 |
Book
Sense Reading Group 76
Created at the suggestion
of bookstores participating in the Book Sense program, this list of superb
reads -- each and every last one selected by the nation's independent booksellers
-- will
satisfy the literary cravings of reading groups and casual readers alike.
Lost as how
best to discuss any of these books? Links to online reading group guides
are included!
*For Penguin
Putnam reading group guides:
1. On the Penguin Putnam main page, click on the "Browse" link in the
top navigation bar.
2. Click on the "Reading Guides" link.
3. On the Reading Guides main page, use the "Complete List" link on the
left-hand side navigation bar.
4. Search for the desired reading guide by using the author's last name.
|
|
| The Top Ten |
|
 The
Poisonwood Bible
by Barbara
Kingsolver
"Kingsolver transports the reader to the Congo in 1960, as a Baptist minister
and his family try to convert Africans while dealing with the explosive dynamics
within the country's political situation and within their own family. Book groups
especially enjoy the distinct points of view of the mother and the four daughters,
which Kingsolver masterfully crafts and develops throughout the book." - Kathy
Schultenover, Joseph-Beth Booksellers, Cincinnati, OH
 The
Red Tent
by Anita
Diamant
"This richly detailed story of a family caught between two cultures, matriarchal
and patriarchal, is told by Dinah, daughter of the Biblical Jacob. The Red
Tent offers reading groups the opportunity to discuss women's history and
families struggling with conflict." - Rita Moran, Apple Valley Bookshop,
Winthrop, ME
 Girl
with a Pearl Earring
by Tracy
Chevalier
"A young servant is asked to model for Vermeer against the wishes of the
artist's wife and family. You'll find intrigue, jealousy, and an extraordinary
look into the life and work of the artist from the young woman's point of view."
- Donna DeLacy, Portrait of a Bookstore, Studio City, CA
 House
of Sand and Fog
by Andre
Dubus III
"More than a riveting story of two people -- a formerly wealthy Iranian immigrant
and a troubled young American woman -- fighting to own the same house, it is also
a story of the clash of two cultures. It's an especially relevant book for discussion
today, providing readers with insights into both the Muslim and American mind-sets."
- Jeanne Morris, Bethany Beach Books, Bethany Beach, DE
 Memoirs
of a Geisha
by Arthur
Golden
"Book groups will enjoy discussing the gender issues, including that the
author is a man and an American, and the story is told in the voice of a famous
geisha. Golden convincingly portrays this exotic, mysterious side of 20th-century
Japan." - Margie Skinner, Book House of Stuyvesant Plaza, Albany, NY
 The
Sparrow
by Mary
Doria Russell
"A vivid, believable tale of space exploration and first contact, seamlessly
woven into a story with ethical and religious overtones. Even if you're the type
to avoid science fiction, do not miss The Sparrow! It is an engrossing,
intelligent recount of a mission gone horribly wrong despite all the right intentions."
- Rosemary Pugliese, Quail Ridge Books & Music, Raleigh, NC
 The
Hours
by Michael
Cunningham
"This Pulitzer Prize-winning novel makes brilliant use of Virginia Woolf's
Mrs.
Dalloway to interpolate the stories of three women -- two set in contemporary
America, the third that of Woolf herself. Beautifully written and totally engaging,
we watch as the characters' lives come together and illuminate each other. It's
no wonder that The Hours is a book group favorite." - Karl Kilian,
Brazos Bookshop, Houston, TX
 The
Angle of Repose
by Wallace
Stegner
"This book epitomizes the difference in viewpoints in America between East
and West 150 years ago. A young New Englander marries a mining engineer and settles
in a small town in Colorado. This Pulitzer Prize-winning novel raises age-old
questions about how free women are to lead their own lives and what happens to
marriage when partners cannot compromise." - Carla Cohen, Politics &
Prose, Washington, DC
 To
Kill A Mockingbird
by Harper
Lee
"A classic that everyone should read. Two children's exposure to racism,
prejudice, friendship, and loss is tempered through the loving guidance of their
father." - Liz Morgan and Jean Brandt-Lietzau, Village Bookstore, Menomonee
Falls, WI
 Plainsong
by Kent
Haruf
"A 17-year-old girl, pregnant and with nowhere else to turn, is persuaded
to live with the two old McPherons brothers, bachelors who know far more about
cattle than teenage girls. The deceptively "plain" language
and structure of this novel mask its complex view of what we owe, and what we
can give, to each other. How the characters' lives are changed and their trajectories
beyond the novel's close are questions you'll ponder long after you're finished
reading." - Russ Lawrence, Chapter One Book Store, Hamilton MT
|
|
Top