Sorry to be late getting to this topic--but I finally hit one to which I really wanted to respond. Ben said: 'Secondly, for any World War II afficionados, Guy Sajer's "The Forgotten Soldier" is an amazing autobiography, providing insight into the horrors of war on the Eastern Front.' I can't claim to have read this, but checked out a new translation of it recently for my husband (who is a major WWII geek) and he says it's very good. On the other hand, Ben also said: "I'll probably take some heat for this, but if you don't have to read Middlemarch (or anything else by George Eliot), I'd avoid it." Here's your heat--I read Middlemarch last fall (while on a camping trip) and really enjoyed it. Sure, it's a Victorian novel, it's long, it's intricately plotted, and some truly amazing coincidences drive part of the plot. I recently read a short essay detailing in about 2 pages how all the characters are actually related to one another--fascinating stuff. If you like Victorian lit, read Middlemarch. And yes, I've gotten quizbowl points off it. Incidentally, the book with the nifty essay was titled "Is Heathcliff a Murderer? Great Puzzles in Nineteenth-Century Literature" by John Sutherland. And here's another recommendation: Les Miserables. I read the Modern Library edition translated by Charles Wilbur, and have yet (after 18 months) to stop thinking about it. Plus, actually reading the book got me a power at NAQT ICT (and another tossup came from knowing the musical pretty well, also). Book I'm reading I wouldn't recommend: I'm plugging through Lorna Doone, and finding it rough going so far. Great chunks are written in broad dialect which is close to impossible to translate. One more and I'll end this long post: pick up The Moon and Sixpence by Somerset Maugham. It's only a couple hundred pages, and a fast read, but gives a good flavor of Maugham's work. (I have to admit I hated Of Human bondage--but that's another story, and besides, I read it half my lifetime ago, so I expect my tastes have changed.) Candace Benefiel Texas A&M Academic League
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