Top Picks
if i could afford it, i would buy these books for everyone i know. but, since i can’t, i’ll give you the list and you can choose for yourself. i have tried to include a very short description of each book and the reason why it made its way onto this list. each title links to the full review, and if you feel so inclined, each image links to amazon where you can purchase the book.
this will definitely be a living list that grows and changes over time, so be sure to check back from time to time to see what’s new.
without further ado, and in no particular order, some of the little reader suggestions are:
A Fine Balance
by Rohinton Mistry
this is one of the most painfully sorrowful and beautiful novels i’ve ever read. it is a solid narrative that focuses on four rather poor individuals in India that all end up sharing a single apartment during the difficult reign of Indira Ghandi. through their fierce love of life and eventual appreciation for one another, despite the frequent comical bickering, this is a story that will stay with me for a very long time. with characters that make a lasting impression, this is one book i would highly recommend for anyone interested in India and the beauty of that nation.
Wicked
by Gregory Maguire
this is the untold story of the wicked witch of the west, smart and well-developed, and as the title suggests, centered around the natures of good and evil. the most wonderful thing about wicked is the depth and development of the characters that are only casually mentioned in the original wizard of oz, but there’s also a love story, some sticky politics and the obvious family matters to spin the story together. this is easily one of the most rich and wonderful pieces of fantasy fiction i’ve ever read, and suggest it to any and all that will give it a glance.
The Book Thief
by Markus Zusak
this is a book that transcends all genre boundaries and can appeal to just about everyone. a book about life and death and everything in between, this book made me laugh and smile and cry and wish that it would never end. there are rare jewels that can be found, the kind of books that show a reader, on occasion, the power of words and what is possible within the confines of two covers and a few hundred pages. and this was one of those rare moments – stunning, powerful and hauntingly beautiful. with exquisite characters and stunning language, this book is an absolute work of art.
Kindred
by Octavia Butler
this is a book that has it all – time travel, racism, love, brutality, so much that it’s a bit overwhelming. written with a fierce compassion and honesty, Kindred left me stunned and amazed. by taking a modern black woman in an interracial marriage and flinging her into the American South during the times of slavery, Butler shows us the stark realities of life as a slave of a plantation owner. with no holding back, this is one book that left me felt like i’d been punched square in the stomach, breathless from the truth and beauty of the power that a book can hold.
The Adoration of Jenna Fox
by Mary E. Pearson
this is one of those rare books that, although not the best book i’ve ever read, needs to be read. it covers the very relevant topic of medical ethics and parental obligation in a dystopian future where genetic manipulation is possible. through the eyes of Jenna Fox, who has recently awoken from a coma with no memory of the accident that put her there, we follow her struggle to learn who she is and what her future holds. this book definitely appealed to the biologist in me, but also tugged at the truths that need to be discussed about the future of medicine and science for humanity.
Luna
by Julie Anne Peters
without question, this is one book that will make nearly any list of books that i would recommend. covering the difficult subject of growing up with a transgender sibling and harboring secrets, this book confronts head on the issues of identity and expectations in youth. with simple writing that could relate equally well to young and old alike, Luna is a beautiful coming of age novel. and if you’re a sap like me, bring your tissues!
One Hundred Years of Solitude
by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
this is one of those books that i could read again and again and still adore. it is a story of recollection and love and hope and everything lovely and painful in life, an epic saga of the Buendia family. the writing is lyrical and magical and i really can’t say enough. this is a book that needs to be read for the beautiful language and presentation of South American life and culture. this is one of very few books that have a permanent home etched on my bookshelf.
If I Stay
by Gayle Forman
i’m notoriously known as a cry-baby, but this book made me cry in a whole new way. a story about death that is gloriously alive, this is a book that everyone should read. following a deadly car crash, we tag along for Mia’s out of body experience. we learn not only what it is like for her to be in a coma watching the medical staff and visiting family come and go, but also what it might be like for her to choose life or death. with some heart-wrenching bedside conversations and slightly more light-hearted flashbacks, this is a powerful book that will make you take a step back and consider life and death in a very real and meaningful way.
join me in my adventures and bookish encounters as a born-again english student. non-fiction to literary fiction, some YA and a dabbling of things in between. i'm adding books to the to-read pile faster than they can be read! 
Very interesting picks! I’m very glad to see Butler on here. And I plan on getting to the other two titles sometime: The Book Thief and The Adoration of Jenna Fox…
they are both excellent and i hope you enjoy them! i’ll be picking up some more Butler soon, too. i have a feeling she’s going to end up being one of my favorite authors.
A Fine Balance is one of my favorite books of all time.
Have you read his other novels?
A nice diverse list of recommendations which will find their way to my to-read pile. Thanks.
i haven’t, but i keep seeing Family Matters at the library and am tempted to pick it up. do you have any other Mistry books that you would recommend?
Family Matters is ok, but if you can find Such a Long Journey that one is better (A Fine Balance is the best, in my opinion).
Unfortunately I haven’t heard of anything upcoming from him which is a shame.
I haven’t read any of these although a different Octavia Butler, and the Rohinton Mistry are on my TBR piles. Some interesting choices to follow up – I like the sound of most of them!
i have Fledgling by Butler on my TBR pile and have heard great things about all of her books.
i hope you enjoy those that you manage to pick up!
I love seeing posts like this – even though they add to my already too long TBR list! Thanks for the suggestions.
i’m so glad that you were able to find something that you might enjoy reading. thanks for stopping by!
A Fine Balance is an amazing book! I was wrecked for a week after reading it…it was so powerful!
[...] Top Picks [...]
Glad to see A Fine Balance in here. I read it a few years ago and my husband was horrified to find me weeping as I read it. He read it too after me and it is one of our favorite books.