A little while ago I did a list of good book club books, and it was such fun, and I received so many suggestions, that I thought I’d put another list together. I’ll link to reviews I’ve already done, but one reason for doing a second list was to set up my reading for the summer. So many books here that I’ve been meaning to read for some time.
Family Stories
The Good Mother – Sue Miller
We Need To Talk About Kevin – Lionel Shriver
A Thousand Acres – Jane Smiley
Digging to America – Anne Tyler
Crossing to Safety – Wallace Stegner
The Beginning of Spring – Penelope Fitzgerald
Cultural and Political Stories
In The Time of Butterflies – Julia Alvarez
Bel Canto – Ann Patchett
One of Us – Melissa Benn
The Sweetest Dream – Doris Lessing
Historical Stories
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan – Lisa See
Loving Frank – Nancy Horan
Ghostwalk – Rebecca Stott
Resistance – Owen Sheers
Classics
Lolita – Nabokov
Wide Sargasso Sea – Jean Rhys
The Member of the Wedding – Carson McCullers
Elective Affinities – Goethe
Personal histories
Into the Wild – Jon Krakauer
The Glass Castle – Jeannette Walls
The Lost Child – Julie Myerson
Don’t Lets Go To The Dogs Tonight – Alexandra Fuller
In Translation
Siddhartha – Hermann Hesse
Days of Abandonment – Elena Ferrante
The Door – Magda Szabo
Lenz – Georg Buchner
Crime and Thrillers
Trauma – Patrick McGrath
The Hamilton Case – Michelle de Kretser
The Birthday Present – Ruth Rendell
The Keep – Jennifer Egan
Novels of Ideas
The Fountainhead – Ayn Rand
Goldberg Variations – Gabriel Josipovici
Flaubert’s Parrot – Julian Barnes
Day of the Triffids – John Wyndham
Love Stories
The Other Side of You – Salley Vickers
Girl Meets Boy – Ali Smith
The Woman Who Waited – Andrei Makine
The Time Traveller’s Wife – Audrey Niffenegger
Intriguing People
Molly Fox’s Birthday – Deirdre Madden
Daphne – Justine Picardie
The Heather is Blazing – Colm Toibin
The Namessake – Jhumpa Lahiri
You can find my original list here
Tales from the Reading Room 
I’ve scarcely read any of the books you’ve listed, so plenty of options there for my summer reading as well!
Oh Anne Tyler! I do like her a lot and it’s been a while since I’ve read anything by her. I just read your review of Digging to America and that touches a personal note for me so I am sure I will enjoy it all the more so. That’s going right on the top of my list. A number of the others will have to go on, too. I just wish I read faster, had more time. I am still spending inordinate amount of time nit-picking. I met a mother in tears outside my younger dtr’s class last week. We are all tired of the unending wash, pick, wash, pick. I think I am single-handedly propping up the mineral oil business.
An enticing list! Enough said. Have recently read Earthly Possessions by Anne Tyler and enjoyed it as is the case with all the novels I have read by her. I really enjoyed The Time Traveller’s Wife and Day of the Triffids was good many years ago! I hope you enjoy all your selections.
Oh, my. Such a list (but I’ve read some of them. I like the way you break it down. It makes things seem less daunting somehow; more personal, as well. Now to find (several) sheets of paper on which to scribble titles & authors…
Kate – it would be lovely to read some of them alongside you! I so enjoy all your reviews.
Lilian – I would love to know what you think of the Anne Tyler novel. I really enjoyed it, but have no idea how it matches up to the actuality of adoption. I feel so much for you with the nits! If only I weren’t so far away I would drop by and lend my hands. I must have been a monkey in a former life, I think. Alas, as I cannot help, I will cross my fingers and wish very hard that they go away. Completely. Soon.
Bookboxed – I’ve hesitated to read the Niffenegger because I have heard such mixed things, although usually that propels me towards a book! But I will definitely get to it this summer. And I’m really looking forward to the triffids as I have vivid memories still of the television adaptation with John Duttine. Who could forget those long-tongued orchids hobbling about on their bulbous bases? And how was that supposed to work, exactly? 😉
ds – I like making these lists and the next one I do, I’ll change the categories completely, for fun. But they are bad for the tbr pile, alas…. 🙂
I’ve been meaning to read the Alexandra Fuller book for ages – not least of all because the cover photo (of the cover I’ve seen anyway) has a little girl who could be my older sister’s twin. A silly reason for wanting to read a book, but I’ve also heard great things about it.
I’ve read hardly any of the books on your list! I have read the Krakauer book and liked it. He tells a good tale. I preferred Into Thin Air though, maybe because there were more people involved and the tragedy had more drama to it. Happy reading!
What fun! You’re making it very difficult for me to stick to my newest decision, which is to read whatever, whenever and not to make any plans or lists or anything (don’t worry. I am amazed that I’ve managed to stick to this decision for more than ten minutes and will not blame you when June 1st rolls around and I find myself doing what I always do, setting up some sort of reading plan for the month). Doesn’t mean I can’t copy this list into the TBR tome, though. It’s nice to have things neatly categorized like this.
You have lots of good books there–some I’ve read and some I have waiting to be read. And then there are those I’ll need to go and look up (or watch for your review!).
Verbivore – that’s not a silly reason at all! I have the book with that cover and it is so delightful. And I’ve also heard great things about it. I hope to get to it very soon!
Stefanie – that’s a very good suggestion, and one I hadn’t thought of. Oh! For more time. I’ve enjoyed doing these lists – although tempting myself with wonderful books hardly counts as sensible occupation. 🙂
Emily – the French poet Baudelaire said sometimes the plan was enough fun in and of itself, and it really didn’t matter whether you realised it or not. Nice attitude, I always thought! But reading sometimes goes much better with spontaneity, I agree. At least, I cannot read solely to a plan. But then I like a sort of shadowy, distant, large plan as well. Oh hey, it’s an excuse to write long book lists! 🙂
Danielle – I always love your lists so much. I don’t do so many, just bigger ones when I do! 😉
hope to start reading soon. Cheers Carl