Recommend A Book to a GS friend

[Sam-Skwantch]

I'm impressed by some of the vocabulary here at GS. Some posters seem able to capture the true emotion of many programs by their favorite and sometimes least favorite skaters My assumption is many here are avid readers to posess such powerful phrasing and ability to conjure the deep emotions evoked from this sport.

So name a book or two(not a list that will overwhelm) for your GS friends that either means something to you or just simply a must read. Please take a second and share why or just attempt to convince us why we should read it. Here is my recommendation

Paulo Coelho - "The Alchemist"

I've read it countless times. It's not very wordy and uses simple language to speak. A book that can be read in a day if need be. It's a fable for Adults that focuses on your inner most dreams and desires. You follow a sheppard boy who is willing to risk everything for a dream he hasn't yet realized but most certainly feels. It teaches how if we follow our heart and do what is true to our souls the world will help us to realize our own personal legend.

I read it when I'm facing life changing moments: new job, moving, new relationships etc. It acts like a reset button if you will and presents often a fresh approach. A revival of sorts.

On a personal level it pushes me to trust in the world around me and assures me I have a part in it. If you have read this particular book and enjoyed it then may I say read any other Coelho. I've read almost all of them. Witch of Portobello comes to mind.

Thank you for helping your GS friend find a good book for my summer morning tea and fresh air.

 

[caelum]

I'm not a fan of "The Alchemist" myself, but if you liked that book, you might enjoy Hermann Hesse's "Siddhartha." Even if you don't speak German, the most widely used translation is very good and captures his lyricism beautifully. I only recommend it because it is similarly about self-discovery and has a similar simplicity to it (simplicity is not a criticism here, btw). The book is spiritual and a bit meta-physical in parts, but even for those not interested in those things at all, it still uses those features to capture the experience of self-discovery and maturation better than most books I've read.

 

[LRK]

I haven't read "The Alchemist", nor anything else by Coelho, so it may be a tad difficult for me to tell, but... If you are open to reading fantasy, the author that came to mind is Patricia A McKillip. Simple, but poetic writing (the word "prose" annoys me for some reason - can't exactly explain why), dream-like, full of complexity. My favourite (of those I've read) is "Winter Rose", which has almost a Gothic feel to it. "The Riddle-Master of Hed" trilogy is probably one of her easiest to get into - it's the first of hers I read. (Note that she generally writes stand-alones.) Others are "Ombria in Shadow" and "The Book of Atrix Wolfe".

To me, Kinuko Y Craft's cover art really captures the spirit of the books, so these may give you some idea as well:

http://img1.liveinternet.ru/images/attach/c/0/40/906/40906983_OmbriainShadow_Ombria_v_Ten.jpg

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cMfbC36-zNg/Tnst9r4YikI/AAAAAAAABw0/RYYTnn3sUjg/s400/winter+rose.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/52/CoverofAtrixWolfe.gif

 

[Olympia]

I haven't read "The Alchemist", nor anything else by Coelho, so it may be a tad difficult for me to tell, but... If you are open to reading fantasy, the author that came to mind is Patricia A McKillip. Simple, but poetic writing (the word "prose" annoys me for some reason - can't exactly explain why), dream-like, full of complexity. My favourite (of those I've read) is "Winter Rose", which has almost a Gothic feel to it. "The Riddle-Master of Hed" trilogy is probably one of her easiest to get into - it's the first of hers I read. (Note that she generally writes stand-alones.) Others are "Ombria in Shadow" and "The Book of Atrix Wolfe".

To me, Kinuko Y Craft's cover art really captures the spirit of the books, so these may give you some idea as well:

http://img1.liveinternet.ru/images/attach/c/0/40/906/40906983_OmbriainShadow_Ombria_v_Ten.jpg

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cMfbC36-zNg/Tnst9r4YikI/AAAAAAAABw0/RYYTnn3sUjg/s400/winter+rose.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/52/CoverofAtrixWolfe.gif

LRK, you and I must have gotten the Bookworm Syndrome from the same library. I love McKillip, especially The Riddle Master of Hed. An even earlier one one by her was The Forgotten Beasts of Eld. It was published as a children's (really a Young Adult) book. Also much simpler than her later books.

I agree also that the Kinuko Craft cover art is ideal, rich and dreamlike. Have you ever seen her picture books? She did a bang-up one of The Twelve Dancing Princesses.

http://www.amazon.com/Twelve-Dancin...ds=The+Twelve+Dancing+Princesses+kinuko+craft


May I also recommend the fantasies (very different from the dreamlike McKillip) of Diana Wynne Jones. Ingenious, energetic, with great characters. My favorites: Fire and Hemlock, Howl's Moving Castle (yes, the inspiration for the Miyazaki animated film), and Archer's Goon.

 

[LRK]

Kinuko Y Craft - I've seen that she has done fairy tale picture books, but I don't own any of them... they make my mouth water, though!

Adore DWJ! "Howl's Moving Castle" and "Charmed Life"/"The Lives of Christopher Chant" are among my all-time favourite books! Love "Fire and Hemlock" and "Archer's Goon" as well. In fact, I've yet to read a DWJ I didn't like.

I think I saw you say something about Susan Cooper on some other thread? I didn't want to derail the conversation & I think I saw your post a bit late as well, but... yeah... I think it's pretty safe to say that we share some similar tastes...

 

[Olympia]

Kinuko Y Craft - I've seen that she has done fairy tale picture books, but I don't own any of them... they make my mouth water, though!

Adore DWJ! "Howl's Moving Castle" and "Charmed Life"/"The Lives of Christopher Chant" are among my all-time favourite books! Love "Fire and Hemlock" and "Archer's Goon" as well. In fact, I've yet to read a DWJ I didn't like.

I think I saw you say something about Susan Cooper on some other thread? I didn't want to derail the conversation & I think I saw your post a bit late as well, but... yeah... I think it's pretty safe to say that we share some similar tastes...

I think I can safely say that LRK and I both recommend Diana Wynne Jones. She's an author who can be enjoyed equally by adults and older children--I'd say middle school up for most of her books, though she did write a few specifically for younger readers. An example of her creativity: She had the most wonderful wordplay section titles in Fire and Hemlock. In near-perfect anagrams, she used the titles New Hero, Now Here, Where Now? and Nowhere.

(LRK, I probably did say something about Susan Cooper on another thread. She's magnificent, and I always feel obligated to tell people about an author who's that good. So many books, so little time!)

 

[FSGMT]

I think I can safely say that LRK and I both recommend Diana Wynne Jones. She's an author who can be enjoyed equally by adults and older children--I'd say middle school up for most of her books, though she did write a few specifically for younger readers. An example of her creativity: She had the most wonderful wordplay section titles in Fire and Hemlock. In near-perfect anagrams, she used the titles New Hero, Now Here, Where Now? and Nowhere.

I really like her books, too! :yes: I remember that I began reading them when I was around 10-11, and I immediatly found them beautiful!

I would recommend Elizabeth Von Arnim, probably my favourite writer: I've just finished "The benefactress", and (as all the others) it's absolutely fantastic! Her books are quite cynical, but in an ironic and elegant way, and I just ADORE how she's able to make fun of the high society of her years while analysing closely what people really think of each other and how they behave

 

[dorispulaski]

I'm another huge fan of Diana Wynne Jones and Patricia McKillip!

If you like their work, you might also like Robin McKinley, another adept writer of fantasy, and also the work of her husband, Peter Dickinson.

I particularly enjoyed McKinley's The Blue Sword and The Hero and The Crown, set in a fantasy world reminiscent of British India, and Dickinson's The Ropemaker. McKinley's Sunshine is the only vampire novel that has ever held my interest.

If you like historical novels, especially if you like them well-researched and complex, and don't mind ocasional quotes in foreign languages, you might try Dorothy Dunnett's series, the Lymond Chronicles.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lymond_Chronicles

There are six books in the series. The one I liked least was the first, Game of Kings. I started reading them in the middle with Disorderly Knights, which remains my favorite of the set.

 

[Olympia]

I love McKinley and also Dickinson. And Dunnett! The Lymond books are an amazing world. As complex a set of historical novels as I ever encountered. Oddly, her series on Niccolo never captured my affections, and all my fellow Lymond-fan friends reacted the same way. I think I agree with you, Doris, that Disorderly Knights is about the best of the series.

 

[dorispulaski]

Count me as another who really couldn't get in to the Niccolo series- the first book was ok, but I bagged it on the second book.

 

[LRK]

I'm doggedly making my way through the Niccolo series - I'm basically determined to finish it if it kills me. Which it very well might! Thankfully I'm reading a lot of other stuff in between. There are a few characters though that really, really get my goat! (Note: I'm terribly, terribly stubborn... )

And yes to Robin McKinley & Peter Dickinson! "Rose Daughter" is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast - any of you read that one? Oh, and growing up I think my favourite Dickinson was "The Blue Hawk" - I'd love to re-read that one some day...

Okay, so, what about... Lloyd Alexander?

ETA - Oh, I forgot to say, I've read "The Caravaners" by Elizabeth von Arnim, and enjoyed that quite a bit. I believe I've got two others of hers on my reading-list.

ETA 2 - Oh, a reason why I think it's difficult to connect with "Game of Kings" - or at least was for me - was that I was wondering why I was supposed to be interested in reading a series about a character - Lymond - who was (apparently) willing to torch a castle with his mother in it? (Note: there is an explanation... )

 

[Meoima]

1 - Books of Blood by Clive Barker, horror fiction so not recommended for fragile souls.
Lots of blood and human bodies. Shock value over the top. the writing is not bad either.

2 - The shadow of the wind by Spanish writer Carlos Ruiz Zafón
This is the plot summery:

The novel, set in post–war Barcelona, concerns a young boy, Daniel Sempere. Just after the war, Daniel's father takes him to the secret Cemetery of Forgotten Books, a huge library of old, forgotten titles lovingly preserved by a select few initiates. According to tradition, everyone initiated to this secret place is allowed to take one book from it and must protect it for life. Daniel selects a book called The Shadow of the Wind by Julián Carax. That night he takes the book home and reads it, completely engrossed. Daniel then attempts to look for other books by this unknown author but can find none. All he comes across are stories of a strange man – calling himself Laín Coubert, after a character in the book who happens to be the Devil – who has been seeking out Carax's books for decades, buying them all and burning them.

 

[dorispulaski]

The Shadow of the Wind was very good, I thought.

 

[Meoima]

The Shadow of the Wind was very good, I thought.

A very very good book indeed. I love the author.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series by Douglas Adams is also a good read. I love sci-fi.

Solaris by Stanisław Lem is a bit ancient but I love this sci-fi concept the most.

 

[LRK]

I've read "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" - the first book; I've got the second sitting in my library-pile at the moment, so am looking forward to reading that. I suppose maybe everyone knows, but I think it's worth mentioning that it is quite humorous.

Apropos humour - humorous fantasy instead of sf: Terry Pratchett. Love him. Especially "The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents" - inspired by the pied piper of Hamelin story. Except here, the rodents, under the guidance of Maurice - a cat - who have all variously ingested some matter from the Unseen University, and thus acquired high intelligence, run the scam of first providing the rat infestation - themselves - and then have their kid - Kevin, if I do not misremember his name - come to the town and offer to get rid of it. For a reward of course. All is going swimmingly until they arrive at Bad Blink... where something really sinister is going on.

Also, "Wee Free Men" the first book starring Tiffany Aching - love her!

These are MG/YA - the main reason why this is apparent, though, really, is that... they, unlike his adult Discworld novels, have chapters.

 

[BusyMom]

I've read "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" - the first book; I've got the second sitting in my library-pile at the moment, so am looking forward to reading that. I suppose maybe everyone knows, but I think it's worth mentioning that it is quite humorous.

It is not really my kind of reading but I have to read the whole series this year, since my daughter got them for her 8th grade reading. She supposed to read only the first book but love it so much so she continued to finished the whole 800+ pages.

Another book from her reading list I quite enjoy is "The Wrinkle In Time" By Madeleine L'Engle.

For anyone who enjoy children's books, try "Totto-Chan: The Little Girl at the Window" By Tetsuko Kuroyanagi. I've been reading this book for more than 30 years and always end up in tears every single time.

 

[Meoima]

For anyone who enjoy children's books, try "Totto-Chan: The Little Girl at the Window" By Tetsuko Kuroyanagi. I've been reading this book for more than 30 years and always end up in tears every single time.

I know this book, I read it when I was 12 years old. I wish my schooling were like that. I mean I used to hate school very much.

Another good read: Promise at Dawn by Romain Gary

 

[Olympia]

A Wrinkle in Time is one of my favorite books ever. What an inventive tale! It connects with so many emotions in me whenever I reread it.

 

[Sam-Skwantch]

I'm so glad this thread is getting attention. I had a feeling there would be some serious readers among us. I'm finishing up a Hemingway right now but will be looking for something new in the next few weeks. I've been on a classics kick lately.

I really was drawn to books from my sociology classes like Ishmael and Celestine prophecies but am looking to branch out a bit. Love the suggestions.

 

[snowflakebeautiful]

If you're into classics at the moment, then I could go on and on!!! I absolutely love to read whenever the opportunity presents itself. And I enjoy reading a wide range of stories - but fiction is admittedly my favorite. In high school, I read a lot of the classics for fun. Now that I'm busy with higher education, I don't have the right amount of time to read like I used to ... sadly.

However, some favorites include: Jane Austen (all - some I prefer over others of course), John Steinbeck ("The Pearl" & "Of Mice and Men" were good imo as short stories go), The Count of Monte Cristo, certain Shakespeare, The Scarlett Letter (I appreciated it most the second time around), The Great Gatsby, Gone With the Wind, Tolstoy, etc.

If you have an open-mind and don't mind reading non-standard English dialects, then I also suggest "The Adventures of Huckelberry Finn" and "Tom Sawyer." They're fun books if you can get past the language and slurs of the time period.

For modern novels, I of course like "Harry Potter" and Agatha Christie...
Chick-Lit - Shopaholic series ...I feel like you have to get a few chapters in the first novel to appreciate the humor (if it's your humor of course...I sympathize with her shopping habit) O=)

I know I'm forgetting some major favorites, but this topic is too hard for me, haha. I LOVE reading....and it's so hard to pick favorites.