Some websites to check out for reading suggestions:
Time Magazine All time 100 best novels since 1923 -
Below are suggestions by Jxn Readers. Books are listed alphabetically by Title.
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini - Critics say "A Thousand Splendid Suns by the author of The Kite Runner is a breathtaking story set against the volatile events of Afghanistan's last thirty years - from the Soviet invasion to the reign of the Taliban to the post -Taliban rebuilding - that puts the violence, fear, hope, and faith of this country in intimate, human terms. It is a tale of two generations of characters brought jarringly together by the tragic sweep of war, where personal lives - the struggle to survive, raise a family, find happiness - are inextricable from the history playing out around them." Suggested by Betsy Kent
Boys of Summer by Roger Kahn - According to Critics "This is a book about young men who learned to play baseball during the 1930s and 1940s, and then went on to play for one of the most exciting major league ball clubs ever fielded, the team that a broke the color barrier with Jackie Robinson. It is a book by and about a sports writer who grew up near Ebbets Field, and who had the good fortune in the 1950s to cover the Dodgers for the Herald Tribune. It's a book about America, about fathers and sons, prejudice, courage, triumph and disaster and told with warmth, humor, wit, candor, and love."
German Boy by Wolfgang Samuel - Colonel Wolfgang Samuel is a retired pilot who served in the US. Air Force for 30 years. But in 1945 he was a 10 year old German boy who was forced from his home with his mother and young sister, fleeing advancing Russian troops. It is a remarkable memoir. Stephen Ambrose said "I think German Boy has all the qualities of greatness. I love the book" Recommended by Betsy Kent and Joan Palubniak
Hardscrabble by Laurie Bogart Morrow. Modeled on Freedom, NH, Morrow tells the story of life in a small New England town. Her stories of dogs and town life have been compared to James Herriot's tales All Creatures Great and Small. Hardscrabble is small New England at its best.
Men At Work by George Will - Well-known political writer George Will has a passion for baseball that exceeds his love of politics and it can be seen in this master stroke from 1990. He unveils that which makes the game of baseball truly great- the strategy and finesses, or as Will quotes one of the book's subjects St. Louis Cardinals' Manager Tony LaRussa "there's a lot of stuff goes on."
One Rue Tatin by Susan Herrman Loomis. Joan Palubniak recommends this story of an American culinary student arriving in France in 1994 who decides to take up permanent residence in a small village in Normandy. Full of good stories and recipes.
People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks. Betsy Kent recommends this book that she says is part history, part mystery. Brooks is the author of A Year of Wonder, March and Nine Parts of Desire: The Hidden World of Islam Women (non-fiction).
Perfume by Patrick Suskind. Susan Dunker-Bendigo says this is a book of historical fiction with a very strange protagonist with a superhuman sense of smell. At first scared and ashamed of this power, he comes to see the potential for power. Fantastic read, and it was made into an equally good movie.
Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi. This is the true story of Iranian professor, Azar Nafisi, who secretly gathered seven of her most committed female students to read forbidden Western classics. Nafisi is a professor at John Hopkins University but taught English at the University of Tehran. Her small book club is really about the lives of these young women and the freedom they were losing daily in Iran. Suggested by Helene Matesky
Run by Ann Patchett. Library Director, Susan Dunker- Bendigo, says "Patchett's writing is very evocative and character driven. This family drama of an unlikely family and its newest member is just a fantastic read."
The Simple Life by Jackson authors Sarah and Roger Isberg. Cathi Belcher says this book is about bridging the natural world of the outdoors with one's connection to it.
The Terrible Hours -The Greatest Submarine Rescue in History by Peter Maas. The author of Serpico and The Valachi Papers tells this true story of a submarine disaster on the eve of World War II. Tom Brokaw says " the book is the suspenseful tale of terror, courage, heroism and American Military genius. I couldn't put it down," Recommended by Dave Matesky.
This Much I Know is True by Wally Lamb. Written by the author of the critically acclaimed book She's Come Undone, the book is about twin brothers. The story centers around the struggles of one twin who feels responsible for his schizophrenic brother. Recommended by Linda Hastings.
Tracked in the Whites by Tom Eslick - NH resident and teacher Eslick places his stories in and around the White Mountains. His main character, Will Buchanan, experiences madness, mayhem and murder while hiking and climbing with his students in the mountains.
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen . This love story is told from the point of view of an aging man, with circus life as a backdrop. Favored by many book clubs, it will be discussed by the JPL Reading group in May. Linda Hastings says she just " couldn't put it down."
Books by Jackson Author -- Lisa Gardner:
The Perfect Husband Love You More
The Third Victim
The Next Accident
The Killing Hour
Gone
Say Goodbye
The Other Daughter
The Survivors Club
Alone
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