Books. Books, books, books. So many to read. And which ones can I possibly recommend to you? Well there are some that instantly spring to mind, and it will be these few that I urge you to read. I feel that books are absolutely wonderful, and should be read whenever possible, if I but had the time. Here are some of the best that I have had the fortune to be exposed to:
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
Lila, an Inquiry into Morals
Robert M. Pirsig
What can be said about Zen that hasn't already been said? Very little is the answer. What I can say is that I feel that Zen is just an introduction for what I believe to be Pirsig's greatest work: Lila. Lila is such an amazing book that it has actually changed how I think. Pirsig's quality-based metaphysics of reality just seems too right to be wrong. This is a truly fantastic piece of work, and the philosophy (in both books) is mixed in with a narrative plot, so that you don't get bogged down with deep metaphysical issues constantly. Amazing work. I beg you to read this book! I would rather you read Lila than my own website, that's how serious I am!
Foucalt's Pendulum
The Island of the Day Before
The Name of the Rose
Umberto Eco
If I had read any more books by Umberto Eco, you can trust me when I say they would be listed here. These books are possibly the most intelligent works of literature that I have ever read. Works of genius, I am convinced. Umberto Eco is a professor of semantics at the University of Bologna. I tell you, that university are very very lucky. Sometimes he was seem a bit difficult to read, but not often, and his plot lines are simply amazing - I have never read any books quite like these. Foucalt's Pendulum explores the mysteries of secret societies and the occult. The Island of the Day Before looks at time, fate, and destiny. The Name of the Rose, his debut novel, explores religion and laughter, amongst other things. Genius, I tell you.
Nineteen Eighty-Four George Orwell
Brave New World Aldous Huxley
A Clockwork Orange Anthony Burgess
The Giver Lois Lowry
The Psalms of Herod Mary Renault
I call these books, and others like them, dark future books. They all explore an alternative reality, not far into the future, in which the world has changed in such a way that society has overruled intellectualism. We're looking at a general oppression of freedom as we know it, and they act as a warning for what we could become. The first three books are what I consider to be the classics of the genre: we have Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four which gave us Big Brother and thoughtcrime; there is Huxley's Brave New World, a triumph of mental oblivion; and of course Burgess's infamous and ultraviolent A Clockwork Orange. Fantastic books that will open your mind to new ideas. The other two are 'young adult' books, The Giver looking at perceptions and The Psalms of Herod at religion. Because they're aimed at children, they're a lighter read, but they still deal with important socio-intellectual issues, I believe.
Sophie's World
The Solitaire Mystery
Jostein Gaarder
Going back to the subject of philosophy, you may as well read this book, too. What we have here is a history of philosophy and a lovely story as well, rather like Zen and Lila, but this book was written for children and thus is child's play to understand. Jostein presents us with an overview of all of the major philosophical ideas dating back to the Ancient Greeks. The beauty of the book is in the ease with which it can be read, and that no bias is given towards any idea: Sophie's World gives you the chance to choose what you believe in. The Solitaire Mystery is an example of Jostein's novel work, and is certainly extremely novel. Extremely intelligent in construction, and a delightful tale for all ages. Well worth a flick through.
The Books of Blood
The Damnation Game
The Hellbound Heart
Weaveworld
The Thief of Always
Imajica
The Great and Secret Show
Everville
Sacrament
Galilee
Coldheart Canyon
Clive Barker
The prose of Clive Barker. Clive Barker is a man of many talents: a painter, a film maker, a novelist, a short story writer, a playwright. His novels, though, will always be the best of his works for me. I have this definite love for words, and Clive Barker consistently paints such visions in my head as no one else can. The settings for his books are all modern day, and yet they contain elements of fantasy, and often have a sado-masochistic bent as well. This dark fantasy stirs me deep within, and I can happily live in his worlds for hours and hours. Enthralling pieces of fiction, great works of imagination.
Armageddon the Musical
They Came and Ate Us, Armageddon II: the B-Movie
The Suburban Book of the Dead, Armageddon III: the Remake
The Antipope
The Brentford Triangle
East of Ealing
The Sprouts of Wrath
The Brentford Chainstore Massacre
The Book of Ultimate Truths
Raiders of the Lost Car Park
The Greatest Show Off Earth
The Most Amazing Man Who Ever Lived
The Garden of Unearthly Delights
A Dog Called Demolition
Nostradamus Ate My Hamster
Sprout Mask Replica
The Dance of the Voodoo Handbag
Apocalypso
Snuff Fiction
Sex and Drugs and Sausage Rolls
Waiting for Godalming
Robert Rankin
That's quite a lot of books, and to an extent they're muchly the same. He's getting prolific as he ages, is Bob Rankin. I am, admittedly, a fan of his. His books are filled with surrealist comedic fantasy, set in the present and the future. Truly good stuff. Robert Rankin is my perfect idea of a light read - when I get my hands on one of his books that I have yet to read, I keep going until it's finished some hours later, that's how much I like him. Of course, he's an acquired taste; many people don't like his books, possibly thinking they're too trivial. That's their decision, and I respect that. Me, though, I love 'em!
Go Rin No Sho (A Book of Five Rings)
Miyamoto Musashi
Written by the greatest samurai who ever lived, when he was in his eighties, some time in the 1800's. What we have here is his personal philosophy and approach to life in the form of the Way of Strategy. Musashi's words of wisdom can be applied to a myriad of situations. In the west, his book has been widely read by business managers, and his tactics applied to the boardroom battles. Personally I use his advice for fencing, since what advice he gives is in the form of how to fight your opponent when carrying a sword. It's cool stuff, and is of benefit to both the novice and the master. It's not a huge tome, so you can browse through it whenever, and any martial arts master, I'm sure, will tell you that they have read this book.