Chris Mooney is a freelance writer and the author of two books, 
Last week, I asked for book recommendations and the response was extraordinary! Thanks to everyone for such a long list to explore of favorite stories and authors. Although I have read several already, it's difficult to narrow down possibilities and I'm still undecided which to begin during my trip Friday to NYC.
Below are the titles I'm considering and I invite everyone to follow the links and vote (in comments) on the most intriguing selection. Perhaps some of you will even read along? While getting lost in a good book is among my very favorite activities, sharing the journey is even more enjoyable!
The Finalists:
A Canticle for Leibowitz
The Betrothed
Nine Princes In Amber
The Time Traveler's Wife
The Poisonwood Bible
Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World
Unaccustomed Earth
John the Gnerphk's most recent comment from yesterday is worth reposting:
Sheril - you should bump this back to the top. Good books need a bump every now and again. :o)
Amen to that. The full list after the jump...
Old Man And The Sea
Life Of Pi
Henning Mankel
Robert Sapolsky
Jared Diamond
Frankenstein
Ender's Game
The Sea & Little Fishes
A Bear Called Paddington
Something From The Nightside
The Futurological Congress
William S. Burroughs
The Terror
The Gentlemen on the Road
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay
Yiddish Policeman's Union
Summerland
Hyperion
Illium
Song of Ice and Fire
The Book Thief
Down and Out in Paris and London
Persopolis
Maus
Pattern Recognition
Earth Abides
The French Lieutenant's Woman
The Birth Of The People's Republic of Antarctica
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
Norwegian Wood
Parable of the Sower
Parable of the Talents
The Pivot of Civilizaton
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle
The White Tiger
The Palace of Illusions
Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings
Atlas Shrugged
Havoc
Wizard of the Pigeons
Humanities & Social Science
Comments
did not realize lahiri has a new book. exciting!
Posted by: caily | August 5, 2008 12:48 PM
The Poisonwood Bible is one of my all-time favorite books. I'm American but grew up in different parts of Africa and I love the way Kingsolver presents a more 'real' sense of Congo through the narrators' eyes. The writing is exception, the story is surprising, and the characters are very well developed. All-around a great read, and still my favorite book - that's no easy feat coming from me.
Posted by: ateedub | August 5, 2008 1:09 PM
It's necessary to preface this by mentioning that I've been sick for much of the past month. While still rather feverish, I picked up a copy of Robert Service's "The Spell of the Yukon" from my bedside shelf and happened again across "The Cremation of Sam McGee".
This poem is now in the public domain, so I hope you'll bear with me if I quote the most memorable verse, and one I found quite comforting in my state of mild delirium --
" And there sat Sam, looking cool and calm, in the heart of the furnace roar;
And he wore a smile you could see a mile,
and he said: "Please close that door.
It's fine in here, but I greatly fear you'll let in the cold and storm --
Since I left Plumtree, down in Tennessee,
it's the first time I've been warm."
Posted by: John the Gnerphk | August 5, 2008 7:03 PM
A Canticle for Leibowitz (and its sequel)
Definitely, a classic
The Time Traveler's Wife
(would be my top choice for anyone who hasn't read it yet)
Posted by: Hank Roberts | August 6, 2008 9:03 PM
P.S.: http://www.sfwa.org/reading/rec_dozois.htm
Also, you could just download this and read it for a few weeks:
http://www.nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/
Posted by: Hank Roberts | August 6, 2008 9:05 PM