Booked.
I have to confess, most of these fiction books are for young readers because there are just so many universally loved ones which I have not outgrown. I occasionally indulge in Naipaul and D. H. Lawrence, but some are rather heavy on didactism, sex or depression. As soon as I have enough to work on, I'll add in my recent reads and categorize them all by Author/Title/Subject. The modern trend is to set children's fiction on a backdrop of children living in American-homogenized suburbs, which stinks of "Peter and Jane".
Josteine Gaardner, Sophie's World
C. S. Lewis, The Narnian Chronicles
J. R. R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings trilogy: The Fellowship of the Ring; The Two Towers; The Return of the King.
It is my utmost fear that Hollywood will deprive the imaginations of juveniles everywhere by usurping the traditional place of fantasy. The new screen version to be out in late 2001 seems promising, but it may reduce the number of young readers of Tolkien. I personally think this should be required reading for all 12-year olds, seeing its awesome breadth and power.
Cynthia Voigt, Dicey's Song
Madeleine L'Engle, Wrinkle in Time series
A Wrinkle in Time; A Wind in the Door; A Swiftly Tilting Planet. Dell.
Also Many Waters.
Scott O'Dell, Island of the Blue Dolphins.
A narrative on an Indian girl, Karana, who spent eighteen years alone on a tropical island. This novel is vivid and evocative.
Lloyd Alexander,
Anne Holm, I Am David.
Published in Denmark in the early years of the Cold War, this story examines in detail the character of David, a young escapee from a Communist prison camp. It follows his eventual path to his destiny, and deals with the complex mix of emotions of a boy trapped by circumstances larger than himself. A thought-provoking read.
Louisa M. Alcott, Little Women, Good Wives, Little Men, Jo's Boys.
Delightful reads based on the childhood and married lives of a family of 4 sisters, set in middle-class USA in the mid-1800s. It elevates the concept "old-fashioned" to a timeless notion.
Douglas Adams, The Trilogy that turned into Five aka The Hitchiker's Guide to the Universe.
Susan Cooper's The Dark Is Rising Series.
*Under Construction*
Harry Potter Series 1-4 (5 if it's available)
Melbourne,
The Prince, Machiavelli
A Suitable Boy, Vikram Seth
V. S. Naipaul's works
War and Peace, Tolstoy.
Re-read Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose and find out what was supposed to be so good about it.
Kant and the Platypus: Essays on Language and Cognition; Five Moral Pieces; The Island of the Day Before, Umberto Eco. Hmmmm... maybe should put aside Umberto Eco aspirations to focus on things I'll really like.
Into the Woods, Stephen Sondheim. Play.
Catcher in the Rye, J D Salinger. Yes I haven't read this yet!
Vagina Monologues, Eve Ensler. I hope it isn't all militant feministic
A Streetcar Named Desire, Tennessee Williams. Watched it on DVD with my brother- Marlon Brando was fabulous.
Why I live at the post office, Eudora Welty. Intrigued by the name of Qualcomm's mail program.
Rama series, Arthur C Clarke. Hmm, I seem addicted to sci-fi/fantasy that come in series.
The Silent Spring, Rachel Carson. A landmark publication on the environment.
Terry Pratchett. Terry Pratchett! Any recommendations of his best books?
Dune: House Corrino. (James?) Herbert. Writing not too good, but it's set in the marvellous Dune universe (it's a prequel to sci-fi masterpiece Dune, inspired by notes left behind by Frank Herbert and written by his son). Only managed to read 1/4 of it in Borders after prelims, before I had to meet Gabriel to watch Ms. Saigon. Continuity errors in the prequel trilogy though- I'll elaborate on that in the future.
""