I am planning on hosting my book club in May. The Hostess gets to pick the book. I am looking for a well written book that has a feel good message. We have been reading some depressing books lately! We definitely don’t want another WWII book! Any suggestions??? >>>>>>>>>>>
A Man Called Ove
I’m in the same boat as NorthMinnesota…and we’ve already read A Man Called Ove…
We have also read Ove.
adds Ove to reading list
A customer at work was telling me that next up in her book club is for everyone to pick a book that was life-changing. The rules as to what qualifies as life-changing sounded broad. It could be a children’s book, something you read recently, when you were young, etc.
I thought that was a fun idea and good way to get to know someone.
If you like Khaled Hosseini writing, I can recommend And The Mountains Echoed. It’s heartbreaking but the ending is surprisingly uplifting. It unfolds like a fable. I keep thinking of Arabian Nights stories for some reasons.
Quick funny reads:
Dear Committee Members
A couple of french books by Antoine Laurain: The President’s Hat, The Red Notebook. Charming and whimsical, you can read either one in a couple of hours.
I loved “Dear Committee Members” – I think most CCers would. 
I think we talked about it many pages ago on this thread, but who can keep track? For anyone who hasn’t read it, give it a try.
The Rosie Project has been mentioned by many on this thread already. If your book club hasn’t already read it, it does meet your criteria. My daughter and I really enjoyed it.
A customer at work was telling me that next up in her book club is for everyone to pick a book that was life-changing. The rules as to what qualifies as life-changing sounded broad. It could be a children’s book, something you read recently, when you were young, etc.
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LOL, too much pressure! I’m not sure any book has ever literally changed my life! That’s huge.
How about “Still Alice”…fictional but main character (like a college professor IIRC)(first person POV) has progressive Alzheimers.
@VaBluebird A JoJo Moyes book might be a good choice, except for Me Before You. I was thinking of One Plus One.
A life changing book? Z for Zachariah. I read it in middle school and it made me consider the world in a way I hadn’t before reading it. Of course now, there are many books and movies that deal with the same topic- but for 1975, it really affected me. It’s still one of my favorites that I pull out and read every few years. Also, A Million Little Pieces. If you can overlook the controversy regarding its biographical/fictional content, I could relate to much of it. My struggle is with food, not drugs, but there was a lot that hit home while reading it. My definition of life changing is a book that really stuck with me over many months or years, that I often think of, and maybe behave differently because of its content.
@NorthMinnesota - our next book club book is Spoiled Brats by Simon Rich and it is a collection of short stories and is suppose to be very funny.
This book "When Breathe becomes Air. Fiction book. It was sad and brought tears to my eyes. Worth reading!
I just finished “The Just City” by Jo Walton. The premise of the novel is an attempt to create the Just City as described by Plato. As usual, if you have read Jo Walton before, it gets you thinking about things you haven’t considered. It wasn’t clear how it would end (which I like). There is a sequel, “The Philosopher Kings”, I have it on hold at the library.
“When Breath Becomes Air” is nonfiction, but I’m sure that’s what Nurse001 meant to post.
I just read a very compelling short novel called “Desperate Characters.” It was written in the 1970s and is set in New York City over a weekend in 1968. The author is Paula Fox. I really liked it except it was very depressing.
Just finished Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic. I’m not normally a big fan of either graphic novels or memoirs, but have just finished three in a row. (Maus and Persepolis). All so interesting in different ways. Both Fun Home and Maus make an interesting contrast as children struggle to understand their difficult fathers. Bechdel makes a tenuous connection through the books they both love, but loses her father while she’s still in college. Spiegelman’s father is still around to be interviewed, but real life keeps intruding in his son’s attempt to get the story out of him.
@mathmom, I highly recommend the musical that was made of Fun Home if you get the opportunity to see it. One of the most moving shows I’ve ever seen.
I was thinking about that musical when I was reading it, trying to imagine how it would be done. Dh and I aren’t big fans of the musical as a form, but I will admit this one is tempting. (And easier to get tickets for than * Hamilton * !)
And as long as we are on the subject of translating books to the stage - I liked *The curious incident of the dog in the night * as a book, but I **loved **it as a play.