Book Club – Must-Read List

I haven’t read a book in years. I spend all of my time reading online for enjoyment or Midlifecurious. Many of my girlfriends are in book clubs, and they “claim” to read the books…I think it’s just code for wine, women and a great evening out.

Here is a list of the top reads for 2019 that I pulled from multiple sources. I haven’t read any of them, so they’re not personal recommendations. I’m just trying to help you busy ladies find your next read.

“A pitch-perfect, wonderfully evocative examination of violent loss.

“Unsettling and tinged with sadness, yet astonishingly fresh, powerful and mesmerizing – with a surprising ending that will haunt you.”

“A dazzling example of what you can achieve if you set your mind to something…an inspirational, truly unique coming-of-age tale”

“Poignant, heart-wrenching & beautifully told, the author’s best tale yet.”

“Sucked me in and didn’t let go. It made me laugh, cry, ache and shout at the characters. Utterly captivating…one of my favourite books

“As most of us are all too aware, the generation who fought in World War II or supported the effort from home are leaving us — their children, grandchildren, and greats — to carry on without them. Thanks to author Kiernan, we hear from a group of that generation’s women, now in their eighties and nineties, whose wartime experience matched no one else’s. Ever. Anywhere.”

“Addictive . . . will keep you glued to the page”

“Huge heart, humour and compassion. A sparkling tale about the power of secrets, loyalty and love, this novel is wonderfully engaging, gorgeously written and has characters that will captivate you”

“A debut to watch for… I was hugely impressed by this flawlessly written, most humane novel”

“A narrative full of quiet warmth and deep and unspoken sadness… Wonderful and joyful”

“A powerful story for readers everywhere . . . Martha Hall Kelly has brought readers a firsthand glimpse into one of history’s most frightening memories. A novel that brings to life what these women and many others suffered. . . . I was moved to tears”

“A fiendishly smart cat-and-mouse thriller”

“Filled with turbulence and sudden plunges in altitude, The Flight Attendant is a very rare thriller whose penultimate chapter made me think to myself, ‘I didn’t see that coming.’ The novel–Bohjalian’s 20th– is also enhanced by his deftness in sketching out vivid characters and locales and by his obvious research into the realities of airline work.”

“A fascinating look at the unspoken lives of Afghani women, separated by generations and miles, yet achingly similar. This is a story to transport you and make you think.”

“This novel will be a piece of luck for anyone with a long plane journey or beach holiday ahead. It is such a page-turner, entirely absorbing… magnificent”

“A free spirit shakes up a complacent community in this wry, beautifully observed novel…One of Ng’s strengths is that she makes virtue and normality as fascinating as venality and eccentricity…It is beautifully written”

“Wildly ambitious debut by a 26-year-old writer . . . It’s impossible not to admire the ambition and scope of Homegoing . . . By its conclusion, the characters’ tales of loss and resilience have acquired an inexorable and cumulative emotional weight”

“Unrelentingly bizarre . . .perverse but riveting . . . Will keep you turning the pages”

“Utterly compelling . . . quite an extraordinary novel. It is impossible to put down . . . And it is almost impossible to forget”

“A painful but beautiful book about the life that war takes away and the new life created in its wake.”