A novel of North Vietnam by Bao Ninh. A beautiful book about his writing, lost youth, and a great love story. Gives you an insight into the North Vietnamese people. I'll be looking for more of his books.

This book, by Sanyika Shakur, aka Monster Kody Scott is a t.r.i.p. into a growing sub-culture of violence on the streets. Set in South Central LA, it takes you through his life as a gang member. This young man is a good writer with a story to tell. It shocked me, made me sad, but it got to me. I'm glad I've got it in my library.

I love Langston Hughes...and I love this book. If you want books that you can refer to again and again for a refreshing insight into an Everyman for black Americans, this is it. Set in Harlem in the 40's? I laughed, I was sorrowful, and thoroughly entertained. ALSO read Simple Speaks His Mind. These stories were first composed for a weekly column in the Chicago Defender and then collected in Simple Speaks His Mind. One of my all-time favorites.

Wow! I'd like to see this made into a screenplay. In fact, I went as far as buying a book on how to write screenplays because of it. A young man returns from the army to find his brother missing from their childhood home. Set on the fringes of old world forests of England. Ghosts of Vikings wander onto their property, etc. The main character goes searching for his brother after discovering journals written by his deceased father about a vortex, etc. Dark, and Great fiction!

My first Zora Neal Hurston book. A novel about turn-of-the-century "Florida Crackers". The heroine is Arvay Henson, and she is convinced she will never find true love. She is searchng for herself and her place in the world. Beautiful literature.

I'm a big Zora Neal Hurston fan. This is probably her most well-known book. About a woman named Janie who evolves as she goes through three marriages. Even if you've seen the movie, you must read this book! A classic of wonderful black literature. Published in 1937 and highly acclaimed.

Amazing book. A classic. Fiction/Fantasy by W.H. Hudson, a naturalist and ornithologist. About a European's ill-fated love for Rima, a lovely and mysterious girl of the jungle. Vivid descriptions of vast Venezuelan forests. Fantasy like backdrop.

Very original book about a young man in modern America who is terrorized by visions of an earlier, primitive life. Evolution inspired. Dark tale about how our distant ancestors thought about themselves and their world. Great Book.

By John Steinbeck. This book just gets to me in a good way. Monterey, CA Mexican Community in the 50's. About a group of young male friends and their antics. I love the way they reason with eachother...about life, etc. Wine drinkers, petty thieves....Day of the Dead. A beautiful little book.

Another one of my favorites. What an imagination D.M. Thomas has! A beautiful piece of fiction/fantasy. I can't begin to explain...you'll just have to read it for yourself. A woman, Freud, history. (If you are offended by sexual fantasy this book may not be for you).

Didn't know if I'd enjoy a book about bull fighting, but I did. Testosterone loaded and very entertaining and informative. Being an animal lover I don't appreciate the sport, but I found myself engrossed in Hemingway's love for it and the men (some good friends of his) who had bullfighting in their blood.

Poetry in motion. The tale of a man who had much and squandered it. He weathered the hardships of war and the Cultural Revolution. The story relates how he truly comes to appreciate life.

One of the best books that I've ever read. The will to survive is portrayed beautifully in these pages. A man's passions and failings, and an honorable and loyal wife. Sometimes I felt that I was right there on the ravaged roads with him and his family.