Recommended Reading
A zealous reader, I’m often asked for book recommendations. Following are a few books I’ve read recently, and which I would recommend. I’ll try to update the list from time to time. Meanwhile, let me know how you respond to these titles, or just e-mail me with news of your own reading.
March— by Geraldine Brooks
This Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the American Civil War centers on Mr. March, the father of the family featured in Little Women. Issues of moral ambiguity are woven with little-known history into an engaging narrative.
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle— by David Wroblewski
This is a quiet book made quieter by the fact that the main character, Edgar Sawtelle, can't speak. He's mute for reasons nobody understands. He and his parents have a kennel where they train dogs. The story moves slowly, but the characters are well-drawn. For the person with an avid interest in dogs and dog-training, this book will be manna from heaven.
My Name Is Asher Lev— by Chaim Potok
Published in the early 1960s, this book examines the anguish of an artist whose gift separates him from his Orthodox Jewish family. The narrative takes the reader into an exotic, insular world, with a unique language and habits. It's widely considered Potok's best work.
The Abstinence Teacher— by Tom Perrotta
Perrotta’s fifth novel features his trademark suburban setting and conversational prose, but the mood in this book is darker than that of Little Children. An agnostic health teacher mentions oral sex in her sex-education classroom instead of following the recommended abstinence-only curriculum. This brings fury from a local evangelical church. Subtext: the main character has an unexpected affair with a church member. I liked the book. The New York Times described Perrotta as a “truth-telling, unshowy chronicler of modern-day America.”
Case Studies— by Kate Atkinson
I enjoyed this book, at least after I had worked my way through the sad, disparate murders at the beginning. I kept wondering how all these events were connected, but reading further I learned that all were investigated by the same sad-sack, loveable detective. I rarely read mysteries, but this book could get me hooked on the genre.
The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox — by Maggie O'Farrell
What an interesting book—about a woman who is too spirited and independent to be tolerated
in 1950s Scotland. Esme Lennox is locked in an Edinburgh insane asylum by her family for being troublesome. Sixty years later, she is released into the care of a great-niece who never knew of her existence. The relationships that develop are so touching and revealing. A quirky but lovely book.
Other good reads:
- Carry Me Across the Water— by Ethan Canin
- Special Topics in Calamity Physics— by Marisha Pessl
- The Road— by Cormac McCarthy
- A Thousand Splendid Suns— by Khalid Hossein
- Water for Elephants— by Sara Gruen
- The Madonnas of Leningrad— by Debra Dean
- Year of Wonders— by Geraldine Brooks
- Lush Life— by Richard Price
- The Water Is Lovely— by Ruth Rendell
- Saving Fish From Drowning— by Amy Tan
- The Wife— by Meg Wolitzer
- So Long, See You Tomorrow— by William Maxwell
- The Great Man— by Kate Christenton
- The Yakota Officers Club— by Sarah Bird
- The Brief, Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao— by Junot Diaz
- The Accidental— by Ali Smith
- The Emperor’s Children— by Claire Messud