With Christmas coming up, I am hoping to get at least three books for my mother. She goes through periods of time where she reads a book a day and as a result has read most common suggestions.
She is recently widowed after my father passed away earlier this year, so please no books that take place primarily in a hospital or are mostly about someone dying. She also does not enjoy sci-fi or fantasy settings but does enjoy books with uncommon settings. Anything that will teach her something new about a period of time, or another culture is a bonus.
Some books she has liked: The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, Shanghai Girls, Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Books she has felt neutral towards: Gone Girl, Girl on the Train, Ordinary Grace
Books she has not liked: anything fantasy or sci-fi, with a particular dislike for Game of Thrones
Thank you so much for any help or suggestions.
by Spicy-Prawn
9 Comments
The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store
Britt Marie Was Here by Fredrik Backman
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee. There is some death in it but it follows a whole family so I wouldn’t say that is the main focus.
Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeline Thien. Again, some death but not the main focus.
Such a Pretty Girl by TJ Greenwood
*Killers of a Certain Age* by Deanna Raybourn
The Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes series by Laurie R King, starting with *The Beekeeper’s Apprentice*
Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick
Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah
The Apprentice: My Life in the Kitchen by Pépin, Jacques
Burning Questions: Essays and Occasional Pieces by Margaret Atwood
I’m sorry to hear about your father’s passing. ❤️
Here are a few random books, some long, which might last more than a day for your fast reader mom. 🙂 And some of these have death scenes but certainly not the focus of the book.
Into the Wilderness by Sara Donati. Think Last of the Mohicans setting, story from a woman’s perspective. It’s long, bonus, the first book in a series.
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry. I’m not a western fan so almost didn’t read this. But it’s one of my favorite reads. Great character story. Long.
Horse by Geraldine Brooks. Starts in 1850s, based on true story of a champion thoroughbred and the enslaved young man you cares and trains it. My book club really liked this.
The Highest Tide by Jim Lynch. Main character is a boy in Puget Sound region who finds a giant squid on the beach.
Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. Very descriptive and atmospheric.
Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson. This sounds really wacky and it is. But it’s hilarious.
The Good Lord Bird by James McBride (audiobook is great too). Starts in mid 1850s. Henry, a young slave, joins abolitionist John Brown’s group, who thinks Henry is a girl and his good luck charm.
For non-fiction, I just recommended a few of my favorites on a different thread, both dealing with the deep sea and marine life, both written by female marine biologists:
The Brilliant Abyss: Exploring the Majestic Hidden Life of the Deep Ocean, and the Looming Threat That Imperils It By Helen Scales
Below the Edge of Darkness: A Memoir of Exploring Light and Life in the Deep Sea by Edith Widder
Also, if your mom is into marine life, I also recommend The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness
by Sy Montgomery
Good luck!
“Room,” by Emma Donoghue
“Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close,” by Jonathan Foer Safran
“Closed Doors,” by Lisa O’Donnell
“A Quiet Genocide,” by Glenn Bryant
“The Story of Beautiful Girl,” by Rachel Simon
“The Help,” by Kathryn Stockett
“The Good Sister,” by Sally Hepworth
“The Younger Wife,” by Sally Hepworth
“Pretty Babies,” by Julia Grice
“The Dog Master,” by W. Bruce Cameron
“Howl the Wolf,” by Julie Haubert
“Convenience Store Woman,” by Sayaka Murata
Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
Girl with the Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier
The Hundred Secret Senses by Amy Tan
The Murmur of Bees by Sofia Segovia
The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery
The House of Spirits by Isabel Allende
The Caveman’s Valentine by George Dawes Green
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time by Mark Haddon
Let Me In by John Ajvide Lindqvist
Margaret George has lots of books about historical characters such as Nero, cleopatra, Mary queen of Scot’s. I’ve read cleopatra and Mary – I’ve just started Nero. You can get lost in them.
Sharon Kay Penman – the Welsh princes series is marvellous!
Michael Connelly Bosch universe is great. Fairly easy reads with good character development. However Bosch is a LAPD detective so it’s mainly murders he’s investigating. The violence isn’t gory or anything like that but I’m mindful of your recent loss so might not be the best series at this time. I’m sorry to hear of your loss.
C J Sansom Shardlake series. Set in Tudor england. Very atmospheric.
I hope some of these suggestions might be helpful.