Overheard at the Office Party:
What Everyone’s Reading

Most parents are constantly juggling a million things while desperately trying to find more time in the day. Finding time to read something for yourself is tough, so when you can steal a few minutes, you want to make sure the book in your hand is good and worthy.

I asked some fellow parents what they’ve read and loved recently. I hope you find at least one book on this list of favorites that piques your curiosity.

Anthony Doerr’s All the Light We Cannot See was the most recommended book I heard. People described it as “beautiful,” “intricate,” “so good!” “inventive,” and “the best book I’ve read in a long time.” I have added this to the top of my To Be Read list after all the ringing endorsements.

Everything I Never Told You, a debut novel from Celeste Ng, was repeatedly recommended. While the first chapter can be quite difficult for parents to read (the death of a child is something none of us want to think about), the amazing writing and character development made this a compelling read.

When Emily St. John Mandel’s Station Eleven was published in the fall of 2014, it was praised by both critics and readers alike. Many of my friends urged me to read it. Deanna said, “I’ve always read stories about the coming or just-leaving apocalypse, but I do think they have special relevance for parents. We like to think that all we do for [our kids] will turn them into decent, healthy human beings. These books, despite sometime fantastical plots, remind us that once their bodies are out of ours, it’s often impossible to protect them. You can buy all of the protective gear, follow all of the guidelines, and feed them organic food, but how do you prepare for what you can’t see coming?”

Lena highly recommended The Girl with All the Gifts by M.R. Carey. “It’s in the sci-fi(ish) genre…but this is a totally fresh and unexpected take on it. It completely subverts your expectations and provides a great story as well. It’s tense and exciting and doesn’t rely on well worn tropes to entertain.”

Lynn “just finished Lena Dunham’s book [Not That Kind of Girl]. It’s hard to sum up exactly why I liked it book so much. It was honest – really honest. Cringe-worthily honest, at some points.” She went on to say, “In short, there was an element of feminism that spoke to me, and the book portrayed her as a young woman who is truly, bravely, shaking off society’s expectations and forging her own path.”

Tavis Smiley’s new book, Death of a King, was published in late 2014. Smiley recounts the last year of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s life, which was fraught with both passion and struggle yet is no longer widely discussed or known. Both Kristin and her husband are reading it; she called it “an interesting read for the historical and personal perspective on his life.”

There were also quite a few mentions of books that are not new but have been re-released thanks to movie and TV adaptations. Unbroken has remained on the bestseller list since its 2010 release; the movie hit theaters last December (and along with the movie release came a YA adaptation). The Starz network’s new TV series based on Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series brought new fans to the books. And David Fincher’s version of Gone Girl has only increased the buzz around Gillian Flynn’s breakout thriller.

I have been a fan of John Grisham for years (probably twenty at this point) and was very excited to read his new book, Gray Mountain. It did not disappoint! A smart, independent woman stars in his newest, set in coal country.