Some Really Great Books
What I've read and loved, lately
When people meet me and hear about SheReaders Book Club, they always want to know which really good books we’ve read. I am not a keeper of secrets, and so I’m going to tell you about a few great books I’ve read recently.
All the Way to the River by Elizabeth Gilbert is a deeply moving memoir about self-discovery, addiction, and recovery by way of love, grief, and everything in between. The kind of book a person like me cannot put down because the author is revealing their most natural emotions, like shame and embarrassment. But we’re all human here, right? So there’s an interspecies understanding experienced in the pages. Reading this book felt like bearing witness to another human’s pain and joy. You get to go through the whole thing as it unfolded with the added bonus of retrospection. It was raw and revealing. The only way one can really write the truth. I devoured it in just one weekend of plane rides. Favorite nonfiction book of the year.
The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali is an epic story of friendship between women and the way two childhood best friends stay connected over a lifetime with more layers every chapter. The kind of story that makes you want to text your besties and make a plan to meet for tapas. Food in this novel is enough to build cravings for Middle Eastern flavors. I could almost taste the dishes described in the party scenes and cooking lessons. I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves historical fiction in an international setting. It’s a must-read.
As for favorite group reads, SheReaders adored The Briar Club by Kate Quinn. It is the title I hear most often from women across the country when they tell me what their book club has loved. Across the board, everyone enjoyed reading it and there is so much accurate history portrayed in the novel that it sparks an informative discussion about 1950’s America. The interpersonal relationships within a diverse group of women living communally are endearing and wildly entertaining. Are there favorite main character awards? If so, I vote for Grace.
How about you? What great books have you read lately? How about the best book club discussion you’ve had recently? What should we be putting our holds on and gathering to talk about? Please let us know in the comments.