Most Surprisingly Satisfying Books

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I never liked War literature, not even the movies. So when I picked up Catch-22 I anticipated a boring encounter, but it turned out to be the best book i've ever read.

― Fred, Tuesday, 6 April 2004 14:42 (twenty years ago) link

five months pass...

Play It As It Lays by Joan Didion, especially as my copy had a cover which would shame Mills and Boon

― wtin, Thursday, 30 September 2004 09:49 (nineteen years ago) link

'Widow Basquiat' - can't remember the author. It was especially surprising because it was the free gift with an order from Canongate.

― PJ Miller (PJ Miller), Thursday, 30 September 2004 10:59 (nineteen years ago) link

The Secret History by Donna Tartt, mostly because it was so hyped as "a literary mystery!" something apparently the world had never seen. But is really enthralling.

And Blankets by Craig Thompson. I was expecting it to be okay, but the raw emotion in that graphic novel just blew me away.

― SJ Lefty, Thursday, 30 September 2004 15:14 (nineteen years ago) link

Oh, and also Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried. I don't really like war stories or war literature, but I would recommend this one to just about anybody. Good stuff.

― SJ Lefty, Thursday, 30 September 2004 15:15 (nineteen years ago) link

I found The Time Traveler's Wife to be much better than i anticipated.

― Emilymv (Emilymv), Thursday, 30 September 2004 18:25 (nineteen years ago) link

The Master and Margarita-- I thought it couldn't live up to the hype of all its admirers, and it started out weird so I kept putting it down. Now I'm one of the YouGOTTAreadit ones. Also, A Fine Balance, that and The Reader, both Oprah books now on my top shelf

― donald, Saturday, 2 October 2004 12:42 (nineteen years ago) link

Nicholas Monsarrat's "The Cruel Sea". It's the full story of WWII from '39-'45 through the crew of a British corvette. It's my very favourite novel, despite having little to no interest in a)WWII b)the British navy c)military life in general d)the sea in general. For some reason, however, I love this novel.

― derrick (derrick), Saturday, 2 October 2004 19:22 (nineteen years ago) link

How about ... The Remains of the Day?

― the bellefox, Tuesday, 5 October 2004 12:07 (nineteen years ago) link

The original MASH novel.

― Ann Sterzinger (Ann Sterzinger), Wednesday, 6 October 2004 00:54 (nineteen years ago) link

nineteen years pass...

Opus Pistorum

― stwahberrymilkgirlll, Thursday, 4 April 2024 18:02 (five months ago) link

The Idiot and Either/Or by Elif Batuman.

― Chris L, Friday, 5 April 2024 15:41 (five months ago) link

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