Reader 2

Reader 2 is a good friend who lives in New York City. She gave a "10" to classic lit, literary fiction, nonfiction, and short stories, so I focused my search on just those.

My recommendations

-- The World without Us by Alan Weisman and Suburban Safari: A Year on the Lawn by Hannah Holmes

My friend said her favorite nonfiction topic was the interaction between humans/society and nature. The first title I found on a ALA Notable Books list, and the second is written by an author who NoveList said was a readalike for one of Reader 2's favorite authors, Barbara Kingsolver.

-- News of the Spirit by Lee Smith and Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman: 24 Stories by Haruki Murakami

These were interesting-sounding books of short stories from the ALA Notable Books lists.

-- The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood

This was my pick for literary fiction, found on an ALA Notable Books list. I read an Atwood book for book club several months back, so I could vouch for her writing skill. I thought her prose was very poetic.

To Dance: A Ballerina’s Graphic Novel by Siena Cherson Siegel

Reader 2 said she was open to graphic novels, so I recommended this one, which is one of my favorites. I told Reader 2 I thought she would appreciate this one because she enjoyed the Alvin Ailey dance recital we went to several years back, and I detailed other reasons as well.

Response

Reader 2's immediate response was, "Thanks for my reading list! I have not read any of those books, although I have read (and liked) other books or stories by Lee Smith and Margaret Atwood. I remember hearing about "The World Without Us" when it was published. Looks like a good list!" And when I visited her in New York last week, she brought up the list out of the blue and said she wanted to read these books as soon as she was done with the ones she was currently reading.