I’ve got a friend who has so far pretty much missed the world of reading. She’s actually fairly intelligent considering she hasn’t read much, but has recently decided that she wants to start catching up on the world that she has missed. She’s been asking everyone if they could recommend one book for her to read, what would it be. I suggested the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I loved the story, and was so totally into it while I was reading it.
I know that we’ve had a number of favourite book threads, but I like to think that this is a slight twist on them. If you were to suggest one book for someone who hasn’t read much, what would it be and why?
I’ll gather up the suggestions when this thread is done and give them to her as a list of potential books to read.
A Prayer for Owen Meany, by John Irving. It will whet her reading appetite. The characters are so richly presented that by the time I finished this book (the first time) I felt as if I knew them personally. Irving is a genius.
The Phantom Tollbooth. No matter how old you are there is something new you can get out of that book. I re-read it every year, and a new pun or comical thing hits me every time.
I had this book in high school and just KNEW I was going to hate it. Suprised myself when I started to like it, then love it. I second the LOTR trilogy, but start with The Hobbit. It’s somewhat lighter, where LOTR is darker overall.
The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas. Complex, yet not hard to follow, lots of twists, fairly unpredictable ending (IMO), and really enjoyable on re-reading too. I also like his Count of Monte Cristo although I had a slightly harder time keeping up with who was who.
So many good ones have already been mentioned… you all have impeccable taste.
Gaiman’s Neverwhere is excellent, as is Stardust. They’re both fantasy.
Candide is a favorite of mine. It’s quick but deep. And how can you not love a book containing the line “what a misfortune to be without testicles?” Hee!
For sheer entertainment, the Harry Potter books are quite fun.
Or, if they have a short attention span, get them a copy of The World’s Shortest Stories. They’re under 55 words and some of them have more plot than your average NYT flash in the pan.
Tom Sawyer.
Huckleberry Finn.
The Three Musketeers.
Oliver Twist.
Great Expectations.
To Kill A Mockingbird.
Up the Down Staircase.
To Sir, with Love.
The Boy in the Model T.
Misses 'Arris Goes to Paris.
The Bridges at Toko Ri.
I’ll Trade You an Elk.
The Egg and I.
Anything by Larry Niven.
I’m going to second the Prayer for Owen Meany recommendation (or perhaps The Hotel New Hampshire).
Unless your friend is at a low reading level I am going to have to recommend Lord of the Rings, it is pretty juvenile. I loved it as a kid, am bored by it as an adult. I have never met (though I am sure somebody will now pipe up) someone who first read LotR as an adult and thought it was great.
Not because I think that it’s such a fabulous novel, but because it’ll make her feel guilty as hell for ignoring such an important part of her life. “So, you didn’t think you had enough time to READ, huh? What if books were ILLEGAL?”
Some other books that might steer her toward her interests are Kenneth Rexroth’s THE CLASSICS REVISITED and Henry Miller’s THE BOOKS IN MY LIFE.
