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My favorite book recs
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items Here is a list of my favorite books. Like my music, my reading style is quite eclectic. I have old “faves” I cannot let go of, along with newer ones I cannot put down until they are completely read.
Sections
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A Mix of favorites
A Mix of favorites
An eclectic mix of fiction and non-fiction, but all read by me and comes with a big thumbs up.
Murakami describes surreal situations in twisting but snappy plot. It is a riveting read that will take you on a hypnotic spellbinding ride. Once I read his first book, I had to read his others. Ten out of ten.
Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami, Paperback
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A beautiful story that is both stunning and poignant at the same time. This is a coming of age story wrapped in tragedy and hope. Described as masterly and a story you mourn when the story is done. Another amazing novel by Murakami.
Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami
One of the first books I bought before coming to Vietnam over 15 years ago. It gives great advice and is inexpensive. I highly recommend this because it covers places, languages and culture in one easily carried books.
Vietnam travel guide & inspiration - Lonely Planet | Asia
It is the 1960's in Saigon, Vietnam, and Mr. Chen is the headmaster of an English school who is involved in a plethora of domestic drama. This story creeps up on you and mesmerizes with a backdrop of war, human weakness, and strength. A political thr...
The Headmaster's Wager by Vincent Lam
This is a quasi autobiographical novel of a Chinese student during the Chinese cultural revolution of the 1960's. Searching for spirituality Chen travels to inner Mongolia. His fate is tied closely to the grasslands inhabited by both the Mongols and ...
Wolf Totem (2015)
A true story about Pham Xuan An, who was sent to America to learn the ways of the west before returning to Vietnam and effectively acting as an agent for Hanoi during the Vietnam, American war. This is an incredibly well crafted book that shows the h...
Perfect Spy: Double Life of Pham Xuan An
Described as an overpowering and beautiful novel, it is a riveting ant-war novel (In my opinion) that follows the story of a young man sent to Amiens in 1920. Holding back no punches, Sebastion Faulks describes the horrors of war and the detrimental ...
Birdsong (TV Mini Series 2012)
Another book by my favorite author, the Wild Sheep Chase starts with a chain smoking advertising executive who is drawn into a strange and bizarre world when trying to find a sheep that is trying to take over the world. The twists and turns of this n...
A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami
This book is one of the few self help/ motivational books that I can get my head around. It teaches you how to stop wasting energy on what you can't control and start focusing on what truly matters: YOU. Your happiness. Your goals. Your life. easy to...
The Let Them Theory: Life-Changing Tool
Crumb has collected the best of his work in a lavish hardcover volume that everyone interested in pop culture over the last half century will want to own. Zap Comix launched the underground comic book back in 1968, and his signature characters--Keep ...
R. Crumb Coffee Table Art Book - Deluxe
Another favorite read. A strange and beautiful story of robot in a dystopian world that shows more humanity than most around it. A look into the meaning of humanity.
Klara and the Sun: A GMA Book Club Pick
Riveting, captivating and a twist in every book that gets you rooting for the underdog. And in this case, it's Lisbeth, an over-the-top character forged by her past who has learnt to stand up for herself. The 3 books flow into one story that can neve...
Millennium Series 3-Book Box Set by Stieg Larsson
A gripping read about a Second American Civil War and the rise of the Republic of “Gilead”, a totalitarian regime that enforces rigid social roles and enslaves the few remaining fertile women. A thoughtfully written series exploring the boundaries of...
The Handmaid's Tale and The Testaments Box Set
I first read this about 50 years ago, and after revisiting it recently, I found it stood the test of time. Although listed as science fiction, it is so much more...In brief, this is the storyline. “Guy Montag is a fireman. His job is to destroy the m...
Fahrenheit 451
People are seeking out answers to age old questions and are discovering possible left out biblical truths from their standard bible. The contents in the “Book of Enoch” are powerful and thought-provoking, and come with stunning illustrations. It has an engaging writing style and is an educational and entertaining read.
The Books of Enoch: Complete Collection (Illustrated)
This post-modern manifesto blends science fiction (as you don't know it) into a detective story that will keep you enthralled and fry your brain at the same time. If LSD was a book you could understand, this would be it. If you are new to Murakami or...
Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami
You may have seen this classic movie or maybe not. It is about a policeman investigating a murder who is slowly drawn into a web of ancient rites. I do not want to spoil it, but if you like suspense with great writing and a severe twist at the end, y...
The Wicker Man (1973)
Another brilliant novel by my favorite author. A quasi detective novel with so many twists, that starts with a young man looking for his cat and then falling into a weird underbelly of Japanese life that incorporates moving boulders to trap evil, and...
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle: A Novel