The Red Tent [1]
by Anita Diamant
Let’s start at the very beginning (a very good place to start…) Set in biblical times, and told in Dinah's voice, this novel reveals the traditions and turmoils of ancient womanhood--the world of the red tent. It begins with the story of her mothers--Leah, Rachel, Zilpah, and Bilhah--the four wives of Jacob, and your book club members do not need to be religious to enjoy their stories.
The Reluctant Fundamentalist [2]
by Mohsin Hamid
Forget that saying about not talking about politics or religion amongst book club members. This tale of what leads to religious fundamentalism will spark real discussion and deep thoughts.
The Satanic Verses [3]
by Salman Rushdie
As kids, nothing would get us reading and talking faster than telling us we couldn’t read or talk about something. Try that same approach when you suggest Salman Rushdie’s fatwa-inducing book to your club. Beyond the political and religious fallout, there lies a challenging and interesting novel.
The Slap [4]
by Christos Tsiolkas
Proving that a book doesn’t need to be well-written or popular to spur on good dialogue, my friend Karen wrote that this book itself was the most despised book in her club’s history, but provoked the best conversation.
Housekeeping [5]
by Marilynn Robinson
“It was one of the first books we read (+25 years ago) and we still refer back to it,” wrote one book club member. A dark psychological look at the pathology of family, this one is beautifully written.
Still Alice [6]
by Lisa Genova
I’ve lumped this one and the following three together, because they all tell the story of a tragedy in a woman’s life, and how she deals with it. As my friend Jen said about this type conversation at book club, “All of them started with conversations about the book but lead to deeper conversation on everything from the author's intentions/motivation to societal issues to our personal ‘what would I do if…?'"
Every Last One [7]
by Anna Quindlen
We Need to Talk About Kevin [8]
by Lionel Shriver
The Husband's Secret [9]
by Liane Moriarty
Lolita [10]
by Vladimir Nabokov
This was a late addition because I was sitting beside a friend at dinner out last week and mentioned this blog post. She said I had to include this one because it caused the most heated and fiery exchange in her book club’s history. I haven’t ever read the story of Humbert Humbert and his love for twelve-year-old Lolita
Station Eleven [11]
by Emily St.John Mandel
My first book club selection! No need to swipe right for this one…it’s a winner!
Jennifer Hicks lives a fairy tale life…she toils in an ivory tower by day, and in a dungeon of homework and dishes by night. A frazzled mother of two teenage boys and a precocious tween girl, she seeks sanity in dark coffee and light reads. She considers a night out laughing with friends to be the best medicine, and is on the constant search for the twin Holy Grails of the perfect red lipstick and classic white dress shirt.
Follow Jennifer on Goodreads [20] to see what she’s been reading, and on Twitter at @JenTrend [21] to see what she’s thinking.
- See more at: http://www.yummymummyclub.ca/blogs/jennifer-hicks-reading-between-the-lines/20150204/5-books-to-read-if-you-re-missing-parenthood#sthash.58E88q81.dpufJennifer Hicks lives a fairy tale life…she toils in an ivory tower by day, and in a dungeon of homework and dishes by night. A frazzled mother of two teenage boys and a precocious tween girl, she seeks sanity in dark coffee and light reads. She considers a night out laughing with friends to be the best medicine, and is on the constant search for the twin Holy Grails of the perfect red lipstick and classic white dress shirt.
Follow Jennifer on Goodreads [20] to see what she’s been reading, and on Twitter at @JenTrend [21] to see what she’s thinking.
- See more at: http://www.yummymummyclub.ca/blogs/jennifer-hicks-reading-between-the-lines/20150204/5-books-to-read-if-you-re-missing-parenthood#sthash.58E88q81.dpufJennifer Hicks lives a fairy tale life…she toils in an ivory tower by day, and in a dungeon of homework and dishes by night. A frazzled mother of two teenage boys and a precocious tween girl, she seeks sanity in dark coffee and light reads. She considers a night out laughing with friends to be the best medicine, and is on the constant search for the twin Holy Grails of the perfect red lipstick and classic white dress shirt.
Follow Jennifer on Goodreads [20] to see what she’s been reading, and on Twitter at @JenTrend [21] to see what she’s thinking.
- See more at: http://www.yummymummyclub.ca/blogs/jennifer-hicks-reading-between-the-lines/20150204/5-books-to-read-if-you-re-missing-parenthood#sthash.58E88q81.dpufJennifer Hicks lives a fairy tale life…she toils in an ivory tower by day, and in a dungeon of homework and dishes by night. A frazzled mother of two teenage boys and a precocious tween girl, she seeks sanity in dark coffee and light reads. She considers a night out laughing with friends to be the best medicine, and is on the constant search for the twin Holy Grails of the perfect red lipstick and classic white dress shirt.
Follow Jennifer on Goodreads [20] to see what she’s been reading, and on Twitter at @JenHicks26 [22]to see what she’s thinking.