Looking for a good book to keep you enthralled over the holidays? Whether it’s a recent tale or a classic, here are our 10 picks that are worth reading
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
One of the greatest pieces of literature to come out of America, most will remember this iconic book from their school days. But the power of To kill a mockingbird is everlasting. In Alabama during the Great Depression, a black man is charged with the rape of a white girl. In a town steeped in prejudice, lawyer Atticus Finch teaches his children Scout and Jem about violence, hypocrisy and the struggle for justice.
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
In Nazi Germany in 1939 when death is an everyday occurrence, young Liesel finds a partially covered book in the snow called The Gravedigger’s Handbook, and her love for books and words is born. Soon, she is stealing books from everywhere, including Nazi book-burnings. But these are dangerous times when knowing too much can get you in more trouble than you can ever imagine.
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Part of the literary canon for good reason, Jane Austen’s classic is a novel about proper manners, overinflated egos, see-through wet shirts… and love. Fall back into the world of 17th century England, when Lizzie first met Darcy and relive the rivalry and the romance.
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
If you’ve seen the film starring Emily Blunt, it’s definitely worth reading the book. Rachel is the girl on the train, watching from the sidelines as others live out rich lives filled with love, while her own deteriorates. Then she sees something and finally gets the chance to gain some much-needed human connection. But it is the sort she really wants?
The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien
A classic tale that should be on everyone’s reading list, find out where the journey began with The Hobbit. Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit who just wants a quiet life. But when the wizard Gandalf arrives on his doorstep with a troupe of dwarves, Bilbo is thrust into an adventure that changes his life forever.
Cloudstreet by Tim Winton
Described as a “sprawling, comic epic about luck and love, fortitude and forgiveness, and the magic of the everyday”, Cloudstreet is set over 20 years and featured two rural families who flee catastrophe to live in the city and start life over, living in the same house.
Burial Rites by Hannah Kent
Winner of multiple awards, this best-selling novel by an Australian author is the deeply moving story of a woman living in northern Iceland, in 1892, who is condemned to death for her part in the brutal murder of two men. As her execution draws near, the question of her complicity burns on.
The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay
This novel from the acclaimed Aussie author is set in South Africa and follows the story of a seven-year-old boy who dreams of being the welterweight boxing champion of the world. A classic best-seller full of racial conflict and the everlasting will of the human spirit.
The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons
From the best-selling author of Tully, this novel is a beautifully epic of love and war in Russia. Set in Leningrad in 1941, impoverished sisters Tatiana and Dasha share the same bed, living in one room with their brother and parents when Hitler’s army shatters their lives on 22 June 1941. On one fateful day, Tatiana meets soldier Alexander and both their lives are never the same again.
Still Alice by Lisa Genoa
Now a major motion picture starring Julianne Moore, this book follows Alice, an accomplished professor who slowly starts losing her thoughts and memories to Alzheimer’s disease. A profound read that captures in detail what it’s like to lose to your mind.
What holiday reads can you recommend to other members?
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