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Middlemarch, George Eliot The best
grown-up book around--read it again! Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie. As profound as Doestoevski, but funnier. As subtle as Middlemarch, but raunchier. Don't miss it! Poisonwood Bible and Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver. Poisonwood has joined Midnight’s Children and Middlemarch on my top 3 list. It is an exploration of American missionaries in the Congo—and so much more. Unbearable Lightness of Being and Immortality Milan Kundera One of my all time favorites--a novel every philosopher or philosopher at heart won't want to miss. Now read everything else he's written. Housekeeping, Marilynne Robinson Quirky story about female family members, grandmothers, aunts, sisters. Gilead, Marilynne Robinson Story of a good man—really, a good man that is subtle, thoughtful, and makes you want to be a better person. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close and Everything is Illuminated, Jonathan Safran Foer He’s young, but his inventiveness is charming. Listen to them on audiobooks—they are well-read. Good Faith and Thousand Acres, Jane Smiley Whether talking about the 1980s loss of a moral center in our country or writing a modern day King Lear, this is a woman worth reading. Amateur Marriage and Accidental Tourist, Anne Tyler The most real portrayals of marriage and love ever. Read all of her books. The Remains of the Day, Kazuo Ishiguro An elegant, quiet, sensuous tale of a butler in a 1940 and 50's English house, and almost love. (Contains one of my favorite scenes in all of literature). Jazz, Toni Morrison You've probably already read this West With the Night, Beryl Markham Beautiful language and an interesting life. Whether she wrote it is debated, but whoever did, it’s worth reading. Prince of Tides Obviously; despite the movie The Chymical Wedding, Lindsay Clarke alchemy & love in two centuries; has the structure of French Lt. Woman--parallel universes that collide. Possession, A. S. Byatt Like The Chymical Wedding and French Lt. Woman, but with the added attraction of academic research action (!) thriller. The Magus, John Fowles Mindgames on a Greek island; I literally couldn't put it down. " The Deptford Trilogy" and the trilogy that includes The Rebel Angels, What's Bred in the Bone, and The Lyre of Orpheus, Robertson Davies More mind games set in Canada this time The Stone Angel strange and fascinating tale The Love Hunter, Staggerford, and North of Hope, Jon Hassler You probably already know him; he's not as good as Irving, but he tells good tales. Start with Staggerford. Lost Language of Cranes, David Leavitt One of the most sensitive stories about gays and lesbians I've ever read. Should be required reading for the entire U.S. at this point in history! Dad, Birdy, Mr. Fox () William Wharton Again, you probably already know these, but I especially liked his last, which I believe is called Mr. Fox, or something like that. Tao of Pooh A cliche, but hey, I like it Class, Paul Fussell One of the most hilarious books I've ever read. It's about classes in the U.S. It has a living room test at the end to discover whether you are upper, middle or working class. (If you are a dentist you are automatically middle class!) Mortal Lessons, Richard Selzer Beautiful sumptuous language by a surgeon about bodies. There's a chapter on gall bladders, if I remember correctly. Sounds gross, but it is fascinating. Forsyte Saga, John Galsworthy A poignant trilogy of generation that move from the Victorian to a new era. It is about humanity at it's most tragic and most eloquent. Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger I know, I know; but, it is STILL wonderful Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy I will always remember the summer my sophomore year in college when I read this novel and wept. The Secret History, Donna Tartt Every philosophy major or lover of Nietzschean excess should not pass go until they read this dionysian inspired novel of philosophy majors at a small liberal arts college. Coming to Our Senses and The Decline of American Culture, Morris Berman A fascinating look at the history of the world from a point of view not found in usual history text books. Love's Knoweldege, Martha Nussbaum Tough to read and not altogether coherent as a book, many of the chapters are jewels that connect philosophy and literature and morality Books That Will Make You Angry Anger is good. Judging the world's injustices is an important part of our life as humans, so read on. Einstein's Wife, Andrea Gabor Backlash, Susan Faludi Second Sex, Simone de Beauvoir A Woman's Room, Marilyn French A Map of the World, Jane Hamilton The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood Lost Language of Cranes, David Leavitt Your Blues Ain't Like Mine, Bebe Moore Campbell Ruth and Mary Barton , Elizabeth Gaskell Sophie's Choice, William Styron |
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