What kind of books do you like to read, and which books are your favourites?
I like classic fiction, popular science, philosophy, history and politics. I like to read anything by Bertrand Russell, Jean Jacques Rousseau, Charles Darwin, Richard Dawkins, Charles Dickens, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Leo Tolstoy, Oscar Wilde, Charles Dickens, George Orwell, Alexander Dumas, etc. Books I think everyone should read are : The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists by Robert Tressell, 1984 by George Orwell, The Forgotten Soldier by Guy Sajer, The History of Western Philosophy, Why I am not a Christian and In Praise of Idleness all by Bertrand Russell, Resurrection by Tolstoy and all of Darwin's books especially The Descent of Man.
What books did your parents read to you when you were a young child?
Absolutely nothing.
What are the top 25 books you should read?
The origin of species - Charles Darwin, because understanding evolution is key to understanding almost any aspect of life.Mein Kampf - Adolf Hitler, to teach you how dangerously convincing a well worded argument can be even if it is utter gibberish.Studies in Hysteria - Sigmund Freud, to understand how little we know of ourselves.The Antichrist - Friedrich Nietzsche, To destroy any remaining vestige of unrealistic optimism that you may have left inside you after reading the previous three. Also, to understand the dynamic of humanity.The sorrows of young Werther - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, to witness literature at its highest form.The Lord of the Rings - J.R.R. Tolkien, The best book ever written.Broca’s brain - Carl Sagan, to give you an unforgettable perspective on life.Pale blue dot - carl sagan, to make yourself understand the insignificance of our existence and also why we should be proud of it.Napoleon - Emil Ludwig, the biography of a great man, written exceptionally well.The hitchiker’s guide to the galaxy - douglas adams, to see comic genius and layered satire at workValis - Philip K Dick, to experience the melting of a brain on paper.Frankenstein - Mary Shelley, To read a beautiful tale about the monster that is man.Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - R. L. Stevenson, a fascinating tale of man's duality.The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath, to thoroughly disturb oneself.The Second Sex- Simone De Beauvoir, to understand every aspect of feminism and come to respect and love it.The Oresteian Trilogy - Aeschylus, Greek Drama at its finest.Empress at Blandings - PG Wodehouse, or any book of his, to be honest. They're all wonderful..Sophie’s world - Jostein Gaardner, for a philosophy beginner's kit.The story of Philosophy - Will Durant, for a detailed philosophy overview.The Time Machine - HG Wells, Disturbing sci fi at its best.Labyrinths - Jorge Luis Borges, Enough thought experiments to drive you insaneThe sorrows of Satan - Marie Corelli, A unique story with no heroesIncest - Marquis de Sade, to make you reconsider everything you’ve taken for grantedThe selfish gene - Richard Dawkins, to understand life in a microcosm.Ayn Rand - The Virtues of Selfishness, to bust the Socialist myth.
Teens Reading Zane Books?
i do think you're too young to the explicit sex in zane books. i'm almost 33, and i have only read one zane book!! here's why i think this: picture your mind as a trap. whatever you put in there is in there to stay. so you may be planning to remain a virgin until you are married, and because it's so dangerous and deadly out here (HIV/AIDS, herpes, syphillis, etc), i hope you do remain one, but all the images and words and acts you're reading about now will just make it easier for you to take that step if ever you find yourself in a certain situation in the next few years. there are PLENTY of wonderful books about there. i won't even say young adult books because obviously, you're into adult-level literature. but there are great books for adults where the whole point of it all is not constant sexing. besides, this is a good age for you to know that you're more than your body, and life is more than sex. reading zane books all the time can shrink your whole universe down to one thing. i teach high school, so i see it every day. the zane readers are all hot and bothered and can't wait to give it away. these are the ones who end up preggers and dropping out. there are 9th graders here with kids!! so make sure you're developing all your gifts and talents. when you're grown and married, sex will be the icing on the cake. don't be fooled into thinking it's everything. that's just heartbreak waiting to happen.
What kind of books do you like to read? What are your favorite series?
I really like biographies, historical fiction, mysteries, fantasy, and science fiction. I also like a lot of old books that usually require me having to look up a new big word every five seconds. On a side note, look what I bought today!
What book or books did you love when you were young, only to be disappointed when you returned to reread them later and older?
Honestly.... I would have to go with Harry Potter. I know that I am gonna receive a lot of flak for saying so, but I have my reasons for this.1) Good and evil are defined all too clearly. There have been a lot of other novels which are black and white, in the sense that we know what is wrong and what is right; but at the very least the characters' allegiance was questionable. Harry Potter was a bit too simplistic in that regard. The real world doesn't work like that.2) The magic system seemed a bit flawed. Every time a spell was cast, successfully or not, I kept questioning why the success of a spell was as inconsistent as it was. What factors determine if a spell would work properly? Just how much can one do with these spells? What are the limits to spell casting? These things always remained unclear. Which is why there have been a lot of situations where, on rereading, I thought "He should have done 'B' as opposed to 'A'. 'B' is the obvious solution in this situation." This made feel as though the series wasn't thought through very well. I have read many other novels in the fiction fantasy genre wherein the rules are defined better and the story has been thought through well enough, that I haven't posed the same question as I did earlier.But one thing is for certain. Harry Potter was my gateway series to the genre of fiction fantasy. It was a thrilling ride when I first read it. It introduced me to a world of such potential and so many possibilities, that it was only natural that I would read books that have perfected J.K. Rowling's style. It's only natural that I would come across and read books which are miles above the Harry Potter franchise, and hence come to underappreciate it on rereading it.Harry Potter may not be the best literary work in the genre, but it has laid a platform for the rest of the genre to flourish. Hats off to you, J.K. Rowling. You may not have been the fuel that lit my fire, but you were certainly the spark. Thank you so much, for everything...
What kind of books do you like?
Murder and mystery have a beautiful aurora to them. Yet I must admit, tragedy is the best, but not the ones that are simply sad and alright. I love the ones that when I begin to understand the hapless character and sad episodes of his or her life, I begin to feel sad myself and wishing I could help, forgetting it's a book at all. Plently of detail, a well-defined storyline, and detailed characters. The more details, the more you become enthralled in a book and begin to feel familiar with them. Unexpected twists are a work of art as well. Romance I enjoy as well, but again, the tragic romance, the one that doesn't end with a predictable happy ending. Mushy, annoyingly happy endings are despisable in my point of view. They make you long for whatyou don't have. Sad stories tend to make people appreciate their own lives even more.