Book Club Recommendations: The Most Popular Reads of 2008 from the Editors of Reading Group Guides

Death himself is the omnipresent commentator in this compelling novel set in Germany during World War II. Genial as he muses on human existence, Death is sometimes frightened at the extent of human cruelty. Germany under Hitler was the epicenter of cruelty, as shown through several years in the life of a German child, the titular "book thief," her foster family, friends, and the town near Munich where she lives. These "good German" characters are earthy, flawed, and unforgettable. And while Death (always) has the final word, it is to say "I am haunted by humans." For high school students and up, this book is not to be missed. Winner of a Sydney Taylor Book Award. High School and Adult.

I finished this last night and I cried like a baby (and books rarely generate that reaction from me). While it's geared to a toward a “tween” audience, I would recommend this to anyone.

Its ending is haunting: “And that’s the end of the story about Bruno and his family. Of course all this happened a long time ago and nothing like that could ever happen again. Not in this day and age.”

And yet, I thought, it does.

This is a book about how we make a difference, even when we're not looking; about how other ordinary people we never met make a difference in our lives. Just a little girl, half guessed through the smoke and the fire of war, a child with no name, no face, not even an outline. Or maybe a boy running across the street, gone again in less than a second. They can and do change lives.

Beautifully written, this version of Heaven has very little to do with religion, and very much to do with who we are inside, that person unknown often even to ourselves.

Atheist that I am, I enjoyed it thoroughly and recommend it to anyone who has a few hours to consider the impact they have in the world around them.

A great book and without saying a single word about the plot, I'll recommend it for anyone who wants to understand the meaning of the word 'dignity'.

Overlook the insipid title and you'll be richly rewarded by the depth of this delightful novel set in Botswana. (Yes, Botswana!) Suffused with its culture and evocative of its searing climate, a marvelously adroit combination of detective cases and interpersonal relationships makes this book a great read.

This is a common story of tragic poverty and crazy parents... but I think it's the way Walls tells it with such non-judgmental innocence that I like.

This book gives us a beautiful glimpse into a period of history that is generally mentioned only in passing in the majority of classrooms. But even more lovely is the insight it gives us into the strength, beauty and tenacity of women and the enduring nature of their relationships.

Jodi Picoult is an amazing author. She manages to get into the heads of all her characters in such a way as to make each of them a believable separate part of the story.

In this book, Picoult takes you into a world that few of us can imagine. A sick child, a healthy one, an indifferent one...parents who mourn the life they once envisioned yet finding the strength to keep together the one they received.

The characters cry, they yell, they walk in a cloud of misery that they know won't disappear. Yet they survive and come out much stronger than when they started.

Because this book had received rave reviews and was on the best sellers list for quite some time, I was delighted when I could finally set aside time to read it. The characters are well-developed and each has his or her own story that is interesting — not because the individual character is particularly compelling, but rather because their lives are much like those of anyone you might already know.

Although I very much enjoyed the book, I was disturbed by the unexpected, abrupt manner in which the book ended, particularly since this is not the first book that I've read by this author. That said, this element of surprise, even if it's unpleasant and rather abrupt, may be exactly what makes the book so appealing to some.

I thought The Kite Runner was a fantastic read and couldn't imagine the author following it with a success, but A Thousand Splendid Suns surpassed, for me, its predecessor.

I like a book that engages me on multiple levels — one that is not just entertaining but thought-provoking in one way or another. This book was a beautifully written tale, a story with engaging characters, a story that was entertaining in and of itself. However, it also told a story that angered me, educated me, and made me want to get out of my reading chair and do something.

We all know, or think we know, what's happening to women around the world, but sometimes we need to be reminded. This book does just that. It reminded me and haunts me every time I walk past it on the bookshelf.

I'd always wanted to be in the circus growing up. Reading this book made me feel like I was a part of the carnival life when such a life was perhaps the most difficult. This story made me fall in love with the circus all over again. This is a beautiful story with characters so well-developed, I found myself cheering out loud at every calamity that befalls the villain.

I read "The Space Between Us" because someone in book club recommended it to us. I was reluctant at first — I don't know why. Anyway, I was quickly drawn in by the characters, and fascinated with the vivid images of India. The story of an upper-class woman and her "help" trying to understand each other is riveting and kept me glued to the book until the last page. Now I'm on a bit of an India kick, reading "The Toss of a Lemon" by Padma Viswanathan.

One of my favorite books of all time, "The Handmaid's Tale," presents a dystopian future in which the United States government is taken over by a far-right religious faction.

Men loyal to the cause are given positions in the government. Women, on the other hand, are limited in their options — they can be Marthas, Wives, Handmaids, or Hookers with few exceptions. Government officials and their wives need handmaids because of a population crisis in which most women are unable to conceive.

The book tells the story of one Handmaid, her confined life, and how she arrived at this point. Beautifully written, this book is as relevant today as when it was written.

This book was one of the most touching love stories I have ever read. You're swallowed, tossed around through time, and continually mindful of the impossibility and paradox of their love, but you hope for the best. Make sure you have a big box of tissues for this one, it will leave you in both smiles and tears.

This is an incredibly sad yet touching book. It's difficult to read the terrible things that happen to the characters. However, the characters, who are mostly strangers to each other, care for one another during hard times. It's a must-read.