Book recommendations

the_tyrant · 02-13-12, 07:16 PM

Hello guys, I need your help in selecting a good book for my English class

Of the books I am looking at right now, these are the ones that I am considering. Either because I like the author, or my friends recommend them.:

Nostromo
Lord Jim
The Secret Agent
Catch 22
Atlas Shrugged
The Jungle
Brave New World
Lolita (A friend really recommends it, and my teacher says she is fine with it)

Ideas? thanks!

Falkirion · 02-13-12, 08:08 PM

Can't say I've read any of them myself. I always recommend Matt Reilly's works for a good action read though if you want a fast paced story you can't put down.

Herr-Berbunch · 02-13-12, 08:38 PM

I've only read Catch 22 and Brave New World - I think the latter must have been done to death in schools around the globe so I'd recommend Joseph Heller's finest.

But Lolita sure would be tempting...

Stealhead · 02-13-12, 08:55 PM

I'd go with Nostromo it is less well known than the other books and has an interesting plot.

Sailor Steve · 02-13-12, 10:02 PM

Catch-22 is not only a good read, it will keep you entertained and laughing.

kiwi_2005 · 02-13-12, 10:30 PM

Catch 22. Ive seen the movie but never read the book, I thought the movie was pretty good, usually the book is always better.

Sailor Steve · 02-13-12, 11:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kiwi_2005

Catch 22. Ive seen the movie but never read the book, I thought the movie was pretty good, usually the book is always better.

In this case the book isn't necessarily better, but the movie only covers half of what's in the book, if that much. The book is much more rich in characters and goings-on.

02-14-12, 01:31 AM

Hitch-hikers guide to the galaxy.

Onkel Neal · 02-14-12, 01:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by the_tyrant

Hello guys, I need your help in selecting a good book for my English class

Of the books I am looking at right now, these are the ones that I am considering. Either because I like the author, or my friends recommend them.:

Nostromo
Lord Jim
The Secret Agent
Catch 22
Atlas Shrugged
The Jungle
Brave New World
Lolita (A friend really recommends it, and my teacher says she is fine with it)

Ideas? thanks!

I suggest Catch 22, The Jungle, or Lord Jim.

All these are great choices (have not read Nostromo). Atlas Shrugged is a powerful book, exploring some fundamental truths, but very long and in many places, the pacing is brutal. Lolita is a great study of obsession.

Let us know what you select and how it spoke to you.

Esanssi · 02-14-12, 01:57 AM

I finished reading 'In Cold Blood' a month or so ago. A very interesting read and you should definitely consider that unless you have of course already read it yourself. Capote translated the facts very well into a non-fiction novel.

Other than that, I'm a fairly 'trashy' reader, consuming Sven Hassel by the bookful while sinking my teeth into Robert Harris' work every now and then(currently reading 'Imperium').

Next on my list is either the sequel to 'Imperium' or 'Grapes of Wrath'. Both are on my to-read list, but now's the time to decide which I read first.

kranz · 02-14-12, 03:40 AM

You can skip Joseph Conrad. I'm finishing my M.A about his colonial (and not only) novels and they are a waste of time.
Brave New World- a nice read in terms of anti-utopian matters, tho there are better stories.

Osmium Steele · 02-14-12, 09:52 AM

I'd recommend The Killer Angels and Ender's Game.

I consider both works to be as just as important as any of the titles listed above, half of which I've read and own.

mookiemookie · 02-14-12, 10:03 AM

I'd go with Brave New World. It's very pertinent to today's world.

Egan · 02-14-12, 11:03 AM

This is for a high school class?

*Puts on TLS reader's hat*

My dear boy, what a ghastly list....I can't imagine why any friend would recommend Lolita when there are far finer places to start with Nabokov...and Atlas Shrugged isn't a novel - it's something the right try to frighten liberals with (although it doesn't work because it's awful.)

*Takes of jaunty hat*

It wouldn't be a list of my first choices, although Catch 22 is a brilliant book. Out of the bunch of sorry characters you have there I would go with that one. Be warned, though, it's a book that seems to divide like no other; for every person I know who loves it, there is somebody else who hates it with a passion.

No Orwell? Unforgivable.

Especially seeing as you have Brave New World there which still seems to me little more than a pale shadow of Zamyatin's 'We.' I'd put Animal Farm on there, or even 1984, before Brave New World.

How about:

Tender is the Night - Fitzgerald

Heart of the Matter - Graham Greene

Animal Farm - George Orwell

A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole

Ask the Dust - John Fante

I orginally put a couple of more left-field choices but these are pretty much the books I remember reading for various projects in school. (except for Ask the Dust which I believe to be the forgotten Great-American-Novel by a writer who is every bit as good as Fitzgerald.

Let us know what you read and what you thought. We expect at least 1500 worlds with double spacing and sources!

kranz · 02-14-12, 11:06 AM

P.S. concerning Joseph Conrad- dunno why did you take Lord Jim (ok, many ppl say it's the best of his novels), Nostromo (in a nutshell- a hodge-podge in at least 3-4 themes, hard to read etc...)and The Secret Agent (I have read only fragments) but if you really want to read something by Conrad I would go for The Heart Of Darkness plus An Outpost of Progress. If you read one you must somehow read the other. Much shorter than your selection but they also have a vast range of topics to discuss(the European colonialism, the condition of European conscience concerning slavery etc). There are also many good (short and not only) stories concerning "otherness" but dealing with the Malayan area. And the selection of possible stories is much bigger.

02-13-12, 07:16 PM	#1
the_tyrant Admiral Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Canada Posts: 2,272 Downloads: 58 Uploads: 0	Book recommendations Hello guys, I need your help in selecting a good book for my English class Of the books I am looking at right now, these are the ones that I am considering. Either because I like the author, or my friends recommend them.: Nostromo Lord Jim The Secret Agent Catch 22 Atlas Shrugged The Jungle Brave New World Lolita (A friend really recommends it, and my teacher says she is fine with it) Ideas? thanks! __________________ My own open source project on Sourceforge OTP.net KGB grade encryption for the rest of us

02-13-12, 08:38 PM	#3
Herr-Berbunch Kaiser Bill's batman Join Date: May 2010 Location: AN72 Posts: 13,203 Downloads: 76 Uploads: 0	I've only read Catch 22 and Brave New World - I think the latter must have been done to death in schools around the globe so I'd recommend Joseph Heller's finest. But Lolita sure would be tempting... __________________

02-13-12, 10:02 PM	#5
Sailor Steve Eternal Patrol Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: High in the mountains of Utah Posts: 50,369 Downloads: 745 Uploads: 249	Catch-22 is not only a good read, it will keep you entertained and laughing. __________________ “Never do anything you can't take back.” —Rocky Russo

02-13-12, 10:30 PM	#6
kiwi_2005 Eternal Patrol Join Date: May 2004 Location: Aeoteroa Posts: 7,382 Downloads: 223 Uploads: 1	Catch 22. Ive seen the movie but never read the book, I thought the movie was pretty good, usually the book is always better. __________________ RIP kiwi_2005 Those who can't laugh at themselves leave the job to others.

02-14-12, 01:57 AM	#10
Esanssi Sailor man Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Somewhere over the rainbow - Oh, wait... Posts: 49 Downloads: 21 Uploads: 0	I finished reading 'In Cold Blood' a month or so ago. A very interesting read and you should definitely consider that unless you have of course already read it yourself. Capote translated the facts very well into a non-fiction novel. Other than that, I'm a fairly 'trashy' reader, consuming Sven Hassel by the bookful while sinking my teeth into Robert Harris' work every now and then(currently reading 'Imperium'). Next on my list is either the sequel to 'Imperium' or 'Grapes of Wrath'. Both are on my to-read list, but now's the time to decide which I read first. __________________ "Permission to die, Sir."

02-13-12, 08:08 PM	#2
Falkirion Ace of the Deep Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Melbourne, AUS Posts: 1,043 Downloads: 34 Uploads: 0	Can't say I've read any of them myself. I always recommend Matt Reilly's works for a good action read though if you want a fast paced story you can't put down.

02-13-12, 08:55 PM	#4
Stealhead Navy Seal Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Kentucky Posts: 5,421 Downloads: 85 Uploads: 0	I'd go with Nostromo it is less well known than the other books and has an interesting plot.

02-14-12, 01:31 AM	#8
Tribesman Stowaway Posts: n/a Downloads: Uploads:	Hitch-hikers guide to the galaxy.

02-14-12, 03:40 AM	#11
kranz The Old Man Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Poland Posts: 1,430 Downloads: 5 Uploads: 0	You can skip Joseph Conrad. I'm finishing my M.A about his colonial (and not only) novels and they are a waste of time. Brave New World- a nice read in terms of anti-utopian matters, tho there are better stories.

02-14-12, 09:52 AM	#12
Osmium Steele Ace of the Deep Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Upper midwest USA Posts: 1,101 Downloads: 22 Uploads: 0	I'd recommend The Killer Angels and Ender's Game. I consider both works to be as just as important as any of the titles listed above, half of which I've read and own. __________________ In the month of July of the year 1348, between the feasts of St. Benedict and of St. Swithin, a strange thing came upon England... My U297 build thread

02-14-12, 10:03 AM	#13
mookiemookie Navy Seal Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 9,404 Downloads: 105 Uploads: 1	I'd go with Brave New World. It's very pertinent to today's world. __________________ They don’t think it be like it is, but it do. Want more U-boat Kaleun portraits for your SH3 Commander Profiles? Download the SH3 Commander Portrait Pack here.

02-14-12, 11:03 AM	#14
Egan Admiral Join Date: Sep 2001 Posts: 2,020 Downloads: 15 Uploads: 0	This is for a high school class? Puts on TLS reader's hat My dear boy, what a ghastly list....I can't imagine why any friend would recommend Lolita when there are far finer places to start with Nabokov...and Atlas Shrugged isn't a novel - it's something the right try to frighten liberals with (although it doesn't work because it's awful.) Takes of jaunty hat It wouldn't be a list of my first choices, although Catch 22 is a brilliant book. Out of the bunch of sorry characters you have there I would go with that one. Be warned, though, it's a book that seems to divide like no other; for every person I know who loves it, there is somebody else who hates it with a passion. No Orwell? Unforgivable. Especially seeing as you have Brave New World there which still seems to me little more than a pale shadow of Zamyatin's 'We.' I'd put Animal Farm on there, or even 1984, before Brave New World. How about: Tender is the Night - Fitzgerald Heart of the Matter - Graham Greene Animal Farm - George Orwell A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole Ask the Dust - John Fante I orginally put a couple of more left-field choices but these are pretty much the books I remember reading for various projects in school. (except for Ask the Dust which I believe to be the forgotten Great-American-Novel by a writer who is every bit as good as Fitzgerald. Let us know what you read and what you thought. We expect at least 1500 worlds with double spacing and sources!

02-14-12, 11:06 AM	#15
kranz The Old Man Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Poland Posts: 1,430 Downloads: 5 Uploads: 0	P.S. concerning Joseph Conrad- dunno why did you take Lord Jim (ok, many ppl say it's the best of his novels), Nostromo (in a nutshell- a hodge-podge in at least 3-4 themes, hard to read etc...)and The Secret Agent (I have read only fragments) but if you really want to read something by Conrad I would go for The Heart Of Darkness plus An Outpost of Progress. If you read one you must somehow read the other. Much shorter than your selection but they also have a vast range of topics to discuss(the European colonialism, the condition of European conscience concerning slavery etc). There are also many good (short and not only) stories concerning "otherness" but dealing with the Malayan area. And the selection of possible stories is much bigger.