Recently, I’ve been asked by a couple of different people for some book recommendations. Since it’s hard to recommend books to people without knowing their particular reading style, I’ve tried to come up with a system that communicates how much intensity and energy is required from a particular book. All of the books recommended below are currently in my “Top 30 Books of All Time.” So, in my opinion, they are all worth the read.
Book Recommendation System:
(75) – Swift read: shorter books, easier vocabulary
(55) – Middling read: average intensity in length, themes, and vocabulary
(35) – Epic read: dense prose, difficult thematic elements
SOME RECOMMENDATIONS . . . FOR STARTERS
- 84, Charing Cross Road, by Helene Hanff
- (75) * * * * *
- Real letters sent by an American writer to a British bookstore clerk
- Bel Canto, by Ann Patchett
- (55) * * * * *
- Amazing book about the Stockholm Syndrome
- Some people prefer to ignore the last chapter
- Some sexual scenes, but not overly explicit
- East of Eden, by John Steinbeck
- (35) * * * * *
- My favorite Steinbeck so far
- Interesting biblical themes re: Cain and Abel
- In the Skin of a Lion, by Michael Ondaatje
- (35) * * * * *
- Beautifully and densely written book that made me feel what it was like to live in early-20th Century America
- Some of the same characters appear in The English Patient
- Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte
- (55) * * * * *
- Romantic and gothic
- WAY better than Wuthering Heights
- Marley & Me, by John Grogan
- (75) * * * * *
- Puppies!
- Made me laugh out loud and shed real tears
- Old School, by Tobias Wolff
- (55) * * * * *
- Boys at a boarding school are visited by famous writers
- Peace Like a River, by Leif Enger
- (35) * * * * *
- Haunting story of two kids surviving in Minnesota
- Pride & Prejudice, by Jane Austen
- (55) * * * * *
- My favorite book of all time
- Romance and social commentary
- The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak
- (55) * * * * *
- My favorite recent read
- Narrated by Death
- Takes place in Nazi Germany
- The Power and the Glory, by Graham Greene
- (35) * * * * *
- Landscape book about a Catholic priest in Mexico
Related posts:
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
Good system!