What book to read in my free time? This question cannot be answered unequivocally. It all depends on literary addictions and the number of books already read. Someone reads exclusively classics. Someone interested in detectives. Someone like romantic prose.
In 2002, the Norwegian Book Club compiled a list of one hundred best books. This list includes the most significant works of world literature of all time. But it would be wrong for a person who is considering what book to read to offer this extensive list. This includes such works as The Decameron, A Thousand and One Nights, Aeneid, Faust, Iliad. This is all a classic of world literature. What book to read on the road? Definitely not the poem of Homer. However, fans of ancient literature re-read "The Odyssey" and "Iliad" all their lives.
What book to read to a teenager
Teenagers should first of all get acquainted with the works included in the school curriculum. However, these books, of course, are not enough. In 2012, a list of "100 books for students" was compiled. This list has been criticized by literary scholars and writers. Nevertheless, it includes works that are worth reading not only for teenagers, but also for adults. We will name some of them.
“And the night lasts longer than a century”
What book to read in your free time from household chores? This may be another detective Daria Dontsova or a complex work of classics. But everyone should get acquainted with the work of Chingiz Aitmatov, a writer who in 1980 published one of the most soulful novels in Soviet literature. This is a complex book that you cannot read in one go.
In the novel "And the night lasts longer than a century," events of the 20th century are shown. The author also tells an interesting and terrible legend about mankurts - people who fell into slavery and turned into soulless creatures. However, the most memorable storyline is perhaps the story of teacher Abdutalip, who was arrested in the early fifties on false charges.
"Odessa stories"
The heroes of Isaac Babel’s book are thieves and raiders. The leader of the gang is Benya Creek. The stories are filled with colorful images, the characters communicate with each other in a bizarre Odessa-thieves dialect. “Put my words in your ears,” the narrator says, and opens up a wonderful world to the reader - a world of bandits who always shoot in the air, not people, because if you shoot people, you can kill a person. ” To the question of which book to read at your leisure, you can safely answer - “Odessa Stories” by Babel.
"Moscow and Muscovites"
A collection of essays by Vladimir Gilyarovsky will be interesting even to those who have never been to the Russian capital. The book was written in the twenties of the last century. Where today high-rise hotels, shopping and office centers rise, there were slums a hundred years ago. Gilyarovsky talks about the inhabitants of Khitrovka, about Moscow cabmen, merchants, innkeepers.
It is worth saying that everything that the author told about is not fiction and not legends. Gilyarovsky was an extraordinary man: he knew every corner of Moscow, knew how to find a common language with both an important writer and a cunning thief. He did not write about what he knew only by hearsay. Of particular admiration for his regular visits to Hitrovka. Gilyarovsky became a guide to this terrible area, from which not everyone managed to get out alive. He also brought Stanislavsky here, thanks to which he managed to stage the play “At the Bottom”.
"Scarlet Sails"
What book to read to a teenager? Girls 10-12 years old will love the romantic work of Alexander Green. This book is also worth reading to adults. The story of the girl Assol, who dreamed of a prince who would sail for her on a ship with red sails, is encouraging, gives strength.
"Twelve Chairs"
The list of “100 books for schoolchildren” includes the famous novel by Ilf and Petrov. The Twelve Chairs was published in the 1920s. Regarding the creation of this book, there are so many legends that it is already difficult to distinguish where is fiction and where is truth. However, there is a version that the writing of a novel by young authors was inspired by Valentin Kataev - the brother of Yevgeny Petrov, the creator of “Two Captains” - and another adventure work that is worth recommending to a teenager.
"Conduit and Swabrania"
Soviet children rarely had a question about what interesting book a teenager could read. Almost every home library had works by Leo Cassil. Conduit and Swabrania is the story of two children who created an imaginary country. This state is located in the Pacific Ocean and is the size of Australia. Swabrania is a country that every adventurer dreams of. After all, it contains all the childhood dreams, inspired by the works of Fenimore Cooper and Jules Verne.
"Luzhin's defense"
This is a more complicated prose that not every teenager will be interested in. Which book can be read from those written by Vladimir Nabokov? The most famous work of a Russian writer is Lolita. However, among the books of Nabokov there are no less fascinating novels and novels. For example, "Mashenka", "Luzhin Defense." The latter is about a closed child who discovers chess at an early age. Since then, nothing makes sense to Luzhin: he has no other attachments and hobbies.
"Prince of Silver"
What book to read for the soul? As already mentioned, there is no universal answer to this question. Those who are interested in history, but do not like to read boring textbooks, can recommend the works of Alexei Tolstoy. "Prince of Silver" - a novel that tells of the Oprichnina. The main character returns from the Livonian War and discovers that in Moscow there have been a lot of changes. The robbers scurrying around the streets, who called themselves "royal people". Mass executions are carried out, innocent people, victims of denunciations and slander are killed every day. In the book of Tolstoy there are such historical figures as Athanasius Vyazemsky, Malyuta Skuratov.
We will name a few books by foreign authors that teenagers will like.
"The house in which ..."
The book tells the story of a boarding school for children with disabilities. The protagonist is a boy named Smoker, who is being transferred from another boarding school. A teenager has to adapt in an unfamiliar team. The young man learns the history of the House, meets other children. Events are not described in chronological order: the plot of past years is closely related to the present. The book has a fantastic component: tales, legends and myths. The author of the “House in which ...” is Mariam Petrosyan, a writer and artist of Armenian origin.
Series of books "Nina"
The plot is twisted around the girl Nina, who is fond of alchemy. Living with two aunts and pets in Madrid, she dreams of any changes in life. Suddenly, a friend calls her and reports that her grandfather is dead. The main character is extremely upset and soon moves to Venice to the Espasia villa, where her relative died. Nina finds out that his grandfather had many secrets related to alchemy, about which he did not tell anyone. The girl begins to study his notes and work. She makes friends and enemies, she gets fantastic knowledge and skills. The series includes six books, each of which describes the interesting adventures of Nina. The author of the work is the Italian writer Robert Rizzo, known under the pseudonym Muni Witcher.
Series of books "39 ​​keys"
Fourteen-year-old Amy and her eleven-year-old brother Dan are going to the funeral of their grandmother Grace. She was for them the closest person: parents died in a fire several years ago. The family of heroes is very large and influential. After meeting with Amy's unloved relatives, Dan, and a few others receive invitations to one of the halls of the mansion. There they are told that their family Cahill from ancient times has tremendous power, moving forward all spheres of the world. The heroes are given a choice: a huge amount of money or participating in a large-scale race to find 39 keys, at the end of which the winner will receive a prize that is not comparable to any wealth in the world.
The series includes 21 books. The authors are different writers. The plot of each part tells about a historical figure (scientist, composer, emperor and so on).
What books to read to a teenager not only for entertainment? There are many instructive works of mercy. For example, “Impatience of the Heart” by Zweig, R. Gallego “White on Black” and the books listed above.
What book to read for self-development?
The answer to this question is “Anyone.” Each book develops imagination, enriches vocabulary. However, recently the question “What book to read for self-development?” involves a list of works that give tips on making money:
- “Rich dad, poor dad” R. Kiyosaki.
- “The Quadrant of Cash Flow” R. Kiyosaki.
- “Seven Skills of Highly Effective People” S. Covey.
- “Think and Grow Rich” N. Hill.
Women's prose
What book to read about love? One of the best modern books is “See You” by Giorgio Moyes. The touching story of a girl who once meets a rich young man who is doomed to spend his whole life in a wheelchair is told in the work. This familiarity change them both.
Books of foreign authors written in the genre of female prose
- "Nineteen Minutes" by J. Pickolt.
- “The Secret of My Husband” by L. Moriarty.
- "The Secret World of a Shopaholic" by S. Kinsell.
- The Big Little Lie by Liana Moriarty.
What book should a woman read? One of the books of Victoria Tokareva. She has written many interesting works. Most of them are filmed. This writer is a bright representative of Russian women's prose. The most famous works of Tokareva are “A lesson in literature”, “Talisman”, “Instead of me”, “You are ...”, “My truth”, “Simple story”, “A tree on the roof”. Not all of these works leave in the soul only positive emotions. Among Tokarev’s books there are those that make you think and suggest sad thoughts. However, this is a sign of good literature.
What modern book to read? In one breath, the works of Dina Rubina, Lyudmila Ulitskaya are read. One of the most popular fiction writers remains Boris Akunin. Those who are familiar with his work should read Azazel, Turkish Gambit, and State Counselor.