<p>anything from Stanislaw Lem. the best things are Solaris, Eden, Golem XIV</p>
<p>Ah good books.... just wondering how long does it take yall to read, say, a book like Catch-22? Me- 10 days if i read for 2 hours/day.</p>
<p>if i really like the book, i can read up to 400 pages a day. if i dont like it but i have to read it, like this year's ap lit assignment, it takes me 1.5 months to read a 600-page book.</p>
<p>^ same here :(</p>
<p>if you're into art history...
i just finished the passion of artemisia: by susan vreeland. and it was amazing.</p>
<p>Teacher Man - Frank McCourt
Animal Farm - George Orwell</p>
<p>Docta - Sophie's World can be boring at parts because of the format (textbook-ish when he's talking about the different philosophers), but I still think it's amazing.</p>
<p>worth2try - Would you recommend reading Angela's Ashes before reading Teacher Man? I've wanted to read Frank McCourt's books for awhile now, but I can't decide where to start.</p>
<p>Also, Arabian Nights is a good read if you're into short stories.</p>
<p>I think the philosophy is the most important and interesting part of Sophie's World (even if it is textbookie). As a character, I absolutely hate Sophie, and the dialogue is stiff and unrealistic. As one of my classmates points out, the plot may be anecdotal, but it's also lame.</p>
<p>Demeter - Yes, I would recommend Angela's Ashes before Teacher Man. You will definitely understand him better in Teacher Man because AA gives his background as a child. But, you have to realize, the first book is a difficult read (emotionally) and that might not be your thing. The books are great in their own way - the first one for the story and the second one for his insight. McCourt had an interesting lifestyle - cool stuff.</p>
<p>A lot of the books mentioned above are classics. Are you interested in other, not so critically acclaimed and non literary masterpieces? If so, you should pick up The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley. It's about Arthurian legend and it is sooooooo good. Anything by Kurt Vonnegut is worth a shot, also. I'd recommend Cat's Cradle and The Sirens of Titan. My favorite book series is Kushiel's Legacy. I started reading it the summer before my sophomore year, and you seem mature. It has a lot of sex scenes, but they're not gross or weird, they're very important in the society. The books are verrrrrrrry interesting, full of political intrigue, drama, spying. The plot is very involved, and confusing at first, but I do recommend the series. A book I have to read for American history is Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser. For an assignment, it's pretty good so far. It's about a girl who moves from country life to late 1800s Chicago city life. I'm also reading A Million Little Pieces by James Frey and it's the authors true account of his 6 weeks in rehab. It's pretty good so far. And White Oleander is another very very good book, and you can also watch the movie, which is great. I can't remember who it's by, Janet Fitch or Finch or maybe I'm completely off. I have a lot of suggestions, PM me if you want more since this post is getting out of hand. Oh, and Flowers for Algernon sucks. Don't read it unless you're really desperate for a good book. Catcher in the Rye is also very...bleh. Most people like it, though.</p>
<p>you know that A million little pieces isn't a true account right?</p>
<p>Oh, I didn't know that. I'm only halfway through it. Well it's still interesting, whether it's fact or fiction. I guess all stories have some truths stretched. They wouldn't be as interesting if they didn't. I still recommend it. Definitely not as stuffy as some of the books that were previously mentioned.</p>
<p>I actually really liked Flowers for Algernon. I thought it was very sweet. Other books along the lines of FoA would be The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time and The Perks of Being a Wallflower. I think those have already been mentioned, but they're good.</p>
<p>The Mists of Avalon is good, but long. I didn't like her other books, though.</p>
<p>The books in the series *Kushiel's Legacy<a href="Kushiel's%20Dart,%20Kushiel's%20Chosen,%20Kushiel's%20Avatar,%20and%20just%20released,%20Kushiel's%20Scion">/i</a> are fantasy. They're very well-written and, like ChesireStripes said, have very complex plots. The characters are wonderfully fleshed out. Very risque, though.</p>
<p>If you're into fantasy, then I suggest Patricia McKillip. She's a world-renowned fantasy author and has a gorgeous writing style. She's also good if you like fairytales.</p>
<p>War and Peace.</p>
<p>Although it's kind of short for my taste.</p>
<p>Here's some I read for AP last year </p>
<p>Mythology- Edith Hamilton (takes a while to get in to, but its good)</p>
<p>The Great Gatsby- F. Scott Fitzgerald (a lot in my class didn't like it, but I loved it)</p>
<p>Anthem- Ayn Rand (short, quick read, but very good)</p>
<p>Also, if you're not looking for books that will make you think such as these great works of literature do, you might want to check out some more modern authors. I love to read John Grisham for fun during the summer. His books are exciting and attention keeping, but you don't have to exercise your brain too much to understand them.</p>
<p>Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
I'm not into science fiction at all, but this just blew me away. One of my favorite books!</p>
<p>demeter - that's funny...I considered Columbia for a while and then though "wait...I'm thinking about a school where I know one famous professor who teaches classes so hard I'd flunk out" and axed it off my list. i attempted to watch the dvds, but they make better background noise for when i do hw :P</p>
<p>i love kite runner and catcher in the rye
but if youre looking to keep yourself occupied...read the lord of the rings trilogy.</p>
<p>Lord of the Flies - William Golding
(favorite book I read this year)
Frankenstein - Mary Shelley
(Kind of boring in parts with a lot of description, but makes you think.)
The Iliad - Homer
(don't get the prose version)
The Odyssey - Homer
(ditto)
Dracula - Bram Stoker
(I read the screenplay)
To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
(if you haven't already, this is the best book I have read in all of my school years so far)</p>
<p>For a non-school book:
Born Confused</p>