It's already time for us to figure out what books we'll be reading next year for book club! For the past few years, I've had fun sharing with you all our list of candidates and get your input!
So, here's the very eclectic list we've come up with, complete with some verse books, some plays and some graphic novels! It will be interesting to see if they get voted in.
Have you read any of these books? Which ones would you strongly suggest we push through? Which ones would you caution us against? Let us know your experience with any of them!
Literary/Historical Fiction
Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross
The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
Winter’s Tale by Mark Helprin
YA
The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams
The False Princess by Eilis O’Neal
Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys
For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund
Books in Verse
May B by Caroline Starr Rose
Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson
Chasing Brooklyn by Lisa Schroeder
The World’s Strongest Librarian by Josh Hanagarne
Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick
Classics-ish and Etc.
Persuasion by Jane Austen
Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut
Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell
Dune by Frank Herbert
Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
Graphic Books
Friends With Boys by Faith Erin Hicks
Maus: A Survivor’s Tale by Art Spiegelman
Plays
The Importance of Being Ernest by Oscar Wilde
Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand
LOVED Pope Joan and Water For Elephants - both read by my book club.
ReplyDeleteThat is very eclectic! Both of those graphic novels may seem short, but there will be so much to talk about!
ReplyDeleteI tried to do Water for Elephants with a book group and it just didn't work very well. I think it was just a bit light.
ReplyDeleteThe Road and Strongest Librarian are on my list to read. Also Catcher in the Rye.
ReplyDeleteI read Slaughterhouse-Five a couple of years ago and I didn't love it. Most reviews I read about it RAVE over it though. It is a good piece of writing, probably genius, and a quick, easy read, but it had an edgy attitude I wasn't crazy about. I have a few other Vonnegut titles on my Kindle that I want to give a try.
What a great variety you have to choose from! My book club read Water for Elephants and while we mostly liked it, there wasn't a lot to discuss in it except for the life of the traveling circus workers. I hear great things about Maus and I'm thinking of trying to get my club to try it. Isn't Dune crazy long? Pushing me out of my comfort zone for book club would be one thing but suggesting I read a really, really long book out of my comfort zone might be a tough sell.
ReplyDeleteLisa: Yes..there were many complaints about putting Dune on our list, but... I still figured we could vote on it!
DeleteNo, Dune isn't very long, grrr! It's only 400+ pages. We've read much longer books for our book club. Sorry. I'm a little sensitive about it because I'm the on who wanted it on the list and NO ONE wants to read it. Grrr.
DeletePoor Jenni, how about I read it if it doesn't get voted on and we can discuss.
DeleteJenni I voted for Dune on that email Suey sent because I've heard some good things but I've never read it. I have no idea what it's about even. So maybe I'll read it, too, if it doesn't get picked.
DeleteAwww. You guys are the best. :)
DeleteOh, and what email?! I never received it! I need to vote!!!
DeleteWater for Elephants was good, but only OK for discussion. Most of us hated The Road, and our discussion was complaint after complaint. We all enjoyed The World's Strongest Librarian, and we found more to discuss than I expected, although some of that may have been our group and how many of us have kids with challenges.
ReplyDeleteOut of the Easy was on our most recent vote list, and just missed making the cut, unfortunately.
You've got a very nice, diverse list there!
The only one I know that well is Importance of Being Ernest. I love that play, so I highly recommend it.
ReplyDeleteI love that you have Graphic Novels!! I can't imagine how hard it is to get down to this list, just glancing at it I was already thinking of the books you could add to each genre LOL!
ReplyDeleteI strongly recommend both OUT OF THE EASY and THE CHOSEN ONE. Both are excellent.
ReplyDeleteyou should have a warning sign--good times ahead!
ReplyDeleteI vote for Water for Elephants and Persuasion. Also, I'm starting Dune so I hope you guys read that one too so I can hear your thoughts!
ReplyDeleteYou guys definitely gotta read Maus!!!! So amazingly powerful!!!
ReplyDeleteI've read The Road -- beautifully written and outrageously depressing -- and Water for Elephants -- really enjoyed this one. That's all I've got though!!