When I started making my list of what I consider the best contemporary fiction, I realized it was going to be much too long for one post. Here is the first of what will be three posts.
Good Grief
Last night in a tweet-up with author Katherine Center (Everyone is Beautiful), I mentioned how rare it is to find a book that is laugh-out-loud funny and yet deep. This is one of those books. It’s about a woman widowed at age 36, and the process of grieving. Doesn’t sound like it would be funny, but it is witty and wonderful.
The Myth of You and Me
This book is for anyone who has had a best friend, a soul mate, and then watched as the relationship disintegrated. That happened to me, and reading this book was an extremely emotional experience for me. It’s a terrific story of two friends who lost each other and one woman’s efforts to restore the relationship.
Straight Up
If you think that all Christian fiction is trite and cliche and boring and preachy, then you haven’t read anything by Lisa Samson. She’s a brilliant writer who happens to be a Christian. Her faith informs her writing, but it doesn’t jump off the page and preach at you. She simply writes about real people, some who have faith and some who don’t, and about the way life and faith and friendship can form us. A must read.
One True Thing
This is a well-written book about relationships: mother and daughter, father and daughter. It’s about death and dying and grieving and family dynamics and allowing yourself to experience life. Brilliant.
Broken for You
This is the kind of book that breaks your heart when it ends, and yet you can’t read more slowly during the last few chapters, because you don’t want the words to stop coming. It’s about finding your family – not necessarily the one you were born with, but the one you belong with. It’s about allowing other people to heal us and to help us heal ourselves. This is one of my favorite novels of all time.
Related posts:
Favorite history books
Favorite books about reading and writing
Favorite historical fiction
Favorite memoirs, part one
Favorite memoirs, part two
Twitter: youvegottaread
says:
I haven’t read a SINGLE ONE! What is wrong with me? Guess I’m going to have to get a new sheet of paper for my lists…
Twitter: bookingit
says:
I really liked “The Myth of You and Me”.
I haven’t heard of the others, I’ve added them to my list! Although I’m not actually sure I want to read “Broken For You”– it sounds very powerful.
Thanks for the list.
Broken for You is one of my favorite books.
Twitter: lakesidemusing
says:
Guess I don’t read enough contemporary fiction! The only one I’ve read is One True Thing…but I loved it. Can’t wait to see you other choices.
Twitter: BethFishReads
says:
Interesting list. I’ve only read the Anna Quindlen book, which I really liked. I’ll have to check out the others.
Twitter: booksandmovies
says:
Sandy – too many books, too little time it’s always true, isn’t it?
Laura – Broken for You is powerful – but it’s a must-read!
LF – I know it is – your review was the one that had me clicking over to the library to place Broken for You on hold.
JoAnn – Part two will go up next Friday.
Beth – I hope you like the ones you try!
The only one I’ve read is the Quindlen one (which I really enjoyed), but Broken for Me is definitely on my list and now I think I must read the first two you mentioned as well. I love these lists of yours!
Twitter: florinda_3rs
says:
I’ve read three of the five, and Broken for You is in the TBR stacks. I agree with your assessment of Good Grief. I haven’t run into too many other people who have read The Myth of You and Me, so I’m glad to find someone else who really liked it. One True Thing may be Quindlen’s best novel, in my opinion.
Looking forward to the rest of your list!
Twitter: booksandmovies
says:
Avis – thanks! I’m having fun putting these lists together.
Florinda – I know, I don’t know why The Myth of You and Me hasn’t gotten more coverage in the blogosphere – it’s definitely worthy.
Twitter: msbookish
says:
I really have to tell you, I love your lists. I haven’t actually read much contemporary fiction – I tend to gravitate towards mysteries, fantasy and memoirs – but reading your thoughts on each of these books, I think I would enjoy most of them. I’ll be jotting down titles on my list as soon as I finish writing this comment …
Twitter: booksandmovies
says:
Belle – I hope you like the ones you read!
Twitter: skrishna
says:
I haven’t read any of these! I’m adding them to my TBR list now.
Twitter: booksandmovies
says:
S. Krishna – I think you’ll like them. It’s funny how we can get such an idea of what a fellow book blogger will like or not basd on their reviews.
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