Classics

Middlemarch and Silas Marner by George Eliot (Maryann Evans Cross)
These two novels, in particular, have great plots. They also have some of the best character development ever found in any novels. She has several more novels as well.

A Moveable Feast by Hemingway
This is a departure from most other Hemingway books in that it is a pretty uplifting book. The central theme is a romantic and artistic look at life that is as good as any philosophy ever written.

Cheaper by the Dozen and Belles on Their Toes by Ernestine and Frank Gilbreth, Jr.
These two books are some of the cleverest and funniest writing available. Many people, having seen the movie, think that they know the story, but nothing could be further from the truth. The second greatest thing about these stories is that they are true, being biographies, rather than fiction. As biographies, however, they are in a class by themselves. (Neither one of us is a big fan of biographies in general.)

Siddhartha and Narcissus and Goldmund by Hermann Hesse
These two are the stock-in-trade college student's introduction to life and thought beyond the Western Hemisphere. As an introduction to nonwestern ideas, they are unparalleled. They are also good stories.

Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
There has been so much written about this book in so many places for so many years that everyone thinks they have read it, and virtually no one has! It's too bad, because it's a terrific novel. It was controversial when it was written, and came under attack again in the 1960's and 70's. Stowe was a woman with a cause and she probably accomplished a great deal more than she intended. Lincoln met her and referred to her as "the little woman who started the great big war". If you like epic novels, this is one of the best.

Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
This is another book that everyone thinks they've read. (If a picture of Henry Fonda comes to mind when you hear the title, that's a clue) It's a good story with a strong political bias, which gives a clear view of the sentiments of the day. It's hard to find that anywhere else, because communism became so unpopular in the US, few books even explore the ideas and ideals that so fascinated people in the early part of the 20th century.