by:
MAJOR, DAVID C.
MAJOR, JOHN S.

Publisher:
Ballantine Books
Published:May 29, 2001
ISBN:0345439945
Format:Paperback
Pages:336

Description: From Publishers Weekly
Beyond engrossing stories and pretty language, good books offer "a sense of having participated in much of what is finest in human culture," assert David C. Major and John S. Major (coauthor of The New Lifetime Reading Plan) in 100 One-Night Reads: A Book Lover's Guide. Though some recommendations may take longer than one night (e.g., The Hobbit), they are all enjoyable, tasteful, educational. Greene's Our Man in Havana, Wharton's Madame de Treymes, Achebe's Things Fall Apart, Roth's Portnoy's Complaint and Cather's Death Comes for the Archbishop exemplify the authors' canonical taste. Some newer titles, like Vikram Seth's The Golden Gate and Dava Sobel's Longitude, also appear. Most of the selections are fiction, but humor and memoir also weigh in; poetry is excluded. Book groups will appreciate the recommendations as well as the authors' brief essay on each one.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Product Description:
Readers everywhere know that nothing soothes the spirit like sinking into a really good book. If you're one of that happy band, you'll quickly recognize the authors of this inspired reading guide as kindred spirits. Here David and John Major have chosen one hundred books that can each be delightfully consumed in one quiet evening. Covering categories from fantasy to fiction, history to humor, mystery to memoir, this addictive volume features books to match all your moods--by both celebrated writers and gifted unknowns, including

and#184; Russell Baker and#184; Willa Cather and#184; Raymond Chandler and#184; F. Scott Fitzgerald and#184; Graham Greene and#184; Edith Hamilton and#184; Dashiell Hammett and#184; Helene Hanff and#184; Ernest Hemingway and#184; Patricia Highsmith and#184; Shirley Jackson and#184; Henry James and#184; W. Somerset Maugham and#184; Mary McCarthy and#184; Walter Mosley and#184; Vladimir Nabokov and#184; Patrick O'Brian and#184; Barbara Pym and#184; Phillip Roth and#184; Vikram Seth and#184; Isaac Bashevis Singer and#184; C. P. Snow and#184; Dylan Thomas and#184; Evelyn Waugh and#184; Edith Wharton and#184; Laura Ingalls Wilder and#184; Virginia Woolf

Each selection contains an entertaining discussion of what makes the book special, from an adventurous writing style to a unique sense of humor. The Majors also share insights about the authors and literary anecdotes, as well as recommend other gems on a similar subject or by the same author.

A literary companion to relish and refer to again and again, 100 One-Night Reads is a masterpiece in its own right!