Friday, August 12, 2016

Five Books

A question that comes up periodically: What five books do you recommend to introduce someone to reading?
A dangerous question. Perhaps a hidden Rorschach Test. Fiction or non-fiction? Should I include the New Testament? Limit it to classics? What does it mean if I don't? What about the Russians?  What about fantasy? So many traps. The answer is as revealing as a poem.
Quora has wonderful answers enhanced by its multicultural reach. But I would refine the question this way: What five books would you recommend to someone to encourage them to read more? That means the book must be approachable, enjoyable and revealing about the written word.
So, my answers are:
1. Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather
2. Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy
3. Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey
4. The Count of Monte Cristo by Dumas
5. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
And, if Blood Meridian drives you crazy or you don't think Daughter of Time is substantive enough, substitute The Dubliners by James Joyce

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