Best orphan books for children according to redditors
We found 219 Reddit comments discussing the best orphan books for children. We ranked the 90 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
We found 219 Reddit comments discussing the best orphan books for children. We ranked the 90 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
Yes and yes.
Finishing off the Song of Ice and Fire series right now. Up next is Wicked since I've heard so many good things. I finished The Book Thief not so long ago and would highly, highly recommend that as well.
Of course there are others (non fiction: Krakauer, Hillenbrand, come to mind; deeper: Tim O'Brien, Saramago; more fantastic: Guy Kay, Herbert, etc. ) but, trying to stay within age range / contemporary, and gender neutral... that's where I started! if any of these seem like the right thread, let me know, and i can give you a bucket more.
For those of you who haven't read the books https://www.amazon.com/Harry-Potter-Sorcerers-Stone-Rowling/dp/059035342X
The following are some of my favorite books that I could think of off the top of my head. Hopefully you dig the list.
Sounds like most of the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
I'm not worried about people hating it. They can hate it all they want, I don't make my show for those people. I mean look a Harry Potter Books. This one has 413, 1 star reviews! But JK doesn't give a crap about those. The book's not for them. It's not for everyone. But the fans who do get it, boy do they get it. She's created such die hard mega fans it's insane.
Let the haters hate all they want, it's the lasting connections you make with people who respect and appreciate you is what matters the most.
The Invention of Hugo Cabret
The Wind in the Willows
Watership Down- though this is a little darker
When they get older, the Sabriel Series by Garth Nix, though Garth is good whenever
This Rare Edition contains an extra chapter with some notes from Lemony Snicket about later events in the series.
You should also pick up Fred Korematsu Speaks Up some of my fellow grad students literally did not know about Japanese internment camps in the US. :'(
For the holocaust unit we did when I was in grade school, we read the Diary of Anne Frank.
I also read Number the Stars as a kid and here's a Teacher's Companion for it.
All the Light We Cannot See is also a really good book and gives the view points of two very different people. The Book Thief is also really really good.
Everything on a Waffle by Polly Horvath
It has been published under both titles.
Try The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
It's a YA book but it has been enjoyed by countless adults. It's easy but interesting and has a somewhat unique method of narration. It will give you plenty to think about on a couple of different subjects.
Check out the US prices (for kindle)
https://www.amazon.com/Unfortunate-Events-Complete-Collection-Material-ebook/dp/B0066IM5RQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1522869368&sr=1-1&keywords=series+of+unfortunate+events
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. (http://www.amazon.com/Book-Thief-Markus-Zusak/dp/0375842209) I stumbled upon it in the Library and I couldn't put it down. It's a YA book, but it's absolutely amazing.
I think there are a couple of approaches to steampunk with varying levels of real-world believability. On one side you've got the "What if technology advanced as rapidly as computers, but the internal combustion engine and transistors were never invented?" and on the other you have spirit-infused clockworks that are effectively magic taking the place of more standard fantasy fare like talking animals or outright spirits. And plenty of stuff in between. I'd say it's more of a visual aesthetic than a pseudo-philosophy within the books like grimdark or cozy mystery or anything.
So far, the vaguely steampunk books I've read are rather limited. And often for kids. Some examples:
From here
>How long did it take to write the first book?
>JKR: Five years, although during that time I was also planning and writing parts of the six sequels.
From that I take it she had a basic outline of the story.
Although in a separate interview quoted on the same page she does say she didn't change the story due to the popularity of the books. That can be read as the story did not change much, it is as it was originally planned or the tone changed but the general plot remained the same. If it is as it was originally planned then there were a lot of oversights. It it did change to cater to the larger audience then it sort of got out of hand. I think I'll give JKR the benefit of the doubt.
Also the books have officially targeted the 10 year age group. So officially she never targeted adults or even teenagers (so it seems I can actually say I grew up and lost interest in the books, but then again I was already a teen when I started reading the HP series). So the change in the tone of the books not only addressed the characters growing up, I'd like to believe it was also to include a wider audience. And love/good winning over evil is a nice plot for little kids, when you want to teach them values.
A little older and you crave a little action. I think even early teens like to see the good guy defeating the bad guy with a few punches and not simply by claiming his weapon. I know I did, despite being well past my teens.
Possibly this?
https://www.amazon.com/Pirate-Curse-Wave-Walkers-Book/dp/1416924736
Teen Superheros:
Please Don't Tell My Parents I'm a Supervillain by Richard Roberts (Three children of superheros develop powers and accidently become supervillains. Good writing, very clever worldbuilding and characterization. Interesting love triangle You've probably seen it advertised as "What if Harry Potter were steampunk?" but underneath the obvious cashgrab advertising is a great book)
Sidekicks by Jack Ferraiolo (Two sidekicks-One of a superhero, another of a supervillian, learn that they go to the same school, and develop a romance. Excellent Writing, especially for a children's book. Cute romance, and realistic characterization of the main characters at the age they're at without being either condescending or simplistic, interesting twist on superhero/supervillian dynamics. Be careful, since the title's genericness means its possible to get the wrong book)
The Vindico by Wesley King. (5 children are kidnapped by a team of supervillains in an attempt to train apprentices. Generally sold as "The Breakfast Club meets X-Men", which it somewhat lives up to. Good plot, nice twist both on traditional super villain roles and "school for supers" idea)
Realistic Fiction:
The Theif Lord by Cornelia Funke. (Two Orphans run away to Venice and join a group of runaways taken care of by "The Thief Lord", a child master thief. Clever Plot, and the writing really takes you in)
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton (Written by 16 year old who really lived in similar conditions. Plot revolves around "Ponyboy", a member of a Greaser gang in the 60s, and his life after a gang fight goes wrong. You really care about people who would otherwise serve as hoodlums in another novel)
Sci-fi:
A Confusion of Princes by Garth Nix. (A Prince, one of a few million of the rulers of a galactic empire, becomes tangled in a web of plots and conspiracies. Good sci-fi with excellent world building. Watching the main character learn how dangerous his life has become and slowly adapt to it)
Red Rising by Pierce Brown (After the death of his wife, a member of the lowest Red caste is disguised and made into a member of the ruling Gold caste in order to infiltrate the ruling society. "Ender, Katniss, and now Darrow" was the quote that got me into this. Lives up to it. Reads like a more violent Hunger Games, and goes places the HG didn't. Excellent read, and the main character's intelligence make him more than just an angry revenger. Some slightly guessable "plot twists", but does a good job exploring the theme of unfairness and winning against a stacked deck.)
Levithan by Scott Westerfield. (Alternate World War One, where the allies use genetic manipulation to create huge beasts of burden and war, while the Central powers use huge steampunk machines. Plot follows a girl who dresses as a boy to join in the ranks of an air force, who meets an Austrian Prince on the run from the German Empire)
Fantasy/Horror:
The Spook's Apprentice by Joseph Delany (Seventh son gets appreticed to the local spook, a man who fights magical threats around the County. Does a unique job of showing its monsters and boogeymen, with a plot that builds over the course of the books.)
Cirque Du Freak (Boy becomes a half-vampire, traveling with a circus of freaks. Most action takes place away from the circus and towards the other vampires in the world. 12 books that are really 4 trilogies, which ought to be 4 books. Nice job of presenting unique vampires. Actual horror varies, although I've heard good things about the Demonata series by the same author, which I haven't read.)
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. (First line: "There was a hand in the darkness, and it held a knife." Plot is series of vignettes about boy being raised by a group of ghosts in a graveyard. Gaiman gets pretty good reviews overall, and for good reason.)
The Midnighters Series by Scott Westerfield (Girl moves to new town and discovers she is one of a very few who can access the "Secret Hour"- An extra hour when time is frozen at midnight, along with gaining new powers. Her and a few select others fight ancient beasts who were the last predators of ancient man.)
I know some of these have already been mentioned, so just consider this a second vote for those titles. Also, my list skews heavily towards sci-fi/fantasy, because that is what I tend to read the most of.
By women, featuring female protagonists:
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
Kindred by Octavia E. Butler
The Female Man by Joanna Russ
Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey
Lavinia by Ursula K. Le Guin
The Circus in Winter by Cathy Day (It's not entirely fair to characterize this as a book about women; it's really a set of interconnected stories featuring both male and female characters. On the other hand, many of the most memorable characters, IMO, are women, so I'm filing it in this category anyway. So there!)
The Protector of the Small Quartet by Tamora Pierce, beginning with First Test (Really, anything by Tamora Pierce would fit the bill here. They're young adult novels, so they're quick reads, but they're enjoyable and have wonderful, strong, realistic female protagonists.)
These Old Shades by Georgette Heyer (Heyer wrote really fun, enjoyable romances, typically set in the Regency period, though These Old Shades is actually Georgian. This one is probably my favorite, but they're really all quite wonderful. Not super heavy stuff, but don't write her off just because of the subject matter. She was a talented, witty writer, and her female protagonists are almost never the wilting "damsel in distress" type - they're great characters who, while still holding true to their own time and place, are bright and likeable and hold their own against the men in their lives.)
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle (Another young adult book. And, again, I think it's worth noting that L'Engle's books almost always feature strong and interesting female characters. This one is probably her most famous, and begins a series featuring members of the same family, so it's a good jumping off point.)
Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
By men, featuring female protagonists:
The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle (This is another one that is perhaps not a perfect fit for this category; the titular unicorn is female, but the book is as much about Schmendrick the magician as it is about her. However, there's also Molly Grue, so on the strength of those two women, I'm classifying this book as having female protagonists.)
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Coraline by Neil Gaiman (It's a children's book, but there's plenty to enjoy about it as an adult, too.)
By women, featuring male protagonists
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
I just finished reading The Book Thief and it was pretty damn depressing. I cried a little at the end. I'm a grown ass man and I finished the book in a public place, so I tried really hard not too, but the tears came nonetheless. The theme isn't cynical or cold, so I'm afraid it's not exactly what you're looking for, but it's an excellent read if you're in the mood to not be happy.
Yes, and of course a Harry Potter Book!. You can get a hardcover version new/used for $10 or under.
Forgive me for posting synopses from amazon, but in the case of the Book Thief, every description I wrote seemed trite or gave too much away.
Non-Fiction: The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival by
John Vaillant. Outside a remote village in Russia’s Far East a man-eating tiger is on the prowl. The tiger isn’t just killing people, it’s murdering them, almost as if it has a vendetta. A team of trackers is dispatched to hunt down the tiger before it strikes again. They know the creature is cunning, injured, and starving, making it even more dangerous.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Tiger-Vengeance-Survival-Departures/dp/0307389049
Fiction: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. Set during World War II in Germany, Markus Zusak’s groundbreaking novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich. Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books.
http://www.amazon.com/Book-Thief-Markus-Zusak/dp/0375842209
Just went through the same thing and went to read some Roald Dahl classics. Was the perfect break. Now I split up my heavier books with childrens stories. Just finished The Invention of Hugo Cabret and it was incredible.
I've never read HP books or seen the movies.
looks around afraid
Link
Used is fine.
Thanks for the contest. the books are always better than the movies!
Will edit as I go
1. Her name is blue, she is blue, and she sings “blue’s clues,” so...
2. He’a wearing sunglasses, he also sings “In Summer.”
3) These are actually pretty good.
4) My brother is obsessed with these movies.
5) This is a very profound book. Made me feel a full breadth of emotion, and left me satisfied at the end.
6) this decorative fan
7) Your dog could be the pope!
8) I love potatoes. I love plushies. Obvious choice.
9) Jurassic Park is the film that made me fall in love with movies. It’s fun, emotional, and a testament to the ingenuity, curiosity, and perseverance of humanity. Also dinosaurs are in it.
10) After the zombies arrive, I’ll want safe drinking water. It’ll be important, and maybe hard to find occasionally.
11) A new laptop would make being a writer much easier. My current laptop is slow and doesn’t want to work half the time.
12) Lysol wipes are never a bad idea. Trust me.
13) Star Trek is my favorite everything.
14) How about an inspiring dress?
15) Why not both?
16) This stuff. I love it so much.
17) I loved this weird Barbie doll.
18) You know when you’re out in public, and you think of this great idea, but by the time you get home you forgot it and wish you’d written it down? Yeah. I hate that.
19) Here.
20) My dad used to own a pair of these.
Books are meant to be read!
In the case of the TBB Rare Edition, the resale value depends more on whether it comes with all accouterments (the slipcase, the Marvelous Marriage portrait) than on whether it is still in shrinkwrap. The shrinkwrap just guarantees that it includes everything.
Also, for those looking for TBB-RE, the author's notes are available in the original American edition, the new British edition, and on 667 Dark Avenue. The Marvelous Marriage portrait is viewable on Helquist's Etsy.
Edit: condensed links
The author is Markus Zusak.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Book-Thief-Markus-Zusak/dp/0375842209
There's also a movie, released in 2013.
I haven’t read this myself but it gets great reviews. The Invention of Hugo Cabret
John Lennon was raised by his aunt and uncle, because they felt his mother wasn't capable of it. One of his younger half-sisters was adopted at birth by a Norwegian couple and he never met her, the other two were brought up by his mother and their dad until she died and they were sent to another aunt. His song "Mother" is about his parents not raising him.
I read a lot of Young Adult books, so here's some:
I haven't read these but heard strong recommendations:
not quite what you asked for, but a few from the perspective of kids with foster siblings:
And some movies, besides Anne of Green Gables and The Great Gilly Hopkins above
edit to add: Far From the Tree, an adopted teenage girl learns about her siblings, one adopted and one not.
>"You are protected, in short, by your ability to love!"
>
>— Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
It might seem rather silly of course, but throughout the series there has been an indication that love and pure desire to protect someone often fuels more power in a way?
There's no doubt Bellatrix may be a more professional and skilled duelist, after all she was Voldemort's right hand and trusted "general" but the circumstances in which the duel took place
simply those two might have just fuelled something stronger to help her defeat Bellatrix.
This added to the fact that I guess sometimes we overlook characters like Molly Weasley simply because they haven't been on the frontlines of a battle?
all we have ever known about her was the sweet fussy motherly person who made sure you ate extra helpings, got the best jumpers in christmas and was someone you wouldn't want to cross because she can be very tempestuous when angry.
I just want all the gold!
I think you have to have this book. It is really good and based on your book wishlist I think you would like it.
It's too damn hot outside
(are you in Cali? Cause damn it's hooooooootttt D:)
And this book for some summer reading or this flashy key chain can't decide so if I happen to win you choose :)
Awesome contest. I would want to get The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak because I've heard a lot of good things about it. The idea of just learning how to read then discovering all these new books seems pretty exciting to me. Plus, some of my favorite books are by John Green and this one always comes up when looking at his books.
Speaking of which, I'm not sure if you're a nerdfighter or not, but if you haven't, you should totally read some of his books. The Fault in Our Stars is one of my favorite books by him, but his other ones are awesome as well.
You're already doing so through this contest, but DFTBA.
Tell her to return the fucking book. BTW, it's a legit book (for anyone reading your post):
http://www.amazon.com/Book-Thief-Markus-Zusak/dp/0375842209/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1311993421&sr=8-1
Everything on a Waffle
http://www.amazon.com/Everything-Waffle-Polly-Horvath/dp/0312380046
As far as mysteries go The Boxcar Children Series was my favorite series when I was about seven years old and also reading above grade level. The four main characters are two brothers and two sisters who solve mysteries together. I really can't recommend it enough. It was the first series of chapters books that I read because I enjoyed them and not because I had to.
Sorry, apparently the series is called Wave Walkers, not Wave Runners. Here's book one on Amazon :)
Happy Birthday to your little cutie! =) My oldest daughter turns 8 this week! The time goes by so fast, I wish I had a much longer time with mine being that little! I miss those days with her so much!
Anything would be fantastic however my birthday girl has been requesting the first harry potter book on her wishlist!
Noodles
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (fiction)
I've been recommending this one lately because I finished it recently and it was so good.
Seven Chinese Brothers is an all time classic. I bought it for my girls. Younger but fun.
Sideways Stories from Wayside School used to be pretty short, but I think someone's turned it into a series now? Still super fun.
Miss Nelson is Missing is another classic. Bought this again for my kids too.
For slightly older, The Three Investigators was my go-to. Read everything a few times. Chapter book.
The Boxcar Children is another neat series of mysteries I loved as a young boy. Chapters also, IIRC.
Not related to memoirs, but 'The Book Thief' has been one of the most creative fictional books I have read on the subject of WWII (Holocaust, particularly). It's about a young orphaned girl who lives with her foster parents in Germany before/during WWII. The book is meant for young adults, but I think anyone would appreciate its beauty.
Shadow of the Wind is a good suggestion, that popped into my head as well. I'd also say take a look at Lightning Rods. It's got the manic satiric humor you would like, along with some genuine philosophical capital L literature themes she would like. Another one is maybe The Book Thief - this falls more into her category, but I'm willing to bet you'd really like it as well.
I purchased all my books on iTunes, since it was easier for me. But I can link them, and you can go from there :)
When Marnie Was There
#1 A Wizard of Earthsea
#2 The Tombs of Atuan
#3 The Farthest Shore
#4 Tehanu
#5 The Other Wind
Tales from Earthsea
Howl's Moving Castle Kindle that includes the trilogy for $2 or Howl's Moving Castle physical
Castle in the Air
House of Many Ways
And going to cheat and link the complete set of The Borrowers, since it's pretty cheap.
Honestly, if you are looking to purchase elsewhere, the authors are really all you need to make sure you are getting the correct books.
I actually have two to recommend.
The first is the "Things" series, which is started with Things Not Seen. It's about a boy who suddenly becomes invisible, and he has to figure out why. It's really great, and I recently found out that it's part of a series, though I don't know if it's finished or not.
The second is the "A Series of Unfortunate Events" series. There's thirteen in total, so you're in for the long haul. But there's SO much to this series, and it's fantastic. I'm horrible at summarizing, but it's about three siblings who lose their parents in a fire and end up living with their evil uncle who wants to inherit their large fortune and eventually kill them. It's a book about them surviving, moving in with different relatives, figuring out what VFD stands for, and ultimately, what caused the fire that killed their parents. I can't speak enough praise for this series.
Book 2 $.01 with $3.99 shipping
Book 3 $.01 with $3.99 shipping
Book 4 $.01 with $3.99 shipping
Hope that helps!
I recently read The Book Thief. It's about a German girl during WWII/The Holocaust. It's very good. I highly recommend it.
No, I haven't (as I don't have a smartphone), but that sounds like a really interesting concept!
I just finished Room, and am currently reading The Book Thief. Both are really good! I ended up reading Room in one evening- I just couldn't stop! >.<
I know it is not 80s but i immediately thought of
https://www.amazon.com/Harry-Potter-Sorcerers-Stone-Rowling/dp/059035342X
Hey!
My favorite all time book has to be The Book Thief. What was your favorite book?
Uh.. no idea? It was given to me a few years ago by an old coworker; I've only just (finally) pulled it out of my "to read" pile.
The last book that made me cry was the end of The Book Thief. Made all the more awkward by the fact that I finished reading it while taking a bath.
The last re-read was Shogun by James Clavell. Awesome book.
The last new book that I haven't already read was The Book Thief by Markus Zusak for the library young adult book club. Absolutely did NOT like it.
I would love an Amazon GC if we are allowed to request our item. :)
Thank you for the contest!
Hey! Frank and Beans! This e-book is on a kindle book list in my wishlist for my spawn. He'll be doing a happy dance period when he gets handed his own tablet/e-reader instead of draining our batteries, and this would be a good book to add to his now starting collection.
:fist bumps: Trust me, there will be dancing.
Everything on a Waffle.
I loved the Artemis Fowl books. They're easier than Harry Potter, probably a little easier than Percy Jackson.
Other suggestions:
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and other Roald Dahl books
A Series of Unfortunate Events
Diary of a Wimpy Kid books
The Phantom Tollbooth
The Book Thief looks like a fantastic movie (I still haven't seen it) and I'm hoping it's an even better book!! Thanks for the awesome contest!
http://www.amazon.ca/The-Book-Thief-ebook/dp/B000XUBFE2/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1370884738&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=the+book+thief
My name is Spencer
I don't know if you know about this book, but it is my favourite!
The Book Theif by Markus Zusak.
It is a creatively wonderful book that is narrated by Death.
He depicted a story of a young girl who has to survive the dramatic years of the Nazis.
It is a very strong and powerful book that got me reading it from beginning to end in a flash and puts Death in a very different perspective.
Although you may think you might not like it because it is another World War book, it is absolutely amazing, a sure read through and a lovely new perspective to the world wars :)
I love it and i hope you do too!
Thanks for your consideration!
:)
I'm not sure if this counts, but I've wanted to start this series for a while. A Series of Unfortunate Events I didn't read them as a kid but I heard they were really good and I loved the movie. Thanks for the contest!
This is an amazing and incredibly generous gesture. Kudos to you!
My name is Aaron and The Book Thief is one of my favorite books of all time. I read it back in high school and let my sister borrow it. She then lost it. I haven't gotten myself a new copy, but I still love it.
Here's the first edition, there's many books in this series so if you start her on one now you could keep it going for a long while.
Currently reading:
Wow look! Here's one!
Hello! :) I'm SwsMiss and I'd like to enter for my 3rd grade classroom (I'm the teacher)!
This is a book series called 39 Clues. The students read the books and then use the internet to solve the mystery! Interactive reading FTW! :)
39 Clues Book
Thanks for the opportunity!!
The Book Thief because it's an incredible book, well-written, emotional, and it doesn't have a sequel. If you only had one book, why would you pick anything in a series?
I was expecting this
The Phantom Tollbooth is a favorite of mine.
I had a book sale today for the rescue kennel (and man, am I tired tonight) and the Spiderwick books and the 39 Clues books were the most popular books for young kids. I don't know much about these, except that kids really wanted them. We sold out of both and had a crate full!
Both are availble on Kindle:
39 Clues
Spiderwick
At least sometimes they do.
harry potter book 3 If you buy used its less than $5. I would like to read the whole series.
Thanks for the contest!
The UK covers were more spoilery than the US ones in the first place, which I think might be causing this difference in opinion. These new covers aren't such a big deal for UK readers.
UK Goblet of Fire
US Goblet of Fire
A [wine sippy cup] (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00B58YVZ6/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&amp;colid=257ZTCM1XO8QO&amp;coliid=IJQDO82X3BZ60&amp;psc=1) is essential so I don't spill anything while I ride my [broom] (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IVSO5I6/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&amp;colid=257ZTCM1XO8QO&amp;coliid=I2ITBRW2X2Q75Z&amp;psc=1) around. I need to wear this [scarf] (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GT94FZW/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&amp;colid=257ZTCM1XO8QO&amp;coliid=I1TU5GSDAMBS11&amp;psc=1) as a cape and also wear the [hat] (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HVHKNP2/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&amp;colid=257ZTCM1XO8QO&amp;coliid=ILLTJ5NRZGHIU&amp;psc=1) so my ears don't get cold in the winter. I need the [trunk] (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004YX9RH6/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&amp;colid=257ZTCM1XO8QO&amp;coliid=I1PPYKQXQJOKL0) to keep all of my [books] (http://www.amazon.com/dp/059035342X/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&amp;colid=257ZTCM1XO8QO&amp;coliid=IJTMRUFZDFHTE) in!
Mischief managed, thank goodness!
>I think you're taking this a little bit too literally.
What does this mean? What did you want me to do, lie or make up an answer to your question that isn't true?
Do you want an answer to your question, or a story?
This might be relevant to your interests.
Okay so I have two recommendations:
The Book Thief: http://www.amazon.com/Book-Thief-Markus-Zusak/dp/0375842209/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1302109748&amp;sr=8-1" is I think technically a kids book, and it's about a girl in Nazi Germany, so offhand it might not sound like it's for you BUT it's narrated by Death and his timing is amazing. Even if sometimes the punchlines are more like a punch to the gut.
And Tanya Huff has some great, unique fantasy. I'd start with[Sing the Four Quarters: http://www.amazon.com/Sing-Four-Quarters-Tanya-Huff/dp/0886776287/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1302109846&amp;sr=8-1, where certain special people can sing to control the four elements, and everyone is snarky and different and fun to be around. Or... at least fun to read about.
>where is the definitive version
What does that even mean for an anthology of works written over hundreds of years by at least dozens of authors and editors?
>A lot rides on whether you believe genesis to be true.
Something can be non-factual and still contain truth. No, I'm not a Young Earth Creationist, That doesn't make the book useless to me.
>For example there will never be mistranslated, inaccurate copy of a harry potter book.
Great example. I own this book: Harry Potter y la piedra filosofal and this book: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. You don't even have to leave the front cover before you begin to run into translation problems. Does Philosopher mean the same thing to you as Sorcerer?
>Actually although all 3 gods are the "same" god, the teachings of each religion cannot coexist. To be more precise, if you get to heaven and the muslim god is there then jews and christians wont be getting in.
If they are truly the same, and I'm a Jew who makes my way to heaven, then by definition the "muslim god" will in fact be there. As will be the "christian god" and the "jewish god" because they are all the same one God.
>the teachings of each religion cannot coexist
They coexist now, but it sounds like you think I'm claiming that none of the teachings of those religions conflict. I'm not saying that.
>You cannot count muslims, jews and christians as belonging to the same religion. sorry, you cant just make up the rules.
Sorry, where are the rules posted? I guess I forgot to even read them. lol I could make a similar statement like "you can't just exclude who I'm allowed to count. Sorry, you can't just make up the rules" :)
>you will hardly find anyone who can logically accept one and not the other.
I'm guessing you've never lived in the southeastern United States. MLK Jr is not, even today, universally loved. In fact, I heard that he was even killed by a Christian.
>Until religion becomes a solely private matter I certainly wont be happy.
Bourbon helps. :)
I liked Diaz's book and couldn't care less why someone else wouldn't. A person's tastes are his own. Honestly, if a person doesn't like a work of art, really he's only impoverishing himself, right? Doesn't mean he's right or wrong; just means he wasn't able to enrich his own life through it.
Cap you may want to read The Book Thief. I found it to be one of the most moving books I've ever read.
One of my favorite beattapes
Probably my favorite book ever is When Marnie Was There. It's just perfect and heartwarming and wise, it's one of those books you know the author is awakened even those there's not much mystical about the book. There is some magic though, but beautifully restrained. To give you an idea, Studio Ghibli actually made a movie out of it cause it's really their vibe.
Come on, I know what I am talking about. None of those writers of that article know Slovak language, by the way. Be skeptical sometimes.
FACTS:
Consider this:
https://www.amazon.com/Harry-Potter-Sorcerers-Stone-Rowling/dp/059035342X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1491311673&amp;sr=8-2&amp;keywords=harry+potter+books
(hardcover - 320 pages)
and:
http://www.martinus.sk/?uItem=205410
(harcover - pages: 309)
And there are many more examples. We can go with a non-English author Jo Nesbo
https://www.amazon.com/Thirst-Harry-Hole-Novel/dp/0385352166/ref=sr_1_1_twi_har_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1491311975&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=jo+nesbo
(hardcover 480 pages)
http://www.martinus.sk/?uItem=226387
(hardcover 555 pages)
The same book in hardcover is 75 pages longer in Slovak. And that's a lot. If it would be 5 or 10 pages ok, insignificant. But 75 pages at about 500 pages long hardcover is a big differenct.
My personal experience is similar. English books are shorter than their Slovak counterparts.
English books are shorter than Slovak books, you can read them quicker. That's a fact.
Her you go, the first thing that came to mind.
So, I too have had this debate many times, and I am heartened every time someone steps up in support of character based writing like Hanzi. My honest attitude toward this is "I want to believe". I want to believe that there is equal merit to Hanzi as letter-based phonetic writing like romanized, cyrillic, etc. But all the evidence seems to point to the contrary.
Some rebuttals to your points:
>I imagine there's also been an increase in the number of English speakers who have problems remembering the spelling for words where the pronunciation is not as obvious when read.
Let's assume this is the case. I mean, there's some evidence that it isn't the case but let's assume it is. There's a categorical difference between forgetting the "I before E, except after C" rule, or forgetting whether you need an 'e', an 'i', or an 'a' in words like "definitely", "separate", and "necessary" and fundamentally forgetting that a letter existed or how to handwrite a letter.
In this clip, there's a gentleman who "struggles with the character for 'thumb'." The above words are 3 and 4 syllables long but 拇指 (Mǔzhǐ) is only 2 syllables and he got half the word wrong. This is a far cry from simply mixing up the order of two letters like writing "beleive" instead of "believe". In other words, here's an article from just 2017 saying "Character amnesia has become more and more common...". Show me the article that says there's currently an epidemic of otherwise literate adults forgetting how to write basic words in English.
>The writing system survived for thousands of years because it was effective.
I mean, there's "effective" and there's "optimal", right? The Mayan civilization lasted for about 3000 years and had a glyph based writing system. Would you seriously advocate that this is an optimal system of writing? Probably not, right? So I think this argument is true but a little misleading, depending on what exactly you mean by "effective". Then again, "effective" is defined as "producing a decided, decisive, or desired effect". Was the "desired effect" of the language for its users to begin forgetting its own writing system?
>(ie, the use of physician, medic, and doctor for medical personnel), it gets a lot harder for the reader to guess what's being referred to.
I'm not sure what you mean here. Yeah, those are three different words with three different definitions and they might be industry-specific. But it's not about it being "harder" for a reader to understand the difference. When a reader comes across a word, they either know what the definition is or not. If it's a real word then then the burden is on the reader to go to a dictionary and look up what the word is. It's also the writers job to try to make their vernacular and syntax as clear as possible.
>Furthermore, they take up little room on the page
Ehhhhh, again, technically true, but so what? It's not even that big of a difference. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in English is 309 pages while in Chinese it's 242. This is not that much value-added.
Arguing that Hanzi has some benefits over romanization is like arguing that chopsticks has merit over the fork (another mistake in efficiency I think the East made). You're essentially saying "Sure, forks are ok, but look! you can't twirl a fork around like this can you?" It just strikes me as a pride thing.
Again! I'm a big fan of the language. I think there are some interesting logical ambiguities that exist in English that don't in Mandarin. For example, there's this joke in English — Question: "What did the logician say when his wife handed him their newborn and asked if it's a boy or a girl", Answer: "Yes" — Well, in Mandarin, since you specify Yes/No questions with the 'ma' particle, you avoid the ambiguity.
My goal is to graduate with honors from college in two years. As of now, I am right on track in terms of GPA, and I work hard to keep it that way.
941.
I like to read in my spare time, and I've heard good things about this one.
LEMONY SNICKETS: A Series of Unfortunate Events. I have been reading these books to my daughter. She loves them. She wants to read them as soon as she learns how. They arent fairy tales or anything with a happy ending. But they are a fun read with explanations for certain phrases or words. I actually enjoy reading them as well. We just started on book 3 of 13. Super fun series.
> Dear Reader,
> I'm sorry to say that the book you are holding in your hands is extremely unpleasant. It tells an unhappy tale about three very unlucky children. Even though they are charming and clever, the Baudelaire siblings lead lives filled with misery and woe. From the very first page of this book when the children are at the beach and receive terrible news, continuing on through the entire story, disaster lurks at their heels. One might say they are magnets for misfortune.
> In this short book alone, the three youngsters encounter a greedy and repulsive villain, itchy clothing, a disastrous fire, a plot to steal their fortune, and cold porridge for breakfast.
> It is my sad duty to write down these unpleasant tales, but there is nothing stopping you from putting this book down at once and reading something happy, if you prefer that sort of thing.
> With all due respect,
> Lemony Snicket
I NEED The Book Theif because /u/KnitAJesso told me there was a movie coming out and I MUST READ the book before the movie.
The more you read the more you know!
Alright, it's like this: books are like food. Start with something addictive, and probably bad for you (Conan The Barbarian for instance). Eventually you'll go looking for something more, but still delicious (the Harry Potter books are notorious for this). Eventually you'll order something heavier (For Whom the Bell Tolls is a good one), knowing that it's going to take a long time to digest.
TR;DR: Don't eat Thanksgiving dinner without an appetizer.
labor day
The Book Thief
Used is fine
The Book Thief! I've been wanting to get around to reading this. Thank you for the contest!
If you like Stephen King, you should check out his son, Joe Hill. Heart Shaped Box is flat out terrifying. But it's SO GOOD.
I would really love a copy of The Book Thief, I'm dying to read it before the movie comes out :)
Cheapest thing: Harry Potter
And this is how I first heard of JonTron
This is not a non-fiction book, but "The Book Thief by Markus Zusak" made me cry and is also set during the holocaust.
The Book Thief by Marcus Zusack. All around good read in general, but the really awesome part about this book is that the narrator is Death. That's what has stuck with me about it the most over the years. Turns out, Death has a lot of poignant things to say.
I read The Book Thief this year and I loved it. That would be your book just for fun.
On mobile so I can't check your WL, but...
The Great Gatsby
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FC0PDA/ref=cm_sw_r_an_am_ap_am_us?ie=UTF8
Brooklyn NY: A Grim Retrospective
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004GKMJEK/ref=cm_sw_r_an_am_ap_am_us?ie=UTF8
If you never read these as a kid or you have kids:
The Boxcar Children (The Boxcar Children Mysteries)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004EBTA34/ref=cm_sw_r_an_am_ap_am_us?ie=UTF8
And because of the funny title...
Still Salty :4 (A Ghetto Soap Opera)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CD4AVP0/ref=cm_sw_r_an_am_ap_am_us?ie=UTF8
The only book I can think of around that reading level that involves children in foster care is The Great Gilly Hopkins.
I'm really confused by this question
http://www.amazon.com/Harry-Potter-Sorcerers-Stone-Book/dp/0590353403/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1348459994&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=sorcerer%27s+stone+hardcover
You can see many more here:
https://www.amazon.com/Harry-Potter-Sorcerers-Stone-Rowling/product-reviews/0590353403/ref=cm_cr_dp_d_show_all_top?ie=UTF8&reviewerType=all_reviews
Buy one from Amazon and set the delivery to her house. New ones from $3.65, in my country, that's £2.50 - With P&P it's $7.64/£5.37.
It's considerably cheap, and I'm sure she has enough time reading the first three books you have received, for you to raise $7.64. :/
http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0590353403/ref=sr_1_2_olp?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1412831059&amp;sr=8-2&amp;keywords=harry+potter+hardcover&amp;condition=used
Insanely cheap on Amazon if you don't mind buying used!
OMG GUYS I FOUND PROOF THAT HARRY POTTER EXISTS!
https://www.amazon.com/Harry-Potter-Sorcerers-Stone-Rowling/dp/059035342X
AND THE PLACE WHERE HE WENT TO THAT SCHOOL IS IN SCOTLAND.
HARRY POTTER IS REAL 100% CONFIRMED.
The Book Thief is the novel I always recommend. It will likely make you cry and it will stick with you.
I would also suggest cross-posting this to r/booksuggestions.
Also, I love historical fiction so a few of my recommendations:
Easy way: watch the Harry Potter movie
"Hard" way: Read the book
> "Hey, Harry Potter/A Game of Thrones/Northern Lights/American Psycho were written 20+ years ago! I shouldn't have to pay 11.99 for copies! They should be 3.99 at most they're so old! Only new stuff should be expensive!"
Ummm....yes, actually. Would you pay $10,000 for a 1992 Ford Taurus, even if it still "runs well"? Would you pay $25 a The Dark Knight Blu-ray, even though it was one of the best movies of the 2000s and, arguably, the best movie of 2008? Would you pay $40 for A Link to the Past, a game considered the greatest of all time? No, you wouldn't. Despite those items still holding up and being great, you would not pay that expensive price for them, precisely because they were old.
There's such a thing as depreciation, and the market determines that (go to any used game store and CoD4 will be $5-7, whereas a black label copy of, say, Marvel vs Capcom 2 will be like $50, due to rarity). They're keeping the price artificially high to make it seem like a "premium" product that's still "in demand". If that were truly the case and people were still gobbling this game up (I'm not saying the community isn't still there, I'm talking about new consumers. That's what 'demand' addresses), they would continuously be bragging about the sales and that would justify its price point. You wanna know why GTAV is still $60? Because millions of people are still buying the game, to this day, and some milestone achievement is announced every 6 months or so. That obviously isn't true for CoD4, despite how good the game is.
Oh, and btw, I really don't know what point you were trying to make mentioning any of those books, considering:
Harry Potter
A Game of Thrones
Northern Lights
American Psycho (This one appears to hold up, but apparently it's a rare book)
I intentionally sorted by new, because if I picked used, the price would literally be a penny for 3 of those books, and $0.74 for the last.
No AC OR internets?!? Anyway, I just got done with The Book Thief by Markus Zusak and Unfamiliar Fishes by Sarah Vowell. I really enjoyed both of them. Book Thief is about a young, German girl in Nazi Germany and is narrated by a timid and thoughtful Death. Unfamiliar Fishes is a history of the colonization of the Hawaiian islands with Vowell's signature dry humor. If you give me some titles of books that you like/just read, I'd be happy to give you more suggestions!
Hi u/ting4ling,
Kara here, OP's wife, (As I said to another redditor, I'm basically the PR person for our biz as my husband tbh isn't the best typist or as patient with giving thoughtful replies).
First off, glad you think they're cool and glad you love books. The awesome thing is that we never ever ever ever would cut a limited edition or rare irreplaceable edition, (couldn't afford one anyway).
As you know, e-books abound! We buy real, paper books which makes the publisher print a new book to replace it to sell to a reader. It would be a tragedy if print went out. It's sad to see bookstores closing. I've provided here a handy-dandy list of ways to get access to J.K. Rowling's awesome work, and it would be mostly the same access for most of the books we cut for our business:
***
The above listings are just on Amazon, of course there's:
***
Let's all go forth and buy real books for whatever reason, seriously, we need to support print.
edit: formatting