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Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board
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| humble_muslim |
| 05/07/02 at 13:33:22 |
| [slm] I've been getting a little frustrated in my library recently. I'm looking for fiction books to read which are "clean". By clean, I mean no shirk, no sex (explicit, implicit or any other way), and no swearing. It seems almost impossible to find books like this nowadays. I'd like some recommendations please, either authors or specific books. And nothing boring, something "unputdownable". |
| NS |
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| Laila |
| 05/07/02 at 16:59:27 |
| [slm] You may have to go back to some of the old classics if you want "clean" books. Some may think these books are for youngsters, but I like: Black Beauty, Heidi, Swiss Family Robinson. I also like Jane Eyre, and Wuthering Heights- the old English is sometimes difficult if you're not used to it, but the writing is excellent, and the descriptions are vivid for the most part. Also- The Once and Future King, and The Lord of the Ring series are good reads. Hope this helps. [wlm] :-) Laila |
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| Abu_Hamza |
| 05/07/02 at 19:23:05 |
| Michael Crichton! |
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| se7en |
| 05/10/02 at 23:03:52 |
| as salaamu alaykum, Horror usually only has one of the above three - cursing. Be careful though, if you read too much of it you might turn out like me muahahahhaha :o I liked Dean Koontz's Intensity.. it's cool but pretty violent. |
| 05/10/02 at 23:05:47 |
| se7en |
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| Addison |
| 05/21/02 at 19:59:35 |
| Dear "humble muslim," Forgive me if this seems inappropriately curious of me...I wonder what sort of literature you have read in the past that you found particularly enjoyable... What I mean to say is that maybe we could be more helpful if we knew more about your preferences...Do you like mysteries, or historical fiction or perhaps something of a comical nature? Gothic horror or horror in general? Science fiction? Personally I find most 20th cent. fiction to be a bit vulgar and prefer to go a bit farther back in time... I'm certain that we would be of more service if you could help narrow the search! For instance, you wrote that you wanted to read something which was"unputdownable" (I love that!) Of the books you have read, which ones might you put into this category? I hope that my questions are not too personal. If they are, I apologize for sounding as if I were prying. Best regards, Addison, the bookworm... |
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| mwishka |
| 07/11/02 at 19:46:16 |
| bro hamayoun, a really good book that i had checked out from the library at new paltz (SUNY) when i went to school there, turned up as a present to me from a friend when i got back from my palestine trip. she found it at a used book store, and i can't tell you how happy i am to have it. it's from 1992, called "anthology of modern palestinian literature". i think you'd find plenty to read in here, and some that will definitely hold you rapt. but i had meant to suggest to you earlier that, though you seem to like novels, i find the best writing is usually in short stories, and there are often a lot of short story collections in libraries, new ones, and probably at schools you can find more collections from all over the world, like this one. of course, i'm not guaranteeing you'll be able to always easily find collections with none of the negative qualities you're looking to avoid, but maybe you should check out short stories when you're looking for novels. and, um he heee bro hamayoun, good poetry can be as "unputdownable" also. (ok, it'd have to be a whole volume to give you the reading time of a novel, but, um maybe the um reading time would self-distribute across contemplation time, too...) and, there's always non-fiction! if you're interested in some non-fiction suggestions, i can make some. my first one, that i've been reading in bits and pieces for a while now, along with at least four other books, is "boltzmann's atom". ya, it's scientific history, but----it meets all of your criteria! and there are books you might never know are really interesting until you pick them up off the shelf. (ok, so i have an advantage in this regard, being at a polytechnic institute) maybe, now don't think i'm crazy - it's REALLY interesting - you might like "the handbook of particle physics". it's not dull! it's really interesting! (why am i defending this?? nobody said a word. yet.) no, really, you know all those little concepts that slip around in our language that we don't always understand but we have just vague general ideas of? well, this explains a LOT, and clearly. if you've had calculus you can read it, if you've had differential equations and linear algebra you can understand more of the detail of the equations....and if you've had neither you can STILL understand a lot! ("equations! i was looking for entertainment!") yeah, see, that's kind of what i'm getting at ----wouldn't you like to know the background to the popular bestsellers you want to lounge about with? i mean, abu hamza's m. crichton -- science based. some need-to-know background wouldn't hurt. and i was thinking of putting the equations relating to the generation of the big bang up at al-manar in the cosmology discussion, and i think if i gave an example of how to interpret such equations it might help people not be so afraid when they see them. do i understand all of these equations? no! that's eaxactly what i mean - i can show you how to work to understand as much as you can of an equation without having full knowledge of the detail of working it out.. (but didn't look up that M theory stuff to back up the brane theory...) um...ok....i either stimulated a little interest in options you hadn't yet considered, or, i made you groan...... i hope it's the first..... :) mwishka (um...sis seven...um horror?? isn't that generally like demons and stuff, evil presences in the world, stuff that, well...is um.....) um i see that i forgot to insert this specifying descriptor: i find the best CURRENT/MODERN writing is usually in short stories, |
| 07/12/02 at 09:28:52 |
| mwishka |
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| BroHanif |
| 07/11/02 at 20:13:14 |
| [slm] , The 39 steps Huckleberry Finn(If you haven't read Huck Finn man then go with that, I loved the books and the film) The famous five adventures and last but not least The adventures of Winne The Pooh, pure klassic Hanif |
| NS |
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| se7en |
| 07/12/02 at 01:14:22 |
| [quote](um...sis seven...um horror?? isn't that generally like demons and stuff, evil presences in the world, stuff that, well...is um.....) [/quote] ...fiction? :) |
| 07/12/02 at 01:15:12 |
| se7en |
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| gift |
| 07/12/02 at 09:12:11 |
| [slm] english literature like: PRIDE & PREJUDICE by Jane Austen THE WOMAN IN WHITE or THE MOONSTONE by Wilkie Collins (a contemporary of Charles Dickens - these are very good mysteries) or you could ask any kid and they'd tell you to read HARRY POTTER which is also pretty unputdownable - even for a twenty something :D the lord of the rings is an excellent series, there are also two other sci-fi series that are good: THE BELGARIAD by David Eddings - which consists of 5 books and THE CHRONICLES OF PRYDAIN by Lloyd Alexander, which consists of 5/6 books i think. THE CLIENT by John Grisham - is the one book out of his legal thrillers that doesn't have any sex etc (although there is some cursing) how about reading LITTLE WOMEN - that's pretty good i could go on and on and on................ but seriously, i've noticed that this is a problem - especially as my brother has hit the age where he wants to start reading fiction aimed at older people - i have to really think about the books which i recommend him to read, but once i get going .... ;) happy reading :-X [wlm] |
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| SisterHania |
| 07/12/02 at 11:04:33 |
| [quote author=Attia link=board=kabob;num=1020792802;start=0#8 date=07/12/02 at 09:12:11][slm] english literature like: PRIDE & PREJUDICE by Jane Austen [/quote] Did anyone see the repeated TV adaptation of Pride and Predjudice on BBC1 a few weeks ago? 'Oh Mr Darcy'! 'Oh Miss Bennet' :-* |
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| BrKhalid |
| 07/12/02 at 11:14:44 |
| Asalaamu Alaikum ;-) P&P probably has a lot of learning points from an Islamic point of view. But what always makes me laugh is the way the mother is always trying to find eligible young husbands for her daughters. Some things never change ;-) |
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| jannah |
| 07/12/02 at 12:13:00 |
| [slm] Ok is P&P like a British thing or will normal people like it too ;) cause my friends kept going on about it and thought it was excellent.... |
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| Mohja |
| 07/12/02 at 12:44:52 |
| P&P is a classic, simply put! i like all of jane austen's books. another favourite of mine is sense and sensibility. |
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| Aurora |
| 07/12/02 at 13:36:27 |
| Its *almost* impossible to find books like that nowadays. Except for the classics which have already been pointed out:--) While they do have a style thats all their own, thats to be expected as they were written in, in an environment much different from our own, and its said the more things change, the more things stay the same and that 'sameness' is revealed in the tendencies of human character. Hmm, alright what i'm trying to say in my roundabout way is that many people all to easily write off classics as slow and boring, but give them a real chance - and you'll see they've got some special qualities all their own:) Hmm, alright author suggestions, Jane Austen Bronte sisters Jack London Farley Mowat L.M.Montgomery Alexandre Dumas (Count of Monte Cristo, three musketeers) Mary Shelley (Frankenstein <-- if you haven't read the 'true/original' version get - i highly recommend it, it really really makes you think) Johanna Spyri (Heidi) Jules Verne Wilson Rawls (where the red fern grows <--really good story) Louisa May Alcott Frances Hodgson Burnett (secret garden) Anna Sewell (black beauty) Jean C. George (my side of the mountain) Katherine Paterson (Bridge to Terabithia) Gary Paulsen (Hatchet) Mildred D. Taylor (she has a really good trilogy about the life of black ppl in the south in the early to mid 1900s) Monica Hughes - she has a lot of sci-fi stuff, as well as some contemporary stuff - really good. *rueful smile* most of these are books I read in elementary/junior high - so i'm not sure if you'll go for them, but they were good, and 'clean'. I know I'm missing out on a LOT of good books. Another sci-fi suggestion, I dont know if you'd consider them classic, but I remember reading them in junior high and they were wonderful - it was a three book series...I can't remember the name - it had something to do with 'tripods' I'm going to try and find the title for you. Another idea...for you if you like this sort of stuff is to go to the library and find ethnic folktales/fairytales, grab a bunch of the biggest, oldest looking books lug 'em home and enjoy:--) Ummm I read alot, I guess you've already figured that out ;) Of late i've turned to non-fiction, especially books written by journalists/travellers, there's some really amazing works of art (yep i love words) out there, if anyone wants recommendations just ask:--) |
| 07/12/02 at 13:38:04 |
| Aurora |
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| Aurora |
| 07/12/02 at 13:44:42 |
| Oh! One more I just rememberd, Suzanne Fisher Staples- 'Shabanu: Daugher of the Wind' and its sequel 'Haveli' they're both very well written and if i remember correctly set in balochistan (pakistan). Hmmm I just remembered another author who has works of fiction set in the indian subcontinent - M.M.Kaye, she has a bunch of mysteries (the titles start off with 'Death in ...' and then name the place), as well as some really good novels namely The Far Pavilions and Shadow of the Moon. Alright thats enough for now - Enjoy:--) |
| 07/12/02 at 13:45:18 |
| Aurora |
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| SisterHania |
| 07/13/02 at 03:55:23 |
| [quote author=jannah link=board=kabob;num=1020792802;start=0#11 date=07/12/02 at 12:13:00][slm] Ok is P&P like a British thing or will normal people like it too ;) cause my friends kept going on about it and thought it was excellent....[/quote] Normal people like Americans would also like it :) Its for every die hard romantic out there. The only modern book I can think of which is not completely full of explicit material is 'to find a suitable boy' by Vikram Seth. It has parallels to P&P - where you must find a suitable husband of the same breeding and class , but is set in an Indian, 20th Century setting :) Oh what about to Kill a Mockingbird. I remember on the old boad how this book was the faviourte of a lot of people. I also like The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, that definately got no swearing or rude bits. |
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| Mohja |
| 07/13/02 at 16:21:06 |
| [quote] Of late i've turned to non-fiction, especially books written by journalists/travellers, there's some really amazing works of art (yep i love words) out there, if anyone wants recommendations just ask:--) [/quote] i like non-fiction too, especially biographies and works of a socioligical or psychological nature. any suggestions? |
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| merimda |
| 07/16/02 at 02:35:05 |
| Salam, If you are looking for [url=http://www.ahram.org.eg/weekly/2001/542/bo4.htm] 'Halal fiction'[/url] you might want to check out Liela Aboulela's works. I haven't read any of her works yet but a friend of mine highly recommended to me [i]Coloured Lights [/i]. You can read a review of this work [url=http://198.65.147.194/English/Crisis/BookReviews/article4.SHTML]here[/url]. For a review of her first novel [i] The Translator[/i] click [url=http://198.65.147.194/English/Crisis/BookReviews/article3.SHTML]here [/url]. Excerpts from [i]The Translator[/i] are available at [url=http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/074866257X/qid=1026800733/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/002-9388101-3787225] Amazon.com[/url]. You can also read some of her works here: http://www.intangible.org/booksearch/aboulela.html Attia wrote: << lord of the rings is an excellent series, there are also two other sci-fi series that are good: THE BELGARIAD by David Eddings - which consists of 5 books and THE CHRONICLES OF PRYDAIN by Lloyd Alexander, which consists of 5/6 books i think. >> [i]The Lord of the Rings[/i] is good but it's not for everyone. I'm not sure if it is 'unputdownable' because the pace is very slow. I would recommend [i] The Hobbit [/i]. But I would definitely recommend the [i]The Prydian Chornicles[/i] by Lloyd Alexander. It consist of five books. All of the books were great but my favourite from the five is [i]Taran Wanderer[/i]. salam, merimda |
| 07/16/02 at 03:17:19 |
| merimda |
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| gift |
| 07/16/02 at 08:18:08 |
| [slm] if you are interested in checking out some classic literature online there is a great website called Project Gutenberg, which has loads of the classics mentioned here - and others - online, and you can download them for free :-/ [url]http://promo.net/pg/[/url] [wlm] |
| 07/17/02 at 07:39:40 |
| gift |
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| Ruqayyah |
| 07/17/02 at 02:35:52 |
| [slm] There was a book that my friend got at ISNA a few years back......it was called something like "the story of hands" or something, i think it's by rehma baig??? anyone know what book i'm talking about? It's a collection of short stories, they're sort of directed to a desi female audience, but i think anyone could enjoy them! I know i did :) [wlm] Ruqayyah |
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| gift |
| 07/17/02 at 07:41:50 |
| [slm] oops ::) sorry guys - the url for project gutenberg has changed - i've modified my post to put in the right web address. if u can't be bothered to scroll up a little ;) click on the link below: [url]http://promo.net/pg/[/url] [wlm] |
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| Aurora |
| 07/17/02 at 11:58:43 |
| [quote author=Mohja link=board=kabob;num=1020792802;start=15#16 date=07/13/02 at 16:21:06] i like non-fiction too, especially biographies and works of a socioligical or psychological nature. any suggestions?[/quote] :) An autobiography I really liked was that of M.M.Kaye, it was really interesting there's a lot of material there, historical and otherwise. Its a trilogy, but living out in the middle of nowhere i've only managed to get my hands on the first one, the titles are: [i]The Sun in the Morning[/i], [i]Golden Afternoon[/i] and [i]Enchanted Evening[/i]. Alright, now for the real good stuff ;) [i]War at the Top of the World - Eric Margolis Robert Kaplan[/i] (he's got a lot of good books) [i]Adhan Over Anatolia - Marian Kazi[/i] ( I dont think I could ever tire of reading this book) [i]Into Thin Air - Jon Krakauer Pity the Nation - Robert Fisk [/i](amazing *wry smile* but you can't expect anything less from him) [i]An Unexpected Light - Jason Elliot[/i] (I loved this book, the way it was written, everything, it was almost like reading poetry) [i]Searching for Saleem: An Afghan Woman's Odyssey - Farooka Gauhari[/i] (Sheds alot of light on what life was like living during the soviet invasion/communist rule) [i]The Tartar Khan's Englishman -Gabriel Ronay[/i] [i]Homage to Catalonia - George Orwell[/i] (it'll drive you crazy, but once you finish it you realize it wasn't such a bad book at all) [i]Passage to Peshwar - Richard Reeves Dust of the Saints - Radek Sikorski The Girl in the Picture - Denise Chong[/i] *rueful smile* I wish the library had some special place where they kept track of all the books you've signed out, I read alot, almost too much I think ;) Alright for any you urdu poetry fans out there that can't read urdu too well (like me) I found these two really good books when we went to washingtong d.c. two years ago, both by [i]K.C. Kanda[/i], titled, [i]Masterpieces of Urdu Ghazal[/i] and [i]Masterpieces of Urdu Nazm[/i]. I liked it cause he gives a lot of historical background/information about the poetry, the style, and the poet; and when it comes to the poetry he has it set up so that on one side you have it all in urdu and on the next page at the top there's the english translation, and just below it the transliteration in english. Ps. Ruqayyah, check this out http://www.jannah.org/articles/islamicbookreviews.html , the very top book :) |
| 07/17/02 at 11:59:22 |
| Aurora |
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| se7en |
| 07/17/02 at 15:23:32 |
[quote]There was a book that my friend got at ISNA a few years back......it was called something like "the story of hands" or something, i think it's by rehma baig anyone know what book i'm talking about? It's a collection of short stories, they're sort of directed to a desi female audience, but i think anyone could enjoy them! I know i did [/quote] Memory of Hands by Reshma Baig... *awesome* book mashaAllah 8) |
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