Our Shared Shelf discussion

Hey everyone!

There are very few books about which I say "Everybody should read this!", but The Handmaid's Tale have been one of them.

So I was wondering: Which are the 1-3 books you have read that you would say everyone should read - and why?

You mean the books that consider feminism or generally great stories?

General.

I would definitely go with
1984 or Brave New World

and
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
because the writing is great and it makes you think about life and society in a feel-good way.

I'd also recommend everybody read a good book about their own country's history, I really think understanding history is important.

"1984" would also definitely be my number one.

For younger, I'd go for "His Dark Materials"! Great reflexions on growing up, religion, friendship/love, and a touch of geopolitics I'd say.

Not that I have read many books but-

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Wilde - It's sexist but since it was written in Victorian era I don't mind it much. But oh the quote collection 😍. The prose. The wit. The potrayl of Wilde himself. The pure Bliss of writing.

Harry Potter series : It's s sort of novel with everything. Every bloody type of character, every bloody type of plot. And it's quite interesting.

Lolita: I am not sure about it, but the word porn is s beauty. Not the literature 'porn', the words. Though I am not sure, I have hardly read through half.

I recommend Homer's "The Iliad" and "The Odyssey". Both books have so much about the roots of our western culture, the language, the values, that I believe it gives great insight and understanding of background culture most of our European and American countries share.

" The madman" by Kahlil Gibran.

Everyone should read Girl in pieces it's about a girl recovering from drugs, drinking etc. and her story! Very touching

1984 is a great pick because it's so incredibly relevant, and paints a clear picture of a troubling, very real, potential future.

I think an exciting adventure classic, like The Three Musketeers or Treasure Island, should make the list, so that people can appreciate that classic literature is not just for snobs - there's actually some pretty cool stories amongst all that fancy old language.

And as a third 'must read' I think everyone should read the biography of someone they find inspiring. Personal favourite is Arnie's biography Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story but I think it should be a unique choice as different individuals will appeal and connect to different individuals.

I know this is YA, but I do think it does shine on some empowerment on women: Vampire Series by Richelle Mead and her spin-off series, Bloodlines.

It is among fantasy and teen drama involved, but Richelle Mead does her research very thorough

Thanks :D

I believe everyone needs to read Salt to the Sea... Everyone.

@Felicia I totally agree with The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood being on the list. By the way, have you seen the tv series? It's phenomenal!

Also, I'd place Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz, on the list of books everyone needs to read, even though it's YA and LGBTQ fiction. After reading this book, it makes me want to discover more about the universe and has me view at a slightly different (positive) angle. I also discovered how unknowable some people can be.

Oh gosh I feel like there are so many! But yeah my top 3 would be 1984, the Harry Potter series, The hitchhikers guide to the galaxy definitely.

So many good books are coming up!

Golden Boy by Abigail Tarttelin, because it introduces the reader to intersex, it's a wonderful coming-of-age story and it's so realistic. I read that book as fast as I did no book before, and after it yet.

Then of course Harry Potter, need I say anything more?

My Life on the Road by Gloria Steinem, because it's a really good book of what a feminist looks like and then it's really good edited and I read that in ten days although I had twelve-hour-shifts and I just gulped it down and it was my proper introduction to feminism and it taught me so much about US-American politics and so on and so forth.

I need to edit this to add one more great book:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
They are all great books;)

MeerderWörter wrote: "Golden Boy by Abigail Tarttelin,
Then of course Harry Potter,
My Life on the Road by Gloria Steinem

They are all great books;)"

Yes I agree they are all great books.
Especially "Golden Boy". That was a really great book.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by sherman alexie

Anything by Tamora Pierce

Emer O'Toole's Girls will be Girls!

A great book about gender and gender roles and despite the serious topic a fun read.

I highly recommend reading No Excuses: Nine Ways Women Can Change How We Think About Power written by feminist icon Gloria Feldt. This book should be on everyone's must-read list.

In the book, Gloria provides insight from her own career experiences and her own power journey as the national president of Planned Parenthood. 

She addresses the source of women’s adversity towards power, gender norms that criticize women for being ambitious. She also discusses the lack of gender parity in leadership, and that we cannot achieve true equality until an equal amount women are in leadership positions. 

She encourages women to embrace their power to have the self-confidence to negotiate for pay raises and promotions to accelerate the equal pay movement for themselves and all women. Each of the nine leadership tools informs women on what they can do to put a crack in the glass ceiling. 

I think that this book shares many of the same values of Emma’s work as a U.N. Women Ambassador to accelerate gender parity and empower women. 

This book provides practical skills on how women can do their part to accelerate gender parity. I am very passionate about getting the word out about this book to as many women as possible so that we can achieve gender parity in leadership within the next few years rather than the next few decades. 

I agree. Just finished “Dear Ijeawele, or A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions.” A great read for young women or men. Would be a great book to discuss with your children.

For younger, I'd go for "His Dark Materials"! Great reflexions on growing up, religion, friendship/love, and a touch of geopolitics I'd say."

Totally agree with His Dark Materials, by Philip Pullman! Great YA reading.

I would also like to list three books everybody should read (and there could be much more):

1) Persuation, by Jane Austen: it's one of the great British classics, it explores the solitude of women who don't "success" in life (here it means being a "spinster") and the good and bad influence friends and relatives can have on a person's life.

2) My Brilliant Friend, by Elena Ferrante: what can I say: a masterpiece. Naples in the 50s and two little girls growing up in the middle of different conflicts.

3) The Illiterate, by Ágota Kristóf: short but intense.

A bonus track would be La niña gorda, by Santiago Rusiñol: the story of a girl who is used as a fair attraction by her relatives. But it is originally written in Catalan and, as far as I know, there is no English translation...

-Chemical Garden Series - gives you a different view on future life with a light Fantasy read

-Hamlet - funny and a classic

-Wintersong - my favorite book... music, goblin King, learn to love forever even when apart, family issues that are realistic/ relatable

To Kill a Mockingbird

Three Sisters Three Queens by Philippa Gregory

The True Story of Pocahontas by Linwood.

That The Blood Stay Pure by Arica L. Coleman.

1. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
2. Wise and otherwise by Sudha Murthy
3. The book thief by Markus Zusak
4. The diary of a young girl by Anne Frank
5. A little princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett

1. Harry Potter series
2. Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayd
3. The History of Love by Nicole Krause
4. This is Water by David Foster Wallace

All of them changed the way I think and I get something new out of them each time I read them.

I agree with many of the above so won’t repeat, 3 more:

When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir by Patrisse Khan-Cullors
Powerful, thought-provoking and the beauty of her writing conveys a sort of poetic resilience to get the reader through some tough moments.

Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah
Insightful, poignant, humorous, hard-hitting and beautiful told with humility and respectful depictions of those in his life.

A Mighty Long Way: My Journey to Justice at Little Rock Central High School by Carlotta Walls LaNier
Fascinating and well written illuminating account of the de-segregation of a previously all-white school. Courageous, powerful, heartbreaking and educationally informative.

I wasn't sure where to suggest this. Vox by Christina Dalcher is worth a read. The concept is terrifying and it's pitched as being a modern Handmaid's Tale.

I read a TON, and I love fiction with strong female leads. I’ll narrow it down to a few:

Harry Potter (the series that got me hooked on reading when I was 4)

The Alanna Adventures by Tamora Pierce (and subsequently her Page series and anything in her Tortall world)

I Am Malala

The Nightengale - Kristen Hannah

Cuckoo’s Calling - Robert Galbraith (aka JK Rowling)

I absolutely loved The Rice Mother by Rani Manicka. It was the book that kicked me into exploring women in various cultures. It’s so long since I read it but it really stayed with me.

Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristof
A must.

I also love novels about strong women and by women. My first strong woman book was probably The Diary of Anne Frank when I was 12 and it made a huge impact on me (although I read biographies about the presidents wives that were all strong women...from the time I could read a real novel). So many other author leaders were Margaret Atwood, Barbara Kingsolver, Ayn Rand, Sara Paretsky, etc etc., and now we have a plethora to choose from. Pretty darn fabulous.

And the ones I’d absolutely recommend as MUST read: The Diary of Anne Frank, The Handmaid’s Tale, (written in the early 1980’s and still pertinent in every way), The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, The Nightingale by Kristen Hannah, and Atlas Shrugged and Fountainhead by Ayn Rand. OMG so many greats.

Children of Blood and Bone by Toni Adeyemi.

Ali Smith!!

Cailee wrote: "Between the World and Me: a series of letters written by a father to his son about navigating life in America as a black man. A definite hard-hitter given our current political and ..."

I was going to suggest Ta Nehisi Coates -- it was such a beautiful and memorable book.

I have read so much it seems hard to narrow down my favorites, but some have stood out over the years. Here is a rough list of my top 3.

1. The Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling
2. Looking for Alaska or The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
3. Nineteen Minutes or The Tenth Circleby Jodi Picoult
4. Les chevaliers d'Émeraude, series by Anne Robillard (french)
5. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
6. Ready Player One by Earnest Cline
7. The Selection series by Kiera Cass
8. The Divergent series by Veronica Roth
9. If I Stay Collection by Gayle Forman
10. The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi

I have many more suggestions ranging from Courtroom dramas to Sci-Fi to YA fiction to Fantasy if anyone is interested!

Out of these, I think everyone should read:

- Ready Player One, because it makes a very good comment on technology these days and it effects on interpersonal relationships. It is also a great read for people who get all the references from the 70s. The audiobook is read by Wil Weaton as well which is interesting in itself.

- Looking For Alaska, because although the main character is male, the story focuses on his perception of a girl named Alaska. There are themes of religion, friendship, life and death, and perception vs reality. This one had a great impact on my life when I read it in my teens.

- Tenth Circle, because it deals with sensitive topics that should be discussed more but aren't. This book does discuss rape so I would recommend caution when recommending it, but it really is a great read and makes you reflect on what you would do in that situation.

I know this is long but I love recommending books and I wanted to be as clear as possible!

A Woman Is No Man (Palestinian family immigrants in USA - explores the roles and expectations of men and women and how it affects each generationally)

and Fruit of the Drunken Tree (set in Colombia exploring the choices and struggles men but particularly women make.

Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin.

It´s about the gay scene in San Francisco. It´s a series of nine books in total, it starts in the 70s and goes on to the year 2014. It gives a great insight in different ways of living, friendships, also adresses more serious topics like the Aids crisis in the 80s, being trans, being an older homosexual, how San Francisco changed over the years and so on. the most important thing about these books for me is this kind of very intelligent, extact and loving way of describing people and their little problems, mistakes and their complexity.
Definitely a must-read!

Do you love poetry? I can recommend Perfect Flaws by Tim Segrest. He has many amazing books, you can check it here: https://www.timsegrestauthor.com/book...

I'd say 1- Animal farm by George Orwell because it presents a true picture of politics and everyone needs to know that.
2- Brief answers to big questions by Stephen Hawking, it answers the most basic and curious questions about the universe.
3- Harry Potter series, because you won't want to miss living in a magical land.

Colleen Chi-Girl wrote: "And the ones I’d absolutely recommend as MUST read: The Diary of Anne Frank, The Handmaid’s Tale, (written in the early 1980’s and still pertinent in every way), The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kin..."

100% agree on diary of anne frank!!!

Bhumika wrote: "I'd say 1- Animal farm by George Orwell because it presents a true picture of politics and everyone needs to know that.
2- Brief answers to big questions by Stephen Hawking, it answers the most bas..."

yep animal farm for sure!!

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

1984
It's a fasnating nove

Books everyone should read? Hmmm.
First I'd say 1984 for it may be studied under many different scopes. You can simplify the question raised in this book as "the extreme control of a group over another". Even though it takes place in a dystopian dictatorship you can extend the subjects to many kinds of discriminations.

Second book... Maybe FARENHEIT 451. It conveys the love of books and sharing ideas.


Lastly, I would say A Doll's House. I do not read that much theater plays and therefore I consider myself quite fortunate to have come across this book. As strange as it seems, it made me rethink about how I place myself as a man in feminism. If you intend to read it or go watch some troup play it, I suggest you first study the background and context in which it was written for it helps understanding it.

Have a nice reading.

Harry Potter by JK Rowling
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
Hate List by Jennifer Brown
Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly