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| painter: Louise Catherine Breslau |
Émile Zola
If you are my followers or have known me long enough, you’d certainly know that
this French author is my most favorite author, ever. An author whose works I am
eager to read all without exception. So far, I have never been disappointed by
his books. Okay, there are two or three that are not as good as the others, but
overall, I admire his genius, his powerful stories, his passion in details, and
his beautiful narrative.
Germinal – this is my all time favorite!
The one book in which I found every elements I love of reading.
Le Bête Humaine – loved the narrative so
much, and the human psychology side is very interesting.
L’Assommoir – it’s distressing but very
powerful. Maybe it’s the ‘blow’ that actually made me loving it!
The Debacle – I think this is the best
war themed historical fiction I’ve ever read!
Charles Dickens
How can one
not love Dickens? His legendary characters, his sense of humor, even his own
life… I don’t think Victorian era would be that interesting without Dickens! ;)
A Christmas Carol – how can you imagine Christmas
without remembering some characters or scenes in this book; Tiny Tim’s “God bless us, everyone” at least?
David Copperfield – still the best
Dickens I have read so far.
Our Mutual Friend – a loving and warming
book everybody will love!
The Great Expectations – I think it’s
Dickens best-in-writing. Not too much, not too mellow, not too dark. J
Agatha Christie
Dame Agatha
Christie is one author that had great impact on me as a teenager. From her
books I learned about good and evil; that everyone can be evil (even a murderer);
that it’s all about choice. Christie’s are my first adult books, and through
her my fondness of justice and crime themes grew.
Curtain – the one mystery book that have
ever made me cry!
Murder of Roger Ackroyd – her best in
terms of plot-and-psychology-building.
John Grisham
After
Christie, came Grisham. Still about justice, and I became fascinated with court
scenes. I read and liked almost all his books, but my favorites remain these
two…
The Chamber – this book taught me that
there are many faces of racism and death penalty; and…
The Testament – loved the beautiful and
peaceful scenes; soothing and touching.
Alexandre Dumas
Dumas is
always the champion for poignant and intricate stories. And his books are
usually long but full of action, thus offers long enjoyable moments of reading
(just what you’ll need to spend long holidays).
Twenty Years After – this is the sequel
of The Three Musketeers. Although
less famous, I loved this book more because the friendship of D’Artagnan,
Porthos, Athos, and Aramis was growing more mature and deeper here.
The Count of Monte Cristo – need to
reread this! *note to self
Random Classic Novels
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee – used to be my fave numero uno…
until Zola stole it! ^_^
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott
Fitzgerlad – always love Fitzi’s beautiful prose and his interesting symbols in
this novel. And I always have interest in the jazz age…
The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton – I named
Wharton as the female Zola after
reading this (do you agree?) And she became instantly my most favorite female
author.
Lord of the Flies by William Golding – the
morality struggle (and triumph) in this book is what I loved most… and the
thriller of course.
Moby Dick by Herman Melville – what an
epic!
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck –
my latest favorite
Winnetou by Karl May – I always have a soft spot for the
Indians; and Winnetou is the perfect
book to teach youngster about diversity. The story is set on the Wild West—so it’s
full of action!—and the main characters are a German and an Indian. Their
friendship is full of love, trust, and respect.
Play – the only one…
Julius Cesar by William Shakespeare – the
only play that gets here… maybe because it’s about Ancient Rome. Always love
everything about it!
History and Historical Fictions
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee – a history
that tasted like fiction. A painful reflection of injustice suffered by
minorities; touching, and at once, inspiring.
Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett –
loved the intricate story and the knowledge about building cathedral. I always
like to read about people who have passion on some artwork.
Cicero Trilogy by Robert Harris – again…
the Ancient Rome effect. Plus, I have great respect for Cicero.
The Agony and the Ecstasy by Irving
Stone – similar to Pillars of the Earth,
and Stone brought me to get inside Michelangelo’s mind and emotion, superb!
Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy
Chevalier – loved the painful love story!
Désirée by Annemarie Selinko – this one
about Napoleon; loved the romance and a glimpse of one of the biggest generals
in the world.
Series
The Adventure of Tintin by Hergé – my childhood
books that took me to different countries, getting to know different people and
cultures, thanks to the realistic-pictures by Hergé. In short, I grew up with
Tintin; I learned many things through it—as I remember I once asked my dad
while reading Tintin in Tibet: "How can yelling trigger snow avalanche?" (remember Captain Haddock scene?) Plus it
always makes me laugh!
Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling – I remember…
one day years ago, I leisurely opened amazon.com to see what books they’re
recommending. In the top ten are both Harry
Potter & the Sorcerer Stone (no. 1 for weeks) and Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secret; with a boy with a glass
and lightning scar mounted on a broom in the cover. What is this?? I read the
synopsis and got quite intrigued. But at that time I have never bought books
online, so I soon forgot about that. But few months later, I saw the same book (the
translation of course) displayed in front of my favorite bookstore, and I
thought Ah…this is the book that made a lot of fuss the other day! So without
further thinking, I bought both copies, read it, and instantly fell in love with
Harry Potter. Now I think some magic must
have got into me that day, because I’m not used to buy books beyond my comfort
zone without much consideration (asking friends about it, read reviews, feel
the book in my hand, return it to the shelf—and if I leave the store with regret,
that means I REALLY want to buy it—then come back to the store next time to
finally buy it!). So, yeah…Harry Potter has its place in my heart, and if you
ask me now: Do you still love to read Harry Potter, after all these years? My
reply will be: ALWAYS!
