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Debra Hanff
Reader
Watership Down
Richard Adams
Debra Hanff
Too good to miss.
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Half of a Yellow Sun
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Americanah
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
Sherman Alexie
The House of the Spirits
Isabel Allende
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
Maya Angelou
Cat's Eye
Margaret Atwood
One of my favourite Atwood's, even though it's an earlier one. I've read this at least twice and will probably read it at least once more before I die!
The Handmaid's Tale
Margaret Atwood
The first time I read this I was pregnant and it was very difficult to take. I read it again a couple of years ago with students, and loved it. Then I read it again right before I read Testaments. Wow.
Pride and Prejudice
Jane Austen
Again, how could you miss this? So much fun. The dialogue alone is perfection.
Sense and Sensibility
Jane Austen
Peter Pan and Wendy
J. M. Barrie
It's entered the literary culture, so is the basis for so many other stories . . . a must-read, therefore.
Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic
Alison Bechdel
Love this book! Hats off to the author, who has entered the cultural vocabulary with the term "the Bechdel Test." Here are the criteria for passing it: the film must "feature at least two women who talk to each other about something other than a man. The requirement that the two women must be named ...show more
Waiting for Godot
Samuel Beckett
Another cultural touchstone that can't be missed. Although viewing it would be even better than just reading it. I recommend both.
The Uncommon Reader
Alan Bennett
This book is a delight. I've read it twice and also listened to in on audio.
Jane Eyre
Charlotte Brontë
One of my favourite books growing up, and I've read it repeatedly over the years. There is also a lot of great literary criticism on this novel. This is a formative book for my reading life.
Wuthering Heights
Emily Brontë
So much more violent and unsettling than I remembered when I reread it as an older person. Not to be missed, though.
A Month in the Country
J. L. Carr
First heard about this book on my favourite podcast: Backlisted. I read it first on my own and then with my book club. This seemingly 'quiet' book generated a wild discussion!