• Best of luck to the class of 2024 for their HSC exams. You got this!
    Let us know your thoughts on the HSC exams here
  • YOU can help the next generation of students in the community!
    Share your trial papers and notes on our Notes & Resources page
MedVision ad

The Reading Recommendations Thread (2 Viewers)

angeee

New Member
Joined
Jul 22, 2005
Messages
15
Location
Sydney
Gender
Female
HSC
2007
Here's another one

Title: The Little Prince
Author: Antoine De Saint-Exupery
Genre: It's hard to classify
Why? Although it looks like a childrens book (complete with illustrations), this text makes profound statements on ideals such as greed, love, etc. it really provides you with a different perspective on the world and i think it really stikes a chord with the emphasis today on "matters of consequence". It's short, accessible on the internet (there's a site with the complete works) so read it now!
 
Joined
Dec 5, 2007
Messages
830
Gender
Female
HSC
2008
Title: Choke, Lullaby, Survivor, Invisible Monsters, Rant
Author: Chuck Palahniuk (also wrote Fight Club)
Genre: Fiction
Medium (fiction, non-fiction, novel, novella, poetry, biography etc): fiction
Why You Should Read It: Palahniuk is a really descriptive, humourous writer whose stories always have sort of thrilling twist to it. He's just awesome... read them... now... jks.
 
J

jhakka

Guest
angeee said:
Title: The Ill-made Mute + the rest of the Bitterbynde trilogy
Author: Cecilia Dart-Thornton
Genre: Fantasy
Why? I admit that the first half of the first book was kind of boring (so skim that if you must), but the rest of the 2.5 books in the series is unbelievable. Dart-Thornton weaves her magic and you will absolutely love it. The ending may be a surprise (well for me) but its just superb.
I second this. The Bitterbynde is an excellent trilogy.
 

Lozzielou

New Member
Joined
Sep 6, 2007
Messages
1
Gender
Undisclosed
HSC
2008
Title: Twilight
Author: Stephanie Meyer
Genre: young adult, fiction
Why?: this book and the rest of the series are my favourtie books, i love harry potter but this beats it, but only just.
It is a story about two people who fall in love but the guy is a vampire, although him and his family don't feed on humans, they feed on animals, the scent of her blood is the stongest he has had to endure. It portrays the stuggle of their forbidden love and the compelling fight for her life.
 

Hatta

Member
Joined
Mar 1, 2008
Messages
76
Gender
Female
HSC
2008
Title: Good Omens (The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch)
Authors: Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
Genre: Fantasy/ humour
Medium (fiction, non-fiction, novel, novella, poetry, biography etc): Fiction novel.
Why You Should Read It: It's not a classic like some of the others mentioned, but it's an excellent read. It's got Pratchett's humour, and Gaiman's humour and style. And it's got Crowley ("An Angel who did not so much fall as saunter vaguely downwards" - from the Dramatis personae).
 
Joined
Jul 12, 2007
Messages
814
Location
Where soul meets body
Gender
Female
HSC
2008
Title: Candy
Author: Luke Davies
Genre: fiction
Why?: I love this book. It is a raw, honest insight into the lives of two heroin addicts who are obsessed with each other and the drug.
 

jzhang159

New Member
Joined
Jan 12, 2008
Messages
12
Gender
Male
HSC
2008
Title: Raw
Author: Scott Monk
Genre: Teen age fiction, adventure
 
Joined
Sep 5, 2007
Messages
491
Gender
Female
HSC
2009
adreeannuh said:
Title: Catcher in the Rye
Author: J.D. Salinger
Genre: Fiction
Why you should read it: Because. The character digresses and digression keeps you interested.
Yeah, this book is awesome.
 

Zrap

glock9
Joined
Jan 30, 2008
Messages
1,395
Location
Sydney
Gender
Male
HSC
2008
The John Marsden Tomorrow when the War began series.
Fuck it was addictive, like ice.
 

lisajf

C'est la vie
Joined
Sep 9, 2006
Messages
153
Gender
Female
HSC
2007
Okay seeings s this is the reading recommandations thread!!!

Maybe you people can recommend me something!?

I am an 18 y/o girl who hasnt really done that much reading...wek=ll i have but not to the point where i read sophisticated books blah blah blah..>

I really enjoy the sci-fi/fantasy genre...i love vampire themed novels as i am in love with Buffy The Vampire Slayer tv series as well as Angel and Charmed.

I read the twilight series which i absolutely adored!!!

Same with harry potter!!

i seem to lean towards the more advanced Young adult novels. I have read adult books in more the romantic comedy genre but i just enjoy yound adult novels themes better.

Thanks for anyone that replies!
 

negativerootof2

New Member
Joined
Mar 25, 2008
Messages
12
Gender
Female
HSC
2009
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov - fiction, not sure of genre
pretty hard to read literary style but once you get used to it and I guess the general freakiness of the plot it really makes you question yourself, you find yourself completely and totally sympathising with the main character who by any standards is Morally Reprehensible...I found this happening to myself even though I had read a lot about the book and was trying to shield myself from it. and the style is beautiful in itself

edit: I agree most whole-heartedly with Catch-22 and Confederacy of Dunces...just thought I'd add that
 
Last edited:

trikta

New Member
Joined
Sep 5, 2007
Messages
14
Location
Central Coast NSW
Gender
Female
HSC
2009
russianROULETTE said:
Title: Choke, Lullaby, Survivor, Invisible Monsters, Rant
Author: Chuck Palahniuk (also wrote Fight Club)
Genre: Fiction
Medium (fiction, non-fiction, novel, novella, poetry, biography etc): fiction
Why You Should Read It: Palahniuk is a really descriptive, humourous writer whose stories always have sort of thrilling twist to it. He's just awesome... read them... now... jks.
I second that! If you're like me and you like to make your english arguements different and search for negativity in everything... read these. I used Lullaby for 'physical journeys' and omg it rocked. They're fun to write about and even more fun to quote.

And Haunted wasn't mentioned, that's my favourite of his (so far).
 

jayadore

She was a hurricane.
Joined
Apr 3, 2007
Messages
2,010
Gender
Female
HSC
2007
Title: TheTime Traveller's Wife
Author: Audrey Niffenegger
Genre: romance, sci-fi
Medium (fiction, non-fiction, novel, novella, poetry, biography etc): fiction
Why You Should Read It: The book is written in the persective of this guy who time travels, and he constantly mets people in his past/future and having to constantly explain himself to his wife/etc who may not even know him yet. It's impossible to explain but the style is really nice and everything just comes together at the end.

I second Lolita and Catch 22. The Twilight series is basically a badly written piece of fiction about vampires and mortals in love. Sorry girls. :(

Also, I'd post about 1984 by George Orwell, but that's pretty famous.
 
Joined
Sep 27, 2007
Messages
460
Gender
Female
HSC
2008
Title: Bridie's Fire
Author: Kirsty Murray
Genre: young adult/historical event based...
Medium: fiction, novel
Why you should read it: really interesting, about a fictional girl who lived through the irish potato famine in the 1850's


Title: Grieve
Author: Lizzie Wilcock
Genre: young adult
Medium: fiction, novel
Why you should read it: doesnt seem like it at first, but its areally really really awesome story, its so intertwined... (is that a word?) and really cleverly written..


Title: The curious incident of the dog in the night time (i think)
Author: i forget !! (but i dont think there will be many books with this title)
Genre: young adult i guess
Medium: fiction, novel
Why you should read it: its really interesting to get different perspectives on things, this book is written from the point of view of an autistic child.


so many more but those are the ones that i can think of that stand out lol
 

Tulipa

Loose lips sink ships
Joined
Nov 15, 2004
Messages
1,922
Location
to the left, a little below the right and right in
Gender
Female
HSC
2005
aussiechick007 said:
Title: The curious incident of the dog in the night time (i think)
Author: i forget !! (but i dont think there will be many books with this title)
Genre: young adult i guess
Medium: fiction, novel
Why you should read it: its really interesting to get different perspectives on things, this book is written from the point of view of an autistic child.
The author is Mark Haddon. It's a fabulous book, very easy to read but at the same time I think older readers would get a lot out of this too.
 
Joined
Sep 27, 2007
Messages
460
Gender
Female
HSC
2008
i have another, one that i have been reading non stop for the past 4 hours:

Title: On the Jellicoe Road
Author: Melina Marchetta
Genre: Young Adult
Medium: Fiction, Novel
Why you should read it: the most amazingly well written moving book, i honestly don't usually stay up till 1am, even if i have a good book.... really, there are just no words that can describe this book.
 

midifile

Na Na Na Na Naa
Joined
Oct 11, 2006
Messages
1,143
Location
Sydney
Gender
Female
HSC
2008
Title: The Book Thief
Author: Markus Zusak
Genre: Fiction
Why You Should Read It: Although it is another book about WWII/the holocaust (there seems to be thousands of them) but it's written from the point of view of death and a german girl whose foster parents are hiding a Jew in the their basement. It is written beautifully and is so moving. It is pretty easy to read, in that it doesnt have pages and pages of descriptions and long words, but deals with big issues. Don't let it's thickness scare you - you'll fall in love with it and finish it in a few days like I did.
 

bawd

Member
Joined
Apr 10, 2008
Messages
889
Location
Sydney
Gender
Female
HSC
2009
Title: Power of One
Author:
Bryce Courtenay
Genre:
War, Racism, Anti-semitism, Self-actualisation, Self-discovery, Inspiration, African Culture
Medium:
Fictitious Novel
Why You Should Read It:
Powerful and absolutely inspiring. Set in the midst of a racially discriminatory Africa during the period between World War II and the Boer War, Courtenay combines knowledge of Afrikaans culture and terrain, the spirit of a young English boy and a single train ride to create the perfect recipe for a delicious book. The hackneyed idiom 'Food for Thought' cannot suffice to describe the quality of this book.
 

ballin

Banned
Joined
Oct 22, 2006
Messages
205
Gender
Male
HSC
2007
Title: A Song of Ice and Fire
Author: George R.R. Martin
Genre: Fantasy
Medium: fiction, novel
Why you should read it: easily the best fantasy series since tolkien, perhaps better depending on how you feel about lotr. absolutely addictive. you wont sleep.

Title: The Stranger
Author: Albert Camus
Genre: Existentialist
Medium: fiction, novel
Why you should read it: Awesome anti-hero, the existentialist bible

Title: Story of the Eye
Author: Georges Bataille
Genre: SEX!
Medium: fiction, novel
Why you should read it: the word 'cunt' appears many times

Title: Ulysses (+ Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man)
Author: James Joyce
Genre: stream of consciousness novel
Medium: Fiction/novel/autobiographical
Why you should read it: to see how difficult it can be to read someone's thoughts mapped on pages of a book
 

r0b

New Member
Joined
May 18, 2008
Messages
15
Gender
Male
HSC
2009
Title: The Road
Author: Cormac McCarthy

This book is brilliant for all levels of readers, the simple beauty is staggering!
It's set in a post-apocalyptic environment; it will make you bleed.
 

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Users: 0, Guests: 2)

Top