Doesnt have to be your personal favourite....im speciafically interested in those that have been widely acclaimed...
thanks!
2006-10-02 15:49:39 · 28 answers · asked by no_one_really 2 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Books & Authors
When are you planning to die. If it's more than a week, War and Peace.
2006-10-02 19:29:50 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The Da Vinci Code, while a good yarn can hardly be described as anything but a pulp classic. The Bible is a good suggestion as is the Qu'ran just so you are not bullshitted by bullshitters. However, "Infinite Jest" by David Foster Wallace is one of the masterpieces of the 20th century as is almost anything by Paul Auster. Shakespeare, obviously, and anything that actually might give you pause for thought. So here is a list of authors and take your pick (in no particular order) : James Joyce, Albert Camus, Charles Dickens, Thomas Mann, Machievelli, Chaucer, Solzenitzyn, Kundera, Dostoyevski, Jaroslav Hacek, Roland Barthes (especially "mythologies"), The fall and Rise of the great Powers by Paul Kennedy, Robert Graves "the Claudian series", Sassoon and many many more. They really are not for everybody but it depends on what you are interested in.
However, there are a lot of good suggestions above too.
2006-10-02 23:29:10 · answer #2 · answered by wilf69 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The Bible------No other book has been as much read,translated into other languages and read by so many generations of people and nor is there any other book that has been so widely read in every country of the planet. Why do I recommend this book, the phrase"make sure I read before I die" right away called to my mind the bible because in the bible is the knowledge that tells you how to live your life which in turn determines where you'll go after you die. Irs most important to me and am a avid reader of books,love books esp Sci-Fi and esp books that deal with dragon lore(Sci-Fi) The Lord of the Ring Trilogy Books(3) by Tolien make very entertaining reading and also deal with moral character issues and define good and evil.
2006-10-02 23:10:27 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
The Ingenuity Gap, by Thomas Homer Dixon.
Blink, by Malcolm Gladwell.
The Cryptonomicron, another good book is Snow Crash, by Neal Stephenson.
Factoring Humanity, by Robert J. Sawyer.
Good Omens, Terry Pratchett, and Neil Gaiman.
Map Of Bones, by James Rollins.
The Harry Potter series, by J.K. Rowlings.
Theif Of Time, and Night Watch, by Terry Pratchett.
Angels And Demons, by Dan Brown.
Velocity, by Dean Koontz.
The L.O.T.R. series, by Tolkien.
The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy, by Douglas Adams.
I am currently working on, A whole new Mind, by Daniel H. Pink, that seems to be pretty interesting so far.
And I want to get around to The Six Questions of Socrates, by Chistopher Phillips.
CyberNara
2006-10-03 00:58:17 · answer #4 · answered by Joe K 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Depends on what you're into. I've read lots of classics but in general I don't find them as affecting as most contemporary works.
I can't really say what you should read before you die because I don't know you, but I can tell you some of my personal favourites:
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
Anil's Ghost by Michael Ondaatje
Cold Mountain by Charles Frasier
White Teeth by Zadie Smith
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
For Those Who Hunt the Wounded Down by David Adams Richards
The Stone Angel by Margaret Laurence
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton
Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
Oh wait. You MUST read One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
All of these books I've listed have received critical acclaim. Happy reading!
2006-10-02 23:20:11 · answer #5 · answered by Victoria 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The series by Jean M Auel The Earth's Children starting with the Clan of the Cave Bear.
2006-10-02 23:11:15 · answer #6 · answered by eco_paula 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The Bible
Lord of the Rings
Island of the Blue Dolphins
Dark Tower series by Stephen King
Chronicles of Narnia
Chronicles of Prydain
Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan
2006-10-02 23:09:14 · answer #7 · answered by RIDLEY 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Neverwhere- Neil Gaiman
American Gods- Neil Gaiman
2006-10-02 23:32:33 · answer #8 · answered by divinekey3693 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I say the Bible is a good book to read but what is important when reading it is knowing and understand and believing it. Dont just read it. My book that I would recomend is well The Notebook and The Wedding by Nicholas Sparks. im a girly girl lol
2006-10-03 01:59:31 · answer #9 · answered by hispeach128 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A classic by Harriet Beecher Stowe-"Uncle Tom's Cabin"
Also-Beulah Land & Margarets's Story.
My 85 y/o aunt gave me "Rose Madder" by Steven King, I told her I wasn't interested in that scary stuff but she said if I'd just read the 1st chapter I wouldn't put it down until I finished it. She was right.
I enjoy buying recommended reading at used books store. 3/4's cheaper and I like that it is used.
2006-10-03 00:33:32 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The Da Vinci Code / Dan Brown
2006-10-02 23:03:15 · answer #11 · answered by razor 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋