top 10 books
So, I was glancing over twitter and notice that Neil Gaiman has posted a list of his top ten books for World Book Day (http://www.worldbooknight.org/wbn-blog/neil-gaimans-top-10.html). Looking through, I haven’t read a lot of them and, trusting the wonderful man’s taste, I will probably give quite a few of them a go.
This also inspired me to think about my ten favorites. It’s hard to think about: part of me wants to only pick ‘academic’ books to show off, the rest of me is just geeking out about one book or another. So, here we go, in no particular order:
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (full text: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1342) As many people know, my love of Austen runs strong and deep. It was as if she had written letters only for me to read and discover. The first time I read P&P felt like a revelation: I wish I could read it for the first time again, just to experience the joy of it.
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card (Please, buy it used: http://www.amazon.com/Enders-Game-Ender-Book-1/dp/0812550706) This book is an excellent piece of science fiction, with the brilliance of being painfully human. The reason why I say ‘buy it used’ is for political reasons: If you support marriage equality and are against homophobia, do not support Orson Scott Card in any way. He is involved with the National Organization for Marriage (NOM: http://www.nationformarriage.org/site/c.omL2KeN0LzH/b.3836955/k.BEC6/Home.htm), which is against everything I believe in. He is a great writer, but that doesn’t make his politics less disgusting.
The Book Thief by Markus Zusack (Please, buy new: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-book-thief-markus-zusak/1007362106) If I could express what this book does to me, it would be with tears. The tattoo on my ankle is from this book, to show just how much it has effected me. Zusack’s style is just as important as what he says through a thief, a Jewish fist-fighter and a lemon-headed boy.
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas (full text: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1184) This book is pure, unadulterated fun. If ever you have suppressed the urge to revenge, this will be a completely cathartic read.
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (full text: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1260) Jane Eyre is one of the most kick-ass heroines of the 19th century. She stuck by her guns and did what she knew to be right and this novel shows just how painful that decision can be.
North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell (full text: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/4276) This book is a brilliant look at gender roles within an industrial society: a young woman, moving about in public without restrain and no interest in love, and a powerful factory owner who is completely taken with her. It is shockingly harsh and tender at the same time.
American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis (for sale: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/American-Psycho/Bret-Easton-Ellis/e/9780679735779) This is a book that should be read only once. I had to walk away from it a number of times, and I have a strong stomach for violence and depravity. But it is worth watching the author take a truly despicable person and make him pitiable.
House of Leaves by Mark Danielewski (this edition: http://www.amazon.com/House-Leaves-Mark-Z-Danielewski/dp/0375703764) This isn’t a book, this is an experience. And it is one of the most terrifying experiences I’ve ever encountered on so many levels. I lost sleep, I felt my heart drop into my feet… and I can’t explain the euphoria I felt when it was all over.
The Oedipus Trilogy by Sophocles (full text: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/31) Oedipus is, by far, one of my favorite heroes in all of literature. He is dealt the worst hand, but is capable of taking responsibility for it: he doesn’t pass the blame, he takes it. And, while his life is cursed, his death is blessed and he is finally allowed choice in the end. It’s beautiful.
Going Bovine by Libba Bray (http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/going-bovine-libba-bray/1015305567) Take a ride with a teenager who has just contracted Mad Cow Disease, along with his hyperchondriac, OCD dwarf roommate and a talking lawn-gnome-who-is-actually-a-Norse-god and a pink, punker angel to save the world from the evil scientist who wants the whole universe to end. Yep.
PS: Amanda Palmer’s cover of Polly for the 20th anniversary of Nirvana’s Nevermind isn’t something that will let you sleep.
