<p>And I just have to share this. Today I was in the locker room at the Y. A aquacize class had just finished. The room is full of half dressed older women - mostly over 60. They are discussing chick lit and someone says. “Is there a lot of sex?” the answer is “Yeah”. And the first says, “Oh I hate that - you get all excited and then what? Nuthin!”</p>
<p>I actually read the Lovely Bones when it first came out, so I was probably 10. Maybe 11. I enjoyed it a lot, it was one of my favorites for a long time, but whenever an adult saw me with the book, he or she would look very concerned. My parents weren’t too concerned with what I was reading.</p>
<p>When I was 13, I really enjoyed Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina. The movie adaptation(s?) are horrible though, and the book might be a bit long for most 13 year olds. And maybe the affair would be taboo for them? I’m not sure.</p>
<p>I was going through a Russian period when I was 12 and 13. I read Robert K. Massie’s biography of Peter the Great. It was turned into a miniseries, but that may be hard to find. It’s incredibly entertaining, but it’s actually longer than Anna Karenina, so again, it might be a bit much for them. Also, it’s a historical biography, so maybe they’d think it’s boring (it reads like a novel though).</p>
<p>I liked the Scarlet Letter a lot. I got that the summer between 7th and 8th grade. But again, the film adaptations lack a lot. I started reading some of Tolstoy’s shorter works at that age. The Death of Ivan Illyich is beyond amazing. It’s usually about 130 pages, so it’s an easy 1 day read for kids that age. And the symbolism is really easy. But, the later you get with Tolstoy, the more Christian he gets. The stuff in Illyich is never out-and-out from the Bible, but it’s religious. Mahatma Gandhi loved it. Oh, and I totally forgot, there’s probably no film adaptation.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone for all the great suggestions. Even if I can’t use some of them for the book group, it gives me some ideas for my daughter who is one of the voracious readers. </p>
<p>That link of books to movies was so huge! Wow!</p>
<p>I think everyone has read Twilight. I really liked The Book Thief and passed it on to my mom and sister. It is was so different. My daughter and I read Persepolis but she didn’t think it go for that crowd.</p>
<p>My sister and I both like My Sister’s Keeper but had different reaction. I was thinking about how I would handle it as a mother; my sister was thinking about it as a sister and how far she would go to save my life (in the “I’d do anything” way).</p>
<p>I have mixed feelings about the Brontes. Yes, they are classic literature but I remember thinking at the time that the relationships were not that healthy. But… maybe this is a good age to talk about what is a good relationship. One of the moms is a therapist and might be able to asking leading questions.</p>
<p>Highly recommend The Book Thief also. This is an award winning book that is often on school reading lists. It’s one I’d never heard of until my book club chose it. Everyone loved it (and we’re all old ladies!).</p>
<p>Taking a trip down memory lane and trying to remember what our group did, our girls were early middle school aged. I do remember The Secret Garden was popular with the group as was Holes.</p>