Goodreads Blog
FOLLOW US
Top Seven Big Little Lies Quotes on Goodreads
Posted by Hayley Igarashi on February 24, 2017
Pop open the champagne! Big Little Lies is now a star-studded limited series on HBO.
Of course, before Reese Witherspoon stumbled in Madeline's sky-high heels, Shailene Woodley's Jane met her first Blonde Bob, and Nicole Kidman stepped into Celeste's seemingly perfect life, readers had already fallen for Liane Moriarty's dark and dishy take on schoolyard scandal.
Check out the best quotes from the book—as selected by your fellow Goodreads members! And catch Big Little Lies Sunday nights on HBO. (Watch the trailer here.)
What's your favorite Big Little Lies quote? Share it with us in the comments!
Check out more recent blogs:
Get Ready for the Oscars with These Best Picture Adaptations
What's New This Week: 7 Great Books Hitting Shelves Today
Whimsy Wins Contest to Design Little Free Libraries
Posted by Hayley Igarashi on February 24, 2017
Pop open the champagne! Big Little Lies is now a star-studded limited series on HBO.
Of course, before Reese Witherspoon stumbled in Madeline's sky-high heels, Shailene Woodley's Jane met her first Blonde Bob, and Nicole Kidman stepped into Celeste's seemingly perfect life, readers had already fallen for Liane Moriarty's dark and dishy take on schoolyard scandal.
Check out the best quotes from the book—as selected by your fellow Goodreads members! And catch Big Little Lies Sunday nights on HBO. (Watch the trailer here.)
What's your favorite Big Little Lies quote? Share it with us in the comments!
Check out more recent blogs:
Get Ready for the Oscars with These Best Picture Adaptations
What's New This Week: 7 Great Books Hitting Shelves Today
Whimsy Wins Contest to Design Little Free Libraries
Get Ready for the Oscars with These Best Picture Adaptations
Posted by Cybil on February 23, 2017
Get ready for Hollywood's biggest night by curling up with some of its best inspiration! When the 89th Academy Awards get underway this Sunday, four book-to-film adaptations will be among the competition for Best Picture. Check out tinsel town's source material for this year's Best Picture nominees and look through some earlier books that were transformed into Best Picture gold. Be sure to add them to your Want to Read list.
Adaptations Nominated for Best Picture:
Hidden Figures
by Margot Lee Shetterly
Other nominations include Octavia Spencer for best supporting actress and best adapted screenplay.
Fences
by August Wilson
Other nominations include Denzel Washington for best actor and Viola Davis for best supporting actress, as well as best adapted screenplay.
Lion (Original title: A Long Way Home)
by Saroo Brierley
Other nominations include Dev Patel for best supporting actor, Nicole Kidman for best supporting actress, and best adapted screenplay.
Arrival (Original title: Stories of Your Life and Others)
by Ted Chiang
Other nominations include Denis Villeneuve for best director, and best adapted screenplay.
Previous Best Picture Winners:
Posted by Cybil on February 23, 2017
Get ready for Hollywood's biggest night by curling up with some of its best inspiration! When the 89th Academy Awards get underway this Sunday, four book-to-film adaptations will be among the competition for Best Picture. Check out tinsel town's source material for this year's Best Picture nominees and look through some earlier books that were transformed into Best Picture gold. Be sure to add them to your Want to Read list.
Adaptations Nominated for Best Picture:
by Margot Lee Shetterly
Other nominations include Octavia Spencer for best supporting actress and best adapted screenplay.
by August Wilson
Other nominations include Denzel Washington for best actor and Viola Davis for best supporting actress, as well as best adapted screenplay.
by Saroo Brierley
Other nominations include Dev Patel for best supporting actor, Nicole Kidman for best supporting actress, and best adapted screenplay.
by Ted Chiang
Other nominations include Denis Villeneuve for best director, and best adapted screenplay.
Previous Best Picture Winners:
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
What's New This Week: 7 Great Books Hitting Shelves Today
Posted by Hayley Igarashi on February 21, 2017
Posted by Hayley Igarashi on February 21, 2017
Need another excuse to go to the bookstore this week? We've got seven! Bulk up your Want to Read shelf with these brand-new standalone titles.
Dead Letters
by Caite Dolan-Leach
You should read this book if you like: Mystery, literary scavenger hunts, murder investigations, twins, upstate New York, romantic betrayal
A Piece of the World
Written by Christina Baker Kline
You should read this book if you like: Historical fiction, family drama, Christina's World (a famous 1948 painting), blending of fact and fiction
The Inkblots: Hermann Rorschach, His Iconic Test, and the Power of seeing
by Damion Searls
You should read this book if you like: Nonfiction, inkblot tests, the synthesis of art and science, pop culture, psychiatrists
Long May She Reign
by Rhiannon Thomas
You should read this book if you like: YA fantasy, queens who like science, murderous banquets, dashing (illegitimate) princes
Traveling with Ghosts
by Shannon Leone Fowler
You should read this book if you like: Memoirs, marine biologists, overcoming tragedy, world travel, Cheryl Strayed's Wild
High Noon: The Hollywood Blacklist and the Making of an American Classic
by Glenn Frankel
You should read this book if you like: History, Hollywood's golden era, politics, the making of a great American Western, Carl Foreman
The Mother's Promise
by Sally Hepworth
You should read this book if you like: Fiction, powerful portraits of families, humor and heart, social workers, the power of forgiveness
BONUS: The wait is over—check out three of the buzziest sequels coming out today!
A Conjuring of Light
by V.E. Schwab
The final book in the Shades of Magic YA fantasy series
(Start off the series with A Darker Shade of Magic)
Royally Matched
by Emma Chase
The second book in the Royally contemporary romance series
(Start off the series with Royally Screwed)
Empire's End
by Chuck Wendig
The third book in the Star Wars: Aftermath science fiction series
(Start off the series with Aftermath)
What are you reading this week? Let's talk books in the comments!
Check out more recent blogs:
Most Anticipated YA Books of 2017
Whimsy Wins Contest to Design Little Free Libraries
February's Most Popular Bookclub Picks
by Caite Dolan-Leach
You should read this book if you like: Mystery, literary scavenger hunts, murder investigations, twins, upstate New York, romantic betrayal
Written by Christina Baker Kline
You should read this book if you like: Historical fiction, family drama, Christina's World (a famous 1948 painting), blending of fact and fiction
by Damion Searls
You should read this book if you like: Nonfiction, inkblot tests, the synthesis of art and science, pop culture, psychiatrists
by Rhiannon Thomas
You should read this book if you like: YA fantasy, queens who like science, murderous banquets, dashing (illegitimate) princes
by Shannon Leone Fowler
You should read this book if you like: Memoirs, marine biologists, overcoming tragedy, world travel, Cheryl Strayed's Wild
by Glenn Frankel
You should read this book if you like: History, Hollywood's golden era, politics, the making of a great American Western, Carl Foreman
by Sally Hepworth
You should read this book if you like: Fiction, powerful portraits of families, humor and heart, social workers, the power of forgiveness
by V.E. Schwab
The final book in the Shades of Magic YA fantasy series
(Start off the series with A Darker Shade of Magic)
by Emma Chase
The second book in the Royally contemporary romance series
(Start off the series with Royally Screwed)
by Chuck Wendig
The third book in the Star Wars: Aftermath science fiction series
(Start off the series with Aftermath)
What are you reading this week? Let's talk books in the comments!
Check out more recent blogs:
Most Anticipated YA Books of 2017
Whimsy Wins Contest to Design Little Free Libraries
February's Most Popular Bookclub Picks
Most Anticipated YA Books of 2017
Posted by Hayley Igarashi on February 21, 2017
In the coming months, young adult authors will be serving up a buffet of irresistible books. Prepare to indulge.
Whether you're in the mood for a city of monsters or a high school of murder suspects, rebel samurai or devilish skateboarders, the upcoming crop of buzzy YA books have a little something—magic, music, romance, danger!—for everyone. Browse the book covers below (and click to find out when they're arriving at a bookstore near you). How many are already on your Want to Read shelf?
Must-Read Sequels
Series Starters
Standalone Stories
Which YA book are you the most excited to read? Tell us in the comments!
Check out more recent blogs:
Whimsy Wins Contest to Design Little Free Libraries
February's Most Popular Bookclub Picks
Khaled Hosseini on A Thousand Splendid Suns' Theatrical Debut
Posted by Hayley Igarashi on February 21, 2017
In the coming months, young adult authors will be serving up a buffet of irresistible books. Prepare to indulge.
Whether you're in the mood for a city of monsters or a high school of murder suspects, rebel samurai or devilish skateboarders, the upcoming crop of buzzy YA books have a little something—magic, music, romance, danger!—for everyone. Browse the book covers below (and click to find out when they're arriving at a bookstore near you). How many are already on your Want to Read shelf?
Must-Read Sequels
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Which YA book are you the most excited to read? Tell us in the comments!
Check out more recent blogs:
Whimsy Wins Contest to Design Little Free Libraries
February's Most Popular Bookclub Picks
Khaled Hosseini on A Thousand Splendid Suns' Theatrical Debut
Whimsy Wins Contest to Design Little Free Libraries
Posted by Cybil on February 20, 2017
Posted by Cybil on February 20, 2017
What if you started a competition to see who could design the best small library? Well, the answer is you'd have a ton of adorable library designs among the more than 300 submissions from 40 countries.
"We noticed that our design loving and book-obsessed online community went wild whenever we posted photos of Little Free Library, so last year we asked a designer to make one that inspired him. We ended up with this beautiful one [pictured below] with a living roof, and gave it away to an aspiring Little Free Library Steward," said Kathryn Jaller, associate director of online strategy at Chronicle Books, which co-sponsored the Little Free Library Design Competition.
That design was so popular that the team wanted to see if more creative people wanted to give it a try. So, Chronicle Books partnered with the Little Free Library organization and the San Francisco chapter of the American Institute of Architects to make it happen. The winners of the competition were announced earlier this month.
"After chatting with the folks at Little Free Library, we decided that it was important to include the voices of stewards, the people who care for and maintain these libraries, so we could ask the architects and designers to solve real problems. So we collected feedback through a survey, and the answers were turned into the creative brief," said Jaller. "We also asked each entrant to describe why books are important, and the replies, no matter where they were from, were a beautiful reminder of the magic of the medium."
Some of the submitted designs are already built and some are just a twinkle in the architect's eye. "But we're talking to the winning designers about what it would take to get some of these made. They're too clever to just stay on paper!" said Jaller.
The first Little Free Library was built in 2009 by Todd Bol in Hudson, Wisconsin. The nonprofit organization now has more than 50,000 registered Little Free Libraries in all 50 states as well as in 70 countries.
"One of the beautiful things about Little Free Libraries is that everyone can get involved," said LFL spokeswoman Margret Aldrich. "We've seen Little Libraries started by families, librarians, teachers, Girl Scouts, and book lovers of all ages—anyone who wants to help build community and share the joy of reading."
Judges' Choice: Owlie by Bartosz Bochynski, FUTUMATA/London, England:
Judges' Choice Runner-Up: Seth Thompson/San Francisco, California:
Chronicle Books's Choice: Rachel Murdaugh, Clark Nexsen/Asheville, North Carolina:
Stewards' Choice (The LFL staff and community pick): Tree of Knowledge by CIRCLE (Ryo Otsuka, Lin Zihao)/Tokyo, Japan:
Here are some of the ways the design applicants said libraries and books were important to them:
"I love the communal aspect of libraries. I feel like they foster a sense of responsibility that we seldom see these days in everyday life. You take care of a library book because you know that there are others who will want to enjoy it after you." —Hannah Guillory
"I have many happy memories of spending time in a library, finding a certain treasure or a great source of information, reading, taking notes, working on my end-of-college paper. As soon as my son turned 4 and could write his name, I took him to a library and we got him a card." —Elena Coln
"Libraries have always been my lifeblood. They represent democracy, freedom of speech, and informed citizens." —Micki Uppena
Check out more recent blogs:
February's Most Popular Bookclub Picks
Khaled Hosseini on A Thousand Splendid Suns' Theatrical Debut
What's New This Week: 7 Great Books Hitting the Shelves
"We noticed that our design loving and book-obsessed online community went wild whenever we posted photos of Little Free Library, so last year we asked a designer to make one that inspired him. We ended up with this beautiful one [pictured below] with a living roof, and gave it away to an aspiring Little Free Library Steward," said Kathryn Jaller, associate director of online strategy at Chronicle Books, which co-sponsored the Little Free Library Design Competition.
That design was so popular that the team wanted to see if more creative people wanted to give it a try. So, Chronicle Books partnered with the Little Free Library organization and the San Francisco chapter of the American Institute of Architects to make it happen. The winners of the competition were announced earlier this month.
"After chatting with the folks at Little Free Library, we decided that it was important to include the voices of stewards, the people who care for and maintain these libraries, so we could ask the architects and designers to solve real problems. So we collected feedback through a survey, and the answers were turned into the creative brief," said Jaller. "We also asked each entrant to describe why books are important, and the replies, no matter where they were from, were a beautiful reminder of the magic of the medium."
Some of the submitted designs are already built and some are just a twinkle in the architect's eye. "But we're talking to the winning designers about what it would take to get some of these made. They're too clever to just stay on paper!" said Jaller.
The first Little Free Library was built in 2009 by Todd Bol in Hudson, Wisconsin. The nonprofit organization now has more than 50,000 registered Little Free Libraries in all 50 states as well as in 70 countries.
"One of the beautiful things about Little Free Libraries is that everyone can get involved," said LFL spokeswoman Margret Aldrich. "We've seen Little Libraries started by families, librarians, teachers, Girl Scouts, and book lovers of all ages—anyone who wants to help build community and share the joy of reading."
Judges' Choice: Owlie by Bartosz Bochynski, FUTUMATA/London, England:
Judges' Choice Runner-Up: Seth Thompson/San Francisco, California:
Chronicle Books's Choice: Rachel Murdaugh, Clark Nexsen/Asheville, North Carolina:
Stewards' Choice (The LFL staff and community pick): Tree of Knowledge by CIRCLE (Ryo Otsuka, Lin Zihao)/Tokyo, Japan:
Here are some of the ways the design applicants said libraries and books were important to them:
"I love the communal aspect of libraries. I feel like they foster a sense of responsibility that we seldom see these days in everyday life. You take care of a library book because you know that there are others who will want to enjoy it after you." —Hannah Guillory
"I have many happy memories of spending time in a library, finding a certain treasure or a great source of information, reading, taking notes, working on my end-of-college paper. As soon as my son turned 4 and could write his name, I took him to a library and we got him a card." —Elena Coln
"Libraries have always been my lifeblood. They represent democracy, freedom of speech, and informed citizens." —Micki Uppena
Check out more recent blogs:
February's Most Popular Bookclub Picks
Khaled Hosseini on A Thousand Splendid Suns' Theatrical Debut
What's New This Week: 7 Great Books Hitting the Shelves
New Documentary Examines Maya Angelou's Life
Posted by Cybil on February 17, 2017
The first authorized documentary on the life of writer Maya Angelou will premiere next week. The film traces Angelou's life from her childhood in the Depression-era South to her work with Malcolm X and her writing career. It features exclusive interviews with the author herself as well as Oprah Winfrey, Quincy Jones, John Singleton, and Hillary Clinton.
We asked the filmmakers about the enduring importance of Angelou's work and how readers can become familiar with this American treasure. You can watch the documentary this Tuesday on PBS's American Masters, and catch a free online screening and interactive chat with the filmmakers and poets on Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT.
Goodreads: What do you hope people will take away from “And Still I Rise”?
Bob Hercules (Director): "I hope that people take away from the film a sense of hope and a sense that they, too, can overcome their own obstacles. In overcoming the vicious racism of the Jim Crow south, sexual abuse at an early age and being an African-American woman in a white man’s world, she provides inspiring examples of rising above obstacles and barriers."
Rita Coburn Whack (Co-Director): "After a screening in Chicago, a woman looked at me outside the theater and said, 'I just grew in there.' Popular culture is a window into our society that reaches people on an emotional level. It offers the question and the opportunity for each of us to ask ourselves how we see the world. I believe we view documentaries to learn and to grow. If people come away from this film and not only feel that they have grown but use a better understanding of one woman's life to make better choices about their own, then we will all live better."
Goodreads: What makes this the right time to do a documentary about Maya Angelou?
Bob Hercules (Director): "The story of Maya Angelou has tremendous relevance to the issues of today. Dr. Angelou never shied away from political protest and so we can see parallels of her life in the Black Lives Matter movement and in the current protests against Trump’s Muslim travel ban. She was also one of our clearest advocates of inclusion and embracing different cultures so her message in today’s divisive time is still prescient. As she often said, 'We are more alike than unalike.'"
Rita Coburn Whack (Co-Director): "Maya Angelou was born into the Jim Crow South in 1928 and lived in St. Louis during the Great Migration. She worked for both civil right activists Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. Living internationally and in many cities across the United States, she worked as both an artist and activist during these times, self-documenting her life and becoming well documented by the journalists of her time. Her life sheds a light on our culture and provides history from an African American woman's perspective, which has historically been omitted, often suppressed and misrepresented in our society.
As we are still living in what she would quote James Baldwin as saying, 'These yet to be United States,' it's imperative that her voice be heard. Writing this on a day in our current history when Senator Elizabeth Warren was silenced in the Senate while reading a letter written by Coretta Scott King, to highlight injustices against African Americans who wanted to exercise their right to vote, I'd say this documentary sadly in part, could not be more relevant."
Goodreads: For someone who is new to Dr. Angelou’s work, what book would you recommend?
Bob Hercules (Director): "I would recommend her first book, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. It is an eloquent, poetic story about her early years and made a deep impact on me when I first read it."
Rita Coburn Whack (Co-Director): "I would have to agree with Bob, start with I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, the Jim Crow South is there, sexual abuse a taboo at the time is unveiled, the loss of a girl's voice in this society and the awakening that comes with reading and self education is there as well. Maya Angelou offers a blueprint of what the resilient spirit can accomplish."
Discover Maya Angelou's works and add them to your Want to Read shelf.
What has Angelou's writing meant to you? Share your thoughts in the comments.
And check out more recent blogs:
February's Most Popular Bookclub Picks
Khaled Hosseini on A Thousand Splendid Suns' Theatrical Debut
What's New This Week: 7 Great Books Hitting the Shelves
Posted by Cybil on February 17, 2017
The first authorized documentary on the life of writer Maya Angelou will premiere next week. The film traces Angelou's life from her childhood in the Depression-era South to her work with Malcolm X and her writing career. It features exclusive interviews with the author herself as well as Oprah Winfrey, Quincy Jones, John Singleton, and Hillary Clinton.
We asked the filmmakers about the enduring importance of Angelou's work and how readers can become familiar with this American treasure. You can watch the documentary this Tuesday on PBS's American Masters, and catch a free online screening and interactive chat with the filmmakers and poets on Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT.
Goodreads: What do you hope people will take away from “And Still I Rise”?
Bob Hercules (Director): "I hope that people take away from the film a sense of hope and a sense that they, too, can overcome their own obstacles. In overcoming the vicious racism of the Jim Crow south, sexual abuse at an early age and being an African-American woman in a white man’s world, she provides inspiring examples of rising above obstacles and barriers."
Rita Coburn Whack (Co-Director): "After a screening in Chicago, a woman looked at me outside the theater and said, 'I just grew in there.' Popular culture is a window into our society that reaches people on an emotional level. It offers the question and the opportunity for each of us to ask ourselves how we see the world. I believe we view documentaries to learn and to grow. If people come away from this film and not only feel that they have grown but use a better understanding of one woman's life to make better choices about their own, then we will all live better."
Goodreads: What makes this the right time to do a documentary about Maya Angelou?
Bob Hercules (Director): "The story of Maya Angelou has tremendous relevance to the issues of today. Dr. Angelou never shied away from political protest and so we can see parallels of her life in the Black Lives Matter movement and in the current protests against Trump’s Muslim travel ban. She was also one of our clearest advocates of inclusion and embracing different cultures so her message in today’s divisive time is still prescient. As she often said, 'We are more alike than unalike.'"
Rita Coburn Whack (Co-Director): "Maya Angelou was born into the Jim Crow South in 1928 and lived in St. Louis during the Great Migration. She worked for both civil right activists Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. Living internationally and in many cities across the United States, she worked as both an artist and activist during these times, self-documenting her life and becoming well documented by the journalists of her time. Her life sheds a light on our culture and provides history from an African American woman's perspective, which has historically been omitted, often suppressed and misrepresented in our society.
As we are still living in what she would quote James Baldwin as saying, 'These yet to be United States,' it's imperative that her voice be heard. Writing this on a day in our current history when Senator Elizabeth Warren was silenced in the Senate while reading a letter written by Coretta Scott King, to highlight injustices against African Americans who wanted to exercise their right to vote, I'd say this documentary sadly in part, could not be more relevant."
Goodreads: For someone who is new to Dr. Angelou’s work, what book would you recommend?
Bob Hercules (Director): "I would recommend her first book, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. It is an eloquent, poetic story about her early years and made a deep impact on me when I first read it."
Rita Coburn Whack (Co-Director): "I would have to agree with Bob, start with I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, the Jim Crow South is there, sexual abuse a taboo at the time is unveiled, the loss of a girl's voice in this society and the awakening that comes with reading and self education is there as well. Maya Angelou offers a blueprint of what the resilient spirit can accomplish."
Discover Maya Angelou's works and add them to your Want to Read shelf.
 |
 |
 |
And check out more recent blogs:
February's Most Popular Bookclub Picks
Khaled Hosseini on A Thousand Splendid Suns' Theatrical Debut
What's New This Week: 7 Great Books Hitting the Shelves
February's Most Popular Bookclub Picks
Posted by Cybil on February 16, 2017
Recommending a book for your bookclub is a daunting task. The right choice will result in lively conversation, while the wrong selection can pretty much kill a club's momentum. Luckily, you can rely on your fellow Goodreaders to help you out. Below you'll find February's top ten books being read by bookclubs on Goodreads.
Check out the entire list of Goodreads' most popular bookclub books (and filter by week, month, or all-time most-popular picks).
Do you have a great bookclub selection? Share it with us in the comments and tell us why it was a hit with your crew.
A Man Called Ove
by Fredrik Backman
A real crowd pleaser of a novel, Ove is a grumpy yet lovable curmudgeon whose life is disrupted by the chatty couple next door. This book has an impressive 4.33 rating from readers and has been read by more than 500,000 Goodreads bookclubs.
The Underground Railroad
by Colson Whitehead
Whitehead imagines a world where slaves escaped the South via a literal underground railroad in this haunting book. It's won some impressive awards including the Goodreads Choice Award for Historical Fiction. More than 124,000 groups have read this one, and readers have given it 4.06 stars.
The Nightingale
by Kristin Hannah
This novel set during World War II chronicles the lives of two sisters caught in Nazi-occupied France. The 2015 Goodreads Choice Winner for Historical Fiction has been read by 942,000 bookclubs and has a 4.53 rating.
Small Great Things
by Jodi Picoult
Issues of race and empathy are examined in this novel where things take a turn as a black nurse treats the newborn of white supremacists. Picoult's novel has a 4.39 rating and has been read by more than 139,000 bookclubs.
All the Light We Cannot See
by Anthony Doerr
This Pulitzer-Prize winning World War II novel follows the intersecting paths of a blind French girl and a German soldier. You'll definitely be in good company with this pick: More than 1,719,000 bookclubs have discussed the 4.31-rated book.
Hidden Figures
by Margot Lee Shetterly
How about a nonfiction pick for your club? This true story of the black female NASA mathematicians that help put a man on the moon has also been made into an Oscar-nominated movie. More than 17,000 bookclubs are talking about this book.
Commonwealth
by Ann Patchett
A stepfamily's tragedy echoes through the generations in Patchett's stirring novel about far-reaching family ties. More than 100,000 groups are reading this novel.
Hillbilly Elegy
by J.D. Vance
Here's another nonfiction book being added to more than 113,000 bookclubs. This memoir of growing up poor in Appalachia is being used as a jumping off point to discuss America's political climate.
The Girl on the Train
by Paula Hawkins
For bookclubs looking for some mystery and thrills, this is a popular pick with more than 3 million Goodreads groups talking about this bestseller. This is a fast-paced read is perfect for the amateur sleuths.
A Gentleman in Moscow
by Amor Towles
A man is ordered to spend the rest of his life in a luxury hotel. Discuss! Well, more than 48,000 groups are doing just that with this 4.38-starred book.
And check out more recent blogs:
Khaled Hosseini on A Thousand Splendid Suns' Theatrical Debut
What's New This Week: 7 Great Books Hitting the Shelves
George Saunders on Lincoln, the Afterlife, and Writing a Novel
Posted by Cybil on February 16, 2017
Recommending a book for your bookclub is a daunting task. The right choice will result in lively conversation, while the wrong selection can pretty much kill a club's momentum. Luckily, you can rely on your fellow Goodreaders to help you out. Below you'll find February's top ten books being read by bookclubs on Goodreads.
Check out the entire list of Goodreads' most popular bookclub books (and filter by week, month, or all-time most-popular picks).
Do you have a great bookclub selection? Share it with us in the comments and tell us why it was a hit with your crew.
by Fredrik Backman
A real crowd pleaser of a novel, Ove is a grumpy yet lovable curmudgeon whose life is disrupted by the chatty couple next door. This book has an impressive 4.33 rating from readers and has been read by more than 500,000 Goodreads bookclubs.
by Colson Whitehead
Whitehead imagines a world where slaves escaped the South via a literal underground railroad in this haunting book. It's won some impressive awards including the Goodreads Choice Award for Historical Fiction. More than 124,000 groups have read this one, and readers have given it 4.06 stars.
by Kristin Hannah
This novel set during World War II chronicles the lives of two sisters caught in Nazi-occupied France. The 2015 Goodreads Choice Winner for Historical Fiction has been read by 942,000 bookclubs and has a 4.53 rating.
by Jodi Picoult
Issues of race and empathy are examined in this novel where things take a turn as a black nurse treats the newborn of white supremacists. Picoult's novel has a 4.39 rating and has been read by more than 139,000 bookclubs.
by Anthony Doerr
This Pulitzer-Prize winning World War II novel follows the intersecting paths of a blind French girl and a German soldier. You'll definitely be in good company with this pick: More than 1,719,000 bookclubs have discussed the 4.31-rated book.
by Margot Lee Shetterly
How about a nonfiction pick for your club? This true story of the black female NASA mathematicians that help put a man on the moon has also been made into an Oscar-nominated movie. More than 17,000 bookclubs are talking about this book.
by Ann Patchett
A stepfamily's tragedy echoes through the generations in Patchett's stirring novel about far-reaching family ties. More than 100,000 groups are reading this novel.
by J.D. Vance
Here's another nonfiction book being added to more than 113,000 bookclubs. This memoir of growing up poor in Appalachia is being used as a jumping off point to discuss America's political climate.
by Paula Hawkins
For bookclubs looking for some mystery and thrills, this is a popular pick with more than 3 million Goodreads groups talking about this bestseller. This is a fast-paced read is perfect for the amateur sleuths.
by Amor Towles
A man is ordered to spend the rest of his life in a luxury hotel. Discuss! Well, more than 48,000 groups are doing just that with this 4.38-starred book.
And check out more recent blogs:
Khaled Hosseini on A Thousand Splendid Suns' Theatrical Debut
What's New This Week: 7 Great Books Hitting the Shelves
George Saunders on Lincoln, the Afterlife, and Writing a Novel
Khaled Hosseini on A Thousand Splendid Suns' Theatrical Debut
Posted by Cybil on February 15, 2017
It's been ten years since the publication of Khaled Hosseini's bestselling novel A Thousand Splendid Suns. This month, the novel about three generations of Afghan women living in the war-torn Kabul is being adapted into a stage play, premiering at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco.
A review of the play in The San Francisco Chronicle said of the production, "So often in our stories, be they fairy tales or kitchen sink dramas or founding myths, heroism, which is male, is possible only through a sacrifice, which is female and promptly forgotten. In this play, to be a hero is to love; in a world of hate and fear—in any world—there is no more courageous act."
We asked Hosseini, who also wrote The Kite Runner, to tell us what it was like to see his novel come to the stage:
"The idea of adapting A Thousand Splendid Suns for the stage holds great appeal for me. Both as a fan of theater, as someone who appreciates the immense communal joy of this ancient art form, but also as the book's author, one of the first things I made clear to Carey Perloff and Ursula Rani Sarma—the artistic director and the playwright, respectively—was that I wished for this production to be their vision. I wanted to grant them the creative license to explore the story rather than feel constricted by it, the freedom to tell it as it lived in their minds when they first read it.
To me, the point never was to have them prop up Mariam and Laila intact from the novel on the stage but to let the audience experience the story anew through this other portal, to hear what it said to someone other than its original creator.
And then there is the unexpected timeliness of a theatrical adaptation of A Thousand Splendid Suns. It's a tale being retold at a time when we are engaged as a nation in a sometimes contentious debate about the plight of refugees and, among other things, the very nature of our relationship with the Middle East and its people.
It strikes me as a good time to be reminded that whether we worship in a church or a temple or a mosque, or nowhere at all, there are core elements that make up the human experience, things we all share as creatures on this planet that far outweigh our differences. Storytelling reminds us of this easily forgotten fact. And it is all too easy to forget that Laila, Mariam, Aziza, Tariq, and Zalmai might as well be the countless individuals who, at this very moment, are fleeing extremism and violence, the desperate souls crossing the Mediterranean, and other borders and frontiers, risking life and limb, searching for a measure of safety, peace, and dignity.
Political rhetoric has a way of trampling all over human beings as individuals, people with faces. It falls to the artist to shine a light on these faces instead. I hope this play accomplishes that."
Discover more of Khaled Hosseini's works and add them to your Want to Read shelf.
What has Hosseini's writing meant to you? Share your thoughts in the comments.
And check out more recent blogs:
What's New This Week: 7 Great Books Hitting the Shelves
George Saunders on Lincoln, the Afterlife, and Writing a Novel
Sophie Kinsella Talks About Our Social Media Obsessions
Posted by Cybil on February 15, 2017
It's been ten years since the publication of Khaled Hosseini's bestselling novel A Thousand Splendid Suns. This month, the novel about three generations of Afghan women living in the war-torn Kabul is being adapted into a stage play, premiering at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco.
A review of the play in The San Francisco Chronicle said of the production, "So often in our stories, be they fairy tales or kitchen sink dramas or founding myths, heroism, which is male, is possible only through a sacrifice, which is female and promptly forgotten. In this play, to be a hero is to love; in a world of hate and fear—in any world—there is no more courageous act."
We asked Hosseini, who also wrote The Kite Runner, to tell us what it was like to see his novel come to the stage:
"The idea of adapting A Thousand Splendid Suns for the stage holds great appeal for me. Both as a fan of theater, as someone who appreciates the immense communal joy of this ancient art form, but also as the book's author, one of the first things I made clear to Carey Perloff and Ursula Rani Sarma—the artistic director and the playwright, respectively—was that I wished for this production to be their vision. I wanted to grant them the creative license to explore the story rather than feel constricted by it, the freedom to tell it as it lived in their minds when they first read it.
To me, the point never was to have them prop up Mariam and Laila intact from the novel on the stage but to let the audience experience the story anew through this other portal, to hear what it said to someone other than its original creator.
And then there is the unexpected timeliness of a theatrical adaptation of A Thousand Splendid Suns. It's a tale being retold at a time when we are engaged as a nation in a sometimes contentious debate about the plight of refugees and, among other things, the very nature of our relationship with the Middle East and its people.
It strikes me as a good time to be reminded that whether we worship in a church or a temple or a mosque, or nowhere at all, there are core elements that make up the human experience, things we all share as creatures on this planet that far outweigh our differences. Storytelling reminds us of this easily forgotten fact. And it is all too easy to forget that Laila, Mariam, Aziza, Tariq, and Zalmai might as well be the countless individuals who, at this very moment, are fleeing extremism and violence, the desperate souls crossing the Mediterranean, and other borders and frontiers, risking life and limb, searching for a measure of safety, peace, and dignity.
Political rhetoric has a way of trampling all over human beings as individuals, people with faces. It falls to the artist to shine a light on these faces instead. I hope this play accomplishes that."
Discover more of Khaled Hosseini's works and add them to your Want to Read shelf.
 |
 |
 |
And check out more recent blogs:
What's New This Week: 7 Great Books Hitting the Shelves
George Saunders on Lincoln, the Afterlife, and Writing a Novel
Sophie Kinsella Talks About Our Social Media Obsessions
