Flashlight Worthy says:
Ion Freeman organizes the Union Square Reading Group so he knows a thing or two about what books work well when it comes to generating a lively discussion. When asked, Ion said the 5 below are the books they enjoyed most.
Oh, and if these 5 don't appeal to you, why not check out one of our dozens of fiction lists?
by Ford Madox Ford
Nina Sankovitch says:
"The Good Soldier" begins as the "sad story" of two couples who meet at a spa for those weak of heart: we are led to believe the sadness is in the death of parts of each couple, and although we are right, we have no idea how miserably right we are. The true story of sex and passion unfolds, bit by bit, hint by hint, detail by detail, and no one and nothing is as first appearances had promised. Deceits multiply, tensions escalate, and fate beckons its bony and horrible finger.
by Michael Frayn
Expatina from Berlin, Germany and Umbria, Italy says:
Why do we long to possess? To whom should art belong? One of the great living novelists confronts these questions in this sly comedy about a Brueghel painting.
by Nicole Krauss
Gotham Gal from New York, NY says:
A beautifully written book that must be read back-to-back with her husband’s book, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (by Jonathan Safran Foer) — the writing has similarities. The two of them must have been discussing their stories daily.
by Kenzaburo Oe
Eric Mueller from Los Angeles, CA says:
This 1994 Nobel Prize winner takes a harsh, real look at a difficult situation: the protagonist, Bird, is an immature 27-year-old who still has some growing up to do... until he fathers a son with a terrible birth defect and he's forced onto a difficult path of responsibility and decision.
by Haruki Murakami
Ray Davis Curry from Portland, Maine says:
Even in translation, Murakami writes in a unique, piercing style of Zen crystalline prose, describing aspects of common life and things I've never experienced, like nothing i'd ever read. Mystery, love, different culture.
Don't forget, if none of these books are for you, I have dozens of losts full of great fiction.
Flashlight Worthy
Recommending books so good, they'll keep you up past your bedtime. more...
About Ion Freeman
A book club member since 1996, Ion Freeman has been involved with the Union Square Reading Group since 2005. He enjoys fiction driven by the nature of well-drawn characters, and reading on trains.
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