What are some great books really quick?

Question

Just placed Of Mice and Men and The Complete Short Stories by Ambrose Bierce in my Shopping Cart on Amazon. Shipping in total is about $8.. which is the cost of another entire book.. the same $8 could get another book, which would also get rid of the shipping costs... Any ideas? Want to read something that's really worth it

Answer 1

Well, the books you just bought are really worth it, in my eyes.

If the shipping is what's killing you, I have several suggestions. Buy from Barnes & Noble. There is no shipping on orders over $25, and their selection is comparable to Amazon's. I know Amazon has a no-shipping-charges deal, but it never seems to be offered on anything I am looking at.

Try buying books at Half.com. Shipping is per item, but it's under $3 for each book. Obviously, if you buy three books you are right back where you started, but sometimes you can find fantastic deals on used books that are in great condition, and you can often get the book for about $5 dollars total, and that includes the shipping.

Check out Dover.com. Dover publishes what they call thrift editions of most of the classics, and the prices are usually in the $1.50 to $3.00 range. They offer free shipping if you spend more than $49. The books are not bound as well as some other books, and they are mostly offered in trade paper format, but it is a really good way to build a library. If you aren't terribly rough on your books, you can pick up a lot of good stuff there. Another benefit is they carry a lot of older titles that might be harder to find elsewhere.

Do you live in the US? Go to your public library. Any public library should have at least some of the classics on its shelves, and you have the benefit of browsing and reading the cover blurbs. If it is a terribly small branch, find out if there is a bigger system in your area, and whether or not you can get a card there. Also, ask about Inter-Library Loan, which is a program where libraries borrow from the collections of other libraries all over the US, and in fact, all over the world. I have used ILL to get the most obscure stuff you can imagine.

If you don't always end up reading the books you buy, I would like to make one other suggestion. I rarely buy a book unless I have either read it, or have researched it enough to feel comfortable that it isn't just going to decorate my bookcase. I have a friend that purchases brand new copies of everything she intends to read, but since she doesn't know much about literature in general, she often ends up with books she doesn't like. I think it's a safer and wiser investment if you know what you are getting into in the first place.

I hope these ideas are of some use to you.

Answer 2

How about The Pearl, another Steinbeck book? Other choices: Jack London's books (Call of the Wild, Sea Wolf, or White Fang), The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, or a book of O. Henry's short stories. They are all marvelous.

Answer 3

John Steinbeck was a master. Good choice.
As for Ambrose Bierce, I can't speak for him.
(Didn't he write "The Devil's Dictionary"?) I'd
thought about reading that one afternoon...for
about 90 seconds: after giving the pages of it
a brief but fair-enough glance, I lost interest.
But, being both a writer of short stories myself,
and an avid reader to boot, if you want to read
something really worth while, I'd suggest trying
Charles Dickens's contemporary (and #1 critic)
the almost-as-famous William Makepeace
Thackeray.
He's best-known for "Vanity Fair"; but, if you can
find it--and Amazon.com would be a good place
to look--I'd recommend "The Yellowplush Papers";
to be confused with Dickens's quite-well-known
"The Pickwick Papers."
If you can't find it Amazon.com, email me. I have
a copy of it--and I'll sell it to you for just $5.00.

Good luck. -- [e-mail]

Answer 4

Ambrose Bierce - a good choice! I have the book of his Civil War stories. Since we are still on the topic of the Civil War, and if you have an interest in it, I recommend 'Eyewitness to the Civil War', by Steve Hyslop. I see several new copies available on Amazon.com for nearly $8.00. Good luck!

Answer 5

I don't have any for sale but some of my favorits are For Whom the Bell Tolls (Earnest Hemmingway) A Descent into Mailstrom ( Edgar Allen Poe) Any of Steinbacks Novels. But if your looking for more modern books try The Stand (Stephen King) or Watchers (Dean Koontz) Hope this helps.

Answer 6

The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho is amazing, a great book. Man in the Iron mask is funny but drags on a little. Phillup Pullman is a great writer, and so is Jack London. White Fang is a good book.

Answer 7

"The Hexateuch: An Agnostic's Review of the Books Genesis through Joshua"

Answer 8

Probably too late for this order, but next time you buy, check out the urban thriller In times of Violence by Karina Kantas


Fast, action packed, urban thriller about heavy metal loving bikers.

A sheltered teenager becomes a member of a biker’s gang called the Tyrants. While in London, she experiences a totally different life, one where she’s happy and feels as though she finally has a family. For the first time in her life, she receives love and respect.

Only after a disturbing awakening, she is forced to defend herself, her name, and her title.

Jade is yet to discover the price she has to pay to live … In Times of Violence.

An emotional novel about choices, mistakes, and having to grow up fast.

Answer 9

Depends on your tastes, but I love Stephen King, Dean Koontz, and ghost stories, happy book hunting!

Answer 10

Anything by Mark Twain would be funny and cheap (because it's a classic).