If I had to list a book(s) that I loved and would recommend it would have to be Frank Herbert's 6 books in the Dune series:
Dune
Dune Messiah
Children of Dune
God Emperor of Dune
Heretics of Dune
Chapterhouse Dune
These books just blew me away. Frank Herbert created such a rich and diverse history to his fictional worlds that it was just incredible to read. The metaphysical themes he tackles are a challenge though and can leave you mind-boggled :biggrin:
I know sci-fi isn't everyone's cup of tea but if its a genre you like and you've not read these books yet, I'd recommend giving them a go.
Emma by Jane Austen
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
Autobiography of Red by Anne Carson (this is poetry)
Orlando by Virginia Woolf
The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner
Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
Howards End by E.M. Forster
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
About half of my pics are notably early 20th century/Modernist which may not be to everyone's taste.
There are some others I enjoy but don't consider to be great must-reads:
A Prayer for Owen Meany, The Cider House Rules, and The World According to Garp by John Irving.
Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami
The Woman who Walked Into Doors by Roddy Doyle
Fantasy: Perdido Street Station by China Mieville
Sci-fi: Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuin
Edit: I'd also second the recommendation of Giovanni's Room and L'etranger/Outsider/Stranger. If one has a taste for existentialist literature I'd also recommend: Sartre's Nausea and his play No-Exit; Camus' the Fall and his essay The Myth of Sisyphus; Beckett's plays Endgame, Waiting for Godot, Not I and Play.
The famous production of Not I that Beckett directed for the BBC is available on youtube as well.
It's only 7 minutes long and worth watching if you're into that kind of avant-garde absurdist kind of thing.
I just finished Caleo by james crawford. Great story! Love that although the main character is gay it has little affect on the science fiction storyline. There are a few grammar errors but thestory is great!
1984 by George Orwell Animal Farm by George Orwell Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky A Taste of Blackberries by Doris Buchanan Smith Children of the River by Linda Crew Ultimate Questions: Thinking About Philosophy by Nils Rauhut The Awakening by Kate Chopin The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald The Giver by Lois Lowry A Summer To Die by Lois Lowry Frankenstein by Mary Shelley Many Waters by Madeleine L'Engle A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L'Engle Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor
And I could go on, but I think 15 (including the one I'm about to mention) is enough.
The last book I want to mention is Still Alice by Lisa Genova. It was recommended to me by one of my sociology professors and after several months of procrastination, I finally read it. I wish I hadn't waited so long! Still Alice is a truly captivating story about a woman's struggle with Alzheimer's Disease and the effects it has on her, her family, and her colleagues. While reading it, I found myself forgetting everything around me, even my own hunger, and finished reading the entire book (just short of 300 pages) in two days. Out of all of the books I've read, Still Alice is easily one of the greatest, and I highly recommend it to everyone here! I have to warn you, though, for when/if you're able to read it: you'll need a 'full' box of tissues handy.
1. ちんちん: A TOAST LOST IN TRANSLATION
Berlin, August 2005 - February 2006
London, September - December 1998
Rosas, August - September 1997
London, England, January – April 1999
2. DIE LAUFENDEN BÄUME: THE WALKING TREES
Berlin, February 2006
Rosas, Barcelona, March - April 1999
3. PERSO SULLE ALPI: LOST IN THE ALPS
Berlin, March 2006
Curò, May - June 1999
Milan, July 1999 - June 2000
4. AUTOMATIC BELTS AND PLASTIC APPLES
Berlin, March 2006 - July 2006
New York City, July 2000
New Haven, July - September 2000
New York City, August 2000
5. MY 2 GREAT FIRES OF LONDON
Berlin, August - November 2006
Warsaw, November 2006
London, September - December 2000
Rome, January - February 2001
Hounslow, London, March - July 2001
6. A CHANGE IN WORLD HISTORY
Berlin, cyber Madrid, December 2006 - January 2007
Boston, New York City, August - September 2001
London, September - December 2001
7. THE PROPERTY LADDER, A PROPERTY WITHOUT THE LADDER AND A JAR WITHOUT JAM
Berlin, Zurich, January-February 2007
Paris, December 2001 - January 2002
London, January – November 2002
8. بیابان : LOST IN THE DESERT
Berlin, March - April 2007
London, December 2002
Istanbul, December 2002 - January 2003
Las Palmas, February 2003
Tunis, El Djem, Madhia, March 2003
9. DURMIENDO CON LAS IGUANAS Y LOS MARCIANOS: SLEEPING WITH IGUANAS AND THE MARTIANS
Berlin, April 2007
Milan, Venice, Portofino, May 2007
London, April 2003 - March 2004
Cancun, Merida, Campeche, April 2004
London, May 2004 - August 2004
10. TRICK, TREAT OR PRISON?
Berlin <> Barcelona, June 2007 - March 2008
London, September – October 2004
New York City, Washington October - November 2004
London, November 2004 - January 2005.
11. HURRICANE AND MIGRATIONS
Budapest, Bratislava, Prague, March 2008
Berlin, March 2008
London, Paris, Milan, February 2005
12. トイレのコンピュータと 悪い 猿: THE TOILET’S COMPUTER AND THE NASTY MONKEY
Barcelona, April 2008
Tokyo, Honshu March 2005
Berlin, April 2005 - July 2005
Well, since the film is coming out, I would suggest reading "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" by Jonathan Safran Foer. I was introduced to his work in a Jewish-American Fiction class I took in college when I was assigned "Everything is Illuminated", which was also made into a movie. Both are incredibly good books and both are characterized by a very interesting use of experimental language.
The first film was very good with a great soundtrack. I'm hoping the second will be too, though it seems more mainstream than the first.
Sagittarius
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