So, what's everyone reading lately? I am taking any and all suggestions. When I come home in January, I am going to Half-Price Books to stock up. Some books I have read lately that deserve mention (I have read loads of crap, too):
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency--Alexander McCall Smith
White Oleander--Janet Fitch
The Poisonwood Bible--Barbara Kingsolver (for about the 14th time)
Dreams From My Father--Barack Obama
Angela's Ashes--Frank McCourt
Bird by Bird--Anne Lamott
Decolonizing the Mind--Ngugi wa Thiongo
Sunday, November 21, 2004
Can I pick your brain?
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8 comments:
Well, as I said on my blog, "Life of Pi" was great. I just started "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay" (Micahel Chabon) and am told that it, too, is great. "The Elegant Universe" (Brian Greene) is quite interesting if you enjoy physics and want to better understand quantum physics and superstring theory. (OK, it's possible I'm a nerd.) In general, anything by David Sedaris is hilarious and I enjoy Jonathan Kozol, who writes about sociology issues -- mostly children in poverty and the issues that face them ("Amazing Grace" is the only one of his I've read so far, but he has others.) And I agree that "The Poisonwood Bible" was a great book. Sadly, my copy has gone missing since I first read it.
+1 for "The Elegant Universe", definitely. Also, along the same lines, "A Brief History of Time" by Stephen Hawking.
I've been most recently reading James Herriot ("All Creatures Great and Small", "All Things Bright and Beautiful", etc.), Orson Scott Card ("Ender's Game", "Speaker for the Dead", and "Pastwatch" should be on everyone's must-read-before-I-die list), and Elaine Marieb ("Human Anatomy and Physiology, 5th Ed." - not exactly a nail-biter, but lots of pictures!).
Wow, you guys have good taste. Ender's Game was my all-time favorite SF book until I found The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell and its sequel, Children of God. Now it's a tie. Amazing Grace is my battling-complacency book. If I ever start to feel apathetic I reach for it. (I recommend Savage Inequalities too.) Life of Pi has been on my must-read list for a while, but I am holding out for the English version, which I can't find here. And Herriot is a sentimental favorite, too. (Are you leaning toward veterinary medicine, Charlie??) This all leads me to believe that a.) you both have incredibly great taste and therefore b.) I should definitely check out the other books y'all are recommending.
I am basically incredibly curious about everything, therefore I read everything, including physics. (Anyone else love Goedel, Escher, Bach??) I was in Physics Club in high school and college, although I admit it, in college it was just for the people and the planetarium. Anyway, I will put your books on my lengthening list! Thanks.
Physics Club ruled! How many other academic clubs had their own fight songs?
If I had to rank the three Card books I listed, Ender's Game would come in a distant third; if you liked Ender's Game and haven't read the other two you're definitely missing out.
Veterinary medicine would be awesome except I imagine I'd have to spend a lot of time dealing with animals. The idea of driving around the Yorkshire countryside meeting interesting people with cool accents certainly appeals, though.
Everything I've read recently pales in comparison to "Life of Pi." Thanks to Meckhead, I'm currently reading (and enjoying) "Lolita" as a precursor to "Readling Lolita in Tehran."
OK (makes large star next to 'Life of Pi' on 'must read list', adds 'Lolita' and 'Reading Lolita in Tehran')... got it. Thanks!!
I know it was a bestseller and you may have already read it, but I really enjoyed "The Lovely Bones" by Alice Sebold. It was so heartwrenching, but it was a book that made me think about death and grief in a whole different way while still being relatable to my own thoughts on both. Wistfulness and longing are major tones in the book. On a lighter note, I've recently read "The Devil Wears Prada" and "The Nanny Diaries," and both are good for when you need to laugh.
Jhumpa Lahiri has been on my must-read list since you recommended her this past summer. I looked at bookstores, but all I found of hers was a collection of short stories, which were literarily good but slightly depressing (is that a requirement for good literature?). I will check out the others. Thanks!
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