I need book recommendations.

[Evoman]

I want to buy my Masters supervisor a nice present for Christmas because he has been such a good mentor. Now, I do know he likes good fiction, and is a fan of great writing, so I'd like to get him a good book. Anything you guys recommend?

I don't want necessarily want any "genre" recommendations....science fiction, horror, fantasy, etc. However, if they are superb literature, I don't mind.

To be honest, I like to mostly read crap so I'm not a great finder of literature. I do like Faulkner, etc, but I'm guessing he has already read the older, finer literature that I know off. And please...not M. Atwood!

We got some great minds here on DU...I hope you don't mind me picking them.

[redqueen]

1. At Swim: Two Boys by Jamie O'Neill

LOVED that book. I'll be reading it over and over, I know. It's a love story about two boys coming of age in Ireland at the time of the Easter uprising. Gorgeous, gorgeous writing.

[Evoman]

2. Thanks!

I'm gonna write these all down before I go to Chapters.

[redqueen]

5. If he's a fan of literature I'm sure he'll love it.

It. Is. Beautiful.

[Book Lover]

3. What are his interests?

What have you seen on his bookshelf? What is your master's program? And why not Atwood?

[Evoman]

11. Professor of Biology.

He likes Canadian authors...one of his favs, I think, is Graham Swift. Although, I'm scared of getting him one of Swifts books because he has read many of them.

[Book Lover]

12. It's not fiction, but you might take a look at Botany of Desire

or any other Pollan book. Or you could go in an entirely different direction and try poetry (Alex Boyd or Mark Strand). Hope this was helpful!

[FloridaJudy]

4. Water for Elephants

by Sara Gruen.http://www.amazon.com/Water-Elephants-Novel-Sara-Gruen/dp/1565124995

It's a saga of the great depression, a treatise on animal rights, and a thrilling mystery. Not great literature, perhaps, but very well written and engaging.

[Aristus]

6. "The Seed And The Sower" by Sir Laurence Van Der Post.

The most quietly beautiful, poetic, moving war novel ever written (All Quiet On The Western Front excepted). It's my favorite novel.

The movie "Merry Christmas, Mister Lawrence" is based loosely on this book.

I can't recommend it highly enough.

[Fire Walk With Me]

7. Riddley Walker.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riddley_Walker

No trubba.

[Wetzelbill]

8. I always recommend "Fools Crow" by James Welch

Gorgeous novel, richly researched, it was the LA Times Book Award winner for the year it was released. It's about a young medicine man growing up and coming into his own with a band of Blackfeet Indians. He has visions of the dismal future, including the Baker Massacre, which the Blackfeet tribe never fully recovered from.

[MrCoffee]

9. Random Acts of Senseless Violence by Jack Womack

The best novel I have ever read, without question. Womack's literary voice is unparalleled in this coming-of-age near future dystopia. I've read it at least a dozen times and always a different part moves me to tears.

Cory Doctorow's review

Jo Walton's review

Paul Melko's review

[Evoman]

10. thanks everybody...looks like some good suggestions.

[applegrove]

13. Solomon Gursky Was Here by Mordicai Richler. Rated as one of the top

100 books of all time.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

14. Black Boy by Richard Wright

I'm re-reading it now.....a great read

[ElsewheresDaughter]

15. Ishmael by Daniel Quinn

[YankeyMCC]

16. If you're able and willing to spend how about

A collector edition of a book you know he likes from a place like this: http://brattlebookshop.com/

Although I know what it's like being a grad student so perhaps that isn't practical due to the money :) But what the heck I thought I'd suggest it a mentor like that would deserve it if you could.

[UndertheOcean]

17. A good beautifully bound set of all of Shakespeare's comedies , tragedies and sonnets

A gift for a lifetime