Walden by Henry David Thoreau
Les Misérables is easily the best book I’ve ever read in my entire life. A few years ago I read a shorthened version of it and even then I was fascinated by it. I finished reading the full text two months ago and oh my fucking god this book is the best thing ever written.
I’m Turkish so I read the Turkish translation (will read the full text in English and French when I learn it) and on the back of it, it says something along these lines:
“… Les Misérables is the third and the most majestic collumn of the author’s novel trilogy that tells of the society…”
And I completely agree with that. This book is simply timeless. The characters, situations, unjustice, inequalities, all the suffering in it could be applied to any society. This book is real.
The messages that it sends are solutions to topics that seemingly anybody with a functioning brain should be capable of thinking and realizing. And yet, these solutions are ignored and refused because of greed, revenge, bloodlust and most important of all, ignorance.
The main character of the book, Jean Valjean is the embodiment of redemption. His entire arc teaches us how to treat criminals. Some countries today are taking these lessons and applying them. The lessons being; treat them as human, rehabilitate them. The result? They actually do heal and return to society as normal human beings.
And yet you see people against this practice. Those kinds of people are blinded by bloodlust and revenge. They are the same kind of people that were racist, sexist and much more back in the day. The arguments that these people bring don’t hold up either. The most common one I see (at least from my perspective) is this:
“You wouldn’t react this way if they hurt one of your loved ones!”
The fact that these people don’t know anything about me aside, this argument is pointless as it implies that I would be blind to fact and logic when I’m in pain. And while that is true, me being angry over an apple falling onto my head won’t make gravity any less real. In other words, so what?
The biggest victims of this mentality are pedofiles. Not the ones that do engage in action. But rather the ones that don’t harm anybody are aware of their issue. For instance, if a non-engaging pedo went to a therapist and told them of their issue, what would the therapist do? Call the police of course. And what would that do? Their life would be pretty screwed from that point forward. Assuming they are the non-engaging type, of course. I don’t believe this to be the correct attitude towards these kind of cases.
I would also like to dive into other topics that the book covers (and perhaps extend on this one) but it would be way too long for a comment. Thank you anyone reading this far. I would like to hear your opinions on the matter and discuss even!
I’ve seen the musical a bunch of times and when I finally managed to read it last year it was a revelation. While I still love the musical the book is so much more intriguing and interesting and just manages to much more perfectly capture the main theme.
Night need to re-read this one soon ;)
Dang, good job: this is the first time I’m left curious to read it!
I read it in high school (by choice because of the musical), but I think I was not mature enough to truly grasp many of the themes.
This makes me want to re-read it. I can read French at an okay level, and I’m wondering if I should try…or if I should stick with English again first to get the major points and then branch out.
English translation is pretty damn good. If you want to work on your French by all means go for it, but wouldn’t do it out of concern you’d be missing something from the English version.
Thanks for letting me know!
I’ve definitely gone through the Harry Potter series a couple of times at different phases of my life. Definitely had a different experience with every reading. Not always positive, but at this point it’s part of the tapestry of my childhood.
at this point it’s part of the tapestry of my childhood.
Mine too. I haven’t read them in a long time because of obvious reasons, but a part of me still wants to. I was truly obsessed with them for several years as a kid.
Don’t let her shitty politics get in the way of doing something you enjoy. Death of the author and all that. If you’re worried about fiscally supporting her, I’m certain you can find the whole series at reasonable prices in any secondhand bookstore.
I have re-read The Lord of the Rings and all of Larry Niven’s books (many in the Ringworld universe).
Ringworld has the best and worst books in a series I’ve ever read. It still manages to be amazing, even with book 3.
Seconding Lord of the Rings.
Haven’t heard of that one. What’s it about?
Someone gives a relative a stolen ring, and they take it back to where it was from.
To Kill A Mockingbird
Only two so far Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy And Gone away world
How about Discworld?
Yep, have read it, but not more than once.
I remember when the Guide was my go-to happy place read, and I had not yet discovered Discworld.
I did not believe the hype. Hopefully this person will give it a try, if they have not.
GNU Terry Pratchett.
I had started reading them back in the 90s so it had been over twenty years since I last read them. Decided to reread them all recently. Was a good time.
The trilogy that Silo is based on is really good. Lots of bits you didn’t know the first time thru, so reading again gives a lot more info because you know what’s important.
There are many. The Idiot and Crime & Punishment both by Fedor Dostojevskij among the others.
there is a lot of books i have read more than once. but one stands out over all others, yet there is no storyline to speak of. The C Programming Language by Brian Kernighan and Dennis Ritchie.
Me too. But due to the non linear storyline I typically jump around a lot
The Discworld series, the Culture series by Iain Banks, Tolkien, Illuminatus!, GEB: The Eternal Golden Braid, The Book of Swords…
Excession, by Iain M Banks.
Genar-Hofoen felt the Diplomatic Force officer’s kiss through the few millimetres’ thickness of the gelfield suit as a moderately sharp impact on his jaw followed by a powerful sucking that might have led someone less experienced in the diverse and robust manifestations of Affronter friendliness to conclude that the being was either trying to suck his teeth out through his cheek or had determined to test whether a Culture Gelfield Contact/Protection Suit, Mk 12, could be ripped off its wearer by a localised partial vacuum. What the crushingly powerful four-limbed hug would have done to a human unprotected by a suit designed to withstand pressures comparable to those found at the bottom of an ocean probably did not bear thinking about, but then a human exposed without protection to the conditions required to support Affronter life would be dying in at least three excitingly different and painful ways anyway without having to worry about being crushed by a cage of leg-thick tentacles.
Gorgeous.
Our friend with a need for speed is probably my favorite plot thread weave of any of his books. Excession did a great job of lulling you into thinking certain things were happening then absolutely slapped the universe with a different sequence of events, it’s such a fun read.
Look to Windward is absolutely excellent as well.
The Stand by Steven King. Also, his Gunslinger series.
Ka is a wheel after all
Long days and pleasant nights
The Martian, by Andy Weir
That being said, why are you using camelcase with “re-read”? That’s what the hyphen is for.
This. So much.
The Martian was the first and to this date only book that I’ve read and, when I was finished, decided to re-read right away.
Love all Andy Weirs stuff. I’ve read the Martian four to five times now (lost count) I’ve also read Artemis twice and am currently re-reading Project Hail Mary.
Even when you know the ending the way there is still always fun another time.
Also I’ve re-read the Dirk Gently books since I just love Douglas Adams
I didn’t quite get into the martian, but project hail Mary… I’m savoring when I have the time and headspace to read it again.
Is that also by Andy Weir?
Yeah, and before that he wrote “The Egg” and a lot of other short stories.
Check out his other writings if you like seeing how he went from writing a webcomic to full time author
I loved that one too, can’t wait for the right time to read it again
Acshually, that’s Pascal case.
I just read the 4 Stormlight Archives books this past year (in addition to the novellas) but I’m already itching to reread them.
Anything by Sanderson. His consistency is so, so wonderful. I hate ass-pull macguffins.
Mistborn was amazing for this.
I think I’ve read all of Sanderson except for Stormlight (I’ll read it as soon as he finishes it). Is Stormlight the series that makes the cosmere make sense?
Like, I know the cosmere is a thing. And I’m aware that all these disparate worlds are somehow interconnected. Other than a cameo of characters near the end of Wax & Wayne, there is never a reference to the cosmere in anything I’ve read.
I enjoy his books, but I don’t get the significance of The Cosmere at all.
I got into the Cosmere about three years back. I started with The Way Of Kings just because I had heard Sanderson was good and had an audible credit. Then I learned about the whole Cosmere and flew through the rest of it. I’m up to Words Of Radiance on my first re read before #5 comes out.
I reread the whole Cosmere last year. It was worth it.
I started reading more when the Reddit API stuff happened. Meant to pick up Mistborn AGES ago at a friend’s behest and then went to Way of Kings after Mistborn Era 1 was over.
Haven’t looked back, and have barely read anything not written by Brando Sando since then.
Harry Potter, His Dark Materials, What If, Percy Jackson, Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (all 5 books), Isaac Asimov’s Robot series, It’s not Rocket Science, The End of Everything.
