I need books!

[MissLadyLoki]

As you all probably know by now, I'm a major-league reading nerd, but as of right now, I basically have nothing to read. I stopped reading chick-lit cause I got tired of the same stories of the perfect girl and the perfect guy getting together in the end (hell, it's the same reason why I stopped watching romantic comedies) and I basically stopped reading Chuck Palahniuk, a favorite author of mine (he's always been strange, but his last 3 or 4 books, he went off the deep end, and his last on to come out in paperback, Pygmy, was written in such an unreadable broken English that I had to stop in the middle).

Anyways, I'm looking for any books at all. Realize that I do love classics, I'm not one for Stephen King or James Patterson, and right now, I'm looking for something along the lines of a suspense or thriller-type book, but any good modern fiction will do.

[Kayli]

I could not finish "Pygmy" either! I'm glad to find another reader that had trouble with it. The English was too broken, and even though it makes perfect sense for the premise, it did not work for me and I had to stop like you.

I recommend Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child's thriller, "Relic". John Grisham's "The Client". Bentley Little's "The Resort". Well that's what I've got at the top of my head

[Peestie]

Have you ever read 'Blindness' by Jose Saramago? It's a really good one. It's a bit bleak but thoroughly enjoyable.

[Silver Springs]

I'd recommend a book but I have a certain fondness for the classics. I'm attempting to tackle the entire works of Shakespeare (bought in one super-book) so I must be a glutton for punishment. Have you ever read Primo Levi's "If This Is A Man". It's an account of his time at a Nazi concentration camp. It's an incredibly touching, "real" book that I simply adore.

[MissLadyLoki]

Originally Posted by Peestie

Have you ever read 'Blindness' by Jose Saramago? It's a really good one. It's a bit bleak but thoroughly enjoyable.

Never heard of it, but I'll do a little research.

Originally Posted by Kayli

I could not finish "Pygmy" either! I'm glad to find another reader that had trouble with it. The English was too broken, and even though it makes perfect sense for the premise, it did not work for me and I had to stop like you.

I recommend Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child's thriller, "Relic". John Grisham's "The Client". Bentley Little's "The Resort". Well that's what I've got at the top of my head

My mom used to read John Grisham, but she found him too boring after a while. The Preston/Child book sounds like it might be good.

As for Chuck Palahniuk, I still love Fight Cub and Choke, but is Tell-All any good?

Originally Posted by Silver Springs

I'd recommend a book but I have a certain fondness for the classics. I'm attempting to tackle the entire works of Shakespeare (bought in one super-book) so I must be a glutton for punishment. Have you ever read Primo Levi's "If This Is A Man". It's an account of his time at a Nazi concentration camp. It's an incredibly touching, "real" book that I simply adore.

I have read Elie Weisel's Night (fantastic book BTW), but I'll give that one a spin. Yeah, I dig the classics too, but got anything good for me to check out? I refuse to read Jane Austen since she is essentially old-school chick lit.

[CreepingDeath]

Tess Gerritsen.

I'm not sure if you like medical thrillers, but if so her's are by far the best I've read. Way better than Michael Palmer or Robin Cook. If you want a series start with The Surgeon. If not go with Harvest.

[LikeAWillow]

Originally Posted by Silver Springs

I'd recommend a book but I have a certain fondness for the classics. I'm attempting to tackle the entire works of Shakespeare (bought in one super-book) so I must be a glutton for punishment. Have you ever read Primo Levi's "If This Is A Man". It's an account of his time at a Nazi concentration camp. It's an incredibly touching, "real" book that I simply adore.

I SECOND THIS. Favorite Holocaust memoir.

As far as new literature goes, I really recommend Old School by Tobias Wolff. If you're familiar with classics, you'll appreciate the names and characters that he drops throughout.

[LukeA]

Non-Fiction need not apply?

[Ghost_Tracker]

Originally Posted by Peestie

Have you ever read 'Blindness' by Jose Saramago? It's a really good one. It's a bit bleak but thoroughly enjoyable.

I totally agree; he won the Nobel Prize for this. I haven't quite gotten around to reading it yet but from what I've seen it looks really good. I saw most of the movie
and also thought it was really worthwhile checking it out.


The two that came to my mind when I saw the question were "Jane Eyre" - I HIGHLY recommend that one - and Bleak House by Charles Dickens, although that's kind of long. If you want something that's kind of "racy" but unique, and still considered "quality literature," then I'd suggest "The World About Us" by Claude Simon - another Nobel Prize-winner.

For non-fiction, I'd suggest "The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin."

[Peestie]

Originally Posted by Ghost_Tracker

I totally agree; he won the Nobel Prize for this. I haven't quite gotten around to reading it yet but from what I've seen it looks really good. I saw most of the movie
and also thought it was really worthwhile checking it out.

The movie follows the plot fairly well but doesn't manage to convey the emotions and themes of the book that effectively. If you liked the movie you'll be bound to like the book. That is, as long as you can get into the strange writing style where mostly the only punctuation is commas and the occasional full stop/period. Some paragraphs go on for page after page!

[MissLadyLoki]

Originally Posted by Peestie

The movie follows the plot fairly well but doesn't manage to convey the emotions and themes of the book that effectively. If you liked the movie you'll be bound to like the book. That is, as long as you can get into the strange writing style where mostly the only punctuation is commas and the occasional full stop/period. Some paragraphs go on for page after page!

I never saw the movie, but lack of proper punctuation is giving me Cormac McCarthy vibes (while his lack of proper punctuation annoyed me, it was his style of barely explaining anything that went on and using atrocious diologue made me stop reading The Road), but he isn't for everyone.

[Kena]

The Chelsea Handler books are really funny if you dig her type of humor. They are short stories so they are a pretty quick read and good bathroom material.

If you read a lot of chick lit, you have probably read or heard of a few books that I enjoyed which are "She's Come Undone" by Wally Lamb and "Love Invents Us" by Amy Bloom. I also enjoyed Elizabeth Wurtzel's "Prozac Nation." I'm thinking those are pretty standard chic lit.

I also really enjoyed Frank McCourt's "Angela's Ashes" and his follow up books that I can't remember the names of right now. His brother Malacay McCourt also wrote an autobiography which is very interesting because although he and Frank grew up together their tales of the same events vary. Also, Frank grows up to have more of a shame based personality due to adversities of his childhood, Malacay basically said my childhood sucks and being poor sucks and not being anyone that matters sucks and I'm going to make more of myself. Franks book are better than Malacay's though.

I love biographys because...welll, I guess cause I'm nosey.