I've had a fascination with reading for as long as I could remember. Like most things in life, my mother never agreed with my choice of literature growing up. I'd make a bee-line for the library, only to take out stacks of fairy tales, fables, and then Sweet Valley, Baby-Sitters, Christopher Pike, Fear Street. Basic mindless reading to feed this young imagination. If my mom had it her way, I would've read every encyclopedia cover to cover and then write book reports on them.
My dad was a mailman so he'd come home every couple days with a new magazine in hand. Basically, when there's a change of address, the magazine doesn't get shipped back to sender but goes to the garbage. Or in this case, it'd be straight in my hands! YM, Seventeen, National Geographic, Allure, Marie Claire. It's pretty weird when you jump with joy b/c your dad brings home a free copy of Cosmo!
Leisure reading dwindled off around college, but resumed during my travels. Time flies with a book during 60+ hour long bus rides. I'm pretty picky with my books; fluffy and light-hearted don't really do it for me. Don't get me wrong, I love mindless movies and non-substance television as much as the next idiot. I guess the difference being that I'm not exerting any energy doing so? Whereas a considerable amount of effort pours into reading, so I'd kind of like to reap some mental stimulation.
Do you notice a difference b/t male and female writers? Decent female writers are so much more abundant, but they don't strike me the same as as males. Male writers are so daunting, so cut-and-dry. And a good one is so much harder to find. Most men are forgettable and don't leave any impression at all. But once in a blue moon, there'll be one so poignant and striking that I'd be left just mesmerized for days on end. Hey, kind of like dudes in real life!
I like Margaret Atwood, Alice Sebold, Ann Patchett, Elizabeth Gilbert. But I LOVE John Burdett, Caleb Carr, Robertson Davies, and my favourite Gregory Roberts.
Here's my reading list of faves. Please leave me yours ...
Gabriel Garcia Marquez - Love in a Time of Cholera
Gabriel Garcia Marquez - A Hundred Years of SolitudeGeorge Orwell - 1984Joseph Heller - Catch-22Anthony Burgess - A Clockwork OrangeCan't remember the author: Where the Red Fern Grows
I love this entry because i adore books. I'll put my favorite book list up on my blog!
man I miss reading. I used to read a ton, not so much anymore. I just don't have any brain energy left :(. My favorite tho is Ann Rand, the Fountainhead. Atlas shrugged was okay, but a lil too dense imo. oh and anna karenina is another one of my favs. I'm a big fan of the classics
man i couldnt get through the time traveler's wife. all those journal logs got me confused as to what age he was and what he knew at the time. but the rest are cool. now i have a reading list to work on. of the books you named, which one is nonfiction like eat, pray, love. have you read blue like jazz? i like that one too.
yay!
I honestly haven't picked up a new book since a year ago. Whenever I do go to the book store or library, I'll head over to the science/fantasy section. You should check out Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series or Piers Anthony's Xanth novels. They're still a hit with me after so many years.
Oh yeah, "Legend of the Seeker" on Hulu.com is based off of the Sword of Truth, if you want to check that out first before reading the books.
Tag you're it!
love this entry. and I used to read Christopher Pike back in the day too! I had tons of his paperbacks. I'm in the middle of two books that both seem pretty interesting. . Nonfiction: Around the World in 80 Dinners (Food and travel, how much more exciting can things get?) Three Cups of Tea (incredibly motivating story, makes me want to get up and doing something awesome for the world too)
Wow--didn't know we were so similar in reading tastes. I share your sentiment on male writers--it is rare that they are able to capture my attention enough that I want to actually read them. Women seem to have a different way with language. I dunno. I grew up reading all those books too, and I've noticed I've gotten extremely picky as I've gotten older. To me time is limited so I'm not going to waste it on the Shopaholics series when I could be reading something that really makes me think.
Here's a few I loved:
Unaccustomed Earth--Jhumpa Lahari
The Namesake--Jhumpa Lahari
Interpreter of Maladies--Jhumpa Lahari
Saving Fish from Drowning--Amy Tan
judging from your list i really think you'd love anything by jhujpa lahari and coincidentally, what i picked up recently from the bestseller shelves, The Pianist- Janice K. Lee and In a Perfect World- Kasischke.
i'm such a dork sometimes but i still love the classics from Charles Dickens to Jane Austen. I wished I had more time so I can read more.
We the Living - Ayn Rand
(Shorter than her other novels, this one has a female protagonist and set in Russia. Great descriptive passages and totally worth the read)
Till we have faces - C.S. Lewis
(Not one of Lewis' most well known novels but it is definitely his most lyrical. It's a retelling of the Greek myth, Cupid and Psyche but told from the sister's point of view.)
The Queen's Gambit - Walter Tevis
(About a young female chess prodigy and has the most addictive plot ever. I couldn't put it down.)
Lazy ways to make a living - Abigail Bosanko
(A chick lit book in 3 sections based on the chess game. But it's chick lit with a twist; quirky, witty, and intelligently written.)
The Unbearable Lightness of Being - Milan Kunduras
(This is for when you want something more poetically philosophical. They made this book into a movie with Daniel Day Lewis and Juliette Binoche and is one of the few movie adaptations that I actually thought succeeded. One of my favourite movis and novel ever.)
@zircle999 - similar list to mine! ggm is my favourite!
I've read a good chunk of the books on your list. Eat, Pray, Love had its moments but overall I had issues with it. These days I have a thing for travel and food writing. Anything that gets me away from the drudgery of everyday life.
The Unbearable Lightness of Being - Milan Kundera
Demian - Hermann Hesse
Carnevale - M.R. Lovric
A Thousand Days in Venice - Marlena de Blasi
The Food of Love - Anthony Capella
I couldn't help but chuckle at your reading choices back then. Sweet Valley, Babysitters Club, were all Fear Street were all familiar titles in my book collection. You've got quite a few of my favorite reads on your list. Another one you might like is
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
or anything by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (One Hundred Years of Solitude, Love in the Time of Cholera, etc.). Of course, I praise Shantaram! That one may very well be one of my favorite books.
Then we have those classic romances ala Jane Austen novels. What can I say, as cliche as the characters are, I still enjoy the conflict she creates between two characters who were simply meant to be.
I like this post, brings out the nerd in me.
The Historian was a great book.
more books to go on my list
The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, A Tale of Two Cities, Jane Eyre, Gone with the Wind, Death of a Salesman, Ishmael, I am a Cat, Siddhartha, The Yellow Wallpaper, The Count of Monte Cristo, Anne Rice's The Vampire Chronicles
@petitetokio - Do the traveling books enhance your travels? I'm not a foodie, but would reading food books make me appreciate food more? I think my favorite class of books are "high school honors English novels." Kurt Vonnegut Jr. used to be my favorite author, before GGM. I also enjoy reading Sci Fi. So, what's next on your travel agenda? I still have to spread my tendrils throughout more of Europe.
@zircle999 - heading to hong kong in a week, bali in two months, new york in three and two months in europe. after that singapore probably. not too sure yet.
@petitetokio - Wow! You're a bona fide world farer! I'm focusing on Europe since I'm in Germany. How many European countries will you visit during your 2 months in Europe?
It's far from an exhaustive list, but feel free to check my reading list out at www.goodreads.com/mossey3535. I take offense to your suggestion that male authors aren't as memorable - who have you tried reading? And why does their gender matter in the first place?
To me, the contemporary Indo-Canadian male writers alone (Michael Ondaatje, Rohinton Mistry and M.G. Vassanji) are masterful, must-read authors. I will put 'A Fine Balance' against anything anyone has listed on this page. And that's not even getting into all the male authors who have produced fine modern classics (Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Steinbeck).
But taking into account your taste, I would reccommend Zadie Smith's "White Teeth". Wickedly funny, tightly written, and full of insightful commentary about modern multicutural society.
I gotta be honest , I just haven't made the time to read a good book in eons ... last one I really enjoyed/loved was " The Name Of The Rose " by Umberto Eco .
A couple of female authors that I've enjoyed ... Anne Rice and Alice Hoffman .Must admit I kinda am into cookbooks lately and just got this one for Christmas " The Songs Of Sapa " by Luke Nguyen .
hmmm... i don't read enough apparently. maybe something to do when i'm bored. orrrrrrrr i can play more call of duty !!
I'm probably going to get in trouble, but as a former Lit grad student, forced to read inordinate amounts of what I called "chick lit", I find that for the most part women writers are rather banal from the perspective of fine literature. Though they tell fine stories, I never encountered one that truly was moving.(for lack of a better word)
Though I am not sure it's a question of gender, there's a good evolutionary argument for it.(but I won't bore you) As to great books, The Great Gatsby, which I've read a half dozen times, The Hobbit, which I've read 20 or more times, Henry V, Of Mice and Men, oh the list of all guy books just goes on and on.
we should start a book club / drinking group here in new york.
I also loved The Historian;Water For Elephants; and Eat;Pray;Love! We have so much in common:)
My list:
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks
In His Steps by Charles M. Sheldon
The 5 People You Meet In Heaven by Mitch Albom
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
The Secret by Rhonda Byrne
A Pocket Full Of Pennies by Rick Amato
The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean
Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
Emma by Jane Austen
The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis
The Necklace by Guy de Maupassent
Thanks for writing this post! Now I've got more books to add to my reading list! Thanks So Much!-Ashley
Comments (130)
ooh nice list. i have one on my latest post.
Gabriel Garcia Marquez - Love in a Time of Cholera
Gabriel Garcia Marquez - A Hundred Years of SolitudeGeorge Orwell - 1984Joseph Heller - Catch-22Anthony Burgess - A Clockwork OrangeCan't remember the author: Where the Red Fern GrowsI love this entry because i adore books. I'll put my favorite book list up on my blog!
man I miss reading. I used to read a ton, not so much anymore. I just don't have any brain energy left :(. My favorite tho is Ann Rand, the Fountainhead. Atlas shrugged was okay, but a lil too dense imo. oh and anna karenina is another one of my favs. I'm a big fan of the classics
man i couldnt get through the time traveler's wife. all those journal logs got me confused as to what age he was and what he knew at the time. but the rest are cool. now i have a reading list to work on. of the books you named, which one is nonfiction like eat, pray, love. have you read blue like jazz? i like that one too.
Wow--didn't know we were so similar in reading tastes. I share your sentiment on male writers--it is rare that they are able to capture my attention enough that I want to actually read them. Women seem to have a different way with language. I dunno. I grew up reading all those books too, and I've noticed I've gotten extremely picky as I've gotten older. To me time is limited so I'm not going to waste it on the Shopaholics series when I could be reading something that really makes me think.
Here's a few I loved:
Unaccustomed Earth--Jhumpa Lahari
The Namesake--Jhumpa Lahari
Interpreter of Maladies--Jhumpa Lahari
Saving Fish from Drowning--Amy Tan
judging from your list i really think you'd love anything by jhujpa lahari and coincidentally, what i picked up recently from the bestseller shelves, The Pianist- Janice K. Lee and In a Perfect World- Kasischke.
i'm such a dork sometimes but i still love the classics from Charles Dickens to Jane Austen. I wished I had more time so I can read more.
We the Living - Ayn Rand
(Shorter than her other novels, this one has a female protagonist and set in Russia. Great descriptive passages and totally worth the read)
Till we have faces - C.S. Lewis
(Not one of Lewis' most well known novels but it is definitely his most lyrical. It's a retelling of the Greek myth, Cupid and Psyche but told from the sister's point of view.)
The Queen's Gambit - Walter Tevis
(About a young female chess prodigy and has the most addictive plot ever. I couldn't put it down.)
Lazy ways to make a living - Abigail Bosanko
(A chick lit book in 3 sections based on the chess game. But it's chick lit with a twist; quirky, witty, and intelligently written.)
The Unbearable Lightness of Being - Milan Kunduras
(This is for when you want something more poetically philosophical. They made this book into a movie with Daniel Day Lewis and Juliette Binoche and is one of the few movie adaptations that I actually thought succeeded. One of my favourite movis and novel ever.)
@zircle999 - similar list to mine! ggm is my favourite!
I've read a good chunk of the books on your list. Eat, Pray, Love had its moments but overall I had issues with it. These days I have a thing for travel and food writing. Anything that gets me away from the drudgery of everyday life.
The Unbearable Lightness of Being - Milan Kundera
Demian - Hermann Hesse
Carnevale - M.R. Lovric
A Thousand Days in Venice - Marlena de Blasi
The Food of Love - Anthony Capella
I couldn't help but chuckle at your reading choices back then. Sweet Valley, Babysitters Club, were all Fear Street were all familiar titles in my book collection. You've got quite a few of my favorite reads on your list. Another one you might like is
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
or anything by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (One Hundred Years of Solitude, Love in the Time of Cholera, etc.). Of course, I praise Shantaram! That one may very well be one of my favorite books.
Then we have those classic romances ala Jane Austen novels. What can I say, as cliche as the characters are, I still enjoy the conflict she creates between two characters who were simply meant to be.
I like this post, brings out the nerd in me.
The Historian was a great book.
more books to go on my list
The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy,
A Tale of Two Cities,
Jane Eyre,
Gone with the Wind,
Death of a Salesman,
Ishmael,
I am a Cat,
Siddhartha,
The Yellow Wallpaper,
The Count of Monte Cristo,
Anne Rice's The Vampire Chronicles
@petitetokio - Do the traveling books enhance your travels? I'm not a foodie, but would reading food books make me appreciate food more? I think my favorite class of books are "high school honors English novels." Kurt Vonnegut Jr. used to be my favorite author, before GGM. I also enjoy reading Sci Fi. So, what's next on your travel agenda? I still have to spread my tendrils throughout more of Europe.
@zircle999 - heading to hong kong in a week, bali in two months, new york in three and two months in europe. after that singapore probably. not too sure yet.
@petitetokio - Wow! You're a bona fide world farer! I'm focusing on Europe since I'm in Germany. How many European countries will you visit during your 2 months in Europe?
It's far from an exhaustive list, but feel free to check my reading list out at www.goodreads.com/mossey3535. I take offense to your suggestion that male authors aren't as memorable - who have you tried reading? And why does their gender matter in the first place?
To me, the contemporary Indo-Canadian male writers alone (Michael Ondaatje, Rohinton Mistry and M.G. Vassanji) are masterful, must-read authors. I will put 'A Fine Balance' against anything anyone has listed on this page. And that's not even getting into all the male authors who have produced fine modern classics (Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Steinbeck).
But taking into account your taste, I would reccommend Zadie Smith's "White Teeth". Wickedly funny, tightly written, and full of insightful commentary about modern multicutural society.
I gotta be honest , I just haven't made the time to read a good book in eons ... last one I really enjoyed/loved was " The Name Of The Rose " by Umberto Eco .
A couple of female authors that I've enjoyed ... Anne Rice and Alice Hoffman .Must admit I kinda am into cookbooks lately and just got this one for Christmas " The Songs Of Sapa " by Luke Nguyen .hmmm... i don't read enough apparently. maybe something to do when i'm bored. orrrrrrrr i can play more call of duty
!!
I'm probably going to get in trouble, but as a former Lit grad student, forced to read inordinate amounts of what I called "chick lit", I find that for the most part women writers are rather banal from the perspective of fine literature. Though they tell fine stories, I never encountered one that truly was moving.(for lack of a better word)
Though I am not sure it's a question of gender, there's a good evolutionary argument for it.(but I won't bore you) As to great books, The Great Gatsby, which I've read a half dozen times, The Hobbit, which I've read 20 or more times, Henry V, Of Mice and Men, oh the list of all guy books just goes on and on.
we should start a book club / drinking group here in new york.
I also loved The Historian;Water For Elephants; and Eat;Pray;Love! We have so much in common:)
My list:
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks
In His Steps by Charles M. Sheldon
The 5 People You Meet In Heaven by Mitch Albom
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
The Secret by Rhonda Byrne
A Pocket Full Of Pennies by Rick Amato
The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean
Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
Emma by Jane Austen
The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis
The Necklace by Guy de Maupassent
Thanks for writing this post! Now I've got more books to add to my reading list! Thanks So Much!-Ashley