Jaybee Posted February 5, 2014 Share Posted February 5, 2014 Have any of you read this? Sounds interesting. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1626360928?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creativeASIN=1626360928&linkCode=xm2&tag=fidelitas-20 In today’s world it seems that everywhere we turn we are saturated with book recommendations from talk shows, magazines, radio shows, friends, and top ten lists. But which books are really the best, and what effects do the books we read have on our intelligence? The Torchlight List has the answers. A professor for over forty years, Jim Flynn was concerned when he saw that his students were reading less and less. He decided to compile a list of recommendations for them, which expanded to include two hundred titles that transport the reader into a magic realm of knowledge and imagination. The books must also shed light on human psychology, history, science, or philosophy: the concepts needed to comprehend the complexities of the modern world.The list, named in honor of Flynn’s uncle who read by torchlight onboard a ship during WWI, is divided by geographical area. Flynn offers a brief explanation on the history each book deals with and comments on the plots with humor and wit. He bets each reader that at least one of the five first titles will change his or her life. This is a book that will inspire you to reread books you love, and to discover and relish many new ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted February 6, 2014 Share Posted February 6, 2014 I hadn't heard of this book, so thank you for mentioning it. I see that my library already owns it, so I've put in a hold request. Interestingly, I see that the author teaches at the same college in New Zealand where my college daughter did her study abroad semester! Small world. Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaybee Posted February 7, 2014 Author Share Posted February 7, 2014 Kareni, I saw a mention of it somewhere, so I looked it up, and read the intro. sample. It intrigued me, but I keep thinking, "Do I 'really' need another book that tells me I need a lot of other new books?" :tongue_smilie: I'm thinking the answer is probably yes. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 I'm with you, Jaybee. I love books about books. I picked this one up from the library today but have yet to dip into it: The Novel Cure: From Abandonment to Zestlessness: 751 Books to Cure What Ails You by Susan Elderkin and Ella Berthoud "A novel is a story transmitted from the novelist to the reader. It offers distraction, entertainment, and an opportunity to unwind or focus. But it can also be something more powerful—a way to learn about how to live. Read at the right moment in your life, a novel can—quite literally—change it. The Novel Cure is a reminder of that power. To create this apothecary, the authors have trawled two thousand years of literature for novels that effectively promote happiness, health, and sanity, written by brilliant minds who knew what it meant to be human and wrote their life lessons into their fiction. Structured like a reference book, readers simply look up their ailment, be it agoraphobia, boredom, or a midlife crisis, and are given a novel to read as the antidote. Bibliotherapy does not discriminate between pains of the body and pains of the head (or heart). Aware that you’ve been cowardly? Pick up To Kill a Mockingbird for an injection of courage. Experiencing a sudden, acute fear of death? Read One Hundred Years of Solitude for some perspective on the larger cycle of life. Nervous about throwing a dinner party? Ali Smith’s There but for The will convince you that yours could never go that wrong. Whatever your condition, the prescription is simple: a novel (or two), to be read at regular intervals and in nice long chunks until you finish. Some treatments will lead to a complete cure. Others will offer solace, showing that you’re not the first to experience these emotions. The Novel Cure is also peppered with useful lists and sidebars recommending the best novels to read when you’re stuck in traffic or can’t fall asleep, the most important novels to read during every decade of life, and many more. Brilliant in concept and deeply satisfying in execution, The Novel Cure belongs on everyone’s bookshelf and in every medicine cabinet. It will make even the most well-read fiction aficionado pick up a novel he’s never heard of, and see familiar ones with new eyes. Mostly, it will reaffirm literature’s ability to distract and transport, to resonate and reassure, to change the way we see the world and our place in it." Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaybee Posted February 7, 2014 Author Share Posted February 7, 2014 :willy_nilly: Ahhh, not another one! :) Too much temptation! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nerdybird Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 Here is a link to an older edition of the books. 3.5 stars. Not sure I'd buy it. *shrug* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaybee Posted February 7, 2014 Author Share Posted February 7, 2014 That's helpful, Nerdybird. The new edition doesn't have reviews yet. I think I will hold off as well. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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