The Family

OK, Chris. This is limited to 52 books – just seemed like a fun number to hit. And since you’ve probably already read some of these, and some of these you might not be interested in at all, this shouldn’t overwhelm your whole year’s worth of planned books.

I had you in mind for these recommendations. However, some of the selections might not be really obviously you – but I included them because the book is just so well written. Some of these recommendations are from me and some are from Joseph – neither of us have read all the books on this list, though eventually we will.

And as I went through, some of them I thought Dad (or Mom) would also like – so this could be worth skimming for those of you who aren’t Chris.

I wish we lived closer! If we did, it would be no problem for you to borrow most of these (there are some we don’t have). It’s still no problem for you to borrow .. say, half of these. But some of them are pets we’d loan in person, but sending them through the mail is nerve-wracking.

And by the way … what would be your 52 recommended book list?

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Top 5 picks

I looked through the list and narrowed it down to 10 books. This is the Yes, Seriously, READ THESE BOOKS list.

Links are to whatever I thought made sense. Book reviews, mostly, but sometimes Wikipedia articles or whatever else struck me. Some are even to Amazon (which might be too convenient)

Fiction
Mouse Guard, Fall 1152, by David Petersen. Graphic novel. Style is High Adventure; setting is medievalesque, protagonists are mice. Love the story and the art. Will probably take you an hour or so to read. Fall is the first, but you’ll want to read Fall and Winter. There are 2 others books, but they’re ancillary to the main story.

Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson. This is the first of his Mars trilogy. If you want to continue, the next ones are Green Mars and Blue Mars. Beautifully written, with a real gift for description.

Lavinia by Ursula K. LeGuin. This is one of LeGuin’s greats. Christina & Mom should read this one too. In the Aeneid, Lavinia is Aeneas’s wife .. and this is her full story.

What Dreams May Come, by Richard Matheson. Yes, the source for the movie. The book is beautiful and haunting and has such a wonderful description of the afterlive; of both Heaven and Hell. It really sticks with you. It’s my absolute favorite of Matheson’s works.

Bridge of Birds, by Barry Hughart. Recommended for everyone. OK, it may not be Dad’s thing, but the book is just brilliant. Hilarious, fast paced, and the ending was perfect. I actually cried; it was very moving. I haven’t read the other books in the series – everyone says they aren’t as good, and I’m afraid of the let down .. but I so want to return to these characters. Wonderful characters, wonderful book.

Nonfiction
1812: The Navy’s War, by George Daughan. About the War of 1812 from a naval perspective. The writing is clear and makes the subject interesting, compelling, etc. He also wrote ‘If By Sea’ which is the same kind of thing for the Revolutionary War. I’m sure it’s just as good, but we haven’t read that one (but we bought it and will read it). Either is recommended; 1812 just happens to the be the one we’ve read. Both are very highly recommended for Dad as well.

Closing of the Western Mind, by Charles Freeman. There are a lot of different perspectives on this book – that he’s completely right, that he’s completely wrong. But it’s amazingly well written, well argued, thought provoking – even if you disagree with him.

Consider the Lobster, by David Foster Wallace. OK, anything at all by David Foster Wallace. Well – all I’ve read are his essays. I haven’t read any of his fiction, so my perspective is one-sided. But he can write essays like no one else I’ve ever read. The book is a collection of essays; the link goes to the full text of the title essay. If you like the way he writes, then by all means get the book. The other essays aren’t about food – the range of topics is amazing. The porn industry, Modern American Usage, the McCain campaign, radio programs.

Blink, by Malcolm Gladwell. I’d also recommend Tipping Point, but Blink was my favorite. The writing is very clear, the examples are all interesting (some exceptionally so), and the conclusions are fascinating. A book that makes you think about how you think.

Secret Life of Dust, by Hannah Holmes. Fascinating, absolutely fascinating book. Though if you’re going to be upset about learning just how much dust is in your home and just what’s living in that dust, you might want to skip certain chapters. But my goodness, she makes dust the most interesting thing you’ve ever read about.

Those are the top 10. Now for the 52. I won’t go into as much detail, and it might take me some time to get links for all of them.

Fiction

1. Mouse Guard, Fall 1152, David Petersen. Top 5
2. * Spindles End, Robin McKinley. This is a retelling of Sleeping Beauty. It’s not the one I’d recommend to everyone – but for you, Chris, this is the McKinley I’d hand you. If you haven’t read McKinley before, that is.
3. * Last Unicorn, Peter Beagle. You’ve probably already read this, but on the off chance that you haven’t – you should.
4. Witches Abroad, Terry Pratchett. You’ve read this, right? You have to have read this. And Reaper Man. And Fifth Elephant. Well – any of the Discworld novels. I believe you must have read this, but I would be remiss if I didn’t mention it.
5. Red Mars, Kim Stanley Robinson. Top 5
6. Devices and Desires, KJ Parker. First book in the Engineer Trilogy. This is a hefty book, and you just might end up reading all three.
7. *Silent Speaker, Rex Stout. This is a Nero Wolfe mystery. I liked this particular one, and it works well as an introduction to Nero Wolfe, and being introduced to Nero Wolfe is a good thing. *Champagne for One is another good intro point.
8. Chinese Gold Murders, Robert van Gulik. This is the first in the Judge Dee series, and you need to start with the first book. Judge Dee was a real person, and the cases and plots elements are all from ancient Chinese literature, so these have a very authentic voice.
9. * Other Wind, Ursula K. LeGuin. The latest in the Earthsea series. You have read the first Earthsea books, haven’t you?
10. Lavinia, Ursula K. LeGuin. Top 5
11. Fall of Arthur, JRR Tolkien. OK, so I’m recommending a book that doesn’t exist yet, but come on. And it’s the perfect birthday gift – it’s coming out on May 23rd. For your birthday, a brand new Tolkien! Life doesn’t get much better than that.
12. Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, by Hayao Miyazaki. Manga, by Miyazaki. Need I say more? Drawing is extremely detailed, storyline is intricate. It’s usually (but not always) published in 4 volumes, but it’s all one story (does this count as 1 book or 4?) And sorry, but this is a pet we can’t mail.
13. Machine of Death, edited by North, Bennardo, and Malki. Have you read this yet? You have to have read this. It’s available as a free PDF, even. And the second collection comes out this summer.
14. * What Dreams May Come, Richard Matheson Top 5
15. Across the Nightingale Floor, Lian Hearn. Book one of Tales of the Otori (3 book series). Oriental fantasy; clear writing and compelling story.
16. * Waiting for the Galactic Bus, Parke Goodwin. Bizarre little book. Wonderful characters, though, and tremendous fun.
17. Bridge of Birds, Brian Hughart. Top 5
18. * Eyre Affair, Jasper Fforde. First of the Thursday Next books, and I imagine you’ve already read it. But if you haven’t, you should.
19. I, Claudius, Robert Graves. Written as if it were the autobiography of Tiberius Claudius. Follow up book is Claudius the God, if you like the first.
20. Engines of God, Jack McDevitt. First in the Academy series. I like Engines of God better than Talent for War, but they’re both fun reads. Explorers find evidence of the Master Builder society on many, many worlds .. but who were they?
21. Talent for War, Jack McDevitt. First in the Alex Benedict series. Main character is plunged into intrigue. Different from other McDevitts, but good.
22. Artifact, Gregory Benford. Nicely written, unique idea. Encompasses the stories going on behind the main ‘what is this artifact’ story, so it builds a realistically complex environment for the characters.
23. Dragon’s Egg, Robert Forward. Classic sci-fi. Describes live on the surface of a neutron star – and being Forward, he’s worked out all the math and it’s right.
24. Master and Commander, Patrick O’Brian. First in the Aubrey/Maturin series. Book the movie title was taken from .. but not the plot or anything. Book is, of course, more detailed and generally better than the movie.

Nonfiction

1. 1812: The Navy’s War, George Daughan Top 5
2. Closing of the Western Mind, Charles Freeman Top 5
3. Oracle, William Broad. Very detailed look at the Oracle of Delphi
4. Mysteries of the Oracle, Philipp Vandenberg. Broad look at oracles across different societies.
5. History of the Hobbit, John Rateliff. It’s not of general interest, but for you Chris, I think it would be very interesting. It’s all the edits and rough drafts that the Hobbit went through, and really illustrates the process of writing.
6. * The Company They Keep, Diana Pavlak Glyer. A scholarly take on the creative flow within a group of friends, particularly a group of writers, using the Inklings as an example. Very dense, but it’s an amazing book.
7. * On Writing, Stephen King. Half is autobiography of the parts of King’s life that were relevant to his being a writer. The other half is practical tip on how to write and find your own voice.
8. The Professor and the Madman, Simon Winchester. Part of the history of the making of the Oxford English Dictionary
9. * Blink, Malcolm Gladwell Top 5
10. * Minds Eye, Oliver Sacks. Really, any of his books – very interesting psychological studies, well and familiarly written. Minds Eye is about various issues with vision & perception I have his other books, *Musicophilia, which is about music, and *Man who Mistook his Wife for a Hat, which is an earlier book and has some difference in writing but has some of the most interesting case studies.
11. * Phantoms in the Brain, V.S. Ramachandran. He writes with humor and eagerness and is so confident in his material that he can make it seem clear and obvious. And he makes it fascinating, which is easy because this stuff IS fascinating.
12. Physics of Star Trek, Lawrence Krauss. Looks at the technology, applies real-world physics to it, and then describes how it should work.
13. Star Flight Handbook, Eugene Mallove. Recommended for Dad as well. Goes into the real math, science, and engineering involved in various theories (and actual ships) that folks have thought up for stellar travel.
14. Insect Lives, Erich Hoyt. The most interesting collection of essays on insects. Some very scholarly, some are popular fiction – it even includes Far Side cartoons.
15. * Dr. Tatiana’s Sex Advice to All Creation, Olivia Judson. Structured like a Dear Abby column, but all the questions are from bugs. Very funny and incidentally quite educational.
16. * Consider the Lobster, David Foster Wallace Top 5
17. * Plato and a Platypus walk into a bar, Thomas Cathcart. Subtitle: Understanding philosophy through jokes. And it delivers – the jokes are funny (mostly) and they actually do illustrate various philosophies.
18. Elizabeth & Mary, Jane Dunn. This is sort of a comparative biography of Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary – the relationship between them, and how their differences played out in their rules. It’s included because it’s an exceptionally well written book.
19. * Genghis Khan, Jack Weatherford. I don’t know much about Genghis Khan, and I’m finding this book absolutely fascinating. The first half (roughly) is about Genghis Khan himself – the rest of the book is about what happened to his empire after his death. Very readable.
20. * Hero with a Thousand Faces, Joseph Campbell. Modern study on the mythological hero. I think this is Campbell’s best work. It looks like the full text is online as a PDF.
21. The Hero, Lord Raglan. Also on the mythological hero; an older and more scholarly take on it (and sometimes Campbell’s narrative voice gets irritating, and this one doesn’t). It looks like the full text is online as a PDF.
22. Uses of Enchantment, Bruno Bettelheim. A fascinating book on the use of mythological archetypes in fairy tales.
23. * Measure of All Things, Ken Alder. The French Revolution is raging, so they send two scientists out to definitively measure the circumference of the Earth. The book was very well written, but the absurdity of the endeavor was what caught me.
24. Wind, Jan DeBlieu. She made it absolutely fascinating.
25. * Secret Life of Dust, Hannah Holmes Top 5
26. Stiff, Mary Roach. All about what happens to corpses. Various researches, forensic farms, burial, cremation. Morbid yet fascinating. Mary Roach is a wonderful popular science writer – brings an ‘oh wow’ energy to everything she writes. I’ve read Bonk (all about sex) and it was good, but I liked Stiff better. I haven’t read her others, but I’d certainly recommend them on the strength of her writing. Gulp, her latest (to be released in April) looks pretty interesting, too.
27. Ex Libris, Anne Fadiman. A collection of essays about being a reader and loving book. Not that that would resonate with anyone here ..
28. * Nine Horses, Billy Collins. Or any of his books of poetry. I like that compilation; Nine Horses just happens to include “The Country“, which is my favorite of all his poems. But I also have * Sailing Alone Around the Room and am keen to get more – they’re all good.