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Are you reading any good books these days? Whenever we post about anything related to reading, our comments section goes BANANAS. So, to continue our best comments series, here are 15 smart gems on everything from how to read to babies to the most frequently recommended books…
On connecting through reading:
“When we first got together, my partner and I each swapped five books that were important to us. We also wrote a little paragraph for each book, to explain why it was so important and where it fit into our life story. I would recommend it to any new (or old!) couple, because it gives insight into who your partner was, and is, but also who they would like to be.” — Caroline
“My husband and I read out loud to each other every night. We’ve devoured everything by David Sedaris, James Herriot’s books, All the Light We Cannot See and so many others.” — Kate
“I was dating a guy who found out that my favorite book is Jane Eyre. One night out of the blue, he said he wanted to discuss something with me, and promptly whipped out a copy of Jane Eyre. He had been furiously reading the whole thing just so we could talk about it together because he knew I loved it. Reader, I married him.” — Shannon
On the transporting power of stories:
“One of my favorite memories happened in Portland, Oregon, on my first ever solo trip. I went to Powell’s and bought a book by David Sedaris. I opened it as soon as I sat down at a burger restaurant. The burger was delicious, and I still dream about the fries, but the best part was that the book was so funny I started laughing out loud – and soon after, actual tears were streaming down my face. I kept turning the pages with my greasy fingers and wiping my face with dirty napkins trying not to laugh too loudly.” — Sophie
“The Year of Magical Thinking was published shortly before my husband became terminally ill, but I didn’t read it until he died. While the year that followed was a blur, I can remember almost every single word of that book. There were times when I felt as if I were reading my own words. Recalling it now, I am transported back to that time when I lived in my bed, surrounded by books and magazines so it would not seem empty. I hardly remember getting up and making sure my children were fed and off to school, but I remember reading that book. I will always be thankful for it.” — Elinor May
On the gift that keeps on giving:
“I have a large family, and for the holidays each year we do a ‘white elephant’ style book exchange. Everyone gets their favorite book from that year and writes a note about why they’re giving it. After much picking, unwrapping and stealing, everyone ends up with a great book to start the new year.” — Mariah
On reader recommendations:
“I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve read Beloved by Toni Morrison, but this is the first time I’ve read it since becoming a mother and it’s an entirely different book now, because I’m an entirely different person. That’s the great thing about an amazing novel, you can read it over and over and get something new out of it.” — Lisa
“I am forever in love with Kate Morton’s books. Has anyone else read them? She is such a sneaky author, always leading you one way before a final mind-blowing twist, her character development is fantastic and her plot structure, generally switching between a couple different story/timelines, keeps you on your toes. I had to pry myself away from The Lake House last night at bedtime. I’ve loved all her other books, especially The House at Riverton and The Secret Keeper.” — Amanda
“Educated is the best book I’ve read this year. Harrowing, painful, empathetic, beautiful. In places it hit close to home, because I was homeschooled by extremely religious parents, but there is something in her survival story that almost anyone can relate to.” — Julie
On the magic of poetry:
“My six-year-old daughter and I memorized the Yeats poem, ‘When You are Old,’ by listening to Cillian Murphy recite it on YouTube. His voice (and insanely handsome face) made it an incredibly easy task for both of us. Lucy now performs it regularly for teachers, neighbors in the elevator, grocery store cashiers, at bedtime, and she uses the same inflections as the Cillian Murphy version. It’s so charming.” — Mandy
“I’m a pretty avid reader but have spent the last thirty-odd years of my life shunning poetry because I didn’t think I liked or understood it. I just discovered it again reading Bone by Yrsa Daley-Ward, which is beautiful and chilling. Poetry is great for the in-between moments to carry in your purse; they’re easy to pick up and put down in the course of the day.” — Jenna
On the most beautiful words you’ve ever read:
“From Ru by Kim Thúy: ‘I never had any questions except the one about the moment when I could die. I should have chosen the moment before the arrival of my children, for since then I’ve lost the option of dying. The sharp smell of their sun-baked hair, the smell of sweat on their backs when they wake from a nightmare, the dusty smell of their hands when they leave a classroom, meant that I have to live, to be dazzled by the shadow of their eyelashes, moved by a snowflake, bowled over by a tear on their cheek. My children have given me the exclusive power to blow on a wound to make the pain disappear, to understand words unpronounced, to possess the universal truth, to be a fairy. A fairy smitten with the way they smell.'” — Liv
On reading to kids:
“In Italy, we have a nationwide program called ‘Nati per leggere’ (‘Born to read’), which promotes reading to children from the very first months. Our pediatrician even wrote ‘Start reading books aloud’ as a prescription when they were newborns. We started giving them board books to handle, to help the baby become familiar with books and consider them just as engaging as toys.” — Valeria
“We Are in a Book! by Mo Willems breaks the fourth wall and is hysterical. Kids love it, and for the adult reader, the self-awareness of the characters and the awareness of reading it cultivates in the child are really cool.” — K.
On the thrill of a good, ol’ book:
“My husband and I were buying books for our upcoming vacation, and his selections included A Passage to India and Heart of Darkness, while mine were all romance novels fully adorned in magenta pink covers. The sales associate looked at our books and asked me if I didn’t want some higher quality literature. My response: ‘As an avid reader who was also an English major, I’ve already read both of my husband’s book selections and I can assure you that I am going to enjoy my vacation reading time much more than he will.’” — J. Marie
What’s your favorite book? We’d love to hear. Tons of readers have also raved about this and this.
P.S. A terrifying book and five favorite graphic novels.
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