Hey! I'm looking for good books to read. It would be a plus if they are good for vocabulary building. My style of book would tend to be fiction, but I am open to anything that is a good story. I usually prefer books written within the last 40 years. The few very old books that I can say I genuinely enjoyed were Narnia and watership down: children's stories. I hate anything about a detective. God forbid it's set in a small town and never progresses. Life is mundane enough, and I read to escape that. There doesn't necessarily need to be a bunch of supernatural elements in the book to keep me interested; the important thing is just that the characters have a more exciting life than mine. I have a special interest in politics and philosophy. So much so that I may even brave a book about ordinary life if it deals with such matters. That's how I got to the end of "The stranger/l'étranger" and "catcher in the rye". They compelled me to deep reflection. I can't say for sure though that I enjoyed them. "Animal Farm" on the other hand, I thoroughly enjoyed. Books that deal with talking animals somehow always seem to sit well with me. It's weird. I've read and enjoyed all the fun recent fiction such as Harry Potter, Eragon, Lord of the Rings(I know this one's old). I consider twilight an embarrassment to literature, but in all honesty, I couldn't stop turning the pages till I finished it. Stephanie Meyer is actually shockingly talented as a writer if you read her other book 'The Host'. K I hope you guys can recommend some things based on all I've stated. Thanks in advance!
How about "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel or "East of the Mountains" by James Guterson? Life of Pi deals with the philosophy part a little more, but I thought they were both excellent reads.
Life of Pi. I was about to start reading that but then my father said the movie is brilliant and that I should just go watch the movie directly. What do you think? Should I read it first or just go watch the movie right away?
Belinda Bauer is probably one of my favorite current writers. Her stories are extremely chilling. They give you insight into the mind of disgusting criminals. I think the latest one I read was called Darkside. I absolutely loved it, kept me turning pages and at the same time thinking "can I go on?" I have to say her first novel Blacklands leaves the strongest impression on me. They definitly leave you with something to think about too. When you are referring to detective novels Are you specifically referring to Sherlock Holmes? I also read a YA novel by Elizabeth c. Bunce, called Liars Moon. A good summer read to escape this life. Has some historical fiction to it, if you like that type of stuff. The White Bone is a novel by Barbara Gowdy. Very interesting look into elephants. Though I believe the elephants are a running metaphor for the human race. Those are a few off the top of my head. I'm sure you will get many more responses in the near future.
If you want something interesting and philosophical try the House of Leaves. It is classified as horror but is more philosophical in nature. Very long book with a very interesting writing style.
That's a toss up. I thought the book was beautifully written, on the other hand, its one of those movies that is very close to the book. I think you would be safe just watching the movie. The special effects are great. I read that the animals in the movie were all computer generated. Very impressive.
Good stories with some food for thought (philosophy lite). Lord of the Flies The Shootist The Great Gatsby Bless the Beasts and the Children Fahrenheit 451 A lot of people who are into politics and philosophy like Ayn Rand. Her books are longer and more difficult. I started Atlas Shrugged once but didn't have time to get very far in it.
Omg I started Atlas shrugged and was mortified by the content. It revealed a lot about the psyche of the far right to me. Thanks for reminding me about it though because I'd stopped reading but I do want to finish it. The great Gatsby. I've heard about that one and I think I'll give it a go too. I'll have a look at the house of leaves as well. Thanks for the recommendations everyone.
This may be a little off from what you're sights are set on, but I think from your described likes, you might enjoy Raptor Red by Robert T. Bakker, a pretty famous and respected Palentologist. It's the story of a Utah Raptor's year's struggle to survive (think raptors from Jurassic Park), from the raptor's POV. It's well-written, leaning heavily on science and animal behavior in telling the story.
DefinatelyMaybe, When you get a chance to read it, message me and let me know what you thought! It was out of print for a while but they brought it back a few years ago. Terry
