Reading List

I sent out a request for reading recommendations to a short list of friends and received back a rich treasure trove of literature-- such fun! I had expected more overlap, but only one book was mentioned by two people: "The History Of Love" by Nicole Krauss. You must be an eclectic bunch of readers. If you want add more recommendations, you can do so by posting a Comment.

"The History Of Love" by Nicole Krauss beautiful writing and one you can't let go, lots of Jewish content, amazing book :)
Liora

A Fine Balance
The Long Walk
Cloud of Sparrows
What’s the What – Dave Eggers
Beasts of no Nation – Uzodinma Iweala
History of Love – Nicole Strauss
Madonnas of Leningrad – Debra Dean
The Inheritance of Loss – Kiran Desai
The Reluctant Fundamentalist – Moshin Hamid
Jo Ann

Somebody's Heart is Burning, A
Woman Wanderer in Africa by Tanya Shaffer.
Just finished The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, by Junot Diaz and loved it ... set in Panama and NJ Panamanian community ... you learn more about Trujillo than you can bear ... an unusual remarkable prize-winning book. Now reading East of Eden which I can't put down.
Carol

I have read everything by Haruki Murakami...Start with Dance Dance Dance or Kafka on the Shore and if you like his style, just keep reading. I also like Paul Auster a lot.
Max

If you want some fairly light reading, I love Jodi Picoult novels. She's a really good writer and typically writes about very controversial/difficult issues in an interesting and complex way. (By light, I don't mean light on subject matter but rather easy reading.) My favorite one of hers is "Second Glance" ...but...I really like most of them.

Another easy-to-read novel is Sweetwater Creek, which is a coming of age novel about an adolescent girl and her love of dogs. Author is Anne rivers Siddons, who also wrote another interesting one called Home Place, about a woman who goes back to her southern hometown.

I don't think she's published anything recently, but Josephine Humphreys remains one of my favorite novelists -- Rich in Love is my favorite book of hers.
Louise

just read HONOLULU by Alan Brennert - it was a brirthday gift from my korean cousin - it was interesting and fun - an historical novel about Korean Picture brides and the period of 1920-1950's or so - the facts seem to be right and I was actually facinated as my grandmother was a picture bride - also interesting the way the women helped each other even if they didnt always like each other - loved that - my grandmother had no friends that way - but I DO!! yay! also read "Three Dog Life" by Abigail Thomas - loved that one - sadly - relevant to me - we're all hangin in there - aloha no –Val


Doris, did you see the film The Reader? It’s an amazing version of the novel, which I loved. The writing is beautiful & economical, the novel isn’t a huge long one. And if you’ve not seen the film, there is a turn in it that I didn’t anticipate, that makes sense of a lot of things within the story. But not everything, because it’s about the Holocaust and making sense of that isn’t possible. Cheers, Kathie

The Memory Keeper's Daughter; The Known World; Life of Pi -- placed in my hands by Linda

Am finally getting around to responding to your query. I loved Brooks' "Year of Wonders," so I'd like to know what you thought of her recent book.I am reading a lot of Canadian authors. When I move somewhere, I like to read the local literature to get a feeling for the place and the mode of expression. I did that in Hawaii and it enriched my appreciation of the place and the people. (If you want any Hawaii rec's, can do.) Some Canadians: Douglas Coupland - who coined the term "Generation X." He's funny and irreverent, and many of his books are set in Vancouver. What's not to like? Some I liked: Shampoo Planet, Eleanor Rigby, The Gum Thief, jPod (this one a bit gimmicky, but I thought it was hysterical)You can't go wrong with Margaret Atwood
I also think Jane Urquhart is great - try Away, A Map of Glass, The Stone Carvers
Joseph Boyden has written 2 emotionally breathtaking tomes that incorporate indigenous people and their clash with the current world - Through Black Spruce and Three Day Road; And a few non-Canadian picks:2 from India: Aravind Adiga - The White Tiger; Paul Theroux - The Elephanta Suite (helped me to realize how little tourists to India really know what's going on); Sebastian Barry- The Secret Scripture (not about religion, stunning). I want to read more of his stuff; Plus, I have read a number of mysteries set in Scandinavia - let me know if you want to know about those.
I am pretty much an addictive reader and am always on the lookout for more - so please let me know what other hot tips you receive, and also, if you try any of these, what you think. Carolyn