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In this article, we will share the top 25 books to read before you die, here most of them have forgotten to read those books. What is the significance of this kind of reading?"
We will read a lot of books in our life. Most of the
contents of the book will be forgotten, and even the plot and plot development may
be forgotten. But if you read a good book, it will always leave you some trace.
I can hardly remember the names of the characters in Les
Miserables, except for the protagonist Jean Valjean, but I have learned three
truths through this book.
- It is an irresistible natural law that human beings should make mistakes.
- It is an inevitable result of the human conscience to know mistakes and correct them.
- Holding on to it is a latent evil in human nature.
Isn't it enough to remember three truths in a book?
In “Red and Black”, Julien is suffering from hardship in the
lower class. She yearns for the life of the high class and does not hesitate to
sell her spirit and soul. This reflects the form of social strata at that time,
which is of great practical significance to us.
"Reading makes me have a rich life even if I don't have
a rich life. I am poor and simple to this day, ordinary and kind to this day, and small and strong to this day. Even if I get married in the future, wisdom and
kindness in this life are my dowries. I've never been in a prosperous place, I
haven't heard the noise, I haven't seen too many creatures, I haven't had a hot
heart, but books have given me all the wisdom and emotion."
Where the footstep cannot be measured, words can; where eyes
cannot reach, words can.
Related Topics:
Top 25 Books to Read Before You Die 2021 - Best Life-Changing Book
1. Pride and Prejudice
Author: Jane Austen
Pride and Prejudice is a novel about love and marriage. It
is also a masterpiece of Jane Austen. The novel revolves around the theme of
how Mrs. Bennet married her five daughters.
Based on the love entanglement
between the hero and heroine Darcy and Elizabeth due to pride and prejudice,
four marriages are written about: Elizabeth and Darcy, Jane and Bentley, Lydia and
Wickham, Charlotte, and Collins. Darcy is proud and arrogant; Elizabeth is
clever and willful and stands for prejudice. Finally, true love finally breaks
this pride and prejudice, and the novel ends in the wedding ceremony.
In this novel, Austen vividly reflects the local customs and social customs of England
at the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century and gives
people artistic imagination. It is a good comedy of social customs.
Promising review:
After reading the first few chapters (The chapters are very short) of Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" I wondered how anyone could be interested in such pompous, egotistical, aloof, and self-serving characters?
After reading on I said, "Wow! How could I be so interested in such characters?"
Getting toward the middle of the book, I was hoping that it would never end.
By the end of the book, I fully realized what a magnificent piece of writing I had just read.—Read More—Joseph Sciuto
2. 1984
Author: George Orwell
1984 is not only an outstanding political fable novel but
also a fantasy novel. The work depicts the living state of human beings in a totalitarian society. It is like a warning label that will never fade away to
warn the world that the expected darkness will come true.
After several
decades, its vitality has become more and more powerful, and it is known as one
of the most influential literary classics of the 20th century.
Promising review:
This is one of the first books I have read more than once. I first read "1984" in 1985 and now for the second time in 2018. The book has remained the same, but both the world and I have not.
I cannot begin to convey how genuinely frightening this book is. I am a lover of popular science fiction and am astounded by Orwell's ability to be more compelling, entertaining, and engrossing than authors with the benefit of lightsabers, phasers, and teleportation.—Read More—Truth Seeker
3. One hundred years of solitude
Author: Garcia Marquez, Colombia
A hundred years of solitude is a masterpiece of magic
realism literature. It describes the seven generations of the bundle family and
the rise and fall of Macondo, a small town on the Caribbean coast. It reflects
the changeable history of Latin America in the past century. The work
integrates mysterious factors such as myths and legends, folk stories,
Religious Allusions and so on.
It has become one of the most important classical literary
works of the 20th century. Garcia Marquez won the Nobel Prize for literature in
1982, which established her status as a world-class literary master, largely
because of the great influence of "a hundred years of solitude".
Promising review:
This is a stunning work, with a translation that is worthy of the author. I was an English teacher and a colleague who had dual citizenship in Colombia and she read both versions of this work and couldn't decide between the two. I've only read the English translation, but even the translation puts it in the top tier of all the novels I've read. that's good news and bad news maybe.—Read More—William P. Xander
4. Letter to Garcia
Author: Albert Hubbard
This is a management book about dedication, loyalty, and
diligence.
After the outbreak of the Spanish American War, the United
States must immediately contact Garcia, the leader of the Cuban insurgency, and
obtain his cooperation. Garcia is in the mountains of Cuba - no one knows his
exact location, so he can't be reached.
Someone recommended to the president:
"There is a man named Rowan who has a way to find Garcia, and only he can
find it." They got Rowan and gave him a letter to Garcia. Three weeks
later, Rowan walked through a dangerous country and handed the letter to
Garcia. Rowan's story has also been well-known.
The concept of dedication, loyalty, and diligence advocated
in this book has influenced generation after generation. The book tells
people that what a person really needs is not only to learn the knowledge in
books but also to listen to other people's guidance. It needs a kind of
professionalism, trust from the superior, and take immediate action. Do it with
all your heart - it's like sending a letter to Garcia.
Promising review:
I argue that as a generation as a whole this is one quality we are lacking. We were raised with "why." however not as in "why" out of curiosity or amazement at the world, but "why do I need/have to do that?"—Read More—Maximus
5. A brief history of time
Author: Stephen Hawking
A brief history of time is a work about cosmology written by the great British physicist Stephen Hawking. It is a popular science model of
advanced theoretical physics popularization. Telling the story is to explore
the core secrets of time and space.
It is the most cutting-edge knowledge about
the nature of the universe, including our cosmic images, space, and time, the principle
of expanding universe uncertainty, basic particles and natural forces, black
holes, black holes that are not so black, and time arrows. Many of the
theoretical predictions in the first edition were later confirmed in
observations of the microscopic or macroscopic universe.
Promising review:
A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking is about modern physics for general readers. Its aim is not just listing some topics, but introducing modern physics by examining current scientific answers, although not complete, to fundamental questions like: Where did we come from? Why is the universe the way it is? Was there the beginning of time? Is there an ultimate theory that can explain everything? We don't have such a theory yet.—Read More—I am falling in love with my life
6. Les Miserables
Author: Hugo
This is another magnificent masterpiece created by Hugo, the
romantic leader of France in the 19th century, after "Notre Dame de
Paris". With outstanding artistic charm, the book shows a splendid picture
of modern social and political life in France from the French Revolution in
1793 to the Paris people's uprising in 1832. It reflects Hugo's extraordinary
talent in narration to the greatest extent. It is a combination of realism and
Romanticism in the history of world literature.
Fan. The novel reflects Hugo's humanistic thought,
which is full of Hugo's concern for the fate of human suffering and unswerving
belief in the future, which has a strong artistic appeal.
Promising review:
Who is responsible for this gorgeous design?? I can't tell you how gorgeous this book is in person. My father has a great love for all things Les Mis and when he saw my copy he fell in love. He begged me to give it to him but I love it too much! I just received a second copy that is his Christmas gift this year :) Les Mis is a beautiful book anyways, this cover gives it the artwork it deserves. I read the entire book with this copy. I loved the placement, feel, and look of every page. 5 stars aren't enough! This is a truly stunning copy of this beautiful literary work.—Read More—Alexis Poulsen
7. The old man and the sea
Author: Hemingway
This book tells the story of a fisherman. Santiago, an old
Cuban fisherman finally caught a large Marlin without catching fish for 84
consecutive days. However, the fish was so large that he dragged his boat on
the sea for three days, exhausted and was killed and tied to one side of the
boat.
On his way home, he was attacked by another shark. When he finally
returned to port, he was left with only his head, tail, and spine. In the old
Santiago sea days, his friends have been loyal to the sea waiting for his
return with confidence. This novel won the Pulitzer Prize in 1953 and the Nobel prize for literature in 1954. Hemingway laid a prominent position in world
literature.
Promising review:
This was one of about 3 required readings l read back in high school without resorting to the cheater book, 'The Monarch Guide'. It is short enough to read in two nights even being the slow reader l am... As a high school kid, you can appreciate the 'learning from the old guy' thing going on with the boy' in the story... l have always thought about the many impressions l got when l read it the first time, and l decided that l should really read it again from the perspective of my older age.—Read More—KFinFL
8. Republic
Author: Plato
The Republic is an important dialogue record and a typical
comprehensive work of Plato. It involves many problems such as philosophy,
politics, ethics, education, psychology, society, family, religion, art, and so
on. The Republic is a must-read book in Western intellectual circles, which
is both ancient and modern.
If we want to understand contemporary western
social and political culture, we need to trace back to the source and
understand ancient Western political and cultural thoughts. The Republic is
a source of ancient Western political thought and is the first remaining
monograph reflecting ancient Western political thought.
Promising review:
I'm trying to alternate between fun audiobooks and ones that I feel I should read rather than having any desire to do so. Plato's Republic was in that second group. I honestly expected to hate it. But it's one of the fundamental classics. So on the list, it goes to listen to while I commute. And I loved it. It may have been that it was full-cast audio but it honestly did feel like being with a group. Maybe a quarter of the way in I realized what it reminded me of: when you are at a very mellow party in college and people start discussing things that are really "deep, man."—Read More—naruvoll
9. Grapes of Wrath
Author: Steinbeck
This book is the representative work of Steinbeck, a famous
American writer, and Nobel Prize winner. In the 1930s, during the economic panic
in the United States, a large number of farmers went bankrupt and fled from the
wilderness. The writer once followed the peasants from Oklahoma to California.
He
was shocked by what he saw along the way, "there are 5000 families about to
die of starvation. The problem is very acute..." With a profound and
realistic style, he shows the scene of American farmers struggling and
resisting on the line of life and death at that time. After the publication of
the novel, it caused panic in the ruling class in each state.
Many States
banned the publication of novels, and even a novel named "the grapes of
happiness" was published to show tit for tat. But nothing can shake the important position of the grapes of wrath in the history of modern American
literature.
Promising review:
Before I do my ‘review’ I have to say something re the movie vs the book** wow..they really cut the movie in half to accommodate the story! In HS ‘The Grapes of Wrath next to ‘Mice & Men’ were required readings. I’m surprised I wasn’t crying on a daily basis! I haven’t read the novel since 1978, but always watched the movie..besides a couple of characters that didn’t match the book there's the subject but no comparison...so if anyone has to do any required reading and ‘Grapes of Wrath is one..don’t watch the movie first 😁 One more thing Dylan Baker is now my favorite narrator! (I listened as well, thank God?) What a performance..he sounded like ‘Henry Fonda to the tee! Excellent narration!—Read More—Donna Smith McG
10. Death of a salesman
Author: Arthur Miller
The death of a salesman is the peak work of Miller's drama
creation. It won Pulitzer Prize and New York Drama Critics Award, which won him an international reputation. Willy Loman, a salesman, is asking for help because
of his old age.
He worked in the office but was dismissed by his boss.
Willy was so depressed that he blamed his two sons for not doing a good job.
The son rebuked him and ridiculed him as a poor street runner. The old salesman
had a lifelong dream, but now they are all disillusioned, and their self-esteem
is seriously bruised. He was like a dreamer with his late.
The big brother who made a fortune in Africa argued about
his hobby career. Finally, in order to get a life insurance premium for his
family, he drove out at night and crashed and died. The play reflects Miller's
tragic reality and life characteristics revealing the true meaning of The American dream and warning us that the pursuit of material wealth alone can not bring
freedom and enrichment of spirit; otherwise, the dream will become illusory and
will inevitably lead to destruction.
Promising review:
When Willy Loman says, “Work a lifetime to pay off a house. You finally own it, and there’s nobody to live in it.” he’s laying bare the hollowness of American capitalism. Work a job you don’t like, buy the stuff you don’t need, and end up “a hard-working drummer who landed in the ash can like all the rest of them!” Arthur Miller’s masterpiece Death of Salesman was first performed in 1949, but it feels vital to me today, as I grapple to redefine my definition of success in 2017 and beyond.—low-budget fun
11. The catcher in the Rye
Author: J.D. Salinger, USA
Holden, the protagonist of this book, is a middle school
student, born into a rich middle class of 16-year-old. After being expelled from
school for the fourth time, he did not dare to go home rashly. He spent a day
or two wanderings in the most prosperous New York City in the United States,
staying in Inn, visiting nightclubs, making friends with friends, and drinking
too much He saw all kinds of ugliness in capitalist society and contacted all
kinds of characters, most of them "fake" hypocrites.
Holden could hardly bear to see what happened around him. He
even wanted to escape from the real world and pretend to be a deaf and dumb man
in a remote country. However, it was impossible to do so. As a result, he
could only live in contradiction: he hated movies the most in his life, but he
had to spend time in the cinema in boredom; he hated sexual relations without love He hated his vain and vulgar girlfriend Sally, but he was infatuated with
her beauty and couldn't help cuddling with her.
Therefore, although he was not used to the world, he had to
be depressed and panicked, comfort himself with all kinds of unrealistic
fantasies, and deceive himself. Finally, he still had to compromise with the
real society, which could not be regarded as a real rebellion. This is the
tragedy of Salinger and Holden.
The author of this book dissects the complex psychology of
teenagers with keen insight, observes the spiritual essence through phenomena,
and vividly depicts all aspects of Holden's spiritual world, which not only
reveals his decadent and declining side affected by the environment, but also
writes his simple, sensitive, and kind-hearted side. To some extent, it really
reflects the characteristics of teenagers in the changing period of youth It
has aroused great repercussions among young people in western society, and many
adults regard it as the key to enlightening themselves to understand the younger
generation.
Promising review:
I read the end of The Catcher in the Rye the other day and found myself wanting to take Holden Caulfield by the collar and shake him really, really hard and shout at him to grow up. I suppose I've understood for some time now that The Catcher in the Rye -- a favorite of mine when I was sixteen -- was a favorite precisely because I was sixteen. At sixteen, I found Holden Caulfield's crisis profoundly moving; I admired his searing indictment of society, his acute understanding of human nature, and his extraordinary sensitivity (I mean, come on, he had a nervous breakdown for God's sake, he had to be sensitive). At sixteen, I wanted to marry Holden Caulfield.—Read More—Frank Nordman
12. The Analects
Author: Confucius
The Analects of Confucius is a collection of quotation-style
thought prose. As early as the late spring and Autumn period when Confucius set
up a forum to give lectures, its main content was initially created.
After
Confucius died, his braids and his disciples taught him his opinions from
generation to generation, and gradually recorded the quotations, words, and
deeds of these oral records, and finally compiled the theory into a book in the
early Warring States period, so it is called "Lun". The Analects of
Confucius mainly records the words and deeds of Confucius and his disciples, so
it is called "language".
Promising review:
Analects, in case you were wondering, are "selected passages from the writings of an author.” I mention this definition here because it seems that the only time we use the term “analects” is when we consider the writings of Confucius. Was there once a larger corpus of writings from Confucius, and is what we have today distilled from some larger body of work? If so, then I wish we had that entire larger body of philosophical work, the same way we have a good many books from classical Greek philosophers like Plato and Aristotle; but that being said, I certainly am glad that we have the Analects as a distillation of Confucius’ philosophy.—Read More—Paul Haspel
13. War and peace
Author: Leo Tolstoy
In war and peace, there are not only narratives of major
historical events in Russia and Western Europe, but also fictional stories; it
not only describes the fighting of gold, iron, and horse, sword light and
shadow, but also the comfortable and peaceful daily life; there are both
impassioned discussion on the world and delicate and graceful Lyric.
The author
has created a series of distinctive characters with superb artistic skills and
has written all kinds of human manners. Turgenev, a famous writer, called this
novel "a more direct and accurate understanding of the character and the temperament of the Russian people and the whole Russian life", and reading
it "is better than reading hundreds of works on Ethnology and
history".
Promising review:
All I can say is that this is quite the Epic. War and Peace is not a book that any attempt at speed reading will succeed. This is a book to read thoughtfully & there are many places to re-read until the light bulb goes off. This is a book to read when you have no distractions & can give it your complete focus...you just might miss something.
I will admit that there were times when I wished Tolstoy would just get to the point! He could say the same thing in many ways, but he was always trying to get the reader to consider all of the information contained.—Read More—Kindle Customer
14. The social contract
Author: Rousseau
On social contract is the most famous representative work of
Rousseau, a French Enlightenment thinker. His famous sentence "everyone is
born free, but everywhere in chains" inspired countless people with lofty
ideals to devote themselves to the cause of human liberation in pursuit of
democracy and freedom at all times and all over the world.
His idea of
"people's sovereignty" has deeply influenced the American Revolution
and its declaration of independence, and the French Revolution, and its declaration
of human rights. It is a classic work that contemporary youth can not but read.
Promising review:
The introduction was very descriptive and by itself worth the read. Rousseau's famous writing is a somewhat odd work that leaves many questions. The author's primary focus is submission to a "social contract" to legitimize political rule...if everyone gives up the same rights, everyone will feel free. He denounces luxury and property as immoral and states that subsistence living is the most moral life to lead. He describes the ideal society as being led by a "sovereign" (which seemed to imply a democratic sovereign, as in different varieties of majority rule) and a "government" (executive branch to enforce laws set by the sovereign).—Read More—Derek Zweig
15. Hamlet
By Shakespeare
Hamlet is the longest of all Shakespeare's plays. It is
Shakespeare's most famous play, which has profound tragic significance, complex
characters, and rich and perfect tragic artistic techniques, representing the highest achievement of the whole western Renaissance literature. Together with
Macbeth, King Lear, and Othello, Shakespeare's "four tragedies" are
formed.
This book is based on the ancient legend that the prince of
Denmark avenged his father. The king of Denmark died suddenly. The king's
younger brother inherited the throne and married his old sister-in-law.
Mret saw the ghost of his father in pain. The ghost told the
prince that he had been robbed of his life, the throne, and his wife by his
younger brother in his sleep, and ordered Hamlet to avenge him. So Hamlet began
the tortuous course of revenge
Promising review:
It should be noted that none of these reviews refers to the book pictured at the top of the page, the Arden revised edition of Hamlet. Some of the reviews refer to "Romeo and Juliet" and other Shakespeare plays; some complaint about the Kindle edition, and some review films. The Arden Hamlet has easily readable print, copious annotations, and informative background essays.—Barbara
16. The Great Gatsby
Author: F. Scott Fitzgerald
In the 1920s, the air was filled with an atmosphere of
singing and drinking. By chance, Nick, a poor employee, broke into Gatsby's
secret world. He was surprised to find that his only obstacle was the small
green light on the other side of the river, where his beloved Daisy lived.
However,
the cold reality can not hold the illusory dream. In the end, the goddess in
Gatsby's heart is just a material girl in the world. When all the truth is
revealed, Gatsby's tragic life is like fireworks, resplendent only for a
moment, disillusionment is eternal. In Fitzgerald's works, the elegy of the
"Jazz Age" is like a poem like a dream, leaving a strong ink mark in
the history of contemporary American literature.
At the end of the 20th century, the authority of American
academic circles selected one hundred best novels from the hundred years of
English literature. The Great Gatsby ranked second and ranked among the
Contemporary Classics.
Promising review:
The Great Gatsby is a recognized classic. Interestingly, the book did not sell very well during Fitzgerald’s lifetime, and when he died in 1940 he seemed to have regarded the book as a failure. When he died, scholars started to assess his work, and The Great Gatsby was recognized as an important work of literature. Besides its recognition, one must also think about its meaning for us in the present day.—Read More—Michael George
17. The little prince
Author: Saint Exupery
"The little prince" is a fairy tale written for
adults, the saddest story in the world, a fable about love and responsibility.
The novel tells the story of a pilot stranded in the African
desert due to a plane crash and encounters a little alien: the little prince is
a melancholy little man, he comes from a very small planet, where everything is
so small and small, the little prince is easy to be sad, his little life is
tender and kind Such a distressing little prince met the author in the Sahara
desert and they were intimate with each other bit by bit, so we cried with the little prince laughed with the little prince and became a child again with
the author, and found our lost innocence and moving.
Promising review:
I have read this book several times and in different ways. The first time was at the university and I read it with the understanding of the adult that always looks for something of consequence. The second time I read it was because one night I was looking at the stars and the Little Prince's laugh and bells touched my heart with both, sorrow and happiness. After that, I read it again because it means an endless world of possibilities for us who can see more than the expectations of society and culture. I take walks in the desert in my adoptive Utah, and I am always expecting to see the Little Prince coming. I want to ask him about his special rose and his sheep... we even could sit and enjoy together a sunset. More than a book... it is a guide into getting to know your inner self and become a better human being.—Lee
18. Meditation
Author: Marcus Aurelius
Meditation is written by the only ancient Roman philosopher
emperor Marco Aurelius. This 12-volume dialogue between himself and himself,
most of which was written by him in anmarauton, is a milestone of Stoic
philosophy.
"Meditation" comes from the author's feelings about the
body of the court and the chaotic world in which he lives. He pursues a calm
and optimistic life free from passion and desire. In the book, Marco ole
expounded on the relationship between soul and death and analyzed individual virtue,
personal liberation, and personal responsibility to society. He required that he
often introspect to achieve inner peace, abandon all useless and trivial
thoughts, and think with integrity. What's more, we should not only think about
good and aboveboard things but also put them into action.
Promising review:
A hard read, though it is only 93 pages (the Meditations themselves, excluding the introduction and notes). Do not, however, concern yourself with the stylistic choices of the translation, though at times it may be confusing or simply bland. You cannot blame the translator for translating the Meditations, and you cannot blame Marcus for writing his journal his way, without ever believing anyone else would read it, for that does not matter. I have no criticism, simply point out this book is not a light read.—Read More—Jose
19. Capital
Author: Marx
"Das Kapital" is a great scientific work that Marx
devoted his whole life to complete. It is the crystallization of his life-long
commitment to lofty beliefs and scientific research.
Promising review:
There is an enormous collection of valuable information in volume 1 of Marx's Capital. Volume 1, moreover, serves very effectively as the first of three volumes in which Marx gives truly compelling evidence of his genius -- how else could one author come to terms with this massive account of the reality of capitalist production as Marx uniquely understands it? While it soon becomes abundantly clear that Marx was a master prose stylist, there is no mistaking the fact that he did not write for the ease and convenience of his readers.—Read More—not a natural
20. Walden Lake
Author: Thoreau
Walden lake is a masterpiece of wisdom that makes people
calm and hopeful. When people gradually lose pastoral tranquility, it will
be read and missed by the whole world.
As the famous American critic IRA Brooke
said, "in the past 100 years, Walden lake has become a synonym of pure
paradise in American culture."
Promising review:
I first read "Walden" in a freshman seminar course in American Lit, and it was quite daunting reading at the time. Thoreau seemed an over-rated author: he darts from topic to topic with little to no transition, he quotes obscure passages, and he sermonizes. And perhaps most frustrating of all, he wants his writing to be ambiguous (see, for instance, Chapter 18), and for an assiduous college student eager to absorb and analyze, this can be quite an overwhelming experience. So, I got very little of Thoreau at the time. —Read More—Dutch
21. How to Read a Book
Author: Mortimer J. Adler, Charles van Doren
Under the cover of each book, there is a skeleton of its
own. As a reader of analysis and reading, the responsibility is to find out the
skeleton. When a book appears in front of you, the muscles cover the bones, and
the clothes wrap the muscles, which can be said to come in full clothes. The
reader doesn't have to uncover its coat or tear off its muscles to get at it.
The skeleton is under the soft skin, but you must use a pair of
X-ray perspectives to see this book because that is the basis for understanding
a book and mastering its skeleton.
Promising review:
I have always had a nagging feeling that I didn’t know how to read well. This book showed me that I was right. But it also showed me that I wasn’t expected to know how to read well (not with the kind of education most of us receive) and that I wasn’t alone in my ignorance. Reading well involves hard work and precise skills. This book provides the latter — the former is up to us.—Read More—Philosopher Combatant
22. 2666
by Roberto Bolano
This is an unforgettable novel, a novel that can be described in all words. The story takes block writing as the structure and expresses the author's anxiety and indignation about society and the fate of the whole of mankind from a panoramic perspective.
It is divided into five parts. The five parts are connected by a key character, Reinbold, who officially appears in the fifth part. The first "literary critic" tells the story of the same German writer, Reinbold, by four literary critics since the 1980s. They lived and worked in different places. They met at international conferences and became friends and lovers because of the same academic views. Finally, at a meeting in Mexico, they heard about the killing of women.
2666: the greatest novel of the 21st century! A masterpiece beyond "one hundred years of solitude"! From London to New York, everyone loves plans! The best novel award of the National Association of Book Critics, the first of the ten best books of the year by the New York Times, the best novel of the year by time magazine, and the best 100 Best Western language novels in the past 25 years! A great but not perfect novel, as powerful as a torrent, leading readers to the unknown!
Promising review:
I would guess that one of the most complimentary things you could say about a book just read is that you can’t wait to read it again. Perhaps even more so when that book is a dense 893-page epic, in that reading it even one time takes extreme devotion and time. Well, that’s the way I felt after turning that final page of 2666 by Roberto Bolaño, partly because I simply enjoyed the journey, overwhelmed by his hypnotic prose, and partly because of the structure of the novel itself, and the nagging thought I have that I’m missing something beyond the obvious that ties together the five parts of the book, some hidden nexus that even now lies just outside my grasp.—Read More—M.D. Kuehn
23. Desert Solitaire
by Edward Abbey
"A book full of passion and poetry. It has a philosophy. It has a sense of humor. It also has some creepy Adventures... With concise, fast-paced prose as the background, with a close combination of strength and beautiful style.
New York Times Book Review
Edward Abby lived in the Moab desert of Utah for three seasons. What he found about the land before him, the world around him, and the heartbeat was a fascinating story. Sometimes he screamed. He was always a staff member of a disappeared place, but it was worth recalling and living repeatedly.
Promising review:
Desert Solitaire: A Season in the Wilderness by Edward Abbey has a much-deserved reputation of being one of the finest books written about the American West. Abbey spent time as a park ranger in Arches National Park in the late 60s, and in the process, traveled all around southern Utah and northern Arizona. This book is the outcome of that stay, yet it is so much more.—Read More—Eric Maroney
24. Disgrace
by J. M. Coetzee
This book gives a clear introduction to the theme and form of the novel based on the author's years of practical experience in teaching fiction in British universities and as a South African-born and educated scholar.
Disgrace is sometimes regarded as a terrible image of post-apartheid South Africa, but it is also interpreted as a novel about resignation and redemption which is full of hope in the end.
Promising review:
I just finished reading "Disgrace" and I know it will haunt my dreams for weeks. This very complex novel deals with the dynamics of South Africa, the tension of cultural differences played out in the day-to-day lives of people who love the country, but must also live with the inherent dangers of a tribal nation where history has created a divide that is not easy to bridge.—Read More—Noelle Branch
25. Geek Love
by Katherine Dunn
Geek Love is the story of the Binewskis, a carny family whose mater- and paterfamilias set out with the help of amphetamine, arsenic, and radioisotopes-to breed their own exhibit of human oddities. There's Arturo the Aquaboy, who has flippers for limbs and a megalomaniac ambition worthy of Genghis Khan . . . Iphy and Elly, the lissome Siamese twins . . . albino hunchback Oly, and the outwardly normal Chick, whose mysterious gifts make him the family's most precious-and dangerous-asset.
As the Binewskis take their act across the backwaters of the U.S., inspiring fanatical devotion and murderous revulsion; as its members conduct their own Machiavellian version of sibling rivalry," Geek Love throws its sulfurous light on our notions of the freakish and the normal, the beautiful and the ugly, the holy and the obscene. Family values will never be the same.
Promising review:
Geek Love is predicated on the concept that a second-rate carnival operator would “create” sideshow freaks to bring in customers. Not beyond the pale, as many such entrepreneurs have in reality maximized wounds, injuries or disabilities, or used “smoke and mirrors” of one sort or another to staff bearded lady tents with men in drag (a common practice using draft dodgers during World War II), or applied crinkly-drying glue to the skin of children to create alligator boys or harnessed a cripple with malformed legs to his or her sibling and voilà – instant Siamese twins. —Read More—mrthinkndrink
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