Tag: book recommendation
The Man Who Loved Books Too Much by Allison Hoover Bartlett
The title of the novel The Man Who Loved Books Too Much by Allison Hoover Bartlett made me want to read it. When I started reading the novel, I hadn’t read any reviews or synopses and had no idea what to expect.
Top Ten Tuesday #14
1. Lord of the Rings by J. R. R Tolkien – I am going to save these for some long vacation somewhere down the road.
What makes a book a “must-read”?
Musing Mondays is a meme hosted at MizB’s Should Be Reading. This week’s musing is:
What is the one (or maybe two) qualities a book must have for you to pass it along to your best friend as a “must-read”?
Of course, the book depends on the person I am recommending it to. If it were my sister, I’d recommend every book I love; because she’ll also love almost all of them! But that’s not the same with my friends. I tend to read rather genre-specific books these days – mostly fantasy or science fiction. And they tend not to like them. So, for my friends to like the book, the first requirement is that the book does not belong to either of those genres!
Usually, what I tell my friends to be a”must-read ” has a different or new or unique plot. Not like your usual mysteries, crime stories, classics, romances or horror stories. The last book I really forced my best friend to read was Life of Pi by Yann Martel. (Isn’t this cover absolutely beautiful?) And the next book I am going to make her read is The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester.
Top Ten Books that make Great Gifts
1. Life of Pi by Yann Martel – Despite the Booker prize, I think this book is seriously underrated. My sister received this as a gift; she loved it and so did I! In fact, I don’t know anyone who hated this book. It’s unique, well written, exciting and also very moving. I think it makes a perfect gift!
Stardust on the road!
Starting with this poem, which I’d first read in a Diana Wynne Jones novel, I spent the better part of a fourteen hour journey reading another simply amazing book by Neil Gaiman; Stardust.
When I was reading Stardust, I was actually transported back to my childhood. It is a fairy tale for adults, and a great one at that!
“A philosopher once asked, “Are we human because we gaze at the stars, or do we gaze at them because we are human?”
Pointless, really…”Do the stars gaze back?” Now that’s a question.”
Stardust is a fantasy novel written by Neil Gaiman in 1998. It is quite different from his usual books, written in a more traditional fairy-tale-like style.
Stardust is the story of a young man named Tristan Thorn. He lives in Wall, a village situated on the border of our world and the realm of Faerie. The village is separated from Faerie by a long and high wall, which no one crosses. One day a distant star falls down to the earth, and Tristan Thorn sets out into Faerie to retrieve this star for the one he loves. But as fairy tales go, this adventure isn’t very easy, and Tristan Thorn certainly isn’t the only one looking for the star.
“It was a violet, and it chinkled and sang as he held it, making a noise similar to that produced by wetting a finger and rubbing it, gently, around a wineglass.”
I absolutely adored the way this tale was written. I was reminded of a quote from Stephen King’s On Writing – you must be able to describe things in a way that will cause your reading to prickle with recognition. I think Neil Gaiman does just that.
I liked getting to experience another one of Gaiman’s amazingly unique worlds. Faerie is nothing like you expect and everything that you want all at the same time! It is a wonderful play on all the cliches in fantasy. Not to mention, that subtle, makes-you-chuckle humour made this book all the more enjoyable. It’s another Gaiman novel that I’d recommend in a heartbeat!
Popsy: Nightmares & Dreamscapes
Like I said before, the story is awfully predictable, though. Too bad they didn’t have the Twilight mania back then; if they had, I’m sure poor Sheridan would have guessed in less than a second what he was getting himself into.
Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

Top Ten Tuesday: Required Reading
Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week there is a new Top Ten list and everyone is welcome to join. All you do is link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out other bloggers lists! It’s a fun way to get to know your fellow bloggers.
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King

You must be logged in to post a comment.