Books to read over the summer

[Pedro Alonso Lopez]

Hello all, I am more or less finished my exams for the year and will be working over the summer and the usual but will have more time to read books I want to.

So I was just wondering if you have any books you consider essential reading and of course anything leaning toward philosophy is good although I also study English literature in college so thats my other reading habit.

So just through out recommendations but remember I have read a lot of Marx, Trotsky, Lenin etc. so I wont be re-reading them since I no longer believe Marxism is possible etc.

[ComradeRed]

Don Quixote, by Cervantes
Faust, by Goethe (it is hard though)
The Spirit of Laws, by Montesquieu


and when all else fails.........
you could read stuff from My Website (http://www.nrg.to/crr/) :D :D :D

[Pedro Alonso Lopez]

Actaully Ive been meaning to tackle Goethe, dont worry about it being hard I can read Hegel damnit! Cheers and I'll check out the website, tis a lot like redstars.

[Individual]

Geist.

I have been meaning to tell you this, but I have come across a marvelous book.

The book is by Daniel J Boorstin, and is title The Discoverers A History of Man's Search to Know His World and Himself. It is quite a long read, but covers areas of history and human thought that you would have never imagined.

The big isn't big on individual philosophies, so don't expect to further your Existential imagination. However the book delves into how man became who we are, and all of the different possibilities there have been.

I know you would love the book, and I more than recommend it.

The Discoverers (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0394726251/qid=1083519545/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/002-0063151-9360039?v=glance&s=books)

[ComradeRed]

Yeah, I may have borrowed without permission his template, but I am working on a new one.

Goethe is a hell of a lot harder than Hegel; Hegel is a pissant compared to Goethe.

But "the people's history of the United States" is an excellent leftist view of the US history, written by Howard Zinn.

Don Quixote, as I said, is excellent and is really really long.

Moby dick is good too.

Here is the reading list that I would suggest: The great books of the western world (http://books.mirror.org/gb.home.html). It is really good.

[Pedro Alonso Lopez]

Yeah I had a look at that its quite good, cheers.

Thx AQ aswell, that book looks pretty interesting.

[honest intellectual]

You need to give us more specifics. 'English literature' is kinda broad.
Here's what [i]I[/'i]'ll be reading though:

Tropic of Cancer - Henry Miller
The Dharma Bums - Jack Kerouac
All The Great Apes - Will Self
The Wild Boys - William Burroughs
Fight Club - Chuck Palahniuk
P.I.H.K.A.L.*: A Chemical Love Story - Alexander 'Sasha' Shulgin
Catch-22 - Joseph Heller

* (phenyletylenates I have known and loved)

[Kurai Tsuki]

Here's my personal reading list.
Killing Hope
The Exorcist
No Logo

[toastedmonkey]

Goethe, hes very good, i will be reading faust over the summer

[Wenty]

Kerouac yes! Great author.

[SittingBull47]

In the Spirit of Crazy Horse by Peter Mathiessenn

[Pedro Alonso Lopez]

Honest Intellectual the problem is I will pretty much read anything and if you just tell people to give recommendations in a broad field like english literature you get some damn good books, which so far is true.

[Revolt!]

i really can't stand that name, 'honest intellectual'. Pisses me right off.

[Pedro Alonso Lopez]

Really? I think its a great name, plus it suits the guy.

[Akasha]

If you would like some light reading...

The Perfect Spy - John Le Carre
The Idiot - Fyodor Dostoevsky

To learn something...

Siddhartha - Herman Hesse

[Pedro Alonso Lopez]

What is Siddhartha about?

[Akasha]

Siddhartha is a young man who is unhappy with his life and embarks on a journey to find spiritual happiness. He has grown up in a well-off religious family but feels empty inside. He tries three different methods to fulfill himself. The first, is through religious study. He tries several religions and finds that he is still not content. He then tries to find happiness through physical gratification and material wealth. This doesn't work either. Lastly he attempts to combine the two and find himself through both spiritual and physical enlightenment.

Sorry, that's not a very good summary but it's been about 6yrs since I've read it. The main message that I took away from it is that all of the material possessions in the world, the respect and love of others, even religious indoctrination, will not fulfill you if you don't know who you are. We are all on a journey to find ourselves.