Pls recomend high quality Secular Fiction

amother

Lawngreen

Sat, Jan 01 2022, 11:13 pm

Love love Mariane Keyes. I laugh, I cry...the whole gambit.
I enjoy Lauren Weisberger's books they're light and fun.
I recently read all of Jane Fallon's books...super satisfying. Revenge rom coms.

amother

Pear

Sun, Jan 02 2022, 9:59 am

essie14 wrote:

My Sister's Keepr by Jodi Picoult

Anyone else uncomfortable with this book?
I felt that it was anti-Jewish hashkafa.
A teenager suing her parents?
A girl not doing what she can to help save her sister's life?
Anyone with me?

singleagain

Sun, Jan 02 2022, 10:29 am

amother [ Pear ] wrote:

Anyone else uncomfortable with this book?
I felt that it was anti-Jewish hashkafa.
A teenager suing her parents?
A girl not doing what she can to help save her sister's life?
Anyone with me?

Did you actually read the book? That is not the motivation for why Anna was doing what she was doing. There was a lot more nuance that what the summary made it seem. I actually just read the book last week, and it makes me cry all over again. Even though I know what happens. Not to mention the twist ending. I'm not getting specific in case someone in here hasn't read it. But I'd be happy to discuss more in depth on a separate thread

allthingsblue

Sun, Jan 02 2022, 10:30 am

amother [ Pear ] wrote:

Anyone else uncomfortable with this book?
I felt that it was anti-Jewish hashkafa.
A teenager suing her parents?
A girl not doing what she can to help save her sister's life?
Anyone with me?

None of these books are Jewish -why would you expect a Jewish hashkafa?

amother

DarkKhaki

Sun, Jan 02 2022, 10:34 am

amother [ Pear ] wrote:

Anyone else uncomfortable with this book?
I felt that it was anti-Jewish hashkafa.
A teenager suing her parents?
A girl not doing what she can to help save her sister's life?
Anyone with me?

I read the book for a book club. I hated it. I have never read any of her works since and I dropped out of the group. (It was the first I read as part of that group and figured I would just join a group with books more to my liking.)

amother

Pear

Sun, Jan 02 2022, 10:34 am

singleagain wrote:

Yes, I've read it.

amother

Pear

Sun, Jan 02 2022, 10:35 am

allthingsblue wrote:

None of these books are Jewish -why would you expect a Jewish hashkafa?

Many books are more innocuous, although secular

amother

Khaki

Sun, Jan 02 2022, 10:40 am

Colleen hoover. Her books are amazing!! Not romcom type like Sophie Kinsella but they are soo grt! Lauren Weisberger very light romcom type. Liane Moriarty has fantastic books.

amother

DarkKhaki

Sun, Jan 02 2022, 10:54 am

Lisa See is another great author.
My favorite was The Island of Sea Women.

essie14

Sun, Jan 02 2022, 11:12 am

amother [ Pear ] wrote:

Anyone else uncomfortable with this book?
I felt that it was anti-Jewish hashkafa.
A teenager suing her parents?
A girl not doing what she can to help save her sister's life?
Anyone with me?

Most of the books recommended here have no Jewish hashkafa.

amother

Olive

Sun, Jan 02 2022, 11:23 am

My favorite books this year were:
The Nature of Fragile Things by Sssan Meissner
The Rose Code - Kate Quinn (The Alice network and The huntress are also excellent)
Universe of Two - Stephen Kiernan
The Gilded Hour and Where the Light Enters by Sara Donati
This Tender Land and Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger
Dragonfly - Leila Meacham
The Girl with the Louding Voice - Abi Dare
The Kitchen Front - Jennifer Ryan

Roots

Sun, Jan 02 2022, 11:30 am

mochamix18 wrote:

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman (you will end reading this one two times in a row, trust me)

yes thast was an intersting read

ice coffee

Sun, Jan 02 2022, 12:30 pm

I love the author Barbara kinsolver. Her books a great especially the poison wood bible

momallhours

Sat, Jan 15 2022, 10:46 pm

Thanks everyone for all recommendations!
What I read so far:
before we were yours - I loved it the book was beautifully written portrayed the child's feelings so well

WHAT ALICE FORGOT - I am hooked! the book literally kept me up straight until I finished it I both laughed and cried from it and after completing it I had so much food for thought I am still thinking about it and finished it last week.

Elinor Oliphant and The 100 Year old Man I could not get past the first few pages

Which one of Liane Moriarty's books should I read next?

amother

DarkPurple

Sun, Jan 16 2022, 5:12 am

momallhours wrote:

Please keep posting

amother

Fern

Sun, Jan 16 2022, 9:14 pm

What Alice Forgot is the best Moriarty book imo. The rest were ok but not so memorable imo. I remember liking Big Little Lies, but not much about the others.
Other authors I would recommend: Joshilyn Jackson, Kate Quinn, Lynda Cohen Loigman, Karen White. They all write very different type of books/genres but I generally find them to be very good and well written, engrossing reads.

BubblyBubby

Sun, Jan 16 2022, 9:23 pm

I liked "a suitable boy" by Vikram Seth (shidduchim in India)
"Midnight's children" by Salman Rushdie (History of India since independence with magical realism)
Arabian nights minus one by Salman Rushdie
Of love and Shadows by Isabel Allende (about a journalist finding out about torture in Pinochet's Chile)
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens (about the French Revolution)
The Glass Palace by Amitav Gosh about the royal family of Myanmar