Here are some of those books:
The Sun Also Rises
Great example of cutting the flowery nothingness out of prose. His writing is direct and to the point so be careful you pay attention or you might miss something
Slaughter House Five
Probably one of the craziest books I have read. It is fun to read even if you can't understand what Kurt Vonnegut is trying to say.
1984
Note* This book is super depressing. Great book but there is no hope at the end of it. There is not even a martyr. If you like happy endings this might not be the book for you.
Brave New World
Huxley also wrote The Island. I have only seen the movie version of that book. This book is great if you like science fiction but feel like you should read something with a little more substantial meaning.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Great book if you like psychology. Shows many of the horrendous things that were done in early psychiatric institutions.
Where the Red Fern Grows
I loved reading this book as a kid. I have read it multiple times and I cried every time.
To Kill a Mockingbird
Harper Lee's only book. It is a masterpiece. Every American should read this book. I think that most do. The movie is not a good enough substitute. It is not completely true to the book. Notice how they make Miss Atkinson, a white neighbor, the kids' mother figure in the movie where as the in book Calpurnia, their African American cook, is their mother figure.
Great books. What is your favorite literature?
6 comments:
Did you ever read Ordinary People? I read this on a vacation after my junior year in high school. I was struggling with depression and feelings of worthlessness. Watching the young man struggle with his feelings of worthlessness after his brother is killed in a boating accident helped me to see that struggling after personal trauma was a universal phenomenon. I remember wanting to scream at the protagonist that he was important and that it was not his fault that something bad happened to his family. And then I realized that I should be yelling the same words to myself... I find it interesting how good people try to blame themselves for either the choices of others or the circumstances of this mortal existence. The gospel gives us perspective, but it does not mean that we are relieved of the suffering universal to mankind. That is why I find reading the scriptures so helpful. Just like good literature it allows us to put our own experiences into perspective.
you are right about one thing: slaughterhouse five is crazy. but it is still one of my favorite books that i have ever read. i still cant say with any reasonable degree of confidence that i understand what it's meaning was but i still loved thinking about it. thinking back on it thought it is dripping in modernist ideas. thanks for the book list.
I agree with Jake. I love Slaughterhouse-Five. I am often asked on first dates, "what is your favorite book?" Slaughterhouse-Five is usually my answer. I am pretty sure I don't usually gain "date points" with that answer. So it goes.
Oh yes, and if you are into the these sort existential, mind-blowing, stream-of-consciousness book, then I suggest They Shoot Horses Don't They? by Horrace McCoy. I warn you though, it can be a bit depressing. As a closing thought to comment above: It is a good thing that I read Pride and Prejudice this summer :)
Laurie:
I have read Ordinary People. Thats is a great book. I definitely agree with everything that you said also. I must say that my favorite character in that book is the psychiatrist.
This is difficult for me, because I love reading, but I have to say my favorite books of all time are Farenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury and Candide by Voltaire. Both are masterpieces. Honorable mentions include Faulkner, Cormac McCarthy, and Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
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