Book thread- those few that stay with you

[ChunkyNicksChunkyMom]

I just finished A Man Called Ove and the Kite Runner, both books that really make me realize all those others I thought were so well written maybe weren't :)
Please share your favorite few so that I can continue my streak of great reads! Thank you so much!

[Philly Mom]

I liked both those books a lot. Americanah and Orhan's Inheritance are both excellent. Well written, engaging. You will like both if you liked the Kite Runner.

I also liked the Rules of Civility but I wouldn't put it on the same level.

[lkoala]

I just finished A Man Called Ove and the Kite Runner, both books that really make me realize all those others I thought were so well written maybe weren't :)
Please share your favorite few so that I can continue my streak of great reads! Thank you so much!

Read 'A Thousand Splendid Suns' if you like the Kite Runner, its really good.

[Charlie]

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

[mm123]

Three come immediately to mind, although I'm sure there are more. I just couldn't put these books down.

-A Fine Balance

-The Light Between Oceans

-Bel Canto

[baymom]

Three come immediately to mind, although I'm sure there are more. I just couldn't put them down.

-A Fine Balance

-The Light Between Oceans

-Bel Canto

I was going to say A Fine Balance, as well. Not only is it beautifully written, it's so deeply thought provoking and both uplifting and tragic at the same time. Definitely one of my most favorite books of all time...and I'm a prolific reader.

[Green_Tea]

Everything Jhumpa Lahiri has written has stuck with me. Such a fantastic author.

[citymama]

Three come immediately to mind, although I'm sure there are more. I just couldn't put them down.
-A Fine Balance
-The Light Between Oceans
-Bel Canto

Love these books!


Everything Jhumpa Lahiri has written has stuck with me. Such a fantastic author.


Yes to Lahiri, especially The Namesake.
Adiche's Americanah
Junot Diaz's Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
Amitav Ghosh's Ibis Trilogy (Sea of Poppies is the first book)
Zadie Smith's White Teeth and On Beauty.
Mario Vargas Llosa's Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter
Isabel Allende and Gabriel Garcia Marquez - just about anything

[nfceagles]

The Road

And

Prodigal Summer

come to mind first.


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[ChunkyNicksChunkyMom]

Thank you all! Many here I've not heard of before, appreciate the suggestions!

[mm123]

The Road

And

Prodigal Summer

come to mind first.


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Prodigal Summer just made me think of another one by Barabara Kingsolver- The Poisonwood Bible- amazing!

[Indianamom2]

I loved The Nightingale, but I also read The Night Road (also by Kristen Hannah). That is the first book I'very ever read that actually made me cry due to the subject matter. It deals with teens, drinking, the foster care system, etc..all fiction, but a great cautionary tale for those of us with soon to be teens.

[erosenst]

Old, totally not something I would usually read - but The Mists of Avalon is one of the most beautifully written I've ever read.


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[mom2binsd]

The Wild Swan trilogy, history, sex, horses, have read the series 3x!!!!

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[lizzywednesday]

Old, totally not something I would usually read - but The Mists of Avalon is one of the most beautifully written I've ever read. ...

This was one of my very favorite books in college and I kept recommending it to people until I read some really icky things about the author (https://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/jun/27/sff-community-marion-zimmer-bradley-daughter-accuses-abuse), so it's now one of the books about which I have conflicted feelings. (I am still impressed by the retelling of the Arthurian legends, but some bits are now ickier in light of this information. I had no idea at the time I read it, nor do I think the people who recommended it to me have any idea either.)

[etwahl]

I recently read A Man Called Ove and loved it. The author has many more highly rated books that I plan to read. Did you also know there's a movie out recently? I'm waiting for that to arrive from my library. Here are some of my favorites recently: The Handmaid's Tale, Homegoing (it felt a little like the series Roots), Dark Matter (sci-fi but really kept me hooked), The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry (loved this so much -- great for book lovers). Some excellent children's books (we homeschool and I have a great love of good children's literature!) Between Shades of Gray, The War That Saved My Life, A Night Divided, A Monster Calls. Am also enjoying thrillers lately -- The Last Child by John Hart, In the Woods by Tana French (the first in a series). Also some non-fiction choices -- Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City, Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption.

I've become seriously addicted to goodreads. I highly recommend it for seeking out really great reading material!

[citymama]

Prodigal Summer just made me think of another one by Barabara Kingsolver- The Poisonwood Bible- amazing!

The Poisonwood Bible was soooo good. I read it maybe 15 years ago - but still can't say a palindrome without thinking of it!

Also thought of one other magical book - The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy. She's coming out with a new book this year - her first since GOST, which was published 20 years ago!

[ChunkyNicksChunkyMom]

I recently read A Man Called Ove and loved it. The author has many more highly rated books that I plan to read. Did you also know there's a movie out recently? I'm waiting for that to arrive from my library. Here are some of my favorites recently: The Handmaid's Tale, Homegoing (it felt a little like the series Roots), Dark Matter (sci-fi but really kept me hooked), The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry (loved this so much -- great for book lovers). Some excellent children's books (we homeschool and I have a great love of good children's literature!) Between Shades of Gray, The War That Saved My Life, A Night Divided, A Monster Calls. Am also enjoying thrillers lately -- The Last Child by John Hart, In the Woods by Tana French (the first in a series). Also some non-fiction choices -- Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City, Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption.

I've become seriously addicted to goodreads. I highly recommend it for seeking out really great reading material!

Thank you! I watched a trailer for the movie and it looks really good. Ove is younger than I thought :)

[AnnieW625]

I loved listening to The Boys on the Boat (not sure if I would've finished it if I read it, it was a lot)

Fancy Pants by Susan Elizabeth Phillips is probably my favorite romance novel. It is a lot of book and I have read it twice.

I couldn't get into Kristin Hannah's The Nightingale. I found the main characters hard to believe. I know a lot of people did amazing things in WW2, but this just seemed so far fetched for me.

Americanah was good too but I am not sure I will read it again.

I enjoyed The Goldfinch, but honestly I felt it could've been 300 pages shorter.

I just finished Hannah McKinnon's Mystic Summer, which was good as well and I didn't want it to end.

ETA:

Erich Segal's Love Story. I have probably read it 50 times.

Also Judy Blume's Forever. I know it sounds silly, but I still remember reading when I was 12. Also As Long As Were Together by Judy Blume.


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[WitMom]

By the same author of Ove: "And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer". It's short, so is a quick read. But so impactful.

[sdoyle]

Those Who Save Us, The Secret Life of Bees and All the Light We Cannot See were 3 that have stuck with me. I loved the Goldfinch but agree it was way too long.

I love these book threads- they always help refill my book queue!


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[cilantromapuche]

book thief, walden by thoreau, man's search for meaning by frankl. Agree, that nightingale and all the light we cannot see also stayed with me. The sweet potato guernsey literary society and is also one of my favorites. Anything by Helen Simonsen is great. What Alice Forgot has been one of my favorite novels about marriage.

[toby]

I just finished A Man Called Ove and the Kite Runner, both books that really make me realize all those others I thought were so well written maybe weren't :)
Please share your favorite few so that I can continue my streak of great reads! Thank you so much!

Great thread...I am jotting down a big list! Like some other posters, I really enjoyed The Storied Life of AJ Fikry and Bel Canto. I liked Where in the World is Britt Marie (author of Ove) better than the Grandmother one he wrote. I didn't want it to end!

Older favorites:
The Incidence of the Dog in the Night time
Stones from the River
#1 Ladies Detective Agency series

[bisous]

There are some good books in here! Others that have been mentioned that haven't been my favorites at all. It is interesting because some of my favorite books to read might not be in the same category as books that stay with me, if that makes sense.

I'd say that for me the Lord of the Rings series was actually huge. I was really touched by the heroism in them. I still believe in the power of good, ordinary people, lol. My favorite book I've read recently was Unbroken. I still get goose bumps thinking about it. I read Kon-Tiki when I was recovering from DS1's birth (c-section) and it was the coolest experience I've ever had. I loved reading about the wild, wide world when I was recuperating and basically stuck inside, barely mobile with a brand new baby.

I do think that Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Isabel Allende write powerful books. They aren't necessarily my favorite books, but they touched me deeply and were incredibly well written. I'd absolutely read more from them.

[carolinamama]

I've loved reading through this thread so I thought I would add mine. Almost halfway through A Man Called Ove after seeing it recommended here. It's good! Other books that have stayed with me are Poisonwood Bible, Book Thief, Nightingale, The Other Boleyn Girl, The Kitchen House, and Pillars of the Earth. I think I'm going to go for Bel Canto next.

[123LuckyMom]

I agree with many of the suggestions above! I'll also add (some older books, some newer) The Golum and the Jinni, The Housekeeper and the Professor, Room, A Prayer for Owen Meany, The Soloist, Life of Pi, Our Souls at Night, The Ten-Year Nap


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ETA: If you haven't read it yet, do read Bel Canto. Just do! You won't be sorry.

[ChunkyNicksChunkyMom]

I was going to say A Fine Balance, as well. Not only is it beautifully written, it's so deeply thought provoking and both uplifting and tragic at the same time. Definitely one of my most favorite books of all time...and I'm a prolific reader.

Just wanted to thank those who recommended A Fine Balance. Simply amazing.

[ChunkyNicksChunkyMom]

I've loved reading through this thread so I thought I would add mine. Almost halfway through A Man Called Ove after seeing it recommended here. It's good! Other books that have stayed with me are Poisonwood Bible, Book Thief, Nightingale, The Other Boleyn Girl, The Kitchen House, and Pillars of the Earth. I think I'm going to go for Bel Canto next.

I was a surprised to not see Pillars mentioned here yet, I think there is a sequel coming soon!

[NCGrandma]

For all you Bel Canto fans ... have you read Ann Patchett's latest, Commonwealth? What do you think? I've read and enjoyed most of her books, but haven't yet read it, partly because my very literate friends have very mixed feelings about it.


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[pinkelephant]

I absolutely loved Commonwealth- maybe even more than Bel Canto! One of my all time favorites is Jeffry Eugenides Middlesex and Wally Lamb She's Come Undone.

[gobadgers]

I just updated my Goodreads - I have a nice long list of books to read again from this thread! Here are some that have stuck with me:

The Boys in the Boat
Americanah
Between the World and Me
My Brilliant Friend (and the books that follow) by Elena Ferrante
The Remains of the Day (older book, but new to me and I loved it)
The Kitchen House
A Manual for Cleaning Women by Lucia Barton
The Invisible Wall
The Kite Runner was so powerful, one of my favorites too

ETA: All the Light we Cannot See. Loved it

[speo]

Many of mine are repeats:
All the Light We Cannot See
The Pillars of the Earth
The Shadow of the Wind
The Book Thief
Stardust
The Sparrow
The Kingkiller Chronicles
The Stormlight Archives
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay
Middlesex
Poisonwood Bible (I went on to read all of her books!)
A Song of Fire and Ice

Recent honorable mentions (we'll see if they stick):
The Nix
11/22/63
Homegoing

[ChunkyNicksChunkyMom]

Many of mine are repeats:
All the Light We Cannot See
The Pillars of the Earth
The Shadow of the Wind
The Book Thief
Stardust
The Sparrow
The Kingkiller Chronicles
The Stormlight Archives
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay
Middlesex
Poisonwood Bible (I went on to read all of her books!)
A Song of Fire and Ice

Recent honorable mentions (we'll see if they stick):
The Nix
11/22/63
Homegoing




Did you read the two sequels to Shadow of the Wind? That is one of my all time favs and the sequels are good, too!

[speo]

Did you read the two sequels to Shadow of the Wind? That is one of my all time favs and the sequels are good, too!

Thanks! No I didn't realize this.

I forgot to second The Gollum and the Jinni. It was a real surprise how good this book was.

[solsister]

I have a lot, but these are off the top of my head. So hard to choose, but these have stuck with me
Some are repeats-
The Josephine Bonaparte trilogy by Sandra Gulland
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius
The Tender Bar
Molokai
She's Come Undone
All the Light We Cannot See
Sarah's Key- (tragic, but a story that needed to be told)
The Nightingale and Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah- (Winter Garden was gut-wrenching, and beautiful)
Those Who Save Us ( i had a little bit of a WWll reading run, apparently)
Bel Canto
The Shadow of the Wind and sequels
The Book Thief
The Thirteenth Tale
The Goldfinch and The Secret History (both donna tart)

[lizzywednesday]

...
The Remains of the Day (older book, but new to me and I loved it)...

I read this one in college as part of the same course during which I also read The Handmaid's Tale. The overall theme of the course was voices in the darkness, but the title of the course was "The Modern and Contemporary British Novel." (I was absolutely in over my head, but I really loved the coursework.)

Kazuo Ishiguro's prose is often poetic; I truly enjoyed the novel and have been meaning to re-read it lately as a kind of comfort-read. He's written several that are on my TBR list, as well, including The Buried Giant which came out a few years ago.

[rin]

Independent People, by Halldor Laxnass. I read it ages ago for a project, it was a bit of a slow read, but it comes back to me all the time.
The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt, this just came out a few years ago but it definitely keeps coming back

[gobadgers]

I read this one in college as part of the same course during which I also read The Handmaid's Tale. The overall theme of the course was voices in the darkness, but the title of the course was "The Modern and Contemporary British Novel." (I was absolutely in over my head, but I really loved the coursework.)

Kazuo Ishiguro's prose is often poetic; I truly enjoyed the novel and have been meaning to re-read it lately as a kind of comfort-read. He's written several that are on my TBR list, as well, including The Buried Giant which came out a few years ago.

The Handmaid's Tale is on my to read list too, but I've been hesitating to dive in :-)

I read The Buried Giant as well - it has an entirely different approach that threw me off at first, but it was excellent. It would be great as an audiobook!

[lizzywednesday]

The Handmaid's Tale is on my to read list too, but I've been hesitating to dive in :-)...

I've been due for a reread for a few years, to be honest. I last re-read in around 2002 or '03, then loaned my copy to a friend who never returned it. *grrr*

I'll re-buy it soon; with the series coming to Hulu on April 26th, I'm sure some people will be seeking it out in a month or so.

[gobadgers]

I've been due for a reread for a few years, to be honest. I last re-read in around 2002 or '03, then loaned my copy to a friend who never returned it. *grrr*

I'll re-buy it soon; with the series coming to Hulu on April 26th, I'm sure some people will be seeking it out in a month or so.

Didn't know about the Hulu series! There's already wait for it at the library, so I just put it on hold. A time limit is just the push I need, actually :-)

[rlu]

Peace Like A River

Flash the Homeless Donkey (spiritual guidance, ymmv)

[Meatball Mommie]

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Poisonwood Bible
The Dove Keepers

For me, it's usually nonfiction that sticks with me
When Broken Glass Floats
Riding the Bus with My Sister
First They Killed My Father
Escape from Camp 14

[AnnieW625]

I am listening to Emily Fridlund's The History of Wolves (this month's book club selection) right now and while it is kind of quirky and weird I can see it lasting with me for quite some time because is has made me think about a lot of things.

Thought of another one:
North of Normal by Cea Sunrise Person

[Meatball Mommie]

Thought of another one:
North of Normal by Cea Sunrise Person

Yes, to this one too.

[123LuckyMom]

For all you Bel Canto fans ... have you read Ann Patchett's latest, Commonwealth? What do you think? I've read and enjoyed most of her books, but haven't yet read it, partly because my very literate friends have very mixed feelings about it.


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I've loved so many of her books, but I keep borrowing a digital copy of Commonwealth from the library over and over. I just can't get into it, and I end up letting my two weeks run out. I've never had that problem with one of her books before. I LOVED her book of essays _This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage_, and I was so excited to get my hands on Commonwealth, but I still haven't managed to read it!


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[NCGrandma]

I've loved so many of her books, but I keep borrowing a digital copy of Commonwealth from the library over and over. I just can't get into it, and I end up letting my two weeks run out. I've never had that problem with one of her books before. I LOVED her book of essays _This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage_, and I was so excited to get my hands on Commonwealth, but I still haven't managed to read it!


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Thanks -- this is exactly the reaction several of my friends have had, all of whom loved Bel Canto.


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[TwinFoxes]

Three that fit the category for me that I don't think have been mentioned thus far (and I agree with many mentioned and am also updating my Amazon wish list with ones I haven't read).

The Color Purple
Cutting for Stone
Unbroken- this one is hard to read in some parts. It really shows man's inhumanity to man. The level of cruelty is almost beyond imagining. But it also shows such amazing strength.

[solsister]

Unbroken was so hard to read, but such an amazing book.

[ChunkyNicksChunkyMom]

Thank you all again for giving me a wonderful list! 3/4 of the way through A Fine Balance and I think it might be the best I've read yet.

[lizzywednesday]

I realized I responded to a lot of posts but never bothered to answer the initial question!

Fiction

Invisible Man (Ralph Ellison)
The Handmaid's Tale (Margaret Atwood)
Nineteen Eighty-four (George Orwell)
The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley ... yes, even with the squickiness I've read recently, the book sticks)
The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)
The Once and Future King (TH White)
The Chronicles of Narnia (CS Lewis ... while I no longer consider myself religious, I find these books shaped my personal philosophy)
The Anne of Green Gables series (LM Montgomery ... such comfort books; I found my childhood copies a few months ago)
Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus (Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley)
Dracula (Bram Stoker)
Anne Rice's first 3 "Vampire Chronicles" novels, though I think I've outgrown Lestat by now (*sigh*)

Nonfiction

The Dinosaur Heresies (Robert T. Bakker, who, with John Horner, was one of the more influential dinosaur paleontologists of my youth)
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (Rebecca Skloot)
John Adams (David McCullough)
The Monuments Men (Robert Edsel)
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers (Mary Roach)
A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (Mary Wollstonecraft)

I tried to think about books to which I will return when I feel unmoored or otherwise unsure of myself, or if I want to think a bit more.

[fauve01]

I've been thinking about this post since i saw it a couple days ago. I read a ton and here's a list of the books that have really stuck with me:

THe Night Circus
The Forgotten Garden
The Poisonwood Bible
The Witching Hour
Outlander
The Kitchen House by Grissom
The Lords of Discipline by Conroy
These is My Words by Turner
The WIdow's War by Gunning
ONe Hundred Years of Solitude
The Thorn Birds
Pillars of the Earth
Pope Joan by Cross
Someone Knows my Name by Hill
Year of WOnders by Brooks
Ahab's Wife by Naslund

[ChunkyNicksChunkyMom]

I liked both those books a lot. Americanah and Orhan's Inheritance are both excellent. Well written, engaging. You will like both if you liked the Kite Runner.

I also liked the Rules of Civility but I wouldn't put it on the same level.

Just wanted to thank you for recommending Orhan! So good and thought provoking.

[Philly Mom]

Just wanted to thank you for recommending Orhan! So good and thought provoking.

Glad you liked it! I just recommended it to both my brothers. I still think about it.


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[solsister]

Another one-
Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy.

[lizzywednesday]

...
The WIdow's War by Gunning...
Ahab's Wife by Naslund

These two have a similar feel at the outset, but I loved the Gunning and passionately hated the Naslund. (I found the language used in the Naslund really annoying and had trouble getting past it while reading the novel. I can see what people enjoyed about it, but, really, I hated it.)