What's your favorite book and why?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Middlemarch was one of the few books I could not get through (at a time in my life when I would finish books whether they appealed to me or not). I re-read Gone With the Wind, as an adult, and was absolutely appalled that I liked it so much as a teen. Lesson learned, don't re-read pieces that haven't evolved as you have.

As someone that does not prefer to re-read books, my favorite is Ha Jin's Waiting. I can re-read it and still enjoy it. Pretty much anything PG Wodehouse has written falls into that category as well.

That's odd. I was the opposite. I wouldn't have had had to maturity to enjoy and understand such a rich and remarkable book when I was a teenager.

I'm with the first PP. GWTW is appalling.

This seems to be a very popular opinion on the internet, and I just can't see what's so terrible about a book that explores how "good" and "evil" in this world isn't as black and white we'd like to think.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Middlemarch was one of the few books I could not get through (at a time in my life when I would finish books whether they appealed to me or not). I re-read Gone With the Wind, as an adult, and was absolutely appalled that I liked it so much as a teen. Lesson learned, don't re-read pieces that haven't evolved as you have.

As someone that does not prefer to re-read books, my favorite is Ha Jin's Waiting. I can re-read it and still enjoy it. Pretty much anything PG Wodehouse has written falls into that category as well.

That's odd. I was the opposite. I wouldn't have had had to maturity to enjoy and understand such a rich and remarkable book when I was a teenager.

I'm with the first PP. GWTW is appalling.

This seems to be a very popular opinion on the internet, and I just can't see what's so terrible about a book that explores how "good" and "evil" in this world isn't as black and white we'd like to think.

I think it’s entirely possible and ok to enjoy a book while still acknowledging its problematic messaging. There is plenty to enjoy AND be appalled at in GWTW. Do you really want a run down? It’s a long list! Actually there’s probably a lot written about it already. Off to Google.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Middlemarch was one of the few books I could not get through (at a time in my life when I would finish books whether they appealed to me or not). I re-read Gone With the Wind, as an adult, and was absolutely appalled that I liked it so much as a teen. Lesson learned, don't re-read pieces that haven't evolved as you have.

As someone that does not prefer to re-read books, my favorite is Ha Jin's Waiting. I can re-read it and still enjoy it. Pretty much anything PG Wodehouse has written falls into that category as well.

That's odd. I was the opposite. I wouldn't have had had to maturity to enjoy and understand such a rich and remarkable book when I was a teenager.

I'm with the first PP. GWTW is appalling.

This seems to be a very popular opinion on the internet, and I just can't see what's so terrible about a book that explores how "good" and "evil" in this world isn't as black and white we'd like to think.

I think it’s entirely possible and ok to enjoy a book while still acknowledging its problematic messaging. There is plenty to enjoy AND be appalled at in GWTW. Do you really want a run down? It’s a long list! Actually there’s probably a lot written about it already. Off to Google.

Ok, I’ve returned with some good reading! Again, I don’t think it’s bad to like GWTW. It’s got memorable characters and lines, an epic story, and beautiful descriptions of Southern landscapes and culture. But I also think it’s impossible to ignore Mitchell’s treatment of race, marital rape and abuse, etc.

https://www.nytimes.com/1995/02/19/weekinreview/word-for-worda-scholarly-debate-rhett-scarlett-rough-sex-rape-feminists-give.html

https://justinelarbalestier.com/blog/2009/12/01/the-problem-with-gone-with-the-wind/

https://ro.uow.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=&httpsredir=1&article=1054&context=ltc

https://washingtonmonthly.com/2020/06/11/why-i-threw-away-my-copy-of-gone-with-the-wind/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Middlemarch was one of the few books I could not get through (at a time in my life when I would finish books whether they appealed to me or not). I re-read Gone With the Wind, as an adult, and was absolutely appalled that I liked it so much as a teen. Lesson learned, don't re-read pieces that haven't evolved as you have.

As someone that does not prefer to re-read books, my favorite is Ha Jin's Waiting. I can re-read it and still enjoy it. Pretty much anything PG Wodehouse has written falls into that category as well.

That's odd. I was the opposite. I wouldn't have had had to maturity to enjoy and understand such a rich and remarkable book when I was a teenager.

really? it was a summer reading book for 8th grade at a local private when I was growing up. It was definitely one of those sweeping novels that girls that age feel in love with and read and reread. Rifles for waity and the outsiders were also on that list, and the far pavilions. Teh far pavilions I recognize as racist and cringe worthy right away, probably b/c I am south asian but I loved GWTW. I remember it vividly- my older sister was reading it and I was a precocious reader (still cant spell though) and would sneak into her walk- in closet to read it summer of 7th grade. I loved it but I recognize it for the brilliant propaganda that it is, probably the best artifact of Lost Cause propaganda ever produced.

[Anonymous]

My favorite book is Richard Russo's Nobody's Fool. It's warm and witty and feels like it was written with love for human foibles.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:These are my faves of all time. I know some may not stand the test of time, but I loved them at the time I read them as they were very relevant to me then - such as Devil Wears Prada. Anyone have similar taste?

Harry Potter
Demon Copperhead
The Glass Castle
Gone with the Wind
The House of the Spirits
Circe
Rebecca
Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World
The Mists of Avalon
The Golem and the Jinni
The Unbearable Lightness of Being
The Poisonwood Bible
In Cold Blood
What Alice Forgot
City of Girls
Shutterbabe
The Art of Fielding
The Fountainhead
The Devil Wears Prada
Good in Bed
Atlas Shrugged
The Five Star Weekend (forthcoming 6/13/2023)

Yes! I have similar taste, and I know exactly what you mean about some books being complete “favorites” at a certain moment in your life but maybe not one that would resonate or touch you so deeply at a different stage.

Here are a few of my faves you might want to consider:

-Far From the Tree, by Andrew Solomon (non-fiction, deeply empathetic and fascinating)
-This is How it Always Is, by Laurie Frankel (fiction but also remarkably empathetic - made something so outside my personal experience completely relatable)
-Age of Miracles, by Karen Walker (great coming of age story told in an unusual circumstance, to say the least. That juxtaposition was just fantastic.)
-Visit from the Goon Squad, by Jennifer Egan (and Candy House, the recent sequel/follow up) (fiction - interlinked stories - creative, thought-provoking, and so unusually structured. I was thrilled when she wrote the follow up 20 years later!)
-Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, by Gabrielle Zevin (I think this is a love-or-hate novel. I LOVED the main characters - the way their lives intertwined and mirrored each other, including their trauma and pain. The cared about them both so deeply - and no, I’m not at all into video games. Just a great story IMHO.)
What is the What, by Dave Eggars (non-fiction but with sort-telling liberties taken, I think? What a story! Eggars tells it we’ll.)
We Ride Upon Sticks, by Quan Barry (The Claw!! 😂) (this was out there but I loved it - the plot, the exploration of team dynamics (field hockey), and the Salem references/ small supernatural moments. Oddly creative and compelling to me.)
The Wanderers, by Meg Howrey (slow plot but in a very good way for me - so much SPACE in this story (literally and figuratively) - made for a deep character novel - I found it really thought-provoking and loving.)
Guide for the Perplexed, by Dara Horn (just brilliant - a puzzle of a novel, just like its namesake by Maimonides. You don’t have to be Jewish or a scholar of philosophy to enjoy it, but a bit of background knowlege will make it so much richer!)
Family Fang, by Kevin Wilson (crazy funny - and so, so out there, like all his books snd short stories! I laughed out loud throughout and especially loved the whole adult brother/sister vs. the parents thing - found it a really funny way of exploring family trauma without getting super heavy. I highly recommend all his books and short stories - he’s extraordinary!)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Yes! I have similar taste, and I know exactly what you mean about some books being complete “favorites” at a certain moment in your life but maybe not one that would resonate or touch you so deeply at a different stage.

NP just wanting to thank this poster from 5/25--we have very similar taste and so I've added the ones of yours I haven't read to my queue. I'm so excited to see a Dara Horn fan--have you read THE WORLD TO COME? My favorite!

[Anonymous]

From Jane Austen novels, my favorite is Mansfield Park. Most people don’t like this book but I find it to be the most realistic one. All her other novels have almost fairy tale, feel good romances between the lead pair. This is the only one with a touch of reality where the lead pair first needs to get over the first love/ first proposal (or almost fiancé) in their lives to finally come together. Till the last few chapters you don’t know which way the book will be ending.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:These are my faves of all time. I know some may not stand the test of time, but I loved them at the time I read them as they were very relevant to me then - such as Devil Wears Prada. Anyone have similar taste?

Harry Potter
Demon Copperhead
The Glass Castle
Gone with the Wind
The House of the Spirits
Circe
Rebecca
Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World
The Mists of Avalon
The Golem and the Jinni
The Unbearable Lightness of Being
The Poisonwood Bible
In Cold Blood
What Alice Forgot
City of Girls
Shutterbabe
The Art of Fielding
The Fountainhead
The Devil Wears Prada
Good in Bed
Atlas Shrugged
The Five Star Weekend (forthcoming 6/13/2023)

I apologize if I’m missing something here: how is the five star weekend your favorite if it’s not even out yet 🤔

[Anonymous]

The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri. It’s the only book I’ve read multiple times. I adore her writing and her characters. She works in small little gestures and nuances of daily life…her characters are both wise and foolish, self conscious and humble, selfish and selfless. Beautiful stuff

[Anonymous]

In terms of the classics, I love Wuthering Heights. I might reread it again this winter, it's been years.

In terms of books that just really hit me and I was sad ended, it might have been that they were enjoyable books but also I'm sure it was a time and place in my life that I was just able to get absorbed in the story. For those, I'll second What Alice Forgot, and The Girl on the Train I just found totally absorbing, not sure why.

I also really enjoyed Joan Rivers biography by Leslie Bennetts.

[Anonymous]

Mine is Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer, about the disastrous 1996 Everest climbing season. I don't recall what even made me pick up this book (I am the opposite of outdoorsy) but it's absolutely riveting.

[Anonymous]

Barchester Towers by Anthony Trollope

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume. I loved her books as a child. My Dad died when I was 11 and I think I read Tiger Eyes when I was about 13. I could relate so much to the main character. I also had family in NM but had never been there so enjoyed that part of it too.

I remember this book so hard. ❤️

[Anonymous]

An odor of sanctity by frank yerby.