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BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS

May 23, 2010

By no means exhaustive, just a smattering of my personal favorites.  Please leave your own suggestions in the comments!

contemporary fiction favorites, for adults:

Home—Marilynne Robinson

I think Marilynne Robinson is one of the greatest living American writers.  Her style is not for everyone, as it’s slow, but if you give her about fifty pages, she’ll stun you with sentences that seem impossible.  Home is a companion book to Gilead, for which she won the Pulitzer prize, but you don’t have to read one to enjoy the other.

March—Geraldine Brooks

Pulitzer Prize winner and absolutely stunning.  Brooks imagines the story of Mr. March, the absent father of Little Women, as he serves as a conflicted chaplain during the Civil War.  An incredibly compelling narrator; I didn’t want the book to end.

No Country for Old Men—Cormac McCarthy

I am a big fan of McCarthy’s work, but you have to be willing to stomach the violence to get to the stringent moral questioning that imbues his work.  This is a rare book which, for me, was translated brilliantly into film, but I still go back to the text, especially to examine Sherriff Bell’s italicized musings.

Unaccustomed Earth—Jhumpa Lahiri

A collection of short stories reflective of the Indian immigrant experience, so naturally close to my heart.  But even if the particulars don’t mirror you or  your family, you will still be moved & devastated by the scenes painted here.  Easy to keep by your bedside.

Willful Creatures—Aimee Bender

Not a new book, but one I can’t stop recommending.  Short stories packed with fantastical characters (a boy with keys for fingers?) and ideas (a museum of words?), but don’t be fooled—the fanciful elements often give way to moving moments.  A delight to read.

nonfiction favorites, for adults:

Color: A Natural History of the Palette –Victoria Findlay

I have been recommending this one for a while, because I think it’s the perfect example of what well-done nonfiction can be.  Color may or may not be a subject you’re intrinsically interested in, but you will be by the time you get even just a handful of pages into Findlay’s world travels in search of the origins of pigments.

Hellhound on his Trail: The Stalking of Martin Luther King—Hampton Sides

Sides is a Memphis author, so I’m biased, but this book stands on its own.  Written in the style of In Cold Blood, this examination of the events leading up to MLK’s assassination and the fascinating, frightening personality of James Earl Ray is a powerful read.

My Life in France—Julia Child

As you probably already know, this book was the basis for the Julia part of the movie “Julie & Julia.”  The book recounts Julia Child’s discovery of French cooking and her subsequent talent for it.  This memoir not only captures descriptions of delicious meals but also the spirit of joy that cooking brings to those who love food.

Nothing Was the Same—Kay Redfield Jamison

This book recently sparked a thoughtful, engaging discussion in my book club.  We all loved it, but in different ways and for different reasons.  It is, more than anything, a beautiful record of the incredible relationship between Jamison and her late husband.  She also writes eloquently and honestly about her grief without becoming sentimental.

White Heat: The Friendship of Emily Dickinson and Thomas Wentworth Higginson—Brenda Wineapple

So, this doesn’t sound like it’s going to be a compelling book, but it gripped me thoroughly last summer.  Wineapple is a deft writer, making her academic content easily relatable and engaging.  She paints a very different picture of Dickinson than the pale, pasty, frail one we conventionally know, and in Higginson, opened my eyes to the lives of fiery, impassioned American Abolitionists.

ostensibly for young adults, but grown-ups will love them, too:

The Maze Runner (trilogy)—James Dashner

A recent discovery in my classroom, this book is hard to put down! Thomas wakes up in an elevator, remembering nothing but his own name. He emerges into a world of about 60 teen boys who have learned to survive in a completely enclosed environment, subsisting on their own agriculture and supplies from below. A new boy arrives every 30 days.  One day, a girl arrives with a strange note, and their world begins to change.

His Dark Materials (trilogy)—Philip Pullman

The first in the series is The Golden Compass, one of the most meaningful books I’ve ever read (the movie version does it no justice).   Stubborn, inquisitive Lyra and her animal companion Pan become drawn into a great mystery involving the north Pole, dangerous politics, the church, and a mysterious substance known as Dust.  Kids will read it for plot, adults for the deep social commentary.

The Hunger Games (trilogy)—Suzanne Collins

Every human being I have recommended this book to—from my students to their parents to Jill to all of my adult friends—has loved it.  The second in the series, Catching Fire, will leave you itching for the release of the third & final book, Mockingjay, which will be released August 24th.  Jill & I will plan to buy two copies and sit on the same couch reading in excited silence!

middle school boys love:

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian—Sherman Alexie

Arnold Spirit, a goofy-looking dork with a decent jump shot, spends his time lamenting life on the Spokane Indian reservation and drawing cartoons (included in the book).  At a teacher’s urging, Arnold switches to a rich white school and immediately becomes as much an outcast in his own community as he is a curiosity in his new one.

Peak—Roland Smith

Peak Marcello takes after his father—he has an incredible ability for climbing.  He wants to become the youngest ever to summit Mount Everest, but family complications begin to get in the way.

Ender’s Game—Orson Scott Card

Andrew “Ender” Wiggin, who spends his childhood at military school in outer space, believes he is playing computer simulated war games; in fact, he is commanding the last great fleet of Earth.  An older book but they still adore it.

Gym Candy—Carl Deuker

Freshman running back Mick Johnson works hard to make his dream of football stardom come true, finding the edge he needs to become bigger, stronger, and faster with the help of steroids—despite consequences to his health and social life.  A timely read.

middle school girls love:

Airhead—Meg Cabot

Sixteen-year-old Emerson Watts, an advanced placement student with a disdain for fashion, is the recipient of a “whole body transplant” and finds herself transformed into one of the world’s most famous teen supermodels.

Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister—Gregory Maguire

Set in 17th-century Holland, the story of Cinderella is told from a completely different perspective, full of lush detail & plenty of surprises.  Doesn’t romanticize the relationships between mothers, daughters, & sisters.

Dairy Queen—Catherine Gilbert Murdock

Great especially for female athletes—this books has a strong, funny female protagonist and an excellent sequel (The Off Season).  After her father is injured, 15-year-old D.J. Schwenk takes over the lion’s share of work on her family’s small Wisconsin dairy farm. Between milking cows, mucking out the barn, and mowing clover, she also takes on training Brian, the rival high school’s quarterback. A monster crush and a tryout for her own school’s football team ensue.  I LOVED this book.

Thirteen Reasons Why—Jay Asher

When Clay Jenson plays the cassette tapes he received in a mysterious package, he’s surprised to hear the voice of dead classmate Hannah Baker. He’s one of 13 people who receive Hannah’s story, which details the circumstances that led to her suicide.  Many of my reluctant readers picked this one up & really enjoyed it.

other middle school favorites:

The Westing Game—Ellen Raskin

A group of people with seemingly no connection but the apartment tower they have all just moved into are forced to play The Westing Game, tracking down clues to solve the murder of Sam Westing, who has promised a fortune to whichever team uncovers the mystery first.

And Then There Were None—Agatha Christie

This classic murder-mystery has been very popular among my students; many of them have gone on to read more of Agatha Christie’s famous mystery novels and to watch the film version of the story, Ten Little Indians.

Beastly—Alex Flinn

Well written and engaging, this retelling of Beauty & the Beast has found favor with both my male and female students.  Kyle Kingsbury, a vain, spoiled private school student who judges others by their appearances, is turned into a frightening monster by a girl he humiliates. In order to break the spell, Kyle must find true love.