Any kind of literature by or involving Stephen King (and his alter-ego). With credentials such as Carrie, The Dark Tower series, IT, Christine, The Green Mile, Different Seasons, etc, you really can't lose.
I'm a bit more than halfway through Hyperion, and I picked up 1984 and Dracula the other day to chip away at the list of great books I haven't read. I also finished War and Peace and Brave New World recenty, which are both books I would highly recommend.
I'm a bit more than halfway throughHyperion, and I picked up1984andDraculathe other day to chip away at the list of great books I haven't read. I also finishedWar and PeaceandBrave New Worldrecenty, which are both books I wouldhighlyrecommend.
I love Brave New World because it is so similar to 1984, and it has that dystopian futuristic style of writing that I adore in books. My only gripe with it (also a gripe of Huxley's strangely enough) is that although it did predict a few things, he totally forgot to include the notion of nuclear warfare. He even says as much in a book of essays about the book entitled Brave New World Revisted. \
Last month, I readThe Book Thiefby Markus Zusak. The book is about a young, orphaned German girl and her foster parents before and during World War II. However, the book is narrated by the Grim Reaper, who is a very interesting character. The book describes itself as being about: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery. . . .
The book is long, but alternately funny, awesome, haunting, and sad. I strongly recommend it.
Ever since I read a bunch of the discworld books, any time Death is a character in a book, I imagine death with a voice like two slabs of lead being smacked together.
It's funny you should say that as there just so happens to be an old point and click adventure game about Discworld based on Guards! Guards!, made back in the day. It is an awesome game for two reasons: #1: It retains all the humor and charm of the discworld novels. #2: Eric Idle plays Rincewind!!! Here is a vid of Rincewind meeting Death for the first time in the game;fully voice acted.
Stephen King has some decent work, but to recommend his entire body of work as "good" is pushing it.
You're right Mrs. MacRoss, maybe I am laying it on a bit too thickly. But I just find that the majority of his body of his work, in my opinion, ranges either from fair to extremely well written and there are very few times when I've found a Stephen King book I've disliked.
The Physician by Noah Gordon is a really amazing book. It starts out with the main character's birth in 11th century London and describes his trip to Persia to become a Medicus. This book is truly epic.
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers, which I am reading presently, is (in spite of the most pretentious title ever) probably the most creative/funny/heartbreaking/interesting autobiography I have ever read. I recommend it to everyone.
I've been reading White Noise by Delillo after reading that passage David Foster Wallace quotes in A Supposedly Fun Thing. I cannot tell if getting this peak into what seems like DFW's main source of inspiration when he wrote those essays and Infinite Jest is giving me a deeper understanding of the latter novel or if it is making me feel like DFW is just rehashing Delillo's ideas in a way that is easier for punk kids to relate to, since IJ is about a teenage pothead and not a college professor. Maybe a little bit of both. Not that making Delillo easier to relate to for someone my age. I adore IJ and believe that it has made me a much smarter and more self-aware person, whereas I have absolutely no emotional connection with any of the characters in White Noise. I would like the opinion of someone who has read both novels, please, if there are any people on here who have. I am half way through both.
I just finished upThe Bell Jarby Sylvia Plath. It's an incredibly depressing book, but a good read.
I enjoyed it. Much better thanCatcher In The Rye, which it's often compared to.
I took your recommendations and finished the book in a two days bus marathon. Not sure if it's better than the Catcher. The Catcher has a very strong literary structure - every chapter relates to it, and so does the language and characters. It's a great feat of careful planning and execution. Plath's channeling of the language in The Bell Jar is mesmerizing, despite the editing being a bit off at times. Sure, it's partly autobiographical, but still... I enjoyed it more, but I can't say if it's actually better. It feels like reading an amazingly well written journal, which lacks a layer of depth that would make it shine.
Gene Wolfe's The Book of the New Sun (Shadow of the Torturer, Claw of the Conciliator, Sword of the Lictor, and Citadel of the Autarch) is a very good book.
Some recommendations in no particular order: Self-Made Man: One Woman's Journey into Manhood and Back by Norah Vincent A Sideways Look at Time by Jay Griffiths The True Believer by Eric Hoffer Nectar in a Sieve by Kamala Markandaya Dreams and Shadows: The Future of the Middle East by Robin Wright The Last Great Revolution: Turmoil and Transformation in Iran by Robin Wright The Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston 1434: The Year a Magnificent Chinese Fleet Sailed to Italy and Ignited the Renaissance by Gavin Menzies 1421: The Year China Discovered America by Gavin Menzies Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain by Oliver Sacks Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time by Greg Mortenson
Is Oliver Sacks the dude on Radiolab who ate twenty pounds of liver? I remember that book being mentioned on one of their episodes.
Umm... maybe? I will google it later. He has been on Radiolab, but in my quick search I saw nothing about eating liver. He is the doctor whose work became the basis for the film Awakenings. I plan to pick up some more of his work. Not only his the substance fascinating, but it is well presented and frequently humorous.
Last month, I read The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. The book is about a young, orphaned German girl and her foster parents before and during World War II. However, the book is narrated by the Grim Reaper, who is a very interesting character. The book describes itself as being about: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery. . . .
The book is long, but alternately funny, awesome, haunting, and sad. I strongly recommend it.
If you enjoyed The Book Thief, I would say it would be worth it to check out I am the Messenger, also by Zusak. Just as wonderfully well written, just as much a mix of humor, suspense, and emotion... and still COMPLETELY different from The Book Thief. It's about an underage cab driver in Australia who suddenly starts getting cards with addresses on them, and figures out that he's supposed to go to these addresses and help people. He doesn't know who's sending him the cards or why, and every address leads to a different situation.
On a Zusak-related side note, I happen to be in a mock Prints Club that attended the American Library Association convention the year Zusak won a Prints honor for The Book Thief. We got to meet him and talk to him (and receive free copies of his books that we got to get signed), and he's very down-to-earth and easy to talk to. We'd talked to him a little during his signing session, and he happened to pass by a few members of our club while we were getting lunch and ended up eating lunch with us. All in all, it was the BEST experience I've ever had with meeting a "celebrity". Take it from me, not only does he write well, he's awesome in person, too.
Comments
\ It's funny you should say that as there just so happens to be an old point and click adventure game about Discworld based on Guards! Guards!, made back in the day. It is an awesome game for two reasons: #1: It retains all the humor and charm of the discworld novels. #2: Eric Idle plays Rincewind!!!
Here is a vid of Rincewind meeting Death for the first time in the game;fully voice acted.
Not sure if it's better than the Catcher. The Catcher has a very strong literary structure - every chapter relates to it, and so does the language and characters. It's a great feat of careful planning and execution.
Plath's channeling of the language in The Bell Jar is mesmerizing, despite the editing being a bit off at times. Sure, it's partly autobiographical, but still...
I enjoyed it more, but I can't say if it's actually better. It feels like reading an amazingly well written journal, which lacks a layer of depth that would make it shine.
Self-Made Man: One Woman's Journey into Manhood and Back by Norah Vincent
A Sideways Look at Time by Jay Griffiths
The True Believer by Eric Hoffer
Nectar in a Sieve by Kamala Markandaya
Dreams and Shadows: The Future of the Middle East by Robin Wright
The Last Great Revolution: Turmoil and Transformation in Iran by Robin Wright
The Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston
1434: The Year a Magnificent Chinese Fleet Sailed to Italy and Ignited the Renaissance by Gavin Menzies
1421: The Year China Discovered America by Gavin Menzies
Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain by Oliver Sacks
Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time by Greg Mortenson
On a Zusak-related side note, I happen to be in a mock Prints Club that attended the American Library Association convention the year Zusak won a Prints honor for The Book Thief. We got to meet him and talk to him (and receive free copies of his books that we got to get signed), and he's very down-to-earth and easy to talk to. We'd talked to him a little during his signing session, and he happened to pass by a few members of our club while we were getting lunch and ended up eating lunch with us. All in all, it was the BEST experience I've ever had with meeting a "celebrity". Take it from me, not only does he write well, he's awesome in person, too.