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Suggest just one book to read.

The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje. The movie gives it a bad rap, but the book itself is beautifully written.
"She will find him near the headless statue of a count, upon whose stub of a neck one of the local cats likes to sit, solemn and drooling when humans appear. She is always made to feel that she is the one who has found him, this man who knows darkness, who when drunk used to claim he was brought up by a family of owls. "
And so on. He casts a spell with his unique imagery and his insightful portrayals of ordinary people brought together by war and tragedy and a shared feeling of emptiness. They carve their new intertwined lives out in simplicity and live from day to day, sometimes sharing memories of their past lives as if they were dreams remembered in the morning.
 
Ah yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaa..... :)

The book is so beautiful. Each word is like a Michaelangelo angel carved into the page. It's a very beautiful and moving book. I really liked it and will re-read it again one day.

Highly recommend that one!
 
murphyz said:
On many forums I see people listing their favourite books, and must say I disagree with many, as I am sure many will disagree with me...and so I pose this question.

Can you name here just one book that you would suggest others should read. Do not suggest Harry Potter or a world renowned book that everyone knows of, such as Lord of the Rings, but instead make it one book that you enjoyed and which others may not have been introduced to.

Again, I urge that you limit your suggestion to just one book, and any links to the book would be appreciated.

Mxx
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I am just bursting to suggest Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov but I that counts as a 'world-renowned' book, no?

'Lady Cottintons Pressed Fairy Book'

It is a small and short book and is really for children.

It is a diary which starts when she was 5 until her 20's I think (not a true story!) and it's about her seeing fairies and squishing them in her book (there are pretty watercolour illustrations of squished fairies inside) ...
My nanny bought it for me for Christmas and I loved it :D

Alice
 
SillyWabbit said:
Ah yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaa..... :)

The book is so beautiful. Each word is like a Michaelangelo angel carved into the page. It's a very beautiful and moving book. I really liked it and will re-read it again one day.

Highly recommend that one!
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What would you recommend, SillyWabbit? I myself find it difficult when I am looking for novels that are as well-written as the English Patient.
 
bleghhh the english patient. i always feel like elaine bennis when the book or movie comes up.
did not like it. tried 4 times to get through it and just got bogged down.
 
Great thread! I especially appreciate those who have provided a bit of a description to accompany their suggestions. Here's mine:
Sinclair Ross, Sawbones Memorial

This amazing little book is a classic of Canadian literature. Through snippets of dialogue overheard at a party (the book is written entirely in dialogue, without so much as a "he said" or "she said"), Ross portrays the life of a small prairie town, with all of its intrigues and scandals. In particular, he reveals the career and character of the beloved local doctor, who, it turns out, has shaped the community, and the lives of some of his neighbors, in ways that no one recognizes. Wonderful characters, delightful surprises. A book that you will finish and ask, "How did he DO that?!?"
 
If you are into Greek history, I recommend Gates Of Fire, it's a well written book about the battle of Thermopalae (not spelled right)

There is also a great book i have recently read called Requiem which is set in Ireland.
 
The Fall of the King by Johannes V. Jensen

Johannes V. Jensen was a Danish writer, and The Fall of the King is considered to be amongst the top 2 greatest works of Danish literature. He won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1944.
 
Crystal said:
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint Exupery.

Not a thick one, only about 100pages. But I like it for its conveying the delicate soul. There is secret of what is really important in life, and you will find it in this very little book.

(maybe many of you have read it???)
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i loooooove this book. i have an illustrated version. my mom and sister read the polish version growing up, so i suppose my mom wanted to pass it along to me.

i also love sheep, so the fact that there was sheep was a plus =P
 
Memoirs of A Geisha-by Arthur Golden...I loved this book when I first read it 3 years ago...It's one that I recommend to people all the time...It's also a movie and will be in theaters Dec of this year...I just hope that the movie will do the book justice:)
 
murphyz said:
Do not suggest Harry Potter or a world renowned book that everyone knows of, such as Lord of the Rings, but instead make it one book that you enjoyed and which others may not have been introduced to.
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"Arturo's Island" written by Elsa Morante

(sorry i'm not able to link it)
 
Too lazy to read the whole post to see if this is already here or not, but...

Travels With Charley: In Search of America by John Steinbeck

Read it in 7th or 8th grade.

Still think about that damn blue poodle, and "C-O-W" painted on the side of livestock to keep the hunters from shooting them!

Great book.
 
The Stranger by Albert Campus

pretty short, but the ending is great. at first the character annoyed me, but i loved how he developed over time
 
My choice would be The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck. It takes place during Pre-Revolutionary China when a poor farmer obtains a wife in a slave named O-lan. The book details what hardships the new family must endure as the world around them begins to change. You get to glimpse the many aspects of O-lan's character through her quiet actions throughout the book.

I grew to love O-lan while reading this and delayed finishing it many times because I didn't want the book to end. It is easy to read and I am glad that I gave in to a brief moment of shopping frenzy to purchase it when I did.
 
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