Hello, after finishing Washington Square, I am back to ask for more..recommendations..

I am currently reading Fatelessness as I promised..but..I don't think that's going to take me a long time to read...

Hmm..you can recommend me anything that I might enjoy today..
(just want to let you know, I live right next door to the college's main library..should take advantage of such wonderful facilities..don't you agree..?)

Maybe I should study more..than I am doing now...but I don't think I can survive without at least few minutes of reading every day..
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Hmm..I don't think I introduced myself so..I'll do so briefly here..
My real name is Yoona and I am currently a 19 year old college freshmen, thinking about majoring in biochemistry..
Strangely (maybe not so..) some of my English tutors and my writing professor is telling me..that I should consider majoring in..literature..and..my former boss (who is a public librarian) told me to consider being a librarian...

Thanks in advance..
and..sorry for not having a proper TBR..
If this..general way for asking for a recommendation frustrats you..you can always tell me so...:)

Well, coming totally out of nowhere, hoping to combine your apparent interest in science, with a literary inclination, I recommend that you read one of the following books:

Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard
The World Without Us by Alan Weisman
Small Wonder by Barbara Kingsolver
Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver

The first three are non-fiction, the last is a novel. All make fine reading about the natural world. Small Wonder is a collection of essays, and lends itself to reading in short spurts, if that's what you need to do.

Message edited by its author, Dec 3, 2008, 2:51pm.

I would suggest some Edith Wharton, either The House of Mirth or The Custom of the Country.

I see you have Dark Lord of Derkholm; if you haven't read it, try The Tough Guide to Fantasyland, which is a companion volume. It's rolling-in-the-aisles hysterical. (Though your university library may not have it ...)

laytonwoman3rd: All your suggestions seem very interesting..
I'll definitely add it to my TBR..

urania1: The first Edith Wharton that I read was The House of Mirth and I loved it..I'll try The Custom of the Country..
Thanks for the recommendation^^

staffordcastle: I remember seeing that book at home...in fact, I am quite certain where that book is (exact location and all...my mom bought it I believe...she and I are the only book lovers at the house..)

Good choice, applebook1! I love The House of Mirth - it is the kind of book that's worth re-reading, so a first read is a MUST...

applebook, I see from your profile that you have an interest in 18 and 19 century lit, and that you also like fantasy. In that case I would heartily recommend The Tales of Hoffman. Some of the tales are very very creepy and all of them are wonderfully written.

Also, you might want to try the stories of Nikolai Gogol: they are very funny, and also quite fantastical, and set in 19th century Russia.

cocoafiend: I know that I'll definitely read over and over again in the years to come..I first read it when I was a sophomore at high school..maybe it's time to read again...

tomcatMurr: I have to admit, that I do have a very strong interestin 18 and 19th century lit (all started with Dickens and Austen...) and of course, in fantasy.. (you saw me right through...even without seeing me at least once..^^)
I'll definitely check on The Tales of Hoffman...Sounds interesting...(maybe..except the creepy part..but..not too much I hope...)

You go girl!!!!
:)

Just thinking of a wonderful list of things to borrow from the library or buy (if I like it..) makes me smile.. :)

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My former boss told me that he find P.G. Wodehouse quite humorous and tha I might enjoy..
Could you recoomend some of his works for me?
Again, thanks..

This series is probably the best known:

http://www.librarything.com/series/Jeeve...

Thank you so much..^^
I am looking forward to my winter break now^^
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was slightly depressed that finals are coming + one of the books (collection of essays to be more correct) was not shipped yet...

Message edited by its author, Dec 5, 2008, 10:34pm.

When you mentioned biochem and literature, I immediately thought of Barbara Kingsolver, who LaytonWoman beat me in mentioning. Everything I've read by her has been great. Another book where science and story are beautifully combined is Fugitive Pieces, by Anne Michaels.

You might also enjoy Richard Powers' novel, The Gold Bug Variations which I understand has chemistry--specifically the decoding of DNA--as an integral part of its plot. I haven't read it yet, but I love Powers' other books. It's considered one of his best.

Nickelini: Among Barbara Kingsolver's book, I have only read The Bean Trees, and thuoght it quite interesting..Fugitive Pieces seem quite interesting as well..^^

(I don't know why, but I feel happier when my piles of TBR are growing..is it only me..?)

wrmjr66: decoding DNA..very intriguing..
I love genetics part as well..(and considered minoring in genetics..for a while..now..wondering if I can handle the workload...)

Science, 19th century, literary, fantasy....

Hmmmmm...

I come up with Thomas Pynchon's latest, Against the Day, featuring a whole host of half-baked and prescient 19th century scientific theories and literary genres, all mixed up. Warning - it's one Longggg book, but very funny, and quite different than all of the above.

A_musing: I don't mind if it is a long book. In fact, if the book is good, the longer the better..

ps. Just to have a sense of how long that is..is it longer than Moby Dick or Anna Karenina?

Well, in terms of reading time, I'd give it between the two. Anna moves quickly, so it's fat but not so long in my book, where Moby Dick moves slowly, so its fat and long.

Against the Day moves along pretty well, but sometimes gets confusing because it has many stories weaving in and out of each other, which led me to do a fair bit of flipping back and a little bit of re-reading. But it's over 1000 pages.

Message edited by its author, Dec 7, 2008, 6:25pm.

So I guess this is the type of books I should read during summer (break)..(since I'll spend my winter hopefully finishing Bleak House and Nicholas Nickleby..

Well..as long as it moves faster than Moby Dick..I'm fine..^^ since, as I have said, length doesn't really matter to me..

Sounds about right - not something to throw on top of those two over a two week break.

Well, I have about four-week long break..but...(planning to spend two weeks for Bleak House..two weeks for Nickleby..ambitious..huh?)
I can probably concentrate more during summer..

Eminently doable - at 120 pages a day, you can even take a few days off. But a lot of Dickens.

Well, I do love Dickens..^^ (I only read five of his works..but still..)

I remember dedicating myself to David Copperfield and..SAT prep......one summer..

I am reading Atmospheric Disturbances by Rivka Galchen. Although I have not yet finished it, it is written by a doctor. There is quite a lot of references to medicine and the plot involved reality and psychosis and all things psychiatric. Also weaves in scientific explanations such as Doppler waves, etc. Quite worthwhile so far. Magic realism with a scientific bent.

(I notice it is mentioned in the 100 best books for 2008 in the NY Times BR today.)

Message edited by its author, Dec 7, 2008, 8:47pm.

I'll have to add that to my TBR as well..^^
Magic realism..hpefully, I'll be able to understand what the author is implying..

100 best books for 2008..oh wow..impressive..

Applebooks: If you are interested in the NYT book review recommends, here is the list. It is swayed towards a US authorship, understandably.

I read a few of these, and while surprised to see some on the list, not surprised by some big names (Toni Morrison, Robinson, Carey, Ozick, Proulx, Barker), I can recommend:

Netherland by Joseph O'Neill
Diary of a Bad Year by Coetzee
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by Simon Armitage - a new translation.
The Wild Places by Robert MacFalarlane - if you are a nature watcher, he takes the reader on a journey to find any remaining wild places in the UK.

I remember reading excerpt of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight in my English class.. I might as well read it..

I tend to read British literature..(one that people consider classics, such as Austen, Dickens, Hardy, etc.) and I guess it is time I start reading some works of US authors..

Thanks for the wonderful link and your recommendations^^

I'm afraid I have a rather slanted leaning towards English writers so tend to be less up to date with the US writers, too. Also, I need frequent interludes with non-fiction and science books - all fiction wears me out, or can make me feel too frivolous at times.

Unlike laytonwoman, I am not a fan of Barbara Kingsolver, except her Poisonwood Bible.

Enthusiastically second Tomcat's recommend of Gogol - actually if you have not read Dosteyevsky - I think you would really enjoy discovering him too and all the Russian writers of the 19th Century.

I only read Kingsolver's Bean Trees (for my high school summer reading)..so I can't really say I am a fan or not..(I am even going to try..I think it's unfair to make up my mind so..hastily..)

I read Dostoyevsky..oh..not recently..
I read his Crime and Punishment in Korean translation..but it was abridged..(for children..actually..) I have yet to find out how English translation (and unabridged) is going to be...

Do you have any specific work from Gogol that you want to recommend?

Dead Souls is a must, applebook1, wrt to Gogol. It is short and cleverly mocks the Russian administrative system of the time. (An opportunistic man tries to become wealthy by buying 'Dead Souls' so that he can accumulate wealth by owning peasants (the government evidently does not care if they are dead or alive when counting the census). Or at least I think it goes like that!!! Sadly he destroyed the follow-up book in a fit of despair.

I am very quick to condemn an author if I don't like their work - there is too many others to read and I may miss some great books, but it ensures I don't waste time plowing through those not to my taste. I got over the 'must read 'cos everyone else liked it' phase when I realized just how many books I really need get to and how little time I really have......

Message edited by its author, Dec 8, 2008, 1:00am.

Regarding authors, I try not to make any judgments until I read about..two or three of his/her work..(although I can fall in love with some of the authors really quick..such as Dickens..) But..if I don't like the book, I usually don't finish it..(I might try reading it later..because sometimes I think I am not mature enough to understand what writers might be saying..) I remember somebody (strangely) recommending me War and Peace when I was in 8th grade..and I..dutifully started to read..but after 100 pages..I..returned it to the library..I wonder what I'll think about it now..

Dead Souls..one more book to my TBR^^
I love the kinds of books when writiers mocks society (maybe that's why I love people like Dickens or Orwell..)

Korean! You're going to have to stop by the Reading Globally group and leave us a few Korean lit recommendations!

Reading Globally group is it..*about to dash off*
Among Korean lit, are you referring to the ones with English title or..just plain Korean books..?

Korean authors ... translated into English. The only one I'm aware of is Ko Un.

Message edited by its author, Dec 8, 2008, 9:21am.

If you are interested, I just put one title there..
Thanks for telling me about the group^^

Looks interesting, I may need to look for that one.

Glad you liked it..