How to Read a Book Audiobook By Monica Wood cover art

How to Read a Book

A Novel

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How to Read a Book

By: Monica Wood
Narrated by: Eileen Stevens
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About this listen

"The perfect pick to really light a fire under my book club, and yours....A reminder that goodness, and books, can still win in this world." —New York Times Book Review

"A beautiful, big-hearted treasure of a novel." —Lily King

National Bestseller *

From the award-winning author of The One-in-a-Million Boy comes a heartfelt, uplifting novel about a chance encounter at a bookstore, exploring redemption, unlikely friendships, and the life-changing power of sharing stories.

Our Reasons meet us in the morning and whisper to us at night. Mine is an innocent, unsuspecting, eternally sixty-one-year-old woman named Lorraine Daigle…

Violet Powell, a twenty-two-year-old from rural Abbott Falls, Maine, is being released from prison after serving twenty-two months for a drunk-driving crash that killed a local kindergarten teacher.

Harriet Larson, a retired English teacher who runs the prison book club, is facing the unsettling prospect of an empty nest.

Frank Daigle, a retired machinist, hasn’t yet come to grips with the complications of his marriage to the woman Violet killed.

When the three encounter each other one morning in a bookstore in Portland—Violet to buy the novel she was reading in the prison book club before her release, Harriet to choose the next title for the women who remain, and Frank to dispatch his duties as the store handyman—their lives begin to intersect in transformative ways.

How to Read a Book is an unsparingly honest and profoundly hopeful story about letting go of guilt, seizing second chances, and the power of books to change our lives. With the heart, wit, grace, and depth of understanding that has characterized her work, Monica Wood illuminates the decisions that define a life and the kindnesses that make life worth living.

"A deeply humane and touching novel; highly recommended for book clubs and fans of Shelby Van Pelt's Remarkably Bright Creatures."Booklist

©2023 Monica Wood (P)2023 HarperCollins Publishers
Friendship Genre Fiction Small Town & Rural Women's Fiction Feel-Good Heartfelt
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Beautiful Storytelling • Compelling Characters • Emotional Depth • Lyrical Prose • Thoughtful Pacing
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Loved the way Monica Wood brought the characters to life! Life can be unfair, and we may make tragic mistakes, but compassionate, caring people can make it so much better.

Story of redemption and love

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I enjoyed this gentle tale of love and forgiveness. As an older lady I appreciated the romance between Harriet and Frank.

The characters, I just finished snd I miss them already.

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This was my most recent book for book club and it did not disappoint! One of the best fiction books I’ve read in a long time. A great book for contemplating the complexities of life and the beauty woven with the many stories we each experience in life. I highly recommend this book - twists and turns and doesn’t disappoint!

So good!!!

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This was a story with heavy content, but somehow made you feel light and hopeful. I loved it.

The story…so redeeming. I loved it.

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I liked the characters; the interwoven narrative; the unique story. This was a thoughtful, moving, well-paced read.

Unique, lovely, heartwarming story

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I loved the characters. Rounded and flawed people, they were so endearing. The African Gray Parrots were brilliant. I’d never heard of them before and learned a lot from and about them. Monica Wood is now one of my favorite authors. Her care for her characters is evident and remarkable. The narrator was wonderful - thoughtful and carefully paced. I would recommend this one to anyone wanting a new and fresh reading experience.

What an extraordinary book!

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Loved it. So poetic and heartwarming. What a beautiful story full of life lessons. Highly recommend it.

Beautiful Book!

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It is such a heartwarming tale of life. The good the bad and the messy in between. I am usually a fantasy and romance reader and thought the tales of these characters would bore me. But it was so heart warming to see forgiveness and acceptance through these characters lives.

Great read… it captures a chapter in one’s life

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Okay, I’m from Maine and I like Monica Wood‘s writing, but there was more to this book than I’d ever expected.

The parrots were a great addition to the character list!

Excellent Narration, Excellent Book

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For sure one of the most endearing heartfelt soul warming books I’ve read in a long long time. I got it free on audible so I’m listening to it. Both the author and narrator are new to me and I am a huge fan!!!!

Genuinely loved EVERYTHING about this book❤️

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