Miah's Must-read Booklist...

      Since I do a lot of reading, I thought it might be a good idea to compile a list of good books I've read, along with a couple sentences of what the book's about. That way, you can decide for yourself whether it's something you wanna read or if it's just not your thing. This list should just keep growing and growing, so if you're looking for a good book to read just come here and you should find *something* you like.


The Bible
Class: Classic, Philosophy, Action, Encouragement, etc.

The book that sets the standard by which men should follow. This is the one book that has positively shaped nations, and changed lives. Though others may be good, this is the best. Read it.....

(To accommodate regular visitors, this following list is listed with the most recent books I've read up top, with the less recently read ones farther down.)

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Class: Fiction

Where can be found a more abominable punishment than the Scarlet Letter, a red symbol of sin. Who can find a soul as desolate as the one who is to wear this object of scorn? That's what you'll discover in this novel that is considered to be one of the highlights of the American Romantic period.


Mere Christianity by CS Lewis
Class: Philosophy, Religion

This book seeks to prove the case for Christianity by means of logic, which has been superbly done. Lewis, once an atheist himself, argues the problems with atheism and other religions. This is one I would recommend this book to an unsaved intellectual person, along with comprehensive Christians who wish to firmly outline their beliefs.


Darwin's Ghost, or The Origin of Species Updated by Steve Jones
Class: Non-Fiction

This book seeks to strengthen Darwin's original argument with modern 'science'. This book is filled with deceptive lies, and I was so repulsed that I have been inspired to right a lengthy argument against evolution article. Because of the highly persuasive nature of this book- one of its only strong points- I suggest this only to people who know the other side of the story and are interested in keeping up with the current ideas of evolution, which are always evolving.


Crime and Punishment by Feodor Doestoyevsky
Class: Fiction

Once upon a time, there was a man named Raskolnikov Romanivitch. 'Rodya' had a small problem- he was psychotically deranged. After he inadvertantly kills two women with an axe, his problems continue to multiply. He justifies the murder, but the situation eventually comes down to the matter of Crime and Punishment.

My Antonia, by Willa Cather
Class: Fiction

A story about the trials and triumphs of a 19th century immigrant pioneer woman. This novel does not imply that the events really occurred, but it was so factual and realistically written that I wondered if it may have been real and not fiction.


Red Badge of Courage, by Stephen Crane
Class: Fiction

A book about a boy who goes off to fight in the civil war. He thinks he's ready for anything, but when the time comes to fight he flees the battle.


Alice in Wonderland, by Lewis Carrol
Class: Fiction

This book has been known as a happy little fairy tale for children, but what you probably didn't know was that many of the characters were actually carictures of real people of his day. Being both amusing and entertaining, what more could you ask for?


Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte
Class: Fiction

A book about an orphan girl who seems to get the short end of the stick. Her aunt ships her off to a cruel boarding school, her fiance happens to already be married, and his wife is a murderous lunatic. A most intruiging book written by the sister of Emily Bronte.


Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen
Class: Fiction

Prim and proper, nice and neat, oh this book was quite a treat. Actually, I found it rather dull, with a few amusing exceptions. I would reccommend this to most girls, and highly sophisticated 'jolly good' fellows.


Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens
Class: Fiction

An intriguing story filled with a series of disturbed characters. Pip is a poor orphan boy living with his sister and her husband. In his desire to be cultured, he finds a way to evade their presence. His problems begin when he comes into acquaintence with Miss Havisham, a deranged, elderly lady who has taken a solemn oath to wreak her revenge on the male population; from this point on, the story continues to become stickier and more conniving.


Republic, by Plato
Class: Philosophy

This book supposedly answers the question: "What good is morality?" Plato's colleages present the argument that immorality is actually more profitable and brings about a happier life than morality. Plato embarks on a system of sophisticated analogies and examples to refute this claim. In the process, he also puts in a good word for philosophers. In fact, most of the book ends up being a pro-philosopher argument, with morality as the side-dish.


Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley
Class: Fiction

All about rejection and the consequences thereof, Frankestein brings you to a state of despair. Victor Frankestein has a perfect life within his grasp, but a burning passion suddenly overtakes him. He is driven to reanimate lifeless flesh; and he succeeds. Instead of excitement at his accomplishment, he experience something quite different. "I saw the dull yellow eye of the creature open; it breathed hard, and a convulsive motion agitated its limbs. How can I describe my emotions at this catastrophe, or how delineate the wretch whom with such infinite pains and care I had endeavoured to form?... For this I had deprived myself of rest and health. I had desired it with an ardour that far exceeded moderation; but now that I had finished the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart." This is a really moving story. Read it!


Animal Farm, by George Orwell
Class: Fiction

A satirical piece about the injustices of Communism. The pigs entice the other animals to revolt against Farmer Jones. Under the leadership of the pigs they set up their own socialistic form of government where "All animals are equal." Unfortunately, that is not the way it stays. The pigs take control of the farm and create worse conditions than when Farmer Jones was in charge. In the end, "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others." This is a great book. Short, humorous, and moving.


Robinson Crusoe, by Daniel Defoe
Class: Classic, Fiction

This is a story of a man who goes out to sea against his parents wishes and, ironically, gets shipwrecked on a deserted island. That is, deserted when there aren't blood-thirsty cannibals on the island.


Great Tales and Poems, by Edgar Allen Poe
Class: Fiction, Suspense

A collection of great tales and poems by one of the great writers of suspense. Some of the stories are intriguing, some are cynically humorous, some are just grotesque. Not for the 'faint at the sight of blood' type.


Mr. Midshipman Hornblower, by C.S. Forester
Class: Historical Fiction

This is the first book of eleven in the Horatio Hornblower series. It is a historical novel about naval warfare during the Napoleonic era. The book recounts the adventures of Horatio Hornblower, a new seaman appointed to the H.M.S. Indefatigable. He delves right sea-action as he helps capture a few ships, slays some enemies, and participates in a duel. This book is easy enough to be understood by younger readers, yet complex enough to be enjoyed by adults.


Out of the Silent Planet series, by C.S. Lewis
Class: Science Fiction

This is a set of three books-Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, and That Hideous Strength. These were definitely some of the best science fiction books I've read. The books are centered upon the life of Ransom, a philologist. In the first book he is kidnaped by two evil scientists on a mission to Malacandra, or Mars. It is there that he escapes from his captors. He teams up with some of the intelligent life forms, learns the language known as the Old Solar tongue, and goes back to earth with the scientists under his control. In the second book, Ransom travels to Perelandra, or Venus, to save the planet from the devil's agent. In the third book (my favorite), Ransom, with the help of others, wards off the bent eldil of earth. The third book is so far out that I can't even explain it, which means you'll have to read it for yourself.


The Silmarillion, by J.R.R. Tolkien
Class: Fantasy

The Silmarillion is basically a prequel to the Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. It describes how all the strange creatures featured in Tolkien's other books came into existence, how the Ring was made, where Sauron came from, who made the Orcs, and so on. However, it is the type of prequel that I would recommend checking out only after reading his other hobbit books. If you do read it before the others, I'm afraid you will most likely find yourself hopelessly lost. This isn't so much a story, but more of a fictional history book full of facts and tidbits for die-hard Tolkien fans.


The Screwtape Letters, by C.S. Lewis
Class: Beats me.... Religious? Fictional? Classic?

This is a collection of letters supposedly from an experienced devil to his nephew, a novice tempter. The letters give the nephew hints on how to steal his patient's soul. This book is pretty far out, yet strangely intriguing- dare I say instructional.... and even helpful. It sort of opens your eyes a little bit to the everyday stuff Satan really does try to tempt you with, and how he does it one small step at a time, so he can keep moving you gradually farther away. The letters were originally a weekly section that appeared during WWII in a newspaper called "The Guardian". My book also included a short, witty composition called "Screwtape proposes a Toast". It is a speech Screwtape gave in hell at the annual dinner of the Tempters' Training College for young devils. Very, very... interesting... to say the least.


War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy
Class: Classic, Historical Fiction

War and Peace takes place during the conquests of Napoleon. It shows the war's effects on the French army, the Russian Army, and the Russian civilians. The book consists of three primary characters: Pierre, Prince Andrew, and Natasha Rostov. I thought this book was a masterpiece. There is not merely one story, but really 3 or 4 different stories. Tolstoy intertwines the war and social issues perfectly and somehow makes it all fit together so that each part relates to the other. This is also probably the longest book I have read to date; my copy contained 696 pages of microscopic print, but don't let that intimidate you....


Moby Dick, by Herman Melville
Class: Classic

This is a narrative type of fiction story. It's told by a man named Ishmael, who goes on a whaling voyage with a motley crew and an obsessed captain. They all are sworn in by Captain Ahab to be avenged enemies of the infamous whale, Moby Dick, until death do they part. Most of Ahab's vehemenent fury towards Moby comes from an earlier confrontation in which the whale happened to chomp Ahab's leg off; so naturally, there's just a little bit of hard feelings. So what happens to Moby Dick? Read and find out.


Anna Karenina, by Leo Tolstoy
Class: Classic

This one is sort of depressing... and long. 700+ pages long, in fact. But just because it's long and depressing, doesn't mean it isn't good. It's very good; so good that it is considered to be one of the greatest novels of all time. It's a story that sort-of contrasts some people who makes mistakes and others who do things right. Anna Karenina does what's wrong and gets what she wants. Levin does what's right and goes into severe depression. So, does good prevail? Or does evil? Read it and find out. I don't think you'll be dissapointed.


Silas Marner, by George Eliot
Class: Classic

This story is about a guy who gets cheated by a good friend. He moves away and becomes a miserly hermit. One day, someone comes and steals all his money. He gets extremely worked up about that, but one day he finds an baby orphan in his house. He brings it up and takes care of it. This story is pretty good, it's short, and I can't really describe it too well on my own. You'll just have to go read it for yourself.


Beowulf
Class: Ancient Classic

The earliest known great literary work of England. It's about a guy who kills a monster who's been eating up his men. However, he really just kills the monster's child. The mother monster becomes angry and wreaks havic. That's about all there is to it. Blood and gore. Yeaaah. One question I had, where's father monster?.. dumdedumdum....


Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson
Class: Classic, Fiction, Suspense

Dr. Jekyll found a way to split good and evil. He takes one drug for his bad side and another to turn back into his good self. Unfortunately, once he discovers his evil side, it starts to prevail. It comes back without the drug. He must take the other drug to turn back... and then. Ah! You definitely don't want to pass this one up.


Robin Hood, by Paul Creswick
Class: Classic, Adventure

Steal from the rich, give to the poor--a book about bows, arrows, and a little boy that grows up to be an outlaw pitted against the sheriff, who burned down his house and was a part in his mother's death. Although it took me a little while to get into the writing style, this is a great book. (If you want to have a happy ending, however, don't read the Epilogue. Trust me. It's sad.)


The Hobbit; Lord of the Rings Trilogy, by J.R.R. Tolkien
Class: Fantasy.. definitely

One of my favorites. These books are about 3 foot tall furry humanoid-ish things called hobbits. "The Hobbit" is about an adventure where a hobbit named Bilbo Baggins, 11 dwarves, and a wizard that go in quest to reclaim a long-lost treasure that was taken by a dragon that captured it. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy is the sequel, and it involves a magic ring that Bilbo found on their last adventure. The ring seems innocent enough, but it's the final thing needed for the evil force to take over and banish all good; so naturally, they need to destroy it to keep the evil guy from becoming omnipotent. Does good prevail? Or does evil win!? Read for yourself.


The Iliad; The Odyssey, by Homer
Class: Fantasy, Classic, Culturally Educational..;-)

Reeaally old, reeaally great books about war and guts and Greek culture. These books were the center of belief for Greek religion and culture for much of their history. The first book is about a full-scale 10-year war that took place between the Trojans and the Athenians and started over a girl. (Didja know Alexander the Great had The Iliad *memorized!*? He liked to compare himself with the Greek hero Achilles) In the end, the Greeks win the war and head for home. The Odyssey (which is my fav. of the 2 books) is about the trouble Oddyseus has getting home, not to mention what he finds when he gets there.


The Trial and Death of Socrates, by Plato
Class: Philosophy, Sort-of Drama

In this book Socrates questions the traditional Greek gods, and reaps the consequences under the charges of 'corrupting the youth'. He gives a moving speech to the senate members defending his cause, and gets put in jail, condemned to die. Crito, a friend of his, tries to convince Socrates to escape from prison, but Socrates refuses. He knew that the senate really didn't mind if he escaped, because then they could say what a coward he was. If he stayed and was executed he'd be a martyr to the cause. (I'm paraphrasing..) A pretty deep book, but it gives a really interesting look into Greek culture and the paganistic thinking involved with it. While Socrates was confused on a few subjects, much can be gleaned from some of his teachings.


The Chronicles of Narnia, by C.S. Lewis
Class: Christian Fiction, Fantasy

A series of 7 great books abouts all sorts of mythical creatures from a mythical land who interact with humans from earth through magical means. These books have several allusions to Christianity and are entertaining for a wide variety of age groups as well.


Kidnapped, by Robert Louis Stevenson
Class: Classic, Fiction

This book is about a guy who gets duped by a conniving uncle and is taken by sinister seamen to be sold into slavery. He doesn't go willingly; he teams up with a partner and holds a standoff in the galley against the pirates. Then they get shipwrecked and many adventures entail.


The New Arabian Nights, by Robert Louis Stevenson
Class: Fiction

This is a collection of short stories written by RLS for various newspapers and such. Most of them involve guns, a mystery, and a lot of suspense. My most favorite ones include "The Suicide Club" and "The Rajah's Diamond".