Carol

Thankful For Family Themes in Literature #toptentuesday

November 24, 2020

Thankful For Family Themes in Literature

top ten tuesday

I’m linking up today with That Artsy Reader Girl: Top Ten Tuesday: Thanksgiving Freebie.

TTT 10 Books With Family Themes (Image: a father and mother sit on the ground and hold their small daughter on their shoulders)

Image Source: Canva

Families

This year during the Pandemic, most of us have appreciated our families more than ever. We’ve missed visiting them; we’ve missed family celebrations and milestones; we’ve been isolated at home with them; we’ve probably participated in or observed “drive by” parties; and some have lost loved ones during this year.

For this week’s TTT Thanksgiving prompt, my thoughts turn to how thankful I am for family…birth families…found families…blended families…adopted families…extended family…challenging or complicated families…all the families. This post is a collection of stories that focus on family and all its complexities.

*Titles are Amazon affiliate links.

10 Books With Family Themes

We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter

(Throughout this WW11 historical fiction novel, the family is an important underlying theme; I especially love the poignant ending in this story!)
My 5 star review of We Were the Lucky Ones here.

we were the lucky ones

A Place For Us by Fatima Faheen Mirza

(A complicated, multi-generational family drama…on my lifetime favs list)
My 5+ star review of A Place For Us here.

A Place For Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza (cover)

All the Devils Are Here by Louise Penney

(Family themes run deep in this latest installment of the Inspector Gamache series)
My 5 star review of All the Devils Are Here here.

All the Devils Are Here by Louise Penny (cover) Image: text over a background of a darkened Eiffel Tower against a swirly painted sky

The Mountains Sing by Nguyen Phan Que Mai

(Family loyalty in this heart-wrenching, histfic Vietnamese story is compelling)
My review of The Mountains Sing here.

The Mountains Sing by Nguyen Phan Que Mai (cover) Image: white text over a mountaineous background

Inheritance: A Memoir of Genealogy, Paternity, and Love by Dani Shapiro

(A DNA discovery complicates relationships in this close family)
My review of Inheritance here.

Inheritance by Dani Shapiro (cover) Image: white text over a baby's christening dress

Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo (YA)

(A complicated and poignant story of discovered family)
My review of Clap when You Land here.

Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo (cover)

Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi

(The compelling story of a family troubled by addiction and mental illness)
My 5 star review of Transcendent Kingdom here.

Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi (cover) Image: gold text on light pink (top half) and black (bottom half) background

The Story of Arthur Truluv by Elizabeth Berg

(A heartfelt story of found family)
My review of The Story of Arthur Truluv here.

The Story of Authur Truluv by Elizabeth Berg (cover) Image: a man holds a yellow umbrella over a young woman

More to the Story by Hena Khan (MG)

(A modern retelling of Little Women from a Pakistani-American perspective…perfect mother/daughter read aloud with your middle-grade reader)
My Goodreads review of More to the Story here.

More to the Story by Hena Khan (cover) four girls lying on their backs forming a circle on the floor with their heads nearly touching

The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street (MG)

(A lighthearted, fun, and heartfelt family story….perfect for a read aloud with middle grade readers)

Vanderbeekers

….and so many more!

QOTD!

Do you love a book with family themes?

Do you have a rec to add to this list?

ICYMI:

My Year in NonFiction #nonficnov 2020

Fiction and Nonfiction Book Pairings #nonficnov 2020

Play the Expert: Memoirs and Biographies #nonficnov 2020

Adding Nonfiction Titles To My TBR #nonficnov 2020

Let’s Get Social!

Thank you for reading today! I’d be honored and thrilled if you choose to enjoy and follow along (see subscribe or follow option), promote, and/or share my blog. Every share helps us grow. Find me at:
Twitter
Instagram
Goodreads
Pinterest

***Blogs posts may contain affiliate links. This means that at no extra cost to you, I can earn a small percentage of your purchase price.

Unless explicitly stated that they are free, all books that I review have been purchased by me or borrowed from the library.

The book covers are credited to Amazon or an author’s (or publisher’s) website.

© ReadingLadies.com

34 comments

  4. The seven sisters by Lucinda Riley. I do like that family dynamic as well! We were the lucky ones is on my TBR and The story of Arthur Truluv just caught my eye.

    Lovely choices!

    Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

    Elza is grateful for

    Reply

  8. Wow I haven’t heard of any of these! In fantasy some of my favorite families are (found) families, like Harry Potter, The Diminished and it’s sequel, the one Blake just reviewed because the protagonist was adopted by like everybody, even The Golden Compass books where Lira is also adopted by like everybody. I really don’t read much general fiction 🙁

    Reply

  10. These are great! Several books I’ve read lately have had strong themes of found family rather than just family. The Wild Path was one of my favorites recently that featured family.

    Reply

  12. I love books dealing with family. Of course you have a list full of books I haven’t read yet. I do have a few on my TBR though. Off to goodreads to check some of them out.

    Reply

  13. That is a nice twist to the topic. I have a post about Thanksgiving tomorrow so didn’t want to repeat myself. But I love your idea.

    Reply

Leave a Reply