What books do you love?
Okay, here's your chance to tell me your all-time favorite book. Several people, most recently I believe, Yaya, have asked me for reading suggestions, and so I'd like to ask for yours. If you put the name of your favorite book(s) in the comment section I shall add it to the list here. Please do put a very short description of the content if you wish, or at least say if it is fiction or non-fiction. Don't put down more than three at a time or I won't be able to copy them all. Let's make Yaya a happy reader, shall we? Thanks, everyone.
I'll start with a few of mine:
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett (a novel about a group of kidnapped opera lovers and an opera singer, as well as their kidnappers; incredible writing)
The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R King (the whole series read in the proper order is terrific, about a fifteen year old girl who becomes apprenticed to Sherlock Holmes)
The Giver by Lois Lowry (an award-winning young adult novel about a young boy in a town where sameness rules and there are no colors...who learns truly to see)
Uncle Tungsten + The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat + any other book by Oliver Sacks. (Uncle T is a memoir of Sacks' growing up under the spell of chemistry but he is a neurologist and most of his books deal with the more peculiar cases he has treated...which are fascinating and real).
Cynthia adds these to the list:
Enormous Changes at the Last Minute (short stories) by Grace Paley
An American Childhood (autobiography) by Annie Dillard
Pilgrim at Tinker Creek (essays) by Annie Dillard;
American Primitive, poems by Mary Oliver
Debbie votes for George Orwell's essays, esp "Such, such were the joys," his memoir of boarding school.
Donna recommends Irvin Yalom's books about his practice as a psychotherapist.
Also:
Polar Star by Martin Cruz Smith (fiction)
The Screwtape Letters by CS Lewis
Yaya writes: my favorite books to read for pleasure are mysteries. I like P.D. James and absolutely love Ruth Rendell’s crime and psychological thrillers. In my humble opinion I think Ruth Rendell’s mystery books are a cut above all other mystery writers. I find her writing very elegant and her plots original. She also writes under the name Barbara Vine. It’s been a long time since I’ve read any of her books but I noticed she has in the last 3 years written 4 new novels ---- “Thirteen Steps Down” http://tinyurl.com/obawq, “The Water Lovely”, http://tinyurl.com/ggced, “End in Tears” (Inspector Wexford series) http://tinyurl.com/hao4g, and under Barbara Vine, "Minotaur" http://tinyurl.com/zhs35
(Yaya, I adore mysteries myself and think some do reach the level of literature. But who cares if not? Have you tried Barbara Pym, a British author? There is one, I forget the name, with a vacuum cleaner called the Abhorrence (because nature abhors a vacuum!) that was delightful. Although they are less classical mysteries, I also adore Carl Hiassen's books, any one of his, which are both hysterical and yet quite serious in content, always raising ecological or ethical issues that make one think.)
ET adds quite a few. She asked me to choose one of each category, but of course I could not possibly, so I am including all ten, five for pleasure reading and five classics.
PLEASURE
1.Rebecca - Daphne duMaurier
2.We Have Always Lived in the Castle
(Shirley Jackson)
3.To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
4.The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
5.One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
(Ken Kesey)
MORE CLASSIC
1.The Grapes of Wrath-John Steinbeck
2.Heart of Darkness-Joseph Conrad
3.As I Lay Dying-William Faulkner
4.Nine Stories-J.D. Salinger
5.Tess of the D'Urbervilles- Thomas Hardy (I added this author, hope I'm correct...PW)
Barbara's $200 (better'n 2¢) worth goes for: Narcissus and Goldmund by Hermann Hesse
Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke
And Kate gives us some books about writing poetry plus:
A POETRY HANDBOOK: A Prose Guide to Understanding and Writing Poetry by Mary Oliver (1994)
THE PRACTICE OF POETRY: Writing Exercises from Poets Who Teach, Edited by Robin Behn and Chase Twichell (1992)
THE POET'S COMPANION: A Guide To The Pleasures Of Writing Poetry by Kim Addonizio and Dorianne Laux (1997)
Two relatively recent books I've read that I enjoyed a lot:
THE YEAR OF MAGICAL THINKING by Joan Didion (2005) . It's about how she tried to cope with the sudden death of her husband. I think Joan Didion is an excellent writer and I'm in the process of reading her work. She's very honest and yet has the objectivity of a good journalist.
THE NAMESAKE by Jhumpa Lahiri (2003). She won the Pulitzer Prize for her previously book INTERPRETER OF MALADIES (short stories) which I also recommend. She's an Indian American and explores in her stories and novel what it's like to be Indian in India as well as what it's like to grow up in America. She's young but very talented.
Posted by pamwagg at September 10, 2006 04:33 PM
I'm so impressed with your writing abilities. I have just started my own blog about my life and dealing with my Bipolar diagnosis and I loved your suggestions for better writing. Trust me I need them as you can see. I'll try and put them to good use. I know we have different diagnosis but I can relate so well with your struggles. I am truely in awe of your talent as a writer and a poet. I have already ordered your book and can't wait to get it so I can dive right in. You have reached out and touched my heart and for that I thank you. I wanted to add 3 books to your list...
I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb (a story about twins that end up with one having schizophrenia and the other "normal")
The Stand and Needful Things by Stephen King
Your fan,
Lenatha
Posted by: Lenatha at April 7, 2007 11:01 PM
Thank you Cynthia. No, I'm afraid I'm not an excellent writer, but I do aspire to become a good writer. I know this takes time, this takes showing up and plodding through when I lose the inspiration. I think Woody Allen once said something to the effect of "90% of success is just showing up." That's what I have to commit to, the discipline of daily writing.
Yes, I agree humans are subjective, but I think writers have that uncanny ability to put themselves in other people's shoes and expand on what they find there. More than sympathy, they have empathy for others and/or their characters. I know it's still subjective, but it's a much broader subjectivity, one that includes more people, more life. And so I aspire to this objective/subjective state that I feel successful writers exude in their writing.
I think you're perspective on autobiographical writing is interesting. How true is the truth in the hands of a story teller even when the story is about the teller? The writer molds and edits and transforms the first stirrings of the story. But in all this activity there is a mixture of truth, half truths and even lies(!)that go into making the book. But, I think ultimately the desire of an autobiographer is to get at the gist of her/his life. It's a creation, yes, but the truth can shine through to even higher truths, truths about the human condition.
Kate :)
Posted by: Kate K. at September 13, 2006 04:22 PM
Kate, I recently read The Year of Magical Thinking and really appreciated it.
Maybe being subjective isn't such a bad thing--as humans, we view and experience everything subjectively. I guess that this is the situation I was referring to when I said that, in being autobiographical, we can tell the truth and at the same time lie. In describing a situation or event we are bound to channel our telling so that it takes a certain course, but many other courses--more divergent or less so, but of near-equal integrity regardless--might have been taken in its stead.
Perhaps you are too hard on yourself--I suspect from your comments that you are an excellent writer.
Posted by: Cynthia at September 12, 2006 07:57 PM
Dear Pam,
You've been on a roll this week, writing a blog nearly every day. I envy you your near manic ability to write and write well. I hope you share with us more favorite poems along with your analysis of them.
I'm a wannabe writer. I've written in a journal since I was twelve. I've written a couple of stories and some poems, plus essays for school, but haven't yet been able to break out of myself. I tell much more than I show. What is that sliver of anxiety I get when I want to claim a memory or describe an experience? The voices highlight the critical self-talk and try to amplify it. I get distracted. I start and stop in a loop. Because I'm a journal writer my perspective is quite subjective and this is a problem. I think I need to objectify myself or take on different points of view to challenge my perspective of myself. I've decided to keep trying to write more each day and your primer is excellent advice for all of us. Thanks.
Three books for poets:
A POETRY HANDBOOK: A Prose Guide to Understanding and Writing Poetry by Mary Oliver (1994)
THE PRACTICE OF POETRY: Writing Exercises from Poets Who Teach, Edited by Robin Behn and Chase Twichell (1992)
THE POET'S COMPANION: A Guide To The Pleasures Of Writing Poetry by Kim Addonizio and Dorianne Laux (1997)
Two relatively recent books I've read that I enjoyed a lot:
THE YEAR OF MAGICAL THINKING by Joan Didion (2005) . It's about how she tried to cope with the sudden death of her husband. I think Joan Didion is an excellent writer and I'm in the process of reading her work. She's very honest and yet has the objectivity of a good journalist.
THE NAMESAKE by Jhumpa Lahiri (2003). She won the Pulitzer Prize for her previously book INTERPRETER OF MALADIES (short stories) which I also recommend. She's an Indian American and explores in her stories and novel what it's like to be Indian in India as well as what it's like to grow up in America. She's young but very talented.
That's all I can think of right now...
Stay well,
Kate :)
Posted by: Kate K. at September 12, 2006 02:03 PM
Narcissus and Goldmund by Hermann Hesse
Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke
Posted by: Barbara at September 11, 2006 11:12 PM
Oh please ET, can you recommend just one book for our education. We are never too old to excercise our brains and I for one would deeply appreciate your years of knowledge. I do love reading for pleasure but this brain of mine could use a little more excercise.
Yaya
Posted by: yaya at September 11, 2006 07:43 PM
Dear Pam,
I shall have to plead the Fifth on this one. I could not possibly whittle my list down to a manageable number, and the books that I consider "Must Reads" may not be the least appropriate for someone who wants simply to curl up in a favorite spot with a wonderfully captivating novel. I am not selling your readers short. It is quite obvious to me that in all probability many of your readers would certainly already have read many of my choices. I just choose to pass on this one.
I would like to thank Cynthia and Yaya for their kind words concerning my ETism. Although I usually tend to be a bit self depreciatory, I do think they would have indeed enjoyed being my students. From start to finish I have always defined my relationship with my students as a "mutual love affair". I was the happiest ET one would ever chance to meet. One of my students once asked me,"Have you ever considered becoming a professional storyteller?"
"Why, yes," I responded with a gentle smile. "That's what I'm doing right now."
Warmly, Paula, the Post ET
Posted by: Paula Kirkpatrick at September 11, 2006 06:15 PM
Hi Pam,
I’m not sure if my choices are appropriate since it’s not considered literature, but my favorite books to read for pleasure are mysteries. I like P.D. James and absolutely love Ruth Rendell’s crime and psychological thrillers. In my humble opinion I think Ruth Rendell’s mystery books are a cut above all other mystery writers. I find her writing very elegant and her plots original. She also writes under the name Barbara Vine. It’s been a long time since I’ve read any of her books but I noticed she has in the last 3 years written 4 new novels ---- “Thirteen Steps Down” http://tinyurl.com/obawq, “The Water Lovely”, http://tinyurl.com/ggced, “End in Tears” (Inspector Wexford series) http://tinyurl.com/hao4g, and under Barbara Vine, "Minotaur" http://tinyurl.com/zhs35
Yaya
Posted by: yaya at September 11, 2006 02:25 PM
I have enjoyed the books by Irvin Yalom about his practice as a psychotherapist.
Polar Star by Martin Cruz Smith, fiction
The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
Posted by: Donna at September 11, 2006 09:06 AM
George Orwell's essays struck me like lightning when I was in my early teens, especially "Such, such were the joys," his memoir of boarding school. I still return to them and recommend them to everyone.
Posted by: Debbie at September 11, 2006 08:53 AM
Thanks Pam & Cynthia.
Yaya
Posted by: yaya99 at September 11, 2006 06:40 AM
Oh--there are so many wonderful books! I haven't got an absolute favorite, but here are some I love: Enormous Changes at the Last Minute (short stories by Grace Paley); An American Childhood (autobiography) and Pilgrim at Tinker Creek (essays) by Annie Dillard; and--sorry, I MUST add it, but you don't need to copy it--American Primitive, poems by Mary Oliver. Now I'll quit. The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat is great!
Posted by: Cynthia at September 10, 2006 06:48 PM
Early
Schizophrenia Screening Test
I'm so impressed with your writing abilities. I have just started my own blog about my life and dealing with my Bipolar diagnosis and I loved your suggestions for better writing. Trust me I need them as you can see. I'll try and put them to good use. I know we have different diagnosis but I can relate so well with your struggles. I am truely in awe of your talent as a writer and a poet. I have already ordered your book and can't wait to get it so I can dive right in. You have reached out and touched my heart and for that I thank you. I wanted to add 3 books to your list...
I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb (a story about twins that end up with one having schizophrenia and the other "normal")
The Stand and Needful Things by Stephen King
Your fan,
Lenatha
Posted by: Lenatha at April 7, 2007 11:01 PM
Thank you Cynthia. No, I'm afraid I'm not an excellent writer, but I do aspire to become a good writer. I know this takes time, this takes showing up and plodding through when I lose the inspiration. I think Woody Allen once said something to the effect of "90% of success is just showing up." That's what I have to commit to, the discipline of daily writing.
Yes, I agree humans are subjective, but I think writers have that uncanny ability to put themselves in other people's shoes and expand on what they find there. More than sympathy, they have empathy for others and/or their characters. I know it's still subjective, but it's a much broader subjectivity, one that includes more people, more life. And so I aspire to this objective/subjective state that I feel successful writers exude in their writing.
I think you're perspective on autobiographical writing is interesting. How true is the truth in the hands of a story teller even when the story is about the teller? The writer molds and edits and transforms the first stirrings of the story. But in all this activity there is a mixture of truth, half truths and even lies(!)that go into making the book. But, I think ultimately the desire of an autobiographer is to get at the gist of her/his life. It's a creation, yes, but the truth can shine through to even higher truths, truths about the human condition.
Kate :)
Posted by: Kate K. at September 13, 2006 04:22 PM
Kate, I recently read The Year of Magical Thinking and really appreciated it.
Maybe being subjective isn't such a bad thing--as humans, we view and experience everything subjectively. I guess that this is the situation I was referring to when I said that, in being autobiographical, we can tell the truth and at the same time lie. In describing a situation or event we are bound to channel our telling so that it takes a certain course, but many other courses--more divergent or less so, but of near-equal integrity regardless--might have been taken in its stead.
Perhaps you are too hard on yourself--I suspect from your comments that you are an excellent writer.
Posted by: Cynthia at September 12, 2006 07:57 PM
Dear Pam,
You've been on a roll this week, writing a blog nearly every day. I envy you your near manic ability to write and write well. I hope you share with us more favorite poems along with your analysis of them.
I'm a wannabe writer. I've written in a journal since I was twelve. I've written a couple of stories and some poems, plus essays for school, but haven't yet been able to break out of myself. I tell much more than I show. What is that sliver of anxiety I get when I want to claim a memory or describe an experience? The voices highlight the critical self-talk and try to amplify it. I get distracted. I start and stop in a loop. Because I'm a journal writer my perspective is quite subjective and this is a problem. I think I need to objectify myself or take on different points of view to challenge my perspective of myself. I've decided to keep trying to write more each day and your primer is excellent advice for all of us. Thanks.
Three books for poets:
A POETRY HANDBOOK: A Prose Guide to Understanding and Writing Poetry by Mary Oliver (1994)
THE PRACTICE OF POETRY: Writing Exercises from Poets Who Teach, Edited by Robin Behn and Chase Twichell (1992)
THE POET'S COMPANION: A Guide To The Pleasures Of Writing Poetry by Kim Addonizio and Dorianne Laux (1997)
Two relatively recent books I've read that I enjoyed a lot:
THE YEAR OF MAGICAL THINKING by Joan Didion (2005) . It's about how she tried to cope with the sudden death of her husband. I think Joan Didion is an excellent writer and I'm in the process of reading her work. She's very honest and yet has the objectivity of a good journalist.
THE NAMESAKE by Jhumpa Lahiri (2003). She won the Pulitzer Prize for her previously book INTERPRETER OF MALADIES (short stories) which I also recommend. She's an Indian American and explores in her stories and novel what it's like to be Indian in India as well as what it's like to grow up in America. She's young but very talented.
That's all I can think of right now...
Stay well,
Kate :)
Posted by: Kate K. at September 12, 2006 02:03 PM
Narcissus and Goldmund by Hermann Hesse
Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke
Posted by: Barbara at September 11, 2006 11:12 PM
Oh please ET, can you recommend just one book for our education. We are never too old to excercise our brains and I for one would deeply appreciate your years of knowledge. I do love reading for pleasure but this brain of mine could use a little more excercise.
Yaya
Posted by: yaya at September 11, 2006 07:43 PM
Dear Pam,
I shall have to plead the Fifth on this one. I could not possibly whittle my list down to a manageable number, and the books that I consider "Must Reads" may not be the least appropriate for someone who wants simply to curl up in a favorite spot with a wonderfully captivating novel. I am not selling your readers short. It is quite obvious to me that in all probability many of your readers would certainly already have read many of my choices. I just choose to pass on this one.
I would like to thank Cynthia and Yaya for their kind words concerning my ETism. Although I usually tend to be a bit self depreciatory, I do think they would have indeed enjoyed being my students. From start to finish I have always defined my relationship with my students as a "mutual love affair". I was the happiest ET one would ever chance to meet. One of my students once asked me,"Have you ever considered becoming a professional storyteller?"
"Why, yes," I responded with a gentle smile. "That's what I'm doing right now."
Warmly, Paula, the Post ET
Posted by: Paula Kirkpatrick at September 11, 2006 06:15 PM
Hi Pam,
I’m not sure if my choices are appropriate since it’s not considered literature, but my favorite books to read for pleasure are mysteries. I like P.D. James and absolutely love Ruth Rendell’s crime and psychological thrillers. In my humble opinion I think Ruth Rendell’s mystery books are a cut above all other mystery writers. I find her writing very elegant and her plots original. She also writes under the name Barbara Vine. It’s been a long time since I’ve read any of her books but I noticed she has in the last 3 years written 4 new novels ---- “Thirteen Steps Down” http://tinyurl.com/obawq, “The Water Lovely”, http://tinyurl.com/ggced, “End in Tears” (Inspector Wexford series) http://tinyurl.com/hao4g, and under Barbara Vine, "Minotaur" http://tinyurl.com/zhs35
Yaya
Posted by: yaya at September 11, 2006 02:25 PM
I have enjoyed the books by Irvin Yalom about his practice as a psychotherapist.
Polar Star by Martin Cruz Smith, fiction
The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
Posted by: Donna at September 11, 2006 09:06 AM
George Orwell's essays struck me like lightning when I was in my early teens, especially "Such, such were the joys," his memoir of boarding school. I still return to them and recommend them to everyone.
Posted by: Debbie at September 11, 2006 08:53 AM
Thanks Pam & Cynthia.
Yaya
Posted by: yaya99 at September 11, 2006 06:40 AM
Oh--there are so many wonderful books! I haven't got an absolute favorite, but here are some I love: Enormous Changes at the Last Minute (short stories by Grace Paley); An American Childhood (autobiography) and Pilgrim at Tinker Creek (essays) by Annie Dillard; and--sorry, I MUST add it, but you don't need to copy it--American Primitive, poems by Mary Oliver. Now I'll quit. The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat is great!
Posted by: Cynthia at September 10, 2006 06:48 PM