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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glittergirlajj by glittergirlajj | reading, PA
Jan 25, 2012

I loved Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult.

taletreader by taletreader | Hickory, NC
Jan 25, 2012

As of recent, the few books I've read that I've really enjoyed have been "The Things they Carried" by Tim O'Brien and "When She Woke" by Hillary Jordan. "The Things They Carried" is dear to my heart because it has to do with war and the emotions behind the war, particularly the psychology of men in the Vietnam war. "When She Woke" is a Sci-Fi Romance I guess you could say, and even though I'm not big on romance novels, this one will blow you away.

vas0506 by vas0506 | CARSON CITY, NV
Jan 25, 2012

The Mists of Avalon; And the Fire and Ice series, although I think the first 3 books were my favorite in that series. Anything Stephen King. I love getting wrapped up in a good fantasy, there is enough reality in my life! When I started going through chemo therapy, people bought me all kinds of cancer books, and I never could read one. So I got lost in Harry Potter, reread the whole series, that would be another definite one I would want, and the Lord of the Rings and Dracula. So many good books, I don't know how I could choose just one!

tumcsec by tumcsec | TUSCALOOSA, AL
Jan 25, 2012

Books are very special friends to me. They can take you away from your ordinary life to a different time or place. You can be anyone you want to be or pretend you're the main character in the story plot. I especially like fiction books that can transport you for a little while to an escape situation.

Lydia1974 by Lydia1974 | JERSEY CITY, NJ
Jan 25, 2012

I love books, and reading. I put together a to-read list at the beginning of each year and then slowly work my way through them. 25 each year is a goal - which takes some work, but is doable. Several of your top 10 are on my list for this year.

jbracey by jbracey | Richmond, VA
Jan 25, 2012

I love reading and each year I make a goal about how many books I will read. I have read 100 for each of the past two years....this year my goal is 105. Some of my favorite books in the past few years are: The Help, The Hunger Games Trilogy, Good in Bed, Such a Pretty Fat, A Prayer for Owen Meany, The Monster of Florence, Sloppy Firsts, and soo many more....

shackberry by shackberry | SCOTTSDALE, AZ
Jan 25, 2012

Love to read. Left a review on Joel Osteens book.

lilosmom by lilosmom | SAINT CHARLES, MO
Jan 25, 2012

SO many good books. Some of my favorite authors these days are Tricia Goyer and Susan May Warren, so anything by them would be wonderful. If I only had to pick one? Maybe a really thick classic like A Tale of Two Cities so I could really dive into it over and over.

dreampeddler by dreampeddler | CHIPPEWA FLS, WI
Jan 25, 2012

I loved Stephen King's "Under The Dome." One of my all-time favorites! Just read "The Hunger Games" trilogy and liked them all but the first was my personal best.

anowka12 by anowka12 | SPRINGFIELD, NE
Jan 25, 2012

I loved the Hunger Games trilogy. Could not put them down!

mizzsonya22 by mizzsonya22 | OLIVE BRANCH, MS
Jan 25, 2012

i love to read

cotejb by cotejb | BOSSIER CITY, LA
Jan 25, 2012

I am addicted to books! I just ordered The Maze Runner and am hoping I like it. I really liked the hunger games trilogy. Some other recent books are Water for Elephants, Room, Glass Castle. They were all really good too!

AnnetteD by AnnetteD | KINGWOOD, TX
Jan 25, 2012

I just finished "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" and could not put it down! I'm reading "The Girl Who Played with Fire" and it is equally good.

jygriebel by jygriebel | Marble, PA
Jan 25, 2012

I have so many books I love!! I reviewed The Help on She Speaks, my latest favorite book. It is wonderful with a little bit of everything, drama, tragedy, humor.

marcia2720 by marcia2720 | colchester, VT
Jan 25, 2012

I love Chicken Soup for the Soul Books. Especially Chicken Soup for the Soul : Miracles. I think that was the best one yet! It just makes you feel good to hear other people's stories.