Here are a few of my (and my friends') favourite books that you might like to read.
Watership Down by Richard Adams. This is my all-time favourite book. I read this in Grade 7 and since then it's had some good competition, but it remains my favourite book. It is about a troop of male rabbits in search of a new warren, only to discover that when they've found the perfect place, there aren't any does to expand the population (not very smart, eh?). So they go in search of does and meet up with the evil General Woundwart... There are some political messages undermining the story because, Adams wrote this book based on his experiences in World War II, but it shouldn't be too evident, unless you're studying this in English class :). There is also a "supplement" to the book, written by Adams in 1996 called Tales from Watership Down, which is a collection of stories told by the rabbits on Watership Down. Not as good as the original, obviously, but definitely worth a read.
As the Crow Flies by Jeffrey Archer. This is an excellent book about the rise in wealth and power of Charlie Trumper, whose dream is to own the largest department store in England. The story takes the reader through World War I, World War II, up to the 1970s, experiencing Charlie's triumphs and defeats.
Lords of the Rink by Ian Young & Terry Walker. Ok, so this really doesn't have to do with anything related to this website...BUT, I just have to put a plug in here for my favourite goaltender, Kirk McLean, who just happens to be on the cover of this book. It's about how to be a good goalie :). Really, I have to practical use for this book, except to enhance the Hockey side of my website.
Sons and Lovers by D.H. Lawrence. This semi-autobiographical novel "revolves around Paul Morel, a sensitive young artist whose love for his mother, Gertrude, overshadows his romances with two women: Miriam Leivers, his repressed, religious girlfriend, and Clara Dawes, an experienced, independent married woman." (The Merriam-Webster Encyclopedia of Literature) I don't think I've read a book who's author who is so utterly in tune with their character's feelings. (For the squeamish, don't worry, there is none of the sexually explicit language that marks Lawrence's most famous [but not his best] novel Lady Chatterley's Lover.)
Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing. An excellent book, about the true story of Sir Ernest Shackleton's attempted voyage across the Antarctic (1914-1916). After their ship, the Endurance, was beset, crushed, and then sank by the ice floes, he and his crew of 27 had to survive for over a year in the Antarctic. This being the early 20th century, there was no radio, satellite, or any other form of communication to let anyone know where they were. If they were going to get out, they had to do it themselves. Amazing story of human survival and this is indeed one of the most exciting books I've ever read. On a Shakespeare-related note, Shackleton was reading The Merchant of Venice during his 1909 attempt to reach the south pole.
The Last Place on Earth by Roland Huntford. While we're on the subject of polar exploration, another passion of mine, here is possibly the best book on the subject of the race to the south pole. It is a dual-biography of Robert F. Scott and Roald Amundsen focusing mainly on the preparation and execution of their expeditions to 90 degrees south. One succeeded, one failed. One was hailed as a hero, the other was virtually ignored. There is a heavy anti-Scott bias here but I think that view may be closer to the real person than most of us would like to believe. Huntford may also have wanted to set his book apart from most biographies that eulogize Scott while discounting Amundsen. A page-turner if there ever was one. I would also highly recommend his biography of Shackleton.
From Hui-Min:
My favorite book is Daphne Du Maurier's Rebecca; it's a classic Gothic novel, haunting in a poetic way, carefully plotted, well developed and not overly melodramatic. The name of the heroine in this novel is never revealed; for the entire story, she is merely known the wife of Maxwell de Winter. The heroine (if I may call her that) is young, timid, and insecure, so she's not a very remarkable character overall, but her psychological struggles with Rebecca, the deceased first wife of Maxwell de Winter, is very intriguing/ingaging. The setting, Manderly in Cornwell, adds a lot to the charm of the story (Yes, Manderly really exists in Cornwell, only the place is not called Manderly). If you want to know what really happened to Rebecca, for all is not as it seems, read the book. Other wonderful works by du Maurier are Jamaica Inn and Frenchman's Creek.
Of course, I mustn't neglect my favourite author, Alexander (le pere) Dumas. I just like the old guy for some reason. His really famous works are also his best works: The Three Musketeers, Twenty Years After (Vingt Ans Apres), The Black Tulip, and The Count of Monte Cristo. Excellent books they all are. The Man in the Iron Mask is the sequel to Twenty Years After, which is the sequel to The Three Musketeers. The recent Leo Hype is really much ado about nothing, since Iron Mask is not nearly as good as Dumas' other works. But still, you gotta love that brave boy from Gascony!
For some twisted, unconventional, malicious fun, you may want to try Stendhal’s The Red and The Black or M.G. Lewis?The Monk. The hero in le rouge et le noir is a handsome boy/man by the name Julien Sorel; the story is about young Sorel’s rise and fall in the military/clergy in general, and more specifically, about his manipulation of women and his love/hate relationship with them. I won’t go in too much
gory details of the Monk, but the novel is certainly electrifying, terrifying, and sickening. (If you are feeling overly healthy physically, emotional and psychologically some day and would like to feel less so, the monk is the book to read, although I don’t recommend reading it at night).
On the other hand, there is the totally healthy, good-for-an-entire-family, morally upright Mansfield Park by Jane Austen. It is The Best of all Austen’s works, I believe. Fanny Price, the heroine, does not have the usual attributes of a heroine: she had no looks, no money, and too much conscience. So, if it weren’t for her cousin,
she’d still be on the shelf spinning fabric to this day. However, it does take some perseverance, courage, and kindness to go against all odds (three terribly spoiled cousins, two mean aunts, one beautiful but evil rival) and win the love of her worthy
cousin, Edmund. Anyhow, my words do the book no justice; to give Mansfield Park it’s due, you’d have to read it yourself.
From Rebecca (ironically enough :):
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell. Yes yes, as cliche-ish as it sounds, it's really a good novel---it's worlds better than the movie, that's for sure. The 1024 page epic may be intimidating, but you'll be surprised how fast it flies by (like KB's Hamlet). Beyond the love story of Rhett and Scarlett, it also covers themes like the loss of innocence, the devastating destruction of war, the strength of love and will, and another side of institution of slavery (however you may choose to believe
it).
Sally Hemings by Barbara Chase-Riboud. While Gone with the Wind give a much more comfortable and idealistic view of slavery in the Old South, this one is poignant and relentless. The novel itself is a spin-off of the historical possibility that Thomas Jefferson for 38 years had a love affair with one of his female slaves named Sally Hemings. However you choose to believe in the allegation of the liason, the book by itself is a very
poetic and profound work of fiction. It reflects upon triple bondage of an individual as a slave, as a woman, and as a mistress. The book's won various awards and was a national best-seller. Recommended to those interested in early US history, slavery, and women studies, but not to those looking for a romantic love story.
Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. This is Wilde's version of the story of Faust, or the selling of your soul in exchange for eternal youth and beauty. Besides a very interesting plot, it is also inevitably seasoned and polished by the beautiful language and quotable epithets by the witty author. You'll come to like the Devil.
From Eric (check out his Vertigo web page):
Watchmen - Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons: It's often referred to as the best comic book series (though there's a fair share of prose sprinkled in) ever written. It's the story of of a disbanded super-hero team, long past their prime and it chronicles the events that have shaped their, for the most part, sad and troubled lives: rape, cancer, death - 'these aren't your
parent's super-heroes'. Great characters, a compelling plot, and possibly the most surprising and satisfying ending in any literary work I've read. This story originally came out in 12 single issues but has since been collected and is very easy to find in most comic book stores.
Sandman - Neil Gaiman and many, many others: A tale that ran for six years in 75 issues and chronicled the happenings of Morpheus - King of Dreams and his kingdom, the Dreaming, but also, and more often, normal people in extraordinary circumstances. This series has been collected in 10 volumes,
all well worth the time and the money. If the super-hero genre turns you off Watchmen (though I hope it doesn't because you'll be missing an incredible read) then I highly recommend this very human series that manages to tell the tales of gods with the same familiarity as it does with the lives of the many mortals that cross its pages. Truly an epic if there ever was one.
Maus, a Pulitzer prize winning book by Art
Spiegelman. This tale, comprised of two volumes: Maus I and Maus II, tells the story of Art's father and his haunting life as a Jew in Nazi Germany. While not as flashy as Watchmen or even Sandman, this may be the most captivating and moving story ever told through the comic book medium. Yes, most all tales from the concentration camps elicit emotion but this particular story does more than that as we receive the accounts in pieces through Art's father and are allowed to see the way in which the experience
has shaped his life and the relationship with his son. This one should be available everywhere - comic book stores and book stores both.
From Tanming:
The first book I highly recommend is called How to Dump a Guy: (A Coward's Manual), by
Kate Fillion and Ellen Ladowsky. Now, I am not making fun of you. If you ever want to ditch somebody, had a bad experience ditching, or being ditched, this is the No.1 book on the market for you. It's written from a woman's point of view, but it's so funny and, more importantly, practical that both men and women will surely benefit from it. There's something about the style of writing that made me laugh my head off at every single page. The level of detail is absurd, like what to wear on the D-Day. However, I do have reservation about recommending this book to young women, because any men walking on earth would want to ban this book. So dear female friends, if you want to be strong and fearless when ditching somebody, get your copy before it's sold-out - just don't loan a copy to my future g-friend; the rest of you better get your copy before you get dumped, for the nth time. In any case, this one is serious entertainment.
I am very serious about recommending the "Dump a Guy" book, and ten times more so about Mars and Venus on a Date, by Ph.D. John Gray. Many of you have read his other work "Men are from Mars, Women are
from Venus", which sadly falls sort of our expectation because it's mostly written for couples. The author listened to our complaints and wrote this "On a Date" book to make it up for us, the headless singles. Without quoting directly from the book, and making it sound like a review from Mademoiselle, let me just put it this way: 50% of the book made sense to me right away - I was like the little Japanese Zen monk who got smacked on the head over and over; the other 50% was intended for the woman readers, and was Greek to me at first reading. Only when I turned the book upside-down did I see the truth: women are backwards. :)
In which order should you read these two books? Obviously, you've got to "Dump" before you can "Date".
Can't seem to find what you want? Have a look through Amazon's website:
If you have any suggestions of your own, please let me know!