Just not any books that you have read in High School.
I just finished Shot In The Heart where Mikal Gilmore writes about his brother, Gary Gilmore. Gary killed two people and then asked the court to put him to death. Excellent book.
Just not any books that you have read in High School.
I just finished Shot In The Heart where Mikal Gilmore writes about his brother, Gary Gilmore. Gary killed two people and then asked the court to put him to death. Excellent book.
If that’s what you like, be sure to read Helter Skelter.
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers. You’ll love this. It’s a true story, written by a really young guy. It’ll make you laugh and cry.
If you want to continue in the Serial Killer theme, you could try In Cold Blood. Very good
(Though I confess I did read this in High School. I have read it again since).
If you want disturbing alternative future stuff, you could try Oryx and Crake. Which was terrible and wonderful (and, like all Atwood, lacking closure).
depending on what kinds of reading you like. here are some I have read recently that I enjoyed…
Prey by Michael Crichton
The Sleeping Beauty series by Ann Rice (writing as A. N. Roquelaure) These are sort of S&Mish but still a good read.
Stiff by Mary Roach this is about what goes on with bodies donated to medical science and so forth
Wicked by Gregory Maguire which is the story of the wicked witch of the west in Oz and why it is that she is so damn mean
This would be better suited to the Cafe Society. I’ll move it on over for you.
TVeblen,
IMHO mod
I was just discussing this with a friend last night - read it, it’s an amazing book. I just worry that Eggers will never be able to match it, though.
I’m also reading Oryx and Crake right now, but I think I prefer Atwood’s The Cat’s Eye - which takes about seventy pages to really get going but is a really good look at one woman’s messed-up psyche.
**The Executioner’s Song ** is also about the Gary Gilmore story, and won the Pulitzer Prize in 1980. I loved this book.
I think everyone should read **The Brothers K **. This is probably my favorite book of all time. I can’t imagine anyone not being completely blown away by it. It’s moving, sad, very funny, virtually perfect. Also has a lot of baseball as an added bonus if that’s your thing. If not, it does not detract. If you don’t believe me, read the Amazon reviews - almost all say something to the effect of “best book ever.” READ THIS BOOK!! I can’t recommend it highly enough.
Is one of the greatest books I have ever read about true events. It nearly broke my heart(Which is something few books have ever done) and stayed in the front of my mind a good long time after I turned the final page.
This was the book I was thinking of when I saw the thread titile. It’s just great. I’m in the beginning of his newer book, And You Shall Know Our Velocity, and it’s pretty good. I haven’t gotten far enough to judge it against Heartbreaking.
So I guess that’s a third vote for Eggers.
Try The Professor and the Madman, a Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary.
You think reading about the making of a dictionary would be dull? Heh.
Here’s part of the description from the back of the book. The compilation fo the OED, begun in 1857, was one of the most ambitious projects ever undertaken. As definitions were collected, the overseeing committee, led by Professor James Murray, discovered that one man, Dr. W. C. Minor, had submitted more than ten thousand. When the committee insisted on honoring him, a shocking truth came to light: Dr. Minor, an American Civil War veteran, was also an inmate at an asylum for the criminally insane.
The last great book I read was Irvine Welsh’s Porno. Hilarious, dirty and well written. A must if you enjoyed Trainspotting (the book and/or the movie).
I’v also caved in to peer pressure and started Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci code. It’s a little bit like reading a screenplay, and I’ve never read Tom Clancy, Michael crichton, etc. but there are some interesting ‘facts’ (still have a few to look up, probably here) and word puzzles to mull over. I’m only about halfway through, but it’s definitely a page turner.
A really good true crime book is My Dark Places by James Ellroy (author of L.A. Confidential, amongst others). It’s a biography, but the story centers around his attempt (years after the fact) to find his mother’s murderer.
Is one of the greatest books I have ever read about true events. It nearly broke my heart(Which is something few books have ever done) and stayed in the front of my mind a good long time after I turned the final page.
Also check out Krakauer’s Into the Wild. Another one that will stay with you for a long time.
For lighter fare, read any of Ellis Peters’ Brother Cadfael mystery series.
Witch Child by Celia Rees. But get the audio book. You won’t be sorry.
It’s a kids’ book, but Ella Enchanted is an awesome retelling of the Cinderella story. It’s not quite enjoyable for adults in the same sense that the Harry Potter books are (lots of sub-plots and the like; the world isn’t quite as dense), but it’s got quirky characters and neat twists. The movie looks like crap, quite frankly. The book is light and enjoyable.
For something heavier, Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko (I think that’s who it is) is awesome. It’s got some beautiful imagery and writing. And the Lamartine is an absolute hoot of a character who still manages to come across as fully developed and sincere.
I really like The Mists of Avalon too. You should just read it if you’re tired of King Arthur stories that involve lots of proving of manhood with swords. I love the way Lancelot is portrayed.
I like a historical setting and one of the best books imo is Sinuhe - The Egyptian by Mika Waltari a Finnish author. He really makes ancient egypt come alive. You USians even made a movie The Egyptian. The setting is the upheaval under Echnaton, the pharao who tries to introduce monotheism.
Waltari has also written about other historical periods, though none as good as Sinuhe I´ll recommed them anyway.
Johannes Angelos - The conquest of Constantinople. (-)
The Kingdom, Enemies of the Kingdom - The days and the years after the the crucifiction of the Big Guy. (+)
Mikeal Ludenfot, Mikeal Hakim - Europe and Africa and Ottomanica during Reformation. (++)
Turms the Immortal - pre roman Etruscan (-)
The titles are all englificied and are prob not correct