Can you recommend a good book to me?

Question

Reading "The Picture of Dorian Gray" by Oscar Wilde right now, going to get into "Metamorphosis" by Kafka. Also a fan of Ayn Rand, Orscon Scott Card, and Dostoevsky. Recommend something with meaning, with substance.

A short synopsis would be helpful.

Answer 1

SOPHIE'S WORLD by Jostein Gaarder

A novel about the history of Philosophy. A model of classic pedagogical technique packaged in most tasteful modernism.

Sophie Amundsen is a typical 14-year-old who, like many, knows next to nothing about philosophy. One day, though, she receives a mysterious package that contains two questions: "Who are you?" and "Where does the world come from?"
She is thus plunged unexpectedly into a correspondence course in philosophy with an enigmatic instructor, covering such celebrated philosophers as Socrates, Hume, Kant, Hegel and Freud. While Sophie puzzles over the questions, she receives another baffling batch of mail. As Sophie struggles to make sense of it all, she must use her newly gained knowledge about philosophy. The complex truth, however, will require all of Sophie's ingenuity and determination to unearth.

Sophie's World I must say is indeed a thought provoking novel that will certainly open your eyes to a whole new realm of thought.


LOVE IN THE TIME OF CHOLERA by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

As a young woman, Fermina Daza kept a lengthy and passionate correspondence with Florentino Ariza, who was socially her inferior, but was desperately in love with her. They became engaged through their letters, exchanged through hiding places and telegrams in code.

But one day, when Fermina Daza comes close to Florentino Ariza in the market, she feels suddenly ill and tells him it was all a mistake. Instead, she marries Dr. Juvenal Urbino, a European-educated perfectionist, who falls in love with her on a medical visit. Their tumultuous but affectionate marriage lasts over fifty years, through a civil war, cholera outbreaks and the Doctor's brief affair with a patient. Juvenal Urbino distinguishes himself by instituting policies to combat cholera. He dies, falling from a tree as he attempts to catch his pet parrot.

Florentino Ariza comes to the wake. He is now about seventy and controls a wealthy shipping operation. After the other guests leave, he approaches Fermina Daza, saying, "I have waited for this opportunity for more than half a century, to repeat to you once again my vow of eternal fidelity and ever-lasting love."

She throws him out of the house, but continues to think of him. He becomes a regular visitor. Finally, they take a boat ride together, down the rivers that are being slowly drained and poisoned, listening for the cries of the manatees. They do not return, but prepare to sail on forever.

It is a masterpiece of a sensuous prose, something I could consider as a great living Spanish classic. It has quite an epic theme that embodies wisdom and patience of age. You might want to check it out and experience Marquez's magical realism.

Answer 2

Discworld Novels - Terry Pratchett
Set on a totally foreign world; started out as a parody of fantasy, but morphed into something else. They have some pretty funny bits.

Cloudmages: Holder of Lightning, Mage of Clouds, Heir of Stone;
S.L. Farrell
Lots of intrigue and fighting. Not very light compared to most tales of magic. (The magic comes at a cost; pain.)

Young Wizards - Diane Duane
More serious than some fantasy, and much more modern. Geared more towards children, but still more serious than a whole lot of other fantasy. (Has a site and forum run by the author.)

Darkover Novels - Marion Zimmer Bradley
Similar to Orson Scott Card; futuristic/medieval; First novel is called Darkover Landfall.

Fallen Angels - Walter Dean Myers
Set in Vietnam; Historical fiction about soldiers who are fighting in 'Nam. Quite serious and very moving.

Answer 3

The Inheritance Trilogy by Christopher Paolini.

A very good story. Two books are done, Eragon and Eldest. They are making a movie of Eragon right now. The main character finds a dragon egg and learns of the legacy of the riders and himself as he tries to rebuild the Riders and topple an evil empire. Has some cliches inherent to almost all fantasy but is still a great read.

Answer 4

Well, Kafka's masterwork is definitely The Trial. If you haven't read it yet, you must do it! Dostojevsky's The Idiot is a nice book too.

If you like such mystique books as you mentioned, I'd recommend the Devil's Elixir by E. T. A. Hoffmann. It's a great suspending story. Synopsis:

"Another importation, from the German of E. T. A. Hoffman, is ‘The Devil’s Elixir,’ a wild, aimless, bewildering romance, abounding with all that is extravagant, absurd, and impossible. Franciscus, afterwards Medardus, a monk, born under miraculous circumstances, becomes possessed of one of the bottles of the devil’s elixir, which St. Anthony had obtained after a conflict with his satanic majesty. In a fatal moment he is led to taste the infernal poison; and henceforth, he becomes in his nature all that is cruel, wicked, and devilish. He revels in infamy, pollution, and blood; he incessantly tortures others; and, attended by spectres and demons, he is incessantly tortured himself. Amongst other impossibilities he meets with his double, the Count Victorin, his natural brother, an unhappy wretch who had also partaken of the devil’s elixir, and been subjected to demoniac influence. This duality [80/81] occasions as many mistakes as that of the Dromios, &c., in the Comedy of Errors. The termination is profoundly tragic. After blood and murder enough for half-a-dozen German dramas, Medardus writes the history of his life, and then gives up the ghost!"

If you prefer intellectual novels, get Joseph and his Brothers by Thomas Mann. It's looong and very interesting. Synopsis:

"Thomas Mann regarded his monumental retelling of the biblical story of Joseph as his magnum opus. He conceived of the four parts–The Stories of Jacob, Young Joseph, Joseph in Egypt, and Joseph the Provider–as a unified narrative, a “mythological novel” of Joseph’s fall into slavery and his rise to be lord over Egypt. Deploying lavish, persuasive detail, Mann conjures for us the world of patriarchs and pharaohs, the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Palestine, and the universal force of human love in all its beauty, desperation, absurdity, and pain. The result is a brilliant amalgam of humor, emotion, psychological insight, and epic grandeur."

These are all classic novels, so they definitely have substance.

Answer 5

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Answer 6

Count of Montecristo by Alexander Dumas.The hero is Edmond Dantés, a young French sailor who, falsely accused of treason, is arrested on his wedding day and imprisoned in the island fortress of Château d'If. After staging a dramatic escape he sets out to discover the fabulous treasure of Monte Cristo and catch up with his enemies. A novel of enormous tension and excitement, Monte Cristo is also a tale of obsession and revenge, with Dantés, believing himself to be an `Angel of Providence', pursuing his vengeance
to the bitter end before realizing that he himself is a victim of fate.The author did a great job describing the emotions of the prisoner.Disbelief,denial,self pity,madness,apathy and finally hope.For God's sake don't see any of the movies based on the book.They don't do justice to the book.

You might also like Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky.Its about a young man who commits a crime and how it plagues him.

Answer 7

Crow Road

The Business

Dead Air

all by Ian Bainks

Answer 8

The confessions of Charlotte Doyle by AVI. It is about a teenaged girl who was a passenger of a ship during the reconstruction period of America. She causes a Black man to be mercilessly whupped within an inch of his life by the Captain. She was very sorry about this, (as this was not her intent) and decides to join the mutinous crew to spite the most formal but cruel Captain. The crew wanted her to prove herself by climbing the mast..."If you fall into the water, no mortal hand will be able to save ye...." "Aye", another crewmember agreed. "But if you do fall, pray that ye fall into the waves, for that would be better than falling unto the deck and being maim for the rest of your life..." "Aye". She climbs tens of feet into the air, holding and clinging desperately to the ropes fastened to the sails. Almost falls. Doesnt. The crew cheers as she makes her way safely down to the deck. "Alright, you are crew. but understand ye might catch a scathing word...you must be responsible. We are depending on you for a thoughtful job well done, blast your hurt feelings..." She is accepted by all, excepting one...the Captain. He was silently witnessing the episode from behind a closed door. He steps out. Everyone is rendered still. "A woman crew member on 'my' ship?" He scowled. His face hardens, and his eyes narrow as he turns away to gaze the motionless and desert horizon. (Ominous foreshadowing).

Answer 9

I just saw a lady bring in one of the original books tp of dg,signed by Oscar Wilde on the antique roadshow on tv.Wish I could remember the estimate they gave her.it was up there ,but they never seem high enough to me.Anyway,how about a little true/summer reading adventure book.,if you can get past the bad words..Shadow Divers,by Robert Kurson,about two Americans who risked all to solve one of the last mysteries of WWII.

Answer 10

The Harry Potter Series of books the last one to be published sometime next year. Story of a boy that finds out he is a wizard's and he must do battle with the evil wizard who killed his parents in the meantime he finds out more about his parents and about his past through the people he meets on his adventures.

Answer 11

I can recommend you the best to read in the entire world and that is the Bible it has a little of everything in there it has Comedy, Romance, Thriller, and anything else you can think of and it's all in one book. Isn't that great that all you have do is read one book and find totally everything that you are looking for. I know because I read this book everyday.