Posted by whiterabbit on July 2, 2003, at 12:38:16
In reply to Re: Todays trip to the bookshop.... » NikkiT2, posted by Ritch on June 28, 2003, at 14:42:07
I'm going through my hundreds of books and setting aside my favorites to take with me when I leave. Thought I would make a list for ya'll -
I don't read much fiction, don't like girly-girl books. Real life is more interesting to me...anyway, this gives me an excuse to sit down.1.) If you're feeling sorry for yourself, read "Angela's Ashes" by Frank McCourt. It will make you feel rich...or try "Down the Common" by Ann Baer, about the everyday life of a medieval woman - when your very existence depended on endless hard work just to hold off starvation. A life of horror is described in the well-written classic, "The Burning Bed", about a woman who endures terrible abuse from her husband. You finish all of these books with a new perspective on your own troubles.
2.) For adventure, great writing and a real tribute to the human will to survive, you can't beat these books:
"The Perfect Storm" by Sebastian Junger
"Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer
"Mawson's Will" by Lennard Bickel
"Alive" by Piers Paul Read3.) My favorite self-help books are oldies but goodies...I've had them forever and skim through them on occasion for a refresher course.
"How to Stop Worrying and Start Living" by Dale Carnegie is filled with timeless helpful advice.
"How to Put More Time in Your Life" by Dru Scott is the very best, most readable book on getting your life together that I've ever read.
"Superwoman" by Shirley Conran is a little outdated but still easy, useful reading on household advice.4.) Okay I admit it - I read those true crime books. I should have gone into criminology, it's always fascinated me. A lot of these books aren't particularly well-written but then again, some of them are. All of Ann Rule's books are good, and I like the books by John Douglas, the retired FBI profiler. For sheer gruesome horror and intelligent writing (as opposed to, say, the juvenile style of an Alva Busch), these books are hard to put down (and work well as a diet aid):
"Angel of Darkness" by Dennis McDougal, the story of Randy Kraft, the gay serial killer who tortured and murdered dozens of young men while posing as a friendly computer consultant by day.
"The Man Who Killed Boys" by Clifford Linedecker, about the fat Chicago contractor who liked to dress up as a clown, have sex with young boys and buried their bodies underneath his house - who else but John Wayne Gacy.
"The Evil That Men Do" by Roy Hazelwood, another FBI profiler and an expert on the dark and twisted world of autoerotic fatalities. You WILL NOT BELIEVE how some people have done themselves in.5.) A real-life shocker for any thinking person is "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston, about a highly infectious and lethal virus that was barely contained and could have wiped most of humankind off the map. Terrifying.
6.) Elegant writing on painful subjects:
"The Kiss" by Kathryn Harrison - an extraordinarily gifted writer tells of the incestuous relationship she had with her father.
"The Tennis Partner" by Abraham Verghese - a story of doctors and drug addiction, friendship and loss.
"Terry" by George McGovern - a loving memoir of the senator's daughter and her terrible battle with alcoholism and depression.
7.) Finally, in the reference category, three excellent books on bipolar disorder:
"Touched With Fire" by Kay Redfield Jamison, subtitled "Manic-Depressive Illness and the Artistic Temperament". For us creative bipolar types.
"Surviving Manic Depression" by E. Fuller Torrey - informative and up-to-date
"A Brilliant Madness" by Patty Duke is an excellent and honest memoir on the actress' life and struggle with manic depression.
Last, anyone who has been diagnosed with ADD should run and not walk to the bookstore for
"Healing ADD"" by Daniel Amen MD. The latest medical research on the 6 types of ADD, a self-evaluation test for ADD type and much fascinating, helpful advice.Well that's enough and more than enough for now. I would be interested in a list of favorite books by others with maybe a short description, good books are a considerable joy in my life.
-Gracie
poster:whiterabbit
thread:237529
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/books/20030426/msgs/238739.html