What book would you hand someone and say, "You HAVE to read this!"?
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Planet of the Blind by Stephen Kuusisto
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Anne Lamott's Bird By Bird
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Sex With Kings by Eleanor Herman is a "must read."
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I just passed on The Time Traveler's Wife to my 23-year-old daughter who was in a reading slump after getting this book from my sister. I read it in 4 days, my daughter read it in 2 days! We all loved it!
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I'm telling everyone about Dark Harbor by David Hosp. It has unexpected twists and turns and a surprise ending that is completely plausible.
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A must-read is With or Without You by Carole Matthews.
Estelle from Pittsburgh
The Lovely Bones; also Life of Pi and The Kite Runner.
Sharon from High Point, NC
The book that I would have in my hand and tell someone that they "just have" to read it is Me and Emma by Elizabeth Flock. This is a wonderful book with a twist that I totally did not see coming!! I loved it!
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Dinner With A Perfect Stranger by David Gregory - a very moving, quick read.
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Adult:
- The Da Vinci Code
- Any James Patterson novel
Teens:
- Eragon
- Any Cornelia Funke books
- Stargirl
Children:
- Diary of a Worm
- Hooray for Wodney Wat
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I have several books that I could say that about! The Tea Rose by Jennifer Donnelly would be first on my list. I just finished readingIron Lace by Emilie Richards and it is another must read.
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The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
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The book I would hand to someone and say "You HAVE to read this" would be Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon.
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The Year of Pleasures by Elizabeth Berg
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Everyone, especially middle school and high school students, should read Ghost Soldiers by Hampton Sides to learn what heroism really is.
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The Confessions of Max Tivoli. I loved The Time Traveler's Wifeand this is similar.
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Good Grief by Lolly Winston
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Well, the Holy Bible of course.
Then I would say Lonesome Dove, the best book I ever read outside the Bible, of course.
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The Godfather
Tami from Scottsdale, AZ
I should be carrying copies of Amy Krouse Rosenthal'sEncyclopedia of an Ordinary Life wherever I go. It is hilarious and a great way to kill time while sitting for short periods because it is written in the format of an encyclopedia: short and easy to digest. I wish all my friends could read it and laugh out loud like I did.
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Night Fall by Nelson DeMille
LJ from Oakland, CA
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon is my top read so far this year. It is a mystery/novel set in Barcelona and takes place in 1945 and 1966. It is Zafon's first adult novel and was published in the U.S. by The Penguin Press, 2004 in Hardcover.
10-year-old Daniel Sempere is taken to the Cemetery of Forgotten Books where he is to adopt a single book and promise to keep it alive always. He is drawn to The Shadow of the Wind. When he finds out that all other copies of the author's books have been burned, it becomes a quest for Daniel to find out about the mysterious author, Julian Carax. Over time, Daniel's and Carax's lives become linked in frightening, and sometimes dangerous, ways.
I loved this book! There is humor, sorrow, love, suspense, friendship, tragedy, brutality, revenge, a fabulous sense of time and place, and a fountain pen that connects the story together through time. The language is flowery and the pace sometimes slow, but I never wanted to put it down. There was a twist I didn't expect, yet all the ends are neatly tied into a perfect circle at the end. It's not a traditional mystery, but it is an absolutely wonderful book.
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The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
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The latest book I have read and am telling everyone to read isThe Kite Runner. I was told by a friend to read it and found she was so right. It is a marvelous book. I have already given it to my daughter-in-law, who was here for the weekend, and she devoured it before she left. I think I have told about 25 people so far that they have to read it.
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I have two books that I have given my children and frequently given as gifts: Siddhartha by Herman Hesse and Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom.
Jo from Miami Beach
Miss Garnet's Angel by Salley Vickers
The Doomsday Book by Connie Willis
It's a toss-up. They are both fabulous reading experiences.
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It has to be The Red Tent by Anita Diamant. This book was so moving and well written. It's my favorite. By the way, I work in a store that sells books so I have my choice of what to read. I have literally put this book into people's hands and said "you HAVE to read this."
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Recent books I've given to friends/family with an enthusiastic recommendation would include The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd and My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult. I've also encouraged women friends to read The Borning Room by Paul Fleishman.
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Mrs. Kimble. I love this book and I am still raving about it since it was published. I have recommended this book to several of my friends and book fanatics of mine.
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My must-read book for someone else would be The Tea Rose by Jennifer Donnelly. Excellent book. Takes place in the early 1900s about a young girl. The book goes from her youth right through adulthood, from rags to riches, England to New York City. This book would make an excellent movie.
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Until I Find You by John Irving.
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I highly recommend The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. A bit long, but I found it quite interesting and well worth the time in reading this novel about Count Dracula.
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I just finished Harlan Coben's new book, The Innocent, and could not put it down. I gave it to my husband to read and he could not put it down either.
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The Da Vinci Code
Ann from Redondo Beach, CA
I would hand someone Son of a Witch, the follow-up to Wicked by Gregory Maguire. It is one of the most interesting books I have read this year.
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The most recent book I've handed people and insisted they read isMy Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult, and the classic I hand people isThe Alexandria Quartet by Lawrence Durrell.
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Black Rose by Nora Roberts is a must-read.
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I have become enthusiastic in recommending several books, including The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd, The Red Tent by Anita Diamant, anything by Daniel Silva or Jonathan Kellerman or John Sandford.
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Diana Gabaldon's The Outlander
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Fiction:
Survivor by Chuck Palahniuk
Nonfiction:
The Great Shark Hunt by Hunter S. Thompson
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Chuck Logan's Homefront. The best thriller I've read this year.
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A Thread of Grace by Mary Doria Russell. I've told both of my book groups it is a wonderful story --- and would make a great discussion.
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I would tell anyone to read The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson. Well-written history/murder book.
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I can think of none better than The Da Vinci Code. It might be a work of fiction, but it sure makes you think. You wonder if it really is a work of fiction and it makes you look a little closer at the Church. A heck of a read!
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House of Leaves is the best book I have ever read and would recommend it to anyone who loves to think abstractly and be challenged. The book is actually two stories in one: the written story and the man who is reading it. There are also interesting formats like diagonal type, upside down type, and even only a few words on a single page to make the effect of the words' actions even stronger. It is an out-of-there story, but if you are up to a long, challenging read this is the best.
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The Glass Castle
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The Da Vinci Code
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The Third Secret
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The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
A Few Short Notes on Tropical Butterflies by John Murray. The author is a doctor and the stories have medical and humanistic --- and heartbreaking --- situations. Unusual, different, Chekhovian.
The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith --- just delightful!
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Forever by Pete Hamill
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The book I've been telling people they have to read is Dear Zoe by Philip Beard. I can't stop thinking about it. It is such a beautifully written book that I had to stop often and move sentences around in my mind.
Kaye from Boone, NC
The book I'm constantly giving friends and family saying "You HAVE to read this!" is Five Smooth Stones by Ann Fairbairn. Easily, the best book I've ever read.
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Peace Like a River by Leif Enger
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The book I would hand someone and say "You have to read this" is Jasper Fforde's The Eyre Affair.
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A Bright Shining Lie by Neil Sheehan. This book sums up all that went wrong in the Vietnam War by following the career of Lt. Col. John Vann.
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The Birth of Venus
Reader in Virginia
A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin (book #1 in the series A Song of Ice and Fire)
Not your typical fantasy --- no warlocks, wizards, hobbits. Think Middle Ages with great houses engaging in intrigue and battle, characters who are good doing evil, those who are Evil doing good. Those with power, honor, riches, and birthrights, and those born with no birthrights, and what's looming beyond the WALL.
Don't want to give the great plots away, but I have bought many copies at used bookstores and hand to people and say "Read This," and now numerous friends and co-workers are reading the series. Even friends who said "I'm not a reader" got hooked.
Ice Station by Matt Reilly
Best action novel (book #1 in the Scarecrow series) I've read. I had to sit on the couch with a bowl of popcorn and soda while reading it --- felt like I was watching an action movie! Same thing, bought many used copies and have hooked friends and co-workers.
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Night Fall by Nelson DeMille
Jen from Bayville, NJ
Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay
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Night Fall by Nelson DeMille
James from Reno, NV
I always recommend James Michener's The Source for a life-altering read. In telling the story of the Jews, he also tells the intertwining stories of Christianity and Islam. Forty years after its publication The Source remains as relevant as ever.
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The book(s) that I would hand someone/have handed someone to read are the Thursday Next novels by Jasper Fforde. The first one,The Eyre Affair, is witty and fun and very intelligent. Fforde uses literary humor and sci-fi like situations to create a wonderfully escapist read.
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I would recommend The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd. If the other person is interested in spy/thriller books, I would recommend Alibi by Joseph Kanon.
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It would definitely be Jane Porter's The Frog Prince. Why? Because this book so moved me and how Jane approached self-examination of one's self and all sorts of relationships. I've read it at least three times and I've purchased over 10 copies for gifts for friends. Can't say enough about this book. Looking forward to her 2006 release, Flirting with 40.
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The first book of several that I would hand to someone and tell him/her that this book is a "must read" is The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell.
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I just finished My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult (for the second time) and it hit me just as hard the second time. Beautiful writing and an unexpected ending.
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The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd, which was very heartwarming, and All Together in One Place by Jane Kirkpatrick --- a saga of the struggles of women heading out west via wagon trains.
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Honestly, the last book I was that jazzed about would have to beThe Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. Before that it would be Running With Scissors by Augusten Burroughs, which I still recommend to as many people as I can.
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Native Son by Richard Wright
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Florida Roadkill by Tim Dorsey
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Harry Potter, the latest volume
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The Kite Runner
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Without a Doubt: Liberating Paris by Linda Bloodworth-Thomason and The Year of Pleasures (or anything else) by Elizabeth Berg. Unbelievably wonderful!
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Between Friends by Debbie Macomber
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Harbor by Lorraine Adams
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The book I would hand to someone and tell them they HAVE to read would be Emma and Me by Elizabeth Flock.
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Probably The Eyre Affair...I would like to introduce everyone to Jasper Fforde.
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The Secret Life of Bees
Pamela
The Kite Runner
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The Highest Tide by Jim Lynch
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Over Her Dead Body by Kate White is a must-read this summer. It's a great mystery with a very likable and realistic main character. I was shocked at who was guilty of the murder in this book. You will never figure it out. That's what makes this book such a page-turner. Enjoy it.
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A must-read is The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.
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American Brutus: John Wilkes Booth and the Lincoln Conspiraciesby Michael W. Kauffman
Gaudy Night by Dorothy L. Sayers
Love In a Cold Climate by Nancy Mitford
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Losing Julia by Jonathan Hull
Sunny
The book I would have that is a must-read is John Adams by David McCullough.
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Blindsighted by Karin Slaughter. I feel that it is the best first book I have ever read. All of her books are fantastic, but since all of her books so far have been a series, you should start at the beginning.
SOKY from Toronto, Ontario, Canada
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
The Boy Who Loved Anne Frank by Ellen Friedman
Above the Thunder by Rene Manfredi
Red Leaves by Thomas H. Cook
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As a matter of fact I just did. I gave Brad Meltzer's book The Tenth Justice to my neighbor a few days ago and today she was telling me how much she is enjoying it. I have read all his books except one in my to-be-read stack. I love how he keeps his stories suspenseful. I've stayed up several nights reading them to see what is going to happen next. I rate them all 5 stars and share all with my sister and friends.
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Company Man by Joseph Finder. Paranoia was also excellent.
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The Da Vinci Code
The Time Traveler's Wife
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The Truth about Hillary by Ed Klein
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The FairTax Book by Neal Boortz and John Linder
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It would have to be Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code.
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Scott Simon's Pretty Birds...yes, the Scott Simon from National Public Radio --- his first novel. Although it is about Sarajevo, it feels like what living in Bagdad must be like.
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Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Remember When
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March by Geraldine Brooks
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The saying "So many books, so little time" is my mantra. Recently, I have read 3 books that I missed the "first time around" and I have found them riveting, well-written, and made me want to put everything aside.
A Hole in the Universe by Mary McGarrity Morris
A Widow For One Year by John Irving
The Master Butchers Singing Club by Louise Erdrich
Now I want to go back and read some more by the same authors and "oldies." I have told my fellow bibliophiles to READ THESE BOOKS!
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You must read The Kite Runner. I've said this to many and after reading they all agree.
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Critical Condition: How Healthcare in America Became Big Business --- and Bad Medicine by Donald Barlett and James Steele.
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Cold Hit by Stephen Cannell and Trace Evidence by Elizabeth Becka. Both were great reads!
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Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom. Everyone should get this perspective on what really matters in life.
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You have to read The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova.
Kathy in Minnetonka, MN
The Kite Runner
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Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
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The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
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You must read The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls.
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The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
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The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
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My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
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The Jasper Fforde series featuring Thursday Next! The series is for everyone with mystery, English Lit and laughter for the soul!
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Dinner with a Perfect Stranger by David Gregory
The Known World by Edward P. Jones
The Saskiad by Brian K. Hall
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Scott Simon's Pretty Birds is beautifully written, compelling, and shocking all at the same time. It is the story of the siege of Sarajevo written from the viewpoint of a Muslim teenager who is barely surviving with her parents as the Serbs lay siege to her part of the city. She has enormous strength with a desire to survive and fight back to some kind of normalcy. You think you know the story from news accounts. This gives war a much more personal face.
Beth from Sioux Falls, SD
You have to read The Kite Runner.
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Memorial Day by Vince Flynn really kept my interest as I read it and my husband's as he listened to it on Books on Tape.
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Tending Roses by Lisa Wingate.
Anonymous
One Last Time by John Edward
ON MY ALL-TIME TOP 10 LIST
Suspend disbelief and read this book. I have recommended it to everyone who'll listen. Even if you've never watched Mr. Edward's TV show "Crossing Over," you'll enjoy this book. Here's a guy who is just as mystified as you or I would be to discover he has this amazing ability to receive messages from departed loved ones. I often read with my mouth agape. Mr. Edwards comes across as a down-to-earth everyman, who just happens to have extraordinary abilities. And for all the naysayers...if he is a phony, he and his editors should win a prize for best fiction for this collection of stories. They're more phenomenal than most of the popular fiction I've read in a long, long time.
Anonymous
To someone I felt was searching for Truth, I would offer themScience and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy and say "You have to read this."
Otherwise, I would offer them The Blood Runs Like a River Through My Dreams by Nasdijj. It is a heartwarming, beautifully written book.
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The Epicure's Lament by Kate Christensen
Bedford, NH USA
Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen
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If I had to hand anyone a book and tell them "You have to read this," the book would be Anyone Who Has a Heart by Jacqueline Powell. I would want people to read this book because the story has very critical issues that we deal with everyday and a topic that we don't think about everyday even though it exists in America and all over the world, and that is AIDS/HIV.
