bellefast Posted February 13, 2012 Posted February 13, 2012 Hi everyone, I am not a English, Literature, Rhetoric person but... I need something to read. I have no taste in books and I really want to brighten my horizons on what I should read. Old books, new books. Whatever it is I would really love it if someone could help. But nothing scary!!! The only book I can vivdly remember reading was the Giver. I need something to keep me reading while I wait for decisions to come later this month and early March. Thanks
lyonessrampant Posted February 13, 2012 Posted February 13, 2012 What kind of books do you like? Do you like something more contemporary? Something more of a classic? YA lit? Fantasy? A little bit more details and I'll try to recommend something.
bellefast Posted February 13, 2012 Author Posted February 13, 2012 I think I want to try to read classic books. Baldwin, Hemingway, possibly Poe. I didn't want to get specific because I only know of the "famous" authors and I didn't want to miss the chance of reading something by someone I haven't heard of before or put out a specific genre when I am open to all of you giving me something good to read. But anything older will do. Not super Moby Dick old. (very hard to get through. Though some people I know can) But, I am not going to shun exactly something from that era. Sorry for being so indecisive. Geez... this is why I am here for help
thestage Posted February 13, 2012 Posted February 13, 2012 well, Poe died before Moby Dick was published
TripWillis Posted February 13, 2012 Posted February 13, 2012 Whew, if you want to read a Baldwin book, I am your man. My personal favorite is Giovanni's Room. It is an accessible, romantic, and tragic novel about a sexually questioning American in Paris in the 1950s. I also like Go Tell It On The Mountain, but the middle parts of the book get a little experimental and stream of consciousness, so be wary if that's not your thing. Third favorite is If Beale Street Could Talk. His non-fiction is amazing too.
bellefast Posted February 13, 2012 Author Posted February 13, 2012 well, Poe died before Moby Dick was published Well I would't know that but making fun of my lack of knowledge is cool
veniente Posted February 13, 2012 Posted February 13, 2012 I just assume that everyone has read The Great Gatsby; if you haven't, do, it's divine. Since you mention Hemingway, I would have to recommend The Sun Also Rises. ahembree and litjust 2
seafoam Posted February 13, 2012 Posted February 13, 2012 As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner. southern lit fan here, seconded!
bellefast Posted February 13, 2012 Author Posted February 13, 2012 Whew, if you want to read a Baldwin book, I am your man. My personal favorite is Giovanni's Room. It is an accessible, romantic, and tragic novel about a sexually questioning American in Paris in the 1950s. I also like Go Tell It On The Mountain, but the middle parts of the book get a little experimental and stream of consciousness, so be wary if that's not your thing. Third favorite is If Beale Street Could Talk. His non-fiction is amazing too. I read Go Tell it On The Mountain, I loved it. I have heard of Giovanni's Room but never read it pass the little bit I had to for my class. I never heard of If Beale Street Could Talk. I will check it out. As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner. I see what it is about. What would I do without all of this help!
bellefast Posted February 13, 2012 Author Posted February 13, 2012 I just assume that everyone has read The Great Gatsby; if you haven't, do, it's divine. Since you mention Hemingway, I would have to recommend The Sun Also Rises. Yeah I have read it before and loved it and the movie better not suck... But I will also check out that Hemingway book as well.
todamascus Posted February 13, 2012 Posted February 13, 2012 (edited) What have you enjoyed? I think I want to try to read classic books. Baldwin, Hemingway, possibly Poe. I didn't want to get specific because I only know of the "famous" authors and I didn't want to miss the chance of reading something by someone I haven't heard of before or put out a specific genre when I am open to all of you giving me something good to read. But anything older will do. Not super Moby Dick old. (very hard to get through. Though some people I know can) But, I am not going to shun exactly something from that era. Sorry for being so indecisive. Geez... this is why I am here for help Well I was gonna suggest *all* of Shakespeare but if Moby Dick to you is too old... Philip Roth would be my safe guess. Edited February 13, 2012 by todamascus
thestage Posted February 13, 2012 Posted February 13, 2012 The Sun Also Rises is essentially a companion piece to Gatsby, as far as I'm concerend. Doesn't hurt that Fitzgerald is a character in the book. As I Lay Dying is a great suggestion
bellefast Posted February 13, 2012 Author Posted February 13, 2012 What have you enjoyed? Well I was gonna suggest *all* of Shakespeare but if Moby Dick to you is too old... Philip Roth would be my safe guess. which book by Philip Roth? I love Shakespeare. This is why I didn't want to be so specific because people would then shy away from something they think would be a good read for me.
Two Espressos Posted February 13, 2012 Posted February 13, 2012 (edited) As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner. I recommend this as well. A lot of people say The Sound and the Fury is his best book, but I disagree. As I Lay Dying was the first Faulkner book I read, and I absolutely loved it. Plus, it's easier to grapple with than The Sound and the Fury: all that stream-of-consciousness can be taxing! As I Lay Dying has wonderfully vivid, unique characters, and the ending is just perfect. So yeah...read it! Edited February 13, 2012 by Two Espressos MelleMelville 1
lyonessrampant Posted February 13, 2012 Posted February 13, 2012 Well, as I focus on early modern and medieval lit, I'm not sure I'll have a lot for you For more recent American lit, I like East of Eden by Fitzgerald, and if you like dark, sardonic humor, you might want to check out Evelyn Waugh. The Loved One is about the funeral industry. I thought it was cool. If you like poetry, you might want to look at Billy Collins. . .he's famous and very readable. For brain candy, I usually read YA lit or fantasy/sci fi, so that probably won't help you out too much
jywayne Posted February 13, 2012 Posted February 13, 2012 As a fan of the American West, I highly recommend either Blood Meridian if you want to be blown away by the sheer force of Cormac McCarthy's language or the Monkey Wrench Gang by Edward Abbey if you're feeling like hugging some trees and protecting the f-ing wilderness from being ravaged by the machine. But, if you want to stick to the 30s, then try To a God Unknown by Steinbeck--a very underrated book.
thestage Posted February 13, 2012 Posted February 13, 2012 I think both The Sound and the Fury and Absalom, Absalom! are better than As I Lay Dying, but not by a whole lot, and the latter is certainly a much better Faulkner introduction than those two are.
Timshel Posted February 13, 2012 Posted February 13, 2012 If you like contemporary, I HIGHLY recommend Junot Diaz's The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. lyonessrampant and Julianne Pigoon 2
TripWillis Posted February 13, 2012 Posted February 13, 2012 Another contemporary suggestion: The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolaño.
bellefast Posted February 13, 2012 Author Posted February 13, 2012 I am really excited. First thing tomorrow I am going to my library and check out these books. I am sure I am going to have several librarians giving me the evil eye for the sheer amount of books I am checking out
veniente Posted February 13, 2012 Posted February 13, 2012 If you like contemporary, I HIGHLY recommend Junot Diaz's The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. Oh my gosh, I truly abhorred the very little that I read of this book, which I'm totally prepared to admit is probably just me, because I am aware that it's universally loved and critically acclaimed. I read about five pages (highly untypical of me, but this, seriously, was all I could bear) and couldn't handle the (forced and failed) precociousness of the (deeply unfunny) narrative voice at all. I hated how explicitly (hamfistedly, even) fukú was being banged over my head, too. In fact, as I read, I began to feel physically ill, my irritation mollified only by turning my attention to how best to dispose of the book. Never before have I reacted to a book so strongly. I would genuinely love to know how/why people love it. Perhaps it's just that I didn't give it enough of a chance? (But maybe it's DÃaz's writing; I read an inane New Yorker piece on Obama that he wrote, so bland and infuriatingly simplistic in its conclusions that I won't bore you with them here.) veniente 1
marlowe Posted February 13, 2012 Posted February 13, 2012 Well, as I focus on early modern and medieval lit, I'm not sure I'll have a lot for you For more recent American lit, I like East of Eden by Fitzgerald, and if you like dark, sardonic humor, you might want to check out Evelyn Waugh. The Loved One is about the funeral industry. I thought it was cool. If you like poetry, you might want to look at Billy Collins. . .he's famous and very readable. For brain candy, I usually read YA lit or fantasy/sci fi, so that probably won't help you out too much Ha! Evelyn Waugh is my favorite author, I think. I have read just about everything that he has written except for his letters (and I am saving a couple of novels for a rainy day - I have already purchased them!). Have you read Confederacy of Dunces? (John Kennedy Toole) I would absolutely recommend it to anyone, although I have met people that didn't like it. lyonessrampant and Julianne Pigoon 2
litjust Posted February 13, 2012 Posted February 13, 2012 I just assume that everyone has read The Great Gatsby; if you haven't, do, it's divine. Since you mention Hemingway, I would have to recommend The Sun Also Rises. I second Gatsby! It's one of my faves and I recently re-read it
TripWillis Posted February 13, 2012 Posted February 13, 2012 I can tell you what not to read casually: Mont St. Michel and Chartres by Henry Adams. I know that makes me a bad Americanist to say that, but it was very, very dry.
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