10 best novels about Africa. Children of Gebelawi Chinua Achebe (1959) Originally serialised in a Cairo newspaper, Children of Gebelawi is an allegory for the religious history of the Jews, the Muslims and the Christians set in an alleyway in Cairo. It earned Mahfouz the Nobel Prize and an assassination attempt. Season of Migration to the North Tayeb Salih (1966) Beautifully rendered in lush poetic language, Salih’s story of a man returning to his Sudanese village from England is a bleak meditation on cross-cultural misunderstandings, as well as the confusions and contradictions within the human heart.
A Bend in the River VS Naipaul (1979) An East African Indian, Salim leaves the east coast of Africa to set up shop in a little town on the bend of a river in an unnamed country deep in the interior, but he is plagued by disappointment and failure as the country falls to ruin. My Traitor’s Heart Rian Malan (1990) The Poisonwood Bible Barbara Kingsolver (1998) The No1 Ladies’ Detective Agency Alexander McCall Smith (1998) Disgrace. 110 best books: The perfect library. Ray Monk's top 10 philosophy books of the 20th century. Ray Monk is professor of philosophy at the University of Southampton and is the author of Ludwig Wittgenstein: The Duty of Genius, and Bertrand Russell: The Spirit of Solitude.
His most recent book, Bertrand Russell: The Ghost of Madness 1921-1970, focuses on Russell's relationship with his son, John.Buy Bertrand Russell: The Ghost of Madness at Amazon.co.uk "The following list is unashamedly 'unbalanced'. Of the 10 books listed, four are by a single philosopher: Ludwig Wittgenstein. I make no apologies for this. In my view, Wittgenstein towers above all other 20th century philosophers to such an extent that it is surprising to find any books not written by him included in such a list. " 1. 2. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. St. John's College - Santa Fe Undergraduate Reading List. The best books of 2012 | The Philosophers Magazine. Joan Smith's top 10 books for a more moral society. John Marenbon's top 10 books on philosophy. John Marenbon is a Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge and teaches the History of Philosophy.
His books include Early Medieval Philosophy (480-1150): An Introduction, and Later Medieval Philosophy (1150-1350): An Introduction and The Philosophy of Peter Abelard. He is also the author of a number of pamphlets dealing with matters of political philosophy and their relation to policy, which are published by Politeia. He writes: "Philosophy, like science, can be studied without much reference to its history. Yet the great works of the past are likely to be far more impressive and interesting than anything being done now - partly because modern philosophy has become highly technical, and partly because the great philosophers hazarded far greater claims for the importance of their ideas beyond the confines of specialised debate than most modern philosophers would make. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
This collection also contains Utilitarianism and On the Subjection of Women. Mary Warnock's top 10 philosophy books. 24 Books You’ve Probably Never Heard Of But Will Change Your Life. Here’s the problem with reading the books that everyone else has read. It makes you more like everyone else. Checking off the various books from your high school curriculum, and then, perhaps the “100 Greatest Books Ever Written” is the educational equivalent of skating to where the puck is and not where it’s going.
Reading is about insight into the human experience, about understanding. What does following in the footsteps of everyone else get you? Not to say that the books in our “canon” aren’t valuable, because they certainly are. The Western world has been publishing books for some 3,000 years. Which is why I put together the list of books below in their rough historical order. 1. (a more accessible translation can be found in Xenophon’s Cyrus The Great: The Arts of Leadership and War Xenophon, like Plato, was a student of Socrates. 2.
By Publius Syrus The best philosophy comes from people who were not “philosophers.” 3. 4. By Giorgio Vasari 5. By Edward E. 6. 12 Years A Slave 7. 8. 9. Books To Base Your Life on (The Reading List) “I’m not saying that you have to be a reader to save your soul in the modern world. I’m saying it helps.” Walter Mosley I’ve always devoured books. Why, exactly, I’m not sure. Obviously a big reason to read is because it’s fun. As Petrarch, a famous book lover observed some 700 years ago, “books give delight to the very marrow of one’s bones.” My whole life and career, I’ve been seeking out, reading, and taking notes on books that can teach me things. I used to go around and ask every smart person I met—even emailing important people I didn’t know— “What books do you recommend to a kid like me?”
Pick one of them up and let it lead you to another. Books to Base Your Life On The Meditations by Marcus Aurelius To me, this is not only one of greatest books ever written but perhaps the only book of its kind. Letters from a Stoic by Seneca After Marcus Aurelius, this is one of my favorite books. Fiction Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk I’m amazed how many young people haven’t read this book. 24 Books You’ve Probably Never Heard Of But Will Change Your Life. 3 Incredible Reads From 2013 That Will Change The Way You See The World. 24 Books To Hone Your Strategic Mind. Strategy isn’t something that’s taught well in school. Hell, most people probably couldn’t tell you the difference between “strategy” and “tactics” (or even know there is a difference.) This is unfortunate, because strategy is something that is critically relevant to all of us – not just those with careers in the military. We all have goals, we all have obstacles to those goals and we all live in a world we do not control.
Those things combine to create the necessity of strategy. The better we are at it – the better we are at doing what we want and need to do. How do I accomplish what I need to accomplish? Like I said, this isn’t exactly our fault. In this list I want to give you some of the best (and most accessible) books, essays and documents about strategy. 1. This book – of a long forgotten war – really functions as a biography and strategic analysis of some of the greatest minds in the history of war. The anecdotes and the stories in this book are timeless. 2 & 3. 4. 4 & 5. 7. 8. 24 Books To Hone Your Strategic Mind. 25 Recommendations For Life Changing Biographies For The Voracious Reader In You. Smart people read biographies. Generalizations are usually worthless, but you can pretty much take this one to the bank. Look at their libraries and you’ll see, one biography and memoir and autobiography after another. Of course, they read other things–it’s called being well rounded–but biographies are usually the core.
There’s a reason—it’s some of the most actionable and educational reading you can do. To understand George Washington, you have to understand the American Revolution. Of course, a powerful biography—or autobiography—always has a moral. I have not lived many years so my selection of biographies is only just getting started. 1. There are few books more influential and ubiquitous in Western culture than Plutarch’s histories. 2. Could the biography of the former parks commissioner of New York be the definitive study of power and legacy? 3. These are short, clear, but eye-opening biographies from Paul Johnson as part of a series. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16.
9 Mind-Expanding Books Of Philosophy That Are Actually Readable (A Guide To Practical Philosophy) Very few people wake up and think “I need philosophy.” This is perfectly understandable. But of course, everyone has their own problems and are dealing with the difficulties of life in some way or another. The irony is this is actually what ancient philosophy was intended to ameliorate. “Vain is the word of a philosopher,” Epicurus once said, “which does not heal the suffering of man.” Centuries later, Thoreau expressed this same thought: “To be a philosopher is not merely to have subtle thoughts, nor even to found a school . . . it is to solve some of the problems of life, not only theoretically, but practically.”
Suffering might be a strong word to describe most our travails in love, in business, with our egos, with our urges, with our jerk of a neighbor who keeps stealing our parking space. But it turns out that this was exactly what philosophy can help with. Whatever problem you’re facing right now, someone else probably already went through it. Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. The Twenty Greatest Philosophy Books. “"James Garvey's lucid, elegant and insightful book should be read by anybody who wants to know how the great books of philosophy have shaped the history of the discipline. " ” – Jeremy Stangroom, “"Garvey's Twenty Greatest Philosophy Books cuts through the musty mystique of such great thinkers as Plato, Descartes and Kant, and explains some of the thinking behind their great books. He suggests philosophers are fun people prone to being arrested, poisoned, exiled or ending up running for their lives just because of what they think.
His discussions are fresh and appealing, and his chosen books are resonant with relevance. " - South China Morning Post” – “"[Garvey's] distillations are master classes in concisions, clarity and accuracy. “To come from Julian Baggini, Jeremy Stangroom, Anthony O'Hear (Director, Royal Institute of Philosophy), Ted Honderich, Tim Crane” – Blurb from reviewer. 100 Amazing Books to Read in a Lifetime - My Frugal Adventures. Hi Cora- Yikes! I am sorry you are so upset. I don’t think I was disrespectful or had guns blazing or attacking you. I hope you aren’t suggesting I am closed minded and ignorant? We will have to agree to disagree on this one. I read your comment as suggesting the list was composed to sell movies by Amazon.
This is what I read from your original comment: “I’m with Sari….most to promote books to movies. So I must have misunderstood what you were saying and I guess I am confused considering the authors you mentioned also have movies out? And then when you made this remark: “There are better lists than this. I thought this was a great list- not perfect but we all know that would be impossible. I don’t think having a popular movie takes anything away from the books and it doesn’t mean they aren’t worth reading or that the entire list is not good.
Life-Changing Books: Your Picks. We asked our readers what books made the biggest difference in their lives, and here’s what they had to say. The list below tells you what books shaped their lives and why. 1984 – George Orwell 1984 “was the first book I actually enjoyed reading. It completely blew my mind at the time (I was 16) and it opened my eyes to the power of ideas and to the joy of reading a good book.” — Tim A Short History of Nearly Everything – Bill Bryson “Wow this book is incredible. Ariel – Sylvia Plath “After reading through these suggestions, I realized there’s a big hole: Poetry! Cat’s Cradle – Kurt Vonnegut “This book reignited the pilot light of my imagination like no other book had done in quite awhile. Crooked Cucumber – The Life and Zen Teaching of Shunryu Suzuki “Although I am not practicing Zen (yet), this book is like my Bible in that I plan to always read over it and reflect upon the messages therein.
Disturbing the Peace – Vaclav Havel Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close – Jonathan Safran Foer. The Mask of Sanity. The Mask of Sanity, 1982 edition The Mask of Sanity: An Attempt to Clarify Some Issues About the So-Called Psychopathic Personality is a book written by American psychiatrist Hervey M. Cleckley, first published in 1941, describing Cleckley's clinical interviews with patients in a locked institution. It is considered a seminal work and the most influential clinical description of psychopathy in the twentieth century. The basic elements of psychopathy outlined by Cleckley are still relevant today.[1] The title refers to the normal "mask" that conceals the mental disorder of the psychopathic person in Cleckley's conceptualization.[2] Cleckley describes the psychopathic person as outwardly a perfect mimic of a normally functioning person, able to mask or disguise the fundamental lack of internal personality structure, an internal chaos that results in repeatedly purposeful destructive behavior, often more self-destructive than destructive to others.
History[edit] Editions[edit] Method[edit] The 1969 Science Fiction Novel Which Eerily Predicted Today. Brunner’s vision of the year 2010 even includes a popular leader named President Obomi. Let me list some of the other correct predictions in Brunner’s book: Random acts of violence by crazy individuals, often taking place at schools, plague society in Stand on Zanzibar.The other major source of instability and violence comes from terrorists, who are now a major threat to U.S. interests, and even manage to attack buildings within the United States.Prices have increased sixfold between 1960 and 2010 because of inflation. (The actual increase in U.S. prices during that period was sevenfold, but Brunner was close.)The most powerful U.S. rival is no longer the Soviet Union, but China. However, much of the competition between the U.S. and Asia is played out in economics, trade, and technology instead of overt warfare.Europeans have formed a union of nations to improve their economic prospects and influence on world affairs.
The 16 Best Dystopian Books Of All Time. Dystopian novels—stories of the horrific future—are so common as to be almost forgettable. Here is a compilation of what I believe are the 16 greatest of the genre. I could happily list twice as many that are amazing, but these are the best. From the post-apocalyptic wasteland to deadly viruses to social malaise, all possible bad futures end here. 16. That Hideous Strength by CS Lewis Best known for his Narnia novels, CS Lewis also wrote a trilogy dealing with visiting other planets—well the first two books did. 15.
Wow, can you get more polar opposite of CS Lewis than Margaret Atwood? 14. While perhaps not as well known as some, John Christopher (the pen name of Samuel Youd) wrote a fantastic trilogy of young adult novels, set in a far future where the world has reverted to a feudal society after a global ecological disaster. 13. This novel, combined with Brooks’ Zombie Survival Guide are all you need to face the inevitable zombie apocalypse. 12. 11. 10. 9. 8. 7. 6. 5. 4. 3. 2. The Book List. The 20 Greatest Memoirs of Mental Illness | Masters in Health Care. Books Every Geek Should Read to Their Kids. 101 Books To Read This Summer Instead of '50 Shades of Grey'. Top 100 Fiction | Best Books | ListMuse.com.
A contemporary list, with an international flavour and a respect for the classics, The Best Books: Top 100 Novels of All Time list contains many of the great works of fiction you'd expect, but with a few surprises to add a little spice to the collection. Which books would you omit and which would you add to our list? Please let us know in the comments section below. 1.
Brave New World By Aldous Huxley "Aldous Huxley is the greatest 20th century writer in English. " 2. By Fyodor Dostoevsky Crime and Punishment is one of the most important novels of the nineteenth century. 3. By George Orwell Hidden away in the Record Department of the sprawling Ministry of Truth, Winston Smith skilfully rewrites the past to suit the needs of the Party. 4. By Leo Tolstoy Published to coincide with the centenary of Tolstoy's death, here is an exciting new edition of one of the great literary works of world literature. 5. By J. A modern classic, this early novel by Nobel Laureate J. 6. By Joseph Heller 7. 8. 9. 50 Amazing and Essential Novels to Enrich Your Library. Awesome Books to Replace Your Favorite Cancelled TV Shows. The 10 Greatest Apocalyptic Novels Of All Time. Greatest Books Ever Written - Esquire's 75 Books Every Man Should Read.
Great Books That Everybody Should Read At Least Once. 5 Series You Probably Missed as a Kid (But Should Read as an Adult) Books Everyone Should Read. 10 NONFICTIONAL books that will f**k up your reality (and make you smarter). Fiction for Men as Suggested by Art of Manliness Readers. 25 Books That Define Cool. 25 Books You Should Read While You’re Single. 32 People Reveal The One Book That Blew Their Minds. 10 Awesome Fantasy Series That Are Not Potter or LoTR. Storyville: 3 Essential Books You Should Read in Every Major Genre. Recommended Reading: AI pioneer Douglas Hofstadter profiled, the NSA files decoded and more.
The Best Places To Find Your Next Free Book Online. Modern Library's Choices. Top 10 Best Novels of the Last 20 Years - Top 10 Lists | Listverse. The Books That Changed Your Lives. 40 Modern Nonfiction Books Everyone Should Read.