End-of-the-summer Reading
The summer is winding down to a close, but while some jerk stands behind me in the office (sorry Patrick), I will attempt to put together a decent Top 10 list of books to read for pleasure before you have to go back to your trusty textbooks. This is not a list of new books, just good ones. Good books need more publicity these days.10) Le Petit Nicolas et les copains, by Gocinny - for those of you learning French, this is a children's book that you'll love if any youthful joy still clings on to your embittered soul. Gocinny is the author of the Asterix comics.
9) El Amor en Tiempos del Cólera (Love in the Time of Cholera), by Gabriel Garcia Marquez - A novel that is romantic and yet gritty, full of reality and magic in this author's awesome style.
8) The Man Who Was Thursday, by G.K. Chesterton - A smart allegorical work full of wit and good style about a lone undercover policeman set against the forces of anarchy.
7) The Oddysey, by Homer (Robert Fangles' translation) - If you haven't read it, please do so. This translation is delicious to read.
6) A Refutation of Moral Relativism by Peter Kreeft - An great book that deals harshly with a fallacious, detrimental, and popular point of view. It is written in a very approachable way (really!), despite its heavy title.
5) Brave New World by Aldous Huxley - Everybody has read this, but it is still freakin' good. If you haven't, get on with it.
4) Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy - Not a quick read, but worth every bit. The way Tolstoy creates his characters is just amazing. There is probably no one in this book I couldn't relate to at some point. It also has some good points about love and the human heart.
3) Harry Potter (any of them), by J.K. Rowling - This is perfect summer reading. If you haven't read them already, now's a good time to start. Remember that they are, and will always be, children's books, but they are full of creativity and exitement.
2) The Screwtape Letters, by C.S. Lewis - Lewis points out through the letters of a 'senior' devil to a tempter 'in-training,' how silly many of the things we do with our lives really are. You'll find yourself thinking all the time: 'How could I not have thought of that before?!'
1) The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien - This is simply my favorite book. You need to read it. Tolkien's use of language is gorgeous, and his ability to create worlds is simply astonishing. I can't describe it as anything more than beautiful (as in FULL OF BEAUTY). Its genius, simply pure genius... And yes, I know, I'm a geek.
posted by ertandberni @ 2:29 PM
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