CurlyIam Posted June 13, 2005 Share Posted June 13, 2005 I must confess that as far as reading goes, I have intense periods when I read a lot, and times when all I read is the news. As much as I'd like to blame it on my pure laziness, which I confess, does have a part in it, I realise that not having a reference point also deconcentrates me. I know, I can google "must read" books and probably find tones of titles and clasifications. There's just another issue: I read for pleasure and I'm not necessarily seeking the Truth :blush:. would like to make two or three suggestions with a name of a book and a breif description of it? Not necessarily about the subject, but what moved you while reading that book. Special books, funny books, thrilling books, life changing books, just feel free to talk about a few of them. I'd really love to see what you people are reading these days !!! Link to post Share on other sites
tiki Posted June 13, 2005 Share Posted June 13, 2005 The Catcher in the Rye Must read. Link to post Share on other sites
Stone Posted June 13, 2005 Share Posted June 13, 2005 I only read self help books, I'm not to much into stories. Now I am reading Dr. Phil's Faimly First it is a must read for anyone with Kids Link to post Share on other sites
Pocky Posted June 13, 2005 Share Posted June 13, 2005 Another Book Discussion Link to post Share on other sites
snarky Posted June 13, 2005 Share Posted June 13, 2005 The Poisonwood Bible - Kingsolver The Alchemist DaVinci Code Right now I'm reading John Irving's "A Prayer for Owen Meany" - really like it so far! Link to post Share on other sites
morrigan Posted June 13, 2005 Share Posted June 13, 2005 Will and Ariel Durant's series, Story of Civilization Malcolm Barber-- Trials of the Templars Albert Mudrian--Choosing Death, the History of Death Metal and Grindcore John Carr -- Robespierre, The Force of Circumstance Claude Manceron-- Twilight of the Old Order Anything by John D. MacDonald or Richard Rhodes Link to post Share on other sites
LucreziaBorgia Posted June 13, 2005 Share Posted June 13, 2005 I am currently reading a stack of junk fiction, along with one really good one - one that will likely make it into my top 10 or 15: Vanity Fair. A novel by William Makepeace Thackeray - which was originally published as a serial novel in the mid 1800's. It is primarily the story of Becky Sharp, an opportunist and social climber who will use and abuse anyone to get what she wants and further herself in life. She is incapable of anything approaching human emotion and empathy, even insofar as her own child who she treats like a piece of furniture, and drags him out for 'motherly displays' only when she notices that it is fashionable to do so and she wants to compete with her genuinely maternal sister in law - she is purely selfish. A villain that you can't take your eyes off of. Atrocious! But you can't help but watch her - she's like a black widow or a bright coral snake, deadly - but hypnotizing. Its a brilliant comic novel - sharp wit, scathing social commentary wrapped in wry humor. I watched the movie first - and liked it. Then I read the book, and ended up really disliking the movie in every sense except the characterization - the movie helped put names to faces and give concrete visuals to the settings in the book. The subplots are also interesting, its not as hard to read as I thought it would be (each chapter leaves you wanting to read the next one, and so forth). Link to post Share on other sites
lindya Posted June 13, 2005 Share Posted June 13, 2005 Originally posted by LucreziaBorgia I am currently reading a stack of junk fiction, along with one really good one - one that will likely make it into my top 10 or 15: Vanity Fair. A novel by William Makepeace Thackeray - which was originally published as a serial novel in the mid 1800's. Love that book. Read it ages ago, but remember being surprised by how up to date some of the humour in it was. Also the classics often provide really insightful analyses of human nature without any reference to psychoanalytic theory. Link to post Share on other sites
IhavenoFREAKINclue Posted June 13, 2005 Share Posted June 13, 2005 The Mulberry Tree or the Summerhouse by Jude Deveraux. I love the way she writes. Easy reading and you can't put any of her books down. But those are my 2 favorites. Also, L.A. Dead is goos by Stuart Woods. He writes very good murder mysteries. Also, easy to read. Link to post Share on other sites
d'Arthez Posted June 13, 2005 Share Posted June 13, 2005 The Brothers Karamazov by Dostoyevsky What I really like about this book is how the characters of the brothers are worked out, and how the differences in their personal life, and perceptions of things, result in different courses of action; the battle between the religious and rationalist perspectives on society and life stand out. Often the quote "If God is dead, everything is permitted", is attributed to a character of the book, even though this formulation does not exist in it. Even though it sounds heavy, it reads quite easily. And of course Curly, you are well aware of my love for works by Balzac. I could recommend quite a few of his works, and some of his short stories are highly captivating. As our societies have changed, it is simply impossible to write as a Dostoyevsky or a Balzac anymore. But nonetheless both offer great writing, from which you can also learn things regarding the human psychology. Link to post Share on other sites
Author CurlyIam Posted June 13, 2005 Author Share Posted June 13, 2005 Balzac is too intricated for my taste. His long long pages of detailed descriptions of mural motives on the houses... interesting, just not quite of my taste. I liked "The Karamazov Brothers' ". His pathos is quite similar to my country's specificity... I loved Katia's character, of course. Those characters are very easy to get attached to, they so faithfully follow their own interior rythm: of life, of love, of lust, of decay. I confess having read "Crime and Punishment" first which made an even stronger impression on me. The main character's restlessness, his choices, his being trapped - I could really relate to that. My favourite author is Hemingway. It's not for his deep, touching stories or for his international fame. I am completely subdued to his passion, he's got such a force, he takes such a pleasure in just living, in completely detaching from reality and savourating the atmosphere of a party, the suspense of a hunt, the eyes closing while savourating a delicious meal. I wish I were able to do that, to live with such passion and so completely, almost till self abandonment. I very much enjoyed "Fiesta" for that reason. "To have and to have not" was interesting... I still have to find "the old man and the sea". I think I have a thing for Virginia Wolf. I've read "To the Light House" and loved it. Read Mrs. Dalloway and understood it only after seeing The Hours. Read Voyage Out. She... is so strange, she is so cut-in-deep honest, and even if her characters are at times artificial, stereotypical even, she has the gift of catching 'the moment': the conversation, the time, the revelation, which normally would just run by, but you, yourself, you feel it differently. She senses that too and catches it wonderfully in Voyage Out. The end is melodramatic, but then the whole subject is a bit melodramatic. Link to post Share on other sites
moimeme Posted June 13, 2005 Share Posted June 13, 2005 Anything by Hermann Hesse. Look beyond the stories and you see a deep spirituality. Link to post Share on other sites
HoneyWheat Posted June 13, 2005 Share Posted June 13, 2005 1. The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure by William Goldman ---its really funny...several laugh out loud moments..but there is something kinda evil sewn into the book i can't quite put my finger on...but the very end of the buttercup's baby is great! I rented the movie first because I wanted to see what was it about this film that MEN LOVE SO MUCH....when i saw it many years ago...i thought it was a dumb movie...watching the movie again recently i kinda got it but kinda didn't....then i bought the book...glad I did...now I understand WHY MEN love this book so much 2. Invisible Man I read this a long time ago (20 years +)...most memorable is the character's perspective of walking on the streets during the civil rights riots 3. How to win friends and influence people...Dale Carnegie....this is a good book about successful human relations 4. How to think big...very inspirational Link to post Share on other sites
Marshbear Posted June 13, 2005 Share Posted June 13, 2005 The Good Earth by Pearl Buck About life in China in the early 20th century. Family missionaries start out as farmers, start to prosper and raise their family. Become wealthy and the children grow up falling into the pitfalls of wealth ( drugs, leisure, etc.) and forget the roots of their family and the earth. The book goes into many Chinese cultural taboos like women foot binding and the like. The Fountainhead by Ayn Rands About an American architect who is disillusioned by American life and tries to combat the ways of this fellow neighbors. Link to post Share on other sites
lindya Posted June 14, 2005 Share Posted June 14, 2005 The Fountainhead by Ayn Rands About an American architect who is disillusioned by American life and tries to combat the ways of this fellow neighbors. Oh, I love that book too. Howard Rourke had this complete, calm conviction that the traditional way was crap and his was infinitely better. Given the persuasive style of writing, and the purity of the main character, you were forced to agree with him - though if I'm completely honest I'm sure I would have been one of the people who hated his buildings in real life. There was a definite element of the Emperor's New Clothes in that book, but I loved it nonetheless and must read it again some time. Link to post Share on other sites
Author CurlyIam Posted June 14, 2005 Author Share Posted June 14, 2005 Originally posted by moimeme Anything by Hermann Hesse. Look beyond the stories and you see a deep spirituality. Hesse is good too. I've read most of his books, the Glass Bead Game is my favourite by far. In the same note, a bit more mystic even is Umberto Eco. I really enjoyed the "Name of the Rose", but my favorite by far was "Foucault's Pendulum" I think I wrote about that one before on Loveshack. I've tried reading "The Isle of The Day Before " - I didn't actually understand a thing, LOL! MAde me feel my limits, that one. I like Paulo Coelho a lot too, especially "the Devil and Miss Prim". Hey, no one said anything about "Wuthering Heights"!!! I devoured this one as a pre-teen... it got to me. Read it again a few years ago - the magic was gone . I guess one still needs that innocence to be really enjoying and feeling the characters of a book... Link to post Share on other sites
ConfusedInOC Posted June 14, 2005 Share Posted June 14, 2005 1. Love Must Be Tough - Dr. James R. Dobson 2. No More Mr. Nice Guy - Robert A Glover 3. How To Raise Your Self Esteem - Nathaniel Branden (currently reading) 4. Being a Man in a Woman's World - by Dennis W. Neder (On back order, it's so popular) #1 is for singles who need to know the "dating" rules but mostly is for a married person trying to fix their marriage) #2 Is for "door mats" #3 is of course for building self-esteem #4 is for understanding how to act like a man with a woman Link to post Share on other sites
passinthru Posted July 5, 2005 Share Posted July 5, 2005 Only recently have I really got into reading novels but here are two I have really enjoyed: Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides A story about a hermphrodite who was raised as a girl to later learn she isn't exactly a girl. It's really interesting how the author traces the gene back to the main character's grandparents and follows it through the family tree as it becomes mutated along the way. The detail is really amazing, I think I remember reading that the author spent like 10 years writing this book and I can see why. (He also wrote The Virgin Suicides.) The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger A man has a genetic condition in which he randomly and uncontrollably time travels to his past and meets his future wife while she is growing up. Whenever he time travels, he shows up naked with nothing and ends up in many sticky situations. The story is told from both his side and hers. Just a great love story overall. I couldn't put it down. Link to post Share on other sites
This_Too_Shall_Pass Posted July 8, 2005 Share Posted July 8, 2005 Ah - I know what you're talking about, Curly! I used to be an insatiable reader...a complete bookworm and then as I grew older, I just lost the patience and the inclination to read a book! I wonder if it's because there's nothing that I find "new"? I wonder. I've read so many books I forget which ones are my favorite - but lemme list some that I can remember as having enjoyed These are just random, in no particular order of preference. 1) O'Henry's short stories - short and sweet, very brisk pace, and I felt happy reading them 2) John Grisham's "The testament" and "A painted house". I can't say I'm a fan of all Grisham's novels, but these two are really worth a read. 3) Anya Seton's "Katherine", "Green darkness" and "The Winthrop Woman". Seton is excellent in weaving an engrossing tale set in the Elizabethan era. 4) Another phenomenal writer - read John Steinbeck's "East of Eden" and "The grapes of wrath". Truly amazing. 5) Colin Forbes' "Avalanche express" and "The stone leopard". I like these two because of the tightly woven plot and the brisk pace. 6) Jeffrey Archer's "Kane and Abel". Ok...I could go on and on!! But I'll say this much - all the books I've mentioned in here are definitely worth a read. Read John Steinbeck and Anya Seton for one. Somehow I've never liked Ayn Rand...although she's something of a fad (because of her difficult prose and feminist stance?)...too often I find her books associated with neo-intellectualism. I have my doubts though. Anyway, I think her lead characters (and the plot) are too deep/dark, almost compulsive...I wouldn't like any of those characters if I met them in real life!! I almost had a headache after reading "The fountainhead" and "Atlas shrugged" So what other stuff do people here on LS read? Link to post Share on other sites
lindya Posted July 8, 2005 Share Posted July 8, 2005 Lady Chatterley's Lover. It's the perfect antidote to the gloomy souls in our midst (ie those who use intellectual and scientific debate to invalidate the idea of love.) Link to post Share on other sites
SummerRae Posted July 9, 2005 Share Posted July 9, 2005 The Big Love by Sarah Dunn. It was so good that I've passed it onto my friends, there's even a waiting list for it! V. where-I-am-right-now. The author is 32-years-old and sooo witty and insightful about her everyday life. Her boyfriend leaves from her party to go get Dijon mustard and never comes back. So then, of course, obsesses about why he left, what is wrong, etc, etc. She replays things over in her mind, goes to therapy, wonders about the nature of Love and religion and all kinds of things. I LOVED it! Link to post Share on other sites
Neptune Posted July 9, 2005 Share Posted July 9, 2005 Automotive Detailing by Don Taylor. It`s a really good read Link to post Share on other sites
RecordProducer Posted July 9, 2005 Share Posted July 9, 2005 Originally posted by ConfusedInOC 2. No More Mr. Nice Guy - Robert A Glover 4. Being a Man in a Woman's World - by Dennis W. Neder #4 is for understanding how to act like a man with a woman Oh, these two you must read and learn how to be a real manin a woman's world! I love Erika Jong and all her books. Francoise Sagan is also one of my favorite writers (a Little Bit of Sun in a Cold Water - don't know the original title). Of Pearl Buck I only liked "East Wind - West Wind." I am sure you have read "Madame Bovary", I love that book. Link to post Share on other sites
CuteAndInnocent Posted July 9, 2005 Share Posted July 9, 2005 DaVinci Code was an amazing book, so I read another of his (Dan Brown's) - Deception Point which I loved also and couldn't put down. Other than that my favorite author is Sydney Sheldon, I've read all of his books. Very neat with some twists and bits of romance. One of my favorites is If Tomorrow Comes. For easy reads, definitely Harry Potter books. The 3rd one was my favorite! (But of course read them in order.) Hilarious ones were by Paul Reiser (the comedian) - Couplehood and Babyhood. Link to post Share on other sites
westernxer Posted July 9, 2005 Share Posted July 9, 2005 I'll read anything Bret Easton Ellis... Link to post Share on other sites
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