Name one book which shocked you. In a good way or a bad way. A book that you absolutely couldn’t get out of your head and had to tell everyone about.
Name one book which shocked you. In a good way or a bad way. A book that you absolutely couldn’t get out of your head and had to tell everyone about.
The Light We Lost by Jill Santopolo.
The last book of divergent series
Omg, I’m just starting Insurgent tonight. So, I have a lot to look forward to then?
Oh yes. Beware.
Omg yes ; (
I completely forget which book it was that I read recently, but I slammed it shut when I was done and told my husband that was the worst ending I’d ever read.
That was me with “gone girl”! Hated the ending!
The Probable Future by Alice Hoffman because magical realism was something I’d read as a child but was so excited to read as an adult! It was an awesome shock!
The last book of the Kricket series by Amy Bartol. A lot of people were shocked by the ending, but I think it was perfect. My favorite books!
With Love from the Inside by Angela Pisel
The Shack
Yes!!
I loved that book! I still recommend it and buy people their own copy!
Karma Brown’s Come Away with Me.
A Prayer for Owen Meant OR Mother of Pearl.
Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel. Loved it. Didn’t want it to end.
That’s going to be our town’s Big Read this fall – just picked it up from the library to get a head start…
Women as lovers.
Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders. Blew me away. Had it on audio and had no idea what I was listening to – almost quit- but did some research first. Love anything connected to Lincoln and I love graveyards so I stuck with it and oh my…. The audio was an amazing production and I have never heard or read anything like this book. It has stayed with me for months!!! I bought the paper copy to have it in my hands to look back at!
Quite a recommendation!
@Elena I just tell everybody they really need to know what they are getting into before they start – it is such a different writing format. I wish I could talk to more people who have read it.
Hands down Kimberely Belles The Marriage Lie
Life of Pi for sure.
Educated by Tara Westover…I drew a lot from this one because of similarities in family dynamics.
Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah
Moriarty by Anthony Horowitz
Still Alice by Lisa Genova
The Refrigerator Monologues by Cathrynne M. Valente!
Behind Her Eyes for me. By Sarah Pinborough.
Yes that book was crazy!!
I loved it, but I seriously couldn’t believe what happened and had to go back through it because it blew my mind.
The Jungle by Upton Sinclair.
We Have to Talk About Kevin. Freaked me out.
I thought of the same book!
Pillars of the Earth. Best book. I read it as a recommendation and then told everyone else about it.
The Giver and then Behind Closed Doors
Loved behind closed doors! Crazy!
@Dawn I know right. I couldn’t stop talking about it for months
Behind closed doors for sure.
The Nightingale by Kristen Hannah. How people rose in horrific times only to survive and thrive amazes me. Although not a true story, I’m sure it paralleled many. Ive told everyone I know and especially my grandkids who have no concept of hardship.
Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult
Yes!!! That one stills stays with me, too!!
YES
@Elena I was so shocked, I went back and read it all again to see how she did it! It was brilliant!
@Susan Me too!
My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult
I read so much it’s hard to say. I would have to say one that hit close to home was “Things you Don’t Say” by @Sarah.
My husband is a police officer and the book had me in tears. It’s one of my favorites and I constantly recommend it. I have a Facebook reading group I run and it’s always one of my top recommendations.
Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill, who is Stephen King’s son, scared the bejeebers out of me. Not in a good way.
Hopeless by Colleen Hoover
El Santo by M.Robinson… I was like ??????????????? the whole time
I’m still telling people they MUST read STATION ELEVEN by Emily St. John Mandel.
Oooh, I loved that one!
LOVE that one. It would be one that I’d “take to the island” if I had to answer that question.
“Shutter Island” by Dennis Lehane. The shock twist of all shock twists–rarely has a book sucker-punched me like this.
Great book, love ALL his books. Mystic River!!!!
@Kate oh my yes!!! One of the craziest twists!
The horse WHISPERER
The Marriage Lie by @Kimberly
Thank you!! <3
Absolutely one of my favorites .
@Marjorie Yayyy, thank you!!
@Kimberly and that ending! Looking forward to reading Three Days Missing!
Hope you love it just as much 🙂
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
I’m currently reading this!
@Cassie, she wrote another memoir about her mother…. Half Broke Horses.
I’ll put it on my endless TBR list lol
One of my favorite books of all time!!
11/22/63 I was obsessed!!!!!
The Neighbors by Hannah Mary McKinnon. The Marriage Lie by K Kimberly Belle, Barbara Claypole White The PROMISE Between US. Allie and Bea by Catherine Ryan Hyde.
This year has been a women’s fiction lovers dream. There’s so many. I often yours twice, Elena!
The life she was given
Paul Tremblays new one THE CABIN AT THE END OF THE WORLD. You don’t expect horror to have so much heart. I was blown away. I cried. It was a mess. Lol
Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult
Fried Green Tomatoes by Fanny Flagg. I was laughing and crying at the same time-boy, that did a number on my sinuses!
The Malleus Maleficarum
So absolutely brutal and ignorant… Hard to fathom that it’s all true…
We Need to Talk About Kevin!!!!!!!
Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” and “Ellen Marie Wiseman’s “The Life She Was Given”
We Need to Talk About Kevin. Terrifying.
Unbroken
Natchez Burning by Greg Iles, I had a serious book hangover for months!
All the ugly and wonderful things! So disturbing and yet the characters were so well written that you felt very conflicted about everything.
Jodi Picoult Plain Truth
Room
Nineteen minutes and handle with care. Both by Jodi Picoult
Couldn’t get either out of my head for a long while, but for different reasons. HWC totally ripped my heart out. I wasn’t able to read anything for awhile. NM just made me think. About everything.
One Day
The hate factory, non-fiction
Helter Skelter
The GODFATHER
A Dog’s Purpose. I ready it many years before the movie came out which didn’t do it justice. I cried because of sadness at the first chapter and cried with joy at the last chapter.
And though I admit to only having seen the movie and not reading the book, this quote is from both. From ‘Marley and Me’ this paragraph kills me. It’s so true and poignant and sweet:
‘A dog has no use for fancy cars, big homes, or designer clothes. A water logged stick will do just fine. A dog doesn’t care if you’re rich or poor, clever or dull, smart or dumb. Give him your heart and he’ll give you his. How many people can you say that about? How many people can make you feel rare and pure and special? How many people can make you feel extraordinary?’
I don’t think I could read A Dogs Purpose. The movie made me bawl. The K9 was the worst.
The kricket series by Amy bartol! I loved the first two books and then the last hit me like a freight train ?
Gone Girl
“My Absolute Darling” by G.Tallent
Unbroken…just stays with me
Whispers and Roars by K Webster
Eliza And Her Monsters.
I thought it was just going to be a fluffy easy to read contemporary when I started. Next thing I know I’m bawling my way through most of it. It was just incredibly relatable, I’d never read a book before with so many “that’s exactly how that feels” and “yup been there done that” moments.
Fates and Furies
Secrets of worry dolls by @Amy
The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes by @Diane.
thank you, Bonnie!
We need to talk about Kevin.
Absolutely agree!
The good widow by @Lisa and @Liz
????
I said this too!!
Great minds again, @Jen
@Jen oh lol awesome!! I didn’t see it! But I love u and @Jamie and everything u guys read!!!
@Jen I said it below and then came back up to read through, hahaha
@Jen #Twining ?
@Jen ?
@Jen @Jen Love you both!!!
????
@Lisa ?? right back at ya!
The neighbors by @Hannah
The Art of Racing in the rain. The book is told by the dog enzo, who is at the end of his life….from the 1st page, tear city.
The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks
To Be Sung Underwater
For the bad…Cold Mountain. The ending was just so dissatisfying after reading this long book that read like poetry. For the good: A Prayer for Owen Meany…just couldn’t stop talking about it. For the hilarious…Fried Green Tomatoes (Flagg) AND Run With the Horsemen by Ferrol Sams.
AN AMERICAN MARRIAGE blew me away!
I gave up on THE FAVORITE SISTER after 100 pages. Too many characters and a mishmash of a plot. BTW, I’m reluctant to name names because I’m sure the writer poured her heart and soul into the book. It received tons of positive media attention; perhaps it just wasn’t my cuppa tea.
Haven’t tried this one, but I’m often amazed at books that get great hype and I try to read it and think – what am I missing?
I usually take most Amazon reviews with a grain of salt, although I usually write one. I’ve gotten to admire a few reviewers who share my taste in books and was curious to see what they said. This was one time when I should have read the reviews before purchasing the book. It was panned by the reviewers I respect. To be fair, though, some readers really liked the book.
A boy called IT
The whole series was good
Yes….?
So freaking sad.
The Good Widow, @Liz
Educated by Tara Westover
Great question ! Now I am adding all these books to my “to read” list !
I had a hidden agenda ?
Also, A Little Life. That one crushed me for days. It isn’t for everyone though. Here’s a bit more. http://www.literatureandleisure.com/2017/10/book-review-a-little-life/
This one’s on my list but I’ve heard that from others, too. Fabulous but heartbreaking.
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote (for good)
The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
My Sister’s Keeper, by Jodi Picoult
Same!
Purple hibiscus
I loved Half of a Yellow Sun. Hands down one of the best books ever.
Native Son
The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah.
I still have to read this
Reading this now & not impressed.
@Elisabeth any particular reason?
@Alexandra Yes- several. Poor editing. Way too many redundant phrases (for example, she compares setting to a fairytale 3X I first 5 chapters). Schizophrenic narrative – what’s the main plot vs supporting? Use of third person omniscient was klunky. I’m writing a blog post now. I’ll post when I’m done.
@Elisabeth I did the audiobook so I probably missed some of that. The one thing that really drove me crazy was the “TSHTF” phrase bc that takes just as long to say as what if stands for, but overall I enjoyed the story.
@Alexandra I listened to it, too. If I had been reading the physical book, I probably would have abandoned it.
Following
I recently passed on Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers (reviewed here https://jhohadli.wordpress.com/joannes-extra-ness/blogger-on-books-vl-2018) to a friend after I couldn’t stop telling her about it (one particular chapter that kind of blew my mind and I thought might hers).
Educated by Tara Westover
I agree. This book was full of shockers!