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Message board > What book do you recommend?
What book do you recommend?
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Bruna Dutra
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What book do you recommend?
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Kinda like a game, but a useful one.
What book are you reading, or have read, that you recommend and why?
I �m currently reading 1984 (Eric Blair. AKA. George Orwell). After reading "Animal Farm", I could not wait to start this one, but only found it now. I love politics, but you don �t have to love it to like these two books, it �s a serious and funny opposition to totalitary governments, and how they inflict on people �s lives.
I recommend this book because ever since I �ve read this saying: "The doom of those who do not like politics is being ruled by those who do", I �ve changed the way I thought about the governments.
Well... what book do you guys recommend?
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30 Jul 2010
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manonski (f)
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I �m currently reading The Hour I First Believe by Wally Lamb. It �s excellent and it follows a woman (and her husband) who survived Columbine shooting. Very powerful.
I would recommend a book I read last summer: Cutting For Stone, by Abraham Verghese. Most of the story takes place in Africa and it follows the life of twin boys, from their birth to late in their life. That �s a book I did not want to end.
Among my favourites: The Time Traveler �s Wife, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, Still Alice, 13 Reasons Why and most of Jodi Picoult �s books. |
30 Jul 2010
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anitarobi
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I love book clubbing... I only dropped by to check my messages before I leave on my trip tomorrow, and Bruna again starts an interesting thread...
OK, here it goes, my recommendations(in no particular order):
1. Esau by Philip Kerr - very interesting if you like adventure novels about explorers, the phenomenon of snow people and the missing link, all with intricate political intrigues which, as always, interfere with the greater good
2. Inkheart trilogy by Cornelia Funke - if you like interesting, child-like fantasy novels (although this one is really interesting for imaginative adults as well)
3. The Devil and Miss Prym by Paulo Coelho - fantastic tale of human greed (so witty and deep)
4. Timeline by Michael Crichton - medieval SF time travel - a perfect distraction during the holidays
5. The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel - the whole series is so interesting - it �s a life story at the beginnings of human race about a remarkable woman (the author �s historian approach and minute details go perfectly hand in hand with the eventful action and romance)
6. Sinuhe the Egyptian by Mika Waltari (and all his novels) - fabulous historical novels - if you like history, he tells it from the life point of one person and it �s just mesmerising
These are some of the books I could read forever (along with Stephen King �s Green Mile, all Harry Potter books, Memoirs of a Geisha, and dean Koontz �s Watchers, OMG, such a good book)... I �m taking Bones with me on my vacation because I like the series and I need sth to distract me, but nothing heavy (two kids and hubbie with me...)Not reading anything at the moment (been writing)...
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30 Jul 2010
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sulekra
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One of my favourite books is Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, which I definitely recommend for you Bruna if haven �t read it:)
It was written about 20 years before 1984 and they often get compared because of their similar but very different distopian ideas about the future.
Neil Postman compared them at that start of his book Amusing Ourselves to Death - It �s one of my favourite quotes (sorry it �s so looong though)...
What Orwell feared were those who would ban books. What Huxley feared
was that there would be no reason to ban a book, for there would be no
one who wanted to read one. Orwell feared those who would deprive us of
information. Huxley feared those who would give us so much that we would
be reduced to passivity and egoism. Orwell feared that the truth would
be concealed from us. Huxley feared the truth would be drowned in a sea
of irrelevance. Orwell feared we would become a captive culture. Huxley
feared we would become a trivial culture. As Huxley remarked, the
civil libertarians and rationalists who are ever on the alert to oppose
tyranny failed to take into account man �s almost infinite appetite for
distractions. In 1984, Orwell added, people are controlled by
inflicting pain. In Brave New World, they are controlled by
inflicting pleasure. In short, Orwell feared that what we fear will ruin
us. Huxley feared that our desire will ruin us.
I �d recommend some more but I might take up the whole forum;)
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30 Jul 2010
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Bruna Dutra
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Thanks for the kind remark, Anita, and for sharing you huuuge list of good books! You and Manon must be bookworms!!! 
I �ll be putting your recommendations on my most wanted list!
Thanks for sharing!
EDIT: @ Sulekra.. My brother-in-law is actually the one who lent me 1984, and he advised me to read Brave New World first, but I just couldn�t help it!!! I love Eric!! LOL
It�s supposed to be my next one!
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30 Jul 2010
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Mietz
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Thanks Bruna for this link! :-)
I can recommend Ben Elton �s "Dead Famous" or "Chart Throb" for discussions in class.
On a differently political note I could also recommend Robert Harris "Fatherland" and Stephen Fry "Making history".
Don �t get me started though... ;-)
BTW - I �ve just started reading a book which was recommended in a similar discussion here last year. It �s called "Lust for life" by Irving Stone. That �s where I �ll go back to now. :-)
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30 Jul 2010
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mish.cz
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Juli Zeh - Spieltrieb (Gaming Instinct - German colleagues, please, help with the translation) is the one I finished a few days ago. A fascinating contemporary novel from the school environment. I cannot add anything else, for it is very thought provoking. Definitely worth reading�
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30 Jul 2010
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perma
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that �s interesting!
From all the above I �ve only read "1984" which I found most impressing, a very good work. So i might also try sulekra �s recommendation! For some easy reading i �d recommend Jonathan Coe �s "The Rotters Club" for it �s such a touching story and Kingsley Amis � "Lucky Jim" because it �s hilarious!
For heavy reading and something that goes somewhat deeper i �d recommend some classics: Thomas Mann �s "Magic Mountain" Robert Musil �s "The Man Without Qualities" Dostoyevsky �s "The Idiot" above all but actually all his great novels. Because they are whole worlds on their own and because I feel like I would be half the person I am today If I hadn �t read these. |
30 Jul 2010
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mish.cz
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 �Lucky Jim is a great one. When talking about this book David Lodge �s Changing Places is another one coming to my mind. And mentioning Dostoyevsky - The Crime and the Punishment is the one I appreciate most
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30 Jul 2010
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ueslteacher
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Lucky you (to read Dostoyevsky at more mature age). I had to read Dostoyevsky in high school. You have a bit different perseption of things when you�re older don �t you think? Sophia P. s. I used to read a lot as a student at the University for Literature classes so it kinda blocked my desire to read for many years to come. I�m more of a tv-movie-couch-potatoish person though they say tv makes you dumb  |
30 Jul 2010
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mish.cz
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I read it twice, once as a teenager and then a few years later. Maybe I should try it for the third time:-)
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30 Jul 2010
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