My favorite books

Hello ! J'ai décidé de vous faire un post spécial "bon bouquin". Si vous ne savez pas quoi lire, ca vous donnera peut être des idées, et à l'inverse, si vous avez un bon livre à me conseiller, n'hésitez pas, je dévore les livres plus vite qu'une prof de litté. Par contre, si vous voulez me conseiller de la science fiction, ou un roman français super chiant du 19e, retenez-vous, mon gros kiffe, c'est la littérature américaine contemporaine qui traite des ados. A bon entendeur ...

Hey guys! I've decided to show you my favorite books. I love contemporary american litterature, so if you have any suggestions about what I should read, please tell me! I mostly read books about teenagers, so maybe you know a good one I never read!

Philip Roth literature.  I couldn't choose just one book by Philip Roth (although my favorite surely is American Pastoral, maybe because it's the firts I've read.) After Salinger, Roth is my favorite author. I'm planning on reading all of his novels. So far, Portnoy's Complaint was shoking, Indignation was moving, American Pastoral was captivating, The Plot Against America was hard to read but eventually great, and The Ghost Writer was the only one I didn't like.

The Catcher in the Rye, Salinger. My favorite book of all time. I've just read it for the 7th time. I always read it during Christmas vacation because it's when the story takes place, and it makes me feel connected to Holden even more. It was written in 1951, but still is very modern. The sad thing is, it's Salinger's only good book. He has put so much talent into capturing the essence of the teenager that he didn't have any talent left for his other novels. His short stories are quite good though, especially "For Esme - With Love and Squalor." But don't ever read "Franny and Zooey", or from a very critical point of view!

Lolita, Vladimir Nabokov. This one taught me that a book is not necessarily about its story. A book is about the writing, the words, the sounds,  the hidden puzzles. Nabokov masters the english language like no one else does. Writing is a game for him, just like chess. If you think Lolita is about pedophilia, then you didn't understand the point at all. The subtitle to this edition "The greatest novel of rapture in modern fiction" couldn't be more wrong...

The Virgin Suicides, Jeffrey Eugenides. This book is like a sad recreation. It's beautifully depressing, and strangely captivating. Sofia Coppola has done an incredible job, because the movie may be as good as the book, seriously!

La Triste Fin du Petit Enfant Huitre, Tim Burton. The book is both in French and in English, and the translations are really really good. If you like Tim Burton's movies, you'll love the super short stories in this book, and the drawings that illustrate them!

Les Dix Petits Nègres, Agatha Christie. When I was a kid, I used to go crazy when I read a book by Agatha Christie. This one is by far my favorite, I've read it several times even though I know who the murderer is ahah. It's like the best detective story ever, so captivating that even my boyfriend read it :D

The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Stephen Chbosky. My friend Samy told me to read it, and it's the first time that I actually love a book that someone suggested to me. It's like The Catcher in The Rye, but 40 years after. Very insightful, deeply moving, the main character is one of those you'd want to call on the phone after you've finished the book.

Peter Pan, J. M. Barrie. I saw the Disney movie when I was a kid, but I started to love the story when I read it, 3 years ago. I wouldn't give this book to a kid, it's way too sad. It's a beautiful story about the fear of growing old and of being alone. The last chapter is absolutely heartbreaking.

Harry Potter, J. K. Rowling. I couldn't have chosen any of the Harry Potter saga, because i love them all. It's the kind of book you can't just stop reading. Once you start, you read the whole thing in two days, because it's captivating! I wouldn't say it's "literature", but it's still very refreshing to read! I mean, who doesn't love Harry Potter?

 

The Road, Cormac Mc Carthy. I couldn't take the photo myself, because I don't own the book, I had only borrowed it from the library, but I should buy it because I love it so much. It's definitely the best book I read in 2009. At first, I thought the way it's written would be annoying, but eventually, that's what made me love it so much. Short sentences, not many descriptions, just verbs, actions. The lack of sentimentality is definitely the strength of the book. The movie was not bad, but the horror and atrocities of the book were not as striking. 

Any book you'd like to suggest?