A Book For All Reasons: Musing Mondays

Today's Musing Mondays prompt from Should be Reading:

What’s one book you always recommend to just about anyone?

Nothing like making me really think on a Monday morning! It's tough to have one book recommendation that would appeal to both men and women, much less appeal to people who love certain genres over others. But I cheat way too often with vague answers, so I'm going to own this one. I may be wrong, but I'll be committed.

Of the recent books I read, I would recommend The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. This book would make both fiction and nonfiction readers happy. Plus, thanks to equal parts family saga and science details, the book can appeal to both men and women. A winner down the line. For more information, my review is here.

My Top Five Books in the Last Five Years (as seen on my sidebar):

1. Stones from the River, Ursula Hegi
2. Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man, Fannie Flagg
3. Sophie's World: A Novel About the History of Philosophy, Jostein Gaarder
4. I Know This Much is True, Wally Lamb
5. The Honk and Holler Opening Soon, Billie Letts

But, with the exception of Lamb's book, these appeal more to women than men. If I was in a room full of women making book recommendations, all of these would be on my list plus some of my new independent and small press favorites as seen here.

 

What book would you recommend to a mixed group of readers?