# Recommend a Book for Me **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 17, 2003, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-book-for-me/162033 "2003-03-17T16:58:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Gazelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Gazelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gazelle)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2003, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-book-for-me/162033/1 "2003-03-17T16:58:55Z")
I need to buy a new book at the B&N downstairs, today at lunch. Please recommend a book for me that you enjoyed. Conditions: 1. Must be available at B&N in paperback for under $10.00 (excluding tax). 2. Must be fiction. 3. Must not be a romance novel. Please provide a title, author and quick synopsis. In one hour, I will choose a book from this thread and purchase it. Thanks for your help! ---
**Author:** ![Gazelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Gazelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gazelle)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2003, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-book-for-me/162033/2 "2003-03-17T17:01:35Z")
Ignore the part about it being under $10.00… As long as it’s in paperback, I’m happy. Thanks! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Indygrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@Indygrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indygrrl)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2003, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-book-for-me/162033/3 "2003-03-17T17:15:18Z")
Lord of the Barnyard by Tristan Egolf. [http://homepage.tinet.ie/~albedo1/reviews-egolf.html](http://homepage.tinet.ie/~albedo1/reviews-egolf.html) This is probably the best book I’ve read in years. I’ve recommended it to at least ten people who loved it as well. Trust me. ---
**Author:** ![Gazelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Gazelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gazelle)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2003, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-book-for-me/162033/4 "2003-03-17T17:25:29Z")
**Indygrrl** , it sounds fantastic and my B&N has it… I may not be able to wait the whole hour! Oooh oooh! I love new books! ---
**Author:** ![Bomzaway](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e480ec/32.png) [@Bomzaway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bomzaway)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2003, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-book-for-me/162033/5 "2003-03-17T17:39:18Z")
**Perfume: The Story of a Murder** by Patrick Suskind. Odd premise, interesting plot, strange characters, and everything you wanted to know about making perfume. Very good. **Empire Falls** by Richard Russo. It’s about life in a small Northeastern town, so it’s a bit slow paced to match the setting. However, the characters are interesting, and the story is a good “exploration of the human condition”. **Cold Mountain** by Charles Frazier. A civil war deserter tries to make his way home to the woman he loves. Yes, there’s some romance involved, but not much. **Tishamingo Blues** Elmore Leonard. The main character is a professional high diver. That kind of peculiarity runs throughout the book. I loved this one, and I’m not a big Leonard fan. **Cities of the Plain** by Cormac McCarthy. About some cowboys in the 1950’s, their way of life (which is slowly disappearing), and the allure of a more wild Mexico. There’s a little romance between a young cowboy and a Mexican prostitute, but it’s hardly a romance. ---
**Author:** ![Indygrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@Indygrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indygrrl)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2003, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-book-for-me/162033/6 "2003-03-17T18:23:47Z")
My dad just gave me Tishamingo Blues and Cat Chaser recently. I haven’t really started either, but I’ve heard good things about Elmore Leonard. ---
**Author:** ![Rubystreak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Rubystreak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rubystreak)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2003, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-book-for-me/162033/7 "2003-03-17T18:28:58Z")
**Sparrow** by Mary Doria Russell. It’s about a Jesuit priest named Emilio Sandoz, who, in the spirit of Jesuit missionary missions of the past, sets out to make contact with a planet whose beautiful songs have been detected. On this trip, Sandoz finds his faith tried in the most agonizing and incredible way possible. A truly amazing novel. ---
**Author:** ![Gazelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Gazelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gazelle)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2003, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-book-for-me/162033/8 "2003-03-17T18:38:01Z")
**Bomz** , I’ll keep **Perfume: The Story of a Murder** , **Tishamingo Blues** and **Cities of the Plain** on my list. I’ve read both **Empire Falls** and **Cold Mountain** ; loved 'em both - good suggestions! **Ruby** , **The Sparrow** is one of my favorite books of all time. Loved the sequel too, but **The Sparrow** … oh man. What a book. I bought **Lord of the Barnyard** and finished the prologue at lunch. Intriguing. Thanks for the suggestiosn, everyone! ---
**Author:** ![Wilson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/96bed5/32.png) [@Wilson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wilson)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2003, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-book-for-me/162033/9 "2003-03-17T18:45:09Z")
**Atonement** by Ian McEwan. A story in four parts about the Tallis family, and in particular a lie told by thirteen year old Briony in 1935, and the effect it has on everyone’s lives. A masterful tale by one of the greatest living novelists, touching on themes such as family, writing, and why yes, atonement. ---
**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:** [March 17, 2003, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-book-for-me/162033/10 "2003-03-17T18:59:26Z")
Get yourself a copy of that great Finnish epic, the **Kalevala**. Oh damn, I’m too late. ---
**Author:** ![burundi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3ec8ea/32.png) [@burundi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burundi)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2003, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-book-for-me/162033/11 "2003-03-17T20:00:25Z")
I know I’m too late, but next time consider **The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay** by Michael Chabon. I just finished it this afternoon and it’s wonderful. It’s about two Jewish cousins, one of them a Czech refugee, who create a comic book hero, the Escapist, just as the U.S. is entering World War II and comic books are entering their “Golden Age.” It’s a fascinating and lively book, with wonderful descriptions of New York City in the 1940s. ---
**Author:** ![js\_africanus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/87869e/32.png) [@js\_africanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/js_africanus)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2003, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-book-for-me/162033/12 "2003-03-17T21:44:41Z")
Small Gods by Terry Pratchett ---
**Author:** ![ChalkPit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a88e4f/32.png) [@ChalkPit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChalkPit)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2003, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-book-for-me/162033/13 "2003-03-17T21:49:47Z")
[Manseed, by Jack Williamson](http://www.embiid.net/books/books.asp?&P=119&C=0) ---
**Author:** ![Manach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Manach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manach)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2003, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-book-for-me/162033/14 "2003-03-17T21:57:44Z")
“The Man who was Thursday” by Chesterton - Paradox at it’s best