›
This forum is in permanent archive mode. Our new active community can be found here.

Suggest a book

Mr. EricMr. Eric
edited December 2008 in Everything Else
I have to read a book for my second quarter in English.

I've been reading these books as of late. Can anyone suggest something else I would like?

The Count of Monte Cristo (Dumas)
Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Part One (Gibbons)
A Short History of Byzantium (Norwich)
A Treatise of Human Nature (Hume)

There are probably more that I can't think of right now, but if anyone could think of a book I might like, I'd like to know.
«1

Comments

  • ......
    edited December 2008
    Read all five The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy books? One of the books I read for English class in high school that I enjoyed was The Picture of Dorian Gray. There are also the Sherlock Holmes stories, but these are short and might not be suitable for your English class. Can't really give you any specific titles sadly, since I haven't read the books you listed. Though The Count of Monte Cristo has been on my to-read-one-day list for some time.
    Post edited by ... on
  • Mr. EricMr. Eric
    I prefer classical literature, I figured you guys would know some good titles.
  • ......
    I prefer classical literature, I figured you guys would know some good titles.
    The Picture of Dorian Gray and Sherlock Holmes are classical literature! Also both from the mid-to-late nineteenth century, just like The Count of Monte Cristo.
  • kiwi_birdkiwi_bird
    "No Longer Human" by Osamu Dazai is a great book, one of my favorites.
  • Mr. EricMr. Eric
    I prefer classical literature, I figured you guys would know some good titles.
    The Picture of Dorian GrayandSherlock Holmesare classical literature! Also both from the mid-to-late nineteenth century, just likeThe Count of Monte Cristo.
    I was just mentioning that so other people know.
  • rhinocerorhinocero
    If you're interested in historical stuff, there's always Macaulay's History of England, which is written in a very engaging manner and is significant in terms of views of history. If you want some fiction, it might be interesting to read Thomas Pynchon's Mason and Dixon. It's modern, but it's written in the style of a late 18th century novel, and it's very good, since it's Pynchon. Obviously, Tale of Two Cities is excellent, but that's probably a bit basic. It doesn't quite fit in with your time period, but I would feel remiss if I didn't also recommend GK Chesterton's The Man Who Was Thursday. It's on the short side, but it's an entertaining read.
  • Li_AkahiLi_Akahi
    Have you read Alice's Adventures in Wonderland or Beyond the Looking Glass?
  • STAggieSTAggie
    Thucydides History of the Peloponnesian War
    Thomas Hobbes Leviathan


    I would read those two as they go along with the Hume you have been reading.
  • ErwinErwin
    The Alchemist (Paulo Coehlo)
    The Witch of Portobello (same author)
  • whateverwhatever
    Have you read The Stranger by Camus?
  • jccjcc
    Ralph Waldo Emerson's Essays are worth a read. Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville is interesting if you like political history and can get past the dull intro...

    Maybe something by Hemingway? :)
  • SailSail
    edited December 2008
    I wouldn't call Hemingway classical literature. The Stranger isn't really either, but it's still really good.

    But The Sun Also Rises is still the best book ever written.
    Post edited by Sail on
  • whateverwhatever
    edited December 2008
    ButThe Sun Also Risesis still the best book ever written.
    You spelled House of Leaves wrong.
    Post edited by whatever on
  • SailSail
    ButThe Sun Also Risesis still the best book ever written.
    You spelled House of Leaves wrong.
    So did you.
  • ......
    So did you.
    Spelling is not the same as typography.
  • BlattusBlattus
    The Great Gatsby by R. Scott Fitzgerald is a great read though it may be a bit more modern than what you're looking for. Dickens is great in terms of classics, and I would recommend A Tale of Two Cities. Also, Heart of Darkness by Joesph Conrad, Beowulf (the Seamus Heaney translation), The Canterbury Tales by Chaucer, and Shakespeare might all work.
  • whateverwhatever
    Naked Lunch came out in the 50's. Is that old enough?
  • Mr. EricMr. Eric
    Well as it turns out, The Prince is a very short and easy read, so I'm going to finish that first, then maybe I'll try the Thucydides and Hobbes. Thanks for all of the suggestions.

    What makes House of Leaves so good? I've heard a lot of raving about it.
  • rhinocerorhinocero
    What makes House of Leaves so good? I've heard a lot of raving about it.
    My understanding, without having read it, is that it uses a non-linear narrative and a lot of non-textual things (footnotes, marginal notes, that sort of thing) to communicate the story, and it plays a lot with text format (pages with all the text around the edge of the page, for example).
  • WindUpBirdWindUpBird
    What makes House of Leaves so good? I've heard a lot of raving about it.
    My understanding, without having read it, is that it uses a non-linear narrative and a lot of non-textual things (footnotes, marginal notes, that sort of thing) to communicate the story, and it plays a lot with text format (pages with all the text around the edge of the page, for example).
    House of Leaves is good, but its not the best book ever written. It rambles at points, which is why I've only read half of it.

    Someone mentioned Naked Lunch and I agree fully. I would also recommend checking out The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov.
  • whateverwhatever
    Although sometimes it can get tedious, a lot of Zampano's pseudoscientific rambling and Johnny's drugged up manifestos do a great job of communicating how messed up both characters are.
  • kumarhkkumarhk
    I don't know if this counts as a "classic", but A History of the English-speaking Peoples by Winston Churchill is a very good book.
  • NecroNecro
    I think you might like Shogun by James Clavell.I have to add that it is historically accurate and based on actual events.
  • gomidoggomidog
    Bleh, I hate Shogun. There are so many better books about Japanese history.
  • DiagorasDiagoras
    I wouldn't know if this would fall under your criteria, but I would recommend I, Claudius by Robert Graves. It is essentially a mock autobiography of the Roman Emperor Claudius I. It was assigned to me in a sophomore history class, and I love it. It goes from his childhood to the assassination of Caligula.
  • ColdguyColdguy
    Winesburg, Ohio (Sherwood Anderson)
  • Admiral HotcakesAdmiral Hotcakes
    If it's oldish literature, then I recommend Tortilla Flat by Steinbeck. Also, do not read The Odyssey, as it is overread and ate my soul freshman year.
  • Mr. EricMr. Eric
    edited December 2008
    I wouldn't know if this would fall under your criteria, but I would recommend I, Claudius by Robert Graves. It is essentially a mock autobiography of the Roman Emperor Claudius I. It was assigned to me in a sophomore history class, and I love it. It goes from his childhood to the assassination of Caligula.
    That book looks absolutely fascinating. I haven't read too much about the Pre-adoptive Emporer time period, so this seems like it would be compelling to me.
    Post edited by Mr. Eric on
  • NecroNecro
    Bleh, I hate Shogun. There are so many better books about Japanese history.
    I didn't really look for a book on Japanese history,what I looked for was an entertaining book.
  • csrjjsmpcsrjjsmp
    The Alchemist (Paulo Coehlo)
    The Witch of Portobello (same author)
    If you were to have just one iota of interest in your heart for The Alchemist, then the whole universe will bear witness to your inherent goodness and longing and it will conspire to make you love it.
    IOW: It's crap.
    The protagonist searches all over for a 'treasure,' finding love and friendship along the way, but always ditches those people so he can find the treasure. Does the treasure turn out to be something even deeper then those things? Nope it's a hoard of gold.
    This is one of the few books I would actively recommend against someone reading.


    The Once and Future King is a good book that seems like it would fit your taste, but it's a bit kiddy, especially in the beginning.
    The Decline and Fall of Practically Everybody is a funny non-serious history book aimed at a more casual audience.
    I like Pearl Buck's historical fiction too.
Sign In or Register to comment.