Welcome to bookchat where you can talk about anything...books, plays, essays, and books on tape. You don’t have to be reading a book to come in, sit down, and chat with us.
"Out of the night, when the full moon is bright, comes a horseman known as Zorro.”
or
“And the world will be better for this
That one man, scorned and covered with scars
Still strove with his last ounce of courage
To reach the unreachable star.”
from MAN OF LA MANCHA (1972)
music by Mitch Leigh and lyrics by Joe Darion
"The Impossible Dream"
I enjoy reading about quests and journeys on the hero road so I like the image of finding good books as a quest. Is the quest for a great book really that important in the scale of things? I say, yes it is. If it enlarges our hearts then we go out into the world and share what we have learned. We reach out and touch others who are struggling on their journey as we have been touched.
There are good books, brave books, interesting books, disappointing books, just-for-fun books, but what makes a great book? What kind of book takes your breath away when you read it? What book feels just perfect for you? Wise persons say that experiences we have are not coincidental, but are meant. What wonderful book fits that thought?
It is not always the great literary books of all time that I am thinking about, though there are many of those that I love and have re-read over and over. It is not just the books of the wisest thinkers, though those are books that I revere.
For me the best books have several plums:
1. It is readable. Not impenetrable, not confusing, not so esoteric that it is unapproachable without a doctorate degree.
2. It touches my heart. It seems to be telling a truth that I need to hear.
3. The language is beautiful.
4. It engages my mind so that I ask questions.
5. It is memorable and the characters nestle into my heart.
6. It is one that I will want to re-read because it is rich and fills me up.
7. It begs to be shared and discussed.
8. It inspires me to be bigger and better as a person.
Not many books are a grand slam with all of these points fulfilled, but when a book makes me sigh with relief that I found it and gives me pleasure as I read it, it is worth talking about as a great book.
Four Letters of Love by Niall Williams, that I just finished this week, is on my list. It is a magical story set on an island in Ireland. We enter into the lives of two families and we see their attempts to create art and poetry and their losses. The main enchanting lure of the story is love. The language is amazing. The characters seem like people we might know. There is a bit of magic in the story at the very end and we embrace it.
I praised William’s book History of the Rain earlier this year and it led me to this book of his. That is how we find some great books. We read one by the author that we enjoy and find more from him. Readers here share titles of books and that leads me to other important stories. Thank you!
We don’t all agree about what makes a book great, but we “know one when we see it”. We dive in and it wraps itself around us. Lesser books are fine, but oh how good it feels to have a great one in our hands.
On Bear Mountain by Deborah Smith is another little gem that I stumbled upon because my library sold it for a quarter. I never hear anyone mention it, but it was wonderful. It suited me to a T.
Broken for You by Stephanie Kallos is one that I read many years ago and it sticks with me still.
The Charioteer by Mary Renault was beautiful and haunting.
A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving has never let me go.
Not long ago I mentioned Burnt Shadows by Kamila Shamsie. It was gripping.
Some people did not see what I saw in The Nautical Chart by Arturo Perez-Reverte and yet it stays in my mind.
The Neverending Story by Michael Ende is very different from the movie, though I liked parts of the movie.
I Heard the Owl Call My Name struck a chord in me many, many years ago.
I didn’t read the book, but the movie that was made from it is worth watching because it is so inspiring and beautiful:
The Man Who Planted Trees by Jean Giono, movie by Director: Frédéric Back
http://www.youtube.com/...
What is on your great book list? What are some wonderful books that you know about and still hope to read? We want to know!
Diaries of the Week:
Write On! Your rules.
by SensibleShoes
http://www.dailykos.com/...