Recommend a Book

[Shaun.P]

I am going on holiday in a couple of months for two weeks. I'm planning on doing the usual relaxation, but I would like to read a couple of books. Firstly, let me emphasize - I don't read. I dislike reading books, but occasionally I take notions when I have some spare time.

The books I have read: Animal Farm, 1984, Lord of the Flies, The Da Vinci Code.

As you can see, not an exhaustive list! I would prefer to read literary classics, something that it would be shameful to go through life without ever reading.

To Kill a Mocking Bird, Catch 22, and Fahrenheit 451 are books I've heard of and probably the first off the top of my head that I'd be more inclined to buy first. I don't have a clue what these books are about though.

If you could recommend me one book, just one, out of every book you've ever read, what would it be?

Please don't recommend something like Lord of the Rings, or Harry Potter. I do not have the patience to read something thicker than my wrist!


P.S. I've dabbled recently with audiobooks - and I don't know if it is just my short attention span, but I find it too difficult to focus and process what is being said to me and I end up tuning out and thinking about other things! Audiobooks I have bought: "How to Win Friends and Influence People", "How To Argue And Win Every Time", "The Power of Now", "The Hobbit", "The God Delusion, and "Twilight".

 

[jmann]

I really enjoyed "Prey" by Michael Crichton. It's a good science-techno "thriller".

 

[Acorn]

the harry potter books are not as bad as they look. if you have seen the first 3 movies at the theatre or otherwise to get to know the characters the books read really fast. its like you have an image instilled already in your mind what each character looks like and it plays back in your head like a movie.

there are so many classics you are better off reading anyway, i just wanted to point out not to necessarily turn down a book because of its size. especially if its good they you are happy its nice and long. you dont want it to end.

the true time a book is long is when its bad. then it can be 200 pages and seem like 3000

 

[barr08]

I'm in the middle of How To Win Friends And Influence People. Great stuff!

If you're into classics, try Brave New World by Aldous Huxley.

 

[Davy.Shalom]

Johnny Got His Gun by Dalton Trumbo. Amazing book. It makes you love life, and hold on to it like never before.

 

[ltldrummerboy]

The Princess Bride, by "S. Morgenstern".

 

[Benguitar]

MacBook or iBook both very good books.






This one was one of my favorites-

 

[dukebound85]

MacBook or iBook both very good books.

oh dear Lord

 

[No1451]

Armor, was a really interesting read for me.

http://www.amazon.com/Armor-science-fiction-John-Steakley/dp/0886773687

 

[mav814]

Fahrenheit 451 is decent...but out of all the books my school has made me read, The Cobra Event has been by far my favorite. It is so interesting you can not put it down....check it out.

http://www.amazon.com/Cobra-Event-Richard-Preston/dp/0345409973

 

[flyfish29]

I second the Harry Potter books- I am not a reader (despite being an elementary school teacher) and always chose to do something active as a young boy and my habits followed me. but when I need to relax I choose a Harry Potter to help me relax...again, I am not a reader but can sit down with Harry potter and read for a very long time(long considering I suffer from pretty severe ADHD.

 

[ikermalli]

Title: Gangs: My encounters with the some of the most dangerous men in the world

Author: Ross Kemp

 

[cherry su]

iWoz

I am reading that for a school project.

 

[MiroMac]

"On the Road" by Jack Kerouac.

 

[steve2112]

As you can see, not an exhaustive list! I would prefer to read literary classics, something that it would be shameful to go through life without ever reading.

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. It fits those criteria.

 

[Burnsey]

I would recommend Michael Crichton's Timeline, it's a little heavy on the science stuff at the start (I found it fascinating) but once it got into the plot it was non-stop reading, and terrifying at parts. A must read IMO.

 

[twoodcc]

I second the Harry Potter books- I am not a reader (despite being an elementary school teacher) and always chose to do something active as a young boy and my habits followed me. but when I need to relax I choose a Harry Potter to help me relax...again, I am not a reader but can sit down with Harry potter and read for a very long time(long considering I suffer from pretty severe ADHD.

i'll third them. they are very easy to read, and who doesn't like an adventure.

if you don't want to try them, i would recommend Eragon

 

[jmann]

I would recommend Michael Crichton's Timeline, it's a little heavy on the science stuff at the start (I found it fascinating) but once it got into the plot it was non-stop reading, and terrifying at parts. A must read IMO.

I loved that book too! The movie was awful though... Michael Crichton was brilliant.

 

[SkyBell]

Thumbs down to "To Kill a Mocking Bird". Reading that for English class. Not a very interesting book.

 

[twistedlegato]

The Kite Runner

 

[knuckleball]

"Middlesex" by Jeffrey Eugenides is a recent classic. It won the Pulitzer Prize in 2003 and is a very engaging read.

The novel itself tells the coming-of-age story of Calliope Stephanides, a person born with 5-alpha-reductase deficiency (hermaphroditism). It's a genuinely great novel and I give it the highest recommendation.

 

[darklyt]

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card, then the rest of the series (including the Bean storyline).

Foundation by Isaac Asimov and the rest of its series is right up there too. This series is amazing because he wrote it over the entirety of his career and tied almost all of his major works together in it (Robot Series, Empire Series, and Foundation Series), 15 in all. I read 10 of them over this past Summer and am working on the 11th.

Ender's Game can be read by itself, as can Foundation, but they work really well in the context of a part of a series.

 

[The art of poor]

Genius and Heroin (and other variations including pills absinthe crack hash martinis bourbon and sex): The illustrated catalogue of cretivity, obsession, and reckless abandon

Short and easy to read almost "dictionary" of artists, with cool quotes on almost each page


http://www.amazon.com/Genius-Heroin...bs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1238917449&sr=8-1

 

[YS2003]

I recommend The Road by Cormac McCarthy. The novel is made up with short sentences; but it is a great story.

 

[HSTRIP]

I'm a slow reader and have a short attention span too, I often start books then stop reading for so long i cant get back into them. If you want a short book try Jack London's 'Call Of The Wild'. In my opinion its a classic, pretty simple story but its really good. Doubt it will keep even a slow reader going for two weeks though so you'll need something else.

BTW I once tried to read Crime And Punishment, lol, I got about half way through it then left it for too long. Well half of it was very good, dunno about the other half though....

If I can get my hands on some Ritalin, I'll give it another go