One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez are quite good, but not to everyone's taste.
The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold. I really liked this. It's sort of a mystery, though the reader knows who did it early in the book (for reasons I shouldn't explain if you decide to read it). It's funny and quite sad, and you really feel for the girl.
A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole. One of my most fave books ever. I've read it at least 6 times and still find it hilarious. Though, you either love it or hate it. Some people can't get past the obnoxiousness of the main character to see the humour.
5. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee I studied it at school... but it is thoughtprovoking, and discrimination remains eternally topical. Like all plays, I'd suggest seeing it as well as or instead of reading it.
53. Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons cos it's ace and you'd love it. See my journal for details.
56. The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon Is the epitome of a bibliophile's book. And an adventure. One of the few books I was tempted to immediately re-read.
I'll second 68. Bridget Jones' Diary - Helen Fielding because it's very funny, and although it's a caricature, every woman sees something she's done that was bloody stupid in it.
69. Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie Seems to have been mistaken for literature because it's by Salman Rushdie, but is actually fantasy. It overlaps reality in India and you're never quite sure if the fantasy part is really real or not, but that can work well. You might incidentally learn some recent Indian history, but it's not tediously educational.
I avoid Mitch Albom like the plague, what crap. Unmitigated crap. "Tuesdays With Morrie", what a pice of doo that book is. I rate it up (down) there with that other piece of excretement "Ishmael" by Daniel Quinn. Totally different subjects but similar drivel. GAH!
I'm in the camp that some of the books that get pushed in public school education can be important as reference points for general cultural reference points. If you know what you need to about the book then maybe only read it because you have a desire to do so. Does that make sense? "Grapes of Wrath" fits in there for me; I really, really, really like the story so I'm happy to read and re-read it.
I like "To Kill A Mockingbird" for the child-like perspective.
"Confederacy of Dunces" is hilarity. The forward is tragically funny and mirrors the absurdity of the book. His mom... OMG! Anyway. I laughed, would laugh again.
Comments 4
The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold. I really liked this. It's sort of a mystery, though the reader knows who did it early in the book (for reasons I shouldn't explain if you decide to read it). It's funny and quite sad, and you really feel for the girl.
A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole. One of my most fave books ever. I've read it at least 6 times and still find it hilarious. Though, you either love it or hate it. Some people can't get past the obnoxiousness of the main character to see the humour.
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Do not, I repeat do not, read A Fine Balance - it is the most depressing book known to man.
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I studied it at school... but it is thoughtprovoking, and discrimination remains eternally topical. Like all plays, I'd suggest seeing it as well as or instead of reading it.
53. Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
cos it's ace and you'd love it. See my journal for details.
56. The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Is the epitome of a bibliophile's book. And an adventure. One of the few books I was tempted to immediately re-read.
I'll second 68. Bridget Jones' Diary - Helen Fielding
because it's very funny, and although it's a caricature, every woman sees something she's done that was bloody stupid in it.
69. Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie
Seems to have been mistaken for literature because it's by Salman Rushdie, but is actually fantasy. It overlaps reality in India and you're never quite sure if the fantasy part is really real or not, but that can work well. You might incidentally learn some recent Indian history, but it's not tediously educational.
91. Heart of Darkness - Joseph ( ... )
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I avoid Mitch Albom like the plague, what crap. Unmitigated crap. "Tuesdays With Morrie", what a pice of doo that book is. I rate it up (down) there with that other piece of excretement "Ishmael" by Daniel Quinn. Totally different subjects but similar drivel. GAH!
I'm in the camp that some of the books that get pushed in public school education can be important as reference points for general cultural reference points. If you know what you need to about the book then maybe only read it because you have a desire to do so. Does that make sense? "Grapes of Wrath" fits in there for me; I really, really, really like the story so I'm happy to read and re-read it.
I like "To Kill A Mockingbird" for the child-like perspective.
"Confederacy of Dunces" is hilarity. The forward is tragically funny and mirrors the absurdity of the book. His mom... OMG! Anyway. I laughed, would laugh again.
Reply
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