The Book List

In no particular order, I’m firing off books as I go.

All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
I’ve never read it, but the excerpt in my European History textbook was phenomenal. Sure, it made my soul cry a little at night, but I think it’ll be one of those books that you have to read, one that makes you reflect and think about who you are and who you want to be.

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens.
If the title doesn’t stir something in your gut, then you obviously don’t know your literature. This book is incredible. Just incredible. I venture to say it’s one of the most enjoyable Classic I’ve read. It’s not overloaded with adjectives and boring letters. It’s perfect. It’s a novel about a boy named Pip and his happening on fortune. Right now, I’m in the middle of reading it, and I’m feeling immense anger toward Pip… yes, I do interact with characters that way. If I had known Pip I would have slapped the daylights out of him.

Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
I read this in eighth grade, and though I know I didn’t understand everything, I loved it. The plot was fantabulous… even though I knew who was the other adulterer about a quarter of the way through the book.

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Beautiful book written about beautiful people. I venture to say that this book has changed me a lot. It made me look at myself, to reexamine who I am and to try to become a better, more caring, more empathetic person. I don’t promise it’ll do that for you, I think if a book is going to change you, you can’t go looking for it on purpose. That would be just ridiculous! Books work their wonders when we aren’t looking.

Emma by Jane Austen
Surprisingly, I enjoyed this book much more than I did Pride and Prejudice. Perhaps it’s because I had gotten used to the style of writing (I did read Emma after Pride and Prejudice), but for some reason, Emma spoke to me more than Pride and Prejudice did. I probably had ridiculously high expectations for the latter because my teacher at the time was in love with it, and so was one of my friends. In general, both of these books are about the same thing. You have to have a good romance sometimes, not the crap that Fabio covers. (But, truth be told, I’ve never read them… they look bad.)

Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, Naked, Me Talk Pretty One Day, When You Are Engulfed in Flames, Barrel Fever, Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris
Okay, for all you Sedaris fans out there, I know this is not in chronological order. I haven’t read the last two yet, but I’ve read the other four. These books are clever, witty, and have the most amazing sense of humor you will ever find in a book. Just make sure that when you read Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, you take off the cover (if it’s a hard cover copy), unless you know that people don’t mind seeing a naked Barbie on the front and back covers. I didn’t see what was wrong with it, but somehow, it offends people… because Barbie’s so realistic.

Women’s Murder Club Series, Maximum Ride Series, Alex Cross Series by James Patterson (and other authors)
WMC was a TV show for a little while, and they got the perfect actress for Lindsay Boxer. But, apparently that show was discontinued, I thought it was interesting… then again I am an avid Patterson-thriller fan. These books are the kind of books that you never want to put down until you finish, then you want to buy the next in the series and read it all in one day. Don’t. It’s intense, and you’ll feel like there’s a monster or a rapist standing behind you when you go pee. And this thing cannot be seen in the mirror, so you think it’s a vampire, but that’s not possible because Patterson doesn’t write about the supernatural that doesn’t make sense. And when you finally climb back into bed, you feel like there’s someone watching you from the window, except that the blinds are pulled up all the way.

Life of Pi by Yann Martel
A very slow beginning, but fascinating. Incredibly creative, especially when you read Part Three: Benito Juárez Infirmary, Tomatlán, Mexico. I won’t say too much here, it’ll ruin the book.

We the Living by Ayn Rand
Wow. This is one of the most intense novels I have ever read in my life. The language is spectacular and the imagery. The way her words yank your heart. It’s not a moved-to-tears feeling though, it’s more of an incredulous feeling. That oh-my-goodness-humanity-can-be-that-evil feeling.

The Trimmed Lamp by O. Henry
I picked up a nondescript brown book when I was down at Bookman’s the other day. It was, quite literally, nondescript. There was no description on the back cover. Not even the inside cover. I bought it anyways. And it’s amazingly confusing. Sure it’s just a series of short stories, but he/she always ends the story with an odd quip.
It’s character flaw revealing, but it’s terribly hard to comprehend. Wonderful writing though.

the perks of being a wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
This is the most incredible book. A high school boy in the throes of a troubled adolescence writes to you in a genuine, unabashed, open, friendly voice. He reaches out and pulls on your heartstrings. I was downright sobbing through at least four scenes. Possibly one of the most moving books I have ever had the pleasure of reading.

I can’t think of anymore right now. I’m not going to list out every single book I’ve read, because not all of them are worth it. But, here’s a few for now to satiate your literary thirst. And no, I did not steal the idea for the title of this page from that short-lived show on CBS… well, okay, I stole the first and third words, but come one, the middle word makes the difference.