One Night Stanzas

1. Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov, chosen by Lindis: “I had to read this for Uni and at first abhorred it. But I have a habit of preparing books that I know most others hated (and me, sometimes, too) for the exams, just so I can write about something different than everybody else. During exam preparation I delved deeper into the novel and its many layers of insanity and it captured me in a way I wouldn’t have thought possible. I still haven’t read Lolita, but I doubt it’ll be able to hold its own against Pale Fire.”

2. Maus by Art Spiegelman, chosen by Ally (also chosen by Suzannah): “This was the first serious literature I read in graphic novel form and it’s very powerful. It opens in 1970s New York with Art Spiegelman, the author, interviewing his dad, Vladek, a Polish holocaust survivor. Between interview scenes, we flashback to WWII, where a young Vladek narrates directly.

Including the 1970s interview sections works well, as Spiegelman’s awkward relationship with his dad becomes part of the story. In fact, Maus is several stories. It spans three generations of the Spiegelman family, traces the lifelong romance between Vladek and Anja (Spiegelman’s mother), and it’s Spiegelman’s own story, too, with his troubles in getting the story down, his childhood memories of mother, and his relationship with his girlfriend.

But chiefly it’s about the holocaust. Against the domestic backdrop and the thriving setting of 1920s/30s Poland, the terror of the Nazis’ rise to power is palpable. Love and hope are faint lights indeed in what follows for Vladek, but somehow they endure. I loved it.”

3. The Book Thief by Martin Zusak, chosen by Beth (also chosen by Morganne): “This book is completely sad from beginning to end. There is no other word for it. It’s completely unsettling throughout and there’s a constant sense of impending dread, it’s brilliant. Completely stuck in my mind since the day I read it.”

4. Dharma Bums By Jack Kerouac, chosen by Col: “Inevitably there would be a Kerouac book in any list of books that have had any sort of influence. This one, whilst perhaps not his best, and yes the second have cribs from Gary Snyder’s letters, but it is my favourite, I want to be climbing a moutain with them shouting haikus.”

5. The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, chosen by Morganne: “Defined my expectations of love. It’s a simple love story, in the middle of a complicated, well-thought out ’sci-fi’ novel (c’mon, you gotta give the author credit for even attempting to write this. I could have never, ever thought out a timelines for this book.) Plus, it introduced me to Egon Schiele.”

6. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, chosen by Suzannah: “Living in Yorkshire it would sort of be rude not to, but this book is evocative, passionate and dark. I think about it whenever I go anywhere on the moors (and sometimes dance around being Kate Bush).”

7. Vernon God Little by DBC Pierre, chosen by Daniel Watkins (soon to be an ONS Featured Poet!): “This, is on the list for the opposite reason [to the others]. It is the worst book I have ever read. I mean, Catcher in the Rye I found disappointing and Crash by JG Ballard was horrendous, but this … unforgivable. But unforgettably terrible, so it’s on the list.”

8. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold, chosen by Heather (also chosen by me): “The Lovely Bones was written about a rape that happened in a tunnel area at Syracuse University, which is where I am from. That was a very heartbreaking book.”

9. Little Women by Louisa May, chosen by Regina: “The number one book in my life — my mother gave me her copy that she had gotten as a Christmas present when a young girl from her father. It is my most cherished possession. I always wanted to be Beth.. except for the dying early part…”

10. Dracula by Bram Stoker, chosen by Lindis (also chosen by Daniel): “I never would have thought that this particular book is so damn good. Of course it is nowhere near as scary for us now as it would have been for a Victorian audience, simply because we know what´s coming. But it is funny and witty and gripping and just brilliant nontheless. And is it weird that I fancy old Van Helsing? No? Good.”

11. The Waste Land by T.S.Eliot, chosen by Suzannah: “This poem gets an entry on its own. People get bogged down in the Waste Land trying to reference every specific literary allusion. I choose not to read it like this; I like to let all the pieces of Shakespeare, Homer, Wagner etc blend into the massive incoherence and lack of meaning. It expresses disillusionment with established forms and an impulse to make things new. Plus, it is brilliant.”

12. Cancer Ward by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, chosen by Beth: “I’ve never ever been able to get into Russian Literature. I have tried, especially when I was studying Russian but I can’t be doing with 1000 page novels about LIFE AND EVERYTHING ELSE YOU CAN IMAGINE. Cancer Ward is possibly the only full length Russian novel I enjoyed, despite hating every single character and finding no affection for any of them!”

13. Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, chosen by Morganne: “What a fun book! I love that Twain wrote it in first person. I think this really allows you to submerge yourself in Huck Finn’s character. It’s not just for children! It’s for anyone who wants to be a child again, or have an adventure.”

14. Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman, chosen by Regina: “Do you know i have had this now for a while but never really picked it up to read it?! It’s sitting right in front of me, staring at me… read me, read me… I promise I will!”

15. Howl and Other Poems by Allen Ginsberg, chosen by Col: “Enough said.”

You can still do the 15 books meme, of course, and I am still nosily interested in what you pick, so make sure you link back!

(Photo by Wudzy)