# A Reading Feast - your favorite books. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 15, 2003, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-reading-feast-your-favorite-books/148765 "2003-01-15T16:45:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2003, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-reading-feast-your-favorite-books/148765/1 "2003-01-15T16:45:15Z")
Being a fanatic foodie, and an even more fanatical reader, I always like to combine the two ideas. Picking one favorite book is impossible for me, so instead, I would like to present some of my favorites in a slightly different form, The Six Course Meal of Reading. I’d love to hear any additional recommendations, as the unread books on my shelf are rapidly dwindling, so please, add your own ideas. Here we go: **Appetizer** - Since this is the first course, I would want a book that lets me know what the act of reading is all about, but isn’t too meaty. I chose **To Kill A Mockingbird** by Harper Lee. Granted it’s not a light, airy canape and could easily be an entree; but it is a relatively easy read that flows wonderfully. The book combines wonderfully vivid characters that you really care about with important lessons about life without being preachy. All of this is filtered through the eyes of a young tomboy. A wonderful start to our feast. **Soup** - I prefer savory soups with a bite, so I was looking for a book that, while adding to my knowledge and experience, would do so with a spicy attitude, but not too filling. Of course, I decided up **The Straight Dope** by Cecil Adams. The first published collection, it is insanely interesting with a wickedly funny attitude. After devouring this book, we’ll be ready to continue our literary meal. **Salad** - The salad course of a meal should be relatively light, but filled with different, but complementary tastes. I was also looking for something that would be easy to read. With these in mind, I’ll be serving **The Sandman Series** by Neil Gaiman. Since this course is in graphic novel form, it will be a delight not only to our stomachs but also to the eyes. The stories contained within vary in their ideas and artistic styles, all of which combine wonderfully. Add in the overarching theme of imagination and creativity, and we have the perfect course before the entree come. **Meat Entree** - The heart of the meal, it should be satisfying and leave the reader almost, but not quite full. This course, of all of them, is most open to personal tastes. I would serve **Hamlet** by William Shakespeare. As a matter of personal preference, I think Hamlet is the best thing ever written. It is a deeply complex story, and contains wonderful usage of the English language ranging from light puns to heart wrenching depression. And after you read it, you’ll know you’ve completed something great. **Fish Entree** - Generally, there will be a secondary entree that, if not fish, is a lighter fare than the meat entree. It is meant to compliment the meat entree, but could stand on it’s own. For this dish, I chose **The Stand** by Stephen King. This book can stand on it’s own, of course, but it is a much easier, not too deep novel. It is a fantastic epic that engages you completely and draws you to the end. A fine secondary entree. **Dessert** - After the feast we’ve had, desert needs to be a light-hearted uplifting book that ends the meal on a humorous note. This was easily the toughest call for me, so I will bring out a desert tray and let you decide. On the desert tray, you have your choice of **Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy** by Douglass Adams, **Good Omens** by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, and **Our Dumb Century** by the Onion writers. Any of these three would be a fantastic end to our literary feast. So, what would you be serving for your Six Course Literary Meal? I’m hungry!