I am a huge fan of Wilde, Salinger, Nabokov, Coetzee, Woodard, Tolkien, Conan Doyle, Steinem, Thoreau, Yeats…to name just a few (authors, for those of you who unfortunately don’t know). I try to go for variety, but if the book leaves me thinking, then I know I’ve made a good choice. I’m usually too busy but there are some weeks where I can easily read dozens of books…non-stop. Even though I have a bad habit of buying new books from Borders or Barnes & Noble, I do love discovering hidden jewels in second-hand shops. And I’m sure others do, too. But like me, they should have the luxury of “choice”.
Since not too many books can be read more than once, your books probably are gathering dust at this very moment. [Side note: Has anybody noticed the dwindling quality of coming-out authors these days? Argh. Another post to be never written someday]. Why don’t you donate your old books through DC Learns? Through your generosity, others can escape too. To me, that’s the very beauty of living- the ability to imagine. And let authors do it for you, too.
Who are your favorite authors? Why?
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My literary tastes are as eclectic and nerdy as yours, Julie. For me, personally, I enjoy variety for it allows one to partake in exploration of the minds of various authors.
However, Nicolay Gogol and his work titled, “The Nose,” come to mind. If any of you knew me as a kid, you’d know that I didn’t wear glasses and as a result, my big beautiful Jewish/Russian nose stood out prominently. And naturally, my interest in this story developed. In a nutshell, this is a story about a man named Kovalev and his big nose. The nose basically makes the decision to independently live its own life apart from Kovalev.
And with that said, I think many of us choose favorite authors not only based on their ability to make us think but based on our own ability to relate personal experiences to the story’s plot or even certain passages.
And I’d be lying if I didn’t say I admire Dr. Seuss and his “Oh the Places You’ll Go!”. :)
Oh, and thanks for posting the info about DCLearns. Am reminded of a fairly common phenomenon that takes place in Dupont Circle. During the warmer months, many homeowners on my block trade books by leaving books on their doorsteps with signs reading, “Free”. And with Dupont having its interesting, ethnic mix of residents, it’s never hard to find a good read.
Among the other books I read, one underappreciated and underread author is definitely Nobel Prize-winner Jose Saramago. His novels are succulent morsels.
It’s hard for me to play favorites since I read a dizzy variety of books as well, but if I had to pick one, it’d be Vonnegut. His books, no matter their date of publication, never cease to be politically and socially relevant and highlight life’s absurdities.
How could I have totally forgotten Kavalier & Clay? Intepreter of Maladies? *banging head on wall*. There are just too many titles for me to remember all at once. I vaguely remember somebody telling me about Gogol’s “Nose” story, I’ll have to check that one out. Ditto for Saramago. I know a handful of Vonnegut fans (my husband included)- and they all seem to be really passionate about politics as well. Hm.
You can *really* tell a lot about a person by their choice of books (on a VACATION, that is). For example, Nicholas Sparks?? I’m sorry, but ew!
What about Ayn Rand? Atlas Shrugged is the #2 favorite book by Americans, second to the Bible, according to a survey by the Library of Congress. Her books (Atlas Shrugged, The Fountainhead, Anthem, etc.) had and still do have a profound effect on my outlook on life, politically and socially.
If you love humor, I highly recommend Bill Bryson. I believe he is best known for his travel essays, but he has also written works pondering the English language and science’s greatest questions. His books are informative, thought-provoking, and fall-off-your-chair funny.
My favorite book is “I’m a Stranger Here Myself: Notes on Returning to America After 20 Years Away.” It is a collection of musings about a country that has 24-hr dental floss hotlines, statistics for the number of people injured by their bedding, and holidays where the only goal is to “get your stomach into the approximate shape of a beach ball.” It is a book that I can both relate to and be bewildered by, a book that I can’t help but share with friends, and a book that quickly became a classic in my collection.
[…] But while you’re grumbling, there’s always DeafDC to keep you occupied, right? Last Saturday night, the dream ended for George Mason University, but not without a whoo-whoo post from Adam as the suburban commuter school team entered the NCAA Final Four. Rob lamented the existence of legislative audism in determining deaf children’s education policy. Juicy datin’ gossip was delivered courtesy of Erin, while Julie lauded the enduring magic of books. Did anyone read Time last week? If the cover story about global warming’s got you concerned (but you should already have been concerned years ago), give some thought to joining Zipcar. […]
I love to read novels, not politics. ;) I try to read books written by authors from all over the world to diversify my collection. Diversity is good, right? ;)
Off the top of my head, my favorite authors are John Irving (”A Prayer for Owen Meany”), Wally Lamb (”She’s Come Undone”) and Chris Bohjalian, a Vermont writer. Chris is most famous for his book “Midwives” but all of his books are equally just as good; each book focuses on what is considered a controversial issue in our American society. For example, “Water Witches” is about dowsers and “Trans-sister Radio” is about transgender.
I also like Barbara Kingsolver, Louise Erdrich, Paulo Coelho, to name a few. No junky romance novels for me, thankyouverymuch! ;)
I have to say among the books I brought on my honeymoon travels through Italy and Austria (what time did I have for reading?!), I had Jose Saramago’s The Cave and Dan Brown’s Angels and Demons.
Along w your husband though… Vonnegut is one of my all time favorite authors :-). Kind of hard to squeeze reading in with all the reading I need to do for my MBA degree! Cannot wait to graduate in 12/06 and get back to the blissful world of reading.
i read so many books its hard to pick a fave. oh wait, no its not!1 Lawrence Sanders. i have read every one of his books…love books, murder mysteries, everthing!!! for those sad souls whom have not redad his work, please goto the library. he rules!!