Favorite non-fantasy books

[Emmie]

I've got too many to list, but a few that come to mind:

- The Secret History - Definitely what I would call an "atmospheric novel," though I'm not exactly what the definition of that is. Actually, the theme and plot of the book doesn't really appeal to me, but I feel that the characters and writing are so good that it doesn't even matter. Read three times.
- Seeking Whom He May Devour - Translated from french, this is a mystery novel that I found funnier than most books that are meant to be comedies.
- Atonement - Saddest book ever... it's like the whole novel was purposefully constructed to make you sob uncontrollably, and the ending ties in with the beginning in a really nice way. But I liked the writing enough that I didn't even care. (I'll admit, though, that the first section was probably my favorite, and I do have some regret that it didn't continue like that all the way through.)
- Possession - Just really good writing and plot.
- Pride and Prejudice - I ought to read this again.
- I Capture the Castle - Very good writing and characters, and I love the setting. I've read this four times - I think I was only twelve or thirteen the first time. I'm sure someday I'll pick it up again.

What are yours? I love hearing about good books.

[Clarett]

Hercule Poirot's Christmas - by Agatha Christie. Very, very good book! I like it, because Hercule is just great! ^^
Then books by E.A.Poe. These stories are just...beatiful!
A series of Unfortunate Events - I still don't know, if it IS fantasy or NOT. But Lemony Snicket is...is just Lemony Snicket ^^
Nice day!

[jimmyboy]

Any novel by Charles Dickens. Like with Tolkien, for certain reasons I "connect" with him and his view of the world. And the way he describes things really moves my mind and heart. Mark Twain is pretty good too. I prefer the older literature if I read any fiction. However, 98% of anything I read is non-fiction, mostly history, biography, or even some political commentary.

[Emmie]

Any novel by Charles Dickens. Like with Tolkien, for certain reasons I "connect" with him and his view of the world. And the way he describes things really moves my mind and heart. Mark Twain is pretty good too. I prefer the older literature if I read any fiction. However, 98% of anything I read is non-fiction, mostly history, biography, or even some political commentary.
I recently bought a copy of Bleak House that I want to read as soon as possible.

For older literature, I finished Anna Karenina earlier this year. I'm reading Gone with the Wind currently and I'm going to start on Les Miserables this summer sometime. I don't know why, but there's certain appealing quality present in many older books that very few modern novels have.

Do you read many European history books? If so, any recommendations?

[jimmyboy]

I recently bought a copy of Bleak House that I want to read as soon as possible.

For older literature, I finished Anna Karenina earlier this year. I'm reading Gone with the Wind currently and I'm going to start on Les Miserables this summer sometime. I don't know why, but there's certain appealing quality present in many older books that very few modern novels have.

Very true! I totally agree. Why that is, I'm not really sure. I do know that I tend to think of some of the older works, like that of Tolkien or Dickens, as "3-dimensional writing". What people might call "poetic", I'd call "substantive". One of the reasons I like both Tolkien and Dickens is because of their flowery writing. They write in a way that engages the soul, the heart, and the mind. It engages us on the whole context of the characters and situations they're writing about, not just the relevant information. Take, for example, Dickens's passing description of John, the main character of "The Cricket on the Hearth".

He was often near to something or other very clever, by his own account: this lumbering, slow, honest John; this John so heavy, but so light of spirit; so rough upon the surface, but so gentle at the core; so dull without, so quick within; so stolid, but so good! Oh Mother Nature, give thy children the true poetry of heart that hid itself in this poor Carrier’s breast - he was but a Carrier by the way - and we can bear to have them talking prose, and leading lives of prose; and bear to bless thee for their company!
The character's name is John, but from this point on he's called the Carrier, and here we see why. This description is what many of us today would call "chasing rabbits". Tolkien does it a lot. It's going down a brief side path in order to describe more about this person, rather than just telling us basically his name, rank, and serial number.

Read the whole first chapter here and you can read it in context.
http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext96/tcoth11h.htm

In 3D writing, we have a lot of depth and breadth, in addition to the general forward motion of the narrative, if that makes any sense whatsoever.

As for recommendations of European history, I do have some. But I'll come back with that because I see by that little taskmaster in the corner that I must needs be somewhere before too many grains have passed the throat. So then...I'll get back to you on that.

[Arien]

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury has been my favorite book since I read it freshman year of high school.

Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

Most of my other favorites are plays, but amazing to read if you can't see a performance.

The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde - it is wonderfully clever. Definitely the funniest play I have ever read or seen.

The Children's Hour by Lillian Hellman - the play is heartbreaking, and Audrey Hepburn and Shirley MacLaine were brilliant in the film.

Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen

[jimmyboy]

Do you read many European history books? If so, any recommendations?
Now I'm able to come back and continue here, Emmie. :)

I haven't read many books that cover general European history. I usually don't read books of that type, since they are (necessarily) too brief in the points they do touch on. I'll usually read histories and biographies of certain events or people.

However, if you want to start learning European history, my suggestion is to pick either World War 1 or 2, and start reading on certain aspects of those wars. The world changed during WW1, and if you want to understand why many things are the way they are in today's world, you have to understand what went on during that time. In a way, WW2 was a continuation or, or a result of, WW1, so that war makes a bit more sense if you understand the first one.

There's a book called The Guns of August (http://www.amazon.com/Guns-August-Barbara-W-Tuchman/dp/0345476093/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1242409461&sr=1-1), by Barbara Tuchman. It describes the beginning of WW1, the hows and whys, etc. It's very informative, and not overly-long.

For WW2, I'd recommend Inside the Third Reich (http://www.amazon.com/Inside-Third-Reich-Albert-Speer/dp/0684829495/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1242409395&sr=1-1), by Albert Speer. It's actually his autobiography, which he wrote during his time in prison as a Nazi war criminal. He was one of the people closest to Hitler, and was one of Hitler's right-hand men. He gives a very interesting perspective on the key Nazi leaders and events of that time. It's a very interesting book.

Another book I read was Hitler (http://www.amazon.com/Hitler-Joachim-C-Fest/dp/0156409461), by Joaquim Fest. It's a pretty hefty biography of Adolf Hitler, and talks about not just Hitler but the people and events around him. It's very detailed and informative.

Another key European figure I read about was Alexander the Great. He's another one who changed the course of history, and who's influence is still seen today. Here's one book (http://www.amazon.com/Alexander-Great-Towering-Conqueror-As-Biographers/dp/0142001406/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1242409659&sr=1-11), which I have not yet read. But it seems to be a better, more balance account that some other books I've read, which either seem to praise him too much, or speak too negatively of him. I do plan to read this particular book.

A book I read about the Celtic people is called Who Were the Celts? (http://www.amazon.com/Who-Were-Celts-Everything-Present/dp/0788405055/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1242410691&sr=1-1), by Kevin Duffy. It's fairly short and very informative.