offer something original - Rabbit Cake by Annie Hartnett

It's not that these are the greatest books ever written or anything. But they are books that made me feel really good and that I think anyone could enjoy, and that I'd like to share the pleasure of. I suggested them both to my dd and she loved them.

Edited September 12, 2019 by Chrysalis Academy

[JustEm]

5 hours ago, Monica_in_Switzerland said:

 

- Pride and Prejudice  When people tell me they don't like this, I just assume they have terrible taste and judgement.  It's a good sieve for vetting new friends.

 

 

Haha, I often think the same thing.  My brain sort of checks out from a conversation about favorite books with someone when they comment they didn't like P&P.  It doesn't compute with me and I have a hard time taking any of their suggestions seriously after that.  But I reread P&P every other year so there is no convincing me it is a bad book or overrated.

[Matryoshka]

11 minutes ago, Tanaqui said:

Oh, that's such a good book. If you like it, you may want to consider one of Becky Chambers' books - they tend to end up in similarly happy places.

Ditto on Becky Chambers.  And for another warm-hearted SciFi, in spite of the title, the Murderbot series by Martha Wells.  They're each very short, and the four are really just one long story, and I liked them better and better as they went on.

10 minutes ago, Chrysalis Academy said:

But to offer something original - Rabbit Cake by Annie Hartnett

I read that also and absolutely loved it.  I don't think I could even describe the plot, but I really enjoyed the book.

[Stacia]

My book choices don't often seem to overlap with others. 😆 (And that's ok.)

However, one I've recommended repeatedly & which has been enjoyed by a variety of readers to whom I've recommended it is The Plover by Brian Doyle.

Love it & would encourage you just to jump into the story without reading a bunch about it ahead of time. The link is the starred Kirkus review of the book. If you do plan to skip the review or plot summaries, I will tell you that the review ends with, "A rare and unusual book and a brilliant, mystical exploration of the human spirit."

[Pen]

28 minutes ago, Chrysalis Academy said:

Definitely The Goblin Emperor!! That book makes me so happy.

But to offer something original - Rabbit Cake by Annie Hartnett

It's not that these are the greatest books ever written or anything. But they are books that made me feel really good and that I think anyone could enjoy, and that I'd like to share the pleasure of. I suggested them both to my dd and she loved them.

 

Not to derail this thread,  but Hi!!!  Good to see you here!!!

[Matryoshka]

1 hour ago, Stacia said:

My book choices don't often seem to overlap with others. 😆 (And that's ok.)

However, one I've recommended repeatedly & which has been enjoyed by a variety of readers to whom I've recommended it is The Plover by Brian Doyle.

Love it & would encourage you just to jump into the story without reading a bunch about it ahead of time. The link is the starred Kirkus review of the book. If you do plan to skip the review or plot summaries, I will tell you that the review ends with, "A rare and unusual book and a brilliant, mystical exploration of the human spirit."

I'll also second The Plover, another one where to describe the plot is indeed beside the point.  But so enjoyable!

[mumto2]

This is such a hard question because everyone has preconceived tastes.  I want to recommend books to people that they will love so I tend to tailor the recommendation to the person.  

Honestly,  I think I recommend actually reading the Harry Potter series to people more than any other books.....cannot believe how many people have only watched the movies.  Same with Narnia, irl most people have just read Lion, Witch, and Wardrobe......so I recommend reading the rest or at least a couple of others in the series.

My recent favorite books to recommend is The Expanse Serieshttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8855321-leviathan-wakes?ac=1&from_search=true, the first in the Department Q series https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10822858-the-keeper-of-lost-causes?ac=1&from_search=true,  and as always the Sebastian St. Cyr series https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10822858-the-keeper-of-lost-causes?ac=1&from_search=true which are my ultimate comfort reads.  I have recommended Murderbot several times lately too.......

This thread has convinced me to give Lady Trent another try..........the end of the first book irritated me so I decided not to continue.  I have had the Poisonwood Bible on my nightstand for a really long time and should probably open it!

 

[BakersDozen]

Funny as heck fiction: Captain Newman, M.D.

Anything by Patrick F. McManus (oh my goodness...I cry from laughing)

Religious fiction: That Printer of Udell's

[Robin M]

17 hours ago, Farrar said:

I don't think any one book is for everyone and when I recommend books, I tend to try to be specific to the person.

That said, one book I generally like to share because I wish more people would read it (and it's not like it's unknown - it did very well and many people have, just not as many as I think would like it) is A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth.

It's an incredibly thick saga about a set of interconnected Indian families in the 1950's. Lata, the central character, is ready to marry and three prospects present. One is a hard working shoemaker. Another is a wealthy poet. Another is a super hot boy she happens to meet at her college who (gasp) turns out to be Muslim. It's a really quick read, despite the length. There's a lot about Indian politics of the time. It's set in a fictional town with a whole fictional set of political figures. The families all cross religions and worlds. While the whole story centers around Lata and her "suitable boy," another character, a sort of layabout named Maan, also figures very prominently.

It's being turned into a BBC mini-series soonish. Vikram Seth was supposed to write a sequel that was supposed to come out a couple of years ago, but there hasn't been much about it. I hope it still happens. It was going to be called A Suitable Girl.

Yes, this was a wonderful book and totally enjoyed the history, culture, and politics mixed in with the family interactions. I was totally pulled in to the lives of all the characters, loved them, hated them, wanted to throw the book across the room, loved them throughout the story.  An emotional ride to say the least.  I so wished he would publish A Suitable Girl. 

[Hyacinth]

Peace Like a River by Leif Enger. Beautiful writing, supremely likable characters, and a theme of redemption. 

[Pen]

1 hour ago, BakersDozen said:

Anything by Patrick F. McManus (oh my goodness...I cry from laughing)

 

 

I often do recommend McManus—must mean we have similar funny bone.  I ll have to try Captain Newman!

 

I also recommend books by Dorothy Gilman quite frequently, especially the Mrs Pollifax ones.

[Robin M]

14 hours ago, J-rap said:

I can't think of one book I'd recommend to everyone.  I do think there are about three books that I've recommended more than others though:  David Copperfield, Poisonwood Bible, and Cry, The Beloved Country.  (Although probably David Copperfield is the only one that's more pleasantly enjoyable.  The others are more difficult topics.)

 

12 hours ago, HomeAgain said:

 I picked up the Poisonwood Bible last week at a thrift store for my flight back home.  I mostly picked it up because it was thick, cheap, and I vaguely remembered it being on a bestseller list.  I'm still reading it.  It's thick - but really good.  The writing pulls you in and the descriptions are interesting.  I didn't think I would like it as much as I do.  It might be one of my new favorites.
 

 

3 hours ago, mumto2 said:

 I have had the Poisonwood Bible on my nightstand for a really long time and should probably open it!

I didn't expect to enjoy the Poisonwood Bible as much as I did.  This is another one in which the African culture and history plays a big part of the story in the lives of the characters and not necessarily in ways they intended.  The story totally engulfs you. 

[The Governess]

Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. I am still waiting for Susanna Clarke to write another book. I loved the plot, the wit, the mythology, and especially her lovely writing style. I recommend this book all the time but only one friend has read it so far!

“It may be laid down as a general rule that if a man begins to sing, no one will take any notice of his song except his fellow human beings. This is true even if his song is surpassingly beautiful. Other men may be in raptures at his skill, but the rest of creation is, by and large, unmoved. Perhaps a cat or a dog may look at him; his horse, if it is an exceptionally intelligent beast, may pause in cropping the grass, but that is the extent of it. But when the fairy sang, the whole world listened to him. Stephen felt clouds pause in their passing; he felt sleeping hills shift and murmur; he felt cold mists dance. He understood for the first time that the world is not dumb at all, but merely waiting for someone to speak to it in a language it understands. In the fairy's song the earth recognized the names by which it called itself.”

[Robin M]

@Kareni  Any book you've recommended or sent my way have all been hits and Linesman is wonderfully unique.    

For non fiction, I often recommend Ray Bradbury's Zen in the Art of Writing or Alice LaPlante's Making of a Story

Fiction wise, it's hard to narrow it down to just one book, much more one genre or author, but I'll try  I would recommend James Rollins medical thriller Judas Strain, #4 in his Sigma Force series which lead to reading the entire series. Oh. Lee Child's 61 hours (14th book in his Reacher series) was my introduction to Jack Reacher and I'm slowly working my way through the whole series, weirdly reading them out of order.  

 

[Ema]

SO hard! 

ALL the books by Thomas Eidson (not Edison!). Modern day author who write about frontier life. Wonderful writing, great characters and stories. 

“Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of The Dog)” by Jerome K. Jerome (also “Three men on a Bummel” by same author)

“Cold Comfort Farm” by Stella Gibbons

“Freddy and Fredericka” by Mark Helprin

Also, I think everyone should read “The Benedict Option” by Rod Dreher.

[alisoncooks]

I'm really struggling to narrow it down!

I'm feeling pretty fond of The Giver since I just reread it recently.  

As far as fantasy, The Lumatere Chronicles trilogy (Melina Marchetta) just...speaks to me. Such a balance of despair and hope. But I don't recommend it often because it is so dark.

I suppose my most often recommended book is The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom. Lovelovelove; I've read it at least dozen times. 

Edited September 13, 2019 by alisoncooks

[BakersDozen]

Quote

I suppose my most often recommended book is The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom. Lovelovelove; I've read it at least dozen times. 

I just met a 91-year old woman whose family hosted Corrie ten Boom in their home while living in Vietnam. The woman still has her diary from when the visit happened: "Corrie came to lunch today and we had a lovely time chatting..."

[Momto6inIN]

The most satisfying book I've read that no one else I know IRL has read is Til We Have Faces by CS Lewis. But I'm not sure it would have wide appeal.

The best book I've read that I think almost everybody I know would like is called Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend by Matthew Dicks. It's about a boy on the spectrum and his imaginary friend and it's told from the perspective of the imaginary friend. It is laugh out loud funny, poignant, and has a good message.

[JenneinCA]

My family and I have really enjoyed The Hive Mind books by Janet Edwards.  My daughter especially loved it.

https://www.amazon.com/Telepath-Hive-Mind-Book-1-ebook/dp/B01JDAJL8E/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=Hive+mind+Janet+Edwards&qid=1568339466&sr=8-2