# My friend asked me an interesting question the other day (or, another book poll) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 16, 2000, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-asked-me-an-interesting-question-the-other-day-or-another-book-poll/41386 "2000-11-16T00:26:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![lolagranola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ea5d25/32.png) [@lolagranola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lolagranola)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2000, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-asked-me-an-interesting-question-the-other-day-or-another-book-poll/41386/1 "2000-11-16T00:26:08Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2000, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-asked-me-an-interesting-question-the-other-day-or-another-book-poll/41386/2 "2000-11-16T00:31:40Z")
_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. ---
**Author:** ![hypergirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/49beb7/32.png) [@hypergirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hypergirl)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2000, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-asked-me-an-interesting-question-the-other-day-or-another-book-poll/41386/3 "2000-11-16T02:06:55Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Jekeira](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9fc29f/32.png) [@Jekeira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jekeira)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2000, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-asked-me-an-interesting-question-the-other-day-or-another-book-poll/41386/4 "2000-11-16T02:15:12Z")
Watership Down by Richard Adams. ---
**Author:** ![Cyndar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Cyndar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyndar)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2000, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-asked-me-an-interesting-question-the-other-day-or-another-book-poll/41386/5 "2000-11-16T02:17:42Z")
Oh my God, Jekeira, I was going to say the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Goose)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2000, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-asked-me-an-interesting-question-the-other-day-or-another-book-poll/41386/6 "2000-11-16T02:18:51Z")
The Catcher in The Rye or If you want her to _enjoy_ reading, Dragonlance Choronicles would be better than LoTR. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2000, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-asked-me-an-interesting-question-the-other-day-or-another-book-poll/41386/7 "2000-11-16T02:27:00Z")
To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee 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. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2000, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-asked-me-an-interesting-question-the-other-day-or-another-book-poll/41386/8 "2000-11-16T02:37:18Z")
Hard to recommend just one! Can I recommend by genre? Starting with easy stuff? Fantasy – The Mists of Avalon by Anne McCaffrey Thriller – Presumed Innocent by Scott Turow (or anything by Ken Follett) Western/Adventure – Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry Historical/Romance – something by Sharon Kay Penman, like The Sunne in Splendor Horror – The Stand by Stephen King Americana – My Antonia by Willa Cather Science Fiction/Speculative Fiction, whatever they’re calling it nowadays – Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein ---
**Author:** ![jessicala](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/eb9ed0/32.png) [@jessicala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jessicala)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2000, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-asked-me-an-interesting-question-the-other-day-or-another-book-poll/41386/9 "2000-11-16T02:43:34Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2000, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-asked-me-an-interesting-question-the-other-day-or-another-book-poll/41386/10 "2000-11-16T04:40:02Z")
_Ender’s Game_ by Orson Scott Card or \*The Princess Bride \* by Wiliam Goldman. I have had great sucess recomending thes two books to non-readers. ---
**Author:** ![Purd\_Werfect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e47c2d/32.png) [@Purd\_Werfect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Purd_Werfect)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2000, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-asked-me-an-interesting-question-the-other-day-or-another-book-poll/41386/11 "2000-11-16T04:47:44Z")
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry. ---
**Author:** ![andygirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a9adbd/32.png) [@andygirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andygirl)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2000, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-asked-me-an-interesting-question-the-other-day-or-another-book-poll/41386/12 "2000-11-16T05:03:24Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Reboot42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Reboot42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reboot42)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2000, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-asked-me-an-interesting-question-the-other-day-or-another-book-poll/41386/13 "2000-11-16T08:08:29Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![obfusciatrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4af34b/32.png) [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2000, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-asked-me-an-interesting-question-the-other-day-or-another-book-poll/41386/14 "2000-11-16T08:15:53Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2000, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-asked-me-an-interesting-question-the-other-day-or-another-book-poll/41386/15 "2000-11-16T08:52:50Z")
Of Mice and Men ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2000, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-asked-me-an-interesting-question-the-other-day-or-another-book-poll/41386/16 "2000-11-16T09:01:09Z")
Catch-22. ---
**Author:** ![MadPoet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8c91f0/32.png) [@MadPoet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadPoet)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2000, 10:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-asked-me-an-interesting-question-the-other-day-or-another-book-poll/41386/17 "2000-11-16T10:35:29Z")
I’m going to add a vote for Ender’s Game and throw Pawn of Prophecy by David Eddings into the pile. ---
**Author:** ![dylan\_73](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecccb3/32.png) [@dylan\_73](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dylan_73)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2000, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-asked-me-an-interesting-question-the-other-day-or-another-book-poll/41386/18 "2000-11-16T11:41:55Z")
The Collector, by John Fowles. Hmm…I have to read The Magus now 🙂 Oh, and just about anything by Iain (M) Banks. ---
**Author:** ![billyt123](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7ba0ec/32.png) [@billyt123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billyt123)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2000, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-asked-me-an-interesting-question-the-other-day-or-another-book-poll/41386/19 "2000-11-16T12:34:52Z")
A Separate Peace, John Knowles ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2000, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-asked-me-an-interesting-question-the-other-day-or-another-book-poll/41386/20 "2000-11-16T14:50:18Z")
Ray Bradbury’s FAHRENHEIT 451. 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. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friend-asked-me-an-interesting-question-the-other-day-or-another-book-poll/41386.md?page=2)