What to read next?

[Bardu]

Dostoevsky is my favorite author I've found. I've read Brother's Karamazov, Crime and Punishment, The Idiot and Notes from Underground. I've also read Gogol, Homer, Sophocles, Aeschylus, Kafka, Marx, and others I was assigned in school and college. I also read chess literature.

I have a stack that I would like to read in the near future: The Bible, Don Quixote, War and Peace, Lolita, and Brave New World.

I'd prefer something that does not concentrate on romance, social intrigue or adulterous women at this point as I got out of a serious relationship not too long ago! Any suggestions welcome...

[Nate]

Dostoevsky is my favorite author I've found. I've read Brother's Karamazov, Crime and Punishment, The Idiot and Notes from Underground. I've also read Gogol, Homer, Sophocles, Aeschylus, Kafka, Marx, and others I was assigned in school and college. I also read chess literature.

I have a stack that I would like to read in the near future: The Bible, Don Quixote, War and Peace, Lolita, and Brave New World.

I'd prefer something that does not concentrate on romance, social intrigue or adulterous women at this point as I got out of a serious relationship not too long ago! Any suggestions welcome...

i've read your stack except for don quixote. ordered from favorite to least favorite:

1. lolita: i'm a big fan of nabokov and think this is his best work of fiction. since you're interested in russian lit, i'd suggest getting a copy of his lectures on russian literature, although you might not enjoy his less than flattering opinion of dostoevsky

2. war and peace: good book, but not nearly as good as anna karenina. you did say you don't want anything about adulterous women, though

3. the bible: reading the bible cover-to-cover is an unrealistic goal since there are so many unreadable passages (extensive genealogies, passages that present very specific and archaic laws... the first 10 or so chapters of leviticus explain the proper way for a priest to slaughter an animal, for example), but if you know where to look you'll really enjoy yourself. you might even want to look into taking a bible as lit class at the local cc

4. brave new world: i read this in school and consider it a waste of time. don't bother

[Calidore]

War and Peace is all romance and social intrigue, with a couple of adulterous women thrown in for good measure, so that's out. I think the Bible has all three as well, though they're not as much of the main plot. I'm not alone in having found Don Quixote tedious--it's very repetitive and overly broad-humored--but we are in the minority, and that's a good opposite for Dostoevsky if you want some balance. I've never read Brave New World and have no real interest in Lolita.

[Bardu]

Thanks for the replies!

I've made it about 15 pages into Lolita, and I really like the style. It is a love story (humorous) and I don't know if I can handle it right now.

War and Peace, yeah I started that one and had to put that down for the reasons listed above as well.

Don Quixote, I made it a hundred or so pages in a couple years ago while on vacation, basically to the windmill part, and I then when I returned life interfered and its been sitting on my shelf ever since. I did find it comical, but I connect more with more modern works these days.

I've also thought about reading James Joyce (Ulysses?). I'm not really looking for something postmodern that will have my head spinning, but I appreciate the realism, psychology, and philosophy of Dostoevsky.

[Nate]

reading ulysses has been one of the highlights of my life. it's easily my favorite book and probably my favorite work of art. there is a theme of adultery, though

[Gregory Samsa]

"Perfume: The Story of a Murderer" is a one of my favourites with a beautiful imagery, original plot and mild horror. This book had me up late at night anxious to read more about the obsessiveness of this character - Jean-Baptiste Grenouille. The author's style of writing is matter-of-fact, straight to the point, not a lot of emotionalism, almost as if he was writing from experience, from a murderer's mind. On the flip side he was very descriptive in detailing the obsession of this murderer and his pursuit to create the 'ultimate perfume' from the unsuspecting victims. You will find yourself experiencing the smells and sounds Suskind creates, and thinking of this novel long after putting it down.

If you like Russian literature I would also like to recommend Master and Magarita by Bulgakow. Dark and funny. A little bit like a mixture between Kafka and Dostoevsky.

[Bardu]

Thanks for the recommendations. :)

I have read Bulgakov, it was very good. The only Kafka I've read is the Metamorphosis.

[Scheherazade]

Some random suggestions:

Three Men in a Boat

Cannery Row

Winter of Our Discontent

Life of Pi

The White Tiger

The Jungle

[Nate]

i love cannery rot too. even go the chance to visit it during a trip of monterey