Five of my favourite authors and five books I suggest you should read:
| Margaret Atwood - "The Penelopiad"
| Jonathan Safran Foer - "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close"
| Jean Rhys - "Good Morning Midnight"
| John Steinbeck - "East of Eden"
| Richard Yates - "Easter Parade"
Yes, East of Eden is amazing! It is, without a doubt, one of my all time favorite books. The 1000+ pages might be a little (er, a lot) daunting but I think they're so worth it. Getting through the beginning was tough for me but by the end, I felt like everything was worth it. And despite how horrid she was, I like There's so much I could say about East of Eden--I could probably wax on for hours--but I doubt you need to hear it since it's one of your favorites, too! This might sound a little strange but I really like Cathy Ames. She's so fascinating a character, albeit not a nice one.
ReplyDeleteLove Margaret Atwood! I think 'Cat's Eye' is my favourite of hers, but I'm definitely interested in checking out your recommendation too!
ReplyDeleteTessa / Bramble & Thorn
I bought Easter Parade on a whim a few months ago. I finished it in a day and fond it lacked something. I felt as if nothing really happened and was quite bored the whole way through. I dunno, the characters just lacked appeal for me, I guess.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely loved Jonathan Safran Foer's 'Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close". I read it as an ebook and because it's one of my favourite books I really want a print copy of it too. East of Eden is on my to-read list.
ReplyDelete@Start working from home as of today... You can work for 3-5 hours a day and earn $3000 a week... Weekly payments, simple job for which you only need a computer and a reliable internet connection>Sign up today on following website and get your first paycheck by the end of this week >
ReplyDelete>---http://••►► click Here........
Good taste! That is if taste can be measured :) You're spot on with these, I've not read Atwood or Safran Foer (though I've seen the Everything is Illuminated film), but I really liked reading Rhys and absolutely LOVE Yates. I'm slowly making my way through his fiction and really enjoyed A Good School and Eleven Kinds of Loneliness - a collection of short stories. Have you read his short stories? I could not recommend them enough.
ReplyDeleteThat's surprising! Although Easter Parade might be my less favourite from Yates (nevertheless still a favourite), I love how he portrays the characters, so effortless in their execution. But then again I do love his style, so perhaps that was the problem for you with the book? Plus I think a lot of his books are about something lacking - I mean in a deliberate sense - the failure of the American Dream and all.
ReplyDeleteI love Atwood's 'The Handmaid's Tale' I'll have to give 'The Penelopaid' a go!
ReplyDeleteI read EAST OF EDEN a number of years ago (after having seen the film starring James Dean) and I really liked it! It was a long book and it took me a while to get through, but by the time I finished it, I felt really satisfied. I can totally understand why it's one of your favourites!
ReplyDeleteOh, East of Eden is on my list! A lot of people have recommended it :)
ReplyDeleteMargaret Atwood, is my ever favourite!! Have you read oryx and cake? And the subsequent the year of the flood? I haven't read your suggestion, but I will add to the list!
ReplyDeleteNo! I haven't! But I want to! I have all her books but have yet to get through them all.. I definitely want to read a couple next month because her writing is AMAZING.
ReplyDeleteIt is utterly moving. It makes me feel heartbroken and it really is a l o n g~ book but totally worth it.
ReplyDeleteIt broke my heart, I love that book so much.
ReplyDeleteThe Handmaid's Tale was a fantastic book but I love Greek mythology so The Penelopaid was my favourite of the two.
ReplyDeleteYes! I loved Eleven Kinds of Loneliness. I'd really recommend Jonathan Safran Foer and Margaret Atwood is a gem.
ReplyDeleteIt makes me cry and laugh every . single . time .
ReplyDeleteI loved Easter Parade, I think his books have a quiet melancholy to them.
ReplyDeleteI need to read more of her books, I think I've read three now and every single once I have loved..
ReplyDeleteHaha! You love this book at much as I do!
ReplyDeleteEast of Eden is just phenomenal and you're right, 1000 pages is daunting.. I mean, I often shy away from picking up lengthy books because it's such an investment of time and what if I don't enjoy the book? But East of Eden is just amazing and I'm so glad I read it.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night time is amazing.. but Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close makes me cry every . single . time. I think it's far more heart breaking (and at the same time uplifting) than The Curious Incident.
Everything is Illuminated took me a couple of reads to "get it." The story is complex and you don't always notice the significance of events until later. I would recommend reading it as it's just as heartbreaking as Extremely Loud.
Do it! Please read oryx and crake, then year of the flood... the third part is maddaddam, but I've had to have a break and read one of my book club books, otherwise I'll have to sack myself as book club organiser! ;-)
ReplyDeleteI LOVE East of Eden. My sister recommended it to me, said it was amazing, and my immediate thought was "this is going to take forever to read!" Nope, took a week. It's incredible. I can't exactly pinpoint what is so special about it, but it is. I will have to check out some of the other ones you recommend :)
ReplyDeleteJenny
<a href="http://www.fromthedeskofj.blogspot.com>From the Desk of J</a>
i recently bought a book by margaret atwood, can't wait to get started!
ReplyDeletexo, cheyenne
john steinbeck is just incredible. i've read a handful of his shorter books before (cannery row, of mice and men, tortilla flat and a few more) but i finished reading the grapes of wrath while i was away and that was the one that made me realise just how much i love him and that he's one of my absolute favourite writers. while kerouac is forever my number one, steinbeck is definitely in the top 5 and i even got to stop off in monterey and go to the steinbeck museum and visit his grave in salinas when my friend and i drove to big sur last month. :)
ReplyDeletealso jonathan safran foer is awesome as well. i feel like i read his books in the wrong order because everything is illuminated is the one that really got me and i should have read it first cause then i think i would have enjoyed extremely loud and incredibly close more because i'd feel more connected to him as a writer, but eating animals is always going to be important to me because that's the book that made me become a vegetarian.
little henry lee