Suggestions, please.

[Trifkin]

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[bazarov]

I think that Don Quixote is what you need, very clever book that make you laugh all the time. Bulgakov's Master an Margarita is also very nice.
Quote from Don Quixote: There is no wound that time can't cure...
Stay up!!!:thumbs_up

[Schokokeks]

Tell me about a book that left you smiling, a book that left you feeling so good about the world that you actually had to shake yourself out of it and make an effort to come back to reality afterwards.

Dear Trifkin, I'm sorry to hear that you aren't doing well at the moment. I hope your situation will improve and you will feel better in no time !

Don Quixote, that bazarov already suggested, might be a very good idea, though it is a rather long book and in case you're looking for a shorter read, I'll list a few of the books that I found uplifting and encouraging when I read them:
* A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving. It's a wonderful story about the coming of age of two boys, each having a difficult situation to cope with. As the book is getting better and better towards the end, you're sure to never forget Owen Meany ! And it's marvellously written ! :nod:
* Angela's Ashes and it's sequel, 'Tis, by Frank McCourt. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for the first one and I found it very encouraging. It's the autobiography of an Irish-American, who starts with a huge impoverished family and nothing to live on in Ireland, decides to make the great move and immigrates to America, arrives in New York with nothing at all and later even makes it to university. When I read it, I found the energy of the narrator very very contagious and it gave me (back) the feeling that everything is possible.

I hope that these books (or anything else you find to cheer you up) will do you a world of good !

[Kurtz]

Read "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the galaxy". I know it will make you feel better.

[S1NN3R]

I always go back to Boccacio's "Decameron" when I need a quick mood boost. 100 little stories, most of which can be read in 15-60 minutes, and a good humor element that holds up even all these centuries after it was first written.

[Trifkin]

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[byquist]

Anne Morrow Lindberg's "Gift from the Sea" is uplifting. Boleslavsky's "Acting The First Six Lessons" has charm. Chekhov short stories might perk up.

[subterranean]

Siddhartha by Hesse, truly inspiring or The Devil's Dictionary by Bierce (hillarious).

Hope you're feeling better, Trif.

[mtpspur]

If you are of a spiritual or even a practical nature John Ploughman's Talk by Charles Haddon Spurgeon. Done in a vein of observing human nature by a 'farmer' they are gently uplifting in a non-confrontational way.

Best to your problems. I do not need to know anything of them--only share what you are comfortable in sharing. I tend towards the dark side personally but sometimes after months I can see a light at the end of the tunnel by the mercy of God.

As far as books that entertain I like Keith Laumer's Retief series for sci-fi satire in a diplomatic setting. Brings back the days of the Air Force making a dorm room look pretty for 30 seconds of a Colonel's time. I hope he had better things to do then look at my Shadow poster on the wall.

Hang in there.

[Trifkin]

Again, thank you. I've compiled a list of everything that's been suggested so far, and I will read every one of your suggestions as they become available to me. n_n I feel better already.

--“I have heard there are troubles of more than one kind. Some come from ahead and some come from behind. But I've bought a big bat. I'm all ready you see. Now my troubles are going to have troubles with me!”

[Idril]

You could try Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. It's nothing deep but it's a lot of fun and it has a rather uplifting ending, nothing particularly profound but sometimes it's enough to just be entertained. ;)

[Schokokeks]

I feel better already.

--“I have heard there are troubles of more than one kind. Some come from ahead and some come from behind. But I've bought a big bat. I'm all ready you see. Now my troubles are going to have troubles with me!”

Sounds like your on the sunny track again :).
In case you need a real quick uplifting, hot milk with honey always does for me :nod: ;)

Keep us posted how you are doing, please. And let us know what you think of the suggestions once you've read them :nod:

[Trifkin]

Actually, I think we have some of these books at work. (For those of you who haven't read my profile and don't plan to- I work in a used book store :D) I'll take this list with me and check to see what we have. I get a 10% discount as well, so this also cheers me up!

[Schokokeks]

I'll take this list with me and check to see what we have. I get a 10% discount as well, so this also cheers me up!

Aww, me wanna have, too ! :D Any discounts for special friends of yours ? :brow: :p

[Trifkin]

Aww, me wanna have, too ! :D Any discounts for special friends of yours ? :brow: :p

Well, we do mail books :D. I suppose I could tell them you were my long lost cousin... I'm sure they'd believe me.

The ones with two asterisks in front of them are ones that we do have at the store. I already own a copy of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, but since I'm in the process of moving, all but four of my books are in a box. T-T Somehow I left out Persuasion - Jane Austen, Fire and Sword - Simon Brown, and a two volume Peanuts set.

Don Quixote (bazarov)
Master an Margarita - Bulgakov (bazarov)
A Prayer for Owen Meany - John Irving (Schokokeks)
**Angela's Ashes - Frank McCourt (Schokokeks)
'Tis - Frank McCourt (Schokokeks)
//The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams (Kurtz)
Decameron - Boccacio (S1NN3R)
**Gift From the Sea - Anne Morrow Lindberg (byquist)
Acting The First Six Lessons - Boleslavsky (byquist)
Short Stories - Chekhov (byquist)
**Siddhartha - Hesse (subterranean)
The Devil's Dictionary - Bierce (subterranean)
John Ploughman's Talks - C. H. Spurgeon (mtpspur)
Retief series - Keith Laumer (mtpspur)
Good Omens - Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman (Idril)
**Tom Robbins (stephC) - I think we have one called Even Cowgirls Get the Blues
Lysistrata - Aristophanes (grace86)

I knew I should have grabbed Good Omens when we had a copy of it...

[Schokokeks]

Well, we do mail books :D.

To Germany ? :p

Sounds like there's a lot on your to-read-list now :)
Me too, I'm currently moving and packing and such. I'm proud to have managed to break a minimum of 3 glasses, 2 plates and one bookshelf so far :D
Wish you good luck with your move ! :nod:

[PierreGringoire]

A young adult who is on the verge of enjoying the rest of his life with a wife whom he is madly in love with and about to recieve a much higher rank in his profession (captain of the ship) is betrayed by "illustrious gentlemen" who indirectly condemn him to a life of solitary confinement in the prison Chateu ( a secret dungeon reserved for only the most innocent of criminals:) ). His expereience there, his escape, his quest for revenge, and confused heart of redemption and prudent justice he executes to his enemies is truly captivating!! He starts off a poor sailer ends up a count with inexhaustble wealth and resources to relive his life over again as a man who is larger than life (and law). How does a man so poor and powerless become a Count? What will he do with that life of power? Will he be purely avaricious like his enemies who put him there? Or will he free himself from heart wrenching vengence and lead a righteous life? It's the story of Stories. It's a great read!!

[thibs23]

The Count of Monte Cristo cannot be beat. I agree completely. Edmond rises up over all odds. It a great book. On further note, DO NOT READ the abridged version, please please, read the unabridged so much better even though its an extra 600 pages.

[Trifkin]

Thank you both, PierreGringoire and thibs23. It sounds like an exciting read.

[CynicalRomantic]

yes, the count of monte cristo is fabulous. i read it when i had nothing better to do, and when i was skiving off things that had to be done. Never has a book filled me with so strong a sense of purpose as this one. It can be read when you're sad, or bored, or annoyed, or whatever else...it's about strength of human determination...never fails to lift you from your current position, whatever it is. Highly recommended!

[stephC]

anything by tom robbins. the irony will kill you...with laughter!

[grace86]

Hehe, the only copy of Monte Cristo I have is abridged and I have not read it yet...thanks for the heads up on that one.

It might sound kind of funny, but I don't know what kind of humor you like, but I had to read Lysistrata for my Literature class and it was hilarious. I was actually laughing out loud on some parts. It is a Greek comedy written by Aristophanes. You should be careful on the translator though as some of them really make it difficult to find the humor in...I will get back to you tomorrow with that.

I hope you are feeling better Trifkin. You never have to feel like you have to reveal more than you are comfortable with here, so rest assured no one will pester you!

The suggestions here are all really good ones, these guys know what they are talking about. Good luck and happy reading.

[ShoutGrace]

Lift some weights.


I would vouch for this. The literature will help as much as anything, but excercise is truly an incredible thing. Laying around and being sedentary is absolutely the wrong way to go. Lifting helped get me through some tough times in life. :D

Keep us updated then, Trifkin. :)

[Trifkin]

Well, I've finished moving, and have everything unpacked (including my beloved books). You were all just dying to know, weren't you? : P


Lift some weights.


I would vouch for this. The literature will help as much as anything, but excercise is truly an incredible thing. Laying around and being sedentary is absolutely the wrong way to go. Lifting helped get me through some tough times in life. :D

Keep us updated then, Trifkin. :)

You are both right. Excercise helps in many ways. I am not usually one to complain, really. Often I feel as if I do not have the right to complain, when things could be so much worse. I know that I have a good life, especially comparatively speaking.

As I'm sure most people do, I have had many stressful things in my life lately. I don't mean to make anyone feel sorry for me-- that is never my desire, and self-pity has never been a habit of mine. Sometimes, however, one simply needs support, or a person to 'lean on', if you will. This has not been the best year of my life so far, to put it lightly. My mother passed away in April due to lung cancer (which apparently moved to her brain and caused two tumors). From the age of 16 until a few years ago, she smoked cigarettes. I was still 19 years old when she died, and she had just turned 50. Everything happened very quickly. She checked into the hospital to find out why her limbs were not moving as they should, and died in a coma three days later. Nobody saw it coming, as, although she was a nurse (who should've known better), she was not one to go to the doctor for check-ups. Not only did I lose my mother (best friend, confidant, biggest fan, advice-giver), but I went through the horrific ordeal of watching her go from bouncy and vivacious and alive to writhing on her hospital bed vomiting, unable to form a coherent sentence--

I'm sorry, you don't need that imagery, nor do I need to be reminded. The nightmares will haunt me for a long time, I think. It's just difficult watching the world continue on without her in it. But enough of that tragic speech. There have been other factors contributing to the temporary dampening of my spirit, but perhaps those complaints which seem petty in comparison to my mother's death I can keep to myself for the time being.

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy has proven a suitable diversion so far. Thank you Kurtz, for suggesting it.

[mtpspur]

To Trifkin--my condolences for the loss of your mother. My father was taken about 5 years ago and I was unable to see him--we were not close for a number fo what now seem petty reasons and our last meeting was somewhat less then satisfying. I do not expect you to believe this NOW but as time passes (and it does whether we wish it or not) the bad menories fade and the good times take on a life of their own. Your mother sounds like a very positive influence on you. I find venting to close friends (when I get off my high horse I realize I actually do have a couple) works best for me--I use self pity to drive me to prayer and then thankfulness for what I believe the Lord is doing for me even though I rarely see what the plan is. Remember fire is used to purify and bring out the best. May you continue to grieve well with a quiet spirit and wait for life to turn around.

[Mark F.]

Bukowski! I know his work generally seems pessimistic but it's a lot more about the humour than anything else. His novels are funny in such a beautiful way.