Well... you'd have to know I'd suggest something Dickens, right? :P I'd recommend starting with maybe Bleak House, Our Mutual Friend, or David Copperfield, but A Tale of Two Cities is my fave book EVER, so you know... get there eventually. :P
I'd also have to recommend Jane Eyre, or I wouldn't be able to live with myself. ;)
Anything by L.M. Montgomery if you're in the mood for something light but substantial. Wilkie Collins' The Moonstone if you like a good mystery. Anything by Elizabeth Gaskell, whose books are somewhat similar to Jane Austen though (in my personal opinion) have a lot more life to them (ohhh, Austen lovers hate me now!).
Um... yeah. That would give you a good start on classics, I think. :)
I'd second most of Meg's recs--good Victorian novels! Though Jane Eyre is actually one of my least-favorite books by a Bronte sister. I mean, it's still good, but of Charlotte's I actually prefer the underappreciated Shirley, and Anne Bronte's The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is also a good read. Of course, the best of the Brontes, imo, is Emily with Wuthering Heights, but it's rather a dark and strange book, so if you're looking for a pleasant page-turner, you might start with some of the others.
Also, if you like Dickens, you should also try Thackeray. Vanity Fair is my favorite of all Victorian novels! And if you like Wilkie Collins, you should read Mary Elizabeth Braddon's Lady Audley's Secret, which is sort of the classic Victorian sensation novel, and always a good time
( ... )
I liked it. I mean, with anything, YMMV, but I was well-entertained.
I assume the Jane Eyre-related book you didn't like was Wide Sargasso Sea? I've actually never read it, but I don't think you're alone in not caring for it so much. My understanding, from people who have read it, is that Rhys got a bit too thesis-y and preachy in that book, instead of just telling a good story. Whereas March is more about the story (I mean, he's off fighting in the Civil War, so obviously questions of slavery and that sort of thing are part of the fabric of the book--so it's not as though the book has no relationship to bigger issues, but it doesn't feel preachy, at least to me).
No, it wasn't that one. I've never even heard of it! It was called Thornfield Hall, and it was supposed to be the hidden story of Adele, Rochester's ward. It was basically bad!fic in book form, complete with naked!Rochester, villainized characters, and a terrible, cliched excuse for a plot. I was not impressed.
I've always wished there had been more of Mr. March in the books, so I might check that out sometime. Thanks. :)
If you'd like some interesting earth science & physics in layman's terms, I'd recommend Bill Bryson's A Short History Of Nearly Everything. Actually, all of his books (mostly stories of his travels all over the world) are great, but ASHONE is one of my favorite books of all time.
If you're into some satiric humor, Miami Herald reporter Carl Hiaasen writes some really funny fiction books. My favorite is Tourist Season.
I second Meg's rec of A Tale Of Two Cities - it's my favorite Dickens novel. As for other classics, I love pretty much anything by Kurt Vonnegut but especially his short story collections. I'd also recommend The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas.
If you're into criminal psychology, John Douglas' books are fascinating. Douglas was the lead criminal profiler for the FBI who was the first person to really delve into the psyche of serial killers, and he was the inspiration for Clarice Starling's boss in Silence of the Lambs.
I also love Arthurian legend, so check out The Mists of Avalon by Marian Zimmer Bradley if
( ... )
Comments 6
Well... you'd have to know I'd suggest something Dickens, right? :P I'd recommend starting with maybe Bleak House, Our Mutual Friend, or David Copperfield, but A Tale of Two Cities is my fave book EVER, so you know... get there eventually. :P
I'd also have to recommend Jane Eyre, or I wouldn't be able to live with myself. ;)
Anything by L.M. Montgomery if you're in the mood for something light but substantial. Wilkie Collins' The Moonstone if you like a good mystery. Anything by Elizabeth Gaskell, whose books are somewhat similar to Jane Austen though (in my personal opinion) have a lot more life to them (ohhh, Austen lovers hate me now!).
Um... yeah. That would give you a good start on classics, I think. :)
Reply
Also, if you like Dickens, you should also try Thackeray. Vanity Fair is my favorite of all Victorian novels! And if you like Wilkie Collins, you should read Mary Elizabeth Braddon's Lady Audley's Secret, which is sort of the classic Victorian sensation novel, and always a good time ( ... )
Reply
I can't believe I forgot to recc Little Women! *facepalm*
Reply
I assume the Jane Eyre-related book you didn't like was Wide Sargasso Sea? I've actually never read it, but I don't think you're alone in not caring for it so much. My understanding, from people who have read it, is that Rhys got a bit too thesis-y and preachy in that book, instead of just telling a good story. Whereas March is more about the story (I mean, he's off fighting in the Civil War, so obviously questions of slavery and that sort of thing are part of the fabric of the book--so it's not as though the book has no relationship to bigger issues, but it doesn't feel preachy, at least to me).
Reply
I've always wished there had been more of Mr. March in the books, so I might check that out sometime. Thanks. :)
Reply
If you're into some satiric humor, Miami Herald reporter Carl Hiaasen writes some really funny fiction books. My favorite is Tourist Season.
I second Meg's rec of A Tale Of Two Cities - it's my favorite Dickens novel. As for other classics, I love pretty much anything by Kurt Vonnegut but especially his short story collections. I'd also recommend The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas.
If you're into criminal psychology, John Douglas' books are fascinating. Douglas was the lead criminal profiler for the FBI who was the first person to really delve into the psyche of serial killers, and he was the inspiration for Clarice Starling's boss in Silence of the Lambs.
I also love Arthurian legend, so check out The Mists of Avalon by Marian Zimmer Bradley if ( ... )
Reply
Leave a comment