Great Group Reads 2013

     She curled up in her favorite chair, a cushy chocolate brown leather, and tossed a cream colored blanket as soft as a duckling’s down over her knees. A steaming mug of Lady Gray sat waiting on the narrow table next to her. She reached over and slipped a slightly arthritic finger through the ceramic handle, brought the toast colored tea to her lips, and sipped. Warmed, she leaned back and opened the novel on her lap. The snap of the brand new binding brought a smile to her face. A new story. A new place. New characters. She settled in ready to be transported, the late afternoon winter sun streaming through the window behind her.

I hope the scene above makes you want to curl up and open that book you’ve been waiting to read, to settle in and delve in to a new story. You might find yourself in a comfy leather recliner in a quiet room in your house, or on a lounge chair under a palm tree with the scent of the sea wafting through the breeze. And, if you’re looking for a new story to devour, below are the Great Group Reads selections for 2013.

 

     AMERICANAH by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

     BEAUTIFUL RUINS by Jess Walter

     BIG BROTHER by Lionel Shriver

     A CONSTELLATION OF VITAL PHENOMENA by Anthony Marra

     DAVID by Ray Robertson

     THE HOUSE GIRL by Tara Conklin

     HOW IT ALL BEGAN by Penelope Lively

     IS THIS TOMORROW by Caroline Leavitt

     LIFE AFTER LIFE by Kate Atkinson

     MARGOT by Jillian Cantor

     MARY COIN by Marisa Silver

     THE MIDDLESTEINS by Jami Attenberg

    NOWHERE IS A PLACE by Bernice L. McFadden

     THE ONE-WAY BRIDGE by Cathie Pelletier

     ORDINARY GRACE by William Kent Krueger

    THE OTHER TYPIST by Suzanne Rindell

     THE ROUND HOUSE by Louise Erdrich

     SCHRODER by Amity Gaige

     SPARTA by Roxana Robinson

     WASH by Margaret Wrinkle

     THE YELLOW BIRDS by Kevin Powers

Great Group Reads is a nationwide committee made up of members of the Women’s National Book Association.  Every year the committee chooses novels and memoirs published in that particular year and submitted by their publishers.  The list is completed in September and rolled out to the public in October for National Reading Group Month. You can read more about NRGM plus a synopsis for each book on this 2013 list at www.nationalreadinggroup.org. My blog post from March 17, 2013 has even more information about the selection committee and the process of choosing the books.