monkymon29

My favorite classic novel is The Grapes of Wrath, which is probably even more relevant in this economic climate. If you go with this book you should definitely follow it by reading the book "The Dust Bowl" by environmental historian Donald Worster. It explains the human role in the cause of the dust bowl, which gives a whole new depth to the misery.

sarahfa

Charles Dickens's Bleak House
Thomas Hardy's Jude the Obscure

both are excellent insights into the consciousness of the Victorians . . . an era that, like our own, was very much in flux . . .

plus, my husband is doing his doctoral dissertation on these two novels

happy reading . . .

becky8602

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. One of my favorites that I can read over and over. I love it.

seenyou

Thackery's Vanity Fair. I love her journey as a woman through love, loss, parenthood...While it didn't change my life, it was very meaningful to read both as a girl and as an adult - perspective is a funny thing.

basilr

The book I am still thinking abou several summers later is Half of a Yellow Sun. It is a fabulous novel about war, strife and love in Nigeria. Other classics I still think about today and read a long time ago are: anything by Graham Greene-especially The Third Man. Also The Scarlet Pimpernel, anything by Dumas-his books are phenomenal-titles beyond The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers, Go Tell it on the Mountain-James Baldwin, The Fountainhead, Atlas Shrugged or the lesser known and fabulous We the Living. Another book that I believe will become a classic is Girl with the Dragon Tattoo-fabulous. The Shadow of the Wind is a booklover's dream (Ruiz) and a new book by him is due out soon.The Help by Kathryn Stockett is another great summer read about Mississippi in the 1950s. My rooms overflow with books. My Mom started reading to me the day she brought me home from the hospital. How blessed am I. And I pay it forward by always giving a book or two to any new mother along with her othe gifts and with a note to share the gift of reading. I love to read! Happy reading. By the way I am currently reading Sag Harbor by Colson Whitehead-a great summer book.

jfcorron

I second Vanity Fair. Becky Sharpe is such a great character and you can't go wrong with chapters with names like How to Live on Nothing a Year.

robb0117

I know it was already an Oprah book, but I would highly, highly recommend "East of Eden." It quickly became one of my favorites. I am reading "Grapes of Wrath" now. I was never a big fan of Dickens, but I love Dumas. I always surprised how many people have never actually read "The Three Musketeers." This is an absolute classic serial: fun, exciting, scandalous, adventurous and historical. A perfect summer read in my opinion. D'Artagnan, Porthos, Aramis, Athos & Milady are timeless characters. Looking for something meatier, check out "The Count of Monte Cristo" as well.

cecilebott

My book club is reading Naguib Mahfouz Cairo Trilogy. This is the nobel prize winning author's epic trilogy of colonial Egypt during the British occupation in the early part of the twentieth century. It is beautifully written and showcases the evolution of one Muslim family during the years between the two world wars. Read along with us!

iheartboox

i've always heard MIDDLEMARCH is brilliant, but i've never read it. maybe i'll read it along with you, producer jill!

ccbressoud

I am currently reading My Antonia, by Willa Cather, rich description about the frontier mid-west. It has sat on my shelf for years, since our kids were in high school, it was one of their books. My daughter the English Teacher says it is one of her favorites. I must admit that I also agree with Becky above about A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, another of my kids high school reads that I love!

c1carolm

"Little Women" Louisa May Alcott...poverty, war, family, hope, love and spirit. Strength in 5 women in that time was rare, they all seemed to have men in their lives then. In present times, we could learn from their ways. Maybe even recapture our youth!

dutchcooki

The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck was the first serious novel I read as a teen. This summer my book club is celebrating it's 25th year, so we are re-reading "...And Ladies of the Club" by Helen Hooven Santmyer, one of our first books. It's 1200 pages and takes you back to a book club in the 1800's that performed scenes from the classics as entertainment. So you could have a bit of both. The author died in her 90's so she was recalling some things from her history. That book lingered with me and I felt like I was moving away from friends when I finished it.

joryhast

I majored in English in college, and there are two classics that I have read over and over that I would highly recommend. The first is Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin. Fantastic book...I am always glued to the pages even though I know how it ends. The other is my all time favorite and it is Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. I don't think any movie made from this book has ever done it justice. It is a haunting tale of good and bad, and dark and light. I love reading this one. Those are my two recommendations. Even if you have read these books before, they are always worth another read as they far transcend the writing that is in books today.

dlfox1929

James Michener's "The Source" is truly the source of life, meaning water. From the very beginning story the reader passes through all the great eras of the past without leaving "the Source". This is kind of historical fiction with some romance, but any description I could write wouldn't do it justice. When my jr. high son wanted to read it I told him he wasn't ready for it tho I think he just wanted to get in on all the great discussions our gang of book lovers had over this book complete with tasty goodies. This should be on everyone's shelf.

mglondon

"Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier, anything by Patricia Highsmith (highly underrated as a writer, in my opinion), or "The Bad Seed" by William March. The first half of the 20th century was rife with these moody, mysterious, slightly off-kilter classic mystery-suspense novels. Think Henry James' "Turn of the Screw" (oh...that one, too!) with a more modern, less terrifying bent.

rhaebs

The book I recommend is not a classic but a new book: it's called The House On The Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford. it's a 40-year love story which takes place in Seattle after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Mostly involves children of Japanese and Chinese descent and their conflicts between wanting to be "an American" and the traditions and culture of their families. It's excellent. I would even hope Oprah may want to use it as her next BC read.

bendix357

The Good Earth--I really enjoyed it. There are lots of good suggestions here

dutchcooki

The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck. Also ",,,And Ladies of the Club" by Helen Hooven Santmyer.

tieco12

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. It is the next book on my list. I read it in college and am now 64 so thought I would read it again.

pauline63

I recommend Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky. I read it in my twenties as a challenge to myself. Well it was no challenge. It was riveting. Dostoevsky was clearly a master of observation and human emotion. I have every intention of reading it again. It is tension filled and a most satisfying literary meal. Bon appetite.

ns090077

To Kill a Mockingbird or Huck Finn are great books for summer

wwingfield

I would highly recommend Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali. It is a wonderful true story about a woman who overcame adversity and gained a political position to be able to help other women.

It is by far the best book that I have read in years.

joymag1956

Oh boy, so many books to choose. but i vote for The Grapes of Wrath. Moby Dick is also awesome if you can get past all the whale info dumping.

dlfox1929

Here's one book that will take you right through the summer & give you plenty of food for thought - Michener's THE SOURCE. Now THAT's a book - history, art, conflict, drama, humor, values - any description that I would write wouldn't do it justice. You just HAVE to read it.

pjpoll

Three Cups of Tea

bookloverz

The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand.

cmilne

I love this question and books! I have a few suggestions..
1. To Kill A Mockingbird (beautiful book) Oprah's favorite too..
2. Thorn Birds (a true classic!)
3. Christy (great story)
4. Twilight (a destined classic!)
5. Coal Run by Tawni O'Dell (Oprah chose her book Back Roads for the book club), excellent book.
thanks much, look forward to reading about your choice.
Crystal

antelios

Toward the end of last year and I saw the most recent Masterpiece Theater version of JANE EYRE. I've been fond of the productions, even the very old ones and interested in the fact that there are differences in parts of the stories. I decided that after 40 years it might be fun to take another look at the book. (They never seem to be able to make it interesting when they force you to read the classics in high school!)

What a wonderful surprise! It's a book you can easily get lost in and at the same time very hard to put down. it's doesn't suffer from difficult antiquated language or structure as some books its age do and I had such a good time with it I intend to read it again this winter when the cold weather comes!

tamsin66

If you want funny, romantic, light go with "Pride and Prejudice" or "Anne of Green Gables". Darker? Read "Rebecca"--she is definitely worth "meeting". "Jane Eyre" is fantastic, too. A little bit of everything? Try a "A Tale of Two Cities". I have read all these books multiple times over the years. Despite their age they never get old.

tamsin66

If you want light, funny and romantic try Pride and Prejudice or Anne of Green Gables. Want darker? Try Rebecca--she is definitely worth "meeting." Jane Eyre is also fanastic. Want a little bit of everything? Read A Tale of Two Cities. I have read all these books multiple times over the years. Despite their age, they never get old.

karris76

"Passing" by Nella Larsen is a book I consider to be an American classic, although it is seldom read these days. Larsen was a Harlem Renaissance writer --- a contemporary of Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes. "Passing" is set during the time of the Harlem Renaissance and focuses on issues of race, class, access, inaccessibility and female sexuality. The descriptive writing is stunning. The book is about two light-skinned African women who grew up together; one passes for white and the other does not (except for random visits to "whites only" restaurants). I just re-read "Passing" recently and was moved by its continued relevance to life in the United States. It's a book about who we were, who we are and who we think we are. All of us. People may say that the issue of "passing" for white doesn't matter anymore, but is that really true? I kept asking myself that question. Larsen is truly an American literary treasure; I also highly recommend her other novel, "Quicksand."

cannava

East of Eden is a classic that I could not put down. That's my vote.

karlynch

I definitely think you should consider reading "Five Smooth Stones" by Ann Fairbairn. I read it first many years ago when I was in college but it has stayed with me. It is one of my favorites of all times.
It is set during the civil rights movement and it is about race and friendship and love and it will make you think and it will make you cry. Even if it is not the book that you choose to read this summer it is definitely a book that you should read at some point in your life. I highly recommend it.

novadawn

I second some of the choices already made (Pride and Prejudice and Vanity Fair are several favorites), but you can't go wrong with Frankenstein! Everyone thinks it's a scary book, but it's actually about the very heart of what it takes to be a human. And it is strangely feminist! Then I would suggest Tess of the D'urbervilles. It's a wonderfully romantic, deeply sentimental story that has a lot of dramatic punch (with eloquent descriptions of the countryside). For another view of the British Isles, Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf (and if you have time, follow it up with Mr. Dalloway by Robin Lippincott and The Hours by Michael Cunningham -- this trio of stories works off Woolf's original idea). And, finally, Marjorie Morningstar by Herman Wouk -- every time I think of it, all I can see is Natalie Wood's lovely face -- a story about a girl dreaming of being a star and dealing with the obstacles in her way. Whatever the case, I'm excited to hear about your choice. So many great classics to read, so little time . . .

bellela

Oh, the very best classic in my opinion is "Walden" by Henry David Thoreau. It blends rich naturalistic landscapes with profound words and philosophical thoughts that are perhaps more relevant today than they were in Thoreau's time. He deals with issues such as debt, environmentalism, and social woes in 19th century America in such a way that unites that time period to our own. It's guaranteed to force you to question your own existence, why you do what you do, and most importantly, how to live more "deliberately." It's also a short read, so it lends itself to reading it slowly and absorbing all of the imagery and meaning. Try it out!

producerji

May 22, 2009 4:14 PM

  |   in response to: monkymon29

"The Grapes of Wrath" changed my life!

kgraham147

One of the best summers that I ever had was the summer a couple of years ago when I read Anna Karenina. I had been so intimidated by the Russian novelists that I had put it off. I'm so happy that I read it. While so many of the suggestions above are fabulous (in fact, I'm writing them all down so I can put them on my list to read or reread), for a book that will take up much of your summer, and entertain you the whole time, I recommend Anna Karenina. I really loved it, and hope that you will too.

auntgirl

The classic that is a "must read" is Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen. It is such a beautiful story.

producerji

May 22, 2009 4:18 PM

  |   in response to: basilr

My, you are quite a reader! What a list of worthy suggestions and although it's not a classic -- I thought "Half a Yellow Sun" was brilliant. I love your idea about passing books along with a note and I will try to do the same from now on. Happy Reading!

producerji

May 22, 2009 4:20 PM

  |   in response to: cecilebott

I adored "Palace Walk" and for those of you who haven't read it -- go get a copy at your public library!

producerji

May 22, 2009 4:21 PM

  |   in response to: iheartboox

I've never read "Middlemarch" and always wanted to -- who else will read it with me?

mlgundlach

I also just finished Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet and think it would be a marvelous summer read. Also loved The Help. Older books that I loved were Moby Dick and Ramona by Helen Hunt Jackson. And, of course, the ultimate summer read, Gone With The Wind.

producerji

May 22, 2009 4:23 PM

  |   in response to: bendix357

We loved "The Good Earth" too and selected for our book club in 2004!

ktnelson1

There have been so many good suggestions already! I also LOVE "Pride & Prejudice", "East of Eden" and "A Tale of Two Cities" and think that you can't go wrong with any of those. But I'd also like to nominate two lesser known but brilliant classics: "The Tenant of Wildfell Hall" by Anne Bronte or "North and South" by Elizabeth Gaskill. "The Tenant of Wildfell Hall" was so intriguing to me--full of women's issues--and really one of the first novels to feature a woman who leaves her husband. "North and South" is about the conflict of class and culture between Margaret, the aristocratic daughter of the south of England, and John, the successful mill owner in the north. Good luck with your decision. I can't wait to hear what you pick!

pajodye11

My book club recently read a great book about two months ago by Lawrence Hill. In the states it is called Someone Knows my Name and in Canada it is called The Book Of Negroes.

The story of a young woman who was captured from her village in Africa by Slave traders, traveled to the states on a slave ship, to Canada as a freed slave, back to Africa and finally to Britan. It is a heartbreaking and hopeful book that was hard to put down. Brilliantly written. Everyone in my book club gave it a 10 which doesn't happen very often.

producerji

May 22, 2009 4:26 PM

  |   in response to: tieco12

I loved "Anna Karenina" in college and again in 2004 when we chose it for our summer book selection!

ktnelson1

May 22, 2009 4:27 PM

  |   in response to: producerji

I read it on a dare from a college Literature professor. It's wonderful. I'd love to read it again!

nydza11

May 22, 2009 4:28 PM

  |   in response to: becky8602

A Tree Grows In Brooklyn Loved it. One of Oprahs favorites. You'll laugh and cry one of my top 5.

producerji

May 22, 2009 4:28 PM

  |   in response to: bookloverz

Being a devotee of Frank Lloyd Wright -- I loved "The Fountainhead" and if anyone hasn't read it, please get thee to a bookstore or library!

nmbourak

How about "The Count of Monte Cristo"? It's amazing?

producerji

May 22, 2009 4:31 PM

  |   in response to: tamsin66

There seems to be a little "Jane Eyre" fan club going on -- good suggestion and I haven't read it.

producerji

May 22, 2009 4:33 PM

  |   in response to: cannava

Oprah loved "East of Eden" too and selected it in 2003 as "the book that brought the book club back!"

producerji

May 22, 2009 4:36 PM

  |   in response to: karris76

"Passing" is an interesting suggestion -- I will certainly check it out!

kmcwhorter

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. It has everything - love, war, conflict, romance, politics, adventure. It has moral decisions - good and bad. It's 1400 pages long so it'll take the whole summer. But, don't cheat and get the abridged version - it's worth every word. There will be times Hugo paints the characters into an impossible corner. There's no way he can resolve this. But it can't be the end - there's 1200 pages more to go! Don't read it in bed.... you'll keep wanting to see what happens next and will get caught in the "just one more chapter" vortex.

Other than that, Moby Dick is a great novel. As is Scarlet Letter by Hawthorne. K.

lueread

I'd suggest Count of Monte Cristo, which I recently read. It's long enough to last the whole summer. However, it is very plot driven which keeps you going.

Or, if you are looking for something more American, Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner. Gorgeous book about the American west and family history.

producerji

May 22, 2009 4:41 PM

  |   in response to: kmcwhorter

"Les Miserables" is one big book! But I'll consider it...

tpeterla

Three Against the Wilderness by Eric Collier. Reads like a novel although it is a true story. A feel good for men, women and all who care about the earth and animals. READ IT!

kmcwhorter

May 22, 2009 4:54 PM

  |   in response to: producerji

It's long. It took me an entire summer to read it. Every time my friends saw me, I had my copy in tow. Finally one of them got me the t-shirt!

If you won a year's worth of free dinners at all the 5 star restaurants in Chicago - at what point would you get tired of the great food? Hugo's writing is exquisite. Being a poet, his writing has a lyrical cadence that's a joy to read. He paints amazing pictures and you find yourself emotionally involved with the characters. It will certainly take you to a different world.

If it's for you - at some point, pick up Les Miserables and jump in. For the Oprah Book Club, I don't know how many would want to tackle it.

It's kinda like Pillars of the Earth - long but worth it. IMHO. K.

gobwah

I've just finished reading 3 classics. Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson, Deerslayer by James Fennimore Cooper, and Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. All three were marvelous, each in their own way. Since I must choose one for you, I would highly recommend Great Expectations. The plot has lots of twists and turns, and some great characters!

deterrent

Our Woodlands Texas bookclub will read "Welford Street Miracles" by R. Merial Martin. It has a July 14th release date, however we are getting copies from Tate Publishing on the web. To the author:
"I am so proud that I know you. This book is powerful and such a legacy for your family to have their miracle story in print. An inspiring depiction of love and faith. It is truly a must-read for all book clubs". Dr. P.W. Adams-Sam Houston University Professor

paulavac

Wow, this conversation is bringing back memories!! I've read Moby Dick and it is excellent. I've never been able to make it through War and Peace, although I've tried many times. I've read every Ayn Rand book there is and if you're looking for a full summer-long read, I'd suggest "Atlas Shrugged" over "The Fountainhead," although both are excellent reads. I've also read most of Michener's works and also Graham Greene - both excellent writers. There are some excellent science fiction writers also - Heinlein is one of my favorites - I think I've read just about everything he's written. My alltime favorite though, is "Anna Karenina" by Tolstoy. I intend to keep checking back for what others have recommended - I think I'd like to pick up another great classic that I haven't read and settle down and read during the summer!!

producerji

May 22, 2009 5:02 PM

  |   in response to: gobwah

"Great Expectations" is a must read -- if only for one of my favorite classic characters of all time, Miss Havisham!

producerji

May 22, 2009 5:04 PM

  |   in response to: paulavac

That's the spirit! Let's ALL vow to read at least one classic this summer!

eperry621

Ok, in no particular order: To Kill a Mockingbird (actually, it's always #1), Native Son, anything by Steinbeck, anything by Mitchener, anything by Dickens. I too am intimidated by the Russian authors so I must try them at some point.

deterrent

May 22, 2009 5:10 PM

  |   in response to: producerji

Ms Producer "JI" Check out "Welford Street Miracles". If you don't enjoy, I will buy it back. The Author. Just google it. If you like Oprah books, you will like this one.

yogaflower

A few years ago I read Gone With the Wind and was astonished at how much better the book was than the movie. Two other favorites from long ago are A Woman of Independant Means by Elizabeth Forsythe Hailey, and The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields. Also The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton.

annemaury

Definitely the Count of Monte Cristo. It has everything: Love, Intrigue, Adventure. Dumas writes so brilliantly you never want it to end, but even when it does end, you are satisfied. He takes you to several parts of the world and you can see it and feel it.

bodyworld

The Count of Monte Cristo...awesome, sweeping adventure, it will capture you and you won't be able to put it down. I spent a summer on my pool floatie devouring this book...a must read!

sherylbaum

These are all great suggestions, two of my favorites (that I would consider modern classics), that I didn't see yet -- The Once and Future King, by TH White, the story of King Arthur, from his wonder-filled childhood through his last battle and Lonesome Dove, by Larry McMurtry, a western with endearing and memorable characters.

gretchen42

May 22, 2009 5:16 PM

  |   in response to: c1carolm

Read Macrh after Little Women. It tells the father's side. Alcott based her father character on her own father. Quite interesting!

gretchen42

I am choosing Rebecca by du Maurier for my selection in our book club next year. All the copy I read is intriguing. We like to choose at least one classic and this will be it.

producerji

May 22, 2009 5:22 PM

  |   in response to: bodyworld

Hummmm...."The Count of Monte Cristo" -- I like a book I can read in a pool!

roshanis

I just finished reading a fabulous book called ++Ahab's Wife++ by Sena Jeter Naslund. It may not be a classic yet, but it reads like one!!
Roshani Shay
Independence, Oregon

jezerbe

May 22, 2009 5:31 PM

  |   in response to: iheartboox

Middlemarch would be a great choice. I have read it and it is very modern and accessible. It tells the story of the residents of the village of Middlemarch, presenting both male and female viewpoints quite believeably.

kbroxx

Without question you should read ATLAS SHRUGGED by Ayn Rand this summer. There's no classic book that has more to do with what's going on in America today than this one. And, it's a great summer read.

sherry1222

I highly recommend THE GREATEST MIRACLE IN THE WORLD by Og Mandino. Very inspiring and thought-provoking.

jezziemn

If you truly want to get lost in time, I suggest one of my favorite classics
by Ernest Hemingway, For Whom The Bell Tolls..a wonderful love story. one of my favorite heroes from this book ..Robert Jordan.
Meanwhile how do I recommend a book to Oprah, one she will love and not be able to lay down
A new author with a wonderul story that takes place in the 60's during the civil rights movement

The Help by Kathryn Stockett..

I searched for an e-mail address to make suggestions..can you send me one..?

smitchel

Without a doubt, you MUST read Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. It is a wonderful depiction of how we often judge people on our first impression of them, which, may in fact, be far from who they really are. The book is a classic and will always be a story that will stand the test of time.
SMitchel

murielle7

I would add to Pride and Prejudice, The French Lieutenant's Woman by John Fowles set in southwestern England in 1867. I found myself completely captivated by his literary style and imagined myself in the different settings. One can hear their lilting accents and sense the enormous emotions of the characters.

mavericksg

Hi Jill I would like to reommend my paper back published by PublishAmerica. I am told that it has typo's that the publishers did not correct, yet I'm also told its a great read. Published under Jo Ann Cruise Baingull...titled Baptized by Fire, set in the heart of Alabama in the hot summer time old secrets are torn open and revealed, if you do read it, dont give away the ending.

ddfiji

I think every serious reader should read Les Miserable sometime in their life. It has everything in it. I agree with reading the full version, not the abridged. Two books mentioned here are ones I have on my list to read - The Source and Five Smooth Stones. Also Ayn Rand's books are wonderful and very inciteful. I loved A Tree Grows in Brooklyn also. It definitely transports you to another time and place (as does Les Miserable) Have fun choosing! Be brave, choose a challenging one!

geniefere

Jill

You must read "The World according to Garp" by John Irving - the movie is as funny, starring Robin Williams. Your sides will hurt so much, you gonna cry.

ENJOY!@

Lise

geniefere

May 22, 2009 6:40 PM

  |   in response to: ddfiji

The World according to Garp by John Irving. The movie, starring Robin Williams, is as funny. You will laugh so much, your sides will hurt until you cry.

ENJOY!

Lise

jerrytefft

"A Year of Wonders" by Geraldine Brooks is a real work of art. Jerry

pamburger1

Written in 1931, Hatter's Castle by A.J. Cronin is one of my absolute faves. Set in 1879 Scotland, the story is a portrait of James Brodie, a (mad?) hatter who whose narcissism and abusive personality wreak havoc on his terrified family. Cronin does a superb job of immersing the reader into a completely different world as we watch Brodie's slow descent into madness and the effect it has on his wife, children, and business. You'll be holding your breath during scenes where his frail wife and teenaged daughter spill secrets and must face his wrath.

It's no longer in print, but it's widely available in libraries and used book shops. Deborah Kerr played the daughter in the 1941 movie version (which you can sometimes catch on Turner Classics.) Even if you don't choose it for this summer, you must, must read it at some point. A real page-turner!

pamburger1

Written in 1931, Hatter's Castle by A.J. Cronin is one of my absolute faves. Set in 1879 Scotland, the story is a portrait of James Brodie, a (mad?) hatter who whose narcissism and abusive personality wreak havoc on his terrified family. Cronin does a superb job of immersing the reader into a completely different world as we watch Brodie's slow descent into madness and the effect it has on his wife, children, and business. You'll be holding your breath during scenes where his frail wife and teenaged daughter spill secrets and must face his wrath.

It's no longer in print, but it's widely available in libraries and used book shops. Deborah Kerr played the daughter in the 1941 movie version (which you can sometimes catch on Turner Classics.) Even if you don't choose it for this summer, you must, must read it at some point. A real page-turner!

wbosworth

My favorite classic is The Jungle by Upton Sinclair. This novel helped me to understand the American labor movement, as well as my midwestern roots. The same issues that made this book controversial in its time continue to plague the American worker, including health care, retirement, and working hours. I would love to see Oprah stoke up the fire of these persistent problems.

jpynaert

Jill, you need to read Rush Home Road, by Lori Lanssens. I tell you this every year. Best book ever! That or her other book, The Girls. Europe has caught on to what an amazing writer she is...we need to catch up here. Also, Fool by Christopher Moore...freakin' halarious!

Jackie

jav9206

The following books isn't fiction but is well worth reading. It is "Creating Moments of Joy" by Jolene Brackey. She has written a book that helps families handle the changes that Alzheimer's brings.

jansmith12

I've recently read "Unexpected," it's a really good short-story. It's available on Kindle. It's somewhat of a romance, but very good romance. It's about a career woman who doesn't have time for love, but takes a vacation up to the mountains with some friends for fun and meets someone. The author is Tinisha Nicole Johnson.
Also I'd recommend Searchable Whereabouts, it's mystery novel, by the same author - pretty good.

beuhlie

Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner. I know, I know, its only 35 years old but forget that. This is a sweeping book about America, the West, what makes a marriage works and the strength of women. Don't wait another 15 years to read it. I love this book !

producerji

May 22, 2009 7:19 PM

  |   in response to: wbosworth

A little Upton is good for the soul!

erin2sasha

Alexandria Quartet

I say Lawrence DURREL's Alexandria Quartet is a momentous read for our times. Justine, the first of the four novels, is an intense romance full of sensuality, full of the colors and flavors of the middle east. I think Balthazar is the second of the four. Intrigue and intricacy begin to weave in this telling of the tale, for like Rashamon, this is the same story -- yet very different -- as told by (or about) each of the four title characters. The onion is pealed another level in the third book. For me, fourth blasts much of my innocence or preconceived beliefs. I find it relevant to understanding the complexity of the middle east today as much as when it was written.
Alexandria Quartet , without a doubt. You won't regret it!

Sasha

allenal

I just saw a book in my local bookstore called "Beowulf on the Beach: What to Love and What to Skip in Literature's 50 Greatest Hits"
by Jack Murnighan. It's got lots of great suggestions!

erin2sasha

May 22, 2009 7:56 PM

  |   in response to: paulavac

I 'grok' Heinlein, too. Let me recommend a gem by another author,
A Canticle for Liebowitz.
I found it memorably thought provoking

allenal

I just saw a book in my local bookstore called "Beowulf on the Beach: What to Love and What to Skip in Literature's 50 Greatest Hits"
by Jack Murnighan. You might check it out!

koneta1771

I would read something by Faulkner. Amazing...so different..and I could use someone to discuss them with. Sound and the Fury or As I lay Dying.
Nothing light about them, but so thought provoking.

The Invisible Man is eye opening...

Harlan Ellison is great...short stories mostly...or Ray Bradbury.

A Wrinkle in Time is magical.

chadley123

I highly recommend reading Willa Cather's the Song of the Lark. Like all of her novels, the story is set in the mid-west during the early 1900's. It centers around a young girl's journey to finding her destiny, and her passion. The writing is superb and the story is something all of us can relate to; the desire to find our purpose and what we can excel at in this world. A must read!

beachbooks

Edna Ferber is one of the most forgotten American novelists and I don't know why. My personal favorites are "So Big" and "Cimarron".

"She won the Pulitzer Prize in 1924 for So Big, the story of a woman raising a child on a truck farm outside of Chicago. Others of her best known books include Show Boat (1926), Cimarron (1929), Giant (1952) and Ice Palace (1958). Show Boat, about a girl's life on a floating theater on the Mississippi River, was made into a classic Broadway musical, with three movie versions. Many of her other books and plays were adapted to film, notably ¿Cimarron,¿ which won the Academy Award as Best Picture in 1931, ¿Stage Door,¿ starring Katharine Hepburn and Ginger Rogers, and ¿Giant,¿ which was James Dean¿s last film."

cjackso6

I loved Delderfield's, "To Serve Them All of My Days. It is the only book that ever made me cry; beautiful love story. Another favorite(s) are books by Galsworthy, "The Frosyte Saga". There are a number of books in a sequence and they chronicle, starting in the 1800's, individuals' lives who have differing views on 'how life should go'. The author has a marvelous dry sense of humor and I could very easily picture each character about whom he wrote. There are many characters in the stories but each book has a family tree in it so you can easily follow.

angelamax

Oh the memories these titles bring back! It's like meeting old friends while out for a stroll. I would highly recommend anything by Dickens. His characters are so real & his novels contain everything - humour, mystery, drama. I swear, if the man was alive today he'd be writing for TV. It almost feels like cheating to call his stories "classics" because that term has come to suggest "dull" & "dry" & "boring". Believe me, nothing could be farther from the truth.

cheyd1954

May 22, 2009 8:55 PM

  |   in response to: cecilebott

I agree completely! This trilogy by Mahfouz changed the way I thought of that area of the world. It also helped me to gain a more tolerant viewpoint of that culture. Other suggestions I would make would be "Atlas Shrugged" by Rand (I have re-read this book every 5 years since high school and each time I gain deeper understanding. The other book I keep re-reading every few years is "The Master and Margarita".) All the suggestions given so far would be great classics to discover or, if already read, to re-explore. (Especially "My Antonia" and "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn".)

kdy12570

I would like to throw Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson. I got a copy, but never read it...seems like something to read about during the summer--if you read it, I will be sure to read along with you, but no matter what you pick, I will consider reading along--I made reading more classic literature a goal of mine this year.

vickianne55

Ramona, a novel written by Helen Hunt Jackson (1884),it is the story of a part-Scottish and part-Native American orphan girl growing up and getting married in Southern California, suffering racial discrimination and hardship...i read it when i was young and i still think about it from time to time...so many of the books already mentioned were what i first thought of but then i remembered Ramona and now its like i want to hunt down a copy and read it again...it had quite an impact on me as a young girl with her head filled with romance and the promise of what life may be...i really enjoyed it!

anne6536

Having read many books over the years, including almost all of Oprah's Book Club picks, (loved the classics she selected a few years ago!) I must highly recommend to you "Sophie's Choice" by William Styron. It was written in 1976 and takes place in NY around 1947. This is one book left me completely astonished and moved. It is one powerful book.

read4life8

Hi producerji,
You should definitely read "The Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger. It is by far one of my all-time favorite books. I had to read it in high school. Or you could also try "Flowers for Algernon" and "Lord of the Flies".

kushykushy

I just spent 2o minutes writing a thoughtful comment and your horrible horrible site obliterated it because I'm not a frequent poster. Go ahead, read brain candy.

hlfinotti

"To the Lighthouse" by Virginia Woolf... or if you are feeling more adventurous, "The Waves"... The second is my favorite by Woolf but is definitely a more difficult read until you surrender to the rythym of it. The first gave me goosebumps at the end! I really resonate with her perception of the human interaction - the subtleties of it - and I love the way she captures the "unspoken side" of conversations..

gdfavors

Steve Harvey: Act like a woman, Think like a man????

That aught to be a good blog

cmdolman

I think you can't go wrong with The Count of Monte Cristo, that one definitely gripped me unlike anything before it. I personally will be reading Master and Margarita by Mikhail Buglakov as soon as my copy arrives! I've heard/read that it's Incredible and I'm really looking forward to getting into it.

maevebinde

Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner is a great read. It won the Pulitzer Prize, that good. Also, I too would recommend The French Lieutenant's Woman by John Knowles. You can't go wrong with either of these books! One of my favorite more recent reads is The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. When I finished it, I reread the final chapter again immediately, I just did not want it to end. I remember reading James Michener's novels when I was in high school and thereafter - so full of detail and history, just wonderfully written novels. Can't wait to hear what you decide to read this summer!!

chuckf2000

I think you should read 'Third Wish' by Robert Fulghum. It comes in 2 volumns (5 parts) and a cd of music to accompany it. It is a tremendously entertaining book. About love and travel. The author's writing style puts you in the places visited and talked about in the book. Very interesting reading.

dlorna

May 23, 2009 6:17 AM

  |   in response to: chuckf2000

I think we should read a new captivating tale "The Lace Reader" by Brunonia Barry. Lace readers can read the future in the patterns in the lace. This is a modern story taking place in Salem, Mass, but gives insight to the lace makers of the colonies.
Each chapter begins with a quote from "The Lace Reader's Guide".

Example: "What distinguishes Ipswich lace from all other handmade laces are the bobbins. The colonial women could not afford the heavier decorative bobbins used by the European women. Like everyone else in the colonies, the lace makers had to make do with what was at hand. And so the bobbins they wound the thread upon were lighter, sometimes hollow, gabricated from beach reeds or occasionaaly bamboo that came in on the Salem ships as packing material, or even from bones."

It is a lovely, mesmerizing story. I can't wait for another book by
Brunonia Barry who lives in Salem, Mass.

dgalazka

A Bell for Adano,

The Good Earth, or

Gone with the Wind

ziji53

Absolutely read "Middlemarch" by George Eliot. It's a wonderful study of how we face disappointment in life and hold on to our integrity. One of my favorite lines: "It always remains true that, had we been greater, circumstances would have proved less strong against us."

Another great book is "The Forsyte Saga" by John Galsworthy---a story of a moneyed family and the changes they experience in the years before the Great War. I've reread it often.

ziji53

Also, of course, "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen. If you're not already a Janeite, you must try this perfect pearl of a book.

And "The Song of the Lark" by Willa Cather, about a woman who becomes a world-class singer and all of the sacrifice and wonder it entails.

k_alexa

It had been a long summer of packing up our big family house where my mother was living alone after my father died. After many years that old house was packed full of stuff, most of which had to be gotten rid of because my mother's new home was a small downtown apartment which couldn't accommodate much. While going through her bookshelf of classics, I was the happy recipient of a number of my mother's favourite books. One of my favourite reads was a book called Cashelmara by Susan Howatch. I highly recommend it! Enjoy!

kawwie8525

My favorite book that I re-read is Mitchner's "The Source". I also like "The Twelth Tale". Both are good and get you involved! Time passes quickly when you are reading!

heleng55

Since I'm currently longing to go to Barcelona and therefore reading Carlos Ruiz Zafon's newest The Angel's Game...I suggest Don Quixote as your summer classic read. What is better than a summer satire about a gentle man who has read one too many romances (we need more of these guys around).

5d37ur6

Want a book that is made for a strong woman or any woman who wonders what it would be like if she really put forth all her efforts to reach any and all of her goals? If you haven't read A Woman of Substance by Barbara Taylor Bradford you need to order a copy now! It is a classic novel that is based in history. It's hard to put this book down, and it is very encouraging.
Susan

producerji

May 23, 2009 1:11 PM

  |   in response to: allenal

"Beowulf on the Beach" sounds like it would be really helpful!

producerji

May 23, 2009 1:16 PM

  |   in response to: koneta1771

We love Faulkner ! That's why we pick "As I Lay Dying," "Sound and the Fury" and "Light In August" as our 2005 Summer selection.

producerji

May 23, 2009 1:28 PM

  |   in response to: cheyd1954

"The Master and Margarita" is one of the great masterpieces of the 20th century -- I recommended to all serious readers!

producerji

May 23, 2009 1:33 PM

  |   in response to: kdy12570

I've never read "Treasure Island" but it does sound like a perfect book for the beach, doesn't it?

producerji

May 23, 2009 1:44 PM

  |   in response to: maevebinde

"The Poisonwood Bible" was one of my favorite book club selections in 2000.

jloeffer

i also like to read at least one classic during the summer. I just finished Buddenbrooks by Thomas Mann. In recent yrs I've read Magic Mtn (now one of my all-time favorite novels) and Death in Venice. Buddenbrooks was a wonderful read, totally immersing me in this multi-generational family. As they wrongheadedly (until the end) cont'd to make decisions based on commercial and not esthetic reasons, the family's steady decline seemed analogous to America's own greed and decline.

jloeffer

May 23, 2009 2:29 PM

  |   in response to: producerji

Middlemarch is wonderful, as is Mill on the Floss.

producerji

May 23, 2009 2:33 PM

  |   in response to: jloeffer

I sooooo loved "The Buddenbrooks" and it is amazing how that novel is still relevant today!

brigittean

I would suggest you get the audio version of Moby Dick and listen to it if it is hard to read. Try it for at least a page, then if you cannot stay interested, pull down Jane Erye or Charlotte Bronte. Either book by them, you cannot go wrong with a classic.
I have never read Moby Dick either, nor seen it completely as a movie.
Whatever you choose, Enjoy!!!
And thanks for selections through the years. I have read just about all of them.
And by the way, I still feel that Edgar Sawtelle's mom died in the end of that story.

beved78

I'm an English teacher turned school librarian and To Kill a Mockingbird is my all-time favorite book in the world. It changed my life when I first read it, and I learn something new from it every time I re-read it.

P.S. I will read Middlemarch with you over the summer, as that is a classic I have yet to tackle!

reet77

To Kill a Mockingbird is one of my all-time favorites. I read it at least once every two years. It reminds me that there are very good people in this world and some of them are attorneys. Another great classic, very different from TKAM is Wuthering Heights. It's darkly romantic. If you happen to be looking for a great new book, I highly recommend Every Last Cukoo by Kate Maloy. It's a wonderful reminder that there is life after 70 and after the death of a loved one. The protagonist really comes into her own late in life. It's a deeply moving and very positive book with characters you can love and relate to.

19mare

May 23, 2009 6:33 PM

  |   in response to: monkymon29

An American Tragedy and/or Sister Carrie, Theodore Dreiser

19mare

May 23, 2009 6:37 PM

  |   in response to: monkymon29

An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser..

pjmtgw

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand, a must read for everyone. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

2009grammy

To Kill A MockingBird by Harper Lee. And a soon to be classic: The Help by Kathryn Stockett.

jloeffer

And then, of course, there's Edith Wharton--you can get lost in almost any of her novels. My favorites are Age of Innocence, House of Mirth, and Custom of the Country. And I don't care that it is currently out of favor in academia, I still love Look Homeward Angel by Thomas Wolfe. I reread it 2 yrs ago and it still moved me to tears. And a book you hear little about is prob in my top 10: My Brilliant Career by Miles Franklin (a young Australian woman who pub'd under a pseudonym). It's as good as the American "outback" novel My Antonia by Willa Cather. Oh, too many. Lucky you, to have the fun of choosing.

jloeffer

May 23, 2009 8:09 PM

  |   in response to: pjpoll

I thought that was a wonderful story but poorly written. It could have benefited by a good editor.

jloeffer

May 23, 2009 8:17 PM

  |   in response to: erin2sasha

I loved A Canticle for Leibowitx!

skedon

Many of the other responders have mentioned some of my personal favorites (Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre, the best Bronte novel in my opinion and To Kill a Mockingbird) I read The Death of Ivan Illych by Tolstoy in college and it literally changed the way I viewed my own future. It's not a long epic, but well worth a read. A book I have newly discovered is Little Dorrit by Dickens. I just started reading it after seeing a BBC version on Masterpiece Theater this spring. The themes of debt and how people become prisoners to money is very relevant today. It also has a central character who is suppose to be an investment wizard. "The man of the age," or so they think. (Can you say Bernie Madoff?)

navajo1052

Gustave Flaubert's "Madame Bovary" is a true classic about love, greed, obsession and class struggle. "House of Mirth" by Edith Wharton and "Sister Carrie" by Theodore Dreiser are both classic 20th century American novels that deal with modern America, the new role of women in the working world and the tragic consequences of circumstance.

annmca

I vote for East of Eden!!!

yonatanmar

I have a suggestion for two very different books that weren't selected to the book club-
"Candide" by Voltaire, published in French in 1759. How's that for "the older the better"? I promise you will be transported to another time and place. It manages to be funny and philosophical. It's short, a fast read (it's also available for free online), so that will leave you plenty of time for:
"Only Yesterday" by Nobel Prize winner S.Y. Agnon. It was originally published in Hebrew in 1945. It's about a new immigrant to Israel and its fascinating.

plfhan

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn -- amazing book that transformed the South from the inside, and a more serious side of Twain. Catcher in the Rye -- talk about need for closure... Salinger at his best. Poignant at every stage of life. A Tale of Two Cities -- reading past Book I may be a struggle, but after that amazing writing, and weaving of themes and characterization. Wuthering Heights -- is Heathcliff evil or not? Wonderful debate here and compelling story from the lesser-known Bronte.

bex0909

How about Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin? It's a terrific read. Although it's from an entirely different era, the themes are very relevant, and the writing is flawless.

kat625

YOU MUST READ "THE HELP" BY KATHRYN STOCKETT. IT IS A MUST READ AND YOU MUST GET OPRAH TO READ IT TOO! IT WAS WONDERFUL! I HATED IT WHEN IT ENDED! PLEASE PLEASE READ IT!

alias95

"The Count of Monte Cristo" is a fun, exciting read. While it is a classic, it's not a challenge, just a long book to be enjoyed. "Pride and Prejudice" is another favorite of mine. If you want a challenge, you could read all seven Jane Austen books like they do in the "Jane Austen Book Club". I personally am tackling two large books this summer- "Infinite Jest" by David Foster Wallace and "Anna Karenina" by Leo Tolstoy. Please don't choose "The Grapes of Wrath", it's rather boring.

marelen

Lots of great suggestions, but my all time favorite novel is Pearl Buck's The Good Earth. Though it is set in rural China, it is an epic story of the human condition. It is timeless and profound, truly a great classic.

_bookfish

I have to say I am a part of the Jane Eyre fan club. It is also a good book for summer because it has it all. Romance, Independence, Friendship, Tragedy, Deception, and Love are all present themes throughout this Charlotte Bronte classic.

sagekestrel

So glad you asked! I'm reading a lot of 19th-century literature at the moment and absolutely loved The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins which was one of the first blockbuster mystery stories of the 19th century, combining mystery, intrigue, suspense, and romance. I also just finished Elizabeth Gaskell's adorable novel, Wives and Daughters, which was poignant and beautiful, gentle and moving. Charles Dickens' novels, Little Dorrit and Dombey and Son were terrific discoveries, too!!! I like novels with a moral compass, even if the characters occasionally lose their way. There's a sense of solid ground underpinning everything. Precious literature. So full of juicy goodness. It feels like a shelter from the harsh raucous jarring sounds of the 21st century.

meli_key

I enjoyed The Forsyte Saga by John Galsworthy, Daniel Deronda by George Eliot, and The Idiot by Fyofor Dostoyevsky!

cissyn

May 25, 2009 10:10 AM

  |   in response to: pjmtgw

I started reading Ayn Rand, Fountain Head when I was 16 and have read all of her books and have loved every one, The only book I read twice was Atlas Shrugged and feel it is a must read at this time. I loved War and Peace and Anna Karenna when I was in high school and feel they are worth a re-read. To Kill a Mockingbird was a book that made me think when I read it in the 60s. I also loved all of Herman Hess' books but they took a long time to read for such short books. One of my all time favorites was Five Smooth Stones which may be out of print but a powerful read during the civil rights movement.

cissyn

May 25, 2009 10:15 AM

  |   in response to: kmcwhorter

I LOVED Les Miserables what a good read - Jean Val Jean (maybe mispelled) was a powerful character - I read it in college over forty years ago.

katehasl

May 25, 2009 11:58 AM

  |   in response to: geniefere

if you're considering irving, PLEASE read A Prayer for Owen Meaney. it's only 20 years old, but if you can get past it being a young classic, you won't be disappointed. it is nothing short of remarkable.

this web is really getting me excited about picking up a classic this summer. great suggestions! some that i've read and cherish are: east of eden, to kill a mocking bird, a tree grows in brooklyn, and jane eyre.

i don't know if i can put thornbirds in the same category since i haven't read it in 25 years, but i'm thinking of reading it this summer to see if it hold up to time.

cbrinda19

A Woman of Substance - Barbara Bradford Taylor
Fountainhead - Ayn Rand
Doctors - Erich Segal
Prizes - Erich Segal
As the Crow Flies - Jeffrey Archer

bjhowry

I am going to read Middlemarch. I recently read For the Love of Books by Ronald B. Shwartz where he has 115 writers write about their favorite books. I didn't take an "official" count, but Middlemarch was one of the books mentioned most often. As an English teacher, American lit has always been my favorite and what I taught, but I felt bad that I had never read this classic of English lit. So, this summer Middlemarch is at the top of my list.

gailtoo

The best book I read this year was "The Glass Castle: A Memoir" by Jeannette Walls. What an amazing personal journey this author made. It still has me thinking about it months after completing the book.

billy51

my book club was discussing books that had made us think. We all agreed that "Peyton Place" was one of the first books we remember reading. Most of us read it at night without our moms knowing. We decided to reread it now and we will discuss it at our June meeting. It really is a classic in the sense that Grace Metalious opened up a world to readers that had previously been hidden and kept quiet. She talked about incest, abortions and the sad lives of many of the women during that era. As I read it I could only celebrate that women have come a long way. Wonder if women today would find it so risque?

rampa99

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand; it should be required reading for all politicians. For something lighter, I second A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith; it is a truly remarkable book.

amkopels1

I have several suggestions. First if you would like classic literature with a new twist, I would recommend "The Penelopiad: The Myth of Penelope & Odysseus" by Margaret Atwood. It tells a very old tale from a feminist point of view. I also recommend "An Episode of Sparrows" by Rumer Godden. It is a beautiful story of hope in London after WWII. I am also a Jane Austen fan, so I want to suggest two novels from the begining and end of her writing career. The first is Northanger Abbey - it is Austen's responce to the popularity of the Gothic novel (influenced by Anne Radcliffe's "The Mysteries of Udolpho") and the last is "Persuasion" Austen's final novel, a social commentary on the clss system in Regency England.

shannonkpp

There are lost of good suggestions here. I would add Fielding's "Tom Jones" for a humorous romp. "One Hundred Years of Solitude" is my favorite book of all times and for summertime, laugh out load enjoyment, any of the Jeeves books by P.G. Wodehouse are fun.

ctoss1

If you like a good thriller, read Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky. Be patient in the beginning because it takes a while to get used to all the Russian names (I think every character has 2 or 3 different ones). But the story is so worth it. It's a terrific psychological thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat until the end. I didn't want to put it down.

mitfordgal

I recommend Raintree County by Ross F. Lockridge. It's a great read which takes place in the old South. It was made into a movie staring Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Cliff, which was great ~~ but the book is excellent !!!

king82

Jane Eyre or Rebecca all the way. But then again, I'm a sucker for the old time mystery. I guess if I have to read something that doesn't seem to be written in modern English, I want there to be some sort of mystery.

shilohrush

Two great books for summer reading: One, "Rabbit in the Moon" by Deborah Shlian is a romantic, exciting thriller set in beautiful China just before the Tian an Men uprising. Dynamic Chinese-American Lili Quan finds her roots and mystery, love, and adventure in the vividly painted cities and countryside, and stumbles onto danger that could cost her her life. Two, "Where Angels Fear to Tread" by Yolanda Pascal, is a fun, funny, and exciting fantasy adventure for teens and imaginative adults with delightful characters, charming humor, and twists and turns that keep you awed. Awesome!

ses125

"Ahab's Wife" written by Sena Jeter Naslund is a fascinating story created by the author based on a brief description of Ahab's wife in "Mobey Dick." It is a beautifully written saga of an adventurous and remarkable woman. Highly recommended!

king82

I know this isn't a classic, but I really liked 'A Reliable Wife' by Robert Goolrick. It was steamy, and isn't that how we all like summer?

tostje

May, 26, 2009
I just finished Whiskey Rebels by David Liss and am halfway through The Guernsey Literary and Potato Pie Society. I hghly recommend both. Whiskey Rebels is a fictional story taking place after the Revolutionary War while Washington was president. The Guernsey is delightful with a serious undertow regarding the Nazi regime....both are good reading. Gail

tmblack12

My book club has also decided to read at least 1 classic a year. We most recently read "To Kill a Mockingbird" and everyone loved it. However, for this summer, we have selected "Gone With the Wind". Most of us have seen the movie, but have not read the book. I cannot wait to be transported to another era and delve into such a classic novel!

bgroark

Believe it or not: "Uncle Tom's Cabin" by Harriet Beecher Stowe. I was so stunned after finishing I couldn't read much for a few days.
You hear things about this book, disparaging things about the character of the title (especially if you grew up in the seventies), and I also had some prejudice about the author's skill. As I say, I was stunned.
Actually, I think Uncle Tom was the kind of guy Oprah would have on her show.

producerji

May 27, 2009 10:49 AM

  |   in response to: ctoss1

"Crime and Punishment" is an interesting suggestion (I love those Russian authors!) -- and I like that you describe such a weighty novel by Fyodor Dostoevsky as a book I won't want to put down!

tcopprue

Okay so I Know Oprah already made the television movie for "There Eyes Were Watching God, by my favorite author in the whole wide world Zora Neale Hurston, but it is still, in my opinion a classic forever. Jainie and Teacake are a couple found once in a life time. It's a story of the complexities and thrills of love- but what I think readers will get out of it more than anything is to take chances on love & Life. No time better to start this practice than the summer!

elizam1985

I am not sure if "The Giver" by Lois Lowry is considered a classic or not but it is a book that has a special place in my heart and I do highly recommend it.

ilawrie

May 27, 2009 7:15 PM

  |   in response to: producerji

Jane Eyre is fantastic. I absolutely fell in love with it. After reading this I read Wuthering Heights and found it just couldn't compare. Charlotte was definitely the better writer!

kathryn612

There are so many great classics, but the ones that come immediately to my mind are these books that have stayed with me for many years:

-Lost Horizon by James Hilton
-Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy
-Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham
-The Good Earth by Pearl Buck
-Auntie Mame by Patrick Dennis (great fun and as good as the movie)
-Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (since Oprah already did One Hundred Years of Solitude).

Also, although newer, Mr. Bridge and Mrs. Bridge, two separate books, by Evan S. Connell were great.

Hope these suggestions help.

pdraves

So many great choices! I did read Moby Dick and have to admit I think it was the longest book ever written. You can definitely leave that one on the shelf and read the Cliff notes if you must. Although not classic yet, I just want to get my 2 cents in for Larry McMurtry. I've read all of his and no one captures real life with it's humor, tragedy, everyday heroes and humanity than he. Try his more obscure stuff, 'The Desert Rose', 'The Late Child', 'Somebody's Darling' and 'Some Can Whistle'. I dare anyone to read these and not end up transported. Simply amazing.

cooldiv20

Wow.. Some of the books mentioned in the comments are certainly great recommendations; I have to say that the names I saw the most were "Pride and Prejudice" and "To Kill A Mockingbird" (they are definitely my top two favorites of all time!! Here are a few additional suggestions (classics and not-so-old "classics"):
Of Mice and Men,
Love Story (Erich Segal),
Bridges of Madison County,
The Hobbit,
Siddhartha (Herman Hesse) - I HIGHLY recommend it!,
Little Women (I think someone mentioned it - it's one of my all-time favorites),
Things Fall Apart.

I'm currently reading my way through Anna Karenina and absolutely adore it so far. I've also heard these books are great, and would like to read them: Jane Eyre, The Good Earth, A Passage to India, Lolita, and Dead Souls by Gogol.

Hope that helped!

arrifana

If you never read Wilkie Collins - Woman in White - you are in for a real treat, a romantic, haunting ghost story - beautiful

nautics9

May 28, 2009 2:18 PM

  |   in response to: producerji

Passing is an excellent book - I just finished reading it for a graduate class on encountering whiteness. It's good, but it's quick.

nautics9

May 28, 2009 2:22 PM

  |   in response to: producerji

why doesn't oprah do summer selections anymore? WE miss those. The summer selections are always my favorite. I hope we get a new book choice for september.

nautics9

May 28, 2009 2:23 PM

  |   in response to: producerji

I've chosen The House of Seven Gables for my classic selection.

rosehill11

One of my all-time favorites is D.H. Lawrence's Lady Chatterley's Lover. Of course everyone knows it was banned for sexual content years ago, it is no more graphic than a lot of novels today. The story is a love story set in England in the years after the first world war. Lady Chatterley's husband is impotent and in a wheel chair due to a war injury and he encourages her to take a lover and have a child to prove his manhood. As long as she chooses someone from their class, it would be fine. She happens to fall in love with their gardener. It is a story about the breakdown of the social class system after the war. I loved it. Maybe I will read it again this year.

lap907

I think you should read Stephanie Meyer's "Twilight" series. I know that is is written for younger readers, but I found it to be a beautiful romantic story. I rented the movie beacuse my husband likes Vampire movies, i generally don't. He wasn't so crazy about the movie, but I loved it. My 18 year old niece told me that I should read the book, and gave me her copy. I became so involved, I read all 4 of the books in no time at all. I even found myself missing the characters after I was done. After you read the books,Oprah should do a show on the "TWILIGHT" craze. It would be great timing, as the second of four movies is scheduled to open Nov. 20th. It would be great to see all of the actors on the show. I have never seen such a beautiful cast in any other movie, especially Robert Pattinson. Oh, what a show that would be. I would give my life to get tickets to that one!

green182

THERE ARE TWO BOOKS THAT I WOULD RECOMMEND "Oba-man and the pirates of Omali" and "Aging, A Lifelong Trek to Nirvana". they were amazing. A must read for the summer.

astanford8

Jane Eyre.... love it love it love it... also...Women in Love by D.H. Lawrence....

mission494

To Kill A Mockingbird

What we do/say effects others.
Precious book.

nymeria74

Anything and everything by Jane Austen, if you haven't already. They are all so lovely! The movies and BBC dramas are good, but nothing does justice to those books!

diwolter

War & Peace, The Woman in White, Rebecca, Middlemarch, or a Tree Grows in Brooklyn.

dianewes

I recently read Lord of the Flies, The Outsiders and Farenhieght 451 again ... it was fun to read them again as an adult. Last summer it was To Kill A Mockingbird ... This summer I am thinking of The Great Gatsby, or even Great Expectations?

redladie37

While I agree that Jane Austen is Classic and interesting, I will not go as far as to say lovely. More like a little self indulgent and in love with the sound of her own voice. So my suggestion is a bit of a surprise and compromise. I love Pride & Prejudice & Zombies. It a a classic tale but with an interesting spin. The story is still the same, if not even better. It adds fun and interest to a great story that to be honest I know to at times be rather dry. I love Persuasion, but had it a few events filled with "bone crunching zombie mayhem" I would have finished twice as fast. The endearing heart and ideas of a the book remain with out any changes that hurt the overall meaning and feel of the novel and I loved every minute of it.

margygood

My absolute favorite: To Kill A Mockingbird

davidru

I just began reading a most intriguing novel. Titled "Kindred" by Octavia E. Butler and published by Beacon Press. This is the 25th Anniversary Edition. It is a book about contrasts between the life of a young black woman in contemporary California and her ancestors in slavery in Maryland in the early 19th century. It has a bit of sci-fi/fantasy blended in, in which Dana, the protagonist, is mysteriously transported back in time and space to Maryland when one of her ancestors, a young white boy, is endangered. Clearly, a 20th century black woman is going to face major problems in a 19th century slave-owning state. I haven't finished the book, but I can hardly wait to get back to it!

sexxxyluva

I am seeing a lot of suggestions for Pride and Prejudice, a wonderful choice and a must read before you die title. However, I would like to suggest "ROOTS" by Alex Haley. I am a 28 yr old white female that read this when I was 14, and many adults at that time had seen the mini series, which I plan on never watching because this book had such a profound impact on my life and way of thinking that I wouldn't want that spoiled. And as a side note, you should pick up a small book of eng. lit. poems to carry around with you. In between a few chapters of whatever novel you are ever reading, try taking apart a poem. It will help make you a stronger reader!

annie8825

In the past I have read and immensely enjoyed East of Eden, Anna Karenina and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. However, I look forward to reading a classic this summer that I haven't read before. I look forward to your choice!

deedeeinpi

How about a classic with a twist? Pride and Prejudice with Zombies!

debreed7

Les Miserable. I read on average a book a week and am also a writer. Not many books have stuck with me over the years but Les Miserable is one of the exceptions. There is a reason this story has withstood the test of time both in novel form and on Broadway. It is a classic tale of love and betrayal, of corruption and truth. The suspense and beauty of the prose resonate with the reader long after the book has been closed. I would love to read it again.

ggergo

A good book with a theme that always resonates is To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee.

msryndam

I vote for Voctor Hugo's "Les Miserables."

Of course it has been made into a play many are familiar with, but it's still a great read, and I bet you could have a lot of fun with the themes in your blog posts. There are so many of them, and so universal. Just to review:

For stealing a loaf of bread, and then repeatedly trying to escape, Jean Valjean spends twenty years in prison. When he emerges, a chance meeting with a religious man sets him on a new path.

Some years later, he has become the mayor of a small town, when his old adversay Javert, a policeman catches up with him and means to arrest him. Valjean escapes, needing to rescue the daughter of a dead employee. he raises the girl, Cosette, as his own. They live in Paris where Cossette meets Marius, a young revolutionary.

A poor girl called Eponine is also in love with Marius, and during fighting on the streets, she gives her life to save him. Valjean rescues marius from the fighting, and also rescues Javert, whose whole understanding of right and wrong is utterly destroyed by this. Marius and Cossette mary, but valjean has little time left to live.

A beautiful tale, rich with detail and character, but not an easy read.

Anne Holmes

mablemurpl

I've just finished a novel that was both heartbreaking, thought provoking and hilarious. Written by award winning author Sheree Fitch "Kiss the Joy as it Flies" is about Mercy a middle aged woman, wonderfully strong and oh so sweetly flawed, who faces what she thinks might be the end of her life. She contemplates her life and makes a list of what she must do to put her house in order. I loved Mercy and I loved the message that even when you make a list - life takes its own course.

peaheaven

There have been so many good suggestions from my favorite, East of Eden, to A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and everything in between - Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre, To Kill a Mockingbird! I am totally a classics girl. I would like to suggest one that I don't think anyone else has and one that I think would be especially pertinent today:

The Plague by Albert Camus

I think it would be so interesting to read (or re-read) The Plague given the recent outbreaks of H1N1/Swine Flu, Sars, Bird flu, etc. I love The Plague because it showcases both the strength of human spirit and the vulnerability of human lives.

At any rate, it has always been one of my favorites but with classics, you can't go wrong no matter what you choose!

laereb

While I love anything by Wallace Stegner, given the politics of the day, it might be a good time to read Advise and Consent by Allen Drury. 2009 is it's 50th anniversary of publication and next year will be it's 50th anniversary for winning the Pulitzer.

gracerocks

I am a voracious reader, and a classic book that immediately comes to mind is "The Shell Seekers" by Rosamunde Pilcher. It's the perfect book for summer reading, and I'm confident it would leave an imprint on everyone who reads it. It's one of those "can't put it down" books filled with chapters that thread together a wonderful story of a family that everyone can relate to in some manner. It's thoroughly engaging ... I loved it and would recommend it in a heartbeat. In my opinion, it's an all-time classic that everyone should read at least once in their lifetime.

evelynhunt

Either The Fountainhead or Atlas Shrugged by Ann Rand. Both are intriguing and suddenly extremely relevant to today's world & economy.
E. Hunt

dailyrev

There are great suggestions throughout these comments. I've recently been reading through Dostoevsky again, because he has so much to say to people in a time of desperate want and social inequity (like, um, now). Crime and Punishment or The Brothers Karamazov in the Pevear/Volkhonsky translations are very good candidates. But if you prefer to read a work of native English, then I'd vote for Steinbeck, as have many others above. East of Eden is such a lucid, sublime piece of writing -- one of those rare instances in artistic history where the artist set out to create a crowning work and actually succeeded. In this blog post from last year, I quote from this book in the context of the great American question: "who are we?

eartha1

I like to read a book before I see the movie so my last book was Revolutionary Road. It was REALLY good. Great characters in the late fifties stuck in a bad marriage. The movie comes out next week. Can't wait!

Of course the greatest novel ever written is Jane Eyre. It doesn't get any better than that!

Try Revolutionary Road...you won't be disappointed!

merissa63

The "Tale of Genji" is a really great classic novel from Japan with a terrific English translation. It's also very old!

BTW, I've never read "Moby Dick" either.

lynnereads

Make it a two-fer: First read Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn, and then follow up with Jon Clinch's Finn -- which is the story of Huck's father. It won a million awards, and it's the perfect Oprah book. Very serious about issues of race, paternity, spousal abuse, and more.

tehya1

A good book to take on the plane or to the mountains is The House at Sugar Beach by Helene Cooper. It is an easy read and can be read in a day. It will keep you interested to the end. It is a true story about a girl who grew-up in Liberia. You will be touched by her experiences and her mother's strength in a bad situation. It is a book of hope, family, and coming to terms with ones past. Sally Simmons

evolve55

I have never felt so OLD!! I have read almost every book mentioned on this list and remember gonig on "binges," reading every book by favorite authors such as Somerset Maugham, A.J. Cromin, Pearl Buck, Lousia May Alcott, the Bronte Sisters, etc. Dickens would probably be my all time favorite and a re-read of "A Tale of Two Cities" is good at any age. I appreciate having new titles to check out from this list.

smbk51

Steinbeck's Winter of Our Discontent; or Betty Smith's A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Both wonderful novels with lessons applicable to today.

maddy081204

I am a auto/biography fiend myself but really great classics as "A Tale of Two Cities," "The Count of Monte Cristo," "Lorna Doone." Don't forget "Great Expectations" and "Wuthering Heights!" Great OLD classics!

mszajac

A wonderful read is The Snowflower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See. Light reading that is fun is the Coffee House Mysteries by Cleo Coyle. Happy reading.

mmer_reid

East of Eden is my all time favorite classic. The story is etched in my mind forever and will certainly transport you back in time.

ghendon

I just finished reading the The Other Boleyn Girl...great historical fiction I just couldn't put it down.
I also thought the book The Power of One is a great read. It is a life changing book. Everyone should read it. Bryce Courtney is the author and is from Austraila with many excellent books.

notgena

I have read this book 3 times, always checked it out from the library,and finally broke down a bought a used copy because it was out of print. Its "Five Smooth Stones", by Ann Fairbairn. It has been re-released and it is wonderful! I fell in love with David, this book is so passionate. I have emailed Oprah about this book before. She would love it. You must read it. It was first published in 1966, not quite 50 years old.

sabnat2003

How about "Cannery Row" by John Steinbeck?

jolinem3

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. It's not a classic, but an interesting book.

evolve55

May 29, 2009 11:20 AM

  |   in response to: tehya1

"House at Sugar Beach" was so interesting. It added to the knowledge gained from reading "Out of Africa" by Isaak Dinesen and "Poisonwood Bible." "Too many books, so little time!"

waterminx

To be swept away to another time and place, with plenty of glimpses into the human condition -

Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
The Age of Innocence - Edith Wharton
Walden - Henry David Thoreau

Blessings for a great read!
Leigh Austin

lanlani

Dostoyevsky's The Brothers Karamazov is quite possibly the greatest novel of all times, touching on ultimate existential subjects including the meaning of life.

somystic

Why has Chaim Potok not been mentioned? Anything Chaim Potok is worth reading. Try "The Chosen" and the follow up "The Promise." "My Name is Asher Lev" is incredible, also by Chaim Potok. Enjoy!

kobemon

I have a suggestion for a great read that won't take all summer to read. It is a new author trying to break into the literary world. The book is titled "Three Seasons: A Man's Point of View from A Woman's Perspective" by Heidi L. Powers. It is a nice quick read with a very interesting twist. I really enjoyed it. I'm probably partial to it because its my book. I would really love for everyone to read it. I have received nothing but positive feedback from it and would love to get some more. Other than mine another good read is "The Best Kept Secret by Kimberla Lawson Roby.

willowmena

I definitely think anything written by Octavia Butler, especailly Kindred would be a good idea. However, my favorite of all time is Sentimental Education by Gustave Flaubert. If you love French lit and sheer Romanticism then you will love this! A must read for any literature fanantics....

jolinem3

May 29, 2009 11:24 AM

  |   in response to: astanford8

Jane Eyre is my first choice, too.

pattiyakow

I just finished reading North River by Pete Hamill. It's such an enjoyable book. Brings you right into 1930/40s NYC. Now I am starting Only Love Can Break Your Heart by David Samuels. Also a great read.

seej05

The book Thief by Markus Zusak. It was worth the 550 pages.

danahuff

Several people have mentioned Wuthering Heights, and it would be my recommendation, too. The construction of the novel, which I hear some folks call Russian nesting dolls or like a butterfly, is ingenious. The characters are fascinating.

prplgirl37

I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith (of 101 dalmations) just in reprint again. Originally written in the late 1940's. A lovely story of young girl living in near poverty in a crumbing mansion with her unusual family.

jolinem3

May 29, 2009 11:30 AM

  |   in response to: annmca

I just finished reading "East of Eden" and thought it was very good. It was difficult to put the book down through most of it.

joyousone8

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte or Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. Can not go wrong with either book.

samanne

I don't think The Far Pavillions is more than 50 years old, but it is a classic and contains many timely themes. I am almost through reading it but will be sad when it ends and have no one to discuss it with.

I would also read East of Eden or The Good Earth again. Is anyone up for Don Quixote? I have two different translations and realize it may be difficult for most people but from reading the Cliff Notes I think its a story that must be experienced!

martta71

Thanks for asking!

I am just starting to read

***The Three Marriages: Reimagining Work, Self & Relationship***
by David Whyte.

He is a mesmerizing writer and poet. I also purchased The Heart Aroused by him, which was recommended to me.
Heck, you might even want to take a nature hike with him in Italy, because that is something he also does.

I got the books from: www.davidwhyte.com

mrsterry

I suggest "Things Fall Apart" by Chinue Achebe. It is a great picture of the clash of cultures that occurred during the colonial period in Nigeria.

Further back and British -- "Tess of the Durbervilles" by Thomas Hardy -- an ethical conflict that still has resonance today: women and sexuality.

jodikf72

Siddhartha by Herman Hesse. It changed my life as an adolescent and when I read it again as an adult it did the same in a new way.

zenjan123

BROTHERS KARAMAZOV by Dostoevsky, for the reasons Pauline gives about Dostoevkky's writing above, and add a wonderful transcendent quality and theme that dovetails nicely with Eckhart Tolle and other Oprah "Spirit" contributors. Along with all that, just a great yarn!

zalyha

A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN. (BEtty Smith)

I've read this book a dozen times or more over the years--by flashlight under a blanket as a young girl who'd been told 'lights out' on a school night, and, just recently, under the shade of a Mexican palm tree. If this book isn't an American classic, it should be.

The reader is truly transported into another era--you feel Francie's hunger, the confused mixture of emotion she has for her alcoholic father. You understand the escape books and writing give her. The characters and setting are amazingly colourful and stay with the reader long after the book is closed.

In fact, I think I'll read it again this summer.

brisha13

Here's another vote for Middlemarch. I've finally gotten around to it after six decades as a dedicated reader and I only wish this were a second or third reading. It's a great book, so wise about the human condition and the relationships between men and women, parents and children, rich and poor. It's a big book, like Anna Karenina in more respects than size. Many modern readers will need to adjust a bit to the pace and style of Victorian prose, but once you're in the flow the story will sweep you along.

ragrugs

May 29, 2009 11:42 AM

  |   in response to: zalyha

Read The Adventures of Augie March by Saul Bellow.

Here's what the publisher has to say: As soon as it first appreared in 1953, this gem by the great Saul Bellow was hailed as an American classic. Bold, expansive, and keenly humorous, "The Adventrues of Augie March" blends street language with literary elegance to tell the story of a poor Chicago boy growing up during the Great Depression. A born recruit, Augie makes himself available for hire by plungers, schemers, risk takers, and operators, compiling a record of choices that is to say the least eccentric.

I think you'll really enjoy it!!!

themksmith

May 29, 2009 11:43 AM

  |   in response to: tamsin66

Emily Bronte wrote a novel that still defies all attempts to categorize it -- Wuthering Heights. But of all the Bronte sisters my favorite is actually Anne. She wrote a fantastic novel called "The Tenant of Wildfell Hall", which is far more radical for it's time than Charlotte's "Jane Eyre". Anne is always dismissed as the lesser of the Bronte's but I think that's just because she challenged the status quo far more than the other two.

andrea0809

May 29, 2009 11:43 AM

  |   in response to: monkymon29

I took some time to think about what I'd like to read this summer as well. I prefer a good wholesome adventure story, and since I can't afford get away to a different place myself this summer...economic challenges abound... I would love to read 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. This is a book, I've always heard about and would love to share reading this book with a group. Take us away to a different time and place and let us lose ourselves... even for just a few hours a day...

cbmclarney

If you read one book this summer, you should read Pearl S. Buck's "The Good Earth". It's a timeless classic with enormous depth, cultural significance, and a profound commentary on the human condition. I read this one every couple of years and always walk away with something new. Enjoy!

themksmith

May 29, 2009 11:43 AM

  |   in response to: monkymon29

Middlemarch is fantastic.

mbaulkwill

May 29, 2009 11:44 AM

  |   in response to: dutchcooki

I read "...And Ladies of the Club" while commuting to NYC back in the 80's. I can remember weeping on the train home with all these businessmen when I was reading the ending. It is one of the few books I really remember from that time in my life. I'm delighted that you mentioned it.

tfranke

May 29, 2009 11:46 AM

  |   in response to: lynnereads

Good suggestion. Twain's Huckleberry Finn and John Clinch's Finn would be a great combo

merryreads

May 29, 2009 11:50 AM

  |   in response to: becky8602

I second A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. It is one of the great American novels that symbolizes the strenth to survive.

Another great American novel is My Antonia by Willa Cather. It is an ode to pioneer spirit and the strength of women.

The classic that I plan to read this summer is Mark Twain's The Innocents Abroad. Prime Minister Netanyahu recently gave President Obama a copy. This book is Twain's satire on his 1867 visit to Palestine. An interesting read in light of today's world events.

patti1959

May 29, 2009 11:53 AM

  |   in response to: becky8602

I agree with becky8602 A Tree grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith would be an excellent choice. It will make you laugh and cry.

lelietje

May 29, 2009 11:54 AM

  |   in response to: monkymon29

Grapes of Wrath would have been my suggestion, also. Haven't heard of The Dust Bowl, thank you for recommendation. Another that was very good is The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan.

terric411

It's not a classic (YET!) but one of my favorite books is The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. It's a must read, and probably one of my favorite books of all time. It's a book lovers book!

uuuu7157

May 29, 2009 11:56 AM

  |   in response to: joryhast

My vote is for Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. It's still one of my favorties.

evolve55

Consider Conrad Richter's trilogy, "The Trees," "The Fields," and "The Town." A woman's epic struggle against adversity in the early American wildernes. A realistic view of the difficulties and dangers encountered by pioneers who traveled West. Not certain if this series is still in print but well worth the effort.

kwhynott

May 29, 2009 11:59 AM

  |   in response to: monkymon29

Siddhartha changed my life. Just recently reading Buddha and Perfect Health by Deepak Chopra helped me understand how we are all unique yet connected. Any book on Ayurveda is a wonderful breath of fresh air as far as wellness and taking responsibility for one's health and well being.

Be well,
Namaste,

kw

treeheart

May 29, 2009 12:00 PM

  |   in response to: anne6536

Here, here! I too loved Sophie's Choice! Such a great book, even Hollywood couldn't destroy it. (Actually, the movie was excellent. How could you go wrong with Meryl Streep and Kevin Kline?) Anyway, even though the book is not 50 years old or older, I would highly recommend it as a contemporary classic, as well.

Along the same lines, I also loved The Prince of Tides, by Pat Conroy. (Love those Southern writers!) This is one novel that I feel Hollywood completely destroyed. I saw the trailers of the Barbara Streisand travesty and vowed never to see it because I felt it totally romanticized the book, which was raw, violent yet incredibly beautiful and powerful.

Ahhh, this makes me want to go back and re-read both of these books! Thank you anne6536!

judewest48

"My Name is Henley: my life and times as a rescued dog" is 144 pages of a glorious look at life through the voice of an Old English Sheepdog named Henley - abandoned and left to die in a Lancaster, Pa. Puppy Mill.
The story starts out in Lancaster and ends happily over a decade later with Henley now sharing his home with 5 rescued cats! The dialogue between the pets is captivating, funny, and v-e-r-y sweet. A classic waiting to happen. You will LOVE IT!!!!!

clari1

You have to read Rain of Gold by Victor Villasenor. I have read out loud that book to about 9 classes throughout my teaching career. Because of that book, many middle schooler started reading on their own. Victor Villasenor has a website that gives more info on his parent's biography.
Remember******Rain of Gold.

treeheart

May 29, 2009 12:02 PM

  |   in response to: ccbressoud

I also loved O Pioneers, by Willa Cather. Her style and subject matter are so very American, so very affirming of women and our strengths and foibles!

habib3

May 29, 2009 12:03 PM

  |   in response to: monkymon29

Oh yes, that is an amazing book The Grapes of Wrath. Changed my life. I learned to garden and can, and dry food. Skills I use today,30 years later. Another great classic is Of Human Bondage by M. Somerset Maughan, excellent story and characterization. Well written.

rjboehmke

Dostoevsky's "Crime and Punishment" is certainly a classic. I read it many years ago. It is certainly a work to be studied and discussed. I would be very interested in a large audience of opinions.

rslille

You must read Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte. I read it at least once a year. It's the original Gothic love story!

vdhorst

I just finished reading "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. Very good! Not 50 years old, but about Guernsey during and after 2nd World War

yvonne0326

Why The Great Gatsby of course! I read the book as a teenager and then saw the movie years later. Hottie Robert Redford was great in that role. Fantastic book - great movie.

tracyb89

How about Hemingway? I haven't read anything yet by him but I have a couople of his books on my shelf that I would like to tackle.

shetterley

I truly think you should choose Thomas Hardy's novel, "Far from the Madding Crowd". Written in 1874, it is probably one of the earliest feminist novels, since it features an independent woman with the courage to defy convention by running a farm herself. It deals with passion, love, vanity, and finally, explores the proper basis for a happy marriage. The book is as relevant today as it was 135 years ago!

smaldore

An acquaintence of mine gave me a couple of books by the same author and they are very good. The author's name is Mike Lawson and he has 3 books out now, The Inside Ring, The Second Perimeter, and House Rules. They are all mystery/suspense fiction and their stories center around the same main character, Joe DeMarco. He is on the Speaker of the House's payroll and does a lot of covert things for him. They are really interesting stories. He has a new book coming out this summer, House Secrets, and it will be more of the same. I looked up the author and found out his agent is David Gernert. He is also John Grisham's agent, so you Mike's books are pretty good. Have a great summer and enjoy the books.

Joe Smaldore

emmydoe@ao

Please let it be a happy book with a happy ending. I'm so sick of all your tear-jerkers. Sure, "The Story of Edgar Sawtelle" was a great book,
and I read it before it became an Oprah selection, but now I'd like us to read something completely different. Can't someone suggest something that isn't in the pits?

graceblngs

What about "Their Eyes Were Watching God" by Zora Neale Hurston. What a wonderful book. Strong female character, could have been a victim, but wasn't. Beautiful writing. Read it years ago and reread it recently with my book club. We loved it.

ssolano

How about something totally off the wall and fantasy?
The Dark Tower series by Stephen King!
Outrageously fun.
Come on, let's go crazy.

thall2015

Pride and Prejudice for sure.

jimsgarbo

Here is a suggestion for a book to read that no-one has mentioned:
The Dollmaker, by Hariette Arnow. It was written in the 1950's. I guarantee, this story will stay with you for a while.

79goddess

GOODBYE MR. CHIPS is a short sweet novel about a teacher in an English all-boys boarding school, which I had always heard of, but never read until I resolved several months ago to regard my unemployment as a "gift of time," and read those well loved classic books that I never got to. Mr. Chips will remind you of at least one memorable teacher you might have had; the kind who leaves an indelible mark on an institution and its students;I am lucky in that I have had several. It is also a brief snapshot of an era during WWII.

g_wessam

I am currently reading George Orwell's 1984 which I find brilliant.

aprilathom

I'm 60 and everyone I've known that read Five Smooth Stones says it's one of the best books they've ever read. I read it in college but friends are still reading it now and loving it. It's a biracial love story that takes place in the center of the civil rights movement in the south. It was written in 1966 and deserves to be in the next classics category.

muhzza

To Kill a Mockingbird is a book I return to again and again. It's especially great in the summer. Also, Harper Lee is still alive. I would love for Oprah to interview her.

riseagain

A classic that is neglected, in my view, especially by generations younger than mine(I'm a boomer) is The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing. Some may not consider it a classic, but I re-read it every ten years and it is always fresh and its message is universal -- in my mind the hallmarks of a classic. I am also bigfan of the stories of Alice Munroe (especially as she's Canadian, like me). She's just won the Man Booker International Prize for her body of work. All the collections are wonderful -- timeless, and fresh and universal. She's probably the best short story writer since Chekov. Right now I am re-reading Margaret Drabble's early novels, and they are wonderful too! What would we do without books!?! Happy reading, everyone.

beckypoo21

I have always been reader and rarley find a book that I don't like. I also occasionally find books that I love, and more often that not they are the classics. I would reccomend 1. "To Kill A Mockingbird" 2. "The Grapes of Wrath" and one that is not yet a classic (but is definatley noteworthy) is "The Things They Carried."

Each of these novels is able to connect with every reader on different levels, regardless of age, social status. They are books that I wish I would have read more slowly, but I just coudn't help myself!!

bonjr2u

Wow! I'm so glad you asked this question! I have read many of the books that have been suggested. Two particular favorites are "Rebecca" (while it seems like a classic, it is actually very controversially not classified as one) and "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn." I would like to add "Empire Falls" by Richard Russo. A story of marriage, love of all kinds--husband wife, father/daughter, mother/son, father/son, family dynamics, and a decaying small town in America. He won the Pulitzer Prize for this novel. Good reading whatever you choose and I will be reading some of the suggested books that I haven't read! P.S. This book was made into a great movie with Ed Harris, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Helen Hunt.

cfhurley

May 29, 2009 12:37 PM

  |   in response to: monkymon29

I agree that if you haven't read East of Eden or Anna Karenina, then you should. I read War and Peace last
summer and it is a wonderful novel. There is a new translation by the same translators that translated the
version of Anna Karenina read in Oprah's book club - Pevear and Volokhonsky ( and it is now out in paperback!).

shecker

I love mixing up my reading by adding classics. I highly recommend "Native Son" by Richard Wright. This book more than any other made me realize how difficult it is to break down the racial barriers that have been built up by so many generations. It shows how much perpective, driven by personal experience, changes the way we react to life's events. If we see how we don't know any other person's perspective, we cannot be so quick to judge or "understand". It is am amazing experience to read this book!

I have always loved "Wuthering Heights" by Emily Bronte. It is the ultimate love story.

My next favorite is "The Good Earth" by Pearl S. Buck although it was an Oprah book already. When I read it as a child it opened my eyes to the world. Prior to reading this book I had no vision of what it was like to live in China in the time of the last emperor. In fact I had no vision of the world outside of the general area in which I lived. This book gives such a clear understanding of another culture, another time, another world.

Lastly I love "Rebecca" by Daphne Du Maurier. Suspense at its best!

danahice

I adored reading "A Prayer for Owen Meany". In fact I've read it many times, for the story pulled me in, and it is also very funny.

mrsterry

I suggest "Things Fall Apart" by Chinua Achebe. It is a book that makes it clear what the clash of cultures was in Nigeria between the indigenous people and the British.

For something British, "Tess of The Dubervilles" by Thomas Hardy. This story contains an ever true ethical question about women and sex.

nattyw

The Way We Live Now, by Anthony Trollope. Perfect transporting classic. Vanity Fair is a good choice. Can't go wrong with Count of Monte Cristo. Middlemarch. I just love summertime and the classics.

neshkah

Someone mentioned "The Adventures of Huck Finn," and I couldn't agree more. It's the wellspring for modern American literature and a true masterpiece. Follow this up with Jon Clinch's contemporary masterpiece, "Finn," as someone also suggested, and you'd have an unbeatable reading experience. A great way to explore racism, spousal abuse, and the triumph of the American spirit. I can't think of anything better.

fitchlet

May 29, 2009 12:53 PM

  |   in response to: joryhast

They are both excellent books, East Of Eden is a favorite of mine.

csfagan

I love to read the classics and last year for the first time I read Lady Audley's Secret. I really loved it.

bisonsmile

Ten years ago I read and article by Sir Laurens van der Post, then had to read everything he had written. The VDP "bug" was contagious, to my friends, family and students as well. VDP was a wonderful, spiritual, profound writer, he was a good friend of Jung and Prince Charles, was from South Africa, and a champion of the San, or Bushman peoples and a united, peaceful Africa. If you like Eckhart Tolle, and other of the "new" wisdom writers you will love his message and interwoven insights. Great summer adventure reading, and as enduring as a classic is his two-part novel(badly adapted by Disney) of coming of age. (of Africa and the protagonist) They are: "A Story Like the Wind", and "A Far Off Place". They are novels that you will read again, and underline a lot! His insights into the "humans vs nature" issue(s) and the conflicts in Africa are some of the most insightful I have ever read. (And I used to teach college workshops in Earth Literacy.)

Many Blessings and Hooray for books!

alfiefox

Your criteria: Great sweeping story about the human condition. Transported to another time and place.

My favorite fits the bill - Don Quixote by Cervantes. It's a wonderful book that's very readable. And it's considered the book that launched the modern novel. I believe there's a new translation available now. I'd love to read it again with you. My poor paperback is disintegrating.

Highly recommend Don Quixote.

nickelinii

May 29, 2009 1:02 PM

  |   in response to: monkymon29

I'm currently reading Portrait of a Lady, by Henry James, and it's fabulous. Highly recommended!

lisalisamc

Oh, Scarlet Letter - please! If that's not about "the human condition" I am not sure what is. Universal themes of guilt, doubt, fear, prejudice, redemption and salvation! It doesn't get any juicier than that. Well, maybe it does, but certainly not in puritan times. The thinking woman's Angels and Demons. Have a good summer!

ragrugs

You should read 'The Adventures of Augie March' by Saul Bellow

From the Publisher
As soon as it first appeared in 1953, this gem by the great Saul Bellow was hailed as an American classic. Bold, expansive, and keenly humorous, "The Adventures of Augie March" blends street language with literary elegance to tell the story of a poor Chicago boy growing up during the Great Depression. A born recruit, Augie makes himself available for hire by plungers, schemers, risk takers, and operators, compiling a record of choices that isto say the least eccentric.

ctneely

English teacher here: FINN by Jon Clinch is a great read! I would also recommend Dust of 100 Dogs by A.S. King.

pathat

I have to agree with sg, "The Shack" although not a classic is very inspirational and thought provoking. Great for book clubs to examine inner thoughts and behavior. Can we reach goodness? (it's a quick read)

I also recommend "Les Mis" and "Wuthering Heights" - those English teachers that had them on their summer reading lists would be proud!

Two books that I just have to recommend for history (fiction and non-fiction) buffs are: "Wild Swans" and "Street of a Thousand Blossoms". These authors just sweep ypu into the time and places.

lynncotter

As an English teacher and librarian, I would suggest that one of the most under-read and appreciated American novels is The Scarlet Letter by Hawthorne. (I can hear the groans...) As adult women, adults mind you, we would much more appreciate the struggles of Hester than high school students ever would. The novel has influenced and at the same time reflected so much of the American character that I would recommend a slow and careful reading with a leader who can guide the audience through the complex parts. It would be a summer well spent.

ez1234

May 29, 2009 1:16 PM

  |   in response to: joryhast

Wuthering Heights was the first book I fell in love with that started my love for reading. Every reader has that book that made them become a lover of books. I'm going to read Wuthering Heights again this summer. I promise!
What about Catcher in the Rye or Breakfast at Tiffany's? Also good reads with unforgettable characters.

luyeda

I absolutely love Thomas Hardy. Tess of the D'Urbervilles is one of my favorites. Each time I read one of his books I am left marveling at his brilliance. I find myself time and again thinking, "Did he really just say that?!"

cupcakebee

Jill,

You should definitely read The Book of Disquiet by Fernando Pessoa. The prose is gorgeous, the words are exquisite. It's personal, honest, and heartbreaking. A perfect rainy day book with a glass of red wine. Sigh.

Alison

boysrus6

I like Tess too. You should also take a look at My Antonia by Willa Cather. I loved the poetic descriptions of the everyday.

ohenry1950

The Red Tent is a great summer read...historical, thought-provoking, colorful, happy, sad, and all the other emoptions you can think of.

judyann02

My suggestion for a summer read is Matthew Polly's "American Shaolin". It's his story of surviving being bullied as a child and "running off" to China as a young man to study martial arts. It's a true turn around story and one for all ages. I have given this book to friends struggling with life and others as a good read. I recently was on a plane and the father sitting behind me was explaining to his daughter why he was so into this book. The father's company had brought Matthew in to talk about his experience in China and getting to the inner core of himself. The daughter ask if she could read it when her father finished and after thinking a bit he said yes he thought she could learn from the story.

dan8600

May 29, 2009 1:28 PM

  |   in response to: beuhlie

I'm with you on this one! I cherished reading this book--it was exceptional. I am also a big Dickens fan. I read several in high school and would find it hard to choose one favorite.

asm31602

Wuthering Heights is haunting, but really stuck with me... Pride and Prejudice another good one, also East of Eden... all very good reads for summer : ) I will agree with someone up there about "The Help" It is not a classic, but absolutely, absolutely did not want that one to end!

cecily1950

You have lots of great suggestions: so far, I agree with those voting for East of Eden, a sweeping American classic that even my husband loved, and Anna Karenina, which still is a valid comment on women's roles in society. Maybe you should consider 2 books that are not part of the Western tradition that give a glimpse into different worlds: Love in the Time of Cholera by Marquez and A House for Mr. Biswas by Naipaul. Any book by these authors would be a great read.
Have fun!

frogmoore

May 29, 2009 1:41 PM

  |   in response to: monkymon29

Has anyone read the new book "The Emotional Diet - How to Love Your Life More and Food Less"? My trainer recommended it. I did find it on Amazon.

jessicasyb

We (and Oprah) MUST read "The Book of Negroes" by Canadian author, Lawrence Hill. It is an incredible tale of a girl taken into slavery in the mid 1700s. Her journey begins in Africa and travels through the US, Canada and eventually to England. It is a story of bravery, intelligence, heartbreak, injustice and perseverence of a dream. I can't recommend it highy enough. It is the recent winner of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's "Canada Reads" contest -- a national bookclub. This piece of historical fiction will help you understand the world in an entirely new way.

dr_marla_g

OPRAH- OPRAH- OPRAH- boy, do I got one for you.......

A DEAD CHILD MOLESTOR IS FORCED TO BE A SPIRIT GUIDE TO THE PERSON HE'D DAMMAGED THE MOST.....

In Teresa Rae Butler's "GOD, I RESPECT YOUR GANGSTER," the evil is revearsed for a man who seeks a second chance from the universe by asking for forgiveness. His mission? To aide her in revisting the horror so that she can meet the FAMOUS "O" who will help her start a lottery for the poor when she becomes a very wisdom filled, positive adult who will have overcome even more tragedies. GET READY TO CRY and THINK, THINK, THINK!!!!

teachtech

May 29, 2009 1:51 PM

  |   in response to: bendix357

The Good Earth is a greaet choice and lets not forget the two other books that form the trilogy: Son, and The Mother, not as outstanding as The Good Earth but it does follow the characters throughout.

linda005

"Madame Bovary". Go for it.

staceya4

There have been some really great suggestions on classics. . .I would cast suggest the following in no particular order other than length. . .To Kill a Mockingbird (short, quick but thought-provoking and rich), Pride and Prejudice (love Jane Austen), Jane Eyre (love Charlotte Bronte), Tess of the Dubervilles, Silas Marner, Vanity Fair (can't help but identify with Becky Sharp. . .longer read), Middlemarch (longer read but wonderful) and Les Miserables (longer than long but excellent and with details that will literally take you to another place and time). . .I remember reading all of these in high school and then again in college (some required and some for pleasure). . .I look forward to your pick and hope to read along with you!!!

cringel

May 29, 2009 1:59 PM

  |   in response to: dlfox1929

I have to chime in with my vote for James Michener. "The Source" is wonderful and I agree with everyone's assessment of hit, however, if you are really tied to something that is at least 50 years old, I have to suggest "Hawaii." First published in 1959, it is a sweeping saga of the formation and development of our 50th state. I first read this in high school, staying up all night because of the beauty of Michener's words. Don't let Hollywood's poor attempt of translating this book to film keep you away from this wonderful saga. I found after reading "Hawaii" that I needed to read more of Michener's sagas such as Chesapeake, Centennial, Poland, etc.

beadcafe

My favorite revisit-the-classics would include, Jane Eyre, Pride and Prejudice, and The Great Gatsby but the best book I have read this year is The Shack.

pbowles55

So many books, so little time. Here's my fave: "Les Miserables" (unabridged). It's more than 50 years old, it's a sweeping story about the human condition, and it's big! I loved getting into the minds of the characters. Couldn't put it down.

ssizemore

This is a wonderful list~! Several books suggested are my favorites:
"The Good Earth" was a book that our club read this year. "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" is a must, as is "To Kill a Mockingbird". For some suspense, I loved "The Woman in White" by Wilkie Collins. Our book club is planning to read "Persuasion" by Jane Austen this year. Seems as though lots of us are hungering for the classics!

canoecove

A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry - a modern day classic written in a style compared to Dickens.... an outstanding read.

debkob

During these times with the economy and world issues as they are, I have two favorites!
Quick reads with great messages and lessons. " A Simple Path" by Mother Teresa and
"The Prison Angel" by Mary Jordan and Kevin Sullivan. These are two of the most remarkable
angels to have ever walked this Earth!

dalila1542

Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky. Written in 1866. I picked this book up years ago after wondering why Woody Allen mentions this author in his films. WOW. What a wild ride.

Does a mad man commit a crime, or, does a man who commits a crime then go mad?

Prepare to go crazy right along with the main character.

marinkap

In my teen years I had a favourite book (or one of the favs) "Uncle Tom's Cabin or Life Among the Lowly" by Harriet Beecher Stowe. I am surprised how little this book gets mentioned as a classic. See what Wikipedia writes about this book. "Published in 1852, the novel had a profound effect on attitudes toward African Americans and slavery in the United States, so much in the latter case that the novel intensified the sectional conflict leading to the American Civil War." ..."Uncle Tom's Cabin was the best-selling novel of the 19th century, and the second best-selling book of that century, following the Bible."... "The book's impact was so great that when Abraham Lincoln met Stowe at the start of the Civil War, Lincoln is often quoted as having declared, "So this is the little lady who made this big war."
I have moved to Canada 7 years ago from Lithuania. Have not spoken English before that and was astonished how little know was this novel among people that I have had a conversation about the books.

1clarity59

how about a soon to be classic...have you read White Tiger yet? by Aravind Adiga.

holmesdina

The Magic Mountain, Thomas Mann

holmesdina

The Magic Mountain, Thomas MANN

terrygreg

I recommend either "Of Human Bondage" by W. Somerset Maugham about a man who spend his life, childhood through adulthood, struggling to overcome physical and emotional afflictions or
"Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison -- a story about a young Black man invisible because of his race and the associated stereotypes. Both books deal with the human plights beyond one's own control.

bluznurse

I would also like to submit "Of Human Bondage" by W. Somerset Maugham. A amazing story about the human condition. Few authors write with the keen sense of observation that Mr. Maugham had.

frgator

Our book club is reading "You Can't Go Home Again" by Thomas Wolfe. It would be great to blog along with you as we revisit this classic.
Frgator

family000

SILENT CHATTER BOOK CLUB suggest P.K.'s Betrayal. This book has awesome reviews, but i read for myself. You are in for an AWESOME treat!

jeangh5

I suggest "Gentleman's Agreement" by Laura Z. Hobson. This book gave me, as a teenager, my first real understanding of bigotry. I also suggest "How Green Was My Valley" which will touch your heart.

dani1165

There really are some amazing suggestions here! You wrote that you're looking for something that really explores the human condition, so I would suggest Crime and Punishment above all others, for Dostoevsky is a master of understanding how we work. Second, I would suggest Middlemarch, which is set in the 19th Century. George Eliot is amazingly perceptive, and I think you would enjoy it. My favorite author, though, is Virginia Woolf. To me, she more than anyone understands the human mind and the unspoken intricacies of social interaction and it is always thrilling to read her work. Of all of her work, I would suggest The Voyage Out, or perhaps Mrs. Dalloway. But if you really want a challenge, pick up The Waves!

authorp

Dear Jill,

Don't be limited by the 50 year time frame. A great classic can exist now. Take for example Atonement by Ian McEwan; you know the movie, but the book read like Austen which I thought was really incredible. As for a good classic, try Anna Karenina, which I really liked but I don't know if a lot of people are going to want to read something that long. Another great novel is The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, and lastly, The Little Boy Story by Patrick Arenson, both with protagonistst that help evolve the reader beyond traditional stereotypes, especially those associated with the Middle East. But please don't look at classics in terms of age, look at classics in terms of quality. PS You don't want to read Ayn Rand because she is BORING. And please try a book by GABRIEL GARCIA MARQUEZ. I loved 100 years of solitude.

absolve1

I suggest "One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. I think when I read it the first time it helped me grasp the deepest meaning of personal freedom. I hope rereading it these many years later I will still find the lines that so moved me. I will have to find it and dust it off. I think you would love it too. It is not a huge book so perhaps you could read 2 classics this summer. I suggest "The Scarlet Letter" to gain flavor for the early founding community "spirit".
Absolve1

nwpreston

A great book to consider for the next book club selction is Mary, Mrs. A. Lincoln by Janis Cooke Newman. Although it is a relatively new book (out in 2008) it is a fictional historic novel about Mary Todd Lincoln. It is the most true to life biography on this very misunderstood woman. Most of the information in the book has been gathered from letters that she wrote throughout her lifetime. Mary Lincoln had a very tragic life beginning when she was just 6 years old and she witnessed her mother's death. She also lost 3 of her 4 sons and was committed to an insane asylum by her oldest son, and of course we all know the tragedy of her husbands assassination. This book describes the love between two people from very different circumstances and how they coped. Mary,a well-to-do woman has to adapt to an austere lifestyle because her husband never made much money as a lawyer. And then she had to endure the endless criticisms from the public when she decided to redo a deteriorating White House to make it a proud symbol of the American people.

With the current historical comparisons to Obama and Lincoln, this seems like a very appropriate time to read and discuss this historical figure.

krgach

May 29, 2009 2:56 PM

  |   in response to: monkymon29

I also vote for The Grapes of Wrath. I have read it numerous times and each time I get more out of it. I have read it with my special education behavior disordered students in the past, and they loved it too. They were very proud of themselves for reading such a long book. And they got it! At least the girls did. The novel is different from the movie. Another shorter choice, The Scarlet Letter. My kids got it too. Even when Hollywood didn't. They have yet to make a decent version.

susanmurch

"East of Eden" is probably my favorite book of all time. I also love "David Cooperfield" and read it every 4 or 5 years. "The Agony and the Ecstasy" is a great, big wonderful story but I don't think it quite meets your criteria of at least 50 years old - but probably almost so don't let that stop you.

kam5gds

I would love for Oprah's Book Club to read Grapes of Wrath. AND, after finishing Grapes of Wrath, we should be encouraged to read a new book by Timothy Egan, The Worst Hard Time. I could not put this book down - it is true and if we think the economy is bad today, we don't even have any idea of the suffering on the Great American Dust Bowl (author states that the dust bowl was the greatest natural disaster for U.S. -- astonishing after Katrina). After finishing these two books, I highly encourage everyone to read The Help, a new novel by Kathern Stockett - you will laugh and you will cry and I hope this story becomes a movie.

heymagee

One of my most favorite authors is Pearl Buck. I read her book, "The Good Earth" when I was in high school (over 50 years ago) and read it again two years ago just before I went on my first trip to China.

It was such a wonderful story about a Chinese young girl. I loved every minute of this book. Both times!

jlviolette

Jane Austen Pride and Prejudice or Emma. We need something lighthearted and fun.

debbetz

"Far from the Madding Crowd" by Thomas Hardy is a great summer read... set in victorian England, love triagles, great characters. Love lost, love gained...sometimes finding true love right under your nose in your best friend.... murder, mystery, misunderstanding.... Great read ! One of my favorite all time books !

ktorz21

Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner. I read it years ago and remember loving it. He is one of the great 20th century American novelists.

empost

The classics that have affected me most profoundly over the years are: Emma by Jane Austen; Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Hardy; The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins (you get a great Victorian novel and a mystery all in one!); The Scarlet Letter by Hawthorne; Ethan Frome by Wharton; A Wrinkle in Time by L'Engle; Nicholas Nickleby by Dickens; Gone With The Wind by Mitchell; East of Eden by Steinbeck; Jane Eyre & Wuthering Heights; Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke; Bram Stoker's Dracula; and Frankenstein by Shelley. However, if you are willing to relax the 50-year rule, the best classic time travel novel ever written, and upon which all other time travel novels are based, is Jack Finney's Time and Again. I guarantee you sleepless nights and it will transport you to another time! Enjoy!

jenndoucet

I highly recommend The Last of the Mohicans, The Count of Monte Cristo, The Grapes of Wrath and The Man in the Iron Mask.

badvein22

There are thousands of heartrending stories about tragedies related to the current immigration crisis. Read THE IMMIGRANT by Charles Clark. It is an emotionally charged suspense-filled novel about an eleven year-old child orphaned when his parents are killed during the illegal entry into the United States from Mexico.

charlesclarknovels

ktjoy33

I am reading all of Jane Austen books and the "Grapes of Wrath"

mollymeow

I want to second (third? fourth?) huck finn! it's a TRUE american classic! (based on friends' recommendations, I read finn, and it's a PERFECT follow-up! serious literature about race and family)

aritota

You should read the TENDER BAR by J.R Moehringer. I read it a few months ago and it has stayed in my mind forever. I even went as far as to visit the bar the young boy to a man talks about through the book. My boyfriend said it was as if he had brought me on a trip and that the look in my eyes were priceless. This book is a must must must read!!!!!

dmills811

May 29, 2009 4:05 PM

  |   in response to: jezziemn

This book is fabulous! I laughed, I cried and I held my breath, fearing that something bad would happen to the women that I'd come to admire so much as I read this book. Oprah will absolutely LOVE this book. I, too, was trying to figure out a way to recommend it to her but couldn't find a place on the Oprah web site to do it.

cotedm

It sounds like you are looking for a classic novel and this book doesn't actually fall into that category, but it is one that should not be overlooked. I just finished reading "19 Minutes" by Jodi Picoult. She is the author of "My Sister's Keeper" which is coming out in the theaters this summer. I read "19 Minutes" while I was on bedrest awaiting the arrival of our first child, a son. The story gives us different view points on bulllying in school from different students as well as parents of teenagers. I happened to see an episode of Oprah dedicated to the bullying topic just before starting to read this book. The whole time I was thinking of getting pregnant, trying to get pregnant, and waiting to find out if we were having a girl or a boy I had thought that raising a boy would be less challenging than raising a girl. I based this assumption on my fear of having a teenage girl with all the hormones and emotions that come with a teenage girl. After seeing the bullying episode on Oprah and reading "19 Minutes" my relief of expecting a teenage son rather than a teenage daughter was halted. I realized a whole new genre of issues that I hadn't given much thought too. I will definitly be taking lessons learned from both the book and the Oprah episode and teaching them to our son as we raise him. For one, I now agree whole-heartedly, that if you are a witness to bullying and do not do anything to help the person being bullied then you are just as guilty as the one doing the bullying. When it comes down to it, having a daughter or son, infant or teenage, there will always be a million things to worry about, but this book opens your eyes to loving your child no matter what. It also shows that as much as you love your child and think you are doing everything right by them you need to have open communication with them about the bullying topic. I think this would be a great read for the Oprah audience and could further help the way we talk about and treat the bullying epidemic.

amygray19

May 29, 2009 4:21 PM

  |   in response to: producerji

I absolutely recommend "The Awakening" by Kate Chopin. It takes place in the French Quarter and was written in 1899. It is the story of a woman torn between societal and familial obligations and her desire to live her own independent life. The steps she takes to live her life, the guilt she often feels, and how she determines to "win" the battle can, updated for current times, be just as relevant today as it was in 1899. The book was originally banned due to it's strong feminist theme. I read it in high school and hated it but read it again in my early 20's and found it strangely liberating to know that, even in the 19th century, women were faced with the same longings, doubts, and social pressures we still feel today.

aminaf

You should read one of the books written by Isable Allende. I just finished reading Daughter of Fortune and loved it so much that i immediately went to the book store to search for more books written by this author. I am currently reading Ines of my Soul and my next book will be Portrait in Sepia. This summer is dedicated to reading the works of Isable Allende.

matteo03

May 29, 2009 4:44 PM

  |   in response to: amygray19

My vote is for Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis. I read this book in high school with hands down the best Enlish teacher I ever had (and I majored in English in college). I'm always suprised that no one has read this masterpeice as it is the quintessential American fall from grace story but with details into a man's true desires during 1920s. How does George F. Babbittget to a pinnacle of success only to have his name synonymous with dull mediocrity and conformity.

iambryce

One of my personal favorites is Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. I love anything she has written. I actually picked up another copy the other day just to read it again since it has been a while.

anjiew

The books that I recommend are ones that my thirteen year old son and I are reading this summer. The Grapes of Wrath, The Scarlet Letter and The Catcher in the Rye. Happy Reading

kerisherma

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand changed the way I read books! It made me appreciate words and those that write them well.

lhoosier3

OK PEOPLE-- If we can read Dickens, why can't we read our own American
author, Mark Twain. I'm going for Tom Sawyer or Huckleberry Finn. I
don't think I've actually read either one and they're part of our American culture! L

tazzyt

NUMBER ONE PICK: Since Oprah read and loved "The Pillars of the Earth" by Ken Follett, why not read the sequel "World Without End"? It was just as phenomenal.....a large book, but so good you cannot put it down!

I saw mention of Willa Cather--also fabulous but I would suggest "A Lost Lady."

Ian McEwan's "Saturday" is also a fabulous post 9/11 novel that is sure to be a classic.

kjcasey

I think that you should pick Peyton Place - that's a classic, and one of my favorites. Or how about, let's go back - Valley of the Dolls.

clbhome4u

May 29, 2009 6:17 PM

  |   in response to: kmcwhorter

When I was in high school, we had to read "Les Miserables" as a class assignment, one chapter at a time, answer questions, take a quiz, on and on...I hated it! Four summers later I picked it up again as a summer read and it changed my life. What a fantastic book. It gets my vote, but this summer I have reserved for Sawtelle. I have a friend who is busting a gut to discuss it with me. I promised him!!

roospott

When I look to read a classic piece of literature I want one that both discusses the human condition and is accessible. For me it is not enough for a book to be well written; I think that books need to be applicable and accessible to a wide audience. For your summer reading I would recommend a novel by Jane Austen...accessible, subtle, and wonderfully written. As many people have read Pride and Prejudice I would recommend my personal favorite Persuasion. This book has a very real heroine and deftly provides a more believable story than some of her other works. Not all women are as lucky as Elizabeth Bennett (from P and P) and have the richest man in England fall in love with them. Happy Readings

c70p8lqy8t

May 29, 2009 6:23 PM

  |   in response to: producerji

Classic, Classic books to me have always been depressing. Maybe summer and sun is time to read that, but I don't want to anymore. Many years ago, I enjoyed... The Ladies of the Club. Great/fantastic story of the author too.
Will also put in a repeat plug for The Source. For some reason a book I can read every 5-10 years and enjoy greatly. Both books to me, are good summer reads with some meat. Happy Picking!

chezgin

"Woman in White" by Wilke Collins is wonderful! It was written in the 1850's, supposedly the first English mystery novel. While there are more than 700 pages, the reader is hooked from page one and the pages fly. I loved it!

cclsx4

May 29, 2009 6:42 PM

  |   in response to: producerji

Hi my name is Ciara Kohlhagen,and i am 16 and I completely agree that you should read Jane Eyre, it is completely captivating. Now I am reading Age of Innocence and I have throughly enjoyed that too, it's light and fun, but it is also full of emotion and feeling and it has been a lot of fun to read. Before that I read some things by Virginia Woolf too and she has a feminie writing style that I really love, I have only read Voyage Out by Woolf but it was a beautiful story, and i agree with you about Tolstoy he is very intimadating but he really makes you broaden your mindset and think of things in new ways, that is why i loved Anna Karenina.

dee525em

Want a fascinating read?
Read THE RED TENT by Anita Diamant.
Once you read the book cover ...
I promise, you will want to read more!

tegibson

The Great Gatsby.

mjatl429

So many great suggestions! I'd add 100 Years of Solitude and Love in the Time of Cholera. For something a little lighter try Cress Delahanty by Jessamyn West. A favorite English teacher recommended it to me for summer reading in High School many years ago and I loved it!

briamac

Here are my favorites and a tip. The tip first: If you read any books by Dostoevsky make sure you get the editions translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky...they are the most accurate and actually different to read than some others.

Other than that I recommend: To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee - my #1 pick),
Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand (tied with TKM as #1 pick),
East of Eden - John Steinbeck,
Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen,
Gone with the Wind - Margaret Mitchell,
Ethan Frome - Edith Wharton

briamac

May 29, 2009 7:31 PM

  |   in response to: producerji

The bigger the better!!!

shihoisima

May 29, 2009 7:41 PM

  |   in response to: monkymon29

I hadn't read any classics in years, and a few summers ago, I chose Jane Eyre and enjoyed it so much, I looked for another kinda in the same spirit, and chose Pride and Prejudice--quite different but also very good. Last summer I felt inspired to tackle War and Peace, since there was a new translation (Pevear and Volokhonsky) coming out, and it was getting great reviews. I haven't gotten all the way through yet, but the translation is wonderful!...they strove to replicate Tolstoy's writing style!

Hope you find a classic you love!!!

lasabinita

Since you mention that you would like to be transported to another world I have three suggestions for you:
1) Lost Horizon by James Hilton - one of my alltime favourites, set in the Himalayas it's a quest for Shangri-La, a fabled paradise on earth
2) Siddharta by Hermann Hesse - the life story of Buddha by a Nobel Prize winning author, a must read
3) Night Flight by Antoine Saint Exupery - a pilot's thoughts during a night flight over South America by the author of The Little Prince who was a pilot himself
Enjoy

kimeck6

I have never read Moby Dick; but War and Peace is one of my all time favorites! I also like East of Eden by John Steinbeck. Another is The Good Earth, Pearl Buck. Stories that tell of the struggles of day to day life of ordinary people really pull me in!

mfburke

Fahrenheit 451 gets my vote! Bradbury's vision of the future has come to pass in everything we use to communicate and isolate. It's a stellar read.

tweety0480

My suggestion is Wuthering Heights.. It is my classic summer ready for this year.

dlenore2

May 29, 2009 9:07 PM

  |   in response to: monkymon29

Another vote for The Grapes of Wrath. Last summer my reading group ran with the theme of migration/depression/recession by using The Grapes of Wrath and Tortilla Curtain as anchor books. One member also read The Dust Bowl. Wonderful discussion!

treenbean9

Forster's A Passage to India has always been one of my favorites. The novel is set in India during the time of British occupation. The characters struggle with human relationships and differences in social class, race, religion, and gender. It is especially interesting to read it now as some of the elements echo the struggles and issues we have seen since 9/11 and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

aribelle9

The Three Muskateers by Alexandre Dumas is very funny and an all-round classic. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin is really good too. It reminds us to be careful of being too pride filled or prejudiced.
While not a classic, The Calligrapher by Edward Docx is a unique and brilliantly written novel.

teejaygee

The Grapes of Wrath, or East of Eden, both by John Steinbeck. No one writes about humanity better than Steinbeck ... two must read stories. Both will transport you to another place and time and you will feel the human condition.

adrisal321

May 29, 2009 9:29 PM

  |   in response to: heleng55

I second Don Quixote. I read it last summer and it truly was an amazing book. It explores the human condition in a very profound way and will leave you pondering the nature of your very existence. After all, how can you go wrong with the greatest novel of all time (as named by the nobel prize comitee)?

k_schad

It's already been said, but Pride and Prejudice is by far a classic (and an often ignored one). Enjoy the ultimate love story that's so much more!

debllew

My vote is for Pillars of the Earth (read first) and then World Without End, both by Ken Follett. At about 1000 pages each, the pair provide a good long read. Even though they are not "classics", I think they will become such! They are difficult to put down...

tecachoo

Hi Jill,

I read A LOT. I have read alot of the classics especially the Austen novel, Bronte, etc.

I have never been able to get through a Dickens novel nor a Russian novel so my vote would be for Anna Karenina or tale f two cities. I have seen the movies of these but I wold read your blogging about the books and hopefully I could read along or behind you finally inspiring me to get through one of these.

OTOH-I HAVE read Gone with the Wind and I recommend it highly. I thought I would not really like this book. A woman gave to me one summer when I was in high school and only read it because I had no other book. I thought it was great. It had the right amount of historical accounts with the wonderful slow & sultry southern romance.

so the break down? 1. Anna Karenina 2. The tale of two cities 3. Gone with the wind

Good Luck I just realized any one of those will probably take all summer to read! NIIIce.

aquaeyes

While there are certainly many classics to choose from, I would love to recommend an author who wrote some of his most famous stories from approximately 1844-1887. Which should meet your "more than 50 years old" requirement. And unlike other English authors of time such as Victor Hugo or Nathaniel Hawthorne, he was French, and so wrote his stories in French, and what we read today is a modern American English translation, which is, much easier to read than English authors who aren't translated into modern vernacular. He wrote wonderful stories full of swashbuckling adventure, humour, romance, revenge, moral courage, and forgiveness. And personally I think he's probably one of the most under appreciated Black authors of all time. Who could I be talking about? What stories did he write? His name was Alexandre Dumas, and he wrote such wonderful classics as The Three Musketeers (1844), Twenty Years Later (1845), The Man in the Iron Mask (1847), and my personal favorite, Les Comte de Monte-Cristo (1845-1846).

matt0529

A personal favorite since I was a young girl is "The Good Earth". Just a couple of years ago I read "To Kill a Mockingbird" for the first time and loved this book too. There are too many books to recommend. I look forward to your pick.

ruby2000

May 29, 2009 11:36 PM

  |   in response to: cecilebott

I highly agree about Naguib Mahfouz's Cairo Trilogy. You mentioned that you wanted to be transported to another time and place. In these books you can feel the heat, the comfort and isolation of life for women behind the veil and the intense family connections. If you just want one book, they stand alone very well; I especially enjoyed "Palace of Desire."

joelle52

May 29, 2009 11:40 PM

  |   in response to: c1carolm

Yes, my favorite of all time. Timeless in some aspects, such as mother-daughter relationships, love, seeking your heart's passion, a forerunner in others-- women's rights and empowerment. Tender, heartbreaking at times, an very funny at others. Great characters.

pharmerdon

I would add James Clavell's Shogun (and the rest of the Asian Saga series) or Anthony Trollope's Chronicles of Barsetshire (series)

sherkfick

Fabulous, an old classic. but what will be the 'classics' of tomorrow. to me, those are the most important.

I have read "Iodine" by Haven Kimmel, no less than 12 times this calendar year. it is my number one suggestion.

marinkap

May 30, 2009 2:37 AM

  |   in response to: lhoosier3

I absolutelly agree with putting Twain on the "must read" list. Tom Sawyer has it all - history, adventure...I have read it when I was 9 or 10. Great book to read with kids (has some scarry parts, be aware)

dancutler

Lucina was my mother who was born in Italy in 1924. During World War II she was forced to work for the Germans. Unknown to them she became a spy and helped many people escape and saved many lives. She passed away in 1997 and I was able to get her to write down her stories about the war and also about her life after coming to this country. She was an incredible woman and a hero. I'm sorry that she died before she was recognized as a hero and the world read her story. Her story has not been published but if your interested in reading it I could send you a hard copy or email you a copy. Also, before she died, I was able to video tape her and her brother talking about their lives during this time. It's a 2 hour and 45 minute interview. I think it would be sad to allow this lady's life to go unrecognized. Help me.

Thank you
Danny Cutler
San Francisco, CA
dancutler@aol.com

debijlr

Everyone has heard of the wonderful movie, Gigi...but how many have read the original book by Colette? Hardly any...and it would be great for discussions on how the book differs from the classic movie. It meets your criteria - you'll be transported to another time/place, it's more than 50 years old...and as an added bonus, it's written by a female author when they weren't that commonplace in their time.

A group of us are planning to read/do the movie this summer - it would be great if you joined us

Debi
(I am also the Community Relations Manager at the Princeton, NJ Barnes & Noble and a cocker spaniel exhibitor/breeder - Topaz Cockers - with a cocker spaniel named "Gigi"

cricard

The Good Earth, Pearl S. Buck....was mentioned before, but like the other post, this book made a really big impact on me. Often when I'm making tea in the morning, I feel the blessing of having a scoop of tea leaves for my hot water rather than a few leaves or none at floating in the water. This book would inspire gratitude for the blessings we have, even in this downturn in the economy!!!

sdohio8

May 30, 2009 8:36 AM

  |   in response to: monkymon29

The Grapes of Wrath was also my immediate thought and also because of current economic conditions.