What books should I buy?

What kind of books do you like?

I just started Pillars of the Earth and I’m totally hooked – but I’m a bit behind the times, so you’ve probably read that one already… ;)

@Elumas,
—What is your favorite pastime?
—What’s your best subject in school?
—What was the last book you loved?
—What was the last movie you loved?
—What kind of mood are you in these days?
—What are your summer plans?

@Jeruba
– Piano
– History
– The Alchemist by Paulo Coelo, The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson
– The Dark Knight (haven’t seen a movie in awhile)
– A great one
– Work two jobs one on weekends one from home and go camping up north

…the scarlet ibis, a classic, is one of my all-time favorites…i read it when i was a first grader…

19 Minutes is about a school shooting, would be interesting to hear what a kid has to say about it. Jodi Picoult is rivoting, it is hard to put her books down.

I guess you are a kid, your pic looks like a young un, but maybe you are like astrochuck just going for the cuteness factor.

@rooeytoo 15, but hey cuteness factor is cool too.

Try this one:

The Piano Tuner

Pillars of the Earth is also a great read, although there was one respect in which I was quite disappointed, and that was the offhand finale for one of the major characters. From a perspective of about 25 years later, I find the jongleur the most memorable character and still think about his explanation for how he was able to recite those long, long poems.

Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere might be a good bet for you too.

Well if you decide to try 19 Minutes get back on when you finish and let me know what you think! It is heavy though, not a fun book to read.

And yep, the cuteness factor is working well.

How about Difficult Loves?

Buy 50 of the 50¢ mints they sell at the counter. SO worth it.

get metamorphosis super awesome book, then watch the home movies episode where they make a rock opera about it!

I doubt these are what you’d be in to at the moment, but I’m finding them pretty fascinating.

1491 – It’s not the easiest read, and I’m finding myself glossing over some of the data, but it’s a pretty fascinating thesis about prolific and advanced Indian/indigenous civilizations in the Americas prior to the arrival of Columbus.

Confessions of an Economic Hit Man – an insiders view of the underbelly of America’s economic/imperialist foreign policy. Disgusting and fascinating at the same time. I read it in a day.

Everything I Want to Do is Illegal: War Stories from the Local Food Front – a very intelligent rant about how agricultural law and bureaucracy systematically handcuffs local/sustainable farms, food and culture and perpetuates agribusiness, food toxicity, and more bureaucracy. You’ll probably have to special order this one. Michael Pollan offers similar and no less powerful arguments from a consumer perspective.

Anything by Chuck Palahniuk – He’s an excellent contemporary author of transgressive fiction and similar essays about Americana. Here’s a sample short story.

Square Foot Gardening. Learn how to feed yourself with 80% less work, water, and space. Or just visit the Web site.

If you’re a hiker/camper, you might like Beyond Backpacking or something similar. Ultralight backpacking techniques to reduce encumbrance, increase freedom, and put more miles on the trail.

One of the best books I’ve ever read is Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry. It’s an old west, cattle drive story. I’m not usually into that type of thing, but it is a classic IMHO and it’s just an awesome read.

goodreads.com Friend people you know or people with similar taste in books and see what they recommend. A while ago I couldn’t find anything to read and now my “to read” list has about 50 books on it.

Amazon.com or any bookstore giftcards are wonderful.

I second Neverwhere – it’s a great book. I’d actually recommend just about anything by Neil Gaiman – American Gods is my favorite, but if you’re looking for something a little lighter, Good Omens is pretty hysterical…

Do you like reading about history? I haven’t read it yet, but a friend just recommended Team of Rivals to me – it looks really interesting.

I’ll peruse my bookshelf and come back with more ideas later… =)

we were one by Patrick O’Donnell