Which Book Would You Recommend For My Summer Reading?

Question

Last year for my summer reading i chose a book that I absolutely hated and bore me to death, so I need a really well written, vivid book that will keep me reading. I'm a guy, so I don't want anything girly or anything. I like a challenging read, but not something so challenging that I can't understand it. Pick two books and tell me what they're about. Here's all the choices I have on my list.

The Martian Chronicles - Ray Bradbury
The House on Mango Street - Sandra Cisneros
Johnny Tremain - Esther Forbes
Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes - Edith Hamilton
Out of the Silent Planet - C.S. Lewis
Anne of the Green Gables - L.M. Montgomery
The Hot Zone - Richard Preston
The Yearling - Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
Where The Red Ferns Grow - Wilson Rawls
Flowers for Algernon - Daniel Reyes
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn - Betty Smith
the Hobbit - J.R.R Tolkien
The Lord of the Rings - J.R.R. Tolkien
Old Yeller - Fred Gipson
Skellig - David Almond
Walk Two Moons - Sharon Creech
Boy - Roald Dahl
Going Solo - Roald Dahl
Under a War-Torn Sky - L.M. Elliot
Pictures of Hollis Wood - Patricia Riley Giff
A Day No Pigs Would Die - Sarah Darer Littman
A Year Down Yonder - Richard Peck
A Long Way From Chicago - Richard Peck
The Bronze Bow - Elizabeth George Speare
So Far From the Bamboo Grove - Yoko Kawashima Watkins
Flipped - Wendlin Can Draaned
The Lost Garden - Laurence Yep
The Pigman - Paul Zindel
Sounder - William Armstrong
Bud, Not Buddy - Christopher Paul Curtis
Joey Pigza Loses Control - Jack Gantos
The Fize People You Meet in Heaven - Mitch Albom
Tuesdays with Morrie - Mitch Albom
Something For Joey - Richard E. Peck
Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
The Good Earth - Pearl S. Buck
The Invisible Man - Ralph Ellison
The Old Man and the Sea - Ernest Hemingway
the Call of the Wild - Jack London
White Fang - Jack London
The Crucible - Arthur Miller
Animal Farm - George Orwell
The Pearl - John Steinback

Thanks!!!

Additional Details

I can pick one book that's not on the list, so if you know any other good books that aren't listed, mention them

Answer 1

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker

okay... out of all those... can i pick 3?

the lord of the rings (j.r.r. tolkien) - An ancient Ring thought lost for centuries has been found, and through a strange twist in fate has been given to a small Hobbit named Frodo. When Gandalf discovers the Ring is in fact the One Ring of the Dark Lord Sauron, Frodo must make an epic quest to the Cracks of Doom in order to destroy it! However he does not go alone. He is joined by Gandalf, Legolas the elf, Gimli the Dwarf, Aragorn, Boromir and his three Hobbit friends Merry, Pippin and Samwise. Through mountains, snow, darkness, forests, rivers and plains, facing evil and danger at every corner the Fellowship of the Ring must go. Their quest to destroy the One Ring is the only hope for the end of the Dark Lords reign....
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120737/plot…

the five people you meet in heaven (mitch albom) - recounts the life and death of a simple yet dignified old man, Eddie. After dying in a freak accident, Eddie finds himself in heaven where he encounters five people who have significantly affected his life, whether he realized it at the time or not. Each imparts a divine piece of wisdom unto him, instilling a deeper comprehension regarding the most intimate facets of life. In the beginning he dedicates the book to his uncle Edward Beitchman. He says that he wants people like his uncle who felt unimportant here on earth to realize, finally, how much they mattered and how they were loved.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Five_Pe…

the crucible (arthur miller) - A small group of teen girls in 1692 Salem, Massachusetts caught in an innocent conjuring of love potions to catch young men are forced to tell lies that Satan had invaded them and forced them to participate in the rites and are then forced to name those involved. Thrown into the mix are greedy preachers and other major landowners trying to steal others' land and one young woman infatuated with a married man and determined to get rid of his innocent wife. Arthur Miller wrote the events and the subsequent trials where those who demanded thier innocence were executed, those who would not name names were incarcerated and tortured, and those who admitted their guilt were immediately freed as a parable of the Congressional Communist witch hunts led by Senator Joe McCarthy in 1950's America...
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115988/plot…

I would not suggest reading johnny tremain; it might put you to sleep.

hope i could help!
have a good day! ;)
lbee

Asker's Rating:

Asker's Comment:

im probably gonna read lord of the rings and five people you meet in heaven. thnx for the info

Answer 2

Where the Red Fern Grows, Wuthering Heights, White Fang
Amazing Books =]

Answer 3

The Lord of the Rings or Call of the Wild. Call of the Wild is beautifully written. It's about a dog's transformation to his inner primordial beast, and is considered a classic. An easy read, but you still fall in love with London's language. I'm sure you know what the Lord of the Rings are about, but let me tell you: no matter how good the movies are (and they are GOOD) the books are better.

Whatever you do, do not read the Old Man and the Sea, because I can sum it up for you right now: Fishing, Pain, Fishing, Starvation, Fishing, Torture, Fishing, Death, Fishing...

Source(s):

PS: If you want to laugh when you read, Boy by Dahl is great for both boys and girls. If you don't want girly books, anything written by the Bronte sisters or Jane Austen are out, even though they're classics. If you like politics, Animal Farm is the book for you!

Answer 4

i would say Pictures of Hollis Woods


I couldnt only read about 3 pages of Wuthering Heights.

Answer 5

These books really range in difficulty so I don't really know what you're looking for but I'd recommend Invisible Man (there's no the btw unless you mean the one by ray bradbury and not ralph ellison in which case I don't recommend it) it is pretty long and can be difficult to read even though you can understand the story, it's just the other ideas and allusions which may be harder but it's about a black man who travels around much mirroring the difficulties of the african american race and goes through a lot of challenges and trials, the call of the wild is also good, a classic, if you haven't read that I'd read that one too, it's a lot easier

Answer 6

The Good Earth -- excellent read.
White Fang - moving story
Old Yeller - for us dog lovers
How about "A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity" by Bill O'Reilly or
"Common Sense" by Glenn Beck if you want to learn something and enjoy the book at the same time?

Answer 7

Flowers for Algernon
The Hobbit

Answer 8

I think you should read Wuthering Heights and Bud, Not Buddy.

And here's some good ones that aren't on your list:

-Forever by Judy Blume
-Virtual World
-When It Happens
-Take Me There
-Lock and Key
-The Market
-It's Kind of A Funny Story


Those are all amazing books, I hope I helped.

=)

Answer 9

old yeller, where the red fern grows, and flowers for algernon are all excellent books. i would recommend any of those. dont read animal farm- that one will bore you to death!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Yeller - the link for summary of old yeller

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Where_the_r… - link for where the red fern grows summary

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flowers_for… - link for flowers for algernon.

good luck!

Answer 10

You'll like the Jack London books, or Ray Bradbury's "Martian Chronicles." There are a lot of other Bradbury books you'd like as well. "Animal Farm" is fine!

Source(s):

I've read a lot of these.

Answer 11

Out of the Silent Planet - C.S. Lewis
the Hobbit - J.R.R Tolkien
The Lord of the Rings - J.R.R. Tolkien

Answer 12

Since Old Yeller and The Yearling
are required reading in many schools,
you might as well get them out of the way. <}:-})

Answer 13

dude, what is with the list? If you really want a good read I'd read either "Shantaram" or "scartissue", two of my favourite books. Shantaram is a true story written by Gregory David Roberts who escapes from an Austrailian prison and moves to India where all sorts of crazy adventures happen.
Scartissue is my favourite of the two, which is an auto-biography about the life of Anthony Keidis(The lead singer of the red hot chilli peppers). Who was very badly into drugs and lived a crazy life.
I have read 6 of the books on your list and to be honest they were pretty lame so I hope you take my advice and read one of my favourites!!