This week The Broke and the Bookish asks us for the top ten books we recommend. I started this post and temporarily allowed it get complicated- certain readers should be steered in certain directions, after all. And then I got bored. My overall top ten:
1. Family Fang by Kevin Wilson- It's a hilarious, witty, and slightly dark book about a family of performance artists.
2. Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer- I feel like so many people are always drawn into the story of climbing Mount Everest.
3. Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann- A current, well-written favorite about how lives intersect in New York City during the seventies.
4. Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn- I love this quirky little satire for the fun sensibility and the way it manipulates language.
5. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood- A great look at the future, fertility, and the role of women.
6. Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt- I keep finding ways of sneaking this onto lists! It's a coming of age story focusing on how a girl copes with losing her beloved uncle to AIDS in the eighties.
7. The Selected Works of TS Spivet by Reif Larsen- Another one I'm constantly trying to force people to read! TS is a young cartographer and embarks on a journey to the Smithsonian for a job (although they think he's an adult). The drawings and sketches in the margins are icing on the cake.
8. Tortilla Curtain by TC Boyle- As a Southern Californian the personalization of illegal immigration is incredibly poignant. I need to start buying this for the conservatives I know...
9. Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides- His writing is of course amazing, but the story is also exceptional. And yes, it's about hermaphroditism (which I don't believe is a word).
10. Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer- Really? Is this a surprise considering my love and devotion to the man?
Hey! You! What would you tell me to read? Even you YAers- what would be the one book you think I should give a try?
Glad to hear you enjoyed Let the Great World Spin! I haven't read it but it was promoted quite a bit the other year, made it on many lists and stuff so I think I'll have to check it out ;)
ReplyDeleteEverything is Illuminated is <333
My (slightly modified) TTT
I really need to get to the Handmaiden's Tale I'm surprised I haven't read it yet it totally seems like my kind of book
ReplyDeleteMarissa @ Rae Gun Ramblings
Oh, I haven't encountered anything from your list except for the Handmaiden's Tale. But they must be great since you recommend them so. I'm more of a YA person myself.
ReplyDeleteGellie @ A Discombobulated Balladry
I read 'World War Z' last month, it was fantastic! And I loved 'Into Thin Air'.
ReplyDeleteI haven't heard for the majority of these but I'll definitely check them out.
ReplyDeleteHappy reading!
My TTT
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ReplyDeleteSpecial Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl. Received it as a gift and ignored it for the better part of a year because I'M NOT A SCIENCE PERSON and the title turned me off. The minute I started reading it, I regretted all the time I had wasted (and PS: it's not remotely about "science")
ReplyDeleteThe Handmaid's Tale & Middlesex are definitely on my to-read list!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed Let the Great World Spin as well. I definitely need to add The Handmaid's Tale and Middlesex to my ever growing reading list. Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteHappy Reading,
Rebecca @ The Key to the Gate
Ever since I read it, I've been recommending "The End of your Life Book Club" to everyone who will listen. And if they won't listen, I'll force them to listen. I just loved it! It's a memoir about a son and his mother toward the end of her life (she had pancreatic cancer), the books they read together, the discussions they had, and what he learned about life. So, so well done. I've been describing it as "a book lovers book." Read it!
ReplyDeleteAs for YA, I haven't read any lately that I liked. I was really disappointed by Divergent (and you def wouldn't like it). Uglies is still my all time favorite YA series.
I get so excited when I see you pop up! I miss your blog!
DeleteI love how neat and cute your blog design is! :D As for your list, honestly, Ihavent heard of any of these..
ReplyDeleteTop Ten Books I Recommend
Review: The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight
Tell the Wolves I'm Home was my big book push last year, I adore that book. I think we're book soulmates, because Middlesex was *thisclose* to making my list. I like Everest stories too, you might want to try Above All Things by Tanis Rideout (a fictionalized account of Mallory's failed final expedition).
ReplyDeleteAnd now Fang Family has been added to my TBR list.
*Family Fang
DeleteSo...I pretty much just added half this list to my TBR. You have no one to blame but yourself.
ReplyDeleteI've been wanting to read Tell the Wolves I'm Home, it looks great! :) Thanks for stopping by my TTT list!
ReplyDeleteAlice @ Alice in Readerland
Middlesex is on my list too.
ReplyDeleteI loved Everything is Illuminated but I don't actually recommend it much
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ReplyDeleteI am adding all your suggestions to my TBR list! I've only read Into Thin Air. By the way, I'm sure it's been a while, but I love your new blog layout!
ReplyDeleteNice little collage of books. I think we have pretty similar tastes in books. I'm looking forward to reading more of your posts in the future. Feel free to check out my recommendations if you feel like it! :)
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