Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Loved The Kite Runner, but I think I said "whoa" more for Thousand Splendid Suns.
I completely agree. I just finished reading "Suns" a couple of days ago and I say on the couch for like a half an hour after I finished thinking about the book. It definately makes you think. Great book to help you understand the Islamic culture and how different it is to ours.
When i got to the end of One Hundred Years of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez), I think I actually said "whoa" out loud. I also got goosebumps, the hair on the back of my neck stood up, and I flipped back to the beginning and started reading again.
I completely agree. I just finished reading "Suns" a couple of days ago and I say on the couch for like a half an hour after I finished thinking about the book. It definately makes you think. Great book to help you understand the Islamic culture and how different it is to ours.
They both affected me greatly. The culture may be different, but to me the real message is how much alike we are. I felt a real kinship with the characters. It was more of a wake-up call to me that the people in that part of the world are flesh and blood human beings who have the same thoughts and emotions, and needs and desires, as we do. It's so easy to dismiss them as some type of alien society that we have nothing in common with. It's unsettling to realize that's not the case. Whoa.
Some really old books made me go "whoa" at the time I read them. I'm not sure if I read them today, I'd have the same reaction since it's hard to wow, shock, impress or scare people anymore. One was Lucifer's Hammer (1977), an end of the world story, by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle, One was Salem's Lot by Stephen King (1975). One is The Ultimate Evil (1987) about a reporter's Son of Sam investigative research, by Maury Terry. The last is This Perfect Day (1970) by Ira Levin, who is better known for The Stepford Wives and Rosemary's Baby. I still have all of them in paperback which I guess is the ultimate tribute - they were worthy enough to keep all of these years even if they were only paperbacks.
I read nonfiction these days and nothing shocks, surprises or wows me enough to go "whoa" in the real world, anymore.
It's so good to hear someone else mention This Perfect Day. Great book. I first read it back in 1970 and it made such an impression on me. My son was looking for something to read recently, so I pulled it off the shelf, but he forgot to take it so I ended up reading it again and it still holds up. I'm surprised it wasn't ever made into a movie.
More Recent (not "classics") novels: The Gold Coast by Nelson DeMille. There is also a Scott Turrow book called "Burden of Proof"... a lot of these suspense novels seem to blend together, but this one stood out for me. AND: Pat Conroy "Prince of Tides"
Classics: "The Grapes of Wrath" and my all time favorite "Catcher in the Rye"
The Count of Monte Cristo was a high school assignment 25 years ago for me. It was the best reading experience I have ever had. I could not put that book down, it was so good. And I have not found a book, classic or modern that even remotely compares to the storytelling mastery of Dumas' novel.
I am still looking, though.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
