So I started digging through Mickey's "What Are You Currently Reading" thread in hopes of securing some titles for purchase. But there are over 300 fucking pages. So I was hoping to find a more simplified outlet.

Please share your must reads...

I'd offer up the following:

The Prophet by Khalil Gibran ~ a Bible for the layman

One & Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah by Richard Bach ~ great concepts in both, beautifully written

Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse ~ a one-sitting read, very introspective, details one lad's search for the self... would also recommend The Glass Bead Game (a long, enjoyable read) & Steppenwolfe (a deep mind-fuck) by the same author

Peace Like a River by Leif Enger ~ a wholesome story that flows perfectly

The Alchemist, By The River Piedra I Sat Down & Wept and most anything else by Paulo Coelho

Lovely book. Must read this again

So here are 3 of my favourites

Graham Greene, The Heart Of The Matter
Malcolm Lowry, Under The Volcano
Joseph Heller, Catch-22 (but I mean this one isn't exactly a secret here)
Emile Zola - Germinal

I've never read Paulo Coelho but I've been told by many people that I respect that one should stay away from his work at all costs.

Cool thread. I'd like to hear this too, but could people be so kind as to differentiate between fiction and non fiction? I just don't read fiction, not my thing.

five must reads that i just read this year (all fiction)

hunter s. thompson - the rum diary
david foster wallace - infinite jest
dave eggers - a heartbreaking work of staggering genius
mario vargas llosa - conversation in the cathedral
jorge icaza - the villagers (huasipungo)

Non fiction: in cold blood - Truman capote

oh yes

correction to my previous post: heartbreaking work is supposed to be a sort of memoir, but it's heavy on the artistic license thing.

Don't fuck with my thread's dominance, asshole. Seriously, who underlines book titles? Grow up and italicize like a man.

Did I turn you on to this? I can't remember. I've been pimping that thing in the books thread for like four years. My favorite book toggles between that and The Sun Also Rises based on which I've read last.

First Hunter S. book I ever read. Stellar. All his shit is good. Love it when he refers to the car in Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas as the great, red shark. Fear & Loathing On The Campaign Trail 1972 is exceptional as well, especially for any political aficionados. To conceive of somebody with the persona of Hunter S. covering a campaign and being in proximity to candidates is pretty fucked. And awesome all at once.

Underlining a book title constitutes proper grammar. Forgive me, Mickey, as I was once an aspiring educator and tend to adhere to good grammar when it's feasible.

A pleasure to make your acquaintance, by the way.

Regards,
asshole

Wow. I never heard of him until about six months ago and think his books are pretty solid. To each his own, but he's one I wouldn't knock until I tried.

since when is it not proper to italicize?

It isn't. I fucked the dog.

I let a classmate borrow this and never got it back.

i remember you posting about hst, and partially because of that i read a bunch of his stuff last year (f&l 72, great shark hunt, f&l in america) and rum diary just happened to be the one i got a hold of last. it's excellent, it's better than the vegas book in several ways.

Bitch have you even read MLA 10?

LOL @ Paulo Coelho being a "must read".

I dont read a lot of books but I would put Thomas Hardy's Jude the Obscure on the list..