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My Favo(u)rite Books
Here is a list of my favorite books. These are not necessarily the greatest books ever written, but of the books I've read, these have stood out in my memory over the years. Here are my criteria for selection:
1) Organic unity. These novels tend to have a "classical" organic unity to them. "Mozartian" is another term to describe this ideal view. They are examples of classic storytelling which have been finely crafted by masters who are aware of their genres. These works tend not to venture into more avant guarde techniques such as stream of consciousness, which is why William Faulkner, undeniably one of the great writers of the 20th century, is not on this list. In that sense, they are all fairly easy to read.
2) Well-written. This may go without saying, but a book is only as good as how well it is written. Even if the story is weak, a powerful narrative will always win me over. The books below, however, don't have the problem. Most of these are works of fiction, but there are a few non-fiction works as well. Aside from Number 1, these books are not necessarily ranked in order of excellence or preference.
1. Anna Karenina
Tolstoy's masterpiece made a big impact on me one summer while I was in high school. The characters of Levin and Anna still remain two of the most vivid in fiction. I identified strongly with the character of Levin, and delighted in his view of romantic love. I love the sensibility of these characters, and would probably have become friends with them if I had met them. The descriptions of Anna's beauty has probably shaped my view of women--the ideal woman. There have been a few in my life who've come close to Tolstoy's description. If possible, read the Maude translation, which is supposedly the closest in spirit to the original Russian.
2. The Scarlet Letter
All American high school English classes begin with this monument of American literature, and like first love, everything else which comes after never exceeds it. Herman Melville, F. Scott Fitzgerald were awed by Hawthorne's genius. I've read this about four times already and am ready to pick it up again. An organic work of art, it is Hawthorne's masterpiece.
3. East of Eden
I'll be the first to admit that John Steinbeck is an over-rated writer, but I'm drawn to the innocence and purity of this literary soap opera. Sure the Biblical Cain and Abel symbolism is obvious and naive. Sure the prose is simple. But for sheer pleasure, few books come close to this great summer reading epic.
4. One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich
Alexander Solzhenitsyn's thin marvel is one of the most important books of the 20th century. The concept of the novel is simple, yet boldly effective--one day in life of a gulag prisoner. We get to see the smallest details of a man's life. Ivan Denisovich is the quintessential Everyman.
5. Hiroshima
One of the great non-fiction books of the 20th century, this document of the aftermath of the atomic bombing is unforgettable, and John Hershey's prose is unparalleled. A great Bantam paperback!
6. The Stranger
Albert Camus is without a doubt the greatest French writer of this century. This novel, along with The Plague, confirms his reputation as a literary, as well as a philosophic giant. However, I put The Stranger on my list of artistic reasons rather than its existentialist themes.
7. Steppenwolf
Herman Hesse's novels have a special place in my heart. I've read most of them in translation, and this one stands out as the best of the lot. I'd also recommend the more organically-unified "Narcissus and Goldman," which is almost like a treatise on the intellectual and sensual sides of man.
8. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
In a word: profound. ZAMM strikes at the heart of rationalism, and questions the foundations of Western thought. After reading this, I felt like I was living inside one gigantic bubble. Just as Einstein changed the world's view of the universe, this book will change your view of your own way of thinking. There are no absolutes.
9. Tristan and Isolde
I read Gottfried van Strassbourg's classic romance in college, and like The Scarlet Letter, it struck me as a perfectly unified in form. An organic masterpiece, and one of the first psychological novels in European literature.
10. Sophie's Choice
William Styron's thick epic would be so much better if were only half as long, but this story of a Holocaust survivor who befriends an aspiring young writer in New York contains some of the most beautiful prose I've ever read. Styron clearly wants to follow in the steps of Thomas Wolfe (You Can't Go Home Again), and in many ways he outdoes him. Perhaps this is as close as anyone will get to writing the Great American Novel.
11. Catch-22
One of the funniest literary classics, Joseph Heller single handedly coined a new word which our culture could now not live without, especially in the realm of politics. "A Catch-22 situation" is an endless loop, like the chicken and egg conundrum. This one I put on my list more for its humor and cultural impact.
12. One Hundred Years of Solitude
Gabriel Garcia Marquez won the Nobel Prize chiefly on the merit of this modern classic. The author himself is said to have remarked that the English translation was better than the original Spanish. One of the most "atmospheric" novels I've ever read, and the flagship novel of the style which has come to be known as "magical realism."
13. The Dispossessed
(published at www.amazon.com:)
I read this (Ursula K. LeGuin) book about 10 years ago and it still echoes in my mind as far and away the best science fiction novel I have ever read simply because it avoids problems found in most SF--poor characterization and over-reliance on techno-babble. It amazes me that this classic has not been made into a movie yet, but it would lend itself much better to the screen than, say, "Dune." This book squarely faces the central dilemma of a materialistic society--that by its very nature encourages possessive (hence the title) desires, both sexual and otherwise, that lead inevitably to spiritual dissolution and unhappiness. And as far as LeGuin's prose goes, there are sentences here that I will never forget. The last line is surely one of the most memorable in American literature.14. Time and Again
Jack Finney's fantasy bestseller is one of those cult classics that defies categorization. With a huge following of fans, this book is really the guilty pleasure on this list--an unabashed piece of entertainment, no more, no less. A time travel romance set in 19th century Chicago. Fun, fun, fun.
15. Alive
I just finished reading Piers Paul Read's 3-million copy bestseller about the Andes survivors, and it reads like a John Grisham page-turner, except it really happened. Read avoids the temptation to fall into sensationalism with his understated, objective account of an Uruguayan rugby team's struggle for survival in the high Andes after a plane crash in 1972. This one goes into the "unputadownable" category.
16. Letters to a Young Poet
Rainer Maria Rilke's thin collection is one of those literary gems--a true bedside companion. This inspirational collection is one of the great soul-searching books of all time. Like a literary chain letter, this one seems to get passed along to friends in need rather than bought firsthand. Dog-eared and heavily marked, that's the kind of copy I have.
17. A Prayer for Owen Meany
John Irving's novel are great for summer reading, and this one is even better than The World According to Garp. Is Irving a serious writer? Yes, definitely. Is he a literary giant? No, but as a popular writer, he may be the Dickens of the late 20th century.
18. Chaos
In the genre of science writing, James Gleick's bestseller about the making of a new science stands out as a classic which reads like a page-turner. Timothy Ferris' Red Limit, about the discovery of the Big Bang, is also highly recommended. Chaos is required reading for the scientifically curious layman who wants to step back and see the big picture sometimes.
19. The Silmarillion
A huge bestseller from the late 70s, J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle Earth "Genesis" is written like the King James version of the Bible. The majestic prose still echoes in my mind. Some have remarked that it was one of great reading experiences of their lives. I wouldn't go that far, but I wouldn't mind picking up this fantasy classic again.
20. The Remains of the Day
The movie version of Kazuo Ishiguro's study of a mansion butler in pre-World War II England has Anthony Hopkins to thank for its brilliance, but the novel itself is a finely crafted narrative which puts Ishiguro at the forefront of Britain's literary scene. The most accessible of this writer's expanding body of work.
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