As the Westport Public Library gets set to reveal its list of our patrons’ favorite books of 2008, I thought it would be appropriate to see what the top book club choices of 2008 were. And the winners are…
Not surprisingly, the number one choice of book clubs this year was Three Cups of Tea written by Greg Mortenson. Mortenson was a mountain climber who had been taken ill and was nursed back to health by the people of a small Pakistan village in the Himalayas. In return for the kindness he was shown, he vowed to construct a school for the community. The Central Asia Institute, the nonprofit group that he eventually co-founded has since constructed over 70 schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan. If you haven’t read this inspiring story yet, be sure to consider it this year.
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen topped the list of fiction choices. This is a romantic tale of life in the circus during the great depression. Filled with interesting characters and details of the circus life, book clubs have embraced it. Khaled Hosseini’s follow up to The Kite Runner, A Thousand Splendid Suns was also a big favorite this year. Hosseini’s skill for storytelling brings life to this tale of two Afghan women. The story follows Mariam and Laila over the course of three decades of civil war, jihad and Taliban rule. Their struggles are both moving and heart wrenching, and combined with the timeliness of the topic, make it a great choice for discussions.
The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court by Jeffrey Toobin was another top choice for book clubs this year. Toobin interviewed all the sitting justices and gave us a fascinating portrait of how personalities come to play when decisions are handed down.
Amy Bloom’s Away, her novel about Lillian, a young Russian immigrant, who travels across America searching for her daughter, was also popular with many of our book groups. This epic is filled with great characters, adventure, and romance.
The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak was another book club favorite this year. This beautifully written and unusual story about a young girl, who steals books before they can be confiscated or burned by the Nazis, will leave a lasting impression on your group.
Rounding out the top ten choices were Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson, Loving Frank by Nancy Horan, Run by Ann Patchett and The Zookeeper’s Wife by Diane Ackerman. If your group missed one of these favorites last year and would like to add it to your list this year, please contact me and don’t forget to ask for the discussion guide to go along with it. Based upon the feedback of our book clubs who have read these books, you can’t go wrong with any of these choices.
