I was recently at a book club meeting where there were about ten of us ladies, wine, a variety of yummy snacks; it was lovely. We talked about the three books we had read last month, each of us with our own opinions and insights. Then we moved on to a discussion about what books we wanted on our list for next month.

I told them about a book I had just started, A Little Life, by Hanya Yanagihara. This book title kept coming up on my Book Tok and different book clubs I follow. Then I saw that Jenna Bush Hager listed it as a top book that everyone should read in their twenties on family and life. I was curious and dug in more to find out what it was about. What I kept seeing, over and over again, in reviews was that this is a book that will wreck you.

I wanted to be wrecked and immediately bought the book.

Is it strange that I want to be so emotionally impacted by a book that I would be considered ‘wrecked’? I don’t know. Maybe it’s not that uncommon to want that experience. People read for so many different reasons. I think one of the most beautiful reasons to read is to experience life through another lens and grow from what you have learned. These books that wreck you do just that. They impact you, teach you, stay with you, become woven into your fibers in a way that you couldn’t have experienced on your own. That’s what a talented author can gift you.

So, my book club is trying A Little Life. I am now ¾ of the way through it. I am already wrecked. I don’t want to keep reading because I don’t want the book to be over. That’s the sign of an amazing story. It’s no wonder it was a New York Times Bestseller and Man Booker Prize Finalist.

When I’m finished, and after I’ve taken an emotional recess with some more light-hearted books, I will be ready for the next book to wreck me. What can I say? I’m a sucker for a book that wrecks me. Here is a list from Penguin-Random House that I think I’ll pull from.

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/the-read-down/sad-fiction/

Spoiler alert- A Little Life is on their list. I’d love to hear from you. Which books have you read that have stayed with you?

As always, thank you for your support. Happy Reading!