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reading... books...
17/f. I love to read. I read almost anything really. But right now I'm in to reading the classics(my favorites: Saligner, Bradbury, Steinbeck, Orwell etc.) I just need more titles. Anything under the category 'classics' would be helpful. And also a quick summary-type on what the book is about would be very helpful. Thanks!!!
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Here are a couple of my favourite classics...
Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy
- About a country girl whose family finds out that they are from a good family, and when they try to get involved with the family, her life goes horribly wrong.
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
- An orphan is sent to a charitable school, and eventually becomes a governess. She falls in love with her employer.
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- Anything by Jane Austen. On first read they seem like an average, light Regency romance, but they actually have a lot of brilliant commentary on politics and social order.
- Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy- the translation done by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky (i bought it at Barnes and Noble, it usually says Oprah's Book Club on it). Absolutely amazing book. I can't even begin to describe it...a very funny, clever book with romance and a good story. First classic book I liked. It's a fairly easy read, too.
- Walden and Civil Disobedience by Henry Thoreau. walden is his essays on two years when he lived in the woods, a mile from all civilization and reflected on simplifying life. That makes it sound boring, but it's actually really good. This is where the quote "The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation" comes from. A lot of interesting ideas here. Civil Disobedience is a speech he wrote while in jail for refusing to pay a tax. I liked Walden better, but Civil Disobedience is interesting if you're into politics.
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H.P. Lovecraft. He is the best horror writer since Poe. And don't even think for a moment that any horror writer is better, because every modern horror writer took their stuff from Lovecraft or Poe and many of them will admit to it, including Stephen King.
He wrote short stories dealing with his own created mythos, the "Cthulhu Mythos". Basically, it describes a pantheon of ancient beings and people who interact with the modern world in very sublte ways. He also did genuine horror stories such as "Herbet West: ReAnimator" - dealing with the undead and "Cool Air" dealing with prolonging death. They all are fascinating stories and the writing is excellent with good and memorable characters and captivating stories.
Ever heard of the Necronomicon from Evil Dead or whatnot? It came from Lovecraft.
[Link](Mouse over link to see full location) for more info.
Enjoy!
-Ryan
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All of Jane Austen's books are AWESOME!!! Pride and Prejudice is her most famous and is one of the best-loved books of all time, but her other 5 books are wonderful, too. They are:
Pride and Prejudice
Sense and Sensibility
Mansfield Park
Northanger Abbey
Emma
Persuasion
All of her books include a love story, but they are actually very humorous, because they all poke fun of the 1800s British obsession with class and social standing. Her books were written in the early 1800s and at first it can be a little challenging to catch on to the language and writing style, but it is well worth the effort!
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