My definitive guide on what to read this summer (and into autumn, if
we’re going to be realistic)!
I’ve picked out a wide array of books from my many and varied lists on
Goodreads. These selections include an eclectic mix of major prize-winners, historical
fiction, translated texts, classics, recent works, autobiography, a collection
of essays, and more! And wow, it was hard to limit this list to 25 books, but
at the end of the day, these are the ones that I want to read the most (and hopefully you will too!).
As I work my way through these stories and collections I’ll post reviews
and ratings. In true academic fashion, I’ll be reading through a set of
‘lenses’ that interest me, such as feminist theory, post-structuralism,
post-colonialism, leadership theory, as well as more ‘normal’ criteria – is it
a good story? A decent read? Why or why not? What, if anything, did I learn
about life and my place in it from the narrative? Would I recommend it and if
so, why?
So, without further ado, here’s the list! There is no particular rhyme
or reason to the order in which the books are presented, it’s a pick-and-mix of
great stuff. It’s also worth noting that almost all the novels can be broadly
classified as good quality ‘literary fiction’ (check out the ‘literary status’ notes),
no chick-lit or action thrillers here people! Click on the title to read a
story summary from Goodreads.
Title
|
Author
|
Year
|
Genre
|
Literary Status (and reason for reading)
|
Gabriel García Márquez
|
1967
|
Magical
realism
|
Classic
piece of translated literature by a Nobel Prize winning author. I keep
hearing references to this book so I guess it’s time to find out why!
|
|
Elizabeth
Strout
|
2016
|
Contemporary
fiction
|
A set of
intertwined short stories much like Olive
Kitteridge (which I really liked), plus it was longlisted for the Man
Booker Prize this year
|
|
Khaled
Hosseini
|
2012
|
Contemporary
fiction
|
A story
about an Afghani family by a best-selling and top-rated Goodreads author.
Sitting in a stack of books on my dining room table
|
|
Ann
Patchett
|
2011
|
Contemporary
fiction/Magical realism
|
Shortlisted
for multiple prominent book awards, I’m excited to read my first Ann Patchett
novel! (her non-fiction is great by the way)
|
|
Graeme
Macrae Burnet
|
2015
|
Historical
fiction
|
Very well-reviewed
by bloggers I follow and shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize this year. I
ended up buying it because I liked the title & thought it would appeal to
Mitchel!
|
|
Jhumpa
Lahiri
|
1999
|
Short
story collection
|
Pulitzer
prize-winning collection of interwoven short stories.
|
|
Rohinton
Mistry
|
1995
|
Contemporary
fiction
|
Cultural
classic on India, nominated for multiple prestigious prizes – I gave a copy
to my Dad for his birthday because I wanted to read it. hehe
|
|
Anne
Enright
|
2015
|
Contemporary
fiction
|
Set in
Ireland, this family drama picked up multiple award nominations immediately on
its publication. It also comes highly recommended from a trusted source.
|
|
The Wave in the Mind: Talks & Essays on the Writer, the Reader & the Imagination
|
Ursula K.
Le Guin
|
2004
|
Essay
collection
|
A
favourite author, Locus Award for Best Non-fiction – ‘nuff said!
|
Malala Yousafzai
|
2013
|
Autobiography
(social justice)
|
This
seems like a good follow-on from Half
the Sky as it further explores the importance of fighting for women and girls’
education in oppressive and patriarchal cultures
|
|
Isabel
Allende
|
1987
|
Magical
realism
|
A
translated work by Chilean author Isabel Allende and winner of the American
Book Award (1989). I read an interview with Allende and then went and
purchased a whole pile of her books (#inspiration)
|
|
Chimamanda
Ngozi Adichie
|
2013
|
Contemporary
fiction
|
The
newest novel from an award-winning feminist author. This book is very widely
loved and well-reviewed. Adichie wrote my favourite little gem – We Should All Be Feminists
|
|
Maya
Angelou
|
1969
|
Memoir
|
“Poetic
and powerful” – this is a classic work that has been sitting on my bookshelf
for far too long
|
|
Geraldine
Brooks
|
2008
|
Contemporary/Historical
fiction
|
I love
Geraldine Brooks! And this novel has been recognised with multiple award
nominations
|
|
Tracy
Chevalier
|
1999
|
Historical
fiction
|
Not a big
prize-winner, but an incredibly popular and widely-read novel. It’s almost a
sin I haven’t read it yet!
|
|
Virginia
Woolf
|
1925
|
Classic
20th century novel
|
Quintessential
Woolf. It’s almost embarrassing I haven’t read this ‘day in the life of’
novel yet.
|
|
Zadie
Smith
|
1999
|
Contemporary
fiction
|
An
excellent debut novel from one of England’s best and brightest young authors.
Nominated for many, many literary awards. I’ve been meaning to pick up a
Zadie Smith novel for a long time and decided her first was the best place to
start.
|
|
Mary
Shelley
|
1818
|
Classic
gothic novel
|
Again, a
classic must-read which has collected dust for far too long on my bookshelf
|
|
Jeanette
Winterson
|
1985
|
Contemporary
queer fiction
|
A seminal
text on ‘coming-out’ and winner of a major prize for best first work of fiction.
This is not something I would naturally be drawn to reading so it’s a bit of
an ‘out of my comfort zone’ text
|
|
Hilary
Mantel
|
2009
|
Historical
Fiction
|
An epic
novel about the Tudors which re-established historical fiction as a credible
player in the literary field. Winner of the Man Booker Prize (2009)
|
|
Tess of the D'Urbervilles
|
Thomas
Hardy
|
1891
|
Classic
Victorian literature
|
All Hardy
novels are amazing. Tragic. Beautiful. The End.
|
Salman
Rushdie
|
1981
|
Magical
realism
|
Another
cultural piece on India and the Man Booker Prize winner in 1981.
|
|
Jean Rhys
|
1966
|
Classic –
modern fiction
|
Re-writing
Jane Eyre from the perspective of
the madwoman in the attic. Labelled one of the top 100 British novels of all
time and a major award-winner.
|
|
Kate
Chopin
|
1899
|
Classic –
feminist fiction
|
Again, a
classic piece of literature that is sitting on my bookshelf and deserves to
be read. It’s also short, so that’s a plus!
|
|
Richard
Adams
|
1972
|
Classic –
fantasy
|
Rabbits!
Even though I was deeply upset when I was 6 by the movie version of the book,
my siblings highly recommended the novel…we’ll see
|
What’s
so special about this list?
Easy answer – nothing in particular. It’s not thematic, or focused, or
bound by strict criteria (except for the ‘good’ literature tag). However, it is
representative of my current interests. It includes 18 female authors, and 7
male authors (a fair balance methinks!), and several (about 9) translated
works/stories set predominantly in non-Western countries. Three of these are by
Indian authors and set in India – Midnight’s
Children, A Fine
Balance, and Interpreter of Maladies.
Why India? Well, firstly, my Mum was born in India and my Grandma and
Grandad lived there for a number of years on tea plantations (see a short
version of my Grandma’s story here) so I am quite familiar with the culture and
locations (Kerala!). Secondly, due to my family history, I feel connected to
India in some obscure, distant way. In my mind, this ‘relationship’ is complex
due to the imperialistic nature of former British influence in India and my
‘whiteness’, if you will. I have no ‘claim’ to India, but I can’t help feeling
an affinity. Still, I fell in love with Indian literature when I read The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
(one of my favourite novels of all time, and winner of the Man Booker Prize in
1997), and so I can’t wait to experience and appreciate more of this rich and
dynamic culture.
Currently, I only own only 12 of these 25 books so I guess a little
shopping is in I order!
Not
sure about ‘The List’? Here’s what else I’ve been reading…
Top picks from my Spring reading:
You’ve
most likely seen this book advertised. Listen to the adverts – buy it, read it!
It’s incredible and sad and spell-binding. It’s a cancer memoir, but it’s so
much more than that, which is why I
read the entire book within a 24-hour period. To describe it very briefly – this
is a combination of Kalanithi’s love of classic literature (he did a Masters in
English lit before going to medical school) with insights garnered
from his time as a medical student and neurosurgeon. Drawing on both the
scientific and the subjective, the result is a carefully constructed philosophical
reflection on the meaning of life in its relation to death.
Why We Write: 20 Acclaimed Authors on How and Why TheyDo What They Do (2013) edited by
Meredith Maran
This
is a great inspirational gem; the type you pick up, flick through a chapter,
and then sit and contemplate for a few minutes. I credit it with getting me
back into writing and blogging after 'the drought'. I also found a whole
lot more books I want to read as a result of getting inside each author’s head.
A few other
books worth checking out:
Cat’s Eye (1988)
by Margaret Atwood – 7.5/10 rating
The Bell Jar (1963) by Sylvia Plath – 9/10 rating
Beloved (1987)
by Toni Morrison – 8/10 rating
Night (1958)
by Elie Wiesel – 9/10 rating
So many books!! It's so exciting! I'll probably start with my 'Top 25' in about a week. I'm currently in the middle of Gilead by Marilynne Robinson so I want to finish that first. I also have another post lined up - a review of Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for
Women Worldwide (2009) by Nicholas
D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. Mitchel and I went to a conference over the weekend on social justice, both as a concern in New Zealand (child poverty) and worldwide (human trafficking, education, refugees, etc...). I feel that I still have a lot to process regarding both the book and the conference, and the best way to do this is to write!