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Sometime last month, I put up a post on the facebook page (Yes, you need to go and ‘like‘ it otherwise you miss out on all the book related updates!) asking people for their recommendations. So here is the first ‘Readers Recommend’ post. Find below some of the books recommended by readers of this blog:

1. At Home: A Short History of Private Life by Bill Bryson

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Abhiroop Banerjee, is reading  At Home: A Short History of Private Life by Bill Bryson. He recommends this book and says, “This book is a rambling, indulgent look at the history of everyday domestic life that sheds brilliant new light on mundane things that we now take for granted, e.g. salt and ice, bathrooms and plumbing, privacy and soap, bedrooms and kitchens, cupboards and chairs, and so much more. While I don’t read much non-fiction, Bryson is a hot favorite because of his insatiable curiosity and the lengths he goes to feed it!”

Quotes from the book:

“I refer of course to the soaring wonder of the age known as the Eiffel Tower. Never in history has a structure been more technologically advanced, materially obsolescent, and gloriously pointless all at the same time.”

“So, if people didn’t settle down to take up farming, why then did they embark on this entirely new way of living? We have no idea – or actually, we have lots of ideas, but we don’t know if any of them are right. According to Felipe Fernández-Armesto, at least thirty-eight theories have been put forward to explain why people took to living in communities: that they were driven to it by climatic change, or by a wish to stay near their dead, or by a powerful desire to brew and drink beer, which could only be indulged by staying in one place.”

Abhiroop lives in New Delhi, loves books and harbors a secret affection for cows. 😛

Buy links for At Home: A Short History of Personal Life by Bill Bryson.

2. I know why the caged bird sings by Maya Angelou

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Maya Angelou is a wonderful poet and one of the greatest voices of contemporary literature. The book has been on my wish list since a long time and I am hoping to buy it soon when I finish with some of the books I have now.

Shreya liked it for the “author’s style of writing making it a great read for an autobiography and her vivid descriptions of her childhood struggle through racism and trauma.”

Quotes from the book:

“Ritie, don’t worry ’cause you ain’t pretty. Plenty pretty women I seen digging ditches or worse. You smart. I swear to God, I rather you have a good mind than a cute behind.”

“But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams
his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream
his wings are clipped and his feet are tied so he opens his throat to sing.

The caged bird sings with a fearful trill
of things unknown but longed for still
and his tune is heard on the distant hill
for the caged bird sings of freedom.”

Shreya Thakur lives in Surat and is currently reading Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell.

Buy links for I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou:

3. Oh, the Places you’ll go by Dr. Seuss

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Theodore Seuss Geizel was an American poet and cartoonist, widely known for his children’s picture books, written and illustrated under the name Dr. Seuss. ‘Oh, the places you’ll go’ is the perfect philosophical book but at the same time amazingly simple.

Akshay Jain recommends this book, saying,”It’s an easy, fifteen minute read, which inspires us to explore the unknown and live at the edge !”

Quotes from the book:

“And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)

KID, YOU’LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!

So…
be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray
or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O’Shea,
you’re off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So…get on your way!”

Akshay Jain is an engineer by education, lives in Ahmedabad and is currently reading Games People Play : The Psychology of Human Relationships by Eric Berne.

Buy links for Oh, the places you’ll go by Dr. Seuss:

I aim to make Readers Recommend a permanent feature on the blog. So, all you need to do is LIKE the facebook page and post a book recommendation along with what you are currently reading on the timeline. If you have a blog too, please do not forget to include the link to your blog! You can also follow me on twitter and tweet your recommendation.