Book Club

[sunala]

We're getting to that time. Only a few months left in 2015. What are the outstanding books that stand out in your mind? 

Want to share? 

[Loveac]

THE INVENTION OF WINGS by Sue Monk Kidd

ONCE WE WERE BROTHERS by Ronald Balson

[ChynnaBlue]

Here are the books I've enjoyed most this year, in no particular order:

Furiously Happy, by Jenny Lawson. Her second memoir. Jenny Lawson is known for her blog, The Bloggess. She's quirky, hilarious, the daughter of a taxidermist, and suffers from rheumatoid arthritis, anxiety, and serious depression. This is the funniest book about depression and mental illness you will ever read. She's not for everyone, so check out her blog before you decide.

Just Mercy, by Bryan Stevenson. I saw Bryan Stevenson at a book signing and he had a powerful impact on me. This book is about Stevenson's work as a non-profit attorney working to free the wrongly convicted, especially those on death row. He also works with children who have been sentenced as adults and put in jail or prison with adults. Stevenson has worked with children who were sentenced to life in prison and put in prison with adults at the age of 14. It is the most important book I've read in years.

Yes Please, by Amy Poehler. This is a memoir by Amy Poehler. It's funny, honest, and encouraging. I really enjoyed this one. I got the audio book, where she has her parents, Seth Meyers, and some other people read parts for or with her. 

Honorable Mentions:

As You Wish, by Cary Elwes. If you are a fan of the movie The Princess Bride, I recommend this book. It's a memoir of the filming of The Princess Bride and what happened afterward by Elwes (Wesley/Dread Pirate Roberts) and many other cast members. It's short and sweet. I got the audio version and Elwes reads it himself, along with many of the cast members and producer Rob Reiner. Chapters are written by Reiner, cast members, and the William Goldman, the author of The Princess Bride.

John Dies at the End, by David Wong. This book is crazy. It is definitely not for everyone, but I enjoyed it a lot.

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, by Rachel Joyce. Harold Fry gets a letter and learns that an old friend has cancer and is dying. He sets out to see her, walking across Britain, believing that if she can just hold on until he gets there, he can save her. It's a slow paced book, but the character development is well done and there are pieces of this story that will stick with me for a long time.

Books I did not like or did not finish:

How to Be a Woman, bu Caitlyn Moran. Caitlyn Moran is a feminist who wants feminists to be accepting of ideas that are different from their own. But she decides that to do this, she will tell you how to act and what to think. No thanks. I didn't like this one. (Roxanne Gay's Bad Feminist is a much better book about feminism on your own terms.)

This Is Where I Leave You, by Jonathan Tropper. I didn't finish this one because it was full of sexist garbage. At one point the main character goes to a party and describes every woman there by talking about which ones he would sleep with or how they would please men by being one way or another. Nope.

[Lilysmom]

@sunala, thanks for starting this.  Here are a few good reads.  I confess I am not very good at keeping a list.  Looking forward to many replies!  LM

I Am Pilgrim, Terry Hayes

The Nature of the Beast, Louise Penny

Make Me, Lee Child

The Girls of August, Ann Rivers Siddon

The Dirty Secrets Club

Finders Keepers, Stephen King

The Girl on the Train

The Kind Worth Killing

Reconstructing Amelia

Tell the Wolves I'm Home

[LoriLori]

No surprise to regular readers since I haven't shut up about it LOL:

"A Man Called Ove"

[Zita]

All the Light You Cannot See

The Girl on the Train

The Goldfinch

The Miniaturist

Make Me (Jack Reacher)

Gathering Prey (Sandford)

[kitty45]

The beginners goodbye by Anne Tyler

Till the well runs dry by Lauren Francis-Sharma

Freedom by Jonathan Franzen (well written but horrible characters)

[Colinka]

Two really stand out for me: Letters to the Lost by Iona Grey and A Pleasure and A Calling by Phil Hogan. The first is a great love story, the second is a quirky thriller. Both British.

[sunala]

Here are some of my most favorite books from this year:

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

In the Unlikely Event by Judy Blume

Under a Dark Summer Sky by Vanessa La Faye

Five Days Left by Julie Lawson Timmer

The Storied Life of AJ Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

The Remedy for Love by Bill Roorbach

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler

The Nightingale by Kristen Hannah

Finders Keepers by Stephen King

Radiant Angel by Nelson DeMille

The Boston Girl by Anita Diamant

Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf

An Invisible Thread by Laura Schroff

[SAGal]

oh...I have a lot!  (****** = extra love!)

******The Nightingale

Under a Dark Summer Sky

*******Tell The Wolves I'm Home

After You

The Kind Worth Killing

********The Girl You Left Behind

Colony

The Secret Wisdom of the Earth

A Fall of Marigolds

*********Secrets of a Charmed Life

The Shell Seekers

The Lost Wife

Girl on the Train

GREAT READS