- Catch-22. Still number one. Joseph Heller's writing of the damned-if-he-do, damned-if-he-don't Yossarian remains my favorite absurd piece of literature ever. However, it is closely followed by...
- Don Quixote. A newcomer and an amazing book, especially considering it was written in the 16th century. Where is your Shakespeare now, England? Well, just across the Channel actually, but that hardly matters. Another absurd piece of literature, this time highlighting the ridiculousness of knight-errant literature (that's right, it's a book written about books). I'm not a big fan of the ending, but you'll have to read it and judge for yourself. I ain't spoilin' it!
- The Lord of the Rings. Tolkien's classic. The extent to which ol' J.R.R. fleshed out Middle-earth sparked my interest in world-building, setting development, and even foreign languages.
- The Dao of Pooh. I decided to put this one down instead of Winnie-the-Pooh simply because it uncovered some of the gems in the original books that I had missed in childhood and without it, I would have probably forgotten all about the adventures of Pooh bear. I'm told its not actually a very good explanation of Daoism, but it sure is an amusing read!
- Ragtime. I would have been completely oblivious to the very existence of this book had it not been for Dr. Josef Jarab, a Czech professor, literary critic, and former senator who taught the only actual English class I took in college. I feel very fortunate to have studied under him. That said, this book stands on its own merits. Engaging historical fiction with a colorful smorgasbord of characters whose individual stories weave together to give the reader a warmly quilted depiction of American society in the early 20th century.
-Patrick
No comments:
Post a Comment