18 Books recommended by J.K. Rowling
Joanne Rowling , better known by her pen name J. K.
J.K. Rowling
Book Recommendations
The Little White Horse
The Little White Horse
Elizabeth Goudge
Juvenile FictionIn 1842, thirteen-year-old orphan maria merryweather arrives at moonacre manor, her family's ancestral home in an charmed village in england's west country, and she feels as if she’s entered paradise. her new guardian, her uncle sir benjamin, is kind and funny; the manor itself feels like home right away; and every person and animal she meets is like an old friend. but there is something incredibly sad beneath all of this beauty and comfort, that shadowing moonacre manor and the town around it. maria is determined to learn about it,
“MY favourite book was The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge.”
— Source
Hons and Rebels
Hons and Rebels
Jessica Mitford
Biography & AutobiographyJessica mitford, the great muckraking journalist, was part of a legendary english aristocratic family. her sisters included nancy, doyenne of the 1920s london smart set and a noted novelist and biographer; diana, wife to the english fascist chief sir oswald mosley; unity, who fell head over in heels in love with hitler; and deborah, later the duchess of devonshire. jessica swung left and moved to america, where she took part in the civil rights movement and wrote her classic expose of the undertaking business, the american way of death.hons and
“My most influential writer, without a doubt, is Jessica Mitford.”
— Source
Cheri and The Last of Cheri
Cheri and The Last of Cheri
Colette
FictionChéri, together with the last of chéri, is a classic story of a love affair between a very young man and a charming older woman. the amour between fred peloux, the beautiful gigolo known as chéri, and the courtesan léa de lonval tenderly depicts the devotion that stems from desire, and is an honest account of the most human preoccupations of youth and middle age. with compassionate insight colette paints a full-length double portrait using an impressionistic style all her own."a wonderful subject [treated with] intelligence, mastery, and understanding of
“Another book I love”
— Source
The Iliad
The Iliad
Homer
Dating to the ninth century b.c., homer’s timeless poem still vividly conveys the horror and heroism of men and gods wrestling with towering emotions and battling amidst devastation and destruction, as it moves inexorably to the wrenching, tragic conclusion of the trojan war. renowned classicist bernard knox observes in his superb introduction that although the violence of the iliad is grim and relentless, it coexists with both images of civilized life and a poignant yearning for peace. combining the skills of a poet and scholar, robert fagles, winner of the
“That really, really, REALLY moved me when I read that when I was 19.”
— Source
Emma
Emma
Fiona Stafford,Jane Austen
FictionAn alternative cover of this isbn can be found here.emma woodhouse is one of austen's most captivating and vivid characters. beautiful, spoilt, vain and irrepressibly witty, emma organizes the lives of the inhabitants of her sleepy little village and plays matchmaker with devastating effect.
“I read "Emma" at least 20 times.”
— Source
The Woman Who Walked Into Doors
The Woman Who Walked Into Doors
Roddy Doyle
FictionPaula spencer is a thirty-nine-year-old working-class woman struggling to reclaim her dignity after marriage to an abusive husband and a worsening drinking problem. paula recalls her contented childhood, the audacity she learned as a teenager, the exhilaration of her romance with charlo, and the marriage to him that left her feeling powerless. capturing both her vulnerability and her strength, roddy doyle gives paula a voice that is real and unforgettable.
“was one of the most important books in her life.”
— Source
Team of Rivals
Team of Rivals
Doris Kearns Goodwin
Biography & AutobiographyAcclaimed historian doris kearns goodwin illuminates lincoln's political genius in this highly original work, as the one-term congressman and prairie lawyer rises from obscurity to prevail over three gifted rivals of national reputation to become president.on may 18, 1860, william h. seward, salmon p. chase, edward bates, and abraham lincoln waited in their hometowns for the results from the republican national convention in chicago. when lincoln emerged as the victor, his rivals were dismayed and angry.throughout the turbulent 1850s, each had energetically sought the presidency as the conflict over slavery
“I lived in it the way that you do with truly great books; putting it down with glazed eyes and feeling disconcerted to find yourself in the 21st century.”
— Source
Macbeth
Macbeth
William Shakespeare
Historical dramaEnglishOne night on the heath, the brave and respected general macbeth encounters three witches who foretell that he will become king of scotland. at first sceptical, he’s urged on by the ruthless, single-minded ambitions of lady macbeth, who suffers none of her husband’s doubt. but seeing the prophecy through to the bloody end leads them both spiralling into paranoia, tyranny, madness, and murder.this shocking tragedy - a violent caution to those seeking power for its own sake - is, to this day, one of shakespeare’s most popular and influential masterpieces.
“I absolutely adore Macbeth. It is possibly my favorite Shakespeare play.”
— Source
Secrets of the Flesh
Secrets of the Flesh
Judith Thurman
Biography & AutobiographyA scandalously talented stage performer, a practiced seductress of both men and women, and the flamboyant author of some of the greatest works of twentieth-century literature, colette was our first true superstar. now, in judith thurman's secrets of the flesh, colette at last has a biography worthy of her dazzling reputation.having spent her childhood in the shadow of an overpowering mother, colette escaped at age twenty into a turbulent marriage with the sexy, unscrupulous willy--a literary charlatan who took credit for her bestselling claudine novels. weary of willy's sexual domination,
“Secrets of the Flesh, by Judith Thurman, is one of my all-time favorites”
— Source
Complete Works of P. G. Wodehouse "English Author and Humorist"! 34 Complete Works (Damsel in Distress, Adventures of Sally, Mike, Psmith Journalist, My Man Jeeves, Head of Kay's, Swoop) (Annotated)
Complete Works of P. G. Wodehouse "English Author and Humorist"! 34 Complete Works (Damsel in Distress, Adventures of Sally, Mike, Psmith Journalist, My Man Jeeves, Head of Kay's, Swoop) (Annotated)
P. G. Wodehouse
Fiction*this book is annotated (it contains a detailed biography of the author). *an active table of contents has been added by the publisher for a better customer experience. *this book has been checked and corrected for spelling errors. this publication contains 34 of p. g. wodehouse's all time greatest works. a fully interactive table of contents has been added for easy navigation. table of contents p. g. wodehouse biography early life and career reluctant banker; budding writer: 1900–08 psmith, blandings, wooster and jeeves: 1908–15 broadway: 1915–19 1920s hollywood: 1929–31 best-seller:
“Recommended on The NY Times”
— Source
Little Women
Little Women
Louisa May Alcott
Generations of readers young and old, male and female, have fallen in love with the march sisters of louisa may alcott’s most popular and enduring novel, little women. here are talented tomboy and author-to-be jo, tragically frail beth, beautiful meg, and romantic, spoiled amy, united in their devotion to each other and their struggles to survive in new england during the civil war.it is no secret that alcott based little women on her own early life. while her father, the freethinking reformer and abolitionist bronson alcott, hobnobbed with such eminent
“Recommended on The NY Times”
— Source
“Recommended on The NY Times”
— Source
The Collected Stories
The Collected Stories
Anne-Marie Callimachi,Antonia White,Colette,Matthew Ward,Robert G. Phelps,Robert Phelps
FictionThe collected stories of colette beings together in one volume for the first time in any language the comprehensive collection of short stories by the novelist known worldwide as colette, and now acknowledged, with proust, as the most original french narrative writer of the first half of our century. of the one hundred stories gathered here, thirty-one appear for the first time in english and another twenty-nine have been newly translated for this volume.
“Recommended on The NY Times”
— Source
Black Beauty
Black Beauty
Anna Sewell
HorsesBlack beauty spends his youth in a loving home, surrounded by friends and cared for by his owners. but when circumstances change, he learns that not all humans are so kind. passed from hand to hand, black beauty witnesses love and cruelty, wealth and poverty, friendship and hardship . . . will the handsome horse ever find a happy and lasting home? carefully retold in clear contemporary language, and presented with delightful illustrations, these favorite classic stories capture the heart and imagination of young readers. by retelling the story in
“Recommended on The NY Times”
— Source
The Diaries Of Auberon Waugh
The Diaries Of Auberon Waugh
Auberon Waugh
The venomous, abusive, irrational, fantastical, hugely bigoted diary of a ranting maniac. recurring themes include diarist's close relationship with her majesty the queen, the importance of knighting peregrine worsthorne, and a vendetta against lord gowrie. unlikely causes championed include smoking, europe, and drunk driving. a work of genius.
“Recommended on Insider”
— Source
“That's a great book”
— Source
Ballet Shoes
Ballet Shoes
Diane Goode,Noel Streatfeild
Juvenile FictionAn alternate cover edition for this isbn from 1993 can be found herepauline, petrova and posy are orphans determined to help out their family by attending the children's academy of dancing and stage training. but when they vow to make a name for themselves, they have no idea it's going to be such hard work! they launch themselves into the world of show business, complete with working papers, the glare of the spotlight, and practice, practice, practice! pauline is destined for the movies. posy is a born dancer. but practical
“when I was younger I liked ... Noel Streatfeild." "I still reread [Ballet Shoes]”
— Source
A Tale of Two Cities
A Tale of Two Cities
Charles Dickens,Richard Maxwell
FictionA tale of two cities is charles dickens’s great historical novel, set against the violent upheaval of the french revolution. the most famous and perhaps the most popular of his works, it compresses an event of immense complexity to the scale of a family history, with a cast of characters that includes a bloodthirsty ogress and an antihero as believably flawed as any in modern fiction. though the least typical of the author’s novels, a tale of two cities still underscores many of his enduring themes—imprisonment, injustice, social anarchy, resurrection,
“Recommended on Accio Quote.Org”
— Source
