<p>chickenandwaffle,</p>
<p>I've read all three. If you wish to actually learn something read World is Flat. Freakonomics is just a bunch of interesting facts put together. They don't add up to much. Tipping Point is just ridiculously about nothing in general.</p>
<p>if you're looking for a fantasy twinge, i'd suggest jonathan carroll. his books remind me of salvador dali paintings. i'm not a fantasy lover, but carroll's books are wonderful. try:
"the wooden sea"
"the land of laughs"</p>
<p>non-fantasy wise, a HILARIOUS book that's quite smart, too, is "happiness" by ferguson.</p>
<p>"middlesex" by eugenides is beautiful. i loved it.</p>
<p>and i second any reccomendations of david sedaris.</p>
<p>Kissing in Manhattan by David schikler (not positive on the last name but I'm pretty sure that's it)
Anything by David Sedaris which includes: Me Talk Pretty One Day
Any of Flannery O'Connor's short stories. She was such an interesting woman and an amazing writer. You can get through one of them easily in 20-30 minutes so you have no excuse not to read at least one.</p>
<p>I second the call for The World is Flat. An "updated" version (a lot thicker) was just released.</p>
<p>It's not just good economics (and current events/poli sci) reading but it's also very practical because it deals with the causes and effects of globalization and also what it means for individuals in particular. That means all of us who are going to college and hoping for those nice, comfy jobs. Or just jobs in general. :)</p>
<p>A year ago I found somewhere a list of 100 books you have to read(included all the Classics:-)...now I am through the list and have to look for other books,...here are some of my recent favorites:
-The Kite Runner
-All Books by Dan Brown(Angles&Demons is my favorite)
-Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder
-My Sisters Keeper by Jodi Picoult
-Books by Paulo Coelho (the Alchimist, By the river pietra I sat down and wept-my favorite, eleven minutes, the zahir)
-Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings (and all the other Tolkien books), Chronicles of Narnia, Mists of Avalon(and other ZB-Books)
-Love Story
-Motorcycle Diaries bye Che Guevara
-Jane Eyre
- the sisterhood of the travelling pants(don't know why I love these books so much?!)
-The Dante Club
.....</p>
<p>Live from Death Row by Mumia Abu-Jamal</p>
<p>My top five fiction books:</p>
<ol>
<li>The Dark Tower series by Stephen King (extraordinarily long, but so worth it)</li>
<li>1984 by George Orwell</li>
<li>Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut</li>
<li>From Russia With Love by Ian Fleming (the Bond books are exponentially better than the Bond movies, and this is the best one of the series)</li>
<li>It by Stephen King</li>
</ol>
<p>For non-fiction, A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson is great if you at all like science. Each of Jon Krakauer's four books are interesting, too, even if you know next to nothing about mountain climbing, like me. Under the Banner of Heaven, about fundamentalist Mormon polygamy, is a real change in topic for him but is a very enlightening read.</p>
<p>Books I love:</p>
<p>To Kill a Mockingbird
Freakonomics
The World is Flat
Eats, Shoots & Leaves (WARNING: If you don't like English, don't read that.)
My Name is Asher Lev
1984
'Arry Potter</p>
<p>freakonomics
one flew over the cuckoos nest
crime and punishment
catcher in the
the perfume
any of Saramago's books are great ( I've read them in spanish translations only, but I'm sure you can find them in english)</p>
<p>can anyone recommend some good math, econ., or physics books to read? not like textbooks but more of a book I could read in my spare time</p>
<p>nickel and dimed by barbrah something with an E Elingsworth? something like that. Excellent econ book.</p>
<p>I assume from my name you will think me biased (which is entirely true). But...</p>
<p>Read Nietzsche. Not everyone will like him (not everyone likes philosophy), but still, I think everyone should attempt it.</p>
<p>My D has a goal of reading as many "banned" or "censored" books this summer as she can...lots of variety, interesting, and if you do a bit of research about WHY they were banned, you can learn a lot</p>
<p>Its a place to start</p>
<p>Rules of Attraction
Less than Zero
--both by Bret Easton Ellis. Can't believe no one's mentioned it. BOth books deal with the disaffection, boredom, thrills, and debauchery of college life.
Brave New World is an excellent--and odd--book about the world's future as a utopian society. Anthemn by Ayn Rand is somewhat similar but not as good eventhough its only like 100 pages.
DaVinci Code is also excellent. A ver quick read beacuse it is so suspenseful.
HOuse of Sand and Fog is probably the best book ever. There is also a film adaptation with Jennifer Connolly which is an amazing, sad, tragic movie.</p>
<p>Anthem's a good, quick read.</p>
<p>I generally like the following:
-Under the Volcano
-Don Quixote
-Great Expectations (A Tale of Two Cities is really good too)
-The World is Flat (loved it, good read)
-Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (It's a play that is a surrealist play off of Waiting for Godot and Hamlet, so much undertone to it)
-Brave New World
-Any of Poe's work (He's so creepy)</p>
<p>Oh yes! I'm glad Nietzsche brought it up. Do read him. Sartre was a little hard to understand, for me.
-The Alienist
-Jailbird by Vonnegut
-Middlemarch by Eliot
-And that one Mt. Everest Book. Ummm "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer.</p>
<p>Fantasy:</p>
<p>The briar King and sequel
A song of ice and fire series
second suns trilogy
memory sorrow and thorn
belgariad+malloreon
crown of stars
magician-feist</p>