2006-09-11 04:50:02 · 31 answers · asked by alwaysright 3 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Books & Authors
"The Notebook" Of course there is a movie out about it but the book is actually better than the movie. I enjoyed it better than the movie.
2006-09-11 04:53:36 · answer #1 · answered by Keith Perry 6 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Maybe it would be interesting to compare books with similar themes in a book club.
Anna Karanina and Little Children: The former about women's roles in society and family, the latter an examination of parenthood in suburbia.
Kite Runner and A Separate Peace: Boyhood friendship and betrayal (with some redemption).
Never Let Me Go and A Brave New World: About what really makes a human being.
Memoirs of a Geisha and Geisha, A Life: Two opposing views of the world of geishas, adapted from a seemingly similar story, yet worlds different.
Another just good book you might have missed is A Gesture Life or Namesake.
2006-09-12 03:53:49 · answer #2 · answered by skybluezoo 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The Jungle by Upton Sinclair - You will never eat another steak after reading this book about the brutal politics of the Chicago meat packing industry in the early 1900s.
President Theodore Roosevelt was so moved after reading an advance copy that he called upon Congress to pass a law establishing the Food and Drug Administration and, for the first time, setting up federal inspection standards for meat.
Although this book can be unsettling I think it contains a vast array of topics for discussion: Socialism, poverty, big business, American history, and the potential impact fiction writer can have on the public and a nation.
2006-09-11 12:09:10 · answer #3 · answered by Ralph 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you haven't tackled The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini yet, I can't recommend it any more highly. Our book club read it about 6 months ago and everyone felt it was the best book we'd read in years. There wasn't one non-finisher in our group of 11 and our discussion went an hour over. (and spilled into several more meetings whenever the book was brought up)
2006-09-11 22:46:00 · answer #4 · answered by Canadian_mom 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
For religion/philosophy:
C.S. Lewis - The Great Divorce or The Screwtape Letters. Pretty Short, but unbelievably deep.
Something Russian that isn't too well known:
A day in the Life of Ivan Desnenovitch: One day in a Siberian Prison Camp
Classic-
The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald) perfect book for end of summer
Womens' Choice
The Secret Life of Bees (a young girl in the south has one of those epiphany journey things. had to read it for school. Girls loved it).
Epic-
Watership Down. A book about rabbits. Imagine something like Lord of the Rings in size, only with rabbits trying to find a home. Complete with made up language and everything.
My personal favorite of all Time:
Crime and Punishment - Dostoyevsky
Depressing:
Germinal - Emile Zola: naturalist novel about coal mines in france
(but it will make you feel sophisticated)
Classic-
MacBeth - Shakespeare
Dry Humor-
Don Quixote- One you can brag about- but it's pretty daunting
Guilty Pleasure:
-The Alchemist- About drugs and crime. Pretty good for one of those books you would be embarrassed to be caught reading.
Good Discussion:
The Fountainhead- Ayn Rand (Good to talk about even if its just to disagree with. It's romantic in it's portrayal, but a bit harsh and impossible)
Cultural:
Kite Runner -Afghanistan
Of Mice and Men (or anything Steinbeck) - Poor California. Pretty Bleak.
The Good Earth- Pearl Buck - China
Murder Mystery:
And then there were none (10 little indians)- agatha christie
Good Luck!
*ooh yah. whoever suggested Umberto Ecco has a good suggestion, too. Though, I read "Name of the Rose"
2006-09-11 12:06:48 · answer #5 · answered by jarizza 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
The equation that couldn't be solved by Mario Livio
or
Galileo's Daughter. Don't remember the author?
Both deal with girly issues that are also intelligent like a womans relationship with her famous father and the other, deals with romance, gun fights, (galois) scientists and the beautiful study of symmetry. The math of God!
For a beautiful old romantic novel (in 2 parts so they may hate you) Read helouise and Abelard. It is the true story of a young girl and a french priest/teacher who became lovers so her uncle (who owned her as chattle) had him castrated! ( I wont tell you the rest!) It is incredible and a true story. My copy is antique so I can't give you any infor on where to get it but Im sure it is reprinted?
2006-09-11 13:13:32 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Brick Lane by Monica Ali. It's about a young Bangladeshi woman who comes to London via an arranged marriage. She starts out the book feeling completely powerless to change anything about her life: choice is alien to her, and if bad things happen, it was meant to be. Little by little over the course of the book, she comes into a sense of her own identity and takes on a less passive attitude toward life. It's beautifully written and very hard to put down--it's the best thing I've read in the last couple of years! Even if you don't choose it for your book club, check it out, it's lovely.
2006-09-11 11:58:16 · answer #7 · answered by Leslie D 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Some personal favourites:
A Portrait of a Lady - by Henry James
Cider House Rules - by John Irving
A Prayer for Owen Meanie - by John Irving
2006-09-11 19:15:02 · answer #8 · answered by ducky 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The Secret Life of Bees, by Sue Monk Kid is really good. It's about a young girl growing up in the south in the 1960's and has a lot to do with the civil rights movement.
I also like Beauty, by Robin McKinley. it's a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, and my all-time favorite.
2006-09-12 03:36:30 · answer #9 · answered by theyareout_togetme 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Memoirs of A Geisha by Arthur Golden!! amazing book! also...The Priestess of the White and Last of the Wilds by Trudi Canavan,The Wheel of time series by Robert Jordan!!! all amazing books!!!
2006-09-11 12:06:22 · answer #10 · answered by xxxLeveyxxx 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The Locket by R.P.Evans
Tuesdays With Morrie
Big Stone Gap
Christy by C. Marshall
Bookends by L.C. Higgs
2006-09-11 13:33:15 · answer #11 · answered by Puff 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋