I'm looking for recommendations for good books to read over the summer. My attention span isn't the greatest, and my vocabulary could use some improvement (I really struggled with Nietzsche's TSZ), but I still want to enjoy some quality literature. So far, I've read Goethe's "The Sorrows of Young Werther," Daniel Defoe's "Robinson Crusoe," and Philip K. Dick's "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?"
I particularly enjoyed Dick's book for its cyberpunk aesthetic and its resemblance to Blade Runner. Goethe's prose also captivated me with its philosophical depth, and Werther's inner thoughts throughout the epistolary novel were intriguing—I don't think Goethe overdid it with the sentimentality about Charlotte, I actually thought it was beautiful.
I've heard good things about "Faust," though I'm unsure if it's a novel or something else. Other highly recommended books include "Don Quixote" and Dante's "Divine Comedy."
I'm specifically looking for books with beautiful prose. Please keep that in mind when suggesting titles. If I haven't mentioned a book, it means I haven't read it yet!
Also, I wasn't a fan of Russian writers like Dostoevsky or Tolstoy, as they tend to introduce a huge cast in their books and it's very long-winded.
by Fre5h_J4
1 Comment
If you’re into unreliable narrators, you won’t find more beautiful prose than Vladimir Nabokov’s. *Pale Fire* is fantastic.
If you’re into fantasy, check out Peter S Beagle: *The Last Unicorn* or *A Fine and Quiet Place*
If you like old fantasy, *Lud-in-the-Mist* by Hope Mirrlees has beautiful prose.
If you aren’t sure if you like fantasy but want to read something that explores what it means to have power, the importance of doing what’s right, the importance of community, thoughts on womanhood and patriarchy, definitely read The Earthsea Cycle by Ursula K LeGuin
If you want to be swept away on a grand American adventure, read *Lonesome Dove* by Larry McMurtry