I’ve somehow awoken a voracious reading habit in the last couple of months, and while plowing through my third book in the last week or so, it struck me that some of you might have some great suggestions for what to read next. Compiled together, those selections might make an excellent reading list for all of us. So…
What are five books that you repeatedly recommend?
If you can’t name five, name as many as you can. If you come up with more than five (my list was originally over fifteen), boil the list down to as close to five as you can get. That should eliminate a lot of the marginal choices and leave us with only the best of the best. Your suggestions don’t have to be brand new or in any particular genre as long as they are at the top of your personal favorites.
To get you started, here are five books that I think are absolutely worth a read:
Five Books That I Repeatedly Recommend
5. A People’s History of the United States
(non-fiction): If you can read through the leftist slant of the book, it presents a very interesting picture of the history of the U.S. as seen through the eyes of the people upon which America silently stands upon. Whether this is an accurate depiction of the way America was really built or whether it is merely revisionist propaganda, this book will give you a different perspective on U.S. history.
4. Fight Club
(thriller): Long before the movie came out, I reluctantly read this book because I had run out of things to read. After I finished it, I practically became an evangelist for it, loaning it to everyone I could. If you’ve seen the movie and need encouragement to read this, the book doesn’t end the same way that the movie does, and Chuck Palahniuk’s descriptions are some of the best that I’ve read.
3. Days of War, Nights of Love
(philosophy): This book verges on anarchist propaganda, and might make you want to quit your job and burn the whole motherfucking building down. Don’t read this within two hours of having a meeting with your boss or you might end up just another happy hobo with a blog (Call me if you do though).
2. A Million Little Pieces
(drama): This is as close as you’re going to get to addiction without getting puke on your shirt, and if I could say “emotionally draining” without sounding like a little girl, I would use those exact words to describe this book.
1. The Time Traveler’s Wife
(sci-fi): I’m very resistant to love stories, but if I had to pick one book on this list that I thought everyone should read, it’s this one. When excellent writing is dipped in action and drowned in time travel, it makes for a fast read. When it can make you forget that you hate love stories, it’s a great read.
*Bonus: Intensity
(thriller): Dean Koontz books are fast reads, but this is easily my favorite out of his works. I bought this in an airport, and I accidentally left it on a plane. It was such a page turner that I bought another copy at the next airport and finished it in a couple of days.
And that’s my list. Now, what are you going to recommend?
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January 22nd, 2008 at 2:38 pm
I love giving book recommendations:
1. American Gods: A Novel
by Neil Gaiman: Gods of Old meet up with Gods of New and war ensues. Ok, that’s not all it’s about, but it’s a great read with well rounded characters, a fair bit of religion, mythology, and history thrown in to keep non-fantasy readers interested and enough fantastical ideas to thoroughly engross the ones who do like fantasy fiction. I love all of Gaiman’s books, but this is my favorite by far. Gaiman has a way of twisting things throughout a story so you don’t know whether the storyline is coming or going, but you definitely want to stick around to find out.
2. My War Gone By, I Miss It So
by Anthony Loyd: A highly disturbing account of one man’s view of the Bosnian war and his coinciding drug addiction during the time he served as a correspondant. The visuals reaped when reading this are horrific, yet it’s like a train wreck at which you can’t stop staring. The author can come off as a bit of an asshole, but I think that’s because he probably is-so at least it stays authentic!
3. Geek Love: A Novel
by Katherine Dunn: Read this book and be submerged in the lives of a family of circus freaks and I don’t mean that figuratively. Geek love follows a circus family’s life and all that it entails–loss, love, interfamilial bickering. The characters are bizarre beyond the imagination which makes even the mundane life elements something far more strange.
4. Heart-Shaped Box: A Novel
by Joe Hill. Story about a washed up metal rocker with a penchant for collecting all things macabre. With his latest purchase he gets far more than he bargained for and the story follows him through trecherous moments trying to escape his present that seems to also be his past. Excellent writing, but that’s kind of what you’d expect from Stephen King’s son, no?
5. The Neverending Story
by Michael Ende. Yeah, yeah…we’ve all seen the movie, but as with most screen productions, the movie doesn’t do this book justice. The book gives you so much more depth to and understanding of the characters. Be sure to get the hard-back version in which reality is written in one color and fantasy is written in another.
And here’s my GoodReads list…in case five books aren’t enough for you
January 22nd, 2008 at 6:06 pm
Ooooh. Fun!
1. Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card. In a futuristic setting, a young boy is sent to Battle School to learn war strategy to fight the buggers in the next war. A lot of parents and teachers were distraught over the book, saying that a child could never think like Ender thinks. One of the best books I’ve ever read - and really one of the only series in the Sci-Fi genre that I’ve enjoyed. There has been talk about a movie, but with the requirement of the boys to be so young, it would be difficult to portray some of the scenes, as well as find a young enough (looking) actor competent to play the Ender part. This book stemmed from a short story, and was published in 1985. It’s really amazing how far ahead of his time OSC was when writing this.
2. Ender’s Shadow by Orson Scott Card. This is based in the Enderverse, but follows the story of Bean rather than Ender. It has been said that you can read both novels parallel and it coincides pretty much the entire time after Bean enters Battle School.
3. The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown. Before it became a movie, it was actually a decent book. The problem was the people took what Dan Brown prefaces with something along the lines of “all of the historical stuff in this book I believe…” and started critiquing the story based on that. If you read it as a purely fictional novel, and don’t get caught up on the religious “exposé”, it’s not bad.
4. The Firm by John Grisham. Before this one became a movie ruined by Tom Cruise, this was a decent book as well. Basically, this lawyer is working for a shady firm, and is on a mission to find out what exactly. If you saw the movie, and liked it, then the book will be much better. If you saw the movie, and hated it, then the book will be even more much better! I thought the movie was horrendous.
5. Any Harry Potter Book by JK Rowling. As with Sci-Fi, I never really got into the whole fantasy thing either. I read the occassional book and all, but I wasn’t die hard. I recently got books 1 - 6 of the Harry Potter series (currently on 5) and have loved all of them. It’s amazing how trivial it all starts out - definitely geared toward the younger readers, but as you keep going, the reading (or listening!) level increases. I’m a big fan of audio books, and Jim Dale does an amazing job reading this series, doing different voices for each character.
Honorable Mentions: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl, the rest of the “Ender” series, Angels and Demons by Dan Brown.
And I agree with Fight Club. Awesome book. Have you read Choke? The description of it, along with the excerpt sounds great.
January 22nd, 2008 at 10:09 pm
I’m in!
1. Survivor: A Novel
by Chuck Palahniuk: I never read Fight Club (even though I love the movie to bits), but Survivor is along the same vein of dark, witty humor about the last survivor in a cult and the weirdness of celebrity that suddenly follows him.
2. Jitterbug Perfume
by Tom Robbins: Focusing on immortality, a bottle of perfume and Der Perfekt Taco, it stars a cast of characters from around the world and across the time stream. It’s sexy, funny, heartfelt and kinda preachy, but in an entertaining way. Not to mention, Robbins has a way of making words dance lightly and happily in a way that I wish I could write.
3. Good Omens
by Terry Prachett and Neil Gaiman. I’m a huge fan of Prachett, but if you don’t want to get into the Discworld series (and for fuck’s sake WHY NOT? It’s good stuff!), this is a good taste of his work. Gaiman and Prachett work well together in a take off of The Omen that’s really, really funny and sharp.
4. Better Than Sex
by Hunter S. Thompson. Most people would name off Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (which is a great book, don’t get me wrong), but this is a hysterical view of the 1992 Clinton campaign. I don’t know how much of it is true, but really, does that matter with Thompson?
5. The Tummy Trilogy
by Calvin Trillin. A compilation of Trillin’s three books that focused on food, it’s gentle humor with a little bite. It was one of the first books that I read that made me really look at food as a way of civic pride instead of the usual “continental” cuisine. It also made me want to travel more. Word of advice: Don’t read it on an empty stomach.
Runner-ups: Dan Savage’s The Kid
and The Commitment
, Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird
, Anthony Bourdain’s books.
January 22nd, 2008 at 11:30 pm
Uh, u do know that a million little pieces was mostly made up right?
January 23rd, 2008 at 9:10 am
M-shel: Nice list. I’ll have to keep an eye on your goodreads list.
N0ia: I had Dan Brown on my original list as well. I’ve read three other books of his (Angels & Demons, Deception Point, and Digital Fortress) and they all seem to follow the same formula as DaVinci Code. They’re easy reads.
As for choke, I think I read it. I’ve read around four other books by Palahniuk and I’m always disappointed. While I think he writes some of the greatest descriptions of things, his stories rarely hold my attention or wrap up properly enough for me. Fight Club is the only book of his that I’ve liked from end to end.
Viv: While I’ve watched Bourdain’s TV show on cable, I never really thought of him writing books. I don’t know why. I’ll have to look them up.
Johnny: For those that don’t know the back story, The author originally claimed that A Million Little Pieces was based on his life. When it was later discovered that the work was pure fiction, a lot of Oprah’s book club biddies got their panties in a bunch. Originally, I made reference to the controversy in my recommendation, but then took it out because I don’t think it matters. I read it after the controversy and didn’t really care that it was fiction. True or not, it’s an excellent book.
January 23rd, 2008 at 11:11 am
The Rebel Sell
: Joe Heath & Andrew Potter
This is the perfect anti-dote to the leftist analogies dished out by Naomi Klein, etc., and really puts counter-culture in perspective. Rebel Sell demolished all my ideals, but also gave me a new way to look at the issues. Also, they made more sense than their hippie counterparts.
Assassination Vacation
: Sarah Vowell
I’m a bit of a history buff, but I’ll be the first to admit I know next to nothing about U.S. history if it happened before 1975. Sarah Vowell’s witty and self-effacing narrative take the reader with her as she tours America in search of president’s past and turns up more weird factoids than one can shake a Lincoln Log at. I wish she would write more books!
Chuck Klosterman – anything
Does this officially make me a hipster cliché? I’m copping out here, but Chuck Klosterman is one of those writers who not only can I not put down, but I often find myself reading aloud to anyone who will listen.
Heat
: Bill Buford
I picked this up on accident, but enjoyed Buford’s yarn about becoming a chef’s apprentice. Less about the big names than the dust jacket surmises, this is really a first-person’s quest for the origin of Italian cuisine.
Heat has given me numerous anecdotes to share over a plate of pasta and a few gross ones that will make even the most strident meat eaters shudder.
The Way We Eat
: Jim Mason and Peter Singer
I love this book because it looks at food consumption from a philosophical viewpoint and leaves no angle unturned in its quest for ethical purity. Rational, balanced, and entertaining, The Way We Eat challenges meat eaters and eat local organic vegan types just the same.
January 23rd, 2008 at 4:50 pm
Dune
, the orignal, by Frank Herbert (There are 8 books in the series). Best Sci-Fi book ever written. It isn’t geeky either. It is a great book based millions of years in the future. With all the great Houses (planets) of the universe vying for a Drug that increases life expectancy and makes humans’ immune to many types of Poison. Two houses have been at war for hundreds of years. But there are so many good characters.
A must read. I have a hard time putting it down. I have read it about 8 times now.
January 23rd, 2008 at 6:04 pm
Being an avid reader, I could not pass this one up. I agree with some of your choices and others will be added to my list.
I would say for light reading, I turn to mystery. Anything by Michael is very good. I also read A million Pieces and thought it was very hard to believe. Leave it at that. Here goes:
Marlo Morgan: Mutant Message from Forever
This is a novel about enlightenment. Aboriginal twins separated by birth, search for roots that reunited them from opposite sides of the globe. Itis a very moving story in which the power of purity, acceptance, and openness transcends injustice and degradation. It contains ageless values and simple wisdom.
Sarah Gruen: Water for Elephants
The circus, the Great Depression, a complex elephant and vivid characters that spring from a time that absolutely deserves to be remembered.
Lisa See: Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
This novel reveals the lives and tradition of woman born in 19th century China and what they endure. Many secrets are reveal and it certainly leaves you wondering about these traditions.
Larry Tye: Rising from the Rails
We have often seen and heard about Pullman cars and train porters. This book is the history of how all this came to be and is enlightening it its revelation of the lives of the porters and the lives of there rich passengers. A great read!
Keith Donohue: The Stolen Child
Since you, Jon, realy loved the Time Travelers Wife, this is a great book for you. It is a great work on the legend of the changeling. It takes on myth, rooting it in our time, and telling it from the alternating viewpoints of the two changelings, one who has been taken, and one who has been placed. It was inspired by a W.B. Yeats poem that tempts a child from home to the waters and the wild.
January 23rd, 2008 at 6:57 pm
Sarah: I had a hell of a time finding any of your books at the library, but that’s probably good because I don’t want to end up a hipster cliche.
ML: I wish I had your list before I went to the library.
Pablo: Dune was on my original list as well. I thought there were only 6 books in the series and I made it through 5 before getting burned out on the series. I agree with you though. I think people may be turned off if they saw the movie, but the book is almost impossible to represent in movie form. P.S. - Sting sucks.
January 24th, 2008 at 8:01 pm
Good Omens — one of the only books I’ve ever been able to read more than once.
Great recommendations! I wish there was some kind of Netflix for books, so I wouldn’t have to decide what to read next. Usually I resort to judging books by their covers …
Oh! I’m reading Daniel Handler’s Adverbs
right now (because I liked the cover *and* I’m a fan of his Lemony Snicket books). Highly recommended for his quirky writing style and his deconstruction of the dust-jacket blurb.
February 5th, 2008 at 7:43 pm
Hmmm - got me!
Cluetrain Manifesto - Doc Searls, Chris Locke, David Weinberger
The only book that clearly (particluarly the first quarter) describes what is lacking on the Web, why it’s missing, why we should care and what we can do.
You can read the whole book online on their site (here), but I like to kick back and reread it occasionally so the book is better for me.
The Elements of Style - William Strunk Jr.
Also, you can read this online - here. Called the jouranlist’s bible, it is nice to occasionally remind myself of good grammar
Both non-fiction, but the only two I seem to be recommending lately
March 26th, 2008 at 9:22 am
1. My loose thread - Dennis Cooper
Nihilistic and terrifying look at alienated youth
2. The curious incident of the dog in the night-time - Mark Haddon
Fascinating insight into asperger’s syndrome
3. Company - Max Barry
Satire of American corporate business…
4. A series of unfortunate events - Lemony Snicket (Daniel Handler)
Incredibly humorous and original fiction but underrated or simply overlooked
March 26th, 2008 at 10:00 am
Tara–Good Reads is kind of a Netflix for books. You list what you’ve read, friend people to see their lists and you get recommendations based on what you’ve read. I’ve found so really interesting reads that I never would have known about if not for Good Reads.
The link to my list is in the first post and many of my friends have some great books in their lists as well.
And if you want to delve into different genres, I HIGHLY recommend Book Lust