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If you will settle for Lyme Regis (a bit south of London), "The French Lieutenant's Woman" by John Fowles is one of my all time favorites. Could be broadly termed a historical novel, although it is much more than that. It combines unforgettable characters, natural history, the Victornian era...

I went through a whole Aldous Huxley phase years ago...I remember liking "Eyeless in Gaza" very much. I think it's out of print now. I liked "Brave New World" of course, and "Crome Yellow". He also wrote one called "The Devils of Loudon" (not sure about that spelling), about a case of mass...

Michael Ondaatje's "The English Patient" - the movie was different from the book in some ways, but I thought both were wonderful. The film did a good job of capturing the essence of the story, better than usual. I also liked "The Last Temptation of Christ", another one where the movie was...

Bookworm88...wish I had gone to your school! What a great book list. I don't remember having to read any books in school that I didn't like. Some were more interesting than others, but I think all of them had something good to offer. I loved Shakespeare; my high school English teacher had...

I had forgotten all about these books, but I remember seeing them several years ago and thinking that they were quite beautiful. I too just went on Amazon and got a used set; $19 in excellent condition with the slipcase. It will be fun to see them again, and I'm glad someone brought them up...

sycophant.

Hmmm...of all criteria that I might consider when writing a book, I think that this might be one instance where size really does NOT matter...

Because I have so little formal education I end up reading the "classics" out of curiosity if nothing else. It's a pretty mixed bag. One of the reasons that I did so poorly in school was that I'm not very disciplined; although my reading tates are omnivorous, if something doesn't hold my...

And (Jenem), I notice that Heinlein takes that tone with virtually every book he has ever written. Either women are nonexistent in the story, or they are present only as two-dimensional characters whose sole function seems to be decorative. I like his story ideas, but even taking into account...

I usually go to the library first and see if they have what I want. I have so many books already that I'm literally tripping over them, so unless I really NEED the book, I try not to buy it. Of course, "need" is subjective...and sometimes I find out that I really can't live without a book, so...

I see that I accidentally typed "Stranger in a Strange LANE" instead of "LAND"...and then mentioned seeing Heinlein on the freeway! Stranger in a Strange Lane could pretty much be the title of any LA driving experience, now that I think of it. :)

I liked "Stranger in a Strange Lane" when I first read it as a teenager, but I read it again not long ago and it's incredibly sexist. I was quite put off by it. I can usually just accept that it was a different time and read around it, but this book really made me cringe. Great idea, good...

Saki, any of his collections. Some of his stories are only 2 or 3 pages long, and all are wickedly clever and funny, though sometimes in a not very nice way. Lots in there about evil aunts who get what's coming to them (he was raised by two maiden aunts who were strict and did not like...

I don't ask, but there's no real reason for why that is. Maybe it's that I already have so many books that I want to read that I will never get to them all anyway. I also wonder how someone who doesn't know my taste or know me can make a recommendation that makes any sense. When I go to...

I agree that "The Catcher in the Rye" should be on the list. What about "The Joy Luck Club"? Although the boys might not like that as much. Where I went to high school we had a reading list with maybe 300 books on it. You had to read maybe 10 of them over the summer, but you could choose...

And how can you not love the whole scene where Tom goes to his own funeral? After everyone has just finished eulogizing him and saying what a wonderful boy he was, and how they would give anything to have him back, they couldn't very well punish him, now could they? Or the passage about...

That dedication is incredible, I'm sitting here with tears in my eyes! I forgot all about "The Pearl". I read it 20+ years ago, and did not even remember that it was by Steinbeck. It's a simple story about simple people, but underneath it's about human nature and good/evil and pretty much...

What does "Black Dog Strut" mean? Is it like Led Zeppelin's "Black Dog"?? Perspiring minds want to know...

O, to be 17 and headed off to art camp for the summer!!! Lord of the Flies To Kill a Mockingbird The Great Gatsby Even Cowgirls Get the Blues (maybe, depends on your taste) Brave New World If I think of more I'll come back. You are going to have such a great time!

Shari! I am loving your signature - too, too funny. Great choice. I didn't know that Twain wrote about Hawaii. Did you ever see the PBS special about him that aired not long ago? Since I don't own a TV I had to invite myself to someone's house who does, and it was so worth it. He had a...