My Life in Books – Part 4: Five-Star Books
Image by Tomislav Kaučić from PixabayDon’t you hate it when you get halfway through a book and realize you have already read it? On occasion it has taken me most of a book to realize I have read it — and even though I obviously didn’t remember much about it at all, I still resent having read it again!
So lest you think I can remember all the books I have read, I admit I now track the books I read on the Goodreads website. That is how I can write this post (and the next one). I thought this was going to be one post, but now I see I have too much information for one post, so I am splitting it between this week and next. I did the best I could when I started using Goodreads to recall all the books I had ever read, but of course, that was a futile task! So I think I have about 650 books listed as READ on the site, and I have been pretty good about keeping it updated for several years.
I rarely write reviews, but I try to rate the books I have read. Here are many of my five-star reads. Most are fiction, but not all of them. And they are not all the five-star books on my list, but many of them. Some of them I can’t remember at all because I am one of those people who cannot remember what one book is about by the time I start reading the next.
I envy those people who can read multiple books at a time, and I have tried, but I prefer to read one book at a time.
Here are some of my five-star books. The best of the best are at the end of the list. I would recommend any of these books. Please keep in mind that I do favor women’s literature (or, as some like to call it, “Chick Lit”). Oh, one more thing. I tried not to include books that I talked about in the prior three posts in this series.
The Kite Runner -Khaled Hosseini. Most everyone loved this book.
Freakonomics – Steven Levitt. Nonfiction, and I found parts of it fascinating.
Like Water for Chocolate – Laura Esquivel
The Girls’ Guide to Hunting and Fishing – Melissa Banks
The Help – Kathryn Stockett
Unbroken – Laura Hillenbrand. This one is a memoir. Excellent.
Quiet – Susan Cain. This is a nonfiction book about introversion. I believe she wrote more than one, and I read them all.
On the Road – Jack Kerouac. Of course.
The Girl with the Pearl Earring – Tracy Chevalier
Far from the Madding Crowd – Thomas Hardy – Possibly the only classic in the list.
The Art of Racing in the Rain – Garth Stein. A beautiful book for dog lovers. You will cry.
11-22-63 – Stephen King. One of the two books I read and liked by Mr. King.
The House of the Scorpion – Nancy Farmer. I read this young adult book when I was teaching, and I loved it.
Divergent #1 – Veronica Roth. Another young adult book. All the girls were reading it when I was teaching 7th grade.
The Good Daughters – Joyce Maynard. Joyce is a Facebook friend and lives around where I lived in California. She has had a book made into a movie; I believe it was called Labor Day. She done good.
The Girl on the Train – Paula Hawkins. I don’t remember loving it that much, but I gave it five stars.
Goodnight June – Sarah Jio (and The Look of Love by Sarah Jio also). This book was recommended to me, and it was wonderful.
Re Jane – Patricia Park. Another winner.
Falling – Jane Green
The Sunshine Sisters – Also by Jane Green
Still Alice – Lisa Genova (Everything by Genova, who is a neuroscientist, is a masterpiece.) This book was made into a movie.
The Mourning Parade – Dawn Reno Langley. I met Dawn on Facebook when we made a political comment on the same post. We became Facebook friends. She lived across the country from me, but she had set up a book tour to promote this book and was coming to my favorite local bookstore. So we met, and I got an autographed copy of the book. I loved it and gave it to my daughter, who also loved it. It is a novel about the elephants in Thailand. Great book.
The Light We Lost – Jill Santopolo
Before We Were Yours – Lisa Wingate
The Alice Network – Kate Quinn
Tuesday Nights in 1980 – Molly Prentiss. I saw this book on display at the library and was attracted to the cover. This book and I were meant to be. It is a novel about an art critic with synesthesia (an overlapping of the senses, sometimes called a gift and other times called a handicap!). Not too long before I found this book, I finally figured out that I had synesthesia and had started researching it. I really appreciated reading this book, although it was about a different type of synesthesia.
The Little Paris Bookshop – Nina George. Bookshop? Paris? What could be bad?
The Glass Castle – Jeanette Walls. One of the most outstanding memoirs ever!
Where the Crawdads Sing – Delia Owens. Your typical bestseller.
The Flatshare – Beth O’Leary. I read about this book in some list of recommended books I was sent by e-mail. I loved it and read another book by the same author. Not too heavy, but a fun read.
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle – Haruki Murakami. I gave this book five stars because of its beautiful writing.
Lessons from Lucy – Dave Barry. Florida humorist writes about his dog. Great book. I saw him at a book fair, and he is very funny!
The Oysterville Sewing Circle – Susan Wiggs. I think I have read another book or two by this author and have liked them.
American Dirt – Jeanine Cummins. Lots of controversy about this one. I don’t remember loving it five stars worth, but that is what I gave it.
The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek – Kim Michele Richardson. You just know this is not a romantic comedy.
The Alchemist – Paulo Coelho. I finally read this famous book.
French Illusions: My Story as an American Au Pair in the Loire Valley – Linda Kovic Skow. True story that reads like a novel. I am fascinated with all things French.
A Mango-Shaped Space – Wendy Mars. A young adult book recommended by a friend — another book about synesthesia.
The Bookstore on the Beach – Brenda Novak. Bookstore? Beach. What could be bad?
Accidentally Engaged – Farah Heron. I just read this one. Pleasantly surprised it was a fun read with a good plot.
The Best of the BestHere are some of the best books I have read out of my five-star list. Highly recommended!
The Red Tent – Anita Diamant
The Interestings – Meg Wolitzer. Made into a TV movie. Loved it.
Room – Emma Donahue – I left this off my list entirely, but I know it is up there. Made into a movie for which Brie Larson won Best Actress. Riveting story!
The Nightingale – Kristen Hannah. I believe this was voted the best book of the year on Goodreads a couple of years ago. World War II story.
Word by Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries – Kory Stamper. I LOVED this book about the making and updating or dictionaries. For word lovers everywhere.
A Man Called Ove – Fredrik Backman. My favorite book I have read as an adult. Made into a wonderful movie as well. BRAVO!
Little Fires Everywhere – Celeste Ng. Another one streaming on Netflix or somewhere. I haven’t seen it, but plan to. Great book!
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine – Gail Honeyman. Reminded me of A Man Called Ove, female style. Loved it.
The Ensemble – Aja Gabel. This was a beautiful story about a musical quartet. Highly recommended.
Educated – Tara Westover. An outstanding memoir.
The Library Book – Susan Orlean. A book about the fire at the Los Angeles Central Library. Recommended to me by a Facebook friend. Well worth the read!
Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents – Isabel Wilkerson. Amazing book about endemic racism.
The Night Circus – Erin Morgenstern. A very original story. A magical book.
Next Week, these books are featured (not necessarily 5-star, but notable nonetheless):
Some memorable nonfictionBooks I loved and that stick in my mind, but not quite five-star booksAuthors I likeBooks people liked and I hatedBooks by people I know that you should read (some of which I copyedited)Wow, I have read a lot of political books!
