What Books Have You Begged Friends to Read?
Last month, I was on a long-awaited FaceTime catch-up with my friends Mary and Laura. We’re all writers and parents of small children, so we spend a lot of time gossiping about our kids and the books we’re reading. Mary was ready to discuss Lena Dunham’s, Famesick, but Laura and I hadn’t gotten to it yet. I tossed off a casual gripe about not being able to sit through another conversation about Strangers, which I also had not read.
At this point, my friends’ faces froze, and not because of the internet. “Wait. You haven’t read Strangers yet?” This, it seemed was a bridge too far. Apparently, no amount of work or children would excuse me from reading the mandatory memoir of 2026.
Inspired by them (and totally embarrassed), I started the book the next morning, and within 12 hours, I was peer-pressuring others to read it. For the record, I found it a breathtaking read, but that’s not the reason. Some books you need a buddy for. Sometimes you push a book into a friend’s hands because it’s got medicine you know they need. Some books you share because it says something you can’t. And some books you need someone else to read just so you can see the look on their face when they get to that part. I can’t be the only married woman who handed Strangers to their spouse and essentially stood there with her arms folded. “I’ll wait!”
It doesn’t always play out like you’d hoped. I once turned on a David Sedaris audiobook — one of those this-is-who-I-am books — while on a four-hour drive with my aunt. She shrugged. “Not my thing.” Other times, the assignment doesn’t stick. I chased my husband around with Homegoing for months, ignoring his pitiful cries of, “I’m just not that into fiction!” (“But it’s HISTORICAL fiction!”) My grandfather gave me the Ron Chernow biography of Alexander Hamilton on three different Christmases, and I never learned a thing about the man until Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote a musical.
But when it works, what a thrill. One summer, I assigned my friend Ellie my favorite Stephen King novel, and she read it in two days, texting me about the parts that kept her up until the wee hours — which were the same parts that had kept me up all night — and suddenly, there was a new layer to our friendship. Another friend read Mia Farrow’s memoir, What Falls Away, after I begged her to when we were in our early twenties. I don’t recall the details, but we somehow wound up in a full-on crying fight over it? All I know is we’re still best friends and we still don’t talk about that book; and in a bizarre, inexplicable way, it’s one of the tightest knots in our friendship.
This week, my group chat is reading Yesteryear — another zeitgeisty book that we each only picked up because we, as a group, declared it mandatory summer reading. There’s something very different about capitulating to peer pressure from your actual, beloved peers. It’s infinitely more fun than picking up a book because the rest of the world says you should. We haven’t talked about it yet — we’re waiting until everyone’s finished — but I know that when we do, it’ll be a good time. Or a really, really bad one. Either way, I can’t wait.
So, what books have you forced upon your loved ones? I would love to hear!
P.S. A darkly funny book we loved, and five things we noticed at a NYC bookstore.
(Photo by Michela Ravasio/Stocksy.)
Tags: books, summer reading
Comments
178 commentsIn my husband’s family it is a SERIOUS ordeal to be the spouse of a reader, responsible for reading all the recommended books and talking about it (and we all are!). There are so many books I haven’t read but I feel like I have, because I’ve been the emotional support spouse for all those moments of putting down the book in horror/surprise/delight, or listening patiently to a bit of dialogue read out loud without context. There are also SO many books I have read that are at this point, part of family lore more than anything else. We finally had to institute a family book club where we’d vote on a book to read ahead of our yearly beach vacation, rather than building endless, impossible reading lists for one another.
FYI, the link to Yesteryear on the Bookshop site is a 404. Sharing with warmth and appreciation.
Fixed! Thanks for flagging!
A Lantern in Her Hand by Bess Streeter Aldrich; Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, Time Traveler’s Wife, American Dirt
This is unbelievable. A lantern in Her Hand was one of my favorite books growing up. Over the years I forgot the name of the book and the author. I would still think of the book and can still picture what I thought the homestead looked like. I’ve even told my husband about it. I was just reading through the comments and as soon as I read the title in your comment, I knew that was it. Thank you!
Not a book, but I’m constantly telling my friends and family about Cup of Jo and Big Salad. I’m such a fangirl, lol. Anyone else?
This means so much to me!
It takes massive amounts of restraint on my part not to bully anyone who will listen into reading Lonesome Dove. Of course, then I have to do a lot of extra work. “It’s good even if you think you don’t like Westerns.” “No, 900 plus pages isn’t *that* long!” Hahah.
As a lifelong reader, I’ve read great books, dozens of top 5 books, but none that I could single out as my all time favorite until I got to Lonesome Dove and Augustus McCrae. Gus sealed the deal.
I am gifting myself a new book from the local bookstore and am seriously thinking of treating myself to this one!
One of the best books there ever was! I wanted to name my son Gus for years- sadly it didn’t work with my married name- but I live vicariously through anyone who does!
Di you recommend starting with the first book in the series, or going straight to Lonesome Dove?
The absolute best book. I don’t get sick of it not matter how many times I read or listen to it and I cry every time. I’m lucky enough to have sister’s and BILs who believed me and love it to.
Lonesome Dove was my first dive into reading for pleasure at the ripe age of 25. Changed my life for the better.
Authors I will always read: Ann Patchett (Fave Bel Canto) Daniel Mason (Fave North Woods) Chimimanda Adichie (Fave Americanah) Emily St. John Mandel (Fave Sea of Tranquility) Michael Ondaatje (this is the outlier – always trying to find another one I love as much as The English Patient but never have)
Me!! I’m your girl for Ondaatje!! We studied In the Skin of a Lion in highschool and it made me a life long Ondaatje fan!
I’m your girl too! He’s my favorite of all time. My intro to him was a senior lit class where we read Running in the Family, which I loved so much. I’ve read all his other novels, and most of his poetry. I also thought Warlight was amazing even though it wasn’t a critic favorite. He just can do no wrong with me (except maybe Cat’s Table, which I wasn’t enthralled by). Otherwise I think they’re all gold. Have you read Coming Through Slaughter yet?
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison Gilead by Marilynne Robinson Teaching a Stone to Talk by Annie Dillard West with the Night by Beryl Markham Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight by Alexandra Fuller East of Eden by John Steinbeck Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout Men We Reaped by Jesmyn Ward My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok There are so many more… I love recommending particular books for particular people, thinking about what someone might love – a kind of literary matchmaking. Perhaps one day I will work in a book store!
Gilead!!!!
Still Life by Sarah Winman – I’ve shoved this into the hands of many a friend.
Omg so many recommendations, I can’t wait to add them all to my holds list. I just finished Book #16 of 2026 — its been my escapism of choice this year, and its so much healthier than binging on reels and letting my brain melt. Two recs from me: “tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow” by gabrielle zevin and for something a little different and very gripping, “the bees” by laline paull.
I also just finished book 16! Very proud of us for this 3 a month club. I know I can go even higher if I cut down even more scrolling (and happy I’ve cut a lot).
Yesteryear has 100% been that book for me this year! Made my husband, mom, best friend, and coworkers read so we could discuss! In addition to the entire book club I already have that was reading it!
I cannot get into Yesteryear – The main character thought she was better than everyone else so I found her annoying and then when the… let’s call it magical realism part (to not spoil it) happens I just didn’t care. Does it get better? What pulled you in?
@Allison – I felt quite drawn in at the start – I felt like I could kind of see through what the author was doing with the main character. But it was hard to continue precisely because I found her narration grating… I definitely found myself caring more about the plot than the character. With that said – I did discuss the book with a friend about mommy influencers and the like. But I can’t help feeling that the themes explored in this book are very trendy – so I wonder how it’s going to hold up in the long run.
i have so many feelings. i am in a few book groups and love them all dearly. and one of my all time favorite things is to chat about books! at the same time, i really despise feeling forced into reading something. my reading time is so precious and i have to go toward what is calling to me at that moment – and not feel like i have yet another obligation or productivity task i have to complete. so essential for my well-being! so sometimes i am really excited to read a buzzy book with friends … and other times i take the tried-and-true cup of jo strategy of “good for them, not for me”. 10/10 recommend.
I loved Heart The Lover so much I wrote a whole blog post about it in the hopes of enticing people to discuss it with me. When I shared it on Instagram, I ended up in about 7 different DM conversations about it 😆
I LOVED Heart The Lover. I sob just thinking about the ending. Oops, I’m sobbing right now.
A! Marriage! At! Sea! I just needed someone I could scream to “AHHHHH!!!! And I keep forgetting she couldn’t swim!!!”
In this vein, you should also listen to the podcast Adrift. I read both this year and finally told my husband that I know so much about being lost at sea and I just need to tell him about it. He listened dutifully but had no follow-up questions.
Wait WHAT?! She couldn’t swim?! I guess I forgot that detail too. I absolutely devoured A Marriage At Sea! Of course the story unfolds like fiction but I was captivated by the writing. So restrained and poetic.
Journey of Souls by Michael Newton is truly life changing ✨
I have sent Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic to everyone I’ve spoken to who’s expressed desire for more creativity in their lives but doesn’t know how to get started. It is (in my opinion) required reading for everyone leading an ordinary life with ordinary restrictions (jobs, bills, children, etc) but who feels the urge to create, in one form or another.
Can’t agree more on this one. A really excellent book.
I gave A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole to my best friend back in college and he was reading excerpts out loud at a party – that’s a win!
Yes! Was one of my favorites!
Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain The Secret History by Donna Tartt We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver Demon Copperhead—specifically the Audible version. Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson—Audible version again.
The audiobook version of The Secret History narrated by Donna Tart!!!!!! + True Grit (once again narrated by Donna Tartt) – Both are treasures.
I can’t wait to go through all these comments. I remember there was a similar book post back in about 2015 … and seriously the comments and recommendations kept me going for at least a year! – I found so many favourite books through that post. I know it was a bestseller, but I absolutely loved ‘Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow’. Maybe it’s because I used to work in tech in the late 2000s, long before it became cool and it was the first and so far only time in my life I found my tribe , but reading this book made my heart bend in so many ways. I will love it forever.
Me, too! This book made me feel so many things, so deeply. That one chapter with the origami cranes was so beautifully written, tearing up just thinking about it.
Man, I try to sell Lincoln in the Bardo onto ANYONE who asks for a book rec, but the description is so bizarre it was hard for me to even give it a try. But George Saunders! And truly the most wild, challenging, and rewarding book I’ve ever read.
That is one of my absolute favorite books. It’s so incredibly moving and creative. I’ve been married now for 33 years, but it almost ended when my husband took out all of the little sticky notes I had put in the book because he thought I was “done with them”! Thanks for the reminder. I think I’ll read it again this summer! Agree, it’s hard to describe, but deserves to be read far and wide!
I actually listened to Lincoln in the Bardo… which was also a bizarre experience. Might give the physical book a go this year.
I just finished Demon Copperhead and I want to recommend it to everyone. The characters touched my heart in a major way. Also, somewhat tangential but reading related: I ran across a group of Reddit-ers who aim to read 52 books per year, one for each week, and I’ve been aiming for it this year! It’s been so fun and motivating me and really reminding me that reading is one of the great loves of my life.
Seabiscuit and Bel Canto are the two books I recommend more than any others. Both came out of nowhere for me, but were amazing, riveting stories.
Have you read the annotated version of Bel Canto?! She talks about it in an interview with Lit Hub if you want to know more. I loved it!
My grandmother asked me to tell you she’s sorry by Fredrik Backman is the book I always tell people to read. It’s told through a child’s eyes and it’s beautiful and heartbreaking.
A new release by a debut author I loved: Girl’s Girl by Sonia Feldman :) Other favorites I always recommend: The Dutch House by Ann Patchett The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai Martyr by Kaveh Akbar Loving the newest essay collections by Zadie Smith and Jesmyn Ward. I never miss a single release from Hanif Abdurraqib or Elisa Stone Leahy (middle grade). A book I adore but never recommend: A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara. It’s just honestly not for most people. And people need to willingly sign up to read it. Lots of triggers and trauma, but a devastatingly beautiful love story that has stuck with me.
I LOVED The Great Believers and A Little Life. They’ve both stuck with me for years now.
Related somewhat, but I was very saddened to see that Marjane Satrapi, author of a beloved book that really was impactful for me and I’ve recommended a bunch, has passed away. Persepolis was amazing; well worth a read. https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/marjane-satrapi-iranian-french-author-graphic-novel-persepolis-dies-aged-56-2026-06-04/?link_source=ta_first_comment&taid=6a219c663e238e000153e201&utm_campaign=trueAnthem:+Trending+Content&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwY2xjawSP9CZleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFCalhjSW1PSjczWXkwREZZc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHkiKwn0xCkC4VQXoXsAkOsBL6Zak4IJAp8kFOtLo-a7co5PtHJEuOHePznVC_aem_pPnmPPwVEfiDyiKUkEB2FQ
This saddened me also. Years ago I gave my son-in-law law Persepolis, off the cuff gift choice, and he really liked it and that alerted me to her work.
I want to share too! (also added lots of ideas to my “for later” library shelf, thank you!) Like a lot of others, I read a variety of genres and so find it difficult to recommend the “right” book to people – I’ve started to approach book convos as just another way to learn about people and how their minds work. I don’t have to read what they read, and they don’t have to rush out to read my favorites either. Here are some I’ve loved. The River Why Neither Wolf nor Dog The Ten Thousand Doors of January Make Believe (Poetry by Victoria Hutchins) Dealing with Dragons (for reading to kids) American Rapture A Woman is No Man A Deadly Education Circe (pretty aggressive about this one) Moonbound Only When It’s Us and (please don’t judge the title) Bloody, Slutty, and Pathetic (AO3 fanfic)
True Grit. I agree with Donna Tartt that it is a “perfect novel.” Mattie Ross sticks with you. Charles Portis is hilarious! Villette by Charlotte Bronte. Angsty and romantic and full of passionate yearning at battle with reason. Recipes for Love and Murder. A delicious book, wonderful characters, and the source of my go-to chocolate cake recipe. So many more but those three came instantly to mind.
I try hard to recommend books that are specific to the person I’m recommending them to…but I firmly believe — and have become a little pushy about it — that The Wager is for everyone. Adventure! History! Drama! Gossip! Perseverance! Scurvy! Men descending into madness! It really has it all.
That one kept me turning pages, too, Kirsten! The scurvy! It led me to read another true tale about shipwreck and survival, Sophie Elmhirst’s “A Marriage at Sea.” It’s not quite the page turner that The Wager is but it is fascinating. Recommended.
Have you read In the Heart of the Sea? Also a page turning shipwreck book. You’d love it!
My love of shipwreck (and just seafaring books in general) is my most boomer dad reading quirk. But guys, SO GOOD.
Oh boy when I was reading this I could not shut up about it. I was the person at the party talking about rigging and scurvy.
The last book that I wanted to discuss is Things In Nature Merely Grow by Yiyun Li. The subject matter is very devastating and not for everyone, so its something I have been very intentional in recommending to certain people in my life. I read very broadly so overall, I try to treat recommending books like good gift giving – trying to match the right person to the right books!
a STUNNING book. I also recommend her novel, Where Reasons End, inspired by her older son. But if I tell people the subject matter, I get gasps. They’re not for the faint of heart, but utterly transformative. So far only my mom has read the memoir and she and I talked about it at length!
I’m currently reading “Dear Friend, from My Life I Write to You in Your Life” by Yiyun Li too. I’m loving it but at the same time, the writing (the writer?) feels so opaque. The reading experience has been meditative for me – I borrowed a copy from a local library but I’m tempted to purchase one for myself and re-read it once in awhile. I can’t help but feel that the book has more to give than what I’ve currently received from it. I wonder if you’ve had similar experiences with her writing.
Go as a River by Shelley Read is my favorite novel of last year and I still think about throughout my days now. It’s strong female lead with appreciation for mothers, nature, and womanhood. It helps me reframe life struggles in a poetic and empowering way.
I always look for copies of Christina Haag’s memoir Come To The Edge about her friendship/relationship with JFK Jr. in the wild so I have extra copies to give out when I find friends who have not yet read this book. I currently have my personal copy + 1 extra + 1 in circulation :D
I loved this book so much. I wish everyone would read this instead of watching the Hulu show. It was just a perfect distillation of falling in love when you’re young. GAH!
The Idea of You by Robinne Lee. Genuinely romantic and escapist. 💗
I don’t like recommending books I really loved. For starters, it feels very private and makes me feel a little exposed. (I read both serious literature and pageturners/smut with equal enjoyment, whereas most of my friends stick to one of the two categories and it can feel a litlle judgemental? I have gotten both “oh you read such brainrot!” and “is this another one of those intellectual books that will make me feel stupid?” But mainly, it sometimes makes me love a beloved book less if others think it’s lame. And/or kind of offends me in a way. I do love accidentally discovering that we loved the same book.
I understand this feeling of being very selective with whom I share a book, film, painting, song etc. that is important to me, because … well it’s a part of my heart. I found that I have 2 friends where I need to say “I am sharing this with you and it is precious to me and I want you to treat this info with respect.” and 2 other friends who simply get why I like xyz and they say “I am so happy you found this and grateful you shared it with me.” It obviously makes me share more with the 2nd two. I also believe that those latter 2 can simply receive an information without setting themselves in (emotional) relation/assessment/judgement to it. They receive the information “this is part of my heart” and simply get it and cherish it for what it is. And should they read the book etc. they might not like it but then they would say “I could see how this made your heart feel warmer and held.” Basically, like a bunch of flowers, there are friends with different purposes, outlooks etc. …the ones with quick opions are good for discussing, which also is a fun fight at times :)
Ditto on keeping much loved things private, and very close to the heart. I’ve had an online/offline copycat for nearly two decades and they really go out of their way trying to suck the joy out of every little thing in my world (books, clothing, places I love, even my engagement ring). Fortunately, I can say that it has only made my joy for the things I love run deeper, because I know why *I* feel so connected to them in the first place, and that’s really the ultimate secret to peace.
I relate to this hard! I’m also a strong serious literature or serious smut reader (let the middlebrow be damned! Jk…ish) and people rarely get it. I continue to be mad at everyone I literally foisted hard copies of Heated Rivalry onto who only listened after the TV show. But my friend who showed up the next day exhausted because she read it TWICE overnight—friendship solidified.
Same.
‘The Lamb’ by Lucy Rose, it’s a modern, folk horror. I think I partly made them read it as I needed someone to talk to about it afterwards as I was so unsettled (but don’t let that put you off, it’s great!). Also, ‘Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow’ by Gabrielle Zevin, I couldn’t put it down!
So many, but a constant one has been ‘The god of small things’ by Arundhati Roy and any book by Chimamanda Adichie. Lately, because I’ve just finished ‘Things in nature merely grow’ by Yiyun Li, I’ve been recommending this one.
Claudia, I read The God of Small Things in Kerala in 1998 when I was traveling around India. I deeply love that book and have gifted it so many times (the last time was just a couple of months ago!).
The God of Small Things is a near-perfect gem of a novel.
God of Small Things is so, so good. And if you enjoyed, I highly recommend Roy’s memoir — Mother Mary Comes to Me. (I also love Adichie.)
Ted Chiang — Story of your life and Others I love getting book recommendations. I scrolled through all these comments — don’t have time to read all the recommendations, but I esp. pay attention to the comments that get lots of responses, and that’s how I pick the books I want to pick up next. :)
Yes! Love this one. Exhalation is good, too, but not quite as impactful.
So, so many but recent stand out was Euphoria by Lily King! Best book I read this year.
yes, one of my favorites. you might also enjoy the books by elif shafak – ‘there are rivers in the sky’ and ‘the island of missing trees’
I’m reading this next, because I went on a Lily King binge after Heart the Lover. Father of the Rain nearly killed me in the best possible way. She’s SO good!
I used to be a voracious reader but have very much gotten out of the habit. Longtime favorites include Cry the Beloved Country by Alan Paton (perhaps the most perfect novel if I had to choose one?), For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway, and The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky. Lord of the Rings. The Ordering of Love by Madeleine L’Engle (love her poetry and reflections more than her fiction). Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis (beautiful and disturbing). I gave away Annals of the Former World by John McPhee before finishing it but really liked it. I also recently received Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping the Future of Our Planet by Ben Goldfarb and found it fascinating.
You have the top same favorites as my husband! I’m going to take the other ones as gift ideas for him :)
I recommend The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams to everyone!
Don’t know Tough by Eli Cranor – the main character will break your heart – I still think about him and hope he is okay. Literally anything by Ann Patchett, but especially Bel Canto, also anything by Jane Smiley – love Ordinary Love and Good Will the most. Finally — The Chaos Walking Trilogy by Patrick Ness. The first one is The Knife of Letting Go, then The Ask and the Answer, last one is Monsters of Men. Unbelievable.
I also wanted to mention If You Lived Here I’d Know Your Name and Take Good Care of the Garden and the Dogs, both by Heather Lende. I picked up the first one randomly in a used bookstore the day after we moved here from the East Coast, the first book I bought here. When Northern Exposure was mentioned on here recently I wanted to mention these books. The town she lives in and writes about ( Haines Alaska ) seems like a real life Northern Exposure. I sent both of these books to friends and they loved them and one made them book club picks.
I LOVED these and had forgotten about them. Maybe it’s time for a reread!
Lullabies for Little Criminals or ANYTHING else by Heather O’ Neill ! EARLY Alice Hoffman. EARLY Anne Tyler. The Moffat books by Eleanor Estes. I loved The Honk and Holler Opening soon by Billie Letts. I also loved The Goldfinch by Donna Tart and many others mentioned here. When I was finished with Goldfinch, I put it down and said ” That book is going to win the Pulitzer ” The only time I’ve ever said that , and it did. So many books. I’m forgetting thousands. I have to give a shout out to From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E Frankweiler by E.L.Konigsburg, because that book was one that started me on this reading road oh so long ago. Thank you books.
I have been a voracious reader since I was a child and possibly my number one from those years in the 60s is the mixed up files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. I love that book so much. Thank you for that memory.
On the Calculation of Volume is astounding. (It’s actually 7 volumes, the last of which is forthcoming.) The Overstory by Richard Powers The Great Believers by Rebecca Makai The Candy House A Visit from the Goon Squad both by Jennifer Egan The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett The Great Believers
Anna Karenna by Tolstoi, it’s not only a famous tragic love story, it’s a story about a whole nation in a certain time but also about the writer himself
I decided if I ever had a daughter, I’d name her Anna after I finished that book. I now have a six-year-old named Anna :)
The books I’m always pushing on people are: The Giver-Lois Lowry No One Belongs Here More Than You & The First Bad Man-Miranda July Interpreter of Maladies- Jhumpa Lahiri East of Eden & Of Mice and Men-John Steinbeck The House on Mango Street-Sandra Cisneros
I love COJ book posts so much!!! Just added so many to my TBR list. I’m holding myself back, but here are way too many recommendations anyway. I mostly gravitate towards character-driven stories with a strong sense of place and often a melancholy mood. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel ticks all of those boxes for me. I love everything she’s written, especially The Glass Hotel. I sobbed at the end of Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano. In the words of the author, The Rachel Incident by Caroline O’Donoghue is an absolute banger. A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry is a sweeping, heartbreaking story set in India. Gorgeous writing, memorable characters. I’ve read–and wholeheartedly recommend–everything by Rohinton Mistry. East of Eden by John Steinbeck – quintessential American epic; only qualm I have is with the character Cathy… otherwise perfection. The Art of Eating by MFK Fisher – the way she writes about warming clementines on a radiator in her freezing Parisian apartment and harvesting fresh spring peas in a Swiss garden… memorable and poetic. I struggle with depression and anxious thoughts; her writing helps remind me of life’s simple pleasures and to seek them out. I am grateful to the COJ commenter who recommended the Lane Winslow cozy mystery series a few years ago so I wanted to return the favor. There are 13 books (and counting). The storylines are very tame and often the villain/crime is a bit ridiculous but they really are so cozy. I reach for these books when I need comfort. The setting (post-WWII lakeside British Columbia), the lush description of the seasons, wonderful characters, teatime gossip, and handsome inspector Darling’s wry humor are a treat.
If you love “character-driven stories with a strong sense of place and often a melancholy mood” I think you would enjoy The Transit of Venus by Shirley Hazzard. She’s an absolute genius of a writer.
I have given away multiple copies of The Gastronomical Me by MFK Fisher.
I would recommend A Manual for Cleaning Women by Lucia Berlin There Are Rivers In the Sky by Élif Shafak
I am in the middle of A manual for cleaning lady! Lucía Berlin is such a good writer, her characters are very singular people and the stories are sharp, funny, perfect pace. She has something of a John Irving tone. Or he has a Lucía Berlin tone ;-) I recommend it, it is uplifting. Love from Paris
I’m interested in the books someone adored but can only recommend to a VERY select number of people, ha! Two of mine are Sky Daddy and Angel Down. Gorgeous, touching, weird as hell.
I loved Sky Daddy!
Ooooh, I want to read Angel Down and was looking to see if anyone mentioned it by name. I will check out Sky Daddy also, thank you. Love weird books!
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver is that book for me. It is one that has stuck with me but is so intense that I don’t feel like I can recommend to just anyone.
Just finished the audiobook of Angel Down as the hold queue was too long to face. Absolutely brilliant.
Horse. By Geraldine Brooks. And Caleb’s Crossing, by the same author.
Horse is so so good.
Oh! I went on a Geraldine Brooks binge! I love how she researches the hell out of whatever she’s writing about. It’s like a history lesson in a great story. Also loved People of the Book.
Her grief memoir from last year about the loss of her husband was so good, Memorial Days
Anyone up for a weary, middle-aged female police investigator? The late British writer, Susie Steiner, created three decidedly uncozy novels featuring a compelling, unstereotypical sleuth, who juggles work and family in ways all too familiar to COJ readers. Steiner also made good use of her journalism background in these books by thoughtfully exploring the societal issues that underlie her page turning plots. Titles: Missing, Presumed; Persons Unknown; and Remain Silent. I’m not sure how many are still in print but it’s well worth searching your library and used book stores for them.
Hi Caroline! I’ve never heard of this author but was intrigued by your description and just added Missing, Presumed to my Libby list. I also just read a little about her. It’s very sad to see she died so young. Thanks for bringing her to my attention!
Hi Caroline, I loved these books and had been hoping there would be more. I’m so sad to hear that Susie Steiner is no longer alive!!! What a talented writer!
This is such a longshot, as I have yet to meet a friend/normal human being that has heard of it, but “Freddy & Fredericka” by Mark Helprin is an absolute GEM of a book. It starts off weird, like kind of bonkers, “what the balls is even happening?” weird, but then you get to know the characters and fall deeply in love with every one of them. It’s also the most I have ever straight up laughed out loud while reading. I revisit this one every few years, it’s just that amazing :)
I’ve read this book, and I loved it! It’s such an under the radar gem. I remember thinking it would have made a great movie back when I read it. I also love Helprin’s A Soldier of the Great War and A Winter’s Tale, although all three are quite different. Also, I’m a normal human being. 😂
I also am fairly normal and I loved Freddy & Fredericka. Helprin has been a top 5 author for most of my adult life, but I didn’t love his last one as much as his earlier books, and so am anxious about his next one -coming out soon. The Weeds by Katy Simpson Smith is another ‘WTF is going on’ that absolutely flattened me by the end. I LOVED it and have never known anyone else who has even heard of it. And I just finished Call Me Ishmaelle by Xiaolu Guo – a retelling of Moby Dick that was stunning.
Freddy & Fredericka is one of the few books I’ve read three times. It’s SO great!
Wreck, The Women, Heart the Lover
Has anyone read You Have a New Memory by Aiden Arata? It was my favorite book last year and I am dying to talk about it! It’s a series of personal essays broadly about the internet and internet culture but it is also about love and connection and death and ephemerality and what we owe each other. Her essay How to do the right thing (about a situationship where her partner sexually assaulted someone else and also her and about his desire or lack thereof to change and her obligation or lack thereof to be public about what happened and consent and and and) wasn’t even my favorite of the bunch when I read it but it’s really stuck with me. So much of it is so hilarious (Merry and Pippin!), and the writing is so so so good. If you ever had a livejournal, you have to read it! (iykyk)
I had never heard of this but am adding it to my list. Thanks!
I just gifted my daughters roommate House on Mango Street and Cloud CooCoo Land because they both made me feel so alive. I hugged cloud coocoo land after I finished it because I just loved it so much. And House on Mango St made me remember why we read books. It is just so beautiful. I love all of these recs and have my Goodreads open on another tab so I can add them all!
Did you ever read All the Light we Cannot See by the same author as wrote Cloud Cuckoo Land?
The House on Mango Street is so gorgeous—the figurative language is in a league of its own.
Last summer, my first cousin and I (in our mid-50s and 60s) met for the first time, and we got along instantly. During our short time together, we stopped in a bookstore and bought favorite books for each other. I gave her “Braiding Sweetgrass” by Robin Wall Kimmerer, and she gave me a 148-page Athabascan legend called “Two Old Women” by Velma Wallis. She was right, I loved it! You guys, it was so inspiring. This little story pops into my mind often, especially when I’m questioning if I have what it takes to accomplish something hard. A-plus! 10 out of 10! Highly recommend!
My go-to book gift for everyone is John Green’s essay collection “The Anthropocene Reviewed.” It’s warm, tender, funny, and will teach you about everything from The Plague to the history of Diet Dr. Pepper. Plus, it began as a podcast, so you can check out an episode or two first if you’d like and see if the style is for you: “Googling Strangers” makes me weep every time.
I LOVED The Anthropocene Reviewed! It scratched a very specific quirky/nerdy/niche interests/historical scratch I didn’t know I had :)
I love this book! I just went back and read the Plague chapter.
John Green is such a gem. I read the Auld Lang Syne essay every year on New Year’s Eve.
The author reads the audiobook, which was fantastic. I really enjoyed this book!
The 100 Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin got me through a dark time. It is not a heavy read and is very life affirming. I recommend it to everyone – even my therapist!
Ahhh, love a comment thread like this. A book that I devoured in both audiobook and e-book form (before I had to own a physical copy) is one that was quite big in the UK when I lived there so I’ve foisted it upon many Canadians I know now. Can’t believe no one else has mentioned THE MINISTRY OF TIME. It’s one for the ages! Oh my gosh, I’m so excited to read whatever else Kaliane Bradley writes. The characters, the world, the complete blend of genres… Completely delightful and so unique. Honourable mentions of late: If We Were Villains (I read it every year), Nonesuch, What We Can Know, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, The Thorn Birds, Landline
Yes, I loved The Ministry of Time too! So creative and captivating. I really hope the author writes more books in the future.
I was sitting her scouring the comments thinking “Ministry of Time, Ministry of Time!!!” I’m so happy you finally brought it to the chat. This book CHANGED MY LIFE and was so completely unforgettable to me. Keliane Bradley’s other short stories (which you can find various places online) are also CHILLING!!!
I am one of those people who needs to NOT read the zeitgeisty, of-the-moment book because the very fact that it is everywhere and everyone is telling me to read it primes me to hate it. (Whereas, sometimes, if I read it two years later, I’m like, “Actually that was pretty good.”) Anyone else like this??
Another Laura here, 1000000%
…but will make exceptions for a very beloved author
YES this is me too! I’m glad I’m not the only one!!
Saaaame.
This is so me!
Me, too! I think, “if they’re still talking about this in ten years, it’s probably good.”
ha, that’s me. I might read it when – a few years after it was everywhere – I notice it’s “available now” on Libby. And it’s always a surprise to me when (er, if) I get around to reading it and I actually like it!
You are all such book snobs! LOL It’s good you can admit when you were oh so wrong.
Oh for sure, like I’ll go to the nytimes best-of list but only look at the ones from 10 years ago!
YUP. Don’t even ask me about the flavor of the month books, cause I will have avoided them…I am just cranky that way. (also super busy sanwhiching care of 2 elder iin laws and bringing up a tween girl and being an older mom and running a teeny tiny business, so I have excuses!). When I can read, I’m gonna reach for a mystery set in the UK, or Provence, or Brittany, or Venice. And promptly fall asleep, and it will take me a week to read it, when I used to plow through 2 or 3 boooks a week, once long ago. C’est la Vie!
Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino is quite simply one of the best books I have every read. I highly recommend!
Such a tender book!
I adored Beautyland and enjoyed the author’s other books as well. But that one was truly special—funny, sweet, and poignant.
So good!!!
Arundhati Roy’s memoir – “Mother Mary Comes to Me”. Can’t shut up about this book!
Loved this so much too!
I picked up a copy to read the blurb in the bookstore the other day. Flipped open to the first page and felt so moved just reading the first line, hahaha. Definitely on my TBR.
“Crossing to Safety” by Wallace Stegner … beautiful and one of the most moving books I’ve read.
Hello, Beautiful by Ann Napolitano Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver Years ago my most recommended book was Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason (thanks to Joanna for the rec!) (Copperhead isn’t always everyone’s cup of tea, but every single person I’ve given Hello, Beautiful to has loved it! Same for Sorrow and Bliss)
Joy I adored Demon Copperhead and was full-on ugly crying at the end. Barbara Kingsolver is such a great author!
Ooh, Hello, Beautiful is so good! Great summer read.
Meg Mason is such a witty writer! I loved Sorrow and Bliss, she’s coming out with a book in July, and I just finished Say it Again in a Nice Voice by her and wish I’d read it my first year of parenthood, I laughed out loud several times and I don’t tend to do that unless I’m reading Sedaris!
The Perfume Collector by Kathleen Tessaro. So good.
Oh this made me smile wide with recognition and relief!! I’ve never met anyone else who knew Kathleen Tessaro’s work, and she’s such a wonderful writer. The Perfume Collector is wonderful, but my fave is Elegance.
It’s been a decade since I had a friend to discuss books with. (Moved from Seattle to Philly.) it’s such a thrill to read a book at the same time as a friend, lover, your own child. My best friend in fourth grade and I would race to see who could read a book start to finish, first. The first title we chose was the unabridged Bram Stoker’s Dracula. It was educational (for many reasons, ha!)but I will never forget getting to school each morning to compare how far we’d gotten. Now I am not working, with endless time. I will read nearly anything I can get my hands on. I still haven’t read strangers and I still don’t know if I want to. I almost hit the one click button but I just can’t. There is a huge, huge part of me that finds the fascination and endless discussions of lives of the very wealthy incredibly boring.
Anything by Derek B. Miller, but especially The Girl in Green. Just loved the story. Joy, tears, anger, frustration, grief and hope went through me. Read it three times in a year, and had to force myself to slowly read line by line, because there is so much to treasure. A small group of people trying to do the right things in an environment that makes it very difficult. Wonderful dialogue. Gives me hope that a small group of good people can really make a difference in the world. I’ll continue to read this periodically for the rest of my life.
My top books of all time: 1. Lonesome Dove, by Larry McMurtry 2. The Poisonwood Bible, by Barbara Kingsolver (mothers tread lightly) 3. The Goldfinch, by Donna Tartt 4. Song of Achilles, by Madeline Miller 5. The Sun Also Rises, by Ernest Hemingway 6. East of Eden, by John Steinbeck 7. Middlesex, by Jeffery Eugenides 8. All the Light We Cannot See, by Anthony Doerr 9. The Year of Magical Thinking, by Joan Didion 10. Native Son, by Richard Wright
Such a great list! I’ve read all but #1, which is my hb’s favorite book, aside from a couple by Dickens. Reminder to move Lonesome Dove to the top of my pile!
Poisonwood Bible is my all time favorite book. It is the only book I can re-read every few years. Pachinko is a close second.
Oh my goodness, I think we’d get along! What a fantastic list. If you were my friend IRL I’d push into your hand If We Were Villains, Mudbound, Death Comes to the Archbishop, The Thorn Birds, Homegoing, The Interestings…
Happy to see some love for Middlesex!
Gosh awesome list!!
Great list! I love so many of these, though I would replace The Goldfinch with Tartt’s earlier book The Secret History, one of my all-time faves. Lonesome Dove has been on my TBR pile forever. Now I’m inspired to start it this summer.
Everyone, READ LONESOME DOVE! It’s really that good, and it’s a great summer read, in my opinion. Stephanie: I’ve read both If We Were Villains and Homegoing, but I’m adding your other recs to my list because I can tell we’re aligned! Kelly: I recently read The Secret History! I liked it, but found it just a little overwrought. The ending though!! Whew. The Goldfinch was my introduction to Donna Tartt, so it holds a special place in my heart. Chris: The Poisonwood Bible stunned me to my core. I read it for the first time last year and I still think about it often. Her best work, IMO.
“So Big” by Edna Ferber won the Pulitzer in 1924 and still holds up. Any other Ferber fans out there?
This is on my bedside table right now! Given to me by a friend who read it and loved it and had to share. Dare I say it, she begged me to read it :)
I have read So Big several times. I always cry. It’s such a special book.
I read “Fanny, Herself” by Edna Ferber in 2023 and enjoyed it. It too holds up!
I loved this book. It’s hard to find it in print anymore.
My work is gathering people: I have taught meditation and yoga for 30 years. An event I offer sometimes for free is online Reading Circles: we meet on Zoom for 90 minutes. Read the book aloud, taking turns shifting readers every couple pages, for 1h10 mins, discuss for 20. No homework! Being read to! It’s such a connective experience. We began with Becky Chambers’ Monk + Robot novella duology. We did Rebecca Solnit’s Hope in the Dark after the last presidential election and it was so bolstering. I’ve done it a few times with Mary Oliver’s book length poem The Leaf and the Cloud, which is about an hour of reading. If you try this, consider the reading time! Braiding Sweetgrass began as our strongest but was just a bit too long for most folks at 9 months. At the end it was just me and one other person but what a sweet way it was to share one of my favorite books, and a lovely growing-closer with the last co-reader standing :)
Came here to see if anyone is reccomending The Postcard. I don’t want to say that it changed my life, but it changed my life, rocked me to my core, the whole nine. Could not put it down, and have pushed it at anyone who will hear me.
My god, Alex, I just read the intro for the book and I have goosebumps all over…it’s a hot summer over here, so that is quite a thing. I am usually not this brave to read about – is difficult the right word ? – stories but this time I will. Thank you. Already crying. Oufh.
It’s very beautiful. If you liked that, you should also read House of Glass by Hadley Freeman.
I loved that book. I read it shortly after reading Charlotte, by David Foenkinos, which I also highly recommend
Yes, The Postcard! O!
This book sounds intriguing. Who is the author? I find two different books called The Postcard. Thank you!
All the Colors of the Dark!! I can still remember finishing the book, closing it and sitting there speechless. The twist was perfect and the ending was so satisfying. I loved the 5 page chapters – I swear somehow there was a cliffhanger at the end of each. I couldn’t put it down. I made my friends read it – they all felt the same!
Excellent book! I listened to the audiobook version… The author has an incredible backstory, too.