(Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme brought to you by The Broke and the Bookish. Want to make your own list? Clicking the image will take you to this week’s post. Happy listing!)
Topics like this are tricky; I don’t want to force on someone a book they won’t like, but if they don’t like to read, I don’t have much of a frame of reference for what they might like. I can’t say, “Well, you like mythology, so you should read…” These issues aside, here are some books I’d recommend to people who say they don’t like to read.
1. The Avocado Drive Zoo (Earl Hamner) – One writer’s chronicles of the animals his family has loved. Four words: alligator in the bathtub.
2. Where the Sidewalk Ends (Shel Silverstein) – But this is poetry for kids, they’ll say. Sure it is.
3. Anything by Mary Roach – She’s written about death, life after death, sex, and life in space. Something for everyone, with plenty of humor thrown in.
4. Good Omens (Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett) – British humor. Puns. Sarcasm. General silliness. If someone reads this and doesn’t laugh, we need to revoke their humanity card.
5. Beowulf on the Beach: What to Love and What to Skip in Literature’s 50 Greatest Hits (Jack Murnighan) – The title says it all. A good way for someone to see what’s out there, and what’s worth reading or skipping.
6. Cheaper by the Dozen (Frank Gilbreth, Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey) – A funny book about a family of twelve raised by the pioneers of motion study.
7. Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe (Fannie Flagg) – Set in a period no longer considered contemporary, but “young” enough to have modern language. A great, hysterical, meaningful book.
8. Anything by Clive Cussler – Action, adventure, sex, and awesomeness.
9. Graceling (Kristin Cashore) – For anyone looking for a kick-ass heroine and an introduction into the fantasy genre.
10. At Home: A Short History of Private Life (Bill Bryson) – I know, a chunkster seems like a terrible thing to recommend. But this book’s got it all: history, architecture, nature, humor, and all kinds of interesting info.
Well, that’s my list. Anything you’d add or take off? Let me know in the comments!
