Books I Would Love For My Daughter To Read | Newbie Blogger Spotlight

Very early on in my daughter’s life, I compiled a list of books that I wanted to make sure she would read.

I really hope that she actually wants to read them, that she is an avid reader, a bookworm. I’m hoping that because she is already surrounded by books, and that we take regular trips to the library, that she will indeed enjoy soaking up inspirational stories about wonderful and diverse characters.

Of course, most of these books are for the later years of her childhood, and this list is most definitely not complete (I’m not sure if it ever will be, because I have a feeling I’ll be recommending books to her for as long as I live), but here is the list so far:

When Rona Jaffe's superb page-turner was first published in 1958, it changed contemporary fiction forever. Some readers were shocked, but millions more were electrified when they saw themselves reflected in its story of five young employees of a New York publishing company. Almost sixty years later, The Best of Everything remains touchingly—and sometimes hilariously—true to the personal and professional struggles women face in the city. There's Ivy League Caroline, who dreams of graduating from the typing pool to an editor's office; naïve country girl April, who within months of hitting town reinvents herself as the woman every man wants on his arm; and Gregg, the free-spirited actress with a secret yearning for domesticity. Jaffe follows their adventures with intelligence, sympathy, and prose as sharp as a paper cut.

One of my favourite books of all time. It is a brilliant tale about four women, trying to figure out life in the 1950’s, and how to get the life what they want (and finding out if the things they thought they wanted are actually worth it).

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
Published by Vintage on December 1st 2005
Pages: 497
Goodreads

A seductive and evocative epic on an intimate scale, that tells the extraordinary story of a geisha girl. Summoning up more than twenty years of Japan's most dramatic history, it uncovers a hidden world of eroticism and enchantment, exploitation and degradation. From a small fishing village in 1929, the tale moves to the glamorous and decadent heart of Kyoto in the 1930s, where a young peasant girl is sold as servant and apprentice to a renowned geisha house. She tells her story many years later from the Waldorf Astoria in New York; it exquisitely evokes another culture, a different time and the details of an extraordinary way of life. It conjures up the perfection and the ugliness of life behind rice-paper screens, where young girls learn the arts of geisha - dancing and singing, how to wind the kimono, how to walk and pour tea, and how to beguile the most powerful men.

Another amazing read (as all of these books are!). Memoirs Of A Geisha is so brilliantly written, I could barely put it down. It opened up a historical culture that I never knew about before, and had me ferociously rooting for the main character, Sayuri.

Noughts Crosses by Malorie Blackman
Published by Penguin on April 6th 2017
Pages: 512
Goodreads

Sephy and Callum have been friends since early childhood. And that's as far as it can go. Because theirs is a world full prejudice, racism, distrust and mounting terrorist violence.

Despite all this, a romance builds between the two friends. But this is a love story that could lead both of them into terrible danger . . .

'The most original book I've ever read' Benjamin Zephaniah

'Unforgettable' Guardian

I remember reading this in English class in Year 9 and learning so much from the story. I think it’s one of those forever-famous pieces of Young Adult fiction.

Under the Skin by Michel Faber, David Mitchell
Published by Canongate on July 6th 2017
Pages: 296
Goodreads

Isserley spends most of her time driving. But why is she so interested in picking up hitchhikers? And why are they always male, well-built and alone?

In this haunting, entrancing novel, Michel Faber introduces us to Isserley, a female driver who cruises the Scottish Highlands picking up hitchhikers. Scarred and awkward, yet strangely erotic and threatening, she listens to her hitchhikers as they open up to her, revealing clues about who might miss them if they should disappear. A grotesque and comical allegory, Under the Skin takes us on a heart-thumping ride through dangerous territory — our own moral instincts and the boundaries of compassion — to present a surreal representation of contemporary society run amok.

An utterly unpredictable and macabre mystery, 'Under the Skin' is a genre-defying masterpiece.

Yes, the main character is an alien kerb-crawler, but the way that she looks at the world and fights for her freedom are so beautifully written – which is why this is one of my top 5 books of all time.

Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
Published by Black Swan on January 30th 2014
Pages: 622
Goodreads

What if you had the chance to live your life again and again, until you finally got it right?

During a snowstorm in England in 1910, a baby is born and dies before she can take her first breath.

During a snowstorm in England in 1910, the same baby is born and lives to tell the tale.

What if there were second chances? And third chances? In fact an infinite number of chances to live your life? Would you eventually be able to save the world from its own inevitable destiny? And would you even want to?

Life After Life follows Ursula Todd as she lives through the turbulent events of the last century again and again. With wit and compassion, Kate Atkinson finds warmth even in life’s bleakest moments, and shows an extraordinary ability to evoke the past. Here she is at her most profound and inventive, in a novel that celebrates the best and worst of ourselves.

Every time the main character dies, I couldn’t help but continuously root for her to survive each new chapter. Her lives are full of heartache, mistakes, gruelling hard-work, adventure and sometimes abuse, but still, the character of Ursula continues to endure and make the most out of life in post-WW2 Britain.

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
Published by Faber & Faber on January 1st 1970
Pages: 234
Goodreads

Working in New York one hot summer, Esther Greenwood is on the brink of her future. Yet she is also on the edge of a darkness that makes her world increasingly unreal. In this vivid and unforgettable novel about the struggles of growing up, Esther's world shines through: the wide-eyed country girls, her crazed men-friends, hot dinner dances and nights in New York, and a slow slide into breakdown.--back cover

A classic that doesn’t need much of a description. I hope my daughter finds it as powerful of a read as I did.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Harry Potter #1) by J.K. Rowling
Published by Bloomsbury on September 1st 2014
Pages: 332
Goodreads

Harry Potter's life is miserable. His parents are dead and he's stuck with his heartless relatives, who force him to live in a tiny closet under the stairs. But his fortune changes when he receives a letter that tells him the truth about himself: he's a wizard. A mysterious visitor rescues him from his relatives and takes him to his new home, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

After a lifetime of bottling up his magical powers, Harry finally feels like a normal kid. But even within the Wizarding community, he is special. He is the boy who lived: the only person to have ever survived a killing curse inflicted by the evil Lord Voldemort, who launched a brutal takeover of the Wizarding world, only to vanish after failing to kill Harry.

Though Harry's first year at Hogwarts is the best of his life, not everything is perfect. There is a dangerous secret object hidden within the castle walls, and Harry believes it's his responsibility to prevent it from falling into evil hands. But doing so will bring him into contact with forces more terrifying than he ever could have imagined.

Full of sympathetic characters, wildly imaginative situations, and countless exciting details, the first installment in the series assembles an unforgettable magical world and sets the stage for many high-stakes adventures to come.

I think as a young girl my daughter would really enjoy the first of the Harry Potter series, and maybe she’ll go on to read the rest of them – I hope that if she does, she maybe revisits them as an adult (like I did), because you certainly appreciate different parts of the Harry Potter books when you get a little older.

Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder, Paulette Møller
Published by Phoenix on January 1st 1970
Pages: 436
Goodreads

When 14-year-old Sophie encounters a mysterious mentor who introduces her to philosophy, mysteries deepen in her own life. Why does she keep getting postcards addressed to another girl? Who is the other girl? And who, for that matter, is Sophie herself? To solve the riddle, she uses her new knowledge of philosophy, but the truth is far stranger than she could have imagined.

A phenomenal worldwide bestseller, Sophie's World sets out to draw teenagers into the world of Socrates, Descartes, Spinoza, Hegel and all the great philosophers. A brilliantly original and fascinating story with many twists and turns, it raises profound questions about the meaning of life and the origin of the universe.

Full of philosophy and imagination, Sophie’s World is full of fascinating facts and discussions about life and the meaning of it.

George Orwell's 1984 (REA's Literature Study Guides) by Karen Brodeur
Published by Research & Education Association on June 12th 1995
Pages: 120
Goodreads

REA's MAXnotes for George Orwell's 1984 MAXnotes offer a fresh look at masterpieces of literature, presented in a lively and interesting fashion. Written by literary experts who currently teach the subject, MAXnotes will enhance your understanding and enjoyment of the work. MAXnotes are designed to stimulate independent thought about the literary work by raising various issues and thought-provoking ideas and questions. MAXnotes cover the essentials of what one should know about each work, including an overall summary, character lists, an explanation and discussion of the plot, the work's historical context, illustrations to convey the mood of the work, and a biography of the author. Each chapter is individually summarized and analyzed, and has study questions and answers.

I wonder what life will be like by the time my daughter reads 1984? I dread to think at this rate! But still, I want her to read books that make her think, make her question things around her, and 1984 is certainly one of those books.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
Published by Pocket Books on February 2nd 2009
Pages: 232
Goodreads

"I walk around the school hallways and look at the people. I look at the teachers and wonder why they're here. Not in a mean way. In a curious way. It's like looking at all the students and wondering who's had their heart broken that day...or wondering who did the heart breaking and wondering why."

Charlie is a freshman. And while he's not the biggest geek in the school, he is by no means popular. Shy, introspective, intelligent beyond his years yet socially awkward, he is a wallflower, caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it. Charlie is attempting to navigate his way through uncharted territory: the world of first dates and mixed tapes, family dramas and new friends; the world of sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, when all one requires is that perfect song on that perfect drive to feel infinite. But Charlie can't stay on the sideline forever. Standing on the fringes of life offers a unique perspective. But there comes a time to see what it looks like from the dance floor.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a deeply affecting coming-of-age story that will spirit you back to those wild and poignant roller-coaster days known as growing up.

A bittersweet tale of friendship in your teen years, I think she will fall in love with this book (just like I did).

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon
Published by Vintage Classics on November 1st 2018
Pages: 288
Goodreads

‘A superb achievement. He is a wise and bleakly funny writer with rare gifts of empathy’ Ian McEwan

It was 7 minutes after midnight. The dog was lying on the grass in the middle of the lawn in front of Mrs Shears’ house. Its eyes were closed. It looked as if it was running on its side, the way dogs run when they think they are chasing a cat in a dream. But the dog was not running or asleep. The dog was dead.This is Christopher’s story, and through this radically imaginative and generous novel, his world is revealed, full of terror, love, strangeness and surprise.

This book was heart-breaking, but in a really good kind of way. It gives an insight into what Asperger’s Syndrome is like, and I wish to educate my daughter about other people’s lives as much as possible, and I reckon stories are one of the most impactful tools for that.

Stoner by John Williams, John McGahern
Published by Vintage on July 5th 2012
Pages: 306
Goodreads

Librarian's note: Alternative cover edition here.

William Stoner enters the University of Missouri at nineteen to study agriculture. A seminar on English literature changes his life, and he never returns to work on his father's farm. Stoner becomes a teacher. He marries the wrong woman. His life is quiet, and after his death his colleagues remember him rarely.

Yet with truthfulness, compassion and intense power, this novel uncovers a story of universal value.

Stoner tells of the conflicts, defeats and victories of the human race that pass unrecorded by history, and reclaims the significance of an individual life. A reading experience like no other, itself a paean to the power of literature, it is a novel to be savoured.

Another classic, I love this book because it’s so brutal, so honest about how life sometimes turns out.

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Published by Walker Books on April 6th 2017
Pages: 448
Goodreads

"What's the point of having a voice if you're gonna be silent in those moments you shouldn't be?"

Sixteen-year-old Starr lives in two worlds: the poor neighbourhood where she was born and raised and her posh high school in the suburbs. The uneasy balance between them is shattered when Starr is the only witness to the fatal shooting of her unarmed best friend, Khalil, by a police officer. Now what Starr says could destroy her community. It could also get her killed.

Such an important and powerful read about racism, police brutality and growing up as a POC. A must-read.

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Published by Fourth Estate on February 23rd 2017
Pages: 477
Goodreads

Ifemelu and Obinze are young and in love when they depart military-ruled Nigeria for the West. Beautiful, self-assured Ifemelu heads for America, where despite her academic success, she is forced to grapple with what it means to be black for the first time. Quiet, thoughtful Obinze had hoped to join her, but with post-9/11 America closed to him, he instead plunges into a dangerous, undocumented life in London. Fifteen years later, they reunite in a newly democratic Nigeria, and reignite their passion—for each other and for their homeland. 

A love story that also tackles racism and loss, it didn’t take me long to finish this book because I just didn’t want to put it down.

Thanks for reading! Make sure you check out Lauren’s blog, This Stuff is Golden, and Twitter,@TSIGolden! Go and share the love to a newbie blogger <3