Help broaden my horizons!

[electricland]

As you all know, I read a lot. I get ideas from recommendations from friends and various blogs and things that sound interesting when mentioned in passing. This serves me quite well, but I'm aware that I have a large selection bias. As well, I list what I read, but I don't generally say much else, and I think this is both lazy and not terribly helpful to other readers. (Or even me, because eventually I'll forget what I thought of many of these.)

So, a request (challenge?) for you:

1. Suggest something I should read. It can be something you think I'd like, something you like, something you doubt I'd like at all. If I can get hold of it -- for preference, it'll be something the Toronto Public Library system has -- I'll read it, and write a review. It probably won't be a long review. But I'll do it.

2. My reading list for the past several months can be obtained by clicking my "books" tag. Pick a book (or books) from there that you'd like to know more about, and I'll write a review. Again, it probably won't be long.

Feel free to do one or both. And thanks in advance!

Comments

[cosmicbob.livejournal.com]

Did you read The Historian? If not, I would suggest it. Nevermind, I see by your list that you have read it.

And I would also suggest The Children Of Hurin by Tolkien. But it's not for everyone, even if you enjoyed The Lord Of The Rings. There's also a new set of books called The History Of The Hobbit, non-fiction about how he wrote The Hobbit and it's various editions. I found it interesting, but I may be the only person in the world who did.

As for really useless crap, I'm reading a bunch of Angel novels I got from the library for $0.25. The ones by Jeff Mariotte are pretty good.

Have you ever read any Marion Chesney? I would recommend the House For The Season series. Regency novels.

And, there are 20 (+1) Patrick O'Brian novels in the Master and Commander series. They are fun.

[wanderingaengus.livejournal.com]

1. Either Midnight Cowboy or Season of the Witch by James Leo Herlihy. I read both of these a while back, and liked them both, but I don't think I've ever talked to another person who had read Herlihy. I think he's more obscure than he deserves to be. Anyhow, a friend was recently talking about the subject of loneliness, and that's important to Herlihy, especially in Midnight Cowboy. ("There's no beatitude for the lonesome.")
   
   
2. I wouldn't mind hearing more about your take on The Yiddish Policemen's Union.
   

I have letters

[rickyloot]

From mr. herlihy about both the books. I wrote him in 1987 -he wrote back

Re: I have letters

[rickyloot]

I can tell you what he thought about the movie, Joe Buck and Season of the witch.

2008

[rickyloot]

2008 sorry there is NO chance you will read this

[jamesbow.livejournal.com]

Well, you know my bias. If you're interested in young adult fantasy, my books, "The Unwritten Girl" and "Fathom Five" are both available from the Toronto library, as are my mother's books, "the Spiral Maze", "The Bone Flute" and "The Ruby Kingdom".

:-)

[metawidget]

I really liked Steven Johnson's The Ghost Map, a book ostensibly about cholera in London in 1854 but also about memetics, cities, how to destroy civilization, and science.

It's a good, engaging read and nicely designed.

[kerlin.livejournal.com]

I think everyone in the whole world should read Gaudy Night, but I see by your tag that you've already read Dorothy Sayers. :)

I've been reading a lot of books-behind-movies lately, and two I especially enjoyed:

Cimarron by Edna Ferber. Judging by the way in which I enjoyed this, I will be searching out more Edna Ferber - probably Showboat next.
The Rains Came by Louis Bromfield (this is also one of my favorite movies of all time; I am not sure I would read more Bromfield)

[mrs-cake.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure how much you like fantasy but... Scott Lynch's Gentleman Bastards series really is very, very good so far. (No elves, trolls or dwarves. Some wizardry, though.) I utterly enjoyed The lies of Locke Lamora and Red seas under red skies. So there. :)

A few Books

[bryghtboy.livejournal.com]

PS. Your Cat is Dead by James Kirkwood

Beautiful Losers by Leonard Cohen (if you haven't already)

Second Scroll by A.M. Klein

Anil's Ghost by Micheal Ondaatje

I greatly enjoyed all four of those, pretty sure they should be available out of the Toronto Public library system. Not sure if any in particular lend themselves to review but hopefully one of them grabs your fancy.

Memoirs from a Geisha

[rickyloot]

Read it.