which book would you recommend to read and why?

Answer 1

I can see you have a very different situation and outlook, so I am going to recommend some classic adult books that have absolutely gorgeous language, interesting plots and themes. If you have not read any of the following books I would recommend them at some point for you:
1) Bel Canto by Ann Patchett. It's a thriller mystery about a lovely opera singer who is kidnapped buy twerrorist in South America.
2) God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy. If you have some Indian heritage or interest in Indian things, this is a must. This book is beautiful, but full of profound psychological stress at points. A woman deals with her past and Indian family roots.
3) And There was Light by Jacques Lusseyran. This is a book you will want to spend a little time with before you go to bed each night. It is non-faiction and entirely inspriational. It's an autobiography by one of the heroes of the French resistance in WW2. He was blind, and he tells you exactly what it is like to be blind. He's so positive.
4)The Lovely Bones by Alice Seybold. This is a thriller mystery, but written in a different way - from the point of view of a girls who is in heaven watching those who were affected by her brutal murder.
5) Any book by Amy Tan - but the best ones are "The Bonesetter's Daughter" and "A Hundred Secret Senses." Again, here is someone who is dealing with cultural clashes of her Asian heritage and her life in America. You say you live in Germany, but the analogy is valid.

Answer 2

The Bible.

Not because I'm a christian; I'm not, I don't even believe in god. Just because it's the origin of most of the moral and ethical beliefs that we have, and until we have a look at the text wherein they're originally set down, we stand very little chance of being able to think clearly about them.

Also, while a lot of is pretty dull (Leviticus, Chronicles, Deuteronomy), some of it is really good reading (Genesis, Exodus, Daniel, Job, Matthew) and at least one book of it genuinely sexy (Song of Songs). Even the dull bits are interesting if you read them as foundational texts for the history of Judaism. The letters of the New Testament are mostly skippable, but if you want to know where much of modern christian morality comes from (and let's face it, even those of us who don't believe still tend to think that we should behave according to this kind of thing), you need to read Paul's letter to the Romans.

Translations? Splash out. Get a King James for the style, it's influenced generations of great writers in English. Get a New Revised Standard Version for readability and accuracy. And get the Jewish Publication Society translation of the Tanakh, to get the Jewish angle on the old testament.

If you read the Bible just as a book, you soon realise that it's not a book, it's a whole library. And you don't have to believe that there's a god to find it interesting.

Answer 3

'Came a Cavalier' by Frances Parkinson Keyes is a wonderful story set if France during WW1 and WW2. The heroine is a nurse caring for the wounded in a hospital near the Front. Whe meets a French Cou nt, falls in love and marries him. At the start of WW2 her husbancd joins the Free French and leaves he in charge of their chateau and estate. Her closest friends are a wonderful Jewish couple. And then the Germans take over the chateau........I first read this book in the 60s and again about 10 years ago and I think I enjoyed it even more the second time around.

Answer 4

Patricia Cornwell has written a number of excellent books with the main character Kay Scarpetta. Although none of her books have been made into movies I think some of her ideas have been borrowed by Crossing Jordan and the CSI TV shows. If you read them do so in order because the same characters grow and change. The first book is titled Postmortem.

Answer 5

Aesop's Fables - if you haven't read these already, you should. Everyone should. They are timeless for a reason

An Incomplete Education, by Judy Jones and William Wilson (Ballentine Books, 1995) - a throughly enjoyable, often tongue-in-cheek, look at everything you may have missed in school.

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, by C.S. Lewis - a fantasy classic. Allegory in the best sense of the word, and thoroughly enjoyable to boot. It was my introduction to the fantasy genre.

A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeline L'Engle - one of my first forays in science fiction. Great Story.

Much Ado About Nothing, by William Shakespeare - it's my favourite of Shakespeare's plays.

Taliesin, by Stephen R. Lawhead - a re-telling of the background of the King Arthur legend, interwoven with a tale of Atlantis. Enchanting. I *love* this book.

A Separate Peace, by John Knowles - I really don't know how to describe this book, facinating and troubling at the same time.

Stranger in Strange Land, by Robert Heinlein - intriguing. Besides, if you have any geek friends who use the word "grok" this will explain why.

The Victory of Reason, by Rodney Stark - an eye-opening look at parts of European history that are too often ignored.

How the Irish Saved Civilization, by Thomas Cahill - OK, I admit I'm a tensy part Irish, but it's still a facinating read.

I Kissed Dating Goodbye, by Joshua Harris - if nothing else, it's a conversation starter. I don't completely agree with him, but I'm still glad I read it.

Answer 6

The following four books are not only well written classics that have stood the test of time; most allusions you find in other books will have come from these, and they form the basis of Western Lit. They are:

The Bible
Faust, by Goethe
Dante's Divine Comedy
Paradise Lost, by John Milton.

Answer 7

- Anything by Terry Pratchett (fantasy, humour, satire) - The guy is brilliant. His stuff is the most gorgeous mix of laugh-out-loud funny, witty and dark, and he has a way with words like no other author I've ever read. [is in love with the guy's brain] Small Gods would be a good place to start, I'd say.

Other great fantasy books. All nicely written, fast paced, with good dozes of humour and lovable characters:

- Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman (urban fantasy)
- Good Omens by Pratchett & Gaiman (urban fantasy)
- The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher (urban fantasy, mystery)
- Covenants by Lorna Freeman (low fantasy)
- Luck In The Shadows by Lynn Flewelling (low fantasy)
- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams (science fiction)

Other great non-fantasy books:

- Almost Like Being In Love by Steve Kluger (gay romance, humour) - A real page turner and absolutely hillarious, even if like me you don't get all of the references. Very sweet, too.
- Catch 22 by Joseph Heller (war story, humour) - I don't usually go for war novels. I read to be entertained, not depressed, and most war novels make for pretty heavy reading. This one, however, while still rather dark at times, more than made up for it with its humour and irreverence.

Answer 8

just one book??? there are so many great ones out there. and it kindof depends on what kind of books you like. my favorite for sure are all of the harry potters.
other than that i'll tell you some of the authors i like and you can see what kind of books they write.
michael crichton: jurassic park series, timeline, sphere
dean koontz: watchers, the husband, frankenstein
fanny flagg: fried green tomatoes, welcome to the world baby girl
maeve binchy: the lilac bus, silver wedding, circle of friends
larry mcmurtry: lonesome dove, the last picture show, texasville

that's all i can think of off the top of my head but it's always a good idea to skim the best sellers lists because those are usually pretty good books as well.

Answer 9

I read a book called 'p.s I love you' by cecilia ahern.


P.S. I Love you - Celia Aherne

International Bestseller and Richard and Judy Summer Read Selection

Some people wait their whole lives to find their soul mates. But not Holly and Gerry.

Childhood sweethearts, they could finish each others sentences, and even when they've fought, they laughed. No one could imagine Holly and Gerry without each other.

Until the unthinkable happens. Gerry's death devastates Holly. But as her 30th birthday looms, Gerry comes back to her. He's left a bundle of notes, gently guiding Holly into her new life without him, each note signed "PS I love you".

As the notes are gradually opened, and as the year unfolds, Holly is both cheered up and challenged. The man who knows her better than anyone sets out to teach her that life goes on. With some help from her friends, and her noisy and loving family, Holly finds herself laughing, crying, singing and dancing - and being braver that ever before.



I had to have a box of tisues hady when reading this, its truly amazing

Answer 10

I would recommend "Head Games" by Eileen Dreyer.
The reason is because the book is a great suspense novel, and it's just VERY good.