A Mad Dash and a Short List

A friend asked me through email to recommend some good books I've come across recently. So I was thinking about which among the books I've read will fit her while walking to the subway station on my way home when something caught my eye and made me stop. My favorite bookstore's having a sale! So yes, I took a detour. And came out of the shop ten minutes later with a bagful of books. Here are the titles I bought:

The Verificationist by Donald Antrim
Saving Fish From Drowning by Amy Tan
Cosmicomics by Italo Calvino
The Journey Home by Olaf Olafsson
A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami

I was all happy and beaming because I got all these for a grand total of only 20000 won which roughly translates to 14$. And they're all new! This buying frenzy surely made my day. And now I don't have to worry about my reading materials for the next two weeks.

I was pondering about the books that made the biggest impact on me recently. Books that are accessible enough ( so yes, my favorite poetry books are not included) and those that would most likely be appreciated by her.

So here you go, Flounder. Here's a short list of books that came to mind, titles that I think you'd appreciate and like. I sure enjoyed reading them.:)

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand-- It's an old book yes, circa 1960, and its thick, 800+ pages might seem intimidating, but the philosophy that hovers through this beautiful novel is one that I have tried to live and apply in my life: The sense of individualism, to live the best that we could. I think you'd love this too. I have recommended this to a few friends and they ended up adding this title to their faves too.

Eleven Minutes by Paulo Coehlo--If you hated his other book, The Alchemist, which I did too, you'd be surprised by this one. There is a shift in writing, a refreshing honesty and bluntness. Maybe it's the premise, a prostitute, a painter and the complications of modern love. For a new, more honest look at relationships, read this.

The Curious Incident of the dog in the night-time by Mark Haddon-- This is one book I recently read and utterly loved. What's not to like? It's written with the ubiquitious Brit humor, the novel is set in England, with a few important story turns in London (in Victoria Station! or was it Waterloo? hmmm) and the story is so simply, simply endearing

Interpreter of Malady by Jhumpa Lahiri-- I used to not like short stories. I thought they were lame and well, not substantial enough. Until I discovered the lyrical stories of Jhumpa Lahiri. This Pulitzer Prize winning collection is a beautiful tapestry of simple stories, common emotions told in an enthralling voice.

A Home at the End of the World by Michael Cunningham-- it's the first novel of the acclaimed writer of "The Hours". A tearjerker to be sure, but still a lovely honest story.

For a dose of Le Japonais, how about Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto, or Kafka on The Shore by Haruki Murakami?

For our nomadic dreams, there's Peter Mayle's account of life in France, A Year in Provence. Or Anthony Bourdain's tell-all and insider scoop on the restaurant and food service industry, Kitchen Confidential.

For a dose of motivation, there's Randy Pausch's The Last Lecture and Elizabeth Gilber's account of turning her life around after a painful divorce, Eat Pray Love.

That's a short list, no? Hope you find one that you'll like.