The Most Recommended Books from our First Five Years

As we celebrate the fifth anniversary of Book Girls’ Guide, we wondered which books rose to the top of our recommendations over the years. With 2463 books that have been included on at least one of our lists, it took some major number crunching! But, we’ve come up with an incredible list of 28 books that we have recommended the most.

Messy stack of books from this list

As we reviewed the final list, it wasn’t surprising that both of us had read 23 out of the 28 top titles. That usually means that one of us loved a book and rated it five stars and then begged the other to read it so we could talk about it. So, in addition to being the top recommendations statistically, they truly are some of our favorite books!

Our Top Book Recommendations

Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book

96% Would Recommend to a Friend

Book Summary

West With Giraffes is a charming tale of adventure that takes you on the ride of a lifetime from the East Coast of the US to the West, alongside a rowdy 17-year-old, a grumpy older man, and two giraffes. The year is 1938, and no American zoo has successfully housed giraffes before. The female zoo director of the San Diego Zoo believes she can do it. The giraffes have just survived a hurricane en route to the East Coast, and Riley Jones, the curmudgeonly head zookeeper, is responsible for safely transporting the giraffes from New York City to San Diego.

America is still in the throes of the Great Depression, and Dust Bowl conditions continue to ravage the drought-stricken Southern Plains states. Jones begrudgingly teams up with a starving teenager named Woody to help him make the coast-to-coast journey. The adventures along the way include run-ins with circus con artists, being tailed by a female photographer looking for a big scoop, an emotional visit to Woody’s hometown, and so much more.

At its heart, this is a coming-of-age story. Now, at the age of 105, Woody recounts his 12-day cross-country trip with Jones and the giraffes and how it shaped his life.

The Book Girls Say…

In writing this historical fiction novel, author Lynda Rutledge started with the true story of two giraffes being transported cross-country in the 1930s and then imagined what that road trip might have been like. She includes real newspaper clippings throughout the book to indicate to readers the parts of the story that are based on actual facts.

After we both gave this book five stars, we’ve recommended it to everyone we know! From the insights it gives to life across America in the late 1930s to the growing relationships between characters, including the humans and the giraffes, we can’t recommend this book highly enough!

Kindle Unlimited as of: 11/26/2024

Also Featured on These Book Lists:

West with Giraffes Book Club Questions & Guide
Unforgettable Dust Bowl Books
Readers’ Favorite Books: 2023 Edition
Best Audiobook Kindle Unlimited Recommendations

PS: We also have a printable West with Giraffes book club guide available on Etsy, including discussion questions, bonus giraffe content, custom bookmarks, and more!

Beartown Book Cover

Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book

98% Would Recommend to a Friend

Book Summary

In the tiny community of Beartown, life revolves around hockey. It provides entertainment and hope for a better future. While this story uses hockey as a topic, the heart of the book is actually about small-town life and so much more. When a shocking event occurs, the town quickly takes sides. Who will stand up for the truth, and who will put hockey above humanity?

The Book Girls Say…

Fredrik Backman has a gift with words, melodic phrasing, and unparalleled insight into human motivations. He writes characters that are so well-rounded that even if you disagree with their decisions, you understand what they were thinking. We both gave this one all the stars!

Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book

98% Would Recommend to a Friend

Book Summary

In this charming debut novel, Widower Tova works at the Sowell Bay Aquarium to occupy her mind and time. She takes pride in cleaning perfectly every night, even though she doesn’t need the money. She loves all the aquarium life but forms a special bond with the intelligent (and curmudgeonly) octopus named Marcellus.

He’s just as surprised to feel friendly toward this human who visits him nightly. Soon, he connects the sadness he sees in her with something he saw in the ocean long ago. Can he help her solve the mystery of her son’s disappearance 30 years ago?

The Book Girls Say…

Neither of us expected to have a book partially narrated by a giant Pacific octopus on our best books list, but Marcellus stole our hearts. Beyond that, we loved each of the human characters and their struggles in different phases of life. Young or older, so many people deal with loneliness and loss. Watching characters process and evolve through that was a heartwarming treat.

Also Featured on These Book Lists:

Remarkably Bright Creatures Book Club Guide with Discussion Questions
Uplifting Books for Book Clubs
20 Great Books Like Lessons in Chemistry
The Best Intergenerational Novels

PS: We also have a printable Remarkably Bright Creatures book club guide available on Etsy, including discussion questions, themed games, a Marcellus bookmark, and more!

Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book

94% Would Recommend to a Friend

Book Summary

Mary Jane tells the story of two very different family lifestyles and a 14-year-old girl trying to decide who she really is. Mary Jane is a quiet, book-loving girl from a traditional, conservative family in 1970s Baltimore. When she is offered a job as a nanny for a local doctor, her mom assumes their home is equally tidy and respectable.

However, the house is a huge mess, and it’s about to get crazier. The doctor has welcomed a rock star and his wife to stay at the house while he tries to get sober. Mary Jane has a lot to teach them about tidiness and schedules, and all the while, they are opening her eyes to the world outside her bubble. By the end of the summer, she’ll have a much better understanding of who she wants to be.

The Book Girls Say…

This was one of our favorite books of the last few years, and one that really stuck with both of us! Angela really enjoyed listening to the audiobook because it incorporates music.

Although the main character is a teenager, this is an adult novel with adult topics and language, not a YA title. It makes an excellent read because of the perspective that comes from looking back at the years between innocence and maturity.

Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell book cover

Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book

100% Would Recommend to a Friend

Book Summary

Born with ocular albinism, Sam Hill is a young boy whose rare red eyes cause problems from the moment his mother enrolls him at the Our Lady of Mercy school. 

Labeled “Hell Boy,” he is bullied not only by his classmates but also given a hard time by the nun who is the principal at his elementary school. Eventually, Sam finds the new best friend he desperately needs in Ernie Cantwell, the only African American boy in his class, and years later in a fiercely individual girl named Mickie.

As an adult, Sam is a respected ophthalmologist moving through life with Ernie and Mickie still by his side. His world is about to be upturned when he’s unexpectedly reunited with the biggest schoolyard bully from his past.

The Book Girls Say…

We both rated this novel five stars and recommend it to everyone! Angela especially loved the audiobook version, which the author himself narrates.

Kindle Unlimited as of: 11/26/2024

Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book

97% Would Recommend to a Friend

Book Summary

When a Vietnam POW returns home, he carries new anger and impulsiveness. Determined to stand by her husband, his wife agrees with his plan to move his family to Alaska to live off the grid. Soon after arriving, the harsh reality of rural Alaska sets in for 13-year-old Leni and her mom.

For a while, things were better with her dad as they spent the fall season preparing for their first Alaskan winter, but she feared his more balanced self was only temporary.

The Book Girls Say…

This book makes a great winter read as you truly feel like you’re in snowy Alaska hoping to survive the winter.

WARNING: This book includes descriptions of domestic abuse.

Lessons in Chemistry Book Cover

Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book

95% Would Recommend to a Friend

Book Summary

Elizabeth Zott is a quirky and brilliant female chemist working with an all-male team at the Hastings Research Institute. But her scientific qualifications don’t stop the “good old boys” from being frustrated that she won’t get coffee or make copies for them. When Elizabeth meets Calvin Evans, another scientist at the Institute, another type of chemistry results.

Fast forward a few years. It’s 1961, and Elizabeth is a 30-year-old single mother whose career has been detoured. Instead of working for Hastings, she’s now (somewhat reluctantly) the star of a much-loved cooking show called Supper at Six. Her cooking methods are unusual (“combine one tablespoon of acetic acid with a pinch of sodium chloride”). As her popularity grows, it turns out she’s not just teaching women to cook, she’s also daring them to change the status quo.

The Book Girls Say…

This novel is funny, but not in a laugh-out-loud sort of way – more in a sometimes you have to laugh so you don’t cry sort of way. The descriptions of the misogyny that Elizabeth faces (and specifically some of the language that is directed at her) offends some readers, but it’s an accurate representation of what she and so many women faced in the 1950s and 1960s. By no means is our struggle for equality over, but this book gave us so much respect for the women who paved the way.

Black Cake book cover

Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book

94% Would Recommend to a Friend

Book Summary

This novel opens in present-day California shortly after Eleanor’s death. She has left behind a voice recording for her two adult children – Byron and Benny. She’s also left them a traditional Caribbean black cake that she tells them to share “when the time is right.”

It turns out that her children only know a small part of their mom’s life story. Posthumously, Eleanor is finally ready to share her truth so that Byron and Benny can truly know and understand their family history.

As the story unfolds, everything that her children thought they knew about their lineage and themselves will be rocked to the core, and by the time they finally share the black cake, another person will be joining them at the table.

The Book Girls Say…

Although Eleanor has already died when this novel begins, through her voice recordings, this novel traces the story of her life and shows how the choices she made over the years impacted not only her future but also those of everyone in her family.

Angela rated this book five stars and highly recommends the audiobook version because the accents really bring the story to life.

Black Cake has been adapted into a steaming television series on Hulu.

Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book

93% Would Recommend to a Friend

Book Summary

April has a rough life, fending for herself in a motorless motorhome that her father won while playing poker. She works at a diner but dreams of being a songwriter. After flunking out of school and another fight with her dad, April sets off to find a better life for herself.

Along the way, she meets others with complex stories, which are the perfect inspiration for her songs. But even more important than that, she finds that family doesn’t have to mean the community you were born into. Instead, people you meet can become family.

The Book Girls Say…

This is a beautifully written, character-driven, coming-of-age novel. April isn’t always likable, and she makes many bad decisions along the way. But she’s a raw and real character you’ll come to love despite her flaws. It’s packed with so much genuine emotion, honesty, and heart that you’ll want a copy on your shelf so that you can read it again!

Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book

100% Would Recommend to a Friend

Book Summary

Set in 1932 during the Great Depression, This Tender Land follows four orphans, including 12-year-old Odie, who have escaped the abusive Lincoln Indian Training School in Minnesota.

The kids set off down the Mississippi River and have to survive the environment while being pursued by the school. The group must decide whether to trust each stranger they encounter, and the group discovers more about themselves along the way.

The Book Girls Say…

This Tender Land spent nearly six months on the New York Times bestseller list. Equal parts adventure and heart, this book is often described as a modern classic and compared to Huckleberry Finn.

Bodyguard book cover

Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book

100% Would Recommend to a Friend

Book Summary

Hannah may look like a kindergarten teacher who could only wrangle young children, but she’s more dangerous than she seems. Her excellent skills as an Executive Protection Agent (aka bodyguard) just earned her a job protecting a superstar actor, Jack. He has some unlikely enemies – like a middle-aged, corgi-breeding stalker and a brother who seems to hate him.

When Jack has to return to the family ranch in Texas during his mom’s cancer treatment, he doesn’t want her to find out about the stalker. This means she doesn’t know he needs a bodyguard to be safe. What could go wrong when Hannah has to pretend to be his girlfriend in front of his whole family?

The Book Girls Say…

While many of Center’s other books are best classified as contemporary fiction with an element of romance, this one is shamelessly romantic and swoon-worthy (but NOT steamy – any romance scenes are closed-door).

Center said that she wrote the book as her own escape during the pandemic and wanted it to be lighter. We really enjoyed that it still felt like her writing but with a bit more humor. However, she doesn’t totally depart from mixing in challenging issues, so the characters still feel real.

Kindle Unlimited as of: 11/26/2024

Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book

93% Would Recommend to a Friend

Book Summary

Bernadette lives with her husband and her teenage daughter in Seattle – a city where she has never felt she fits in. She was once a renowned architect, but now spends most of her time in the house hiding from the other moms of her daughter’s elite prep school.

Unlike her Microsoft employee husband, Elgie, who has fully embraced the granola-eating, public transport-using, bike-riding culture of 2010s Seattle, Bernadette spends her days in the house relying on a virtual assistant in India for many of her daily tasks. This becomes a real problem when her daughter’s stellar report card earns her a family cruise to Antarctica, and Bernadette becomes overwhelmed by the planning and preparations. When Bernadette disappears before the trip, her daughter Bee is determined to track her down, unraveling a web of secrets.

Much of this book is told in epistolary form, including notes from Bee’s school, email exchanges between Bernadette and her virtual assistant, and catty moms communicating about Bernadette’s eccentricities.

The Book Girls Say…

If you’re drawn to quirky and eccentric characters, you might love Bernadette as much as we do! This satirical novel was a Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for “Best Humor” when it was released in 2012, and it’s one of our favorite laugh-out-loud reads. But it’s more than just that… Maria Semple managed to create an enjoyable, witty, smart, and emotional novel!

This is also one of the rare instances where we felt like the movie was almost as good as the book!

Mad Honey book cover

Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book

96% Would Recommend to a Friend

Book Summary

Olivia has been raising her son, Asher, as a single mom ever since she fled her seemingly perfect marriage, which was not as it appeared from the outside. When she left her abusive marriage to protect her son, she brought him to her small hometown in New Hampshire. Once home, she moved into her childhood house and took over her father’s beekeeping business.

Like Olivia, Lily is also familiar with starting over. She and her mom recently relocated to New Hampshire to give Lily a fresh start in her final year of high school.

Olivia and Lily’s lives cross paths when Asher begins dating and falls in love with the new girl in town. A few months later, Olivia is shocked to receive a phone call from Asher that he’s at the police station and Lily is dead. Asher is the only suspect in the case, but he insists he didn’t do it. Olivia is willing to give up everything she has to defend her son. But as the case moves toward trial, and as she discovers that Asher has hidden more from her than she realized, Olivia begins to question what traits her son may have inherited from his father.

The Book Girls Say…

Keep in mind that this story does not follow a linear timeline; instead, it jumps back and forth between the present and various points in the past. Be sure to pay attention to the beginning of each chapter, which tells you where that chapter’s events take place along the timeline.

Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book

91% Would Recommend to a Friend

Book Summary

Alex is the early 20-something son of the first female US President, and Prince Henry is the 2nd in line to the British Throne. Alex considers Henry his nemesis, and the two get into an embarrassing scuffle during a royal wedding.

In order to calm the press and convince them the sons of the US and England aren’t foes, Alex and Henry agree to make public appearances as friends over the course of several months. After spending more time together, and exchanging many amusing text messages, Alex realizes there is much more to Henry than he assumed.

The Book Girls Say…

After reading, cozy up and check out the highly-rated movie adaptation by the same name!

Kindle Unlimited as of: 11/26/2024
Horse book cover

Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book

100% Would Recommend to a Friend

Book Summary

Through the true story of a racehorse named Lexington, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Geraldine Brooks manages to weave a tale of spirit and injustice over 150 years of American history.

The book has three timelines. In 1850, you’ll meet an enslaved horse groomer, Jarrett, in Kentucky, who has a special bond with Lexington. There is also a young artist who paints images of the horse. When the Civil War erupts, the artist fights for the union and runs into the young groom and stallion again far from the track.

In 1954, a gallery owner on Martha’s Vineyard takes a special interest in a 19th-century equestrian oil painting, even though the artist and provenance are unknown.

In 2019, a Smithsonian scientist from Australia and a Nigerian-American art historian unexpectedly connect through a common interest in the painting as they look for clues to the origin.

The Book Girls Say…

This novel goes well beyond horse racing and art. The page-turning storytelling has detailed descriptions and depth that will stick with you long after you finish the book.

Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book

98% Would Recommend to a Friend

Book Summary

When family tragedy strikes, Uncle Patrick needs to take custody of his niece and nephew for the summer. Forty-three-year-old GUP (Gay Uncle Patrick) loves the kids, but he’s used to them going home after a weekend.

Once a famous sitcom star, Patrick’s career is stalled. His Palm Springs lifestyle of cocktails at brunch isn’t exactly ideal for a 6 and 9-year-old. He quickly realizes that having the kids longer than a few days means he needs to be more of a parent figure. But in order to help the kids, Patrick will also have to figure out how to help himself. This means facing some difficult memories from his past and deciding what he wants for his future.

The Book Girls Say…

This book has much more depth than the cover might imply.  We both rated The Guncle 5 stars because it made us laugh, cry, and feel everything in between!

Even though the family is recovering from grief and in the midst of another complicated situation, the Guncle is full of heartwarming moments and laugh-out-loud humor. Patrick is the embodiment of what you hope for in a family member or friend. He steps way outside of his comfort zone, leads with open-hearted love, and does his best when in an unexpected, difficult situation. The kids are equally fantastic characters!

Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book

97% Would Recommend to a Friend

Book Summary

Nineteen-year-old Marion’s dreams come true when she’s cast as a member of the Rockettes, Radio City Music Hall’s precision dance troupe. It’s an honor for any dancer to be selected for the role and given the opportunity to perform at the Art Deco masterpiece of a theater that is Radio City. But Marion soon learns that, behind the scenes, the days are long and the rehearsals grueling.

One night, in 1956, a bomb explodes in the theater. It’s suspected to be the work of the infamous “Big Apple Bomber” who has been planting bombs in crowded places around the city for the past sixteen years. The police still have no leads, leaving citizens living in fear. At Marion’s urging, the police agree to try psychological profiling, a radical new technique at the time.

While the Rockettes are trained to stay in line, Marion realizes that to help catch the bomber, she’ll have to stand out.

The Book Girls Say…

Fiona Davis is one of our favorite authors because she has such a knack for turning historic NYC buildings into living, breathing characters in her novels. Like most of Fiona’s books, this one includes a mystery and a dual timeline, although in this novel, the later 1990s point of view is limited to several short chapters.

Before reading, Melissa was unaware of the real Manhattan bombings that took place in this time period. Between that history, the inclusion of mental health care at the time, and the dawn of criminal profiling, this book was the perfect mix of entertaining and educational.

Tom Lake book cover

Book Summary

Set during the summer of 2020, Lara’s three adult daughters have returned home to quarantine at the family’s northern Michigan cherry orchard. As they pick cherries and go about running the family business in isolation, the sisters beg their mother to tell them the story of her long-ago romance with celebrity Peter Duke. When Lara was in her early 20s, she and Peter shared the stage during a Michigan summer stock theater run of the play Our Town.

Lara begins the story with her very first experience on stage in high school and works her way forward through her brief but eventful theater career. As the girls learn more about their mother’s life, they are forced to reconsider everything they thought they knew about her and their father.

The Book Girls Say…

This beautiful novel captures the ways in which our past shapes who we become, how certain moments and experiences stay with us forever, and how certain relationships – no matter how brief – leave lasting imprints on our souls.

Ann Patchett has had some amazing narrators for her audiobooks over the years (Tom Hanks reading The Dutch House, for example), and this book is no exception. Meryl Streep’s narration is phenomenal and definitely adds to the experience of reading the book.

Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book

100% Would Recommend to a Friend

Book Summary

Harry has always loved trees, but he spends his days behind a computer as an analyst in a treeless US Forest Service office. After his wife dies suddenly and tragically, Harry can’t seem to move forward. One day, he decides to follow his wife’s advice – he quits his job and escapes to the remote woods of northeastern Pennsylvania to be with the trees.

There, he meets Oriana, a young girl who has suffered a significant loss of her own. She spends most of her time in the forest with her book in the treehouse her father bought for her. They bond over their love of the forest and the trees.

The octogenarian librarian in town gives Oriana a strange, handwritten book called The Grum’s Ledger. With this book as their guide, Oriana helps Harry believe in the magic, if only he’s willing to open his eyes and see it.

The Book Girls Say…

Because of its thread of magical realism, some describe this book as a fairy tale for adults. But it’s more than that. It’s a story of grief, sadness, and the power of friendship and connection set against the beauty of Pennsylvania’s Endless Mountains. This story is told from many points of view, including Harry and Oriana’s, as well as numerous others – but it’s written in a way that it’s easy to follow and understand.

Nightingale book cover

Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book

100% Would Recommend to a Friend

Book Summary

The Nightingale tells the story of French sisters Vianne and Isabelle, who have always been at odds. Vianne is a rule follower, and Isabelle is more rebellious and willing to speak her mind. With WWII escalating, Isabelle intends to fight for France, while Vianne simply wants to survive the war with her family intact – even if it means allowing a German officer to live in her home. 

Isabelle, who refuses to live passively under German authority, joins the French resistance and guides Allied airmen out of France after their planes are shot down – work for which she adopts the codename the Nightingale. As the war wages on, both sisters learn who they are and what they can do.

The Book Girls Say…

If you’ve already read and loved The Nightingale, be sure to check out our list of the Best Books Like the Nightingale.

Secret Life of Albert Entwistle book cover

Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book

100% Would Recommend to a Friend

Book Summary

Albert Entwistle is a 64-year postal worker in the UK. He has no plans of retiring but receives a letter informing him that his mandatory retirement is just around the corner on his 65th birthday.

Albert’s only friend is his cat, and although he isn’t chatty with others at work or on his routes, he still dreads being home alone without a job. When he’s reminded of his only romantic relationship, which happened 50 years prior, something begins to stir in Albert. Perhaps it’s not too late to find happiness after all?

With the help of some unexpected new friends, Albert sets off to find George, the man he hasn’t seen since they were teenagers.

The Book Girls Say…

The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle is a feel-good, heartwarming read that will pull at your heartstrings while providing plenty of topics for discussion. If you enjoy audiobooks, the narrator perfectly captures Albert’s conflicted feelings as he begins to open up to new friends. Although the storyline includes searching for a lost love, the book is not a romance – it’s really a 65-year-old coming-of-age tale.

Kindle Unlimited as of: 11/26/2024
Where the Crawdads Sing Book Cover

Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book

94% Would Recommend to a Friend

Book Summary

Young Kya, who was left to fend for herself in the North Carolina marsh in the 1950s, will steal your heart from the beginning.

Locals know Kya as the “Marsh Girl.” She lives away from other humans and has only attended one day of school, but finds companions in nature all around her. While traditional school was not a good fit, she is always eager to learn. Eventually, she finds a friend who agrees to help her read.

The book has a split timeline between Kya’s formative years in the 1950s and an incident in 1969. A handsome boy from town is found dead, and the locals immediately suspect Kya.

The Book Girls Say…

Not only is this a book we recommend often, we also created a list of 25 other books like Where the Crawdads Sing.

The Women book cover

Book Summary

Frances “Frankie” McGrath is a 21-year-old nursing student who was raised by conservative parents to always do “the right thing.” But when her brother ships out for Vietnam in 1965, she begins to change her views of right and wrong. Frankie impulsively joins the Army Nurses Corps and follows her brother to Vietnam. As she tends to the green and inexperienced young men who have been sent to fight the war, she is overwhelmed by the chaos and destruction. Returning home to a changed America doesn’t prove to be any easier.

While The Women is the story of Frankie going to war, it also shines a light on the story of all women who risk everything to help others. The publisher describes this book as “a novel of searing insight and lyrical beauty” that is “profoundly emotional” and “richly drawn.”

The Book Girls Say…

There are so many books shedding light on the stories of women during WWI and WWII, but ever since we launched the Decades Reading Challenge back in 2020, we’ve been lamenting the lack of fiction about women’s roles in Vietnam. We weren’t disappointed in the knowledge we gained about the difficult role of nursing during the war, and the long-lasting effects of the job.

Just for the Summer Book Cover

Book Summary

Every woman Justin dates seems to find their soulmate right after breaking up with him. It’s his curse, and now, thanks to a Reddit thread, EVERYONE knows.

However, his viral embarrassment may have a silver lining. Emma has the same problem and has sent him a message. The solution is obvious. They’ll date each other, break up, and then destiny will bring them each their own soulmates.

Traveling nurse Emma finds a job in Minnesota and rents a cute cottage on Lake Minnetonka for her summer fling with Justin. But when Emma’s toxic mother shows up, and Justin has to assume guardianship of his three siblings, they’re suddenly navigating a lot more than they expected. Will these challenges quickly rip them apart, or does fate have other plans?

The Book Girls Say…

Abby Jimenez’s books never fail to make us laugh out loud, but this is much more than just a breezy beach read. It also deals with many complex, heavy topics, which makes this novel an excellent summer book club pick!

While this book is #3 in the Part of Your World series, each of the books has separate main characters and can be read as stand-alone. You will see brief updates on the characters from Part of Your World as you read Just for the Summer. So, if you plan to read all three, they are best enjoyed in order.

Also Featured on These Book Lists:

Guide to Abby Jimenez Books in Order
Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez – Discussion Questions and Book Club Guide
Minnesota Books: The Best Books Set in the Land of 10,000 Lakes

PS: We also have a printable Just for the Summer book club guide available on Etsy, including discussion questions, themed games, a printable bookmark, and more!

The Girl with the Louding Voice book cover

Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book

97% Would Recommend to a Friend

Book Summary

Adunni is a 14-year-old girl living in poverty in a Nigerian village. She loves school and knows that learning all she can is the key to achieving a better life. But, despite promising to allow Adunni’s schooling to continue after her mother’s death, Adunni’s father makes a decision that ends her education in the village and changes the trajectory of her life.

You’ll be moved to both tears and cheers as Adunni endures and overcomes heartbreaking challenges while remaining focused on her dream of an education.

The Book Girls Say…

We would both give this one more than 5 stars if we could.

While we didn’t experience this ourselves, some readers struggle with the dialect in either audio or written form, but find that the other form works well for them (ie: if the audio isn’t working for you, try reading and vice versa). The main character, Adunni, tells the story using her limited English, and one of the beautiful parts of the writing is that you can see her improvements over time.

In August of 2024, the sequel, And So I Roar, was released. It picks up when Adunni is 15 years old, and the husband she escaped is searching for her. Again, she will need to use her louding voice to protect herself and others in her village.

Book Summary

If you could find out exactly how many years you have left to live, would you want to know?

On the same day, all around the world, every person over the age of 22 receives an identical box. Inside each is a string. At first, no one knows what the strings mean, but it soon becomes apparent that a long string means long life and a short string foretells a life cut short.

As society responds to the revelation of the boxes, each person must make a choice – do you want to know how long you will live? If so, what will you do with that knowledge? And what if your choice is different from those you care about most?

These are the dilemmas facing the eight protagonists in The Measure, whose fates become interwoven as their individual stories unfold.

The Book Girls Say…

This is a book that really makes you think and will stick with you long after you’ve read the last page. We think it’s a perfect book to listen to on a road trip because it offers up abundant topics for a discussion with no right or wrong answers.

While there are multiple main characters, each is well-developed, and it’s not hard to keep track of each storyline.

Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book

100% Would Recommend to a Friend

Book Summary

While this book takes place on September 11, 2001 and the following days, it’s not the constantly devastating story you would expect. Instead, this heartwarming book recounts the experiences of countless passengers from some of the 38 planes that were unexpectedly diverted to Newfoundland – an island in Canada’s easternmost province – when US airspace was closed on 9/11. On that day, the small town of Gander, with a population of just 10,000, received more than 6,600 passengers from 92 countries. Ganderites, along with residents of the surrounding towns, opened the doors to the local churches, schools, and even their own homes.

Throughout this book, you’ll not only learn the personal stories of the passengers, but you’ll also learn a lot about life on this tiny, remote island and about the unexpected hosts who welcomed strangers from around the world with open arms and generous hearts.

The Book Girls Say…

We’ve both seen and loved the musical Come From Away, so we already knew some of the story, but we learned so much more from this book. The selflessness of the residents of Gander and the surrounding towns will warm your heart page after page. It is one of the most uplifting, faith-in-humanity-restoring books we’ve ever read.

Melissa read the entire book in one night, staying awake until the wee hours of the morning with her Kindle because it was such a needed, heartwarming read. She didn’t want to leave Gander, even to go to sleep. Angela says that the audiobook, narrated by Ray Porter, is especially well done.

Heirloom Garden Book Cover

Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book

100% Would Recommend to a Friend

Book Summary

After losing her husband in WWII and her daughter to illness, Iris walled herself off from the world. She’s spent many decades hiding behind the tall fence around her home. In place of human connection, Iris has surrounded herself with a family of flowers. She propagates her daylilies and roses and tends to a garden that helps her keep memories of those she loved alive.

Abby is a young mother whose husband has recently returned from military service in Iraq. When Abby’s family rents a cottage along Lake Michigan, next door to Iris’ property, the older woman can’t help but view the young family as a window to the life she once had.

As Iris and Abby’s family are drawn together by their shared love of flowers, the friendship that blossoms between them is a testament to the healing power of both gardening and human connection.

The Book Girls Say…

This book is an interesting look at PTSD for soldiers returning from war, and its effect on the soldier’s family. The comparisons between the 1940s & 2000s add an additional discussion point.

Readers particularly enjoy the audio version of this heartwarming book because of the two different narrators who read for Iris and Abby. Keep the tissues nearby as you read because you’re sure to shed a few cathartic tears during the ultimately uplifting tale.

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Comments on: The Most Recommended Books from our First Five Years

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3 Comments

  1. Mitzi Shirk says:

    I have read the majority of these and loved them all!

  2. Lynda Thompson says:

    So glad to see Harry’s Trees on this list. Wonderful book!

  3. What a great list. Thank you so much. I am happily surprised that I’ve read all but 6 on your list and have added them to my TBR!