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Must-Read Novels?

by Schmoe · 12/8/2011

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S
Schmoe
I thought there was a thread on this awhile back, but after searching, I have come up with nothing. Anywho, I just finished reading Cormac McCarthy's The Road and thought that it was a gritty, compelling, and very real novel that simply must be read (especially by fathers). Some others for me:

Animal Farm

Lord of the Flies

Ender's Game



off the top of my head.



And, I don't know that I'd call it a "must-read" because it was more entertaining that enlightening, but World War Z is just fantastic.
S
SpiffCoug
Jurassic Park

Timeline

Vector Prime

Heir to the Empire

Harry Potter
S
snoscythe
Hell's Angels by Shaara

No Country For Old Men and Blood Meridian by McCarthy (be advised that both are very violent. I have known a few people who couldn't finish Blood Meridian, but it is the best novel since Moby Dick.)

Catch-22
S
Schmoe
snoscythe wrote:

No Country For Old Men and Blood Meridian by McCarthy


Reading The Road has made me want to run out and buy every single McCarthy novel there is. If anybody wants to get me one for Christmas...
S
SpiffCoug
I saw No Country for Old Men (note to self: if I ever stumble across a drug deal gone bad and find a briefcase full of money 1) go through the money and check for a tracking device; 2) don't send my wife to her mom's; and 3) contact the police.) and I didn't like it. I thought it was all disjointed and awkward. Then I read The Road and saw that McCormack didn't use any punctuation, pagination or anything. The movie style made much more sense.
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G
Guest
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Robert M. Pirsig

Watership Down, Richard Adams

The Eye of the World, Robert Jordan

The Giver, Lois Lowry
B
BoiseBYU
The great American novel: Grapes of Wrath

The great American science fiction: Enders Game and Enders Shadow

The great American biography : Joseph Smith Rough Stone Rolling

The great American (author) historical fiction: A Thread of Grace

The great American humor book: Dave Berry Does American History

The great American history book: 1776



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Y
Yndian
To Kill a Mockingbird



If you enjoy juvenile fiction/fantasy (as I do):

The Ear, the Eye and the Arm

Maniac Magee

Holes

Freak the Mighty

The Prydain Chronicles

Redwall
S
scott715
Dr. Seus, oh wait wrong school.
S
Schmoe
scott715 wrote:
Dr. Seus, oh wait wrong school.


I do think Oh, The Places You'll Go belongs on this list.



And great call on Grapes of Wrath, Boise.
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M
Mars


My first three thoughts:

1- Schmoe has dark tastes.

2- I also enjoyed WWZ.

3- Does "The Walking Dead" count as a book?
S
Schmoe
Mars wrote:


My first three thoughts:

1- Schmoe has dark tastes.


I guess, for me, a "must-read" book is one that changes you or moves you, and that's usually going to be a novel that deals with "dark" issues. Not that there's anything wrong with someone having dark tastes ;)
B
BroncoBot
Dostoevsky- Crime and Punishment

Tolstoy- Anna Karenina

(I've liked most of the classic Russian novels I've read actually)

Agree with -"Grapes of Wrath"

Agree with - "Lord of the Flies" - anyone want to give me their interpretation of this book? I'd love to hear it.
S
Schmoe
declocoug wrote:

Agree with - "Lord of the Flies" - anyone want to give me their interpretation of this book? I'd love to hear it.


I've been reading it three times a day (with each one of my classes). When people say "it's about life," they're right on point. It's about how in any society, regardless of how it's setup, you'll have the evil of the natural man manifest itself in different ways and threaten to destroy law and order. With some, it will be because they desire power over others and use manipulation and fear to achieve it (Jack), others will have masochistic or sociopathic tendencies and will want to do harm to others and watch the world burn (Roger). Also, those who are the brightest and should lead do not always have the qualities that allow them to do so (Piggy and Simon), and those who are elected because of their charisma and leadership qualities (Ralph) should listen to the advice of those others and should take action to quell the fires of evil before they become overwhelming. The conch represents society, civilization, and rules, which is why Piggy always clings to it and Jack despises it. Not everyone is wired the same, there are leaders and there are followers (many more followers than leaders), we often choose our leaders based on the wrong criteria, and the followers can be swayed by pathos more easily than by logos or ethos. The thing that we have to fear most in life is not some imaginary enemy or some beast far off, but the evil inside of each one of us, the natural man, that can overthrow society, rules, laws, and order if it can be summoned forth through mob mentality in enough of the followers.
B
BroncoBot
Schmoe wrote:

Agree with - "Lord of the Flies" - anyone want to give me their interpretation of this book? I'd love to hear it.


I've been reading it three times a day (with each one of my classes). When people say "it's about life," they're right on point. It's about how in any society, regardless of how it's setup, you'll have the evil of the natural man manifest itself in different ways and threaten to destroy law and order. With some, it will be because they desire power over others and use manipulation to achieve it (Jack), others will have masochistic or sociopathic tendencies and will want to do harm to others and watch the world burn (Roger). Also, those who are the brightest and should lead, do not always have the qualities that allow them to do so (Piggy and Simon), and those who are elected because of their charisma and leadership qualities (Ralph) should listen to the advice of those others and should take action to quell the fires of evil before they become overwhelming. The conch represents society, civilization, and rules, which is why Piggy always clings to it and Jack despises it. Not everyone is wired the same, there are leaders and there are followers (many more followers than leaders), we often choose our leaders based on the wrong criteria, and the followers can be swayed by pathos more easily than by logos or ethos. The thing that we have to fear most in life is not some imaginary enemy or some beast far off, but the evil inside of each one of us, the natural man, that can overthrow society, rules, laws, and order if it can be summoned forth through mob mentality in enough of the followers.

Wow, that was awesome. And I suppose a lot of those thoughts (but not all) ran through my head. So, who is the ship captain who finds the boys? I read the book once about 5 years ago, and specifically remember wondering if he was supposed to be a metaphor for Christ.
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Schmoe
As this is my first year teaching the novel and we haven't finished it yet (and I couldn't specifically teach Christ-figures anyway), I haven't really analyzed the ending since I read it on my own some years ago. The naval officer at the end could loosely be considered a Christ-figure in the sense that he is a voice of reason and a savior, but he is unaware of what has been going on there and it takes him a moment to realize the severity of the situation that he has just stepped into, which doesn't seem much like Christ. I saw the close of the novel and the soldier more as simple hope. Hope is what was most important, and it was embodied by the fire, which is why the line "keep the fire going" is so important in the novel.



I should also be clear that, to me, there is nothing fantastic about the prose of the novel, but the message hits the nail on the head.
T
tmoney35
Catch 22
N
nuk13
I'm delighted that someone would mention "The Chronicles of Prydain". I met Lloyd Alexander when my friend invited him to BYU. In his presentation, Alexander was asked where he got his villians. He told us he looked inside himeself for all his characters. He brought out his negitive traits for the villians and positive for the heros and all in between. His main character, Taren, developed in one of the most interesting progressions I've seen in literature. It reminded me of "The Law of Eternal Progression" we used to teach our contacts in the mission field.



I also read "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintainence". It was given to me by a friend and I found it thought provoking. He also gave me 2 others; "The Man Who Walked through Time" by Colin Fletcher and "Unexpected Universe" by Lorin Eisley. All 3 of them caused me to think more deeply. Eisley was easy to read and yet was one of the deapest of authors I've read.



Ciam Potok also caused me deep reflection in "Davita's Harp", "The Chosen", "The Promise" and especially "My Name is Ascher Lev".



I will also mention Gary Poulsen. While his books don't move me as much as the above mentioned, he is always interesting and fun to read. He also came to BYU for the Young Readers conference. The guy is a story teller like my dad and uncles. He told us he'd been asked by some people to come talk to them about bear spirits. He told them he wouldn't be good for it as he'd just shot a bear last week. He told me the bear had got into his horses.



I've enjoyed your lists and comments and posting my own.
M
Mars
declocoug wrote:
Agree with - "Lord of the Flies" - anyone want to give me their interpretation of this book? I'd love to hear it.

Don't hit fat kids with rocks. Even if there aren't adults there to stop you.
I
IowaCougar
nuk13 wrote:
I'm delighted that someone would mention "The Chronicles of Prydain". I met Lloyd Alexander when my friend invited him to BYU. In his presentation, Alexander was asked where he got his villians. He told us he looked inside himeself for all his characters. He brought out his negitive traits for the villians and positive for the heros and all in between. His main character, Taren, developed in one of the most interesting progressions I've seen in literature. It reminded me of "The Law of Eternal Progression" we used to teach our contacts in the mission field.



I also read "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintainence". It was given to me by a friend and I found it thought provoking. He also gave me 2 others; "The Man Who Walked through Time" by Colin Fletcher and "Unexpected Universe" by Lorin Eisley. All 3 of them caused me to think more deeply. Eisley was easy to read and yet was one of the deapest of authors I've read.



Ciam Potok also caused me deep reflection in "Davita's Harp", "The Chosen", "The Promise" and especially "My Name is Ascher Lev".



I will also mention Gary Poulsen. While his books don't move me as much as the above mentioned, he is always interesting and fun to read. He also came to BYU for the Young Readers conference. The guy is a story teller like my dad and uncles. He told us he'd been asked by some people to come talk to them about bear spirits. He told them he wouldn't be good for it as he'd just shot a bear last week. He told me the bear had got into his horses.



I've enjoyed your lists and comments and posting my own.


Gary Paulsen - as in "Hatchet"? I'm too lazy to look it up, but if that's who you're referencing, great books for young and old alike.



I can't disagree with any books mentioned here. Two more that I would add:



Les Miserables - really long book, but so much great stuff on the nature of man, repentence, forgiveness, and redemption. The characters are so deep that you care even about the minor ones.



Nicholas Nickleby - Dickens before he got cynical in his later books. Much more positive about overcoming adversity than some of his later books (like Great Expectations).
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