More Novel Ideas

02/04/2003

"There is only one thing about which I am certain, and this is that there is very little about which one can be certain."
–W. Somerset Maugham

MORE NOVEL IDEAS

We keep receiving readers' recommendations on novels and thought we should share some of the latest with you. We will forward some more mystery favorites in a few days.

Clare Stober, Rifton, New York: "My own list of all time favorite books would include three 20th century classics--Viktor Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning; Jacques Lusseyran's And There was Light; and Betty Jean Lifton's The King of Children (a must read for any educator). I too enjoy mysteries as a good way to unwind."

Jo-Anne Palanuk, Winnipeg, Manitoba: "Two novels I have recently read and thoroughly enjoyed are: Life of Pi by Yann Martel. An enchanting novel about first, the religious inquiring of a boy growing up in India, then an incredible journey across the Pacific aboard a life boat with a number of wild animals, not the least of which was a Bengal tiger. Wonderful! The Red Tent by Anita Diamont. I didn't want this one to end. It was a story about the life of women during early biblical times. It was so interesting."

Edna Ranck, Washington, DC: "I'd like to suggest that CCIE offer suggestions for adult fantasy (read philosophy, but that sounds too heavy) that is often meaningful to educators, especially where young children are involved. They always focus on the ongoing battle between good and evil. Of course, the current fave and rave is the Harry Potter series (I re-read all four of them during the recent sniper situation in the Washington, DC area; they were strangely comforting). The Tolkien trilogy and the Star Wars films (not the books), especially the first 3 with Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill, are other examples.

I am currently reading Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy that begins with The Golden Compass and continues with The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass. Like Rowling and Tolkien, Pullman is English and writes a fantastic story that is compelling and energizing to the extreme. Yet another trilogy by yet another Englishman and written right after World War II remains my all-time favorite of the genre: The Gormenghast Trilogy. The castle (Gormenghast) is the main character in the books!"

Share your favorite books with all ExchangeEveryDay readers by telling us about novels and mysteries that help you unwind; or even serious early childhood books and non-ece reading that influences your work to [email protected].

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