“The more I read, the faster my speed!” Keep that catchy phrase in mind in the new year and make a resolution to read more. When you read a variety of materials, you’ll learn more vocabulary and absorb more information, and that will make you a better, and therefore a faster, reader. There are many avid readers out there, and each one of them has an opinion on the best books they’ve read. If you’re looking for something that will expand your reading horizons, try one of these suggestions.
The Goodreads site uses reader reviews to come up with recommendations. Have you read any of these?
The Casual Vacancy by J. K. Rowling (fiction)
Although Rowling’s more known for her “Harry Potter” children’s books, her first adult book has also been very popular. It’s a bleakly humorous look at life in a small English town.
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (mystery)
A missing wife leads to questions about her husband and their marriage. He’s the most likely suspect, but was he behind her disappearance?
Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed (autobiography)
An amazing true story about a young woman in crisis who sets off alone to find meaning in her life.
A Thousand Mornings by Mary Oliver (poetry)
You might not think that poetry will help you be a better speed reader, but keeping your mind flexible by experiencing words put together in different ways as poetry will expand your ability to understand prose. These simple but profound reflections on ordinary life will resonate with any reader.
Authors are sometimes the best judges of other writers’ works, and some of the contributors to New Yorker magazine have their own books to recommend.
The Constant Heart by Craig Nova (fiction)
A look at family ties through the laws of nature, scientific facts, and philosophical reflections.
Bewilderment by David Ferry (prose/poetry)
With original writing and skilled translations and discussions of poetry from ancient to modern times, this book will inspire you to think about the fragility and wonder of existence.
Shake Off by Mischa Hiller (thriller)
Not your typical “airport reading” spy novel, this is a well-crafted and suspenseful novel that the critics have universally loved.
Tombstone: The Great Chinese Famine 1958-1962 by Yang Jisheng (nonfiction)
Although this book details one of the disastrous effects of Mao’s “Great Leap Forward” you won’t find it on Chinese bookstore shelves, as it’s been banned in that country. However, its English translation is being praised for its brutal honesty and research into the reasons for the mass starvation that lead to the death of tens of millions.
What books do you recommend we put on our reading lists?
