I need your help.
Graduation is just around the corner (less than 20 days and counting), and over the past five semesters, I’ve put things off and put things aside for the sake of focusing on school — including a lot of pleasure reading.
With that in mind, I’m asking you to do the following: Down in the comments, please recommend one book that I should read (any genre, any author, any target audience, any medium).
There are only three rules:
- You have to have read it yourself.
- You have to have liked it. (Please note, it doesn’t have to have won a prize, and it doesn’t have to have changed your life completely. If it has, great, but it’s not a requirement.)
- It has to be written in English.
With those three rules in mind, if you recommend it, I will (over the course of the next year, or so) read it.
I’ve already given myself two titles to get started:
- The Secret of Lost Things by Sheridan Kay
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
It might sound crazy, but somehow I trust my librarian (and non-librarian) friends to make interesting recommendations. As I read them, I’ll post reviews of the books here on the blog (in addition to my regular posts). I’ll also be using GoodReads to chart my progress.
So bring it on. Make your recommendations soon — within the next week or two, so I can complile and post a list of all the suggestions.
And, of course, thanks in advance. : )
My recommendation would be In the Woods by Tana French. Lots of mystery and suspense. It was such a great read!!
Congrats on graduation! I am graduating soon as well.
My go-to recommendation is Larry McMurtry’s “Lonesome Dove”. I first got clued-in by my brother, and I’ve since recommended it to 2 other friends who both enjoyed it. I’d say it has a successful track record — can’t wait to hear what you think.
One of my guilty pleasure reads for some time now is Anaïs Nin’s “A Spy in the House of Love”. I just want to preface one thing to you, it is written in the author’s trademark erotic, image-laden language. Enjoy.
I would say given the movie that recently came out, that the Watchmen graphic novel should be in your reading list. Yes, I did read myself, and I did like it. Anyhow, given its legacy, as far as I am concerned, most librarians should read it.
I could suggest other things, but you said one. Oh, and by the way, I do use GR as well. Feel free to look over my shelves sometime. (http://www.goodreads.com/gypsylibrarian )
Best, and keep on blogging.
The Chatham School Affair by Thomas Cook. Superbly written, wonderful. (I also loved Lonesome Dove!)
Firmin: adventures of a metropolitan lowlife by Sam Savage. Short, sadly overlooked, and one of my favorite books.
(In case you missed it, this is my evil grin.) I would recommend *Magic, Power, Language, Symbol: A Magician’s Exploration of Linguistics* by Patrick Dunn. An excellent look at the intersection of linguistics, semiotics, and contemporary occultism. It’s general enough I think the non-occultist can follow Dunn’s line of reasoning without too much trouble.
Now on to a slightly less academic genre than what Robert has recommended.
I would like to recommend a very powerful novel that leaves you breathless and enlightened and filled with a need to share the experience with everyone you meet.
Instead I will recommend
“Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s childhood Pal”
This tells the story of Christ’s life from birth through the missing 30 years up until his death as told by his best friend, whose story was purposely left out of the Bible (for reasons you will discover). You will learn all sorts of things. Such as the true lives of the three wise men, a revealing glimse at the rough draft version of the Sermon on the Mount, and all of Joshua’s adventures learning how to be the messiah.
You can’t miss this one.
^^^^By The way, that is by Christopher Moore
Chris, if you like fantasy at all, I suggest The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch. It’s like Ocean’s Eleven or Mission Impossible or The Sting set in a fantasy city. Very clever, funny, engaging writing. The sequel is almost as good.
2666 by Roberto Bolano
Since Courtney already invoked Christopher Moore, I will add his latest title, Fool. Moore does incredible things with Shakepeare’s King Lear, telling the story from the point of view of Lear’s fool, Pocket. Typically Moore — witty, baudy, and wonderful fun.
Congratulations on graduation. I’m just finishing semester one, so my time is still off in the distance!
CROOKED LITTLE VEIN by Warren Ellis, an insanely raucous journey across America in search of the Secret Constitution of the United States.
The Book of Joe by Jonathan Tropper. It is from 2004, but I haven’t read anything else lately that I would recommend to you!
If you haven’t read Pride and Prejudice already, go for it. It’s one of the few books I’ve liked so much that I reread it every now and then.