Read This Now!

First, I must apologize for two things: 1) I haven't posted on this blog for a looong time, 2) this posting isn't going to be very interesting to most of you.

Now, my concessions. 1) I've been in school for the past month and a half, 2) I'm an English major, which means that for the past month and a half I have been reading, studying, analyzing, and discussing books.

Today I would like to share the top 5 books that I have read in the past six months. I do this because of the many people who ask me for book recommendations (people assume that, because I am an English major, I have read every book in the world...I have not).

So here's my list:
1. The Road by Cormac McCarthy
The Road is the only book that I read and the next day re-read and a few months later, re-re-read. No book has affected me as much as this book. The images that McCarthy creates have never left my mind. If there is one book that I would recommend for everyone to read at least once, it would be The Road.

WHY? The Road is full of violence and disturbing images, yet throughout this horror, a young boy and his father find peace and love and goodness. If you want a good story, none is better than The Road. If you want to read the best prose author of the 20th century, none is better than McCarthy. This Pulitzer-Prize winner is not only the best book I've read in the past six months, it is the best book I have ever read, and it may be the best book I ever will read.

2. The Old Man and the Sea By Ernest Hemingway

I must tell you that six months ago I had a strong dislike for Ernest Hemingway. And although I still don't love much of his work, he does have one gem of a book, The Old Man and the Sea.
Although to the casual reader this may look like a story about a man and a fish and the sea, a deeper look at the text shows rich Christian symbolism and teachings on determination, faith, and devotion. As I read this book, I saw a parallel between the old man and my father-in-law, Dave. This was Hemingway's final work, and the only one he was truly proud of.

3. Saving Fish from Drowning by Amy Tan
Amy Tan is known for her stories of the relationship between Chinese mothers and daughters (boring), but in Saving Fish from Drowning, she takes a new approach: humor. From the very first chapter I was already laughing.

I have come to recognize that Tan is a remarkable story-teller with very tight control of the English language. This story is both funny and though-provoking and it is all done through the point-of-view of a dead narrator. I found this book very entertaining.

4. Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri

Does anyone know how many author's have won a Pulitzer prize with their first book? I don't, b

ut I do know that Jhumpa Lahiri is one of the few. After reading one of her short stories in my Literary Analysis class, I had to read more.

This is a book of short stories, all of which deal with

immigrants from India and their arrival in America. Many of the stories are funny, and each one makes you want to read the next.

5. What is the What by Dave Eggers

After reading this book it will be hard for you to complain. This story about Valentino Achak Deng and the lost boys of Sudan teaches us how to find the good in every situation.

This is the second book of Eggers' that I have read, and I continue to be impressed with the maturity of his writing. Although written by Eggers, we never hear his voice; he allows Achak to tell his own story.

Well, that's my top 5. I had a difficult time narrowing this list down, but I feel that these are the 5 best books that I could currently recommend to anyone. Now I wonder what other books you can suggest that I read.