I doubt anyone has mentioned this one but only read the last page. “Panjamon” by: Jean Yves Domalain an adventure story of the highest degree. One of my all time favorite books.
owlice,
I have read and listened to all of the Harry Potter stories over these past many years…each book that came out, I would buy 3 copies (no sharing in my house!) and 1 set of CD’s…I just love listening to Jim Dale read those books… I recently got the first 3 books onto my iPod and I am listening to them as I walk… (see the exercise thread, ha ha)…it is amazing to me how intricate a world JK Rowling built…and how some of it makes me laugh out loud as I walk…
just last nite I heard Harry tell Snape to “shutup” in Book 3…and it took my breathe away, I was so surprised to hear the animosity and anger so early in the series…
Anne of Green Gables is another fun listen… sooo positive and lively about every day realities… Anne was especially appreciative of kindnesses shown to her… Mark Twain thought it was the best book ever on childhood… and I do love to periodically go back and have a shot of Anne and Maritha, the reluctant mom…Matthew was so steadfast in his commitment to Anne. Just a wonderful story…
Recently finished “Suite Francaise” by Irene Nemirovsky…a touching fictional account of the lives of several French families during the occupation of Paris during WWII.
owl & maine – I just finished reading the entire Harry Potter series straight through. Some of the books I had read when they came out, and some I hadn’t. It was GREAT reading it all at once, and seeing how Harry developed/matured/changed. There were a few places where things happened just a little too conveniently, but all in all it was a wonderful read. I find myself still thinking about HP, and am a little sad I’m not still reading it!
Suite Francaise is excellent – the writing is so well done.
CBBBlinker…Glad to hear someone else really liked Suite Francaise. My sister sent it to me but I couldn’t get any of my friends interested in reading it when I was finished (despite my good reviews,lol). The story of the author’s
life was so sad and could have been a novel unto itself.
The English seem to have a real knack for this sort of thing:
[110</a> best books: The perfect library - Telegraph](<a href=“http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2008/04/06/nosplit/sv_classics06.xml]110”>http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2008/04/06/nosplit/sv_classics06.xml)
Recently re-read “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn” (for a book club) & just loved it (bad: stayed up to 4:30 a.m. finishing it in one sitting!).
There are a few racist comments sprinkled throughout, which hopefully can be ignored. But, the overall story of a girl’s hopes and daily life in the early 1900s in Brooklyn is just so well-done. I remember reading it when I was a teen and some of the images have stayed with me since then.
“The Boy in the Striped Pajamas” and 'Road"
“The Boy In The Striped Pajamas” just finished this and loved it.
“Road” just started and am already engrossed!
Just read 1776 and could hardly put it down.
Two biographies about literary families (helicopter parenting was alive and well before CC):
“Eden’s Outcasts: The Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Father” by John Matteson
“Fathers and Sons: The Autobiography of a Family” by Alexander Waugh
Epistrophy, Good list (#406). Glad to see that The Plantagenet Saga collection by Jean Plaidy is listed among the greats. I can recall quite vividly the pleasure of reading them over 35 years ago. I have not seen them in book stores and have wondered whether they were still in prints. If one is looking for books for teenagers, they are perfect.
I had the same reaction as most of the Telegraph readers, I couldn’t believe what they’d left off, and some of the choices (including Jean Plaidy) seemed nutty. Jonathan Livingston Seagull? Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance? And they want me to take them seriously?
C’mon guys, I took the Telegraph list to be best books in genres - not the 100 Great Books or Greatest books of all time or something. Although what they considered “romance” I thought was odd, and where was To Kill a Mockingbird?? there were other American books.
I’m compiling a series of bookmarks of lists of great books, more in the vein that I think you all are thinking - like the reading list for St. John’s College, and the reading list for the Columbia humanities course. If anyone has links to post, I’d like to add them to my bookmarks, thanks. I’m developing a personal list of “classics” that I’ve missed.
mathmom:
I don’t think anyone’s trying to be definitive here; with lists like this, the point seems, rather, to entertain, instruct (by exposing folks to things they might not otherwise have encountered), and provoke (which they seem to have succeeded at).
Just read The Whistling Season by Ivan Doig…nice summer read. Good book club discussion. I enjoyed the novel’s look in to one room schools and the cooperative education between the different grades. It really is a nice read.
I am finishing up The Known World and next is The Whistling Season nearby…Doig’s Dancing at the Rascal fair is one of my favorites of all time.
Thanks for the reccomendation overseas!
Finished A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah. It was good, thanks for the recommendation.
Oh I understand, I had fun reading the list. In some ways it could be have been titled the list of 110 books I enjoyed reading in high school. It was clear that 100 is not nearly enough to put together a “perfect” list. I did appreciate the effort to include fun books. Never the less some choices were seriously headscratching.