reccomend any books???

[Guest ikaj]

A common question in an interview might be-what is your favorite book and why...

 

The last book I read for leisure was before I started highschool! So I don't have an answer for that.

 

I like to read, but now a days I don't have much free time...when I do...I like to spend it with friends and family.

 

Anyhow...if you guys have any suggestions of a great book I could read- a book that you have related to in some way please reply to this posting.

[Guest aneliz]

Anyone that is thinking of medicine should read

 

"The House of God" by Samuel Shem

ISBN: 0440133688

 

It was written in the late 70's so it is a bit dated BUT it is still very relevant.

[Guest peachy]

I really only read non-textbooks during the summer ... but I was asked in my U of T interview about the last book I read, and I totally couldn't remember. I just had no answer for them. I agonized about it afterwards, but I got in, so they can't have minded THAT much. :lol

 

Anyways, thanks for the suggestion, aneliz, I'm gonna pick it up ... it's only ten bucks from chapters.indigo.ca.

[Guest batman]

on the meds topic, or rather neurology...here's two interesting ones: "The man who mistook his wife for a hat" and or "an anthropologist on mars" by Oliver Sacks....

 

btw peachy - is your first name 3 letters?

[Guest peachy]

check your ezinbox, batman, I sent you a message.

[Guest UWOMED2005]

I just read "Life of Pi," by Yann Martel. Pretty good. . . I think it's the first Canadian novel to win the Booker prize in a while. I really liked the ending. It was interesting reading the main character went to U of T and was almost the gold medallist. . . sounded like it could have been one of my classmates!

 

But, no, it's not my favourite book. That would be "Power of One," by Bryce Courtanay, followed by "100 years of solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

[Guest therealcrackers]

A few that might make your list as well;

 

"The Cunning Man" by Robertson Davies; his last complete book, and about medicine, too...

 

"Even Cowgirls Get The Blues" by Tom Robbins; maybe tough to get into, but a wild ride.

 

"Foundation", "Foundation and Empire", "Second Foundation" and "Foundation's Edge" by Isaac Asimov. I don't read a lot of science fiction, but these books had me HOOKED.

 

anything by Elmore Leonard, W.P.Kinsella (especially the Ermineskin Reserve stories) or John Irving.

[Guest Chieka]

My favourites include:

 

The Periodic Table by Primo Levi (Levi was a chemist and an Italian Jew living during the Second World War)

 

As for Me and My House by Sinclair Ross (a Canadian gem )

 

The Colour Purple by Alice Walker (the narrative of a Black woman living in the American south)

 

Emma by Jane Austen

 

Adam Bede by George Elliot

 

C.

[Guest doctorfunk]

Good call on Life of Pi and Marquez.

 

Additional suggestions:

 

If you're feeling quirky, try A Confederacy of Dunces.

 

Something medically oriented: Complications - A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science.

 

And one must not overlook The Little Prince!

[Guest sally2001]

hi,

it all depends what subjects you're interested in reading. i read a book called "technopoly" by neil postman. it was interesting. it's about how all this information that we have access to isn't necessarily making society better, basically we're so overloaded with info that we don't know what to do with it. postman is a social critic, so just a little heads up for you.

 

i recently read "surely you're joking mr.feynman!". Another interesting read if you're into physics (esp theoretical phys) or engineering etc. he was a nobel laureate in 1965 but he is so weird that he's not your typical scientist. definately a genius though and many parts you'll laugh out loud becuase the anecdotes and the style are just so funny. it's a narrative book meaning he's told the stories to his friend (r.leighton) who wrote it down.

 

uwomed - i read power of one... i'm not sure if it's in my top ten, but i read it in '93 or '94 so maybe i've forgotten if it's really good, i also read the prequel or sequel, the one with the gray cover..

 

btw.. i'd really suggest you get the books from your public library or univ. library. i personally don't think there is great value in buying them (though i love books) unless you really like the book. chances are you'll read it once and never again...

[Guest UWOMED2005]

I've heard Richard Feynman was a genius and a great read. Never read his stuff, though.

 

Yeah, I think from a purist literature standpoint Power of One isn't the greatest book ever, certainly not equal to Marquez. But it was the book my grandmother (herself an amateur writer and avid reading) was reading when I last saw her before she died. Plus her husband, my grandfather, actually grew up in South Africa. And Peekay kind of reminded me of myself when I read in High School. So there's a bit of a personal connection biasing my viewpoint there.

 

Too bad the movie pretty much stunk. Often books and movies are disimilar, but that was particularly true for this book/movie.

[Guest fox]

I got asked what books I had read recently in my Calgary interview. I have read a ton of books lately (fiction). Alice Sebold's novels are great- Lucky and The Lovely Bones. I also enjoyed Jill Mansell's books (something about friends, I can't remember the title) and all the Shopholic books by Sophie Kinsella are great. Keep in mind these are not thought provoking books, just funny and interesting. Also, The Accidental Virgin is fun and so is the Diary of a Mad Mom to Be by Laura Wolf (I laughed out loud at this book).

[Guest Biochem10]

I am also reading "The Cunning Man" by Robertson Davies at the moment. I liked "Fifth Business" and "The Manticore".

 

Recently I read "The English Patient" (which most people find confusing and boring, but a beautiful story nonetheless)

 

An easy, but interesting read is "A Fine Balance" by Rohinton Mistry.

 

I'm a fan of Ayn Rand, but you definetly have to have time if you really want to get into her books. I haven't read "Atlas Shrugged" yet (I need a solid 2 weeks of freedom to get through that one), but "The Fountainhead" was amazing.

 

I also agree with whoever recommended "Life of Pi"

 

If you're interested in novels that have to do with medicine "The Plague" by Albert Camus is a good one. It goes through all the emotions of the people in this little village struck by the plague.

[Guest Chowchilla]

life of pi is awesome. it has a certain innocence and charm to it, yet at the same time it's graphic and brutally honest. excellent book.

 

i'm reading 'a fine balance' by rohinton mistry right now.

 

and i'm absolutely loving it. awesome book.

[Guest everyoneloveschem]

I agree that the Power of One is a great book, and the movie totally blew!!! I try to tell people to read it (its good, but easy to read), and they're like 'but the movie sucked', I know, I know. The sequel isn't that amazing either (Tandia).

 

I like Albert Camus but I prefer the Outsider (also known as the Stranger), to the Plague. If you want a disturbing, thought provoking book, try Blindness (I can't remember the author, but he won the Nobel prize a couple years back).

 

I also like reading about African history, because I lived there for a couple years, but also because its very interesting and mind bogggling how we have treated Africa over the years. There are a couple really good books on this topic:

1. Africa-dispatches from a fragile continent by Blaine Harden - this is written by a journalist, so it is quite readable.

2. King Leopold's Ghost by Adam Hochschild - about the Belgians in the Congo, and the horrible things they did there.

3. Shadows of the Sun by Ryszard Kapuscinski - this guy was also a journalist, but one of the first to actually cover Africa, so he was pretty much at the hot spots as events occcured. There are quite a few chapters, each covering a different country/event, so its very enthralling/interesting.

 

I think its good to read mind improving books, but sometimes you just have to read fluff. In my case fluff is like TV; mindless, easy to sink into. For that I would recommend Guy Gavriel Kay, a Canadian historical fiction/fantasy is very good, even my dad like it!!! (just don't read the Fionavar Tapestry - whatever its called - his first book, it kind of sucks!!).

[Guest IRNBRUD]

UWO2005,

Come on now...don't sell the Canadians short! Margaret Attwood won the Booker in 2000 for The Blind Assassin. I read it this winter. Generally, I am tired of her novels and her characters, but I will admit that I enjoyed the unusual manner in which the story was written!

 

Other great books I have read recently:

1. Holes by Louis Sachar- A children's book that I found thought provoking. A couple of hours on a Sunday afternoon should do it, and it is well worth the time! I think a movie about it is out now but I haven't heard anything.

2.On Whale Island by Daniel Hays- A SUPERB look at a family's time on an isolated East Coast Island. I devoured this book.

3.Three Came Home by Anges Newton Keith- If you are looking for a reality check in the next couple weeks I HIGHLY recommend this novel. You will likely have to search through the ancient hardcovers in the dusty part of the library for it though since it was published in 1947. This is a true story of the author's imprisonment in a Japanese prison camp in North Borneo between 1942-1945. This story is POWERFUL and humbling and I don't mean that in the same way as Oprah :b would. As you fret over the next couple of weeks it will remind you of the meaning of true suffering and of true strength. I am appalled at how relevant the closing statements of the author remain. I could reel every one of you in with the closing line....but go read the whole thing. It is worth it!

Happy Reading!

P.S. Of course you can always check out some of the selections for the Canada Reads competition at

www.cbc.ca/canadareads/

Last years winner In the Skin of a Lion by Michael Ondaatje was awesome (and much easier to follow than The English Patient)

[Guest ubcgal]

I also have a thing for African history so I just picked up Shadows of the Sun by Ryszard Kapuscinski for a second read.

For a mixture of medicine and Africa, my favorite two books are "Working with Dr. Schwitzer" (spelling?) and "Call Mama Doctor" both written by a family friend, Dr. Louis Jelik (I have a slight bias) when she was fresh out of med school travelling around Africa working as a physician or "bush doctor" as she liked to call herself. They're easy reads, yet personal and filled with passion. They were my inspiration for med as I first read them when I was 10.

Here's another vote for A Fine Balance and 100 Years of Solitude.

Also, Toni Morrison's Beloved.

Right now I'm engaged in "9 parts of Desire", written by a journalist with years of experience conversing with Muslim women in the Middle East.

[Guest everyoneloveschem]

Hey ubcgal, if you want a pretty disturbing book to read about Islamic Women around the middle east try "Price of Honour" by Jan Goodwin. The author visits quite a few Arabic countries and meets women, from many different social sets. It's sad but very interesting. Also, have you read Disgrace (it won some sort of prize a couple years ago, I can't remember the author though).

 

I can't say that 100 Years of Solitude made a big impression, but it wasn't bad (the pig tail thing was kind of wacked). Have any of you read the Scarlett Letter? Not the movie, but the book!!

[Guest UWOMED2005]

Hah! I knew Margaret Atwood was the last to win the Booker, but I thought that was years ago! Someone had mentioned to me that Life of Pi winning the booker was significant for Canadian writers.

 

By the way, since we have a few people who have read the book, does anyone know what the significance of the Island with the meerkats is? I've been agonizing (ok, that's probably too strong a word) over that detail since I finished the book a week ago. . . any help would be appreciated. Feel free to message me if you have any ideas so as not to ruin the book for everyone else.

[Guest Blackbird15]

A lot of my favorites are being named here... I really liked Life of Pi (just read it recently) and the Power of One. I read it while working in South Africa this year, actually. During that time, I also tried to read Cry, the Beloved Country (since it's "the most important novel in South Africa's history" as the book jacket boasts), but it was so gawdawful boring... like something you have to read for high school English. The Little Prince still makes me cry whenever I read it. A really great book is Blindness by someonewhosenameIcan'tremember. Another really good book I've read recently is Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. Love in the Time of Cholera is so on my reading list ...

 

Did I completely miss the boat on the ending of Life of Pi? Should I not have taken it at face value (trying to keep it vague for those who haven't read it)? UWOMED2005, do you mean the significance of the island in light of the ending, or "significance" in a literary criticism it's-a-metaphore-for-the-human-condition sort of way?

[Guest mying]

As was mentioned, it depends on what you like! I'll give some ideas not already mentioned...

 

I read a lot of fantasy/kids' books (thus, Harry Potter fits perfectly) in my copious spare time. (Ha!)

 

Silly books have their place too. I read Bridget Jones' Diary last year and it was such a nice light read, perfect for study breaks though my optometrist didn't agree. I gained absolutely nothing from it besides entertainment.

 

Classics books are really interesting, since they get referred to a lot. I particularly like the publishing editions that include historical notes of interest, so you get a feel about what issues the authors were actually writing about. I liked Gulliver's Travels very much, especially since a lot of the ideas are just as relevant today. Jane Eyre was surprisingly good. I couldn't get into Tess of the D'Urbervilles at all.

 

And a make-you-think modern classic that is also timely in a lot of respects these days would be Margaret Atwood's "Handmaid's Tale." It's a bit of an easier read than her other work.

 

And a medical one I've liked is "When the air hits your brain." I didn't like House of God at all -- I never got into it. I never got into anything by Tolkien either so maybe I'm weird.

 

But really, you can read about all these titles and if they don't inspire you, you won't read them. To find the perfect book you need to spend some time getting acquainted before you go home. Kind of like adopting a puppy. So if you can spare the time you could go to the library (university libraries really do have "real" books too!) or bookstore, armed with ideas you get from this thread, and spend some time getting to know some books...

 

Have fun!

[Guest Jerika81]

I wish I had been asked about books in one of my interviews. I read about 30 a year for pleasure, especially during the summer when text books don't interfere (yes I know I'm a nerd but aren't we all).

 

If you want a really great inspirational/medically oriented/canadian book read the autobiography of Dr. Jane Poulson. It's called "The Doctor Will Not See You Now" because she was a blind Canadian physician. She died a couple years ago of cancer, but the autobiography is amazing, and anyone going into meds should read it because it gives you insight into what it is like to be a patient from the perspective of someone who has also been the doctor. It's also a really easy read.

My first passion is Sci Fi though, and I recommend anything by Orson Scott Card. "Ender's Game" is the first book in a series by him and I dare anyone to not like it. He also has a really interesting book called "Pastwatch: The Redemption of Christopher Columbus".

Other than that, the Earth Children Series by Jean Auel (Clan of the Cave Bear is the first book) is fascinating.

 

So seeing as I am finding it harder and harder to find new reading material (currently re-reading Lord of the Rings for the third time), can anyone recommend any other books that are just a good read? Series are the best because if the first one is good you can keep on reading. I'm planning on reading Life of Pi over the summer because I think it sounds really interesting, but I need many more novels than that to get me through the summer.

Jenn

[Guest Lisa88]

Wow...I'm actually in the middle of this book, and am loving it so far. I didn't realize so many others have read, it, too.

[Guest MayFlower1]

I'd highly recommend this book...sorry, I don't have the specifics other than the title...but if you're an evolutionist...you'll love this one.

 

Edit: As a little teaser...the author hypothesizes that it is genetic material which "strives" to survive. To do this, it takes on many different forms...all living things are comprised of the same basic genetic chemicals/materials. So, therefore, it's not so important that an individual species survives (in the grand scheme of things) but rather, that some form of life survives to propagate the gene. Perhaps I'm a weirdo...but this book really grabbed and held onto my attention...

 

Peter

[Guest UWOMED2005]

Peter, not to criticize you personally, but I must admit I hate Richard Dawkins (the author of the "Selfish Gene.") Biological reductionism to the extreme. . . he says ALL evolution is about a gene wanting to survive, yet I don't even think he understands what a gene is - he's an ethologist, not a molecular biologist or geneticist. Nor does he seem to really understand palaeontology. He also is a huge proponent of using memetics to demonstrate God doesn't exist, and of sociobiology. He did not come up with the ideas himself, instead he stole them from journal articles by his colleague William Hamilton, and decided to publicize them to the general media and public by writing a book on them. The worst thing about Dawkins, though, is that he is so emphatically dogmatic with his theories, ignoring any scientific evidence that might disagree with them. In that sense, he is more like a preacher preaching the Bishop Usher dateline (ie creastionism) than a scientist exploring the origins of life.

 

My history of science prof in undergrad (I took a number of courses with him) had a field day with Dawkins. First, there's the fact Dawkins doesn't seem to understand much of the science upon which theories of evolution or genetics are based. Second, as this prof is a friend of Dr. Ford Doolittle's and is quite familiar with recent work on lateral gene transfer, he pointed out that a lot of current work in lateral gene transfer (from the human genome project, for example) shoots holes in Dawkin's ideas. From a Historian of Science's point of view, it's amazing that someone could claim genes are fundamental units of evolution, when in fact guys like Hugo DeVries, Tschermak, Sutton, and T.H. Morgan who resurrected Mendel's ideas were doing so in fact to prove Darwin wrong! (For those of you who have biology profs who preach that genetics prove the truth of Darwin's theories, feel free to tell him/her that in fact genetics proved Darwin wrong! It wasn't until the modern synthesis developed by people like Haldane, Fisher, Wright and Ernst Mayr that genetic theories supported evolution!)

 

It's amazing how to me how some ethologists and sociobiobiologists oversimplify genetic processes, don't understand them, and then make wild claims that their theories about genetics and evolution either prove God doesn't exist or say something about how social policy should be conducted. What happens in 20 years when the paradigm shifts and theories of evolution become complete revamped? Does that mean God is reborn? Or that we should have been contributing money to those milk programs 20 years ago?

 

In my humble opinion, I much prefer Stephen Jay Gould, Micheal Behe, and Ford Doolittle (no books for the last one, but tons of papers.) Those are guys who I find bring enlightened debate to the evolution argument.

 

For some more info on the historial development of evolution, check here.