<p>A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genuis - Dave Eggers .... such a great book =) .... by the way, it was a Pultizer Prize Finalist (if that helps)</p>
<p>Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov.</p>
<p>Angels and Demons by Dan Brown...so addicting..</p>
<p>I second Lolita by Nabokov....it's pure art. The language fused with the subject matter makes for an emotionally heart wrenching read. </p>
<p>My second favorite book is The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner. Beautiful writing, beautiful story.</p>
<p>The Sound and the Fury is pure greatness. It's almost exhilarating to read.</p>
<p>the October Sky series... by Homer Hickam, jr. his writing flows so well and is even entertaining! (there are 3 in the series. i most recommend the 1st: october sky or aka rocket boys). the book came before the movie :) these are his memoirs...</p>
<p>If you like a non-story book, "Blink: the power of thinking without thinking" is a good read. I've only read a few pages so far, but it's rather good.</p>
<p>And, I rec "Pride and Prejudice," if you like that sorta thing and haven't already read it. It's the archetype of the chick flick. Very well-written.</p>
<p>Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein is AWESOME. It's a sci-fi book with philosophical undertones, and since it was written in the 60s era, it is infused with elements of hippy sentiment. Very interesting read.</p>
<p>Lol, this is great. Thanks guys. I think I just might be entertained until the end of the week. j/k! Actually, I just might be busy for the rest of the summer with these!</p>
<p>One more! I love Jhumpa Lahiri. She won the Pulitzer for her first collection of short stories, "Interpreter of Maladies", which is amazing. </p>
<p>I also liked her more recent novel, "The Namesake". </p>
<p>I'm also reading Carson McCuller's "The heart is a lonely hunter", which is really great so far. </p>
<p>That's three more, actually. </p>
<p>Enjoy!</p>
<p>The Food of the Goods by Terence McKenna.</p>
<p>The history of drugs and its interaction with instituions like captialism, science, religion, etc.</p>
<p>I'd say read Philadelphia Fire by John Edgar Wideman, professor of Africana studies and Creative Writing at -- guess where -- Brown.</p>
<p>He'll be talking about his book in a lecture during orientation... the orientation brochure (<a href="http://www.brown.edu/Administration/Dean_of_the_College/orientation/brochure.pdf%5B/url%5D">http://www.brown.edu/Administration/Dean_of_the_College/orientation/brochure.pdf</a>) recommends you read his book this summer to get the most out of his lecture.</p>
<p>I'd really recommend "The History of Love" by Nicole Krauss. It is heartbreakingly beautiful, and written in a way I've never seen before</p>
<p>One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (Kesey) is one of my favorites, as well as A Separate Peace (Knowles), Cannery Row(Steinbeck), A Farewell to Arms (Hemingway), The Hobbit (Tolkien), The Bell Jar (Plath)...and if you want a wild ride with a little bit of historical counterculture, I loved Wonderland Avenue by Danny Sugarman</p>
<p>I agree with you Copper, except for the Steinbeck and the Knowles because I haven't read them.</p>
<p>A farewell to arms? Really? The whole time, I was just mentally screaming at that woman (Kate?) to die. Which she finally did.</p>
<p>I already said House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski, which I still stand by as one of the most incredible, original and unique works written in the past 50 years, but I have to add White Noise by Don DeLillo, as it is a far easier and much more satisfying read than HoL, although just as intelligent, if not more. (If you're wondering why you'd still read HoL, it's for the experience. That's right, the book is a complete and bizarre EXPERIENCE, it's not a READ.)</p>
<p>Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand... should keep you busy for more then just a plane journey, but it'll change your view of life.. it's that good</p>
<p>I don't know...I tried reading The Fountainhead, but that didn't work so well.</p>
<p>The Five People You Meet In Heaven; Mitch Albom
On The Beach; Nevil Shute
A People's History Of The United States; Howard Zinn</p>
<p>:)</p>