That new Oprah Book Club selection getting a lot of press. Sorry I haven’t read it yet, but about a man unjustly sentenced to years in prison before he was declared innocent. The Sun Does Shine.
@Susan Lisa Genova is a phenomenal novelist. She is a neuroscientist and so all her novels are full of information about whatever brain issue afflict her characters. Still Alice is one of my favorites! I also learned a lot about autism from her book Love Anthony.
Louise Erdrich The Master Butchers Singing Club. She’s a recognized Native Am writer and this was a surprise. Good writing, wise but no angst. Maybe not ‘exceptional’ but excellent.
Pillars of the Earth By Ken Follett, Natchez Burning series by Gregg Iles, poisonwood bible by Kingsolver. I know this much is true by Wally Lamb. I could go on and on.
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt…The Magician’s Assistant by Ann Patchett…Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier…A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley…Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh….Letter From Peking by Pearl S Buck….Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak…Wolves Eat Dogs (Arkady Renko Series Book 5) by Martin Cruz Smith…Still Life by Louise Penny…Girls Like Us: Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon–and the Journey of a Generation by Sheila Weller….The Florist’s Daughter by Patricia Hampl…Ciao, America by Beppe Severgnini….Shogun by James Clavell…The Belgariad by David Eddings…In the Garden of Iden by Kage Baker
What kinds of books do you like? Because what I think is exceptional might not give you the same impression.
Memoirs, books about overcoming struggle
Have you read “Educated” by Tara Westover?
A Piece of Cake : A Memoir by Cupcake Brown
Born a Crime by Trevor Noah, The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt…three of my favorite memoirs.
Born a Crime was exceptional!
The Road from Coorain, Jill Ker Conway
The glass castle
@Polly, I had never heard of A Piece of Cake. Just added to my TBR.
That new Oprah Book Club selection getting a lot of press. Sorry I haven’t read it yet, but about a man unjustly sentenced to years in prison before he was declared innocent. The Sun Does Shine.
@Susan all three are amazing
I just read that Jill Ker Conway died very recently, June 1 this year. Now I really WILL reread the Road from coorain.
a man called ove, grandma gatewoods walk….
Love and Ruin
The Clay Girl by Heather Tucker. It is indeed exceptional. I hugged the book when I finished it, I love it so much!
Same!!!
Don’t you just love that feeling? ????
The Shadow of the Wind, Cutting for Stone, Nightingale…
A Man Called Ove
The great alone
East of Eden
The Liars Club by Mary Karr
The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri
Cannery Row by John Steinbeck ❤
The Engagements
The Kind Worth Killing
We Were All Completely Beside Ourselves
The Egg and I by Betty MacDonald. Humorous but yes, she struggled!
I loved The Egg and I!
Loved it…and the movie.
Either
-The Sudden Appearance of Hope
or
-Touch
both by Claire North
The hearts invisible furies John Boyne
On my summer reading list. ?
@Susan you won’t be disappointed. Great book.
I’m going to start listening to this today.
Try The Animators by Kayla Rae Whitaker. A fictional book about female cartoonists. Kept me reading.
I really enjoyed that book, too. I haven’t heard much buzz about it.
Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate
An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult
“The Shadow of the Wind” by Carlos Ruiz Zafon or “The Secret Keeper” by Kate Morton
Sing Unburied Sing by Jesmyn Ward.
Every Note Played by Lisa Genova. Novel about a concert pianist who has ALS.
I cried like a big ol baby and recommended it to anyone who would listen! I have Still Alice on my kindle for two years and I really need to read it!
@Susan Lisa Genova is a phenomenal novelist. She is a neuroscientist and so all her novels are full of information about whatever brain issue afflict her characters. Still Alice is one of my favorites! I also learned a lot about autism from her book Love Anthony.
@Katy I haven’t heard of Love Anthony! I’ve been working with preschoolers on the spectrum for 15 years and I would love to hear her take on it!
@Katy Left Neglected was also fascinating
Just finished “The Things We Don’t Say” by Ella Carey. Excellent choice.
Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger or The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry.
Ordinary Grace is wonderful
Underground Railroad
Middlesex or Shantaram
Louise Erdrich The Master Butchers Singing Club. She’s a recognized Native Am writer and this was a surprise. Good writing, wise but no angst. Maybe not ‘exceptional’ but excellent.
Poisonwood Bible is still an all-time fave of mine
Pillars of the Earth By Ken Follett, Natchez Burning series by Gregg Iles, poisonwood bible by Kingsolver. I know this much is true by Wally Lamb. I could go on and on.
I’ll second Greg Iles Narchez Burning series.
Yes to all! Exceptional reads.
Yesss to all! 🙂
Really liked Leonardo Da Vinci if you like Historical Fiction
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt…The Magician’s Assistant by Ann Patchett…Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier…A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley…Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh….Letter From Peking by Pearl S Buck….Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak…Wolves Eat Dogs (Arkady Renko Series Book 5) by Martin Cruz Smith…Still Life by Louise Penny…Girls Like Us: Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon–and the Journey of a Generation by Sheila Weller….The Florist’s Daughter by Patricia Hampl…Ciao, America by Beppe Severgnini….Shogun by James Clavell…The Belgariad by David Eddings…In the Garden of Iden by Kage Baker
Wow!!!
Wow, thanks! Great books
The Dove Keepers by Alice Hoffman
Yes!
I’m currently listening to Bird Box by Josh Mallerman- I’m obsessed! The story has me sucked in.
Check out pbs’s great reads. There’s lots in there!
A Thousand Splendid Suns.
Just finished All the Good Things by Clare Fisher – it was a damn good read
the hearts invisible furies by John Boyne!
The Great Alone
Loved, loved this book
I have just started this book.
@Karen I really liked it.
Catherine my son gave it to me to read …he loved it. I just bought him the other two books as well
The Nightingale by Kristen @Hannah
I think you tagged me by accident!
@Hannah sorry.
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles!
+1 for this!
The Paris Architect
The miracle life of Edgar mint
Yes! What a great book!!!
@Anita YES!!
The Physician by Noah Gordon.
Ordinary Grace
Loved ordinary grace
If you like sci-fi, anything by Mira Grant is exceptional in my opinion
I mean depends what you like but…
“The seven husband’s of Evelyn hugo”- Taylor Jenkins Reid is fantastic.
Invisible monsters by chuck palahniuk
All the King’s Men by Robert Penn Warren.