[xionja]

I think I've created a thread similar in the past . . .

But its time for another. So if you've read any amazing books or ones that changed your life, or that you simply recomend for a fun read, list away.


Personally I'm on my way through Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky almost done. I recomend this one to everybody. It could easily be the best book I've ever read. Its really fun to read too.

Another that most people have read, but that if you havn't . . . is of course The Grapes of Wrath. I don't really have the words to describe it, anybody else. . .

Another staple I had alot of fun with, Demian by Herman Hesse, its a nice short one. This was an especially fun one, a friend recommended it to me because he said my beliefs were pretty much what the book was about. Pretty much was too

Lesse, Mary Karr's Viper Rum has got to be the best book of poems I've read in the last few months, I also like her memoirs, anybody else a fan?

Plato's four plays about Socrates trial: Euthyphro, Apology, Crito and Phaedo. Had to read these about 4 times each to understand anything But I highly recomend doing the same

Others:
A Raisin in the Sun, it was a school assignment, but I really liked it. I figured I should be racially diverse right? ha

Sincerity and Authenticity - Lionel Trilling, 6 lectures he gave at Harvard a long time ago . . .

Cronopios and Fama's, Julio Cortázar - Wow. Easily a recent favorite. Get it to read to your kids, get it to read before bedtime, or just to make your self laugh . . . alot

The Metamorphosis, Kafka. A short one. Convinced me similes were for shit.

[InactionMan]

Just finished "Flames Across The Border" by Pierre Berton. Nice little book about the War of 1812. We kicked your ass. Fun read.

Now I'm reading some crap-ass novel about Chinese immigrants living in Vancouver in the 1930's. Very, very boring. I can't even remember the title.

I've read Crime and Punishment four trillion times. Best book ever.

[curiousuburb]

Just finished -
Emergence by Steven Johnson.
Excellent and thought provoking views of emergent systems in ants, cities, software.

Backroom Boys by Francis Spufford.
A series of case studies on the secret glories of British boffins, from aerospace through computer games.

Next up -
How Mumbo-Jumbo Conquered the World by Francis Wheen

examines the view that reason is now on the retreat both as an ideal and as a reality, replaced by cults, quackery, gurus, irrational panics, New Age mysticism, moral confusion and an epidemic of mumbo-jumbo. From Deepak Chopra through Nancy Reagan's Astrologer, superstitions and fundamentalism seem to be resurgent.

[Windswept]

Originally Posted by InactionMan We kicked your ass. Fun read.

I'll have to read that.

[Windswept]

Last week I read a travel book called Avoiding Prison and Other Noble Vacation Goals by Wendy Dale.

She's probably the only person in the world who would go to Costa Rica and end up spending the entire time visiting someone in prison.

I've bought a stack of travel books to read. Next, I think I'll read about the journeys of Marco Polo. Or maybe I'll check out some of those Michael Palin books someone mentioned in another thread.

I read Crime and Punishment in college, but can't remember it well enough to comment (except that *fun* is not the first descriptive word that springs to mind ).

[Wickers]

I'm in the middle of Sun Tzu's The Art of War

Yah, I know, but still it caught my eye at a book store and I find it very interesting so far.

[Maciej]

Originally Posted by xionja Personally I'm on my way through Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky almost done. I recomend this one to everybody. It could easily be the best book I've ever read. Its really fun to read too.

Hmmm, I sorta of disagree about Crime and Punishment. I read it my last year of H.S. and I found it to be quite dry to read, it didn't seem to flow right.

Originally Posted by xionja Plato's four plays about Socrates trial: Euthyphro, Apology, Crito and Phaedo. Had to read these about 4 times each to understand anything But I highly recomend doing the same

I agree 100% here, Plato's Five Dialogues are quite a read, especially if you want to be able to discuss them in your phil class. Its difficult to keep track of the discussion because the philosophy can be a little boggling if you don't have the right introduction to it.

I'll throw in a couple recommendations myself.

I personally love anything from the Romantic or the Sensible era. So I strongly suggest reading Pride and Prejudice, its my favorite book. And Austen is a great author.

If you want a nice, difficult read try Heart of Darkness, and then watch Apocalypse Now, it was great that way.

And if you haven't read Hamlet yet, you better crawl out from underneath your rock, because its only the best play ever written. (Well my Shakespeare favorite anyway).

[BlueRabbit]

Well, with Crime and Punishment, it kinda depends on which translation you read. When I read it last year, the school copy was really boring, but the one I ended up reading was quite fun to read.

I'll second the previous suggestions of Heart of Darkness and Hamlet; they're both awesome.

Other cool books I've read recently include The Trial (more Kafka!), 100 Years of Solitude (long and a bit confusing, but the end is awesome), 1984, and White Noise (by Don DeLillo, not related to the movie at all ).

[Windswept]

Originally Posted by Maciej I personally love anything from the Romantic or the Sensible era. So I strongly suggest reading Pride and Prejudice, its my favorite book. And Austen is a great author.

Well, hey! I'm totally impressed.

Yeah, it *is* a great book. Austen writes SO well.

I imagine you saw the six-hour TV version?

I loved that.

[thegelding]

x girl...

reading the classics, always a good thing


but throw in some more modern ones every now and then also...also try some varied styles (even some pulp and Sci Fi can be classics)

modern classics to try:

JD Salinger--Catcher in the Rye

Vonnegut--Cat's Cradle (or Sirens of Titan or Mother Night or .....)

Hunter Thompson--Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

A Clockwork Orange (Burgess)
Lolita (Nabakov)
1984 (Orwell)
Invisible Man (Ellison)
Catch 22 (Heller)
A Portrait of the Artist As a Young Man (Joyce)
Tropic of Cancer or Sexus (Miller)
Animal Farm (Orwell)
Atlas Shrugged (Rand)
Slaughterhouse-Five (Vonnegut)

Pulp Fiction Classics--

Raymond Chandler--The Big Sleep and The Long Goodbye

Jim Thompson--The Killer Inside Me

Sci Fi---

depends on what you are looking for---50's sci fi---The Foundation Trilogy
60's-70's sci fi--Stranger in a Strange Land---more mind freak type Sci fi---Dhalgren or any Philip K Dick---A Scanner Darkly is my fav of his

More Obscure titles that you should read:

A Confederacy of Dunces

more modern---Running with Scissors or Wonder Boys

have fun


g

[xionja]

Don't worry g,

Originally Posted by thegelding modern classics to try: JD Salinger--Catcher in the Rye check Vonnegut--Cat's Cradle (or Sirens of Titan or Mother Night or .....) check Hunter Thompson--Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas check A Clockwork Orange (Burgess) on bookshelf Lolita (Nabakov) 1984 (Orwell) check Invisible Man (Ellison) Catch 22 (Heller) check A Portrait of the Artist As a Young Man (Joyce) Tropic of Cancer or Sexus (Miller) Animal Farm (Orwell) check Atlas Shrugged (Rand) Slaughterhouse-Five (Vonnegut)

Alright went to the bookstore to cash in on the recomendations so far:

Maciej, got Hearts of Darkness, but i've already seen apocolypse now, whoops . . .

curiousburb - got the emergence book. It looks really cool. I like books like that.

bluerabbit, i've had 100 years of solitude sitting around forever, but everytime i start it I get really bored quick. Maybe its the translation? which translation did you read/like that was good?

[Mass Appeal]

Anything by H.P. Lovecraft or Roald Dahl. Both have fantastic short story collections.

[Naderfan]

I never got through Crime and Punishment, although I really liked the Brothers Karamozov (I know I misspelled that but I'm too lazy to look it up) and The Idiot. War and Peace was good too. I love The Count of Monte Cristo by Dumas. One of my favorites.

Anything by Elie Wiesel is good in my opinion

Some books I loved to read when I was young and still re-read from time to time are The Secret Garden and many books by L.M. Montgomery (Anne of Green Gables author)

Fail-Safe was a great book about the Cold War that I had to read for my history class.

I know there are others, but I can't think of them off the top of my head. But if you're really into the classics, you have to pick up The Count of Monte Cristo.

[Windswept]

I remember liking The Talisman by Scott when I was fifteen. I really loved historical novels back then - escape into past times and places. Yeah, The Count of Monte Cristo, The Man in the Iron Mask, The Three Musketeers. Great stuff.

I read most of Thomas Hardy when I was 16 - Return of the Native, The Mayor of Casterbridge, Tess of the Durbervilles, etc., and then polished those off with The Forsyte Saga.

I even *vaguely* remember a quote from that book. Something along the lines of:

"...the bracken grove of irretrievable delights, of golden moments in the long marriage of heaven and earth."

Can't forget Anna Karenina and War and Peace.

[BlueRabbit]

Originally Posted by xionja bluerabbit, i've had 100 years of solitude sitting around forever, but everytime i start it I get really bored quick. Maybe its the translation? which translation did you read/like that was good?

Well, the main issue most people have with that book is that it has a ton of characters. The family tree in the front is your friend.

Past that, it gets better after about 50 pages or so, once the timeline settles down and goes more linearly. I'm pretty sure that most of the translations are very similar, moreso than Crime and Punishment, since Marquez is still alive, and I seem to recall that he had something to do with the translation.

[InactionMan]

I couldn't stand War and Peace. I can't stand Tolstoy. Biggest mistake I ever made was taking a course on Tolstoy.

Anything by Will Self is a good read. His short stories are fantastic. I think Grey Matter is a tad better than Cock and Bull.

And for the Canucks, Russell Smith's How Insensitive is great book about douchebaggy Toronto hipsters that pollute College Street and Queen West/West Queen West. That book taught me to hate those people.

[709]

Originally Posted by InactionMan Anything by Will Self is a good read. His short stories are fantastic. I think Grey Matter is a tad better than Cock and Bull.

You fuck. I happen upon this thread and find you stealing my lines. I concur. Will Self is absolutely fantastic....although, I'd probably steer xionja more towards 'Tough tough toys for tough tough boys', and then 'My idea of fun'. Let her get used to the sick genius that is Self.....then bury her in it.

You've obviously got a grip on the essentials, love, so I might as well recommend some of the more recent authors I've liked. Easy yet rewarding reading and all that. William Morrow comes to mind firstly. 'Towing Jehovah' was a hoot, and 'Bible Stories for Adults' is pretty great as well.

If you hate Steve Martin's stupid humour, read 'Shopgirl' and 'The Pleasure of My Company'. You will LOVE them both. Seriously. I do not lie. The man is a genius.

I'd go into how Robert Anton Wilson fucked me up as a teenager...but I really don't wan't to relive that.

Oh, and everything Vonnegut. Everything.

[Maciej]

Originally Posted by Carol I imagine you saw the six-hour TV version? I loved that.

I didn't, but I am generally disappointed by TV portrayals of books... I recently saw a version of it at the movie store when I was passing by, but did not bother enough to check it out...

[Windswept]

Originally Posted by Maciej I didn't, but I am generally disappointed by TV portrayals of books... I recently saw a version of it at the movie store when I was passing by, but did not bother enough to check it out...

After watching the TV version, I read the book again just to see how close the mini-series was to the novel.

I was amazed that a huge portion of the dialogue was lifted directly from the book's pages and placed right onto the screen...word for word.

If you liked the book, I think you'd love the mini-series just as much as I did. I enjoyed the landscapes, the houses, the clothes - the whole aura of England in the early 1800's. Honestly, they did a great job on the TV version.

There are 'several' film versions of Pride and Prejudice. I'm talking about the most recent, with Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy.

[Maciej]

If I'm ever having a lonely night I'll look into it, thanks Carol.

[nomorewindows]

I love book stuff! Nice thread!

Winter's Tale-Mark Helprin (read this, beauty personified)

Catcher in the Rye (almost bitch-slapped the librarian in high school for censoring the "bad" words)

Songs in Ordinary Time-Mary McGarry Morris (amazing characterizations)

Gone With the Wind (everybody needs an escape)

The Plague-Albert Camus (scary!)

Any of Tess Gallagher's poetry

Any of Raymond Carver's short stories

Anything by Agatha Christie

Love in the Time of Cholera-Gabriel Garcia Marquez

The Lottery Ticket-Anton Chekhov (just because I like Chekhov)

Word Freak-Stefan Fatsis (if you've ever played Scrabble or wondered why anyone does, you must read this!)

Rebecca-Daphne Du Maurier (more escapism)

Cookbooks (I have over 100)

Fast Food Nation-Eric Schlosser (really scary)

There are so many more. I love books and clearly recall the INSTANT I learned how to read.

[InactionMan]

Originally Posted by 709 You fuck. I happen upon this thread and find you stealing my lines. I concur. Will Self is absolutely fantastic....although, I'd probably steer xionja more towards 'Tough tough toys for tough tough boys', and then 'My idea of fun'. Let her get used to the sick genius that is Self.....then bury her in it.

Ha! Another Will Self fan. Whodda thunk it. I must admit that I was unprepared for the madness that is Will Self. I picked up How the Dead Live on a whim and was just totally weirded out throughout the entire thing. Haven't read either of the ones you mentioned and I just might have to.

And I just checked Amazon....does this guy ever stop writing? He's got another book of short stories out.

Click Me to read one of the shorts from the new book.

[Windswept]

Originally Posted by nomorewindows Anything by Agatha Christie

Yeah, I'm addicted. Miss Marple. Hercule Poirot.

How about Sherlock Holmes? I love those.

Have you read any of the Lord Peter Wimsey novels?

I just *LOVE* classic British mysteries. I'll go to the library and check out the whole series of a certain author, and read one per day until I'm finished.

I've read SO many different series; but I also have an appallingly bad memory for how the mystery turns out; so later I can read the series all over again, almost as if for the first time.

*That* is pretty much the only advantage to having a bad memory. But if a person is destined to have one, getting to read books over again is a nice little perk.

OH! How could I have forgotten some of my all-time favorite books? I love adventure. I love military stuff. So I devoured the 20-volume, *beautifully-written*, Patrick O'Brian "Aubrey-Maturin" naval series. Takes place during the Napoleonic Wars. The movie 'Master and Commander' was based on two of those books. The books talk about sails a lot, so I started testing myself on identifying the sails on a ship diagram in the front of each book. For awhile there, I could name almost all the sails on an 18th-19th century sailing vessel. No mean feat, believe me!

Then, I really loved the Sharpe's Rifles series. Deals with rifle sharpshooters in the British Army during the Napoleonic Wars. Just great stuff. Total addiction. And how could I forget the Horatio Hornblower naval books? Loved those, too. Ahhh...books.

How about Mary Renault historical novels? Like about Alexander the Great. Fire from Heaven; Persian Boy? She was an incredible writer.

[nomorewindows]

Originally Posted by Carol I've read SO many different series; but I also have an appallingly bad memory for how the mystery turns out; so later I can read the series all over again, almost as if for the first time. *That* is pretty much the only advantage to having a bad memory. But if a person is destined to have one, getting to read books over again is a nice little perk.

That's kind of funny. My spouse does this, sort of. Buys a book, reads ten pages then figures out we already have the book. I'm this way with movies, kind of. I know I've seen the movie, but can't remember who dies, who loves whom, etc. All I know is I LOVE BOOKS. Movies, too.

[xionja]

Alright, I wrote a list of books to read in order of importance taking into account the suggestions so far. I like to write lists.

-All the Kings Men - Robert Penn Warren
-Hells Angels - Hunter Thompson (now that he's dead)
-Fathers and Sons - Ican Turgenev
-Tough Tough Toys for Tough Tough Boys - Will Self (I take 709's recomendations very seriously)
-Toten and Taboo - Frued

[Windswept]

Originally Posted by nomorewindows That's kind of funny. My spouse does this, sort of. Buys a book, reads ten pages then figures out we already have the book. I'm this way with movies, kind of. I know I've seen the movie, but can't remember who dies, who loves whom, etc. All I know is I LOVE BOOKS. Movies, too.

Heh. I used to do this *all* the time. I'd re-check out a book that I had read only three months previously.

I got so disgusted, that finally I started writing reviews of every book I read. I'd write at least a paragraph; then rate the book on a scale of 1-10. I now have a large manuscript of book reviews.

I forgot to mention Vietnam War books. I've read about 150 of those, and reviewed at least 100 of them. Can recommend 13th Valley; Five Fingers; Body Count; Mekong, and many more.

Spy novels by Trevanian are great.

[Franz Josef]

A varied list but here goes:

Anything by Tom Sharpe is laugh-out-loud-funny - quite literally. It's about apartheid in South Africa and Sharpe is excellent at poking dark fun at the stupidity of the system.

Best travel book I know is Jan Morris, "Trieste and the meaning of nowhere". Trieste is in northern Italy (near Venice), has a fascinating history and if you haven't been there, would recommend it - stay at the Grand Hotel Duchi D'Aosta.

Any of Jean Paul Sartre's plays are a good read (particularly Les Mouches - The Flies), as are Friedrich Schillers (particulary Don Carlos and Maria Stuart).

Another left field choice is the Wisdom Of Crowds (http://www.randomhouse.com/features/wisdomofcrowds/) by James Surowiecki. It's a very readable intelligent look at decision making - the collective v the individual. And not nearly as heavy as it sounds!

Slavenka Drakulic (How we survived Communism and even laughed) is an insightful look at life under Communism - good if your interest is eastern europe or feminism. Funny too.

[nomorewindows]

Originally Posted by Carol Heh. I used to do this *all* the time. I'd re-check out a book that I had read only three months previously. I got so disgusted, that finally I started writing reviews of every book I read. I'd write at least a paragraph; then rate the book on a scale of 1-10. I now have a large manuscript of book reviews.

You sound like my step-daughter. She has read thousands upon thousands of books and catalogs them this way. She has a room full of books, not to mention the ones she gives away, or trades. Wish I had the time to read more!

[SKMDC]

Watership Down - Richard Adams

any Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Nicholas Nickleby & Great Expectations - Charles Dickens

The Sun Also Rises - Ernest Hemingway

Portnoy's Complaint - Phillip Roth

Fear & Loathing on the Campaign Trail - Hunter S. Thompson

Ragtime & Billy Bathgate - E L Doctorow

Rules of Attraction - Bret Easton Ellis

The Right Stuff & The Bonfire of the Vanities - Tom Wolfe

Full Circle - Michael Palin

The Sirens of Titan & Galapagos - Kurt Vonnegut

[Crusader]

I might as well chime in:

(Books already mentioned)
All the King's Men (I love Hugy Long, such a neat guy... to say the least)
The Art of War (Read it, know it, love it. One of the foundations of eastern thought. A really neat thing to do is read the Art of War and then The Prince... it will really make you think)
1984 (Duh)
A Confederacy of Dunces (A really funny book, apparently they are (finally) making it into a movie with Will Feerl... don't know how that's gonna work)

(Books I recommend)
Fahrenheit 451 (Duh)
American Gods by Neil Gaiman (A really surreal book... I can't really describe it)
Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman (Nuff Said)
The Man Who Was Thursday (It took me forever to get a copy of this, but a really good, surreal book)
Anything by Edgar Allen Poe (Esp. The Gold Bug, Fall of the House of Usher, The Murders in Rue Morgue, and The Pit and the Pendulum)
Lincoln by Gore Vidal
The Years of Lyndon Johnson series by Robert Caro

I'd give some more, but I have to run to class.