Books We Can't Put Down - Top 10 & Giveaway

   By SheSpeaksTeam  Jan 24, 2012
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There are books you read, and then there are books that change you. They serve as a source for inspiration. Whether it's a romance novel, an action and adventure book, a suspense filled thriller or a science-fiction book, there is so much to learn from these terrific reads.

We came across this beautifully-composed video that sums up the "magic" that books offer.

 

As avid readers, we truly believe there is nothing like a good book. So we wanted to share our love of reading with you! It was really hard to narrow the list down but here is our top 10 list of must reads and a few guilty pleasures:

  1. The Tiger's Wife by Téa Obreht: "As long-hidden secrets come to light, The Tiger's Wife deftly walks the line between the realistic and the fantastical. ...These strange and beautiful stories from the past eventually converge with Natalia's present, revealing oddly comforting truths about death, belief in the impossible, and the art of letting go." - Stephan Lee, O - The Oprah Magazine
  2. The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach: "Harbach's expansive, allusive first novel combines the pleasures of an old-fashioned baseball story with a stately, self-reflective meditation on talent and the limits of ambition. ...If it seems a stretch for a baseball novel to hold truth and beauty and the entire human condition in its mitt, well, 'The Art of Fielding' isn't really a baseball novel at all, or not only." - Gregory Cowles, The New York Times
  3. Blueprints for Building Better Girls by Elissa Schappell: "Schappell's sardonic, not-afraid-to-show-ugly voice quietly carries us along, linking sex and dread - not in a Scary Movie way but rather in a mode of hard-lesson suburban nihilism." - Ben Dickinson, ELLE Magazine
  4. Ten Thousand Saints by Eleanor Henderson: "The ambition of Eleanor Henderson's debut novel about a group of unambitious lost souls, is beautiful. In nearly 400 pages, Henderson does not hold back once: she writes the hell out of every moment, every scene, every perspective, every fleeting impression, every impulse and desire and bit of emotional detritus. She is never ironic or underwhelmed; her preferred mode is fierce, devoted and elegiac." - Stacey D'erasmo, The New York Times
  5. I Totally Meant to Do That by Jane Borden: "In her collection of essays, Time Out New York's comedy editor takes material that has been a gift to generations of New York jokers ? moving, say, or finding a roommate ? and bounces her polite, deferential Southern personality off of them, spinning them into funny, epic tales of one woman retaining her dignity in the most awful of situations, whether it's being sworn at by strangers, working as an undercover shopper in Chinatown or being jammed into the passenger seat of a van on the BQE with a mover named Georgie." - Dan Kois, NPR
  6. Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult: "What a plot! Zoe, Max and Vanessa are thrown into decisions and situations for which they are utterly unprepared. Picoult's supporting characters ? Zoe's New Age mother, a suicidal teenager Zoe treats each week, the church pastor and the lawyer who represents Zoe and Vanessa in the courtroom drama at the novel's end ? are equally unforgettable." - Salter Reynolds, Los Angeles Times
  7. Inseperable by Dora Heldt: "This was a heartfelt tale of friendships had, loved, lost, and then rekindled. It truly shows the depth of the female friendship bond. " - Amanda J Umlandt, ELLE Magazine
  8. Huck by Janet Elder: "Huck is a story of a mother, a father, a 12-year-old boy and his toy poodle. The set-up sounds ordinary -- but the events in their lives are not. Huck is one of those books that has you rooting for a happy ending. The tale is deceptively simple; the larger message is genuinely touching." - Fern Siegel, Huffington Post
  9. A World on Fire by Amanda Foreman: "Which side would Great Britain support during the Civil War? Foreman gives us an enormous cast of characters and a wealth of vivid description in her lavish examination of a second battle between North and South. ...Foreman turns from the patriotic gore to her true subject of the British and the war. While guns blazed, another battle was being waged, for English hearts and minds, at both the elite and popular levels." - Geoffrey Wheatcroft, The New York Times
  10. Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick: "Author and artist, Brian Selznick creates two separate but intertwining narratives in Wonderstruck. ...It's the journey to that end that enchants, as the characters assert their independence in this moving story of family and community." - Abbe Wright, O - The Oprah Magazine

Now that you know our top 10, we want to know which books you simply can't put down. If you were stranded on a dessert island which book would you want in your hand?  We want your recommendations.

If you share your book reviews and recommendations this week you'll be entered for a chance to win one of our giveaway prizes. Submit your favorite book to SheSpeaks Reviews and add a comment to this blog post by 6pm EST on January 30th, 2012. You can enter a review AND a comment and you will have two entries to win!

review

 Prizes:



The Tiger's Wife



Ten Thousand Saints


Wonderstruck



Blueprints for Building Better Girls



The Art of Fielding

 

The contest starts January 24, 2012 and ends January 30, 2012; at 6:00 p.m. Must be a US resident. No purchase necessary.

GOOD LUCK!

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mfuller by mfuller | MONTGOMERY, AL
Jan 25, 2012

Thanks for the chance to win! I entered a review for a book that you did not have on here yet...it is called One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp and I recommend it for everyone who wants to experience more joy and thankfulness in their life!

strmywthr3 by strmywthr3 | marysville, OH
Jan 25, 2012

if it weren't for the public library, I'd be broke. I love to read. I recently got a kindle and now I won't have to lug a huge bag of books every place I go on vacation.

Portulaca by Portulaca | SUFFOLK, VA
Jan 25, 2012

I love many different genre of books. First and foremost, I love the Bible. I also love getting lost in a good mystery or who done it. I enjoy Greg Iles and Iris Johanson, to name a few. The last book I read was "The Help". I enjoyed this immensely! I look forward to meeting and sharing with all SheSpeaks members!

mass007 by mass007 | Cranberry, PA
Jan 25, 2012

I love discussing books and have enjoyed being in a book club for 2 years now. Everyone brings something and gets something different from the group and the books. Its also been fun reading books that I might not otherwise pick up. Henrietta Lacks' story was amazing

raynekitten by raynekitten | ANAHEIM, CA
Jan 25, 2012

I am an avid reader. and book reviewer. I love to read. Especially parnormal romance and fantasy. I cant get enough. :)

saltpep by saltpep | ELGIN, IL
Jan 25, 2012

The Help is what I am going to read next. I just love to read physical books, I also love to wander around libraries and bookstores. I can get interested in almost anything I read.

jewls_her by jewls_her | Schofield, WI
Jan 25, 2012

I love books. I have a ton of them. I rather have a real book in my hands when I'm reading too. That is the reason why I haven't bought myself a kindle or nook. I am currently reading The Hunger Games. I need to finish it before the movie comes out in March so I can compare. I am sure the book will always be better.

robinwitte by robinwitte | Valparaiso, IN
Jan 25, 2012

I just reviewed Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. Loved it!

AmyEco by AmyEco | Stafford, VA
Jan 25, 2012

I love books! My recent favorites are The Red Tent, The Pillars of the Earth, and the Outlander series.

Jobers by Jobers | MONTICELLO, IA
Jan 25, 2012

I'm currently reading a novel called Leah's Journey and it is a truly excllent book. It was published back in 1978 so it would take some digging to find, but it is definitely worth it. It's the story of a Jewish immigrant from Russia living in New York City in the 1920's and 30's and her story of making it in America.

sabbysteg by sabbysteg | Houston, TX
Jan 25, 2012

I have a Kindle, and I gotta confess: I much prefer reading from a real book. I still love the Kindle, but I thought I'd give up paper books. Nope, I was wrong.

eeprice by eeprice | jupiter, FL
Jan 25, 2012

Books are my favorite escape! I have read everything written by Terry Brooks and Robert Heinlein and love love Memories of a Geisha thanks for asking!

Annelle by Annelle | HUNTINGTN BCH, CA
Jan 25, 2012

I'm on the last book of the Game of Thrones series...I loved the first 3, but the 4th was really slow. I'm just barely starting 5 and hopefully it'll start to pick up again soon. Also read The Help which was an adorable book

couponingbetty by couponingbetty | Pearland, TX
Jan 25, 2012

The Help was a great book, I could not put it down I loved it! I also liked reading Saving Cee Cee Honey Cut, this is a book about a girl who's mother has a mental illness and she is sent off to live with her aunt. I really enjoyed reading this, a few scenes from the book, The Little girls mother would meet her when she got off of the school bus in a Prom dress waving away at all the boys, see her mother used to be a beauty queen so she was very pretty, but this was very embarrassing even if your mom was sick. Her dad was a traveling salesman so he was gone a lot and she had to take care of her mother, her mother was always dressed in prom dresses going to the good will buying out the dresses that were on sale.

shoe1279 by shoe1279 | GRAND RAPIDS, MI
Jan 25, 2012

I couldn't put down the Hunger Games series, but the ultimate, stranded on a desert island with only one book choice would be "Redeeming Love".