My friend Emma and her family are about to head off on a long road trip. They’ll be camping. When the sun goes down each night there won’t be any modern distractions (television, iPads, playing on phones). She’s bought herself a Kindle and asked me “So, what should I read?”. This is Emma’s list (in no particular order of fabulousness).
Contemporary Literature
The Cider House Rules by John Irving
Last Night in Twisted River 
We Need to Talk About Kevin
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach
Less Than Zero
Bee Season
Loving Frank
The Slap
Heft
The Book Thief
Year of Wonders
The Reader by Berhard Schlink
A Prayer for Owen Meany
A Room with a View by E. M. Forster
Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
Little Known Facts by Christine Sneed
The Starboard Sea
Then We Came to the End
Atonement by Ian McEwan
The Handmaid’s Tale 
Red Dog by Louis de Bernieres
Animal People by Charlotte Wood
The Feast of Love by Charles Baxter
The Forrests
Delicacy by David Foenkinos
Tigers in Red Weather by Lisa Klaussman
Foal’s Bread
When God Was a Rabbit
The Poisonwood Bible
A Little Bit of Suspense
The Lovely Bones
The Dinner 
Before I Go To Sleep 
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
The Engagement
The Secret History
White Mischief, The Murder of Lord Erroll
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
Light and Fluffy
Domestic Violets by Matthew Norman
Love and Other Impossible Pursuits
She’s Come Undone 
Man and Boy
My Latest Grievance by Elinor Lipman
This Is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper
Plan B by Jonathan Tropper
I Don’t Know How She Does It
About a Boy by Nick Hornby
One Day by David Nicholls
The Nanny Diaries by Emma McLaughlin
Bridget Jones’s Diary
One Last Thing Before I Go by Jonathan Tropper
Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells
The Accidental Billionaires by Ben Mezark
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Memoirs and Non-Fiction
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius
Running with Scissors 
Kitchen Confidential
Angela’s Ashes
Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim
Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo
Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua
Beautiful Boy by David Sheff
and then read Tweak by Nic Sheff
The Tipping Point
The First Stone by Helen Garner
I wouldn’t exactly consider The Help light & fluffy, but it’s a fabulous book and I recommend it goes to the top of the list!
You’re right! I should shift that one to Contemporary Literature but agree, it’s a fantastic book.
What a fabulous list.
I suspect Empire Falls will be added to that list in due course…
Thanks! I’m so excited to start downloading. But I fear I will never leave the tent.
Ha! I’m sure the boys won’t let you get away with that!
What a list. My eye fell on my copy of The Secret History tonight as I sat on the couch. I think it’s almost time to re-read it. Loved Foal’s Bread, Year of Wonders & Atonement. Enjoyed Less Than Zero and The Reader. Lovely Bones is terrific and so is Garner’s The First Stone, regardless of ‘which side you’re on.’
Remember how much hoo-ha The First Stone caused when it was released?! I really like Garner’s journalistic writing style – her other books are equally good but First Stone stands out for me because I was at Melb Uni at the time.
I’m due for a re-read of The Secret History as well. I read it when it was first released – the fact that I still remember the reading experience (but not all of the story) tells me that it is a great book.
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