[more of me pushing my beliefs on you]
one
absalom, absalom
william faulkner
reading this book is quite possibly one of the most rewarding experiences of my education to date. faulkner's enigmatic novel tells the story of several characters who attempt to reconstruct exactly what happened some years ago. the reader must determine who is telling the truth, who is not, and why it matters. [of course, you could just skip to the back and read the sutpen family chronology, but then you lose all of faulkner's beautiful prose] the book is nonlinear, so you must decode exactly where and when you are. the surprise ending makes all of the frustration of devouring the book worthwhile. this is a classic, and should be on everyone's shelf. it is a haunting experience.
two
did adam and eve have navels?
martin gardner'i believe that there are certain truths that humans cannot comprehend; much like calculus to a cat.'
over the course of gardner's 330 pages, he answers questions that the world has always seemed to wonder about, including the title. he carefully crafts each argument, and refutes and defends with extreme care. i don't think it matters if you are a creationist or a naturalist at all- gardner's religious viewpoints are those of a naturalist, but much can be learned by anyone, i'm sure. its a good read, and will open your eyes to the world that we live in, and perhaps make you think a little about where we came from and why it matters.
three
the complete fully illustrated works
lewis carrollbut sam, lewis carroll was a writer of children's books.
whatever.far far beyond the everpresent story of alices adventures is a much more interesting and humbling story. charles dodgson had an alter ego named lewis carroll. dodgson never once admitted publicly to actually being carroll, but it was widely known. the dodgson part of him published rather traditional mathematical theory books, and other scholarly documents. carroll wrote of giant mushrooms and maps that were blank, and other seemingly nonsense things. all of lewis carroll's stories are simply excuses for dodgson to make public his more bizarre feelings and theories about other dimensions, narcotics, chess, math puzzles, the british economic system, opinions on the queen of england, and especially dodgson's fascinations with prepubescent girls. in his works, carroll explains his ideas on alternate realities and the possibility of the fourth dimension and beyond. he expresses his feelings on the fact that he was once addicted to illicit drugs. he even explains how to reach some of his afforementioned alternate realites, and how it can affect your life, he even tells you how to read a map that is blank . its all there- you just gotta find it...
have fun...
four
the origin of species
charles darwini know what you are going to say. just stop. read on.
this book single-handedly began the creation v. evolution debate, or so it seems. most people who take part in this rather fierce battle have not read this text completely. darwin does not contend that humans used to be monkeys, or anything of the sort. there are so many misconceptions of this book, its ridiculous. these days, darwin's thoughts are a bit obsolete, and even a little cliche. although he did much to further the cause of evolution, his specific beliefs are not used much today; for they have been modified along with new scientific discovery. if you find yourself being a devout creationist, perhaps you should read this book, and attempt to understand where the other side is coming from. whether you choose to accept the ideas within the book or not, it is an essential read for anyone interested in expanding his or her mind in ways not though possible.
in our time
ernest hemingwayyaya ernest hemingway is an american hero, and his books are all classic. that doesn't stop his prose from reading like a bowling bowl falling down a flight of stairs. [even more than my own] if you can get past the very sparse use of language here, you will find one of the best collections of short stories in print. all of the stories take place in the early part of the twentieth century, and are all connected, somehow. in the background of the stories is the eminent invasion of technology and industrialization and its effects on the people. at the book's close, a man hikes for a day up to a fishing hole in a river, its left up to us to figure out what he does once he gets there. hemingway has captured his time with an unparalleled clarity. go buy this one and read it- its short.