For people who love to read: if you had 1-2 weeks to do nothing but read a great book, what would it be?

Question

I want to take a holiday where I do nothing but hole up in a room and read -- and maybe take occasional walks to stretch out a bit. No work, no tv, no movies, minimal human interaction, etc. So what book should I take?

I'm thinking maybe one of the following: James Joyce's Ulysses, Dante's Divine Comedy, or Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov -- but I want other people's ideas. It should be a fairly challenging book, long enough to reward sustained attention over about ten days, the kind of thing it's hard to get through with all the distractions of ordinary life. Also, of course, it should be a book that challenges the way we think, gives a different outlook on life, a new vision on things. Call it 'transformative' if you wish.

The book in question could be a great story, but it should be more than 'just' a great story, if you know what I mean. Basically, it should be a classic -- whether new or old.

It can be a book you've read and loved, or a book you want to read.

Answer 1

I too am jealous that you have ten days to just read. Joyce's "Ulysses" certain fits the bill for a challenge. It's a good book, although personally I like "Finnegan's Wake" better. I'm not sure any of my suggestions will sustain the entire ten day period...but perhaps it would be interesting to read a few different types of books during your wordly sabbatical. I recommend "The Blithedale Romance" by Hawthorne. Fantastic. "The Sun Also Rises" by Hemingway (this book truly changed me.) "Waterland" by Graham Swift. If you want to explore the feminine side of literature (which is particularly interesting to me) I would suggest "The Joy Luck Club" by Amy Tan, "To the Lighthouse" by Virginia Woolf, "Mrs. Dalloway," also by Woolf and of course I can't leave out Sylvia Plath's "The Bell Jar" and "Beloved" by Toni Morrison. "Go Down, Moses" by Faulkner is one of the best books I have ever read and it should give you the challenge you are looking for. "Sister Carrie" by Theodore Dreiser is excellent. "The Good Earth" by Pearl S. Buck. "Weinsburg, Ohio" by Sherwood Anderson would probably only take you a day or two, but it is definately worth it. I think my list could go on and on, but I shall leave it at that. Hopefully (even if you don't choose one of my suggestions-although you should ha ha) you will find something that you enjoy. Good Luck!

Answer 2

Your holiday sounds like pure bliss, I am so envious!!! I have an extensive library of books...I LOVE READING!! James Joyce's Ulyssees sounds like a good choice. But do take a selection of books with you just in case. Have you tried Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf? She also writes in 'streams of consciousness.' Another good book by Woolf is Orlando, both challenging and different!
If you want something with a new outlook, with a new vision and is transformative; why not try: The Well Of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall. It is a powerful novel about love between women which brought about the most famous legal trial for obscenity in the history of British Law. The irony is that it is a very subtle book which is not all obscene. It was banned on publication in 1928, it then went on to be a classic best seller.
It is published by virago books. Please give it a go, it is 'transformative,' Reading the introduction by Alison Hennegan will surely be evocative enough to encourage you to want to read the book. The controversy of the book and its contents are steeped in fascinating history. It certainly made me think from a different perspective. Have a great time!!! :o)

Answer 3

Transformative? Joyce transformed the whole idea of the novel with 'Ulysses', read it, definitely, although I recommend a heavily annotated edition or perhaps also obtaining a guide. This is just because there can be some specifically Irish references/early 20th century references the knowledge of which can enhance your reading and can be frustrating without. The Divine Comedy is beautiful also, so if you feel like being utterly transported to another level of aesthetic reading, go for that. If you want to think about love, I recommend Haruki Murakami's 'Norwegian Wood', beautiful, modern. If you want a British classic, go for 'Brideshead Revisited', academic, witty. Some contemporary wit, makes you laugh? ; then Tobias Woolf's 'Old School', bound to become a classic. Perhaps The Bible, good stories whether you're religious or not!

Enjoy yourself!

Answer 4

The Brothers Karamazov is a good read, so is Crime and Punishment... Just as good is A Prayer for Owen Meaney, by John Irving.... it gripped me from start to finish, such a complex book, I couldn't recommend it too highly.

Personally, if I had two weeks to devote to book reading, I'd consider giving 'The Tale of Genji' another crack- Murasaki Shikibu's famous novel of the Heian court... rewarding in its own way, but long- 1200 pages! Still, at the speed I read, it'd take that kind of length to hold me up for a fortnight... of course, I could start from where I left off at around pp 600, but it'd be nice to revisit the first half... you would miss out the rhythms of the story otherwise...

Have a nice trip- go for the Irving book! Or something by Terry Pratchett, he's good for a laugh if you like fantasy/comedy- not tough reading, but his Neil Gaiman collaboration is worth a look... or how about Milan Kundera's 'Unbearable Lightness of Being'? Fantastic...

Answer 5

HA HA HA... Darling, You will need a bit more than a week or two to read Ulysses. You're cute though...

In a week... you might just get through the first chapter but still have very little idea as to what exactly it was, that you assumed you just finished.

Ulysses is not light reading that you read when you have nothing else to do. I have spent 1/4 of an entire lifetI'me reading Joyce... and it is still not easy. He is just that complex and that deep. Please don't let me turn you off to him though, it is the most rewarding thing you will ever undertake as far as reading goes but don't assume you can manage anything of it in only two weeks that's all im saying. That is a nice foundation for a beginning though.

And Dostoyevsky is far too simple to make it through two weeks. Don't get me wrong... I think he is brilliant, but most of the translations tend to make him seem overly simplistic when he isn't really, so if you chose that, make sure it is a good solid copy.

If you like this sort of writing... Try Maxim Gorky too and of course Tolstoy (although his strict sense of morality get's to me sometimes.)

Gorky is Political and edgy. Read the lower depths. Awsome!

As far as Dante goes... That is your best bet for satisfaction but that too is a bit much for only two weeks. You'll grasp it better though, because it is what it is...

Years ago when I began to really get into Japanese culture, I began with antiques and artifacts, but eventually (because I love to read anyway) I came across some really prolific Japanese writers that I feel are a treasure (just like my antiques) that I discovered in reading their works, reading one always brings interest in finding yet another and they all please and satisfy, all for different reasons.

Here is a short list...

Yasumari Kawabata. Read: The house of the sleeping beauties.

Kazuo Ishiguro. (of course) The remains of the day!

Yukio Mishima. A little crazy, a little beautiful, a lot patriotic and alturistic full of pride history and honor. GREAT writer!

Try: Forbidden Colors or The Temple of the Golden Pavilion.

Answer 6

10 days to do nothing but read - wow, I'm jealous.

A book that changed my life, is a great story and fits your other criteria is "An American Tragedy" by Theodore Dreiser. I believe it's more accesible than the others you mentioned. I doubt you could read Joyce without some other interaction, such as guides and criticisms, to help you along the way.

Another one could be "Moby Dick" by Herman Melville. It's probably the "Great American Novel" we're all searching for. 600 pages, 200 about whaling and 400 about American life, that has lessons for modern America.

Good luck. Let us know which one you picked and whether you enjoyed the experience.

Answer 7

I'd have to take more than a few books. I'd stack up on a series of fiction maybe. Get an older set so that its complete start to finish. I like being less challenged when kicking back and prefer non-fiction for hard reading so I don't really have anything to offer after all for titles.

Answer 8

I would take a few Kerouac books. He wrote 'On The Road', but although it is good it is by no means his best. It has been jumped on by readers who like to show how clever they are by criticising it as well, usually because they can't do any better themselves.
A lot of Kerouac's other books are so much more tender, sad and moving. I think his best is 'The Dharma Bums' which charts his time on the West Coast of the US in the 1950s with the poet and anthropologist Gary Snyder. it is thinly disguised with names changed, but largely autobiographical.
If you are taking that, then 'Desolation Angels' also has to go in the bag, which sits nicely with it and tells of his time as a Mountain Fire Look-Out. Add 'Satori In Paris' and 'Lonesome Traveler' and you have a pretty good collection to get you started.
If you want background on the author, Ann Charters wrote the best biog of him. He was a wanderer in the States from the 1940s on (grew up in Lowell, Mass.) and the success of 'On The Road' destroyed him. He was an alcoholic and died aged 47 in 1969 in Florida.

Answer 9

"The Secret History" by Donna Tartt. Certainly long enough to last you a while, a modern story with an age old premise and plenty of moral fodder to get you thinking about what YOU would do... Have never seen a reader review on it which was less than 4 out of 5 stars - it's brilliantly written. Lasted me a week in Italy last year, although I wasn't reading all day, every day. Then again, I'm a fast reader, so it might balance out!

Answer 10

I love The Brothers Karamazov, but if you're not familiar with it, I'd also recomend Albert Camus' The Plague. It's perfect to read in a solitary setting to build you inner strength and make the transition back into the real world easier if you finish your first reading in good time. Have a great vacation!