I’ve been doing a lot of traveling out to the West Coast these past few months and below are the best of the books I’ve read on my many long flights.
All The Light We Cannot See, by Anthony Doerr
A beautifully written haunting story about a young, blind French girl and a German boy whose lives intersect during the 2nd World War. The writing is excellent, the story is heartbreaking and the characters are engaging. A well deserved Pulitzer Prize winner.
A Spool of Blue Thread, by Anne Tyler
I love Tyler’s writing style and this is one of her finest. A lovely story about the Whitshank family, which I, as a mom, found very relatable. Tyler creates a family that is loving, complicated and honest with this story which shows the beauty to be found in the tiny things that make up a family and a life. Another Pulitzer Prize winner.
Our Souls At Night, by Kent Haruf
I’ve never read anything else by this author, but after this novel, I will search out more of his work. It’s a breathtakingly sad, but beautifully written story about a widow and widower who come together in their 70’s after both of their spouses have passed away. The writing style is spare yet deeply meaningful and I was left in tears at the end.
Euphoria, by Lily King
A new author for me, this book is another astonishingly well-written novel with interesting characters, a compelling plot, and deep insight into human nature. The story about three anthropologists in the 1930s is loosely inspired by the life of the anthropologist Margaret Mead. I couldn’t put it down.
The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace, by Jeff Hobbs
The only work of non-fiction that I’ve read lately, this biography is of the short life of a brilliant young African American man who escapes the poverty of Newark when he’s awarded a scholarship to Yale, only to fall back into his troubled life when he returns home. Much of the story takes place in Newark and East Orange, places that I’m very familiar with, and this heartbreaking biography resonated very intensely for me.
I recently read All the Light We Cannot See and loved it. Not long after, I read The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah, which also takes place during WWII. It’s about two sisters living in occupied France, one of whom joins the Resistance. I thought it was excellent and liked it even better than All the Light.
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Thanks for the heads up about The Nightingale, Lisa, it sounds good, I’ll download to my Kindle. Thanks!
Claudia, thanks for the book recommendations. My book club will need a few ideas for our next novel. We just finished “Golden Boy” by Abigail Tarttelin. I would never have chosen it for myself, but I thoroughly enjoyed the writing and I appreciated the different perspectives in the book.
Hi Ilona,
Thanks for the reco of Golden Boy, I will put it on my list!
Takes copious notes… And only when she’s done shares 🙂
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I’ll be curious to see which of them you’ll like……
Just finished Blue Thread and really did not like it. I want the hours spent reading back!
Didn’t like most of the characters felt they were not flushed out and it just ended, I mean I looked to see if I lost some of the last pages!
Sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy Blue Thread…..I actually liked it because it didn’t tie up all the loose ends….it felt like real life to me! xo
Two of these were already on my To Read list. I’ll have to add the others since they came so highly recommended 🙂
With heart,
Dani
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Let me know what you think, Dani…..
These sound fabulous! I pinned it so I wouldn’t forget. I’ve been looking for some new books to read. Hope you’re having a lovely summer!
Rena mcDaniel recently posted…STRUGGLING WITH ACCEPTANCE #1000SPEAK
Thanks, Rena! I haven’t had much of a summer yet, to be honest, with all the travel but I’m thinking that August may be a little more relaxing…..