I asked this question earlier today on instagram, and as always the community had a lot to say. There were so many readers who chimes in to answer this question, which can sometimes be a difficult decision to make. There were a few familiar titles, some that I have been wanting to read, and even a few that I haven’t heard of before. Take a look:
This is the book that you come across once in a rare while that transforms you. This is a story that opens your eyes to horrible, true events in history and revisits conditions that members of our human race were forced to endure for decades in South Africa. While reading this book it is impossible to ignore that similar circumstances still exist today in locations around the world.
Bianca Marais exposes the reader to tragedy, loss, and hatred but also provides us with characters who overcome personal challenges to fight the same type of oppression that exists today. Central characters Robin and Beauty learn about love, sacrifice, and forgiveness among other things they need to survive the ignorance and violence around them.
You’ve got to read this one, then tell everyone that you know about it! It is that good.
I have been feeling ambitious lately… I have heard so much about both of these novels for as long as I can remember. Both are epic, sweeping, works of classic literature. Each has been proclaimed to be the “BEST BOOK EVER WRITTEN” by numerous sources. My goal is to finish one of these two books before the end of 2017… but which one??? HELP!!!
Here are the STATS: Continue reading
I am a few years behind on this novel from 2012. I saw a preview for the movie that came out last year that made me curious. I still haven’t seen the movie, but I can’t stop thinking about the book. If you have ever wanted to just be alone and forget the rest of the world exists… then you will probably like this book. If you have ever made a bad decision for a really good reason… then you will probably like this book. If you have ever thought of what it would be like to lose a child… then you will definitely love the first half of this book, and you might hate the second half.
In any case, I couldn’t put it down. Has anyone seen the movie? Thumbs up or thunbs down?
(Here is a link to the Goodreads page… I always love how polarized the reviews are… most people loved it, a few people really hated it, one lady was upset because she got a fine from the library… I don’t see how that reflects on the actual story though.)
Goodreads – The Light Between Oceans
Imagine going through eight years of medical school training, putting in thousands of hours of residency, dedicating your life to a calling… then finding out that you have terminal cancer. This is the kind of book that doesn’t leave you thinking… “I really enjoyed that!” It is a true story, and unfortunately ends the way that true stories often do. What I really found insightful and moving was the author’s honesty in approaching and describing his deeply emotional experience and the decisions that he faced in knowing that his life would end much sooner than he had dreamed. There are many lessons to be learned from this true story. The entire book was interesting, but the last two paragraphs were incredibly moving.
NY Times – When Breath Becomes Air
It’s Cold Outside. It will be a great weekend for reading (indoors to be specific). If you need a good story to get started on, try this one. Its a thriller/mystery, set in a modern world where slavery is still legal in a few specific states. Imagine the slave plantations of the Old South, brought up to modern day standards. There are policies and oversight committees in place to ensure that “workers” are treated humanely, yet punishments like electrocution and sensory deprivation are acceptable when deemed appropriate.
The setting of the novel was intriguing and presented in a very plausible way, but what I appreciated most was that the plot had enough twists and turns and excitement to keep me interested and made me want to keep reading for hours each time i picked up the book.
For more details and background about the author, here is the New York Times review: