Drown & The Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz

I was assigned "Drown" for a contemporary English Lit class in college.

I didn't fall in love with the book immediately, but I grew to love his style of writing (his plots are a bit lacking, in my opinion). The stories in this book are so raw yet he does not spoil them with details. I liked it enough that I bought "The Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao" years later.

I liked "The Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao" more than "Drown." I feel that Junot Diaz has a similar style in both books, but that the plot was better in "The Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao." I also liked the Gabriel García Márquez theme/magic in the book.

My year of meats by Ruth Ozeki

This book was assigned for a contemporary literature class.

I had just finished reading "Fast Food Nation," and was ready to read the same "book" again. It was not. At least this book had more of a narrative. The narrative made the book easier to read and remember, but because it had "fiction" written across the back cover it was less believable.

My favorite part of the book was when Ruth Ozeki introduced me to the sci-fi concept of aliens believing cows to be the rulers of the planet (mostly because of how we "serve them"). In the end this book is just a lot of propaganda -most of which I agree with, but propaganda just the same.

The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy

I think my brother recommended this book to me first (after reading it for class and watching the movie). I was then further encouraged by Jessie Turner (a girl I had recently dated). This book brings back fond memories; summer, reading by the pool, and no responsibilities (although I have very few now also).

Although I liked this book, I don't remember much about it. All I remember thinking was "this is just like every mystery thriller movie I watched." It's likely that every mystery thriller movie I watched has been influenced by The Scarlet Pimpernel, but that doesn't mean much to me now.

Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison

During my first semester as an English Major I heard multiple references to the Invisible Man. So, I read it over the summer.

This novel is enjoyable as a straightforward story, but amazing when considering what is being said/represented. Ralph Ellison addresses current, past, and general social issues that sound bizarre and real. Obviously color is a major theme in the book. The most memorable scene in to me is when the protagonist is working at a paint factory, adding chemicals to make the white paint more "white."

I would put this book at the top of a short list I would recommend to everyone.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

This book was assigned to me while in college by Rob Carney (also the author of a book of poetry I read -but was not assigned to read). I think Rob liked the story behind the novel more than the novel itself i.e. the "ghost story."

I did enjoy this novel, but now I'm a Frankenstein snob. First things first; Frankenstein was the creator of the beast. Secondly; there was no "brain swaping." And lastly; the beast became a monster only after living among people.

The modern rendition of the story is childish and discourages people from taking the novel serious, but Mary Shelley has very serious themes in this book.

The Shining by Stephen King

This is the best Stephen King Novel I've read (but I have not read many). I picked this book up from a thrift store, lost it, and loaned it from the library to finish it. When I lost the thrift store book I also lost my favorite book mark. For some reason that upset me more than the "gruesome" images in the book.

Hearts in Atlantis by Stephen King

Recommended by my Brother's friend -while pulling off his aviator glasses and stepping out of his rusty Cadillac. This book was recommended to me because my brother's friend really liked the college dorm scene where the guys play Hearts. I'll admit, it's a good image, perhaps one that most want their college experience to be like.

I enjoy reading Stephen King, but I don't consider him "one of the best." This book was fun to read, but like many King novels, the movie was better. The movie didn't cover the whole book and sadly it didn't cover my favorite parts (most of the magic realism).

One story within the book is a little played out. It's a story of a guy who goes to work only to dress down and panhandle. No one knows about his dirty little secret, not even his wife. Come on. We've all seen that 60 minute report.

The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon

Recommended by a coworker who was studying English Lit. at BYU.

Like any Thomas Pynchon book I've tried to read, this book was hard to access at first. But because this book was so short I plowed through and was rewarded in the end. I have no clear memories of the plot in the book, but I remember the ending was very theoretical.

Nine Stories by J.D. Salinger

This book was not recommended to me by anyone, but I read it because I enjoyed "Catcher in the Rye" so much. I picked up the book at the book store and couldn't put it down for the next two days.

"Bananafish" is the first, most accessible, and my favorite. I'm a sucker for a good O. Henry ending -and this might just be the best of the best.

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

This book was recommended by a coworker at Macey's (in Utah it's a grocery store). I didn't look up to him, but he had good taste in books and I knew I should read this book anyway.

My biggest memory from this book is thinking "why is he still lugging around all his fencing equipment?" Also, the scene where he sneaks into his sisters bedroom at night is so vivid.

The best part about this book is that the protagonist is crazy but not cheaply portrayed. Salinger does not write "can you believe how crazy this guy is?" His thoughts seem logical to himself and it would seem the narrator believes in the character.

The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck

This book was recommended to me by a girl in a institute class in college. I usually read while in class -I realize this is rude, and I probably should have just dropped the class, but I had a strange case of guilt. I thought this girl was cute and smart so when she recommended this book I went out a bought it the next day.

This book reminded me of Star Wars because the author used strange sentence syntax to make the characters sound foreign (like Yoda). Also, there is a scene where the protagonist's family eats grass! This image is stuck in my head any time I think of the Chinese country side.

In the end, I liked the book despite the somewhat happy ending because it wasn't really happy. Sure, the protagonist was successful in business, but his sons were ass holes and he lost his daughter.