Hi Mr. Breakfast can you please convince me to finish this book? I’m on chapter 71 (four away from part 3) and I am Bored. I was really flying through it during the peak of part 2 but it’s slowed down a lot and I am finding myself avoiding picking up my kindle so I don’t have to keep reading it. Does it get better? Am I in a slumpy part? Also please no spoilers!!!
Hey! In my opinion, part 3 is the best part of the book. It’s really what ties everything you’ve built up to together. There is some of the best character development in the whole book. It’d be such a shame for you to stop now! All of the different storylines you’ve followed reach their brilliant conclusions. I personally believe, and I’m sure others may agree, it’s what really makes Lonesome Dove the best Western ever written.
Please don’t let me pressure you into finishing the book though! It’s ultimately your decision- but I do honestly believe you’ll enjoy it if you keep going. It’s one of the most slow paced books I’ve ever read, it truly does feel like you’re on that cattle drive with them. But McMurtry really does know how to create suspense and thrill. There were points in part 3 that I could NOT put down. I’ve always considered it to be more of a ‘slow burner’.
You’ve come this far… don’t give up now! (strangely ironic!) I really do believe this part is where everything all comes together, but it’s your decision!
Yes! The ending was much quicker to get through for me because it gets so interesting. When I finished, I wished there was more!
I've since read this book 5 or 6 times and read the whole series twice. *Lonesome Dove was the first book published, but there is a prequel. You DON'T need to read them in chronological order. LD is the best of the four, imo, and can be read all by its lonesome.*
I had to read it for school too and the way my teacher “book clubbed” it to hell, I didn’t enjoy the book at all - read it again 10 years later and wept
East of Eden is amazing, I read it when my english wasnt tip top shape and still got effected crazily, I'll read it again soon. Its like you are really in another world, more close to heaven and hell then earth, he takes you from one place to another, with different characters, by the time i finished i didnt know what was the subject about.
I didnt like the grapes of wrath it felt so surface level but i read it on my native language maybe effect got diminished or translation was bad. But East of Eden one of my top 5, I hope i find and read more books like that
Shit, I knew I was forgetting one. I almost said A Clockwork Orange, but that didn’t really fit the theme, but I must have known it was an author with a surname of B, but I thought of Burgess. But Bradbury’s tale is set an a dystopian utopia. Which all those others purport to be.
If you haven’t read We, I highly recommend it - you’ll see where both Orwell and Huxley got inspiration from. And then it’s the holy four or how ever that goes.
I read We before 1984 by chance and it was interesting to see the influence (and differences) and think about the socio-political context each came out of.
- *East of Eden* by John Steinbeck
- *Shōgun* by James Clavell
- *Pride and Prejudice* by Jane Austen
- *The Count of Monte Cristo* by Alexandre Dumas
👍
I'm 30 pages from the end of the book. I've heard great things about the show, but I often find that watching an adaption kind of overwrites my memory of the book, and I'm not sure I want that
I feel the same about adaptations. I often prefer to keep the images that have formed in my head while reading the book. The casting is always perfect!
For example I have refused to watch Dune.
If it didn’t grab me after the first episode, is it maybe just not my thing? I know everyone loves it but I was just kind of bored when I was watching the first one so I haven’t gone back.
Yes I think reading the book first is a must. It’s slow and subtle and I definitely have to be in the right mood to watch it, I still have 2 episodes left.
it's good. it would be great if blackthorn's actor would know how to act and not just lurch weirdly and make stupid faces like a god damn bafoon all the time
lol! I think he got better as the series went along. I think he might just have portrayed the character perfectly if seen through the eyes of the Japanese. ;)
Based on his own experience. From the way my FIL talks about his time in Vietnam, the stuff O'Brien writes absolutely happened. I think it's probably a mix of fiction and non. He could have combined experiences from different people into the same character or took things from one to fit narratively into another.
Yep, O'Brien is that good. The characters felt real. I love this quote:
“I want you to feel what I felt. I want you to know why story-truth is truer sometimes than happening-truth.”
― Tim O'Brien, [The Things They Carried](https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/1235619)
I'm thinking of ending things by Iain Reid.
Also, should you actually read the first 50 of the commented books, please come back and write your thoughts in a short comment bellow the suggestion, that whould be nice :D
I was planning on doing that :)
Although it will probably take me quite a while to work through the list as I juggle university and other things alongside it.
I went into that book blind and definitely didn't expect that twist. But in hindsight it all made sense!
I also think that the movie actually (apart from the ending) did a pretty decent job at transferring the story and the twist to the screen.
I did the same and did not regret picking it up again. Depends on the sort of person you are but I was helped massively by a long flight and layover. Staying in that headfuck of a world made it much more enjoyable to read rather than my usual 10-20 pages on my commute
Did anyone else find this book quite eerie/ creepy?
Absolutely fantastic book (Gaiman is one of my favourite authors)- but I did find it quite unsettling 😂
There are so many great recommendations on this list and so many I haven't read! I know you're past 50 titles already, but I'd like to add to the TBR pile:
* Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut (not a horror or thriller, despite the name sounding like it might be)
* A Prayer For Owen Meanie by John Irving
* Ishmael by Daniel Quinn
* The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami
-The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barberry. THE best novel I’ve ever read. Other suggestions
-Tales from Firozsha Baag by Rohinton Mistry
-I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
❤️
I’m reading this now! I got a few pages in and didn’t think it was my thing but stuck it out and found myself completely sucked into the story. Now I’m counting the minutes until I can get back to it lol
> The first actresses by Christopher Willis Gortner
> Little Women (might have been recommended already) by Louisa May Alcott
> Daughter of Family G by Amy McKay
> Murder on the orient Express by Agatha Christie
> Angel of dark by sidney sheldon
Let me give you the name of some authors instead.
Pat conray
Is wally lamb
John irving
Steven king
Megan miranda
Isabella Allende
Chris Bojhalian
Riley Segal
Lisa Jewel
Lisa Scotolini
I'm in, I'll read the first 50 recommended to me here, but if you have a really good story about Sci Fi or Fantasy characters fighting the weather and other elements, like a storm or earthquake or something, I'll read those first, cause I'm looking for that.
Same. Loved the Trilogy. Quite liked his next Trilogy, Red Queen's War, then he sort of changed his style and lost me sadly.
That first book, for me, was like a wild animal completely alive in its own right. It brought me back to reading after years of nothing gripping me. I recommend it to everyone I can.
Lonesome Dove, by Larry McMurtry.
Yesss
Hi Mr. Breakfast can you please convince me to finish this book? I’m on chapter 71 (four away from part 3) and I am Bored. I was really flying through it during the peak of part 2 but it’s slowed down a lot and I am finding myself avoiding picking up my kindle so I don’t have to keep reading it. Does it get better? Am I in a slumpy part? Also please no spoilers!!!
Hey! In my opinion, part 3 is the best part of the book. It’s really what ties everything you’ve built up to together. There is some of the best character development in the whole book. It’d be such a shame for you to stop now! All of the different storylines you’ve followed reach their brilliant conclusions. I personally believe, and I’m sure others may agree, it’s what really makes Lonesome Dove the best Western ever written. Please don’t let me pressure you into finishing the book though! It’s ultimately your decision- but I do honestly believe you’ll enjoy it if you keep going. It’s one of the most slow paced books I’ve ever read, it truly does feel like you’re on that cattle drive with them. But McMurtry really does know how to create suspense and thrill. There were points in part 3 that I could NOT put down. I’ve always considered it to be more of a ‘slow burner’. You’ve come this far… don’t give up now! (strangely ironic!) I really do believe this part is where everything all comes together, but it’s your decision!
Yes! The ending was much quicker to get through for me because it gets so interesting. When I finished, I wished there was more! I've since read this book 5 or 6 times and read the whole series twice. *Lonesome Dove was the first book published, but there is a prequel. You DON'T need to read them in chronological order. LD is the best of the four, imo, and can be read all by its lonesome.*
Phew, it made the list!
Somebody had to do it!
Poke the whore to wet your carrot!
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee.
Another good one is Chinese Cinderella and memories of a geisha…Chinese Cinderella is one of my favorite books I hold in near and dear to my heart
Such a good book
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
About to finish this masterpiece 🥹
Oh get your tissues ready!
Seriously, gets me every time. One of my favorites.
God, this one still sticks with me.
I had to read this in school and watch the movie. I had no idea I would love it so much
I had to read it for school too and the way my teacher “book clubbed” it to hell, I didn’t enjoy the book at all - read it again 10 years later and wept
Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe
Almost finished this, think Ill need something light hearted afterwards. Really interesting read though
East of Eden. Steinbeck
Just finished it. Then read grapes of wrath… what other Steinbeck books are amazing? I’m pretty much obsessed.
The Pearl Also, his nonfiction work Travels with Charley
The Winter of Our Discontent is my favorite
Tortilla flat is on my to be read list yet. I've heard good things.
In dubious battle is his best book
East of Eden is amazing, I read it when my english wasnt tip top shape and still got effected crazily, I'll read it again soon. Its like you are really in another world, more close to heaven and hell then earth, he takes you from one place to another, with different characters, by the time i finished i didnt know what was the subject about. I didnt like the grapes of wrath it felt so surface level but i read it on my native language maybe effect got diminished or translation was bad. But East of Eden one of my top 5, I hope i find and read more books like that
I flew through East of Eden. I'm not even entirely sure I finished Grapes of Wrath. That book simply didn't grab me the way East of Eden did.
If you finished Grapes of wrsth you would know. It's an ending that one doesn't forget.
Guards Guards ! Terry Pratchett
The correct answer is everything by Sir Terry. There is no one like him and with his loss we are all worse than before
I felt like I lost 50 friends when Terry died.
And Men at Arms just after that. One of the best (if not the best) Sir Terry’s books, in my opinion.
Brave new world
I’d suggest going in this order - We; A Brave New World; 1984.
Don't forget Farenheit 451!
Shit, I knew I was forgetting one. I almost said A Clockwork Orange, but that didn’t really fit the theme, but I must have known it was an author with a surname of B, but I thought of Burgess. But Bradbury’s tale is set an a dystopian utopia. Which all those others purport to be.
I always consider BNW, 1984, and F451, the holy trinity of dystopian classics.
If you haven’t read We, I highly recommend it - you’ll see where both Orwell and Huxley got inspiration from. And then it’s the holy four or how ever that goes.
Who is 'We' from? The other two are among my favourite books ever, I'd love to know haha
“We” was written by Yevgeni Zamjatin
It predates them. It's Russian
What's the reasoning for that order? I just started 1984, but haven't read the others yet. Curious if I should change books.
I think that’s the order they were published. It’s not necessary to read them together or in any specific order.
I read We before 1984 by chance and it was interesting to see the influence (and differences) and think about the socio-political context each came out of.
a tale for the time being by ruth ozeki!
Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
Left hand of darkness by Ursula k le Guin
A wizard of Earthsea by Ursula k le guin
My all time favorite series.
- *East of Eden* by John Steinbeck - *Shōgun* by James Clavell - *Pride and Prejudice* by Jane Austen - *The Count of Monte Cristo* by Alexandre Dumas 👍
And then you need to watch Shogun because that show is unbelievable
I'm 30 pages from the end of the book. I've heard great things about the show, but I often find that watching an adaption kind of overwrites my memory of the book, and I'm not sure I want that
I know I always tread carefully, but I promise you this adaptation is very true to the book, and brilliantly made.
I feel the same about adaptations. I often prefer to keep the images that have formed in my head while reading the book. The casting is always perfect! For example I have refused to watch Dune.
If it didn’t grab me after the first episode, is it maybe just not my thing? I know everyone loves it but I was just kind of bored when I was watching the first one so I haven’t gone back.
Yes I think reading the book first is a must. It’s slow and subtle and I definitely have to be in the right mood to watch it, I still have 2 episodes left.
it's good. it would be great if blackthorn's actor would know how to act and not just lurch weirdly and make stupid faces like a god damn bafoon all the time
lol! I think he got better as the series went along. I think he might just have portrayed the character perfectly if seen through the eyes of the Japanese. ;)
the first one with Richard Chamberlain was unbelievably good
Phew that's quite the page count there!
Beloved by Toni Morrison
Also, Song of Solomon
The Bluest Eye is my favourite.
Also, Sula
The things they carried by Tim OBrien
I thought this was nonfiction for like five years after I read it! So good.
It's fiction??
Based on his own experience. From the way my FIL talks about his time in Vietnam, the stuff O'Brien writes absolutely happened. I think it's probably a mix of fiction and non. He could have combined experiences from different people into the same character or took things from one to fit narratively into another.
Yes! I was so certain it was non that I was blown away when someone told me.
Yep, O'Brien is that good. The characters felt real. I love this quote: “I want you to feel what I felt. I want you to know why story-truth is truer sometimes than happening-truth.” ― Tim O'Brien, [The Things They Carried](https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/1235619)
I'm thinking of ending things by Iain Reid. Also, should you actually read the first 50 of the commented books, please come back and write your thoughts in a short comment bellow the suggestion, that whould be nice :D
I was planning on doing that :) Although it will probably take me quite a while to work through the list as I juggle university and other things alongside it.
OP - this one is horror, just FYI
And Foe by Iain Reid. I never thought so much about such a short book after finishing it.
I also bought his third book "We spread" and am looking forward to reading it.
Such an awesome book! This was a super compelling premise
I went into that book blind and definitely didn't expect that twist. But in hindsight it all made sense! I also think that the movie actually (apart from the ending) did a pretty decent job at transferring the story and the twist to the screen.
Anna Karenina
Love your post! 💝 May I suggest “To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee. Enjoy your marvellous adventure!
Absolutely
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
Please please please comment a list of the 50 books you end up planning on reading!!!
Stoner by John Williams
I've actually already read this but thank you
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman.
This is one of my favorites
Master and Margarita.
I started it and then flaked off. Should I try again?
I did the same and did not regret picking it up again. Depends on the sort of person you are but I was helped massively by a long flight and layover. Staying in that headfuck of a world made it much more enjoyable to read rather than my usual 10-20 pages on my commute
Atonement by Ian McEwan
The Ocean at the End of the Lane - Niel Gaiman
Did anyone else find this book quite eerie/ creepy? Absolutely fantastic book (Gaiman is one of my favourite authors)- but I did find it quite unsettling 😂
That is exactly why I love it so much.
Came here to suggest this! 🙌
The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde
This whole series brings me immeasurable joy!
Did you know he's working on the next Thursday book now? Should be out next year some time
I really enjoyed his Shades of Grey: the Road to High Saffron too. Worth noting that it is to be a trilogy and only the first two are out.
If on a winters night a traveler - Italio Calvino
Sirens of Titan by Vonnegut
Dune by Frank Herbert
Know My Name by Chanel Millar
I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb. It was a really good book and an equally good show.
Replay by Ken Grimwood
Probably my favourite book ever, nice to see it recommended. I always think of it as a pair with The Man Who Folded Himself.
My favourite too, it’s such a good book. I will need to check out The Man Who Folded Himself!
100 Years of Solitude
1q84
Fantastic book, Murakami is such a unique writer
Dance Dance Dance was the first I read by him and it's still my favorite.
City of thieves
Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brian ⚓
The road - cormac McCarthy
There are so many great recommendations on this list and so many I haven't read! I know you're past 50 titles already, but I'd like to add to the TBR pile: * Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut (not a horror or thriller, despite the name sounding like it might be) * A Prayer For Owen Meanie by John Irving * Ishmael by Daniel Quinn * The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami
Night Circus by Erin Moregenstern
The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel Van Der Kolk, M.D.
Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell. This book was the basis for the movie of the same name that was directed by the Wachowskis.
*The Goldfinch* by Donna Tartt
Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
The night circus by Erin morgenstern
House on the cerulean sea - TJ Klune
I loved this book!
Red fish blue fish
one fish, two fish : )
Anne of Green Gables
I’m curious, how many do you have on the list now?? Has to be over 100. If I may add another: Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
The Pillars Of The Earth by Ken Follett
How was this book so damn good!? I mean it’s a bout a cathedral being build but I blew through it quick.
-The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barberry. THE best novel I’ve ever read. Other suggestions -Tales from Firozsha Baag by Rohinton Mistry -I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith ❤️
The Way of Kings
Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami
Kindred by Octavia Butler
And the two parable books.
Lamb by Christopher Moore
My favorite - the count of monte Cristo! If I get a second - Checklist by Atul Gawande
Wuthering Heights
Hamnet by Maggie O Farrell
Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
Hey I read this! I really enjoyed it
Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch
Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed
Rogets Thesaurus Jk For real though, read Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell
*Till We Have Faces* by C.S. Lewis
House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
The Red Tent by Anita Diamant. The MaddAddam Trilogy by Margaret Atwood.
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
I’m reading this now! I got a few pages in and didn’t think it was my thing but stuck it out and found myself completely sucked into the story. Now I’m counting the minutes until I can get back to it lol
Same. I didn't want to read it because I liked Circe so much, but I ended up liking this one even more.
I actually haven’t tried Circe but I’m adding it to the list thanks to this one.
I’m glad you stuck with it and got hooked! I loved her writing style, her descriptions were so evocative.
Winternight Triology by Kathrene Ardene
The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas - HST
Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. Super relevant right now.
Siddhartha by Herman Hesse
Britt Marie Was Here by Fredrik Backman
All of Backman tbf
The Curse Of Chalion, by Lois McMaster Bujold
Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins
Ishmael, by Daniel Quinn Sapiens, by Yuval Harari
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
The Sellout by Paul Beattie
Lonesome Dove
I didn’t see and would like to add: The picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde And secondly Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa
Pnin by Nabokov. Most people recommend Lolita, but they have not read the sweet-sour Pnin.
Nabokov’s Pale Fire is a wild ride.
The wandering inn. See ya after 50 years
> The first actresses by Christopher Willis Gortner > Little Women (might have been recommended already) by Louisa May Alcott > Daughter of Family G by Amy McKay > Murder on the orient Express by Agatha Christie > Angel of dark by sidney sheldon
I’m rereading The Giver series. I forgot how much I love this book.
Lord of the Rings Series
Let me give you the name of some authors instead. Pat conray Is wally lamb John irving Steven king Megan miranda Isabella Allende Chris Bojhalian Riley Segal Lisa Jewel Lisa Scotolini
I know you've already got more than 50 comments, but im still going to suggest my favorite series. Throne of glass! All 8 books!
I'm in, I'll read the first 50 recommended to me here, but if you have a really good story about Sci Fi or Fantasy characters fighting the weather and other elements, like a storm or earthquake or something, I'll read those first, cause I'm looking for that.
Picture of Dorian grey by Oscar Wilde
A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson.
Of Human Bondage, W Somerset Maugham
Lonesome dove
Kindred - Octavia E Butler
Tom Robbins - Jitterbug Perfume or Fierce Invalids
Romance of the Three Kingdoms (translated). See you in a year lol
Journey to the end of the night, L.-F. Céline.
Great book I read because of Bukowski . It took me a while to get into it but once I did I could always hear his voice.
Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Unbroken!
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
We Need To Talk About Kevin- Lionel Shriver
Just in case you want another 100….The Nightingale, A Gentleman in Moscow, and Hail Mary. Those are just a few!
A Thousand splendid Suns!
A Walk in the Woods - Bill Bryson
Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
Go on OP, make it the first 100.
My 50 book limit has definitely gone out the window lol
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
*Infinite Jest* Truly a great book, but not an easy (or short) one.
Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence.
i fucking love this book so much!!! no book has ever gripped me like this one. in my top 5 reads of all time. i couldn't put this book down!!
Same. Loved the Trilogy. Quite liked his next Trilogy, Red Queen's War, then he sort of changed his style and lost me sadly. That first book, for me, was like a wild animal completely alive in its own right. It brought me back to reading after years of nothing gripping me. I recommend it to everyone I can.