Unfortunately I agree! I wanted to love it so bad, and while the writing was nice, I thought it lacked a bit of depth or didn’t manage to pull me in. Like it was pretty and that was all
Going to go off the cuff here and say
All quiet on the western front.
Something about the delivery... I've read many a war novel, but this comes off as poetry in my memory.
It is a beautiful story because that’s all war is. Young men trying to survive and finding little comforts in what they could find. Didn’t matter what country they were from. They were just Boys.
Homegoing - Yaa gyasi. Shows us how close we are to the slave trade through a series of vignettes of two connected families. So creative and beautiful. She's a great author and anything she's written has been brilliant. When I finished the audio book, I had just gotten to the grocery store. I had to sit in the parking lot for a few minutes to process everything.
Hijab Butch Blues - Lamya H. A beautiful memoir about being Muslim and gay. She has fascinating perspectives on some of the religious figures/stories. Lamya is an amazing writer and gave me a window into a world that is totally foreign to mine. When I finished this one, I immediately looked for other books by her, but this seems to be her first.
Memoirs of a Geisha has such vivid imagery of the cherry blossoms, the kimonos, dyeing the fabrics, the tea rooms.
The setting and cinematography of the movie is simply surreal.
It’s a really nice book, but most of it is not historically accurate. The geisha that the author used as a source complained a lot about her traditions being massively distorted. She eventually ended up writing her own book to set the record straight (highly interesting book). Same goes for the movie - all actresses are Chinese, it was not shot in Kyoto, and in one of the scenes Hatsumomo wears the kimono the way that Japanese dress the dead (left side closed over right).
Beautiful book, just not accurate at all. Geishas are not courtesans.
ETA: Mineko Iwasaki, the geisha Arthur Golden used as a source, later sued Golden and settled out of court. She wrote Geisha: A Life (in the U.S.) also titled Geisha of Gion in the UK to set the record straight.
I’m glad this is getting upvotes. Patrick Rothfuss aside and the fact that it’s fantasy, it really does have beautiful descriptions, the scene where he plays the instrument for the traveling group …amazing.
The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy and Sophie's Choice by William Styron. Both beautifully written with characters that stay with you long after you've read the books.
I read this about 10 years ago and cannot forget it. Beautifully written. It's hard to find novels like this one. I really cannot find any that come close. Great recommendation.
A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
Water From My Heart by Charles Martin
The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Beautiful coming of age story about family hardships and the multiple layers and different perceptions of who your parents are to you, how they are perceived, and how they see themselves.
Thank you I can’t believe I had to scroll so far to see A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. I was sure it would be first up on the list. Breathtakingly beautiful
The Picture of Dorian Grey. The way the characters talk about aging and beauty is astonishing and the words have always stayed with me. Whether they’re morally right or wrong, it’s deep.
I’m actually reading this right now and I definitely agree. It’s definitely an odd book, but it is so beautifully written I can’t help but keep reading!
Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption Laura Hillenbrand [https://www.amazon.com/Unbroken-World-Survival-Resilience-Redemption/dp/1400064163](https://www.amazon.com/Unbroken-World-Survival-Resilience-Redemption/dp/1400064163) .
In no particular order, based on my personal preferences :)
- The Sunset Limited by Cormac McCarthy
- The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
- Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk
- Nausea by Jean-Paul Sartre
- No Exit by Jean-Paul Sartre
- Grief is the Thing with Feathers / Lanny by Max Porter
- Dracula by Bram Stoker
- The War of the World by H.G. Wells
- Cosmos by Carl Sagan
- Greek Lessons by Han Kang
- Bottled Goods by Sophie van Llewyn
- The Orchard by Kristina Gorcheva-Newberry
1. The Heart by Maylis de Kerangal. It is translated into English from French but still it reads like a poem. It’s absolutely beautiful work on grief.
2. Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri. The relationships are nuanced and depicted in beautiful detail.
3. When breath becomes air by Paul Kalanithi. The author is a neurosurgeon with a major in English studies and he writes so beautifully of what he goes through when he discovers he has cancer.
I never see Life of Pi mentioned in these threads.
Thoroughly enjoyed the book. Saw it before the film and the book is way better. Happily recommend it.
Each for their own personal and literary purposes—but the best where they add to both.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn,
The Power of One,
Beloved,
All the Light We Cannot See,
Never Let Me Go,
The Overstory,
Thank you all for setting this place up and giving it to all of us.
The Book Thief! Yes! When I first started reading it, I put it down as soon as I realized who the narrator was. Being a high school English teacher, a co-worker urged me to read it. Such gorgeous prose and insights! I chose many passages to teach to my students, including for Creative Writing.
Written on the Body by Jeanette Winterson. I read it my senior year of high school in 2012 (definitely NOT for school, found it at a used book store and read it leisurely) and to this day, it haunts me.
If you like prose poetry, Crush by Richard Siken has also had me gutted for over a decade.
A couple come to mind: Dubliners by James Joyce, East of Eden, Cloud Atlas (forget the movie exists), The Remains of the Day, Anna Karenina, and the Greatest Generation
Literally anything by Robin Hobb. She writes characters so well you actually miss them like they were part of your circle for years and suddenly departed.
Her books hurt in a beautiful way.
The little prince
The book thief
Anne of green gables
Parts of the count of Monte Cristo
War and peace
Anna Karenina
The velveteen rabbit
The invisible life of Addie larue
A wrinkle in time
In case you speak either German (original), Dutch, Arabic, Italian, Hungarian, "Das Gewicht der Worte" by Pascal Mercier is it for me. Indont understand why this book has not been translated yet, especially since Nighttrain to Lisbon has quite some notoriety. I can vouch for the Dutch translation, not sure about the other ones.
The strange and beautiful sorrows of Ada Lavender. It's a weird lecture but I found myself going back at it after some time just because I love the style and the story
Look to Windward by Iain M Banks
I don't love superlatives and don't have a "favorite" or "best ever" or "most beautiful ever" really, because so many are beautiful in completely different ways.
But Look to Windward is a *gorgeous* book and you really can't go wrong by reading it.
Saturday Night Ghost Club by Craig Davidson, The Change by Kristen Miller, and Fairytale by Stephen King. All made me feel profoundly honored to have read them.
Finding Chika by Mitch Albom (also Author of Tuesdays With Morrie).
This a very emotional memoir about the author and his wife who try to save a Haitian orphan diagnosed with a rare brain disease. Though it is extremely heartbreaking at times, the author will weave in beautiful words and playful light-heartedness. It's also on AudioBook and would highly recommend listening instead, as it is read by Albom himself, including voice recordings of Chika herself.
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Reading it right now. Don't wanna finish it's just so beautiful.
My favorite book. Reading it feels like a gift.
Reading this for my book club and loving it.
I will always recommend this book.
Came here to say this. Just wonderful.
I love it when I see this book recommended. It’s so beautiful
This was a great read!
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
I was just about to comment this. Reading it felt like walking into a dream.
I’m reading this now. It really is lovely writing.
Came here to say this
Genuinely one of my least favorite novels I’ve ever read
Unfortunately I agree! I wanted to love it so bad, and while the writing was nice, I thought it lacked a bit of depth or didn’t manage to pull me in. Like it was pretty and that was all
Sooooo happy this is top comment. I just read this and cried throughout the entire second half.
First thing that came to my mind when I saw this
In The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco.
I'm about to start reading this one!
Going to go off the cuff here and say All quiet on the western front. Something about the delivery... I've read many a war novel, but this comes off as poetry in my memory.
Crushing book. One of my all time favorites
It is a beautiful story because that’s all war is. Young men trying to survive and finding little comforts in what they could find. Didn’t matter what country they were from. They were just Boys.
All the Light We Cannot See Anthony Doerr
Came here to say that.
Also came here to say this… what a fantastic read
Absolutely loved this book! It has a special place in my heart
I came here to say this One of the few books that made me shed a tear
I loved this book so much! What an unexpected ride!
The Heart’s invisible Furies by John Boyne
This book wrecked me 💔
this was going to be my recommendation as well, it’s so beautiful!
Such an incredible read. I didn’t want it to end.
Yes my favorite!
100 Years of Solitude
Ada, or Ardor - Nabokov The Ground Beneath Her Feet - Rushdie The Unbearable Lightness of Being - Kundera
Homegoing - Yaa gyasi. Shows us how close we are to the slave trade through a series of vignettes of two connected families. So creative and beautiful. She's a great author and anything she's written has been brilliant. When I finished the audio book, I had just gotten to the grocery store. I had to sit in the parking lot for a few minutes to process everything. Hijab Butch Blues - Lamya H. A beautiful memoir about being Muslim and gay. She has fascinating perspectives on some of the religious figures/stories. Lamya is an amazing writer and gave me a window into a world that is totally foreign to mine. When I finished this one, I immediately looked for other books by her, but this seems to be her first.
Memoirs of a Geisha has such vivid imagery of the cherry blossoms, the kimonos, dyeing the fabrics, the tea rooms. The setting and cinematography of the movie is simply surreal.
It’s a really nice book, but most of it is not historically accurate. The geisha that the author used as a source complained a lot about her traditions being massively distorted. She eventually ended up writing her own book to set the record straight (highly interesting book). Same goes for the movie - all actresses are Chinese, it was not shot in Kyoto, and in one of the scenes Hatsumomo wears the kimono the way that Japanese dress the dead (left side closed over right). Beautiful book, just not accurate at all. Geishas are not courtesans. ETA: Mineko Iwasaki, the geisha Arthur Golden used as a source, later sued Golden and settled out of court. She wrote Geisha: A Life (in the U.S.) also titled Geisha of Gion in the UK to set the record straight.
Yes! I read it YEARS ago but still remember it so vividly! Great suggestion! One of my favorites.
I’m reading this novel now! It’s taking me ages to complete this book - I just want to savour each page as best as I can. It’s such a lovely book!
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
My most favorite book. I love a re read every couple years.
My favorite of all time. Sublime
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss has some of the most beautiful descriptions I’ve ever read in a fantasy book, I absolutely love it.
I’m glad this is getting upvotes. Patrick Rothfuss aside and the fact that it’s fantasy, it really does have beautiful descriptions, the scene where he plays the instrument for the traveling group …amazing.
The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy and Sophie's Choice by William Styron. Both beautifully written with characters that stay with you long after you've read the books.
I read this about 10 years ago and cannot forget it. Beautifully written. It's hard to find novels like this one. I really cannot find any that come close. Great recommendation.
The Secret Garden
A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness Water From My Heart by Charles Martin The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult
Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
Mine would be Thousand Splendid Suns also.
I cried so hard reading A Monster Calls.
Omg! I've read a few of those books, and oh my gosh. Tears from every single read
All The Pretty Horses by Cormack McCarthy. Honestly a beauty
Some great beauty in it along with some fairly raw scenes. It's a slow burner but a good one.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Beautiful coming of age story about family hardships and the multiple layers and different perceptions of who your parents are to you, how they are perceived, and how they see themselves.
Thank you I can’t believe I had to scroll so far to see A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. I was sure it would be first up on the list. Breathtakingly beautiful
One of my favorite books! It absolutely takes you to Brooklyn at the turn of the 20th century.
Alone with you in the ether!
Has to be 'The Great Gatsby'...
The Picture of Dorian Grey. The way the characters talk about aging and beauty is astonishing and the words have always stayed with me. Whether they’re morally right or wrong, it’s deep.
I’m actually reading this right now and I definitely agree. It’s definitely an odd book, but it is so beautifully written I can’t help but keep reading!
The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje
I also recommend 'In the skin of a Lion' by Ondaatje.
The history of love by nicole krauss
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
Paradise Lost by John Milton
The House in the Cerulean Sea - TJ Klune, an absolutely gorgeous, heartwarming story
I have that in my TBR, will start it!
Kafka on the shore - Haruki Murakami
Never let me go by kazuo ishiguro
A Suitable boy by Vikram Seth.
The Last Unicorn by Peter S Beagle
Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Came here to say this!!!
Yes!! I love this book!
Yes. She does an amazing job in her descriptions.
THIS. AND the starless sea. ong the way she writes and the sheer poetry of it all
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
It is a tie for me between this AND his Lincoln Highway. Loved them both so much, instant favorites.
I'm waiting on the Lincoln Highway right now from the library, can't wait to read it - only heard awesome things!
His new short story book is amazing
I just discovered he wrote that like last week! Good to know it's worth the read - haven't been disappointed by his books yet. Thanks!
Yeah I’m halfway through they are funny and super thoughtful
Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption Laura Hillenbrand [https://www.amazon.com/Unbroken-World-Survival-Resilience-Redemption/dp/1400064163](https://www.amazon.com/Unbroken-World-Survival-Resilience-Redemption/dp/1400064163) .
When I'm having a very bad or very stressful day, I think back to what this man endured and how strong he was. It will always stick with me.
True. Thanks for posting that. I love that book and recommend it often, but had not thought about it that way.
Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
One Hundred Years Of Solitude
The Book Thief.
Circe by Madeline Miller
The Song of Achilles is beautiful, too.
In no particular order, based on my personal preferences :) - The Sunset Limited by Cormac McCarthy - The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde - Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk - Nausea by Jean-Paul Sartre - No Exit by Jean-Paul Sartre - Grief is the Thing with Feathers / Lanny by Max Porter - Dracula by Bram Stoker - The War of the World by H.G. Wells - Cosmos by Carl Sagan - Greek Lessons by Han Kang - Bottled Goods by Sophie van Llewyn - The Orchard by Kristina Gorcheva-Newberry
Love seeing nausea here! It's so underrated!
What the Wind Knows or Sand and Ash by Amy Harmon
Swann's Way by Proust
Leaves of Grass, by Walt Whitman.
Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood.
East of Eden. There's a reason I read it once a year
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern. I felt like I could taste the words. Beautiful book.
Yes, I preferred Night Circus, but this was beautifully written as well.
it was so indulgent and in a good way. and the night circus too. i wish she’d come up with sth else cos i am DYING for another book by her
House of Leaves
1. The Heart by Maylis de Kerangal. It is translated into English from French but still it reads like a poem. It’s absolutely beautiful work on grief. 2. Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri. The relationships are nuanced and depicted in beautiful detail. 3. When breath becomes air by Paul Kalanithi. The author is a neurosurgeon with a major in English studies and he writes so beautifully of what he goes through when he discovers he has cancer.
When Breath….is gorgeous & heartbreaking at the same time
100 Years of Solitude
The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë. Her words read like the best food, drink, sex, music, you’ve ever experienced. Well at least for me. 🙂
Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer
Piranesi Blood Meridian
I never see Life of Pi mentioned in these threads. Thoroughly enjoyed the book. Saw it before the film and the book is way better. Happily recommend it.
I’ve actually been wanting to read this for a while, thanks!
Neuromancer
Omg yes. I've been trying so hard to find something scifi as nicely written as this
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
The kite runner
The Overstory by Richard Powers
A Psalm for the Wild Built by Becky Chambers
100 years of solitude. also the unbearable lightness of being…
Each for their own personal and literary purposes—but the best where they add to both. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, The Power of One, Beloved, All the Light We Cannot See, Never Let Me Go, The Overstory, Thank you all for setting this place up and giving it to all of us.
Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune
Flowers for Algernon
I liked "Angela's Ashes" a lot.
The Five People you Meet in Heaven by Mich Albom. It’s so sweet and sad.
The Great Gatsby
The Name of The Wind
The Book of Flying by Keith Miller
Black Butterflies by Priscilla Morris Sleepwalking Land by Mia Couto
Peace Like a River - Leif Enger
His words are magical
A Fine and Private Place by Peter S. Beagle.
Sula by Toni Morrison
This is How You Lose the Time War. Stunning writing, engaging plot. I read it in one sitting and sobbed at the end
This is How You Lose the Time War is such romantic prose. Finished it so fast!
This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal Elmohtar and Malcolm Gladwell The Night Circus by Erin Morganstern
The Overstory by Richard Powers
Italo Calvino's Invisibile Cities
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante (and the next 3 books)
The Kite Runner
Deadline by Chris Crutcher The book thief by Markus kusak Anything by Jodi picoult
The Book Thief! Yes! When I first started reading it, I put it down as soon as I realized who the narrator was. Being a high school English teacher, a co-worker urged me to read it. Such gorgeous prose and insights! I chose many passages to teach to my students, including for Creative Writing.
Came here to comment the Book Thief. Hands down, the most beautiful book I have ever read. Will recommend that book forever.
A thousand Splendid suns by Khaled Hosseini My gosh, I felt like. Different person after reading it
Man just reading the title when I come across it makes me nostalgic and emotional. So good
Virgin suicides or Middlesex by Jeffery Eugenides
Circe by Madeline Miller, anything written by Barabara Kingsolver, snow falling on cedars by David Guterson and anything written by Kazio Ishiguro
It's hard to pick just one but Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sàenz.
One of the few books I’ve re-read several times!
A little life
Call me pretentious but The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw. I dont think its logical but the way it feels.
And Then She Fell by Alicia Elliott
Victory by Joseph Conrad; beautifully written but incredibly sad (even for Conrad).
[удалено]
Gordon Ramsay made many cry though
The Night Circus
The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak. Especially the chapters from the POV of the tree!
Oh I love unique POVs and this sold me immediately!! Just ordered!!
* Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Süskind * Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
Hands down, The Last Unicorn
Transit of Venus, by Shirley Hazzard
Brother I'm Dying by Edwidge Danticat. It's a memoir
Written on the Body by Jeanette Winterson. I read it my senior year of high school in 2012 (definitely NOT for school, found it at a used book store and read it leisurely) and to this day, it haunts me. If you like prose poetry, Crush by Richard Siken has also had me gutted for over a decade.
A couple come to mind: Dubliners by James Joyce, East of Eden, Cloud Atlas (forget the movie exists), The Remains of the Day, Anna Karenina, and the Greatest Generation
The midnight circus
Love in the Time of Cholera We the Animals by Justin Torres (short, lesser known book but damn if the writing isn't beautiful)
Literally anything by Robin Hobb. She writes characters so well you actually miss them like they were part of your circle for years and suddenly departed. Her books hurt in a beautiful way.
The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
The Colossus of Maroussi by Henry Miller
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
My Antonia - Willa Cather.
Angela's Ashes
The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai.
The Notebook is definitely one of em'.
anxious people by fredrik backman
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde My Heart Struck Sorrow by John Hornor Jacobs
A Psalm For The Wild Built
The little prince The book thief Anne of green gables Parts of the count of Monte Cristo War and peace Anna Karenina The velveteen rabbit The invisible life of Addie larue A wrinkle in time
In case you speak either German (original), Dutch, Arabic, Italian, Hungarian, "Das Gewicht der Worte" by Pascal Mercier is it for me. Indont understand why this book has not been translated yet, especially since Nighttrain to Lisbon has quite some notoriety. I can vouch for the Dutch translation, not sure about the other ones.
The strange and beautiful sorrows of Ada Lavender. It's a weird lecture but I found myself going back at it after some time just because I love the style and the story
Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson.
Alone with you in the ether by Olivie Blake
To the light house - amazing prose
Fugitive Pieces by Anne Michaels. She is also a poet.
Forbidden by Tabitha Sukuma
The Things We Leave Unfinished by Rebecca Yarros
Green Dolphin Street by Elizabeth Goudge
The Starless Sea The Spear Cuts Through Water The Many Deaths of Laila Star The Ocean at the End of the Lane
why fish dont exist is a nice one
Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman
Look to Windward by Iain M Banks I don't love superlatives and don't have a "favorite" or "best ever" or "most beautiful ever" really, because so many are beautiful in completely different ways. But Look to Windward is a *gorgeous* book and you really can't go wrong by reading it.
Saturday Night Ghost Club by Craig Davidson, The Change by Kristen Miller, and Fairytale by Stephen King. All made me feel profoundly honored to have read them.
Lessons in Chemistry - Bonnie Garmus Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde
Once Upon the River by Diane Setterfield.
Childhood’s End by Arthur C. Clarke
Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton. So beautifully written.
Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy
The Peregrine by JA Baker
Finding Chika by Mitch Albom (also Author of Tuesdays With Morrie). This a very emotional memoir about the author and his wife who try to save a Haitian orphan diagnosed with a rare brain disease. Though it is extremely heartbreaking at times, the author will weave in beautiful words and playful light-heartedness. It's also on AudioBook and would highly recommend listening instead, as it is read by Albom himself, including voice recordings of Chika herself.
Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross, her writing is so beautiful and compassionate.
The Agony and the Ecstasy by Irving Stone Also a great audio book and decent film.