Breaking someone into great literature

[Jason Cardona]

Pope said "fools rush in where angels fear to tread." Wise words.

lol. Alexander Pope one of my favorites.

[Rores28]

Young dbl chocolate is pretty good and I really like sammy smith oatmeal stout, but really they can't go toe to toe with the likes of this



or this



or this

[stlukesguild]

I've had Arrogant Bastard... It didn't blow me away... but then I lean toward Belgian Ales, Dark Beers and stouts, hefeweizen, and a few others. This was one of the finest American beers I've had:



You can't drink more than one, however... it's literally a desert beer... if not a desert in and of itself.

In German beers, Celebrator's great:



I also like Aventinus:



And back to the Brits I quite enjoyed this:



Of course I regularly hit the high-end beer dealer here in town as well as a local microbrewery/pub/restaurant that presents a selection of interesting beers from around the nation (and the globe) on a rotating basis, so I'm always looking for something new or really impressive.

[KCurtis]

. As for classics, The Great Gatsby seems to work with young people, I liked it when I first read it at 16.

I don't know about that-I am impressed you liked it at 16, I hope you are right, it is my favorite book. High School students who are made to read it in school don't seem to appreciate it, but I would like to be wrong on this one.

[bw220]

I'm just now making my way into authors like Dickens, Dostoyevsky, and Austen so I don't have too many suggestions as far as classical authors go. Personally I really got into reading when my mom gave me One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Slaughterhouse Five for my 14th birthday. They were the first real "adult" books that I ever read and they completely changed the way I viewed reading. I would try to start with books like those that are easier to read and discuss than some other authors. One of the best parts about reading is being able to discuss what's going on, and if she is reading too far above her comfort zone she won't be able to do that with you.

[Desolation]

I don't know about that-I am impressed you liked it at 16, I hope you are right, it is my favorite book. High School students who are made to read it in school don't seem to appreciate it, but I would like to be wrong on this one.

I hated it when I read it at 19...After revisiting it a mere 2 years later, it's a favorite.

[Darcy88]

Yeah, anyway..........

I read a couple of short stories from Joyce's Doubliner's last night. Even though he is the last author besides maybe Kant I would think to give her, Doubliner's reads on the surface so lively and so clean, I am thinking of lending it to her.

[Mutatis-Mutandis]

I found Dubliners completely boring. You know her tastes better than anyone else, though.

[Rores28]

Yeah, anyway..........

I read a couple of short stories from Joyce's Doubliner's last night. Even though he is the last author besides maybe Kant I would think to give her, Doubliner's reads on the surface so lively and so clean, I am thinking of lending it to her.

Wait... so its still on with her?

[Rores28]

I've had Arrogant Bastard... It didn't blow me away... but then I lean toward Belgian Ales, Dark Beers and stouts, hefeweizen, and a few others. This was one of the finest American beers I've had:


Of course I regularly hit the high-end beer dealer here in town as well as a local microbrewery/pub/restaurant that presents a selection of interesting beers from around the nation (and the globe) on a rotating basis, so I'm always looking for something new or really impressive.

I haven't tried many of those. The creme brule looks pretty interesting. I do like Aventinus, but if you've never had it, you need to try founders breakfast stout, which I've pictured above. It is insane. I've unfortunately not been able to drink for the past three years so I have one thats been aging that long in my pantry. I'm pretty exciting about busting it open, but I won't be able to drink until probably may or june. The only other beer I've had aged was Foothills Sexual Chocolate (3 years old) and it was pretty intense.

[Darcy88]

Yeah its still on. I miss the good old days when you took chaperoned walks for a while, snuck a few furtive kisses, and then soon after said your vows. I am far too eccentric, my ways far too atavistic, for me to comfortably and competently navigate the crazily unpredictable waters of modern relationships.

[stlukesguild]

It's still on... OK... no Lolita... and definitely no Georges Bataille.

[Voivod30]

I haven't read this entire thread so I'll start by offer my appologies for any redundant suggestion that I may make. Getting that out of the way I would first suggest perhaps giving her some great novelas to read. She'll get a basically complete and thorough story yet won't be intimidated by the length. Of course short novels would also do the trick. Off the top of my head I'm thinking perhaps Washington Irving (who doesn't love Sleepy Hollow, not to mention there is a great Tim Burton directed film she could see as well although it's really violent), Sarah Orne Jewett (I'm only familiar with The Country Of The Pointed Firs but it's a novella and about Maine so it's partial to me), and the many short works of Verne and Wells. I'm sure they've already been mentioned but Lord of The Flies is often given to high school students as a sort of primer of great literature, the same can also be said about Animal Farm along with many other novels. Depending on how she feels about science fiction and or adventure stories perhaps Ray Bradbury might tickle her fancy. I love Dickens and think Great Expectations and Hard Times would be fairly easy reads for a nineteen year old. I also love dystopian novels so along with Bradbury mentioned above you might also consider 1984 and A Brave New World, both of which are fast paced (A Brave New World from my recollection starts a bit slow but once you get into it the story picks up quickly) and of course Kurt Vonnegut has many great novels and short stories. A few more suggestions that I nearly forgot to mention (though in my opinion might be my best suggestions) are Carson McCullers The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter and perhaps some E.B. White. Of course Mark Twain is always a great choice for any level of reader, along with Hemingway (The Old Man And The Sea is short, concise and excellent), and though I wouldn't suggest Moby Dick (it's great but quite diffcult I suppose) perhaps Billy Budd might be a good choice. Sorry for the length and rambling nature of this post, I hope I haven't spouted off too much.

[kelby_lake]

Assuming that she's shown an interest in reading classic literature and isn't simply being attentive to please you:

- If she likes typical romantic YA, I'd suggest Wuthering Heights, Pride and Prejudice and Tess of The D'Urbervilles. Alternatively, you could suggest a specific author that may appeal to her taste and then she can pick her own book from that.
- Fitzgerald is quite light, so The Great Gatsby might be a good bet.
- Dystopian novels might appeal: Nineteen Eighty-Four and Brave New World. Maybe The Handmaid's Tale as well.

[Dark Star]

I hated it when I read it at 19...After revisiting it a mere 2 years later, it's a favorite.

I didn't mind it when I read it in high school, but I didn't find it particularly interesting either. It didn't help matters that the teacher misinterpreted large parts of the book because of her own puritanical viewpoint. (Among other things she claimed that Daisy's rejection of Gatsby was because he was a bootlegger and this was immoral, rather than because of discovering that he was new money. She also interpreted Tom's white supremacist views as reflecting those of Fitzgerald.) That said, I re-read it in my early 20s and have loved it since then. I'd suggest it as the perfect book to introduce jazz fans to great literature. The writing has a similar rhythm, feel..texture to it, and that's one of the things I love about it.