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Magix Club's Forum _ Books _ Books to Read Before You Die

Posted by: W.I.N.X Mar 30 2010, 12:55 PM

Like the other threads, this is books to read before you die.

I'm tired now and really have to get to bed, but everyone else do start and I'll give in my 2 cents after getting some rest.

Posted by: P-girl Mar 30 2010, 1:16 PM

The Harry Potter Novels. And at least one Isaac Asimov book. Oooh, and J.R.R. Tolkien's 'The Hobbit'! I would place my favorite two books of all time here, but they're so obscure that even here in Holland, I'm probably the only one who knows them.

Posted by: Ranma Mar 30 2010, 5:14 PM

"The Harry Potter Books?" - I hope you aren't dieing of anything 'quick' at the time. It would take a while to get through all of them. Lol.

As for me -

Spice and Wolf.
Anne of Green Gables.
Of Mice and Men.
Great Expectations.
The Alchemist.

Posted by: dittadulla Mar 30 2010, 6:31 PM

Good thing that the Harry Potter novels are off my table xd But seriously, they were awesome.

I don't have anything I can think of at the moment though.

Posted by: P-girl Mar 30 2010, 6:38 PM

If you want quick fixes, how 'bout the Dutch 'Karakter'? It's short, to the point, and totally awesome. My favorite classic literature book. And while we're at it, how could I forget the three gothic classics; Frankenstein, Dracula and Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde?

Posted by: DeadInside Mar 30 2010, 7:24 PM

Neuromancer - William Gibson

Do Androids Dream of a Electric Sheep? - Philip K.D

The man in the high castle - Philip K.D

Foundation series - Asimov

...Yeah, I love Sci-fi and CyberPunk.....




Posted by: winxclubrox23 Mar 31 2010, 2:42 AM

There's so, so many! Here's one:

The Usual Rules. So. Good. It made me cry! It's basically about a girl losing her mother in the whole 9/11 incident.

Posted by: {§hani™} Mar 31 2010, 10:25 AM

ironicly, "Before i die" by Jenny Downham. lol
also The midnighters series, the Uglies series and the Peeps series by Scott Westerfeld, Paper towns & Looking for Alaska by John Greene.
Oh and of course the Harry Potter saga by none other than JK Rolling!


Posted by: winxclubrox23 Mar 31 2010, 11:16 PM

DUUUUUUDE! LOOKING FOR ALASKA IS AMAZING!

Posted by: {§hani™} Apr 2 2010, 8:37 AM

UHHH YEHHH ommggg!!!!! WOOOO you msut read Paper Towns, same auther its AWSOME!!

Posted by: P-girl Apr 2 2010, 8:44 AM

Screw it, they're good enough for my list:

Beet van de Demon (Bite of the Demon)
Nieuw Bloed (New Blood)

Both are barely a hundred pages long, they're choose-your-own-adventure books with an eleven year old boy turned horror-detective. But still, these books are AWESOME. I'm still surprised at how these books can describe so much in so little pages, especially concerning the 'Clients'. (Bite of the Demon: Gerald the Archeologist and accidental opener of a portal of doom. In New Blood: Raoul. Mad vampire scientist with some obvious issues considering he's the supernatural equilavent of a opressed minority.) And the demons.... by God the demons. Both the Moloch (Demons fought in the first book) and the Sons of the Seastar (Demons fought in the second) are by far some of the most terrifying creatures I've ever heard about. And that in a kid's book? I love Holland.

Posted by: winxclubrox23 Apr 2 2010, 9:32 PM

Scrambled Eggs at Midnight by Brad Barkley and Heather Hepler

I just finished it like, two days ago, but it's soooo good! The message is awesome, and it's got a really cute love story.

Posted by: Winx4eva! Apr 7 2010, 7:45 AM

The Cinnamon Tree - Aubrey Flegg

Its such a touching book. It's about a young teen, Yola, who lives in rural Africa. Her whole entire life changes when steps on a forgotten landmine from a civil war...

Posted by: winxclubrox23 Apr 7 2010, 11:55 PM

For Freedom- Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

It's based on a true story about a girl who was a spy for the Resistance during WWII.

Posted by: Jahnavi Apr 8 2010, 5:04 AM

Lolz. So I finally compiled my entire list. And I'm sure you Magixclubians are all healthy people, but as Ranma pointed out, anyone dying of something fast is going to have a tough time with this...it consists of around 35 individual books in total, and I plan on expanding it if and when I think of more. xD {Put in a spoiler box because the actual post turned out waaaaaay longer than I expected. >_>}

Spoiler!
Anyway, a few that need no introduction, and, for me, go without saying on a to-read-before-you-die list:

- The Harry Potter series, J. K. Rowling
- The Lord of the Rings series, J. R. R. Tolkien

A couple of classics:

- Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
- Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
- A Little Princess, Frances Hodgson Burnett
- The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett

{Oh, and please don't write these off as 18th/19th century versions of chick-lit. I've recommended these books to so many of my guy friends who refuse to read them for that reason. They're great books; you don't need to be a girl to read them. >_>}

- Heidi, Johanna Spyri
- Black Beauty, Anna Sewell
- The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, L. Frank Baum

{Totally grew up on these three. I literally have four or five copies of each of them lying around at home, which even my mom, who hates how I pile up useless stuff, lol, refuses to sell or anything. And The Wizard of Oz, especially, has a heck of a lot of sentimental value, for me. <3}

Another few books I've loved ever since I was little:

- The Ramona series, Beverly Cleary {As an author, she bases all her books on real-life experiences, and you can totally tell when you read them. They're probably some of the most simple, open, honest stories I've ever read, and at the same time, they're hilariously funny. And you can relate to so many incidents and characters in these books so easily.}
- Gooseberry Park, Cynthia Rylant {A children's book, strictly, but with a really beautiful story and a lot of witty writing.}

And a few which don't fall under any particular category together, but are just plain awesome:

- Journey to Jo'burg, Beverley Naidoo {A really moving story, about the journey of a little girl and her brother, who walk hundreds of kilometers from their village to the city of Johannesburg, to try and save their baby sister's life.}
- The Westing Game, Ellen Raskin {One the most creative and well thought-out plots ever. Sixteen different people are randomly chosen to live in an apartment building together. Then, they're all called to hear the will of millionaire, Sam Westing, and are mysteriously revealed to be his heirs. The group is divided into 8 pairs, each given a different set of clues. If they manage to solve the mystery of who killed Sam Westing, the winning pair inherits a 200 million dollar fortune.}
- The BFG, Roald Dahl {You will never speak English the same way again. xD}
- The Noughts & Crosses series, Malorie Blackman {A very powerful story about racism and apartheid, set in a fictional world where Crosses (black-skinned people) are dominant over noughts (white-skinned). But also definitely not meant for anyone under the age of thirteen, at the very least.}
- Chinese Cinderella, Adeline Yen Mah {It's the true story of the life and experiences of a girl growing up in China during the Second World War, who is considered an unwanted daughter. Her whole family (except her aunt and grandfather) blame her for her mother's death because her mother died shortly after giving birth to Adeline. She is very talented, but usually completely ignored, for this reason. Most of her family, especially her stepmother, put her down and treat her very poorly. It's horrible to think this is a true story, but Adeline manages to rise out of adversity, and is truly an inspiration.}

Posted by: Jahnavi Apr 9 2010, 7:41 AM

...No comments? Suggestions? Opinions? At all...?

Posted by: Winx4eva! Apr 9 2010, 8:06 AM

*Pops again*

I was tempted to read Noughts and Crosses actually... I think I have to wait a for another year or two...

Posted by: Jahnavi Apr 9 2010, 9:14 AM

I would recommend that. Especially towards the end, the content gets quite...mature.

Posted by: winxclubrox23 Apr 10 2010, 1:36 AM

Woo, good list Jah!

I agree with like 85% of it. The rest I either didn't like, or haven't read. I should make a list too!

Posted by: Jahnavi Apr 10 2010, 4:37 AM

Lol, which ones did you not like? I love hearing different opinions on books. 8D {And please do make a list. Jah likes lists~}

Posted by: winxclubrox23 Apr 11 2010, 7:03 AM

I loath Harry Potter. Absolutely loath. I read books 1-5 and have seen like, 3 of the movies, and I hated them all. Yes, I know. I'm a complete freak. Also, I wasn't a huge fan of Little Women.


Posted by: P-girl Apr 11 2010, 7:41 AM

Never say you feel like a freak for liking/not liking something that isn't the general concensus. I mean, I didn't like the Dark Knight. (Yes, I didn't like THAT movie), shouldn't make me feel like a freak (Altough I WILL retreat to my bunker for a bit now......)

Posted by: dittadulla Apr 11 2010, 10:53 AM

You're not a freak, Tea, Eragon is supposedly really popular and awesome but I really hate it.

Posted by: P-girl Apr 11 2010, 10:54 AM

And let's not forget the grandmommy of all conflicting opinions on the internet: Twilight. Some hate it, some love it.

Posted by: dittadulla Apr 11 2010, 11:41 AM

I hate Twilight. Alot of my friends love it, but I hate it. And I have valid reasons, but let's not get into that >_>

Posted by: W.I.N.X Apr 11 2010, 12:44 PM

Twilight=haet, and rants the size of my anti-Phantom sequel ones*, but of more coherity.

*See blog

Posted by: winxclubrox23 Apr 11 2010, 9:15 PM

QUOTE (dittadulla @ Apr 11 2010, 03:53 AM) *
You're not a freak, Tea, Eragon is supposedly really popular and awesome but I really hate it.


Oh. THAT. Yes, that was probably the greatest disappointment I've encountered movies based on books wise.

Posted by: dittadulla Apr 11 2010, 9:45 PM

... well, I tried to read the book like thrice. I haven't made it past like I don't know... first 100 pages? And I'm stuck with the book because I got it for christmas in '08.

Posted by: Jahnavi Apr 12 2010, 6:58 AM

As far as books go, Twilight was probably the biggest disappointment ever, imo. 'Nuff said. {Oh, and I liked the first two books in the Eragon series...not a big fan of the third. Which is actually supposed to be the most popular. So you're not a freak at all, Teagosaurus.}

Posted by: winxclubrox23 Apr 12 2010, 11:06 PM

I haven't even read the third. I wasn't really a huge fan of the 2nd. The first was awesome though.

And now, my list. Some are quite self explanatory.

The Usual Rules- Joyce Maynard (About a girl going through the struggles of losing her mom in 9/11. It's written amazingly, and it made me cry.)

For Freedom- Kimberly Brubaker Bradley (About a girl who was a spy for the Resistance in WWII)

The Inkheart Trilogy- Cornelia Funke (They're amazing. That's all I can say.)

The Books of Pellinor- Allison Croggen (I don't even know how to describe these. Um, they're about a girl name Maerad. There, how's that? I'm sure if you enjoy the Wizard of Oz and/or Wicked, you'd like these.)

The Oz Books -L. Frank Baum (No, not just the Wizard of Oz. Read them ALL. There's 12 I do believe. I've read 8 I think, and all of them are fab. Strange, but fab.)

Alice in Wonderland- Charles Lutwidge Dodgson

The Secret Garden- Frances Hodgson Burnett

Black Beauty - Anna Sewell

Maximum Ride Series. - James Patterson (Okay, so 4 and 6 aren't that hot, but it's a good series.)

My Sister's Keeper- Jodi Picoult (About a girl who sues her parents for medical emancipation when she is expected to donate a kidney to her sister who has leukemia. If you've seen the movie, great. Good for you. The book is 500 times better.)

Also, anything Sara Dessen has written. Every single book of her's I've read, I've never been disappointed.






Posted by: W.I.N.X Apr 13 2010, 3:47 AM

For Tea's list I agree with most of books under the Wizard of Oz(I've only read 3 of these though, most of them are REALLY hard to find here), but I haven't read all of the Maximum Ride books, which I don't really like or dislike. Lost interest after the second book. I really enjoyed the Alex Cross adult thriller books by James Patterson though. I haven't read any Sarah Dessen either.

For Jahn's list, everything down to again, the Wizard of Oz, minus Heidi, which I've only technically read a picture book version. I've read one Ramona book, which I liked, but wasn't really drawn to the others. And I liked Noughts and Crosses. Great series. The rest I haven't read, butI've been meaning to read the Westing Game.

Posted by: P-girl Apr 13 2010, 5:21 AM

Didn't Lewis Carrol write Alice in Wonderland?

Posted by: Jahnavi Apr 13 2010, 5:43 AM

Yup, but Lewis Carroll was a pseudonym, lol. His real name was Charles Lutwidge Dodgson~

Posted by: DeadInside Apr 13 2010, 6:28 AM

Did someone already mention "the Odyssey" and "the iliad"?
I think they should be here too.

One question... is That "Lewis Carroll" is the same "Lewis Carroll" the Photographer? eer.... the pedophile Photographer?
LOL

Offtopic:
Also. now that someone mention Twilight, did anyone of you look a that "Wings" BS? the little i hear sound like a lame WxClb ripoff, but don't know.... well, actually i don't care

Posted by: Jahnavi Apr 13 2010, 6:33 AM

...Uh, according to Wikipedia...yes. But I suggest we drop that matter at this, it's not exactly an MC-appropriate topic.

Posted by: {§hani} Apr 13 2010, 9:13 AM

yeah agreed. OH UM heidi = classic ♥

i dont really like Jodi Picoult i mean she's emotional its sad yada yada but to be honest i dont like it. Its lacks for me, but then again im a bit strange when it comes to books.

And i will not, not figgen ever touch a twilight book EVER! i read a sentence and felt a part of my brain die. >.< sorry twili fans but nope never.

Posted by: dittadulla Apr 13 2010, 5:04 PM

I have a series that just now I remembered. I don't see exactly why I forgot it.

His Dark Materials (trilogy) - Philip Pullman (The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, The Amber Spyglass)

Posted by: DeadInside Apr 13 2010, 8:42 PM

Another Sci-Fi one... "Ender's Game"

*Sorry about that, i read it on a text of my photography class and wanted to know if anyone knows if it was true... ok, its buried.

**And why are you so mean about twilight... i mean I'm sure that its the best trilogy books for a dark cold outdoor night...
Yeah, I mean.. make them a pile and set them on fire, you will be warm and with light for a while, i think that you don't even need gasoline to keep it burning... the B.S works as fuel LOL

Posted by: P-girl Apr 13 2010, 8:47 PM

I think I read an avatar like that once:
I love Twilight!
The books make a good bonfire.

I found a bunch of these, but I know there are some Twilight fans on the board, and I don't want to spread any negativity.

Posted by: winxclubrox23 Apr 14 2010, 4:24 AM

QUOTE (W.I.N.X @ Apr 12 2010, 08:47 PM) *
For Tea's list I agree with most of books under the Wizard of Oz(I've only read 3 of these though, most of them are REALLY hard to find here),


Aw, really? They were all lined up all nice in my school library so I just started working my way through them. And that's actually something, because my library has nothing ever.

Ohmagod, I forgot a very important series!

The Hunger Games Series- Suzanne Collins (Definitely what I like to call a can't-put-down-until-you're-finished-even-if-it's-3am-and-your-about-to-pass-out-from-exhaustion kind of book.)

Posted by: W.I.N.X Apr 14 2010, 8:46 AM

QUOTE (winxclubrox23 @ Apr 14 2010, 02:24 PM) *
Aw, really? They were all lined up all nice in my school library so I just started working my way through them. And that's actually something, because my library has nothing ever.

Well, I lied. SOME are incredibly hard to track down, others are insane prices. Out of printness in Australia.

Posted by: Jahnavi Apr 15 2010, 6:50 AM

Some books are hard to find here too. That's why I love my Amazon Kindle. *huggles it* 8D

Posted by: Jahnavi Apr 22 2010, 7:59 AM

Ooh, and sorry for the double post, but I thought of another book to add to my list, if anyone's still interested...

Chinese Cinderella, Adeline Yen Mah {It's the true story of the life and experiences of a girl growing up in China during the Second World War, who is considered an unwanted daughter. Her whole family (except her aunt and grandfather) blame her for her mother's death because her mother died shortly after giving birth to Adeline. She is very talented, but usually completely ignored, for this reason. Most of her family, especially her stepmother, put her down and treat her very poorly. It's horrible to think this is a true story, but Adeline manages to rise out of adversity, and is truly an inspiration.}

Posted by: Boo May 1 2010, 9:16 PM

Johnny Got His Gun by Dalton Trumbo.
It is an anti-war novel published in 1939 (and was actually banned during certain time periods, if I recall). A definite must-read.

To put it simply, that is the most disturbing and powerful book I've ever read in my life. It has impacted me so greatly: it pulls at your heart and forces an emotional reaction from you. It brings tears to your eyes at some points, makes your blood boil at others, and also brings you to reflect on your own life.

It honestly has changed the very way I look at war and at life.

Posted by: winxclubrox23 Jun 15 2013, 5:48 AM

The Birth House - Ami McKay

I've only started to read this last night, but I haven't been able to put it down. It's about a girl in Nova Scotia who's apprenticing as a midwife during WWI.

Posted by: musa225 Aug 1 2013, 2:09 PM

The Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind

Posted by: Ranma Aug 19 2013, 3:30 AM

I read the Uglies recently. It was pretty good.
I got halfway through Pretties, but then life hit me in the face and I haven't read much since then.

Hmmm. I like Emily the Strange.

Posted by: musa225 Aug 24 2013, 1:40 PM

Love the Uglies series!

another good series is, Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead