Favorite Books
#1. (without question) is "Prince of Tides" by Pat Conroy.
Reason: I started reading Conroy in the middle 60's upon publication of his first work - "The Water is Wide". I knew then, he was a good wordsmith and story-teller; and that I would read his later works. There followed: "The Great Santini", The Lords of Discipline", and a couple of others I don't recall; THEN... there came "Prince..." and I was dumbfounded! I couldn't then (and can't now) believe he put words together like that. As a matter of fact, I hi-lited the words I HAD NEVER EVEN HEARD OF (and I'm fairly word-familiar) and looked them up in a dictionary as I went along. Another point is -- I KNOW it's hard to formulate an ending to a story. Conroy not only has a PERFECT ending to the story, it also ends appropriately in the last chapter, (as opposed to writing an epilog), it concludes on the last page, the last paragraph and even the last word!!!! Brilliant!!! (highest rating, hardy applause!!) Additionally, it also makes the reader ponder what he/she would do in the parallel situation.
#2 (very close second) is "Beach Music" by Pat Conroy.
Reason: The preceding work, "Prince of Tides", left the reader wondering hungrily if there were any other "bits and pieces" the author wanted to share about his strange family. He starts his tale in Rome, Italy with his daughter and wonders around a bit, only to pilgrimage back to where he grew up, in the salt-water marshes of the shores of South Carolina. I think everyone likes stories of unrequited love, and this love story is almost as poignant as my favorite - "Love Story", by Eric Segal. Also, he concludes the "Prince of Tides" story in the sense that the reader has "closure" to the whole sequence of events. Interestingly, the people I've discussed the two stories with, often state that "Beach Music" is better than "Prince..." You tell me your preference.
#3 "Body and Soul" by Frank Conroy (no relation to Pat Conroy, just a curious anomaly.)
Reason: Everyone is fascinated by music and even have their own favorite songs for one reason of another. Additionally, while most people know they like some form of music, they rarely know – “why.” It’s a curious note that the reason everyone always has a song/tune playing in the background of their mind is – music is like a structure, scaffolding, you might say; that gives your mind something to build thoughts and/or ideas on. (If you don’t believe this, read: “The Man Who Mistook His Hat for his Wife.” It chronicles how a patient who had lost all short-term memory was rehabilitated through the addition of actual background music to his environment. Without it, he had no association with anything, -- with it, he could tell the difference between his wife and other objects.)
In the story, Conroy tells of an extremely poor, very young, little boy who finds a toy piano on a junk pile and starts “plinking” on it. The story is set in the 1930’s or so and his mother is a cab driver because that’s the only job she can get, and has to leave the child alone for most of the day and into the evening. The boy starts thinking about “why” the sounds of the toy piano work and starts hanging outside a local music store with his nose actually pressed against the storefront window, and his eyes staring inside. Finally, the owner comes out and asks the little boy what he’s doing. The boy has his beat-up, toy piano with him and says simply: “How does it work?” There begins the chronicles (and love life) of a future, gifted concert pianist, AND… the author teaches the reader detailed, music theory as he goes along. Beautiful story, very triumphant, thought provoking, and poignant.
#4 “Lonesome Dove” by Larry McMurtry.
Reason: I absolutely love epic stories. We all live such humdrum, boring lives comprised of literal “nothingness,” with hardly ever any meaning, etc.; it’s refreshing to read of a REAL, American adventure that you know actually happened. McMurtry has won a Pulitzer for his work and is a superb story teller and convinces the reader that his characters, especially the protagonists/antagonists, were not giants, and merely stumbled into their lives (which, coincidentally, is what I too believe.) The story primarily chronicles the lives, adventures, and loves of two Texas Rangers, Woodrow Call and Augustus McCray. The setting is in the 1850’s and concerns the taming of the west. It’s extremely realistic and it’s obvious McMurtry did a lot of research to portray life on the plains the way it really was, as opposed to the Hollywood version.
The first time I ever heard of the story I was watching it as a mini-series on television. Before I watched it, I had always believed that re-incarnation was certainly a possibility, but there was no way factually, to prove it. When I started watching the portrayed life of one of the characters, Augustus McCray, I KNEW, without question, that I had done that sort of thing before in a previous life. So, I got the book and started savoring it. I actually had chills running down my spine and could practically feel and hear the gunshots, “smells”, and copper-tasting fear of each new scene as he described it. – Great story! Great love story inter-twined with it. Very poignant and thought provoking with lingering ideas of – “what it must have been like.”
#5 “Illusions” by Richard Bach
Reason: I have wondered since my youth about the “meaning of life” and how everything works. In my opinion, there are literally only four, legitimate questions anyone can ask of their lives: 1.) “Who am I?”, 2.) “Why am I here?”, 3.) “Do I have free will?”, (and the reciprocal question) -- 4.) “Or, is life predetermined?” When I first read this book, I picked it up casually because I had read his previous work “Jonathan Livingston Seagull,” and thought it was an interesting approach to my meta-physical questions. When I finished it, I realized it was a seminal work and explained the “whys” of life and how we should consider the different vicissitudes that compose our lives. I first read it when I was in my 20’s and since the first reading; I have re-read it numerous times and actually wrote a thesis explaining it. I have also given away more than 30 copies. If you, 'Dear Reader' don’t have one, it's because you aren’t ready to read it. There is a far-eastern concept that says: “When the pupil is ready, the teacher is there.” If you’re just starting your life-quest (it occurs at any age) get in touch with me, and I’ll send you a copy.
There you have it, my top-5, recommended books and the reasons I found them so interesting. Let me say this, though... – there really isn’t any “top-5” of anything. There are tons of books that have – moved me, made me cry, angered me, stimulated me, etc. I could easily write the next 5, the next 10 or the next 100. So, just to clarify a little, the following is my next 5 and brief reasons.
#6 “The Foundation Trilogy” by Isaac Asimov. It depicts how the Earth may interact - cosmically.
#7 “2001, a Space Odyssey” by Isaac Asimov. It depicts a possible first interaction with extra-terrestrial intelligence.
#8 “Hit Man” by (I don’t remember the author) An AMUSING story of the mid-life crisis of a a “contract-for-hire” hit man.
#9 “Stranger in a Strange Land” by Robert Heinline. Interesting tale of a guy who grew up on Mars and emigrated to Earth.
#10 “The Stand” by Stephen King. A modern morality tale that has more than a possibility of happening.
Now, after this list, there are at least ten more that should be read because they are seminal works. In no particular order they are:
11. “The Old Man and the Sea” – Hemingway (Best modern classic)
12. “The Winds of War” – Wouk – (Best, true historical perspective to WW-II)
13. “Gone With the Wind” – Mitchell (Best romantic novel of the Civil War)
14. “Wuthering Heights” – Bronte (Best gothic tale of unrequited love)
15. “A Tale of Two Cities” – Dickens (Best tale of obsession and compassion)
16. “The Grapes of Wrath” – Steinbeck (Best modern gothic of how the nation moved
west)
17. “Catcher in the Rye” – J.D. Salinger - (Best Coming-of-age story ever written)
18. “Catch 22” – Joseph Heller – (Best wry humor centered on WW-II)
19. “1776” – Gore Vidal – (Best historical perspective of the founding of our nation)
20. “Lincoln” – Gore Vidal – (Best historical perspective on the only powerful event our
nation has ever had – the Civil War.)
(I couldn’t stop)
21. “Tales of the South Pacific” – Michener (Provocative story of love and prejudice in
the south pacific)
22. “To Kill a Mocking Bird” – Southern Morality tale
23. “A Christmas Memory” – Truman Capote (Extremely poignant Christmas story; I cry
every time I read it.)
24. “The Shepherd” – Frederick Forsyth (Inspirational, true(?) tale of Ghosts)
and.. last, but not least… a funny story. Maybe the funniest golf book I ever read…
25. “Missing Links” (incredibly funny)
more… (somebody stop me...)
26. “To Have and Have Not”, Earnest Hemmingway
27. “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”, Truman Capote
28. “Frankenstine” – Mary Shelly
29. “The Making of the Atomic Bomb” – Richard Rhodes
30. “Moby Dick” – Herman Melville.
One last selection… (Helllpppp...)
31. “The Jungle” – Upton Sinclair - incredulous story of the Chicago Stockyards at the
turn of the century.
There you have it – my top 31. I’d be interested in your opinion and seeing some of your choices.
PS - consideration should be given to: ":-)"
The Great Gatsby
For Whom the Bell Tolls
The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich
All the Presidents Men
The Color Purple
The Last Convertible
Terms of Endearment
Dialogs with the Devil
The Fountainhead
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
An American Perspective
The Jung-Freud Letters
The Martian Chronicles
(Gasp...)
Reason: I started reading Conroy in the middle 60's upon publication of his first work - "The Water is Wide". I knew then, he was a good wordsmith and story-teller; and that I would read his later works. There followed: "The Great Santini", The Lords of Discipline", and a couple of others I don't recall; THEN... there came "Prince..." and I was dumbfounded! I couldn't then (and can't now) believe he put words together like that. As a matter of fact, I hi-lited the words I HAD NEVER EVEN HEARD OF (and I'm fairly word-familiar) and looked them up in a dictionary as I went along. Another point is -- I KNOW it's hard to formulate an ending to a story. Conroy not only has a PERFECT ending to the story, it also ends appropriately in the last chapter, (as opposed to writing an epilog), it concludes on the last page, the last paragraph and even the last word!!!! Brilliant!!! (highest rating, hardy applause!!) Additionally, it also makes the reader ponder what he/she would do in the parallel situation.
#2 (very close second) is "Beach Music" by Pat Conroy.
Reason: The preceding work, "Prince of Tides", left the reader wondering hungrily if there were any other "bits and pieces" the author wanted to share about his strange family. He starts his tale in Rome, Italy with his daughter and wonders around a bit, only to pilgrimage back to where he grew up, in the salt-water marshes of the shores of South Carolina. I think everyone likes stories of unrequited love, and this love story is almost as poignant as my favorite - "Love Story", by Eric Segal. Also, he concludes the "Prince of Tides" story in the sense that the reader has "closure" to the whole sequence of events. Interestingly, the people I've discussed the two stories with, often state that "Beach Music" is better than "Prince..." You tell me your preference.
#3 "Body and Soul" by Frank Conroy (no relation to Pat Conroy, just a curious anomaly.)
Reason: Everyone is fascinated by music and even have their own favorite songs for one reason of another. Additionally, while most people know they like some form of music, they rarely know – “why.” It’s a curious note that the reason everyone always has a song/tune playing in the background of their mind is – music is like a structure, scaffolding, you might say; that gives your mind something to build thoughts and/or ideas on. (If you don’t believe this, read: “The Man Who Mistook His Hat for his Wife.” It chronicles how a patient who had lost all short-term memory was rehabilitated through the addition of actual background music to his environment. Without it, he had no association with anything, -- with it, he could tell the difference between his wife and other objects.)
In the story, Conroy tells of an extremely poor, very young, little boy who finds a toy piano on a junk pile and starts “plinking” on it. The story is set in the 1930’s or so and his mother is a cab driver because that’s the only job she can get, and has to leave the child alone for most of the day and into the evening. The boy starts thinking about “why” the sounds of the toy piano work and starts hanging outside a local music store with his nose actually pressed against the storefront window, and his eyes staring inside. Finally, the owner comes out and asks the little boy what he’s doing. The boy has his beat-up, toy piano with him and says simply: “How does it work?” There begins the chronicles (and love life) of a future, gifted concert pianist, AND… the author teaches the reader detailed, music theory as he goes along. Beautiful story, very triumphant, thought provoking, and poignant.
#4 “Lonesome Dove” by Larry McMurtry.
Reason: I absolutely love epic stories. We all live such humdrum, boring lives comprised of literal “nothingness,” with hardly ever any meaning, etc.; it’s refreshing to read of a REAL, American adventure that you know actually happened. McMurtry has won a Pulitzer for his work and is a superb story teller and convinces the reader that his characters, especially the protagonists/antagonists, were not giants, and merely stumbled into their lives (which, coincidentally, is what I too believe.) The story primarily chronicles the lives, adventures, and loves of two Texas Rangers, Woodrow Call and Augustus McCray. The setting is in the 1850’s and concerns the taming of the west. It’s extremely realistic and it’s obvious McMurtry did a lot of research to portray life on the plains the way it really was, as opposed to the Hollywood version.
The first time I ever heard of the story I was watching it as a mini-series on television. Before I watched it, I had always believed that re-incarnation was certainly a possibility, but there was no way factually, to prove it. When I started watching the portrayed life of one of the characters, Augustus McCray, I KNEW, without question, that I had done that sort of thing before in a previous life. So, I got the book and started savoring it. I actually had chills running down my spine and could practically feel and hear the gunshots, “smells”, and copper-tasting fear of each new scene as he described it. – Great story! Great love story inter-twined with it. Very poignant and thought provoking with lingering ideas of – “what it must have been like.”
#5 “Illusions” by Richard Bach
Reason: I have wondered since my youth about the “meaning of life” and how everything works. In my opinion, there are literally only four, legitimate questions anyone can ask of their lives: 1.) “Who am I?”, 2.) “Why am I here?”, 3.) “Do I have free will?”, (and the reciprocal question) -- 4.) “Or, is life predetermined?” When I first read this book, I picked it up casually because I had read his previous work “Jonathan Livingston Seagull,” and thought it was an interesting approach to my meta-physical questions. When I finished it, I realized it was a seminal work and explained the “whys” of life and how we should consider the different vicissitudes that compose our lives. I first read it when I was in my 20’s and since the first reading; I have re-read it numerous times and actually wrote a thesis explaining it. I have also given away more than 30 copies. If you, 'Dear Reader' don’t have one, it's because you aren’t ready to read it. There is a far-eastern concept that says: “When the pupil is ready, the teacher is there.” If you’re just starting your life-quest (it occurs at any age) get in touch with me, and I’ll send you a copy.
There you have it, my top-5, recommended books and the reasons I found them so interesting. Let me say this, though... – there really isn’t any “top-5” of anything. There are tons of books that have – moved me, made me cry, angered me, stimulated me, etc. I could easily write the next 5, the next 10 or the next 100. So, just to clarify a little, the following is my next 5 and brief reasons.
#6 “The Foundation Trilogy” by Isaac Asimov. It depicts how the Earth may interact - cosmically.
#7 “2001, a Space Odyssey” by Isaac Asimov. It depicts a possible first interaction with extra-terrestrial intelligence.
#8 “Hit Man” by (I don’t remember the author) An AMUSING story of the mid-life crisis of a a “contract-for-hire” hit man.
#9 “Stranger in a Strange Land” by Robert Heinline. Interesting tale of a guy who grew up on Mars and emigrated to Earth.
#10 “The Stand” by Stephen King. A modern morality tale that has more than a possibility of happening.
Now, after this list, there are at least ten more that should be read because they are seminal works. In no particular order they are:
11. “The Old Man and the Sea” – Hemingway (Best modern classic)
12. “The Winds of War” – Wouk – (Best, true historical perspective to WW-II)
13. “Gone With the Wind” – Mitchell (Best romantic novel of the Civil War)
14. “Wuthering Heights” – Bronte (Best gothic tale of unrequited love)
15. “A Tale of Two Cities” – Dickens (Best tale of obsession and compassion)
16. “The Grapes of Wrath” – Steinbeck (Best modern gothic of how the nation moved
west)
17. “Catcher in the Rye” – J.D. Salinger - (Best Coming-of-age story ever written)
18. “Catch 22” – Joseph Heller – (Best wry humor centered on WW-II)
19. “1776” – Gore Vidal – (Best historical perspective of the founding of our nation)
20. “Lincoln” – Gore Vidal – (Best historical perspective on the only powerful event our
nation has ever had – the Civil War.)
(I couldn’t stop)
21. “Tales of the South Pacific” – Michener (Provocative story of love and prejudice in
the south pacific)
22. “To Kill a Mocking Bird” – Southern Morality tale
23. “A Christmas Memory” – Truman Capote (Extremely poignant Christmas story; I cry
every time I read it.)
24. “The Shepherd” – Frederick Forsyth (Inspirational, true(?) tale of Ghosts)
and.. last, but not least… a funny story. Maybe the funniest golf book I ever read…
25. “Missing Links” (incredibly funny)
more… (somebody stop me...)
26. “To Have and Have Not”, Earnest Hemmingway
27. “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”, Truman Capote
28. “Frankenstine” – Mary Shelly
29. “The Making of the Atomic Bomb” – Richard Rhodes
30. “Moby Dick” – Herman Melville.
One last selection… (Helllpppp...)
31. “The Jungle” – Upton Sinclair - incredulous story of the Chicago Stockyards at the
turn of the century.
There you have it – my top 31. I’d be interested in your opinion and seeing some of your choices.
PS - consideration should be given to: ":-)"
The Great Gatsby
For Whom the Bell Tolls
The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich
All the Presidents Men
The Color Purple
The Last Convertible
Terms of Endearment
Dialogs with the Devil
The Fountainhead
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
An American Perspective
The Jung-Freud Letters
The Martian Chronicles
(Gasp...)
