Contemporary
Following are some books that I would consider "contemporary.” There are thousands more out there; these are just a sampling of some I have read and think might be interesting for you to read. If you would like additional recommendations, then please ask a librarian for some ideas. A librarian will be glad to offer you information and recommendations based on your interests and preferences. You might also consider looking at The New York Times Book Review or – gasp – asking one of your parents what he or she has read recently.
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The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by A. McCall Smith: Precious Ramotswe is a savvy detective in her native Botswana. Using a deft understanding of human nature and a mail-ordered guidebook on private detection, Mma Ramotswe solves cases involving, among others, a wayward husband, a car thief, and an incompetent doctor. But her most important –and potentially most dangerous case – involves the rescue of a boy from witch doctors. This is a slow-paced, sweetly-told story. I highly recommend it.
Bee Season by Myra Goldberg: Eliza Naumann is a fairly untalented, unnoticed child until she starts winning spelling bees. All of a sudden, she becomes her father’s darling, much to the dismay of her older brother, Aaron. The Naumann family is surprisingly dysfunctional, and the story of its unraveling is very compelling. A great book with some mature content.
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett: A friend of mine insisted I read this book, even though its premise sounds horrible. Basically, a group of wealthy businessmen and diplomats are kidnapped by terrorists at a birthday party. But what sounds like a really sinister plot developed into one of the most gorgeous stories of love – romantic and filial – that I have read in a long time. This book will leave you with an aching heart, but I loved it anyway.
Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood: I loved this book, although it is a bit complex. Basically, the novel tells two stories: the first is about the narrator, Iris, and her troubled relationship with her sister and her creepy husband. The second novel is a sci-fi story that is worked into the main novel. Atwood is a genius, and her writing is excellent. I’d recommend this book to stronger readers.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon: When fifteen-year-old Christopher Boone finds that his neighbor’s dog has been murdered with a pitchfork (or “garden fork”), he decides to find out who the murderer is. Yet as he sleuths and snoops, Christopher uncovers some fairly messy secrets about his own family. This book is beautiful – and there is a lovely combination of both pathos and humor throughout. This book was particularly compelling to me because of its narration: Christopher, who tells the story, has Asperger’s Syndrome, and this fact comes through in both the matter-of-fact narration and in the careful unfolding of events. I highly recommend this book. Contains mature language. (Posted April 2008.)
The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown. The premise of this book is fascinating. Apparently, two secret societies are vying to either reveal or conceal a secret about Jesus Christ more than two thousand years after His death. The keepers of this secret are all murdered one night, and Robert Langdon (a Harvard professor) and Sophie Neuveau (a French cryptologist) are left with some clues to unravel this secret. The book is considered by some to be controversial. While I thought the ideas were interesting, I also thought the book was poorly written and fairly unbelievable in huge sections. That said, I’ve had students in the past say they loved this book. If you like thrillers, this is the book for you. Let me know what you think.
Devil in the Details: Scenes from an Obsessive Girlhood by Jennifer Traig: In this non-fiction work, Traig writes about her 1980’s childhood, focusing heavily on her Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), anorexia, and obsession with Judaism. While these subjects may sound uncomfortable or challenging, Traig handles her tale with self-deprecation and humor (I often found myself laughing out loud), and I was particularly impressed with Traig’s descriptions of how her family coped with her many neuroses. A student recommended this book to me, and I’m glad she did. Contains mature language. (Posted March 2008.)
The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje: Forget the movie; this book is the real deal. Toward the end of World War II, Hannah, a military nurse, becomes the sole caretaker of the English Patient, a man who is burned beyond recognition. Slowly, we come to learn who he is and we learn about Hannah – her history, her love life, and her desires. This is a gorgeous book.
The Flanders Panel by Arturo Perez-Reverte: This is a great mystery involving a young art restorer, Julia, who finds an unusual message buried in an old painting. As she tries to solve the murder mystery found in the painting, Julia becomes tangled in the murders of people within her own life. This is an exciting, creepy mystery that will keep you on the edge of your seat. If you like chess, you are in for an added bonus.
Girl With a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier: Griet is a 16-year-old Dutch girl who becomes a servant in the household of Johannes Vermeer, a famous artist. Griet and Vermeer form a special relationship surrounding his art, and Vermeer’s wife becomes terribly jealous. An unusual romance; I liked it – and most students do, too. Read it, but don’t assume the movie is the same.
The Girls’ Guide to Hunting and Fishing by Melissa Banks: This book reads like a series of short stories, although each story has the same narrator and characters. The story follows the love life of the narrator from her early teen years through the meeting of Mr. Right. If you know anything about the book The Rules, you may find this book even funnier. By the way, the last chapter, alone, is reason enough to pick up this fun book.
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls: In this autobiography, Walls recalls her, well, crazy childhood. Walls’ mother is a free-spirited artist who tends to focus on herself more than on her four children, and Wells’ father is an alcoholic who frequently endangers his family. Yet Wells, for most of this book, has an unwavering affection for her father and believes in his dreams of building “a glass castle” for his family once he comes up with the money. The parents are impractical and frustrating, but the book is very interesting, and I am deeply impressed by the author and her siblings’ abilities to escape the lives they were forced to lead as children. (Posted January 2008)
Hope Haven by M. Laurel Walsh: Walsh is a Minnesota writer whose son attends the same school as my daughter (this is how we met). Her book is about Terry, a young widow, who finds herself involved in a murder mystery set in Watertown, Minnesota. I loved the voice of the feisty narrator. I’m curious to know what you think of the plot.
The Hours by Michael Cunningham: Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this novel is that it is told in three parts – all of which converge at the end of the book. The story follows Clarissa, who is throwing a party for her close friend; Laura, a wife and mother who suffers from depression; and Virginia Woolf, the British author who committed suicide after losing her battle with depression. I never liked this book, but a lot of people do.
The Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri: This Pulitzer Prize-winning book is a collection of short stories by an Indian writer who weaves stories about Indians – both in India and in the United States. The stories are very touching and beautifully written, and some are downright haunting. I particularly liked “Sexy,” “The Interpreter of Maladies,” “Mrs. Sen’s,” and “The Third and Final Continent,” which I thought was the sweetest and most uplifting tale in the collection. One of the features of this book, in my mind, is its questions about love – what is love, how do we fall in love, and how does one overcome the absence of love? (Posted July 2008)
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold: Susie Salmon is a teenager who is raped and murdered one night just outside her parents’ home. However, the police can’t identify her killer or find Susie’s body. The Salmon family copes with the horror and loss in varying ways; meanwhile, Susie watches her family from heaven. This is a sad story, although I liked the author’s idea of heaven. Note: I HATED the ending, but most teens seem to really enjoy this book. Let me know what you think.
Marley and Me by John Grogan: This New York Times bestseller is about the author and his relationship with Marley, “the world’s worst dog.” Throughout the book, Grogan recalls Marley’s many bad antics – including getting expelled from obedience school – and his many loving and tender moments, such as consoling Grogan’s wife after she suffered a miscarriage. The book is, ultimately, light and funny, although it seems as much of an autobiography about Grogan as it is a memoir about his dog. Students love it; I thought it was okay. (Posted December 2008)
My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult: Anna is a 13-year-old girl who was conceived to be a perfect genetic match for her older sister, who suffers from leukemia. Over the course of her short life, Anna has been called upon to donate cord blood, cells, and bone marrow, but when she is asked to donate a kidney, Anne sues her parents for medical emancipation, which means that she, not they, can make decisions about her body. Naturally, this decision causes tremendous turmoil in Anna’s household, and she ultimately ends up fighting for her rights in court. This book is a page-turner, and it is unique in that each person involved (Anna, her mother, her father, her lawyer, etc.) narrates various sections of the book. I highly recommend this compelling book. (Posted September 2008.) Please click here to learn more about this book.
The Nanny Diaries by E. McLaughlin and N. Kraus: Nanny becomes the nanny to the wealthy X family in New York. For months Nanny balances her love for the X’s son and her loathing of the very unpleasant Mr. X and Mrs. X. I really struggled with this book, mostly because Mrs. X’s character was so irritating, but lots of other people seem to like it.
Peace Like a River by Leif Enger: The Lands – Davy, Reuben, Swede, and their father, Jeremiah – are a family troubled by two bullies, so one night the eldest son, Davy, shoots and kills the bullies. Within weeks, Davy has escaped from jail and is on the lam, with his family following close behind throughout the South Dakota badlands. Narrated by Reuben Land, Peace Like a River is a beautiful, bittersweet story sprinkled with gorgeous prose and astonishing miracles at the hands of Jeremiah. I highly recommend this book.
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver: In this excellent book, the Prices, a missionary family from Georgia, head to the Congo during some very turbulent political times. While they are there, the father tries to browbeat religious ideals into the African population, and the entire family suffers in differing ways.
A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving: I loved this book about a friendship that develops between two boys during the 1950s-60’s. The book is simultaneously hilarious and very sad, but you won’t want to stop reading it. Owen Meany is one of the most memorable characters you will meet in literature; he is a midget with a very high-pitched voice who believes he is God’s instrument on this earth. His friendship with John is beautiful and comes to a very interesting turn during the events of the Vietnam War. A good book for mature readers.
Reading in the Dark by Seamus Deane: If you know anything about the history of Northern Ireland, then you will love this book. The narrator’s family has a very secretive, disturbing history of involvement with the Irish Republican Army (the group that wants to liberate Northern Ireland from England’s rule). The narrator tries to unearth these secrets, which are haunting his family. My advice is to read an encyclopedia entry about Northern Ireland just so you understand the problems the family is facing.
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd. Lily lives with her abusive father T. Ray and her African American nanny Rosaleen in the 1960s – a time of terrible racial tensions between Blacks and Whites. Through a variety of circumstances, Lily and Rosaleen run away from home to seek protection and the truth about Lily’s mother, who died a mysterious and violent death. This is a beautiful story about loving people regardless of their skin color and the true meaning of motherhood and sisterhood.
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon: Hands down, this is the best book I have read in ages. Daniel Sempere is a young boy when he finds a book called The Shadow of the Wind. Enthralled with the book, Daniel tries to locate other books by the author, Julian Carax. But Daniel’s search seems futile because someone is burning every one of Carax’s books. It turns out that Daniel might have the only Carax book left in the world, and a mysterious, horribly disfigured man is trying to take the book from Daniel. This book has everything: romance, terror, memorable characters, a Spanish setting, and a terrifying mystery – I couldn’t put it down. (Posted March 2008)
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See: This novel traces the friendship of Snow Flower and Lily, two 19th-century Chinese girls with bound feet who become friends in a laotong relationship – a contractual friendship that is meant to last a lifetime. Throughout the book, the girls grow up, get married, have children, and suffer through countless losses and difficulties – including misunderstandings and jealousies in their own lifelong friendship. See has done considerable research in putting together this novel, but I am troubled by Lily’s selfish character. Read it and let me know what you think. (Posted November 2008)
The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields: This award-winning novel chronicles the life of Daisy Goodwill from her unusual birth through to her death 90 years later. I loved this slow, sweet story about a woman’s journey through life.
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