Wonder Wednesday:
Challenge: Just Try to Put these Novels Down!
“Top Ten Adult Must-Reads”
*I originally wrote this post for the Nerdy Book Club.
*After submitting it, we realized this post was geared toward adult novels and the Nerdy Book Club Blog focuses on middle-grade and young-adult novels.
*I decided to save it for my own blog and post it today.
*My true passion for reading lies with adult novels and here are some of my most favorite.
When reflecting on my reading life, what I know for sure is it began with adult novels. Once I finished college, I slowly began to read adult fiction books. The more I read, the more I craved these incredible stories of family, friendship, loss, love and survival.
While continuing to read “big people” books, I also began to
explore the world of middle-grade stories.
These young people novels brought me as much joy as my adult
novels. In the last couple of years I’ve
also started to read young-adult books.
I was pleasantly surprised to find out how much I enjoyed this type of
fiction.
My current reading life always consists of at least one
middle-grade novel, one young-adult novel, and my true passion one adult
novel. The more I have connected with my
“nerdy” friends, I’ve learned many of them don’t read the “grown-up” books
because they are spending so much time with the younger novels. I know how hard it is to find time to
experience all of these beautiful stories, but it is my goal and passion to
spread the “love” of adult fiction.
Here are ten of my favorite novels that will forever remain in my memory, soul, and heart. When and if you find some extra time in your already busy reading life; I know you will find great satisfaction with these stories…
A Little Life by Hanya
Yanagihara
This incredible story wove its way into my heart this past
fall. It is a major undertaking to read,
but is like nothing else I have ever read.
The book follows the lives of four college guys after attending the same
school. One of them has a past that he
would rather not share with his friends, but learns you can’t put the past
behind you until you deal with it. After
reading the last line, I was emotionally spent, in a reading coma, and didn’t
let go of these characters for several weeks after this one of a kind reading
experience.
I Know This Much Is True by Wally
Lamb
This novel has been my all-time favorite book of all time
since I read it back in 1997. It is
another major read, but once you start I guarantee you won’t be able to put it
down. I remember sharing it with
everyone I knew and had so many of my family and friends reading the book. There is no author like Wally Lamb and his
ability to tell a story. The plot
follows identical twin brothers with one of them suffering from Schizophrenia. The reader will experience their present day
life and also travel back through time to learn about their ancestors and how
their lives affected these two men.
Eddie’s Bastard by William
Kowalski
Billy is left on the front porch of his grandfather’s broken
down home. He was left there by his
father and never knew his mother. His
grandfather, Thomas, has no business raising a baby, but really has no
choice. As these two spend the next
years together, Billy learns of his family’s history and how it created a long
line of brave men with a hidden magical spirit.
This story brought me pleasure, joy, and a curiosity of what is real and
what may me magical.
Coal Run by Tawni
O’Dell
Tawni O’Dell is another favorite adult author. She has a special talent for writing an
engaging fictional story. This time she
takes us to Coal Run a mining town in Pennsylvania. The “Great Ivan Z.” has returned to Coal Run
after being gone for ten years. He was
their star football player, but the last years have not been kind to him. Upon his return, he learns that his “buddy”
is about to be released from prison.
Ivan works to settle back into life here, but both his secrets and the
secrets of those around him brew to the surface causing problems for everyone
involved.
The Crying Tree by Naseem
Rakha
This book kept me up until 2:00 AM because I could not put
it down. Thank goodness I didn’t have to
go to work the next day. The Stanleys
have the perfect life with two wonderful children. When one of their boys is shot and killed in
their home, life will never be the same.
When the killer is caught and sentenced to die, Irene Stanley refuses to
let this tragedy define her. She begins
a friendship with the man on death row and each of them will forever change
each other. There were several moments
when I had to wipe the tears away to focus on the words in the book.
A Million Little Pieces by James
Frey
I know there was
a lot of controversy surrounding this “memoir” with James and Oprah. I had actually read the book before Oprah
picked it for her book club. I remember
reading it one summer day by my pool and I could not put it down. The story was mesmerizing and I had never
read anything like it. James has such a
unique style of writing and I enjoyed reading about his journey to get clean after
years of alcohol and drug abuse. I felt
like I was right there with him and couldn’t turn the pages fast enough.
The Turtle Warrior by Mary
Relindes Ellis
The Lucas family has a farm in Wisconsin. It has been run into the ground because of John Lucas and his drinking. He has also been abusive toward his wife and
two sons. After the older brother James
leaves to fight in Vietnam, younger brother Bill is left home to protect his
mother. I read this novel years ago, but
it has always held a special place in my heart.
It is just a well-written story that takes the reader on a beautiful
emotional journey. It is a must read for
all adult readers. Bill will be a
character you won’t soon forget.
gods in Alabama by Joshilyn
Jackson
I don’t remember how I learned about this book, but I do
remember stopping by the bookstore on my way home from school on a Friday. I started reading it right away, read it Friday
night, and finished Saturday morning. There
were no points in the story where I could put it down. The “action” started on page one and didn’t
stop until the very last word. The plot
was completely engaging and kept me guessing throughout the entire book. I have told many people about this book and
they all have enjoyed it as much as I did.
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth
Stein
One of the best books I’ve ever read. When I first heard that the story was told
from the point of view of the dog, I didn’t know if that would work for an
adult fiction story. Well, it did work
and worked really well. The reading
experience was awesome and one of those stories that I just couldn’t stop
reading. When I got to the end of it, I
was completely in tears and so emotionally drained. This will definitely be a book that I will probably
reread in the future. If you are a dog
lover, then you definitely have to get this novel in your hands.
The Buffalo Soldier by Chris
Bohjalian
Chris Bohjalian is another one of my favorite adult
authors. What I like best about him is
that each of his novels are so different from each other. This story brought me so much joy. The Sheldon’s lost their daughters in a
horrific accident. Two years later they
take in a foster boy named Albert. He is
ten years old, African American, and has been through many foster homes. He believes this is just another stop on his
journey. After bonding with the couple
and a neighbor man that shares historical stories with him, Albert just may
have found home. This novel sits proudly
on my bookshelf and is one that I always
recommend to people to read. It
contains fiction writing at its best!
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