Help, I need saving!!

[Nightshade]

Ive Read nothing but junk recently and not even good junk. Can anyone suggest somthing good to read that isnt too complictaed or heavey (as Im very tierd after work and cant really cope with anything that doesnt at least try to help by reading itself)

I do have some books hanging around that are suppose dto be good
To kill a mocking bird
The ghormenghast trilogy
Watership down
being some of them.
Anyone have any good suggestions.?
:S

[Virgil]

How about Girl with a Pearl Earing, by Tracy Chevlier? I'm not sure if I've spelled her last name correctly. Not difficult, but very well written. And I think a young lady like yourself might enjoy it.

[emily655321]

Gahh! Gahh! That book ruined for me 1) that painting, which used to be my favorite, and 2) my trip to Paris, because all my memories of it are tainted by the reading of that stupid book, and when, if ever, am I going to get to see Paris again?

Sorry, I've been so negative lately, haven't I? Grr... it's such a shallow, pop, airhead-y sort of book, though. I've never read anything else my mother has recommended since then.

[Virgil]

I'm sorry, Emily. But I thought it was good. I guess then you didn't see the movie?

[emily655321]

You don't have to apologize for disagreeing, Virgil. :p I'm just being over-enthusiastic in my negativity today. No, no movie for me.

[RobinHood3000]

Nothing too complicated? Maybe a nice graphic novel--if you get mentally exhausted, you can just look at the pictures!

[rachel]

Gahh! Gahh! That book ruined for me 1) that painting, which used to be my favorite, and 2) my trip to Paris, because all my memories of it are tainted by the reading of that stupid book, and when, if ever, am I going to get to see Paris again?

Sorry, I've been so negative lately, haven't I? Grr... it's such a shallow, pop, airhead-y sort of book, though. I've never read anything else my mother has recommended since then.


oh Em I agree three thousand per cent. DON'T see the movie. i thought it was the worst thing I have had to sit thru in years. Dull, noone's character really formed, chopped up and to me it was simply a vehicle for the actress. The relationship between the girl and the character Colin Firth played seemed stilted, stupid and hardly believable. I feel sick even thinking about it.

[rachel]

What about Little Women or something like that. Even if you have read it before the plot is fair and the characters tolerable.

[Aurora Ariel]

As Virgil already mentioned --Girl With A Pearl Earring-- is rather enjoyable, though obviously not absolutely profound. I would probably recommend this if you are after an easier read. And I have not been so fortunate as to view Johannes Vermeer's painting in Paris. I read it during the holidays at the beginning of last year in about two sittings. The Historian, by Elizabeth Kostova is also quite a recent publication. I read a lot of classics, but from a more modern selection, I would suggest any book by Magaret Atwood, or Virginia Woolf (but if I recall correctly I think you didn't like her work?). Anyway, happy reading!:)

*Every avid reader should read Harper Lee's To Kill a Mocking Bird, at least once. I'm surprised you haven't already, Night! I first read it years ago, and that was before it was a set study text for class.

[Charles Darnay]

If you're after a modern read - I suggest stay away from The Historian, I heard you need patience for that one (havent read it myself though). For a very nice, fairly easy modern read - I'd suggest Time Travelller's Wife - it was enjoyable.

[Chava]

Read Everything is illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer, or his other book Extremely loud and incredibly close, which i found more dark (but still great)

About pearl earing, it takes place in Holland, not Paris??! Vermeer was dutch.
Mind you, Chevalier did write another one, lady and the unicorn, which takes place in paris, but i loathed that one.

[kilted exile]

How about some of Brett Easton Ellis's novels? they are quite an easy read once you get into them but they also require some thought. Its just dependent on whether you can put up with the subject matter.

[beer good]

If you're after a modern read - I suggest stay away from The Historian, I heard you need patience for that one (havent read it myself though). For a very nice, fairly easy modern read - I'd suggest Time Travelller's Wife - it was enjoyable.
I disagree. It's one of the best page-turners I've read in some time. Sure, some of the language is archaic (after all, it's a take-off on "Dracula") but it's hardly a heavy read. Quite worth-while, though.

[Xamonas Chegwe]

The Gormenghast trilogy isn't too heavy, just packed full of beautiful descriptive prose and some of the most wonderfully eccentric characters in fiction. I would stop after the first two books though, "Titus Alone" was completed after Peake's death and doesn't come up to the same standard as the rest.

[Scheherazade]

Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom

Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides

And you should stop postponing reading To Kill A Mockingbird! :)

[rachel]

yah
but if she reads To Kill a Mockingbird,
she'll be freaking out about social injustice and cry herself to sleep over Boo Radley.

[Charles Darnay]

I disagree. It's one of the best page-turners I've read in some time. Sure, some of the language is archaic (after all, it's a take-off on "Dracula") but it's hardly a heavy read. Quite worth-while, though.

Perhaps I need my source checked.... or i should just read it myself, either one

[Scheherazade]

yah
but if she reads To Kill a Mockingbird,
she'll be freaking out about social injustice and cry herself to sleep over Boo Radley.And she will be better off for it.

'What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger' as the saying goes...

[Anthony Furze]

Hello Nightshade, Im new to the Forum.
as to reading, I sympathize. try something by Susan Hill: "The Woman in Black" or "The Mist in the Mirror". She s sophisticated and quite engaging.
I would nt recommend "To Kill a Mockingbird" as its quite textish-its still set for O Level on international syllabi.

[Virgil]

As Virgil already mentioned --Girl With A Pearl Earring-- is rather enjoyable, though obviously not absolutely profound. I would probably recommend this if you are after an easier read. And I have not been so fortunate as to view Johannes Vermeer's painting in Paris. I read it during the holidays at the beginning of last year in about two sittings.
I thought I would post the painting from which the novel imagines the story:
http://dogfightatbankstown.typepad.com/blog/girl_with_a_pearl_earring.jpg

[EAP]

Nightshade,

While I love Peake's prose, Gormenghast is ... boring - for the lack of a better word. And I have seen this opinion many times at several places being expressed by people who have widely differing reading tastes. It's not a book I'd use to get myself out of a reading block.

Hence, I'll suggest reading both Watership Down and To Kill a Mockingbird in succession. I have a feeling that'll make for an extremely interesting and possibly enlightening literary experience. To borrow your expression, both books 'read themselves' and require minimal effort on the reader's part to get into the story.

[Nightshade]

Lets see gosh lots of helpful peopl this is going to take ages to reply so Ill make each comment Pithy( is that the word?!) BTW thanks all :D:D:D (I had alot more smilieys in he text but apparntly Had too many :( (hey does anyonme have a Thankyou smilie??)

How about Girl with a Pearl Earing, by Tracy Chevlier?
I might just Im not tooo intrested in the drawing so it wont wreck anything for me- mind you I do wan to see paris. Thanks

Nothing too complicated? Maybe a nice graphic novel--if you get mentally exhausted, you can just look at the pictures!
They only take me about 30 minutes to read (even quite thick ones) and sadly whoever is responsible for stocking libraries in cheshire hasnt bought a single full series as far as Ive seen we end up with random books from lot of random series (and tyhen they are suprised when thy dont go out :rolleyes: ) But thanks anyway Ill gohaev a dig through the shelves (come to think of it I think we have a few batman and supermans and they can be read alone cant they? Thanks

What about Little Women or something like that.
A defineite possibility that despite the whole crying when whatsherface dies. Humm I might reread the lot but I dont have the real books and by he time Im back from work muy sisters havge got the computers :(. Ill check and see if we have them in the library . Thanks rachel!

The Historian, by Elizabeth Kostova is also quite a recent publication.
Now that we DO have on the shelf is it good? I was going to red ity but I just didnt think I could face anotyher dissaponting book. Thanks

For a very nice, fairly easy modern read - I'd suggest Time Travelller's Wife - it was enjoyable.
Read it your right its great.

Everything is illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer
THats accutually the first thing anyone has put up that I haven heard of I will definetly look it up chava, Thanks :D

Brett Easton Ellis's novel's
Another one Ive never heard of, what kind of subject matter are we talking? Thanks

Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom-- I was told it was awful

Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler-- Reading it at the moment but I seem to havel misplaced the plot somwhere.

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden--- Its perminetly out of the library

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides-- Never heard of it! THANKS

And you should stop postponing reading To Kill A Mockingbird--- I know I know but I saw the film years ago so Im having trouble drawing up the enthsiasim I will start It tonight


Hello Nightshade, Im new to the Forum.
as to reading, I sympathize. try something by Susan Hill: "The Woman in Black" or "The Mist in the Mirror". She s sophisticated and quite engaging.
I would nt recommend "To Kill a Mockingbird" as its quite textish-its still set for O Level on international syllabi.
Susan hill, think I once flicked through the woman in black why did I put t down?? Oh I know School library with a red sticker rstricted because of *rude content*. I know its an olevel text trhats how I have a copy its my sisters because she did it for Olevel me I got animal farm and oscar wilde- Maybe Ill reread those? and Bernard shaw I like his plays too.Oh BTW welcome anthoney :wave:

While I love Peake's prose, Gormenghast is ... boring - for the lack of a better word. And I have seen this opinion many times at several places being expressed by people who have widely differing reading tastes. It's not a book I'd use to get myself out of a reading block.

Thankyou! Actually as far Ive seen in places ourr tastes do occasionally overlap so Ill say thanks forthe boring tip and right watership don and to kill a mocking bird it is . They really read themselves? great! :banana:
Again thanks everyone :D

[Scheherazade]

Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom-- I was told it was awful

Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler-- Reading it at the moment but I seem to havel misplaced the plot somwhere.

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden--- Its perminetly out of the library

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides-- Never heard of it! THANKS

And you should stop postponing reading To Kill A Mockingbird--- I know I know but I saw the film years ago so Im having trouble drawing up the enthsiasim I will start It tonightI really enjoyed reading 5PYMIH (stayed up till morning reading it - never start reading a book at 2 AM... Especially if you need to go to work next day!) It is an easy going, put-a-smile-on-your-face type of book. I say don't take my word or anyone else's for it and read to see what you think of it yourself! :D

JA Book Club - To be honest, it sounded interesting but failed to deliver for me as well.

Middlesex is a Pulitzer winner and an amazing story.

I was lucky that I read the Geisha last year, before I even knew they were making a movie. I can imagine how much in demand it will be with the movie coming out.

What did you think of The Time Traveller's Wife? I want to read it sometime soon as well.

[EAP]

Another one Ive never heard of, what kind of subject matter are we talking?


Violence. Sex. Gore. Serial killers. Psychopaths. Neurotics. Rapists. College shenanigans. Orgies. Screwed up relationships with a moderate peppering of drugs and other deviant sub-cultures thrown in for good measure.

His most famous book is 'American Psycho'. A very good author by all means, but not for those who cannot withstand intense stuff.

[rachel]

And she will be better off for it.

'What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger' as the saying goes...

:D Dear Scher,
if that doesn't prove you are a teacher, and a no nonsense practical one, I don't know what does.
please come here and deal with Desi. please. we never eat kitkats and we have just loads of fresh bread from the oven and jam, glorious jam.


please come..

[Nightshade]

Hey how come schher invited and not me:bawling: .:D
Thanks EAP lets see Ive ordered some of the books already "American psycho" right I dont mind most of that that much I just cant really deal with child abuse. Other than that Im ok.
Scher the time travellers wife was MIND BLOWING, well for me at least. I cried I laughed I grinned.and I got mad. All good. But apparntly it doesnt hold up to rereading. I dont know itrs a very interesting idea.I think I might try and reread it:D

[kilted exile]

Violence. Sex. Gore. Serial killers. Psychopaths. Neurotics. Rapists. College shenanigans. Orgies. Screwed up relationships with a moderate peppering of drugs and other deviant sub-cultures thrown in for good measure.

His most famous book is 'American Psycho'. A very good author by all means, but not for those who cannot withstand intense stuff.

Exactly, I got his latest book Lunar Park at xmas and had it finished by dinnertime on Boxing day.

link (http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/search-handle-form/203-8667287-9700701) to reviews of his books on Amazon.

[rachel]

oh Night,
you are always welcome. But you are not available to come right now. And I doubt if you are tough enough to deal with the Dez. come anytime !

[Pensive]

Hi Night, I will suggest some books that you might like:

Middlesex - Jeffrey Eugenides
Twins - Caroline Cooney
Flowers In The Attic - V. Andrews
Bridge To Terabithia - Katherine Patterson
A Tree Grows In Brooklyn - Betty Smith

I am sure that Watership Down would not be bad. (I have not read it by myself but I think that it will be my next read)

[RobinHood3000]

I liked Watership Down when I read it. Of course, I was around 14 or 15 at the time, so I doubt I realized its subtle nuances.

[Nightshade]

right :D No problem with me Robin Im like a bubbly 5 year old today, I think my new tea was a touch stronger than I thought .
:banana:

[RobinHood3000]

Hmm. Maybe juuuuuuust a smidgen.

[Moon]

Well.......i would suggest u read Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince but read it after reading the other parts.

[rachel]

Watership Down is one of my favorite, to this day books. Hands down. Just thinking about it right now I get swept away into the sounds, the smells the emotions, fairly palpating in the very air. I think I shall just go right out when I am finished my writing for today and try to find a copy.

[Nightshade]

Well good luck with that rachel:D

[Nightshade]

MOon thanks but I got bored of Harry potter by the end of book 5( is it 5 the last one but one ?) so I dont think Ill read that but thanks for the tip anyhow:D

[subterranean]

I think JD Sallinger's are not that hard.

[Virgil]

oh Em I agree three thousand per cent. DON'T see the movie. i thought it was the worst thing I have had to sit thru in years. Dull, noone's character really formed, chopped up and to me it was simply a vehicle for the actress. The relationship between the girl and the character Colin Firth played seemed stilted, stupid and hardly believable. I feel sick even thinking about it.
I saw parts of the movie too. It was not good. But I did like the novel.

[rachel]

hey Virgil
I thought you went away again. don't go away without taking us along. do you need us to take up a collection and buy you a nifty lap top or do you have one?
At any rate when there is dead air so to speak because you are not posting it is like being given a chocolate smiley and finding out the smile is upside down. It still taste the same but somehow it isn't that much fun.

[rachel]

:lol:
Well good luck with that rachel:D

oh yuck it up Night my girl. :lol: :lol: :lol:

[mtpspur]

If you like mysteries try Nevada Barr's or Sue Grafton's books---they dont necessarily have to be read in order but it helps.

[cateye515]

Ive Read nothing but junk recently and not even good junk. Can anyone suggest somthing good to read that isnt too complictaed or heavey (as Im very tierd after work and cant really cope with anything that doesnt at least try to help by reading itself)

I do have some books hanging around that are suppose dto be good
To kill a mocking bird
The ghormenghast trilogy
Watership down
being some of them.
Anyone have any good suggestions.?
:S


c.s. lewis?

[Bandini]

Read 'The Butcher Boy' by Patrick McCabe

[Bandini]

Oh - didn't see your list. Read 'To Kill...' - give 'Watership Down' away.

[optimisticnad]

Nightshade, trust me on this (and if wrong you can track me down and...i don't know, kill me for trying to 'save' you? lol) You want somethng light and not to heavy and interesting, well 'The Time Traveller's Wife' is fantastic, modern, original, interesting, funny, short chapter/sections and...I don't know, left me hopeful and completely appreciating 'things'. I ORDER YOU TO GO AND READ THAT. (is me being assertive working?)

[Nightshade]

lready read it dear in fact loved it so much that I went out and bought it :D

[optimisticnad]

same here! I borrowed it from my library first but loved it so much went and got my own copy!
ok, next on my list is Iris Murdoch The Sea, The sea. Or have you read that too? Not to worry, I have plenty of other suggestions...

[Nightshade]

no someone ordered that in actually I just morrowed murdocks henry and canto thinking of getting to that monday maybe then again Im aout to reread all the brontes and I might start that monday instead :D

[rachel]

hullo darling Night,
how are you doing?

[optimisticnad]

hi rachel. thanks for our PM. thats the first PM i got! I am alive. lol. im fine. yourself?
night.

[Nightshade]

hey Im night not you :eek2:

[rachel]

oh Night you are too adorable. And Opt I loved pm'g you. get prepared for oh sixty two million more!

[blondeatheart]

try sometihng by jostein gaarder i love 'the solitaire mystery' its my fave book even tho its meant to be philosophical its a real page turner its the only book ive read more than once - ive read it 4 times!

[RobinHood3000]

I've read "Sophie's World," and enjoyed it (although the end felt a bit rushed).

[optimisticnad]

NIght, u were too slow to reply to Rachel so i did. lol. and thanks rachel. but im only allowed 200 PM! lol.

[subterranean]

I've been reading Coelho's works and I'd say they are worth checking! Try the Alchemist, The Devil and Ms. Prym, By the River of Piedra I sat down and Wept, The Zahir, and The Fifth Moutain. They are deep, spiritual (I don't want to use the word religious), and will surely nail you down to your chair :)

[papillon123]

I'd like to say that I really enjoyed Girl with A Pearl Earring. It may not be profound but it was well written and kept your attention. Thanks to Virgil for posting the portrait of the Girl with the Pearl. There is one other painting
by Vermeer which I think may speak even more to the story recounted in the book. It shows the artist painting her in the studio with others (if you read
the book you will recongnize who they are). I don't remember where the painting is located. I'll try to search and find out.

[sua]

hi nightshade:))

there are a lot of books which I can advice and are worth to read ..the virgin blue by tracy chevalier , the lady and the unicorn also by t. chevalier
or each book of dan brown for entertainment,
or the perfume by patrick süsskind which is by the way my favorite.. I can really advice it to you

have fun
byeee

[PeterL]

Please, help me, I need a term paper on Monday. Does anyone knows the site


With all that time, why don't you just write it?

[Manfred]

The best novel I've read lately was 'The Caine Mutiny' by Herman Wouk.
It has comedy, tragedy, human drama, and romance, set against the background of WWII.

[Serenata]

Yeah, To Kill A Mockingbird is a really good novel. Its kind of sad that Harper Lee didn't write anything else.