The Next Best Book Club discussion

Hi everyone.
I created this thread to give us a place to discuss those books that make our hearts sing.

What book/books were totally taken with?
What was it about the book made you fall in love with it?
Did you identify with a character, or did it remind you of a similar personal experience?

I think this is a great topic, and I look forward to seeing your posts, and hope to be introduced to lots of new reading material too (Yep! I had an alterior motive, ha ha!)

I´m too afraid of saying which book touched me and why. People would kill me, hang me in a public place LOL

But I need to confess that the one that make my heart sing is because of personal experiences plus identifying with the character. It´s the kind of book that when I finished I have a period of "hang over", a true feeling of depression. Gah, this is saaad. lol

Aw... I wish you would share it with us, Carol. No one would hold it against you. Promise!

My first book love was (and still is) Anne of Green Gables. I don't understand how anyone could read it, or any of the other books in the series, and not fall in love with Anne.

I love reading books where women get to be the strongest characters...lately, I have been reading some great YA fantasy that I have really enjoyed with this theme. Graceling is my favorite of them.

The Harry Potter series will ALWAYS be special to me. They are all type of book that I can read and imagine it is a special gift just for my enjoyment, which of course is silly since everyone in the known world has either read or at least heard a great deal of HP. It is just a fantastic journey, and I will probably keep rereading them occasionally for the rest of my life.

Although I don't have much experience with sci-fi, I read Stephenie Meyer's The Host and was blown away. I did NOT expect much out of it, but I was quickly sucked in and fell in love with the characters, and even the style of writing that so many people criticize in Meyer.

I recently read North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell. It is in the tradition of Pride and Prejudice and that type of story...but I believe N&S to be MUCH better. The characters are more well-rounded, there is much more going on in the story, and the hero, Mr. Thornton, is a MUCH more enjoyable character and hero than Mr. Darcy.

Okay...there are some Sooooul books. I tried to cover several genres :)

The Thorn Birds Colleen Mccullough just put my heart through the wringer. It was just so, so emotional. There is no happy ending for the main characters, but one of their children goes on to find happiness in an unexpected way and it just shows you that we all can. (find happiness)

Ride the WindLucia St. Clair Robson blew me away the first time I read it. I was only 12, so a lot of it went over my head, but I have read it over and over since, and the love, loyalty, cruelty, and shame in that book would speak to anyone.

Flipped!

Unrequited love is such agony. Oh, but Wendelin Van Drannen writes such a beautiful tale.

Ahab's Wife Or, The Star-gazer A Novel

Una was so independent at a time when that was a nearly impossible attribute in a woman.

Ahem, I think this is obvious.

The Gemma Doyle Trilogy by Libba Bray. I can just relate to Gemma, Felicity, Pippa and Ann. Not to mention Circe, Mrs. Nightwing, Miss Mccleethy, Kartik, Gorgon and many others.

For me Prodigal Summer A Novel. I loved that book and was very sorry when it was over.
I fell in love with Lusa, the young widow.

And to quote another reviewer "This book makes me homesick on an atomic level"

Oh Angie, I listened to that on audio book and really liked it!

Gonna have to think about that... I mean, I know which books make my heart sing, but I can't quite put the *why* into words.

I love Prodigal Summer too, Mosca; and the Harry Potter series, especially the first two; To Kill a Mockingbird; The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13 3/4; 84, Charing Cross Road; The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
are the books that leap to mind... It has something to do with a quirky perception of what is to be taken seriously and what is funny.

I was thinking of this thread while walking with a friend. The Magician's Assistant by Ann Patchett was a wonderful read. A woman who loved and, in grief, was also both giving and forgiving.

(G)Emma, who narrates the audio, do you know? I would love to listen to it. Flipped has some of the most simple but beautiful language. It genuinely made my heart sing.

Fiona, Simon Cotton is my biggest literary crush. I'm in love with a fictional character, but Edward Cullen it's not.

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult, because she honored her sister's lifestyle at last and came to realize she had make a fine life for herself in spite of the handicap of having Down syndrome. Superior intellect is no guarantee of happiness or the reverse.

Fiona wrote: "Ugh, I'm so forgetful. I love Harry Potter. I grew up from 13-23 on Harry Potter. "

I know what you mean, I had the same feeling *_*

Sandra wrote: "
My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult, because she honored her sister's lifestyle at last and came to realize she had make a fine life for herself in spite of the handicap of having Down syndrom..."

Who had Down's syndrome? I don't recall there being anything about that in My Sister's Keeper.

most recently it was A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, I just loved Francie, such a little bookworm...reminded me of myself...except the whole turn of the century thing.

Angie, I have absolutely no idea, but there was two people, and the narration was really good.

Fiona wrote: "Angie wrote: "(G)Emma, who narrates the audio, do you know? I would love to listen to it. [b:Flipped|331920|Flipped|Wendelin Van Draanen|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1217......"

Stephen is pretty nice, I don't exactly have a book crush on him though. But I do sort of want Cassandra to fall in love with him. Sort of.

There are several I have near and dear to my heart, but off the top of my head I would say:

Harriet the Spy, Louise Fitzhugh
I don't spend a lot of time reading YA books, but this is one that I have read so often it's amazing I don't have it completely memorized. Harriet is someone I was able to relate to the very first time I read the book (I think I was about eight at the first reading). She spends her time in her notebook, a habit I've never been able to break myself, and overall it's a touching coming-of-age story that honestly portrays a young girl having a hard time dealing with her environment (school and peers) and changes outside of her control (Ole Golly leaving). I turn to this book any time I need to cleanse my literary palate after reading something heavy or particularly disturbing.

City Boy, Herman Wouk
I had to read this in my sophomore year of high school and fell in love with it immediately. While it's also a coming-of-age story, it's a different point of view than Harriet's. Herbie Bookbinder is an overweight, awkward boy who just wants the right girl to talk to him. His life is also changing beyond his control, which I think is a concept most adolescents can relate to. I also like the fact that it's not that popular, that I have a hard time finding others who have read it and loved it the way I did. I must have read it at just the right time in my life. I wonder if I would have appreciated it more if I read it before or after I did.

I love Fiona's comment, "I could drink that book." I know exactly what you mean!!!

The book Passage by Connie Willis made my heart stop...I couldn't move for a long time after I finished that book. My brain sprung a leak, I was blown away! I Am Legend left my heart pounding, The Poisonwood Bible left my heart crying, and The Rapture of Canaan left my heart truly singing!

El wrote: "There are several I have near and dear to my heart, but off the top of my head I would say:

Harriet the Spy

Eliza wrote: "I love Fiona's comment, "I could drink that book." I know exactly what you mean!!! ... The Poisonwood Bible left my heart crying,..."

Poisonwood is one of my all time faves! So sad, you're right, but so perfect.

Eliza,

I agree with you about Passage by Connie Willis. I read that about a month ago. Very much a book of the heart.

Mosca wrote: "Eliza,

I agree with you about Passage by [a:Connie Willis|14032|Connie Willis|http://photo.goodreads...."

Thanks for this one, folks. Just added to my Wish List.

The Book Thief is my new favorite. Everything about the book was just perfect for me.

My earliest is Anne of Green Gables. I've lost count of how many times I've re-read this.

Fair and Tender Ladies is another. The author wrote in our Appalachian dialect, and she got it right. I feel like, in reading about Ivy, I could be reading about one of my family members.

To Kill a Mockingbird comes to mind also. This one was all about the characters. I just fell in love with them. The kids in Peace Like a River had the same effect on me, so there's one more.

For me, these books have a combination of characters I love and stories I can't put down, plus that undefinable something that speaks to me personally. If we could define it, probably more authors could pull it off. I think all we can call it is magic.

First, let me say that I will be adding "Passage" to Mt. TBR. I love books that stop me cold in my tracks like that.

Ok, let's see what we have here...

- "Little Women": I feel like I grew up with Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy, and love them all like they are my own sisters. I have read this book dozens of times, and still experience the love and loyalty between the sisters even when they aren't getting along, and the awkwardness of Laurie's proposal to Jo, etc. This book touches my heart in so many places it looks like a golf ball. My heart, that is. :)

-"The Stand" and the "Dark Tower" series: I know these books aren't your typical heartwarming stories, but they are some of my all time favorites, and again the characters of both stories are so real to me that they are like family.

-"I Know This Much Is True": (hmm... I find myself at a loss for what to say here!) I love this story for the brothers' relationship with each other, and for the path that Dominic has to walk to come to terms with his life. (There!)

-"The Book Thief": This was just beautiful, almost lyrical, and really moving. A story of survival during WWII. It haunted me for a long time after reading it. Death was just such an endearing character that you can't help but love him.

Gone With The Wind definately engrossed me. Yes, the book is rife with ridiculous racial epithets and no the prevailing attitude is not an excuse, but moving beyond that, the story of Scarlett O'Hara captivated me. I could see Tara, I felt Scarlett's pain when Ashley married Melanie.

The Once And Future King by T.H. White made my heart sing. I love Arthurian saga, I think T.H. White has a way of making the reader emphathize with all of the characters. You want Wart to succeed, even though he's doomed. You want Lancelot and Gwen to be happy, even though they are doomed. You hope for the characters, that things will really turn out all right. I left this book with a sigh and a flood of emotions.

I second what Becky has said about the Stand and The Dark Tower, both of those books hold a special place in my heart as well.

April wrote: "Gone With The Wind definately engrossed me. Yes, the book is rife with ridiculous racial epithets and no the prevailing attitude is not an excuse, ...I could see Tara, I felt Scarlett's pain when Ashley married Melanie"

It's been a looong while since I read Gone With The Wind, but I don't recall having any sympathy whatsoever for Scarlet. I did enjoy the book, but for plot and the story, not for the characers. Scarlet was a mean, greedy b****

Becky wrote: "-"I Know This Much Is True": (hmm... I find myself at a loss for what to say here!) I love this story for the brothers' relationship with each other, and for the path that Dominic has to walk to come to terms with his life. (There"

Becky, this was a beautiful book. We could put this one over in the thread big or little and say, definitely, this long book was worth every beautiful word. Yes, it definitely belongs in this thread, as it did, indeed, make my heart sing.

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "April wrote: "Gone With The Wind definately engrossed me. Yes, the book is rife with ridiculous racial epithets and no the prevailing attitude is not an excuse, ...I could see Tara, I felt Scarlett..."

I read it when I was 16, and well, you know how teenage girls can be, mean and greedy, very self-centered.... haha :-D

Maybe, April, it's good to keep reading those just to see if characters like Scarlet get their comeuppance.

Poisonwood Bible and the Miracle Life of Edgar Mint

Oh, I loved Edgar Mint. I'd forgotten about him, but yes, that book is the definition of "makes your heart sing."

Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand

The Horse Whisperer by Nicholas Evans

Malgudi Days by R.K. Narayan