A good topic this week brought to us by the Broke and the Bookish...though a tough one, as I don't really pay much attention of whether a book is a debut or not. No particular order here.
1. The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien. I haven't read about Bilbo's adventure since high school, which makes me sad.
2. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison. I adore Ms. Morrison's prose.
3. The Brass Cupcake by John D. MacDonald. I'm mostly a fan of his Travis McGee novels, and have had a hard time connecting with many of the standalones I've read...but this one certainly is an exception.
4. American Rust by Philipp Meyer. Yep, I still love this book...scroll down and you can read my review of it.
5. The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway. I have seen this panned quite a bit in the blogosphere. It has been forever since I've read it, but it turned me into a Hemingway fan.
6. Neuromancer by William Gibson. It reads like a futuristic-ultra punk Chandler novel.
7. Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley. Easy Rawlins' desperation in holding on to that which is he is most proud - home ownership, makes him one of crime fiction's most empathetic characters.
8. Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser. The first book reviewed on this blog.
9. Everything is Illuminated by Jonathon Safron Foer. I didn't love this book, but I saw so much promise in Foer that I do think it is a strong debut. The way Foer is able to weave humor into such dark subject matter without you wanting to punch him in the face is astounding. At some point I will work Foer's second book into my reading plans.
10. Twilight by Stephanie Meyer. I jest.
Haha I love how you kinda sorta have Twilight on there. I just had to give the book props for getting me back into reading. It has helped me find greener pastures of reading :)
ReplyDeleteI admire Harry Potter and Twilight for the reading phenomenon they created amongst young people. There was nothing like them when I was a kid or young adult...that they have huge parties for book releases is pretty incredible, when you listen to all the doom and gloom everybody heaps on youth about illiteracy and people choosing not to read. So, yeah, I read a few pages in Twilight and Harry Potter...decided it wasn't my cuppa and moved on. And sit back and watch in amazement as kids go crazy about reading...
ReplyDeleteOk, and so I tease my wife a little about her Twilight fandom, too.;)
"I jest." :) Great list.
ReplyDeleteNeuromancer! That might have made it onto my list if I'd managed to finish it. The next time I give it a shot it'll be my 5th attempt or so... but I'm determined to read it!
ReplyDeleteYou're the second person on my reader who has mentioned Everything is Illuminated on this list. I'm reading it right now and really enjoying it, especially the Alex bits
ReplyDeleteI second what Tony D. says: As long as it gets kids excited about reading, and exploring what OTHER kinds of stories they like, I'm all for it. I know what you mean about not paying attention to authors: I had to go through all my books and do a little research to see which of my books fit on this list. Your list is a good balance of genres -- thanks for sharing, and enjoy!
ReplyDeleteHeh, Twilight made me laugh. Neuromancer was not easy to read but it did make my list because it was so ground breaking for its time. I forgot all about The Hobbit!
ReplyDeleteInteresting that you made mention of Walter Mosley's character Easy Rawlins' "desperation in holding on to that which is he is most proud -{his} home"
ReplyDeleteAnd, listed Toni Morrison's brilliant book Bluest Eye. Morrison also focuses on home ownership as the Black communities fragile grasp on the hem of America.... "Renting Blacks cast a furtive glances at these owned yards and porches, and made firmer commitments to "by themselves some little place". In the meantime they saved and scratched and pilled away what they could in the rented hovels, looking forward to the day of property"
Nice connection, Spook. Thanks for posting.
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