Good Books

[Cassandra]

Can anyone recommend (with reasons) any really good books to read. I know there are loads and I just don't know where to begin. Anything relating to Dante's Inferno which I am just about to start might be good.

[Munro]

A friend who has read Dante's "The Divine Comedy" has also been reading "Paradise Lost" by John Milton. I'm not sure how closely related they are, but he has been getting a lot of inspiration from both. Milton is quite difficult reading. I imagine it's suitable if you liked "Inferno", or the Bible.

I've never read any of them though (but I will)

[Stanislaw]

I don't know too much about this inferno book, but if you like a good laugh and a little philosophy, I suggest the Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy a trilogy in five parts by Douglass Adams. It is an amazing book that deals with Life the Universe and Everything (pun intended). Also I would suggest picking up a Stanislaw Lem book if your into Sci Fi, or even an Isaac Asimov book, specifically the history of Ibotics. I would also suggest the wars by timothy findley, not a bad wwi novel, kinda depressing though.

[sloegin]

Boccaccio'sDecameron, was written around the same time as The Divine Comedy. I heard somewhere that they were friends, or Dante was Boccaccio's mentor; or something like that.

I'll second Milton's Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained. The fight between God and Satan is wonderful.

Chauncer's Canterbury Tales.

Dante had a big influence on James Joyce, and he is amazing in his own right.

[Cassandra]

I loved reading thr Hitchhikers Guide. It really is one of the funniest books i ever read. thanks for the other hints. Can you recommend a good Canterbury Tales, I can never find an unabridged version.

[atiguhya padma]

The Riverside Edition is good.

[crisaor]

Try El Aleph, by Jorge Luis Borges. It's a great book, and two of the tales contain references to Dante's Comedy: La Espera (The Waiting or something like that, if you get the english version), y El Aleph.

[atiguhya padma]

Cassandra,

The Bridge by Iain Banks, Lanark by Alasdair Gray, Fingersmith by Sarah Waters, Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer, Ghostwritten by David Mitchell, The Regeneration Trilogy by Pat Barker, Wide Open by Nicola Barker, Last Orders by Graham Swift (also Waterland by him), Atonement by Iain McEwan, Spies by Michael Frayn: all great contemporary literature.

Tristram Shandy by Lawrence Sterne (centuries ahead of its time),
Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy
Don Quixote
Tom Jones
Caleb Williams by William Godwin

all great lit from an earlier age.

[subterranean]

Well Cas, how do you define "really good books"? I read some books which I think really good like Sartre's trilogy (Age of Reason, The Reprieve, and Troubled Sleep)

[Isagel]

For a lovely book about books and reading I would suggest Helen Hanff´s "Letters to a bookstore" - a genuin collection of her letters to an owner of a bookstore selling rare books. The friendship that grows between them while they write is fascinating. The book also gave me alot of tips on literature.

[Sindhu]

Cassandra, I'd second the reccomendations for Paradise Lost (Not for Paradise Regained, though), the Decameron, Certainly Tristram Shandy and Don Quixote. If you are interested in the laughter with philosophy category, i personally haven't found anything to beat Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintanance and Lila

[subterranean]

Oh dear I'm surely an amateur in literature. I mean I read all posts and there are some books which sounds very interesting, yet I never even heard about :(

[Cassandra]

I've never heard of a few either. Thanks for the tips. I guess I've got my work cut out for me.

[Koa]

I usually have to fight for this opinion of mine but I think the Decameron is one of the biggest pieces of crap ever written in this side of the world...

I'm not sure about Dante and Boccaccio being friends, I have vague memories of them and I believe they might have met or anyway heard of each other, but the friends bit...uhm I'll check.

Now that you get me started on the Italian 1300s, let me tell you about Francesco Petrarca...he's mainly a poet and I love his works, not sure he's famous in translation but he influenced poetry for the next 5 centuries at least, not only in Italy.

[crisaor]

The thing with the Decameron is that after you've read some of it, you feel that you've read it all. After the fifth or sixth day, all the stories are the same.

[Koa]

I've only read random bits...and I'm not impressed.

Anyway I checked cos I had the suspicion Boccaccio was born after Dante's death... Which is not true, but he was too much younger anyway cos he was born in 1313, and Dante died in 1321. He probably read the Comedy sometime, but I couldnt find anything about that in the short biography thing I quickly browsed through this morning.

[sloegin]

I'm not going to argue its merits, I agree it's smut.

I said, 'or something like that.' Some say he studied under Cino da Pistoia. Which as we all know, was one of the founding memebers of the jurist-poet movement; with Dante, and Petrarch, being the others. Do you ever stop by your friends' houses, to visit? Neither of us were around at the time and it really doesn't matter.

[Sancho]

Cassandra, I know its not a book but you may be interested in the "Princton Dante Project" Web site. You've gotta register but its free. WooHoo! I think the site is run by Dr. Hollander (who with his wife, Jean Hollander has so far translated Inferno and Purgatorio) I recently read the Hollander's translation of Inferno and thoroughly enjoyed it. It was fun to read a canto then click on it and listen to it in Italian. Hope this helps.

[atiguhya padma]

What have you guys got against the Divine Comedy?

I've got Canterbury Tales on one side and the Decameron on the other.

[atiguhya padma]

When I read the Inferno, I wanted to burn it. Then I read Purgatorio and that was painful. However Paradiso was a dream. The Divine Comedy.

[Comrade_Ogilvy]

Don't read anything by Hermann Hesse, hes a lier.

[crisaor]

Originally posted by Comrade_Ogilvy
Batman defeats Aquaman many times over.
What a great signature. :D

[Cassandra]

Thanks Comrade_Ogilvy, the translation I have has english and italian and I would love to know what it sounds like, it looks really cool.

[Comrade_Ogilvy]

Wow I'm confused. Are you being sarcastic or is there a book called "Hermann Hesse" that I don't know about. I read an english translation of his book Siddhartha and while I liked it at the time I don't like how it has changed my thinking.

[Koa]

Originally posted by sloegin


I said, 'or something like that.' Some say he studied under Cino da Pistoia. Which as we all know, was one of the founding memebers of the jurist-poet movement; with Dante, and Petrarch, being the others. Do you ever stop by your friends' houses, to visit? Neither of us were around at the time and it really doesn't matter. [/B]

Is this for me? Wasn't trying to be fussy, I just looked it up as you knew exactly where to find the truth.
And because I feel like have to be the show-off when it's about these things, even if you all do love Dante and Boccaccio much more than I ever will (infact I can't say I do...).

Geez, I can't stand Siddharta either...:rolleyes: Maybe there's something wrong with me :eek:

[Cassandra]

Originally posted by Cassandra
Thanks Comrade_Ogilvy, the translation I have has english and italian and I would love to know what it sounds like, it looks really cool.

Did you delete your previous message cus I can't find it and I'd like to look at that site?

[Sancho]

Cassandra, I may be able to help with mystery. I made a post earlier concerning the "Princeton Dante Project" Web sight. Its got a lot of neat tools for readers of the Divine Comedy. There's full text in English and Italian, Art work, audio in English and Italian and transcripts of lectures on the Comedia.

I had a great time with it and although you have to register; registration is free. Sorry I don't have the address but any search engine will take you there.

Have fun.

[Cassandra]

Thank you :D

[Cassandra]

Thank you :D

[hombre]

Try The Living End by Stanley Elkin... it's kinda funny

[Cassandra]

Don't know why mine posted twice, gues it wanted me to be doubly grateful :D

[Koa]

Uff...I'd like to have a look at that site but I don't wish to register...maybe it has many 'ghost members' like this one, who register to know what it's all about exactly....It looks very professional though.

[imthefoolonthehill]

To summon the great demons of apathy, sarcasm and cynicism, read the following: Catch-22, Catcher in the Rye, 1984, Brave New World, Lord of the Flies, One Flew Over the Cukoo's Nest, Fight Club, All the Kings Men, The Great Gatsby, anything Hemmingway...

[Cassandra]

Having read some of those, I think you want me to be depressed for the rest of my life fool.

[IWilKikU]

not depressed, just apathetic, sarcastic, and cynical :D.

[Cassandra]

I can be that all on my own if I have to. And reading 1984 and Brave New World is depressing. Look at how many of the things they warn against actually happen!

[imthefoolonthehill]

Cassandra... I don't mind if you are depressed... its overly-happy people that irritate and further depress me... :-(

[Dr Cynic]

Well in case you are looking for modern literature of good quality, try Paulo Coelho's works, especially "Veronika decides to die" and "Alchemist".

[Cassandra]

Originally posted by imthefoolonthehill
Cassandra... I don't mind if you are depressed... its overly-happy people that irritate and further depress me... :-(

That's very sad Fool. I hope you won't mind if I say that I hope you get over this or are depressed a lot.

:D Just for you.

[Koa]

Originally posted by imthefoolonthehill
Cassandra... I don't mind if you are depressed... its overly-happy people that irritate and further depress me... :-(

I love you! It's exactly the same for me!!! Over-excited people make me wish I could explode...or that i could make them expolde! :D

[Munro]

Hehehehehe, you so funny. They're all lying to themselves.

"I miss the comfort in feeling sad . . . " But people who use a depressed, suicidal persona to stand out in the crowd, gain attention and self-importance are painful to watch too. I was probably one of those for a while, so I'll shut right up.

[avid_reader]

'Of Human Bondage' by Maugham is a great read . 'Atlas Shrugged' and 'The Return of the Native' are also great reads

[IWilKikU]

Love you new avatar fool.

[Raven]

I would recommend 'Brightly Burning' by Mercedes Lackey. Please don't be put off by its fantasy genre - its a wonderful book, it aroused such a range of emotions within me. I laughed and I raged and I cried, and when I got to the end I turned straight back to the beginning to read it again!

Also, for my sixth form book club, I've just finished reading 'The Lovely Bones', which is absolutely bizarre. It's by Alice Sebold, and it is written form a young girl (Susie)'s perspective after she has been murdered.

[IWilKikU]

whoa, sounds cra-a-a-a-a-zy. Tell me more about this 'sixth form book club'.

[Raven]

erm... well... it's a book club... for the sixth form... at my sixth form college...

[IWilKikU]

thank you Raven. That makes things MUCH more clear.

[subterranean]

Catch-22 is now one of my fav books ever.

This book is so darn crazy...:D :D. Does anyone know what other books who got the same theme, genre as this. I really like to dig them out. Thanks

[IWilKikU]

Heller's other books, Catch as Cat Can, Something Happened, Good as Gold, Closing Time, God Knows

[simon]

Hey RAven what did you think of the Lovely Bones? It didn't fit my tastes at all.

[emily655321]

My mother read the Lovely Bones. She really liked it. Which probably means I wouldn't. She read me a couple of exerpts and it sounded sort of... I don't know, Jr.-High-School-girl style of writing. Using the same adjectives and verbs over and over, but not for any deliberate effect. That kind of thing. That's all I remember.

[Isagel]

Originally posted by subterranean
Catch-22 is now one of my fav books ever.

This book is so darn crazy...:D :D. Does anyone know what other books who got the same theme, genre as this. I really like to dig them out. Thanks

Perhaps you would like Kurt Vonnegut as well? Slaughterhouse five is one of my favorites. I´m not really sure if it´s the same genre, but they have the same way of showing how absurd life (and people) can be.

[simon]

Exactly what I though emily: jr. highish. Maybe like someone trying to be innovative and fialing miserably.

[Raven]

very disturbing. The rape at the beginning? The author was raped - its based on real experience ((as is her novel 'Lucky')). I don't think I liked it, but I didn't dislike it either. It was very strange, and we had a lot to discuss. Don't forget that it was written from the perspective of a high school student, so that would be why it was high schooly - I'm not sure of her reasoning for that...
Who was your fave char? mine was Ruth

[simon]

I didn't really have a favorite character, but Ruth was the one that stood out to me the most in memory.

[ennison]

'The Lovely Bones' is flakey but teenage girls like it and 'The Five People You Meet in Heaven' by a fellow called Albom. 'The L-Shaped Room' and 'The Writing on The Wall' by Banks 'The Millstone' by Margaret Drabble. Either of Donna Tart's two novels. Louis Sachar's 'Holes' is a clever piece of work. I guess Austen if you haven't read her already. Georgette Heyer wrote a lot of clever Romantic novels.

[ennison]

Oh and there's 'The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie' by Spark, 'The Gowk Storm' by Nancy Brysson Morrison (A Canongate text). Margaret Foster, 'Lady's Maid' and 'Georgy Girl'. Andrei Makine 'A Hero's Daughter'.
There's Miles Franklin's 'My Brilliant Career' - written when she was sixteen. There's Cliff Hanley's novel 'The Taste of Too Much'. Frayn's 'Spies' - clever and funny. Patchett's 'Bel Canto'. Pym's 'Excellent Women' - a smashing decent writer. Tan's 'The Joy Luck Club'. Widdicombe's 'An Act of Treachery' - excellent. I think most of what I have listed there are relatively short focussed works of fiction. There's lots of good non-fiction that an intelligent young woman would like, particularly autobiography but I think I should leave that to yourself.

[ennison]

Subterranean a book a bit like 'Catch 22' is 'Castle Keep' by William Eastlake. You might also like Wharton's 'A Midnight Clear' or James Jones', 'The Thin Red Line'

[higley]

Life Expectancy and Odd Thomas are great books by Dean Koontz; they are simultaneously hilarious and philosophical. I've read both of them several times, and now that I think about it, I'm due for another re-read soon! :)

[subterranean]

Why people like to dig out ol' threads? :D :D... Cheers to ennison who brought the thread back to live.

My list of good books has expanded so long that I don't know where to start. O yes, Siddharta by Hermann Hesse.

[ennison]

To be honest I never noticed that it was two years old. Guess she'll have outgrown some of my suggestions then. But the novels I suggested to you I think you might still like.

[Hippolite]

Read Proust's À la recherche du temps perdu (i.e. In Search of Lost Time). Read it in the original French because it’s no easier to understand in English, even if you don’t know any French. Read it cover to cover, all seven volumes, don’t skip any words. Re-read any passages you don’t understand. If after finishing the whole thing you still don’t understand it start over from the beginning and re-read it.

[Virgil]

Read Proust's À la recherche du temps perdu (i.e. In Search of Lost Time). Read it in the original French because it’s no easier to understand in English, even if you don’t know any French. Read it cover to cover, all seven volumes, don’t skip any words. Re-read any passages you don’t understand. If after finishing the whole thing you still don’t understand it start over from the beginning and re-read it.

That would take me a life time. :lol: I don't think I can spend my entire life on just one novel. :D

[ennison]

Read it! And then read it again! Man that is cruel! That probably breaks several laws somewhere.

[Maida]

well I really enjoyed Pale Fire by Nabokov because it was hilarious and well written, and I'm reading Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami and absolutely love it. Murakami is a genius when it comes to literature!

[Niamh]

I'd recommend Tom jones by henry Feilding for a bit of 18th century wit.

As for a modern book, if you can get your hands on it, Hellfire by Mia gallagher. its a really big book but very good. It's terrible, i've become completely obsessed with mentioning this book everywhere! and have yet to discover anyone else who has read it! i dont even know if you can get it outside of ireland! :blush:

[Virgil]

I'd recommend Tom jones by henry Feilding for a bit of 18th century wit. As for a modern book, if you can get your hands on it, Hellfire by Mia gallagher. its a really big book but very good.

It's terrible, i've become completely obsessed with mentioning this book everywhere! and have yet to discover anyone else who has read it! i dont even know if you can get it outside of ireland! :blush:

I've read it and it is an excellent novel. You should be able to get Tom Jones everywhere. It is a classic novel from the 18th century, perhaps the best english novel of that century.

[ghideon]

So you enjoyed reading Dante. So did I. I actually felt like reading The Inferno was one of the most important reading experiences of my life. One day riding on a subway I looked around and asked myself "Hmmm...I wonder what sin that fellow over there has committed and which circle of Hell he will spend eternity?" It was crazy.

Anyway, what to read next depends on what you liked about Dante. Certainly Paradise Lost covers similar terrain and is also an Epic Poem as well. If you want Epic but rather bleak (the Inferno, afterall, is not exactly a Romance) then there is Crime and Punishment which also leaves the reader pondering over morality,justice vs injustice, guilt vs innocence, and that great (just let em hang) topic punishment.

Now you might know this, in which case just ignore my ramblings, but one of the things that made Dantes Epic significant was that it was written in Italian vernacular and that had enormous literary,political,and religoius meaning. He used the "common" tongue and showed how astonishingly beautiful such language can be, when crafted by the right soul.

So if you love all things poetic...well you could read some Pablo Neruda. Reading Neruda(one of the greatest modern love poets) after Dante would be a strange experience, something akin to the decompression astronauts go through.

Oh, hell...you could try reading some nasty Crime Noir. I've been reading some mysteries written by Jim Thompson where the closest thing to love or morality is only kicking the addict one time not twenty. It is not poetic at all but you sure do feel like you are in a very dark hellish world.

Hey...do say what book/s you actually decide to pick up so that all of us "authorities" lol...can see how well we have done.

Me? I played Sudoku for about 6 months after Dante. I guess I needed it. hehe...but true.

[Scheherazade]

I'd recommend Tom jones by henry Feilding for a bit of 18th century wit. Whole heartedly agree. And BBC's 1997 adaptation was great as well!

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0123351/
I played Sudoku for about 6 months after Dante.I play Sudoku daily as part of my daily 'diet' without reading any Dante! ;)

[Niamh]

Whole heartedly agree. And BBC's 1997 adaptation was great as well!

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0123351/I play Sudoku daily as part of my daily 'diet' without reading any Dante! ;)

The tv series was what made me read the book. i use to have it on video but like many things gave a loan of it to someone in college and never got it back.:(

[ennison]

Just finished Tim Binding's novel 'A Perfect Execution' Amazingly good. What a clever writer!!. Read it.

[Guzmán]

Thomas Pynchon's "The Crying of Lot 49". I read it last year and what a discovery that was. One of my favorite novels, Pynchon's writing style is superb. Very good sense of humour too.

[Black roses]

I'd recommend Golding's Lord of the Flies. Superbly well-written and deeply disturbing. Also, Voltaire's Candid is nice, if you can find a decent, un-edited copy.

[ennison]

Pynchon is very good. Sometimes I feel that the modernists are exploring the wrong areas but Pynchon does have an exuberant vitality that has to be recognised.