Merhaba!
As I am pretty sure there are many of us reading more than the "incoming messages to our mobiles", I kindly ask you to answer the follwing two questions (maybe in this way we could stir the desire to read in others, too):

a) what are you reading now?
b) what would be the books you would recommend?(your top 3)

Mines would be:
a) Amin Maalouf- Samarkand
b) Herman Hesse- The Glass Bead Game (Master of the Game)
Jose Saramago- The Gospel according to Jesus Christ
Mircea Eliade- With the Gypsy Girls

Merhaba Julia!
Unfortunately, spending like 12 hours/day at work doesnt offer me too much free time for reading books I hope that maybe next year, i will be able to enclose this reading wish in my plans
The books i would recommend are:
1.)Love towards the neighbour - Pascal Bruckner
2.)Scarlet Letter - Nathaniel Hawthorne
3.)Emily Bronte - Wuthering Heights
My list would be longer if i were to add some of the best writers and their books from the romanian literature..

Maria

Like Mary said, I also don't have the luxury of free time during the day. But I definately MAKE some time at night, to read a good book. The subjects vary. From history to science and from romance to horror. There have been nights when I didn't sleep at all, in order to finish a book.

My list would be too long, if I could include greek literature, which is my favorite. But as I can't, here are my all time favorites by foreign authors (excuse me for placing a list with more than 3 items ):

- Precious Bane by Mary Webb
- The whitest flower by Brendan Graham
- Virgin's Knot by Holly Payne
- Lıke Water for chocolate by Laura Esquivel
- Zahir - Paulo Coelho
- Eleven minutes - Paulo Coelho

Recently I added Dan Brown's Angels and deamons to my fav list. A very interesting and captivating piece of writing.

The first title that comes to mind is Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates. It was written in 1960, republished a couple of years ago, and it's in my top3 of fav books I think. I'd have to think really hard to find a book that touched me as much as this one did.

More to follow..

I am currently reading "Mein Kampf" by Adolf Hitler. The book is banned in many countries, including Germany. In countries with constitutional protections against such censorship, those who do not want people to read Mein Kampf have also pressured bookstores, including Barnes & Noble and even Amazon, to stop selling the book. Some other book stores have chosen not to carry the book. It took me awhile to find it and I successfuly have. I do not endorse or admire Hitler in any means, just curious what his thoughts and behaviors were that led him in to great power. I will say he was a terrible writer, even though he prides himself with his writing. You really have to take the time with this book to comprehend what he is feeling and understand his thoughts. I'm finding it a difficult read, but determined to get through it.

Favorite Book & Movie: The Outsiders: Author S.E. Hinton
Great Book: One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest: Author Ken Kesey

Currently i am reading

Crime and Punishment by Dostoyevski... its a classic and i loved it...

the books i can recommend is Lord of the Rings series if you like fantasy.
if you like "crime/mystery" Jean-Christophe Grange will be a good choice...

i have put "zahir" on my list now

One of the most beautiful and impressive books I read lately is 'The House of the Mosque' by Kader Abdolah. His book gave me enormous information about Iran nowadays and in the past, the Qu'ran (he quotes texts in it), eastern society. Besides information it touched me because of all the relational problems he describes.

His publisher says: Kader Abdolah is a phenomenon in Dutch literature. In his latest novel, he escorts the reader as a guest to a powerful, prominent family in Teheran. The fortunes of the family in the opulent house that is connected with the mosque coincide with the contemporary history of Iran. The House of the Mosque is a multifaceted novel about the affluence of Iranian culture, the heart of Islam and the resilience of humanity. Kader Abdolah, a pseudonym, was born in Iran and went as a refugee (with in between a stay of 1,5 year in Ankara) to the Netherlands in 1988. He learned Dutch by reading children’s books and now only write in Dutch.

i just wanted to say that;

i bought "Zahir" by Paulo Coelho on friday evening before the bookstore closes...

started last night...
and it was finished by morning...

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close - Jonathan Safran Foer

I'm not even halfway yet, but I can safely say that this book is brilliant.

Salonica, city of ghosts by Mark Mazower.

Absolutely amazing! I have never read such a well written, unprejudiced book about the coexistence of Greeks and Turks, Christians and Muslims.

As a reader is mentioning in his comments about the book,
"Salonika was an anachronism. Unlike most of Europe, where nations had been formed around a major city or a capital, and where ethnic and religious minorities had been absorbed, expelled, killed, or at least marginalized in some fashion, in Salonika different groups lived shoulder to shoulder for over 400 years".

I would highly recommend it to 'anyone with an interest in Greek or Turkish history. This should also appeal to readers with a general interest in the subject of nationalism and national identity.'

House of Leaves - Mark Z. Danielewski

Probably the strangest most sinister book I have ever read. I have not finished it yet but am gripped by it. Just a flick through the pages tells you this is no ordinary haunted house novel - pages are covered in clips, codes and upsidedown patchworks of words while others are completely blank or have just one word or symbol on them. You are there to solve a sub-plot puzzle.

The first page reads only "This is not for you" where a dedication would normally be. Ostentatious or genius? I can't yet decide on this book, but I can't put it down!

You will either love or loathe this book but you will not forget it!!

I would highly recommend "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee. It is my all time favorite book. The author won the Pulitzer Prize for it, but it was her only novel.
Teaschip - I also love The Outsiders!

I'm currently reading 2 different books. They are:

1) Just another kid by Torey Hayden (I've also read 3 of her other books - "One child", ""the tiger's child" and "Ghost girl"). I have to say though her true life stories are emotional, and sickening at points, they are very good to read.

2) Angels and Demons by Dan Brown (also have his other books - "The Da Vinci code", "Deception point", and "Digital fortress").

I've read very many books and from very different ranges.
Here are a few I've read in 2006:

All the Harry Potter books (it was the thing to do at the time!) Seriously though they are great to read, especially for the imagination.

All of Dave Pelzer books and also his brother's book, Richard Pelzer. Very emotional and moving.

Chronicals of Narnia - It was a very long book (over 750 pages) but I thought it was a good one all the same

What ever you say I am, The life and times of Eminem by Anthony Bozza - It was ok but admittedly not the best book I've read, actually I didn't end up reading all of it.

Anne of gree ngables - For people, generally women who like happy endings. Kind of like a cinderella story. It has been reprinted 41 times in one country alone since it was first published.

"Romeo and Juliet" and "Hamlet" By none other than Shakespeare

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck - Quite good but wouldn't really read again.

I have also read some great poetry books though I can't remember them at this very moment

Ok I think I am going to stop there, sorry to name more than 3 by the way but I read way to much but I love it
If there is any more I can think of or pass my mind I'll let you all know

I tend to read real life stories or biographies, here are some recent and not so recent ones I have read that I would recommend:

Wild Swans by Jung Chang, she has written this book about the life of her grandmother, her mother and herself and their lives in China pre and post Communism, charting the history or China and the opression of Mao. It took me a long time to read but was well worth it.

The Mystery of Olga Checkova by Antony Beevor - an interesting story of a very intriguing woman, full of mystery.

Forget you had a Daughter by Sandra Gregory. A true story about an English woman, and many of you might remember her, who got caught trafficking drugs in Thailand. But read the book and you find that not is all at is seems. This woman ended up really as a scape goat.

Call Me Elizabeth by Dawn Annandale. A true story about a woman who became a high class prostitute in order to get enough money to care for her children in the way she wanted and to send them to private school. Although the authenticity of the contents of the book has been questioned, after she has been involved in a false rape claim.

finally,

The Long Way Round by Charley Boorman and Ewan McGregor. A travel diary of their epic journey by motonike around the world. I loved this book as you see two very ordinary men and their feelings. It is written individually. I also have the DVD.

My current book is Istanbul Memories of a City by Orham Pamuk. I am finding it hard going, not my usual book in a couple of days or so. But it is a book you can put down and pick again so long as you stop at the end of a chapter!

i recently finished reading "The Black Book" by Orhan Pamuk and it was a bit difficult
now i am reading his book "Snow"
i am still at the begenning but it seems good

I'm currently reading "On Chesil Beach" , Ian McEwan's latest short novel, and I'm having a hard time to put it away at night in order to get enough sleep It's a beautiful, poignant book.

I'm currently reading Nicholas Sparks' The Rescue.

My top 3 favourites are:
The Wedding - Nicholas Sparks
Message In A Bottle - Nicholas Sparks
Nights in Rodanthe - Nicholas Sparks

I'm a hopeless romantic, thus these favourites

Im currently reading 'Birds without wings' by Louis deBerniéres (the author of Captain Correllis Mandoline, a book that has also captivated me and for that the film could not touch me as deeply).

Birds without wings describes a village in the west coast of Turkey, where Greeks and Turks, Muslims and Christian live peacefully next to each other. On different chapters, the book gives a biography of Mustafa Kemal, and eventually brings the Gallipolli war to this village and the peaceful life is disturbed. It describes the idyllic life of the villagers, love, and the war. I think it is magnificently written in every sense, with a perfect eye for detail and feeling. It is a book that is rather hard to put away and keeps sleep miles away from the eyes.

I've nearly finished it, but Im trying to keep it slow so that I can enjoy this wonderful book longer