Alex recommends...

The Things they Carried, by Tim O'Brien, is an interesting collection of war stories. What I like about the book is that you feel like you're there, since it has very good descriptions. Also being in short stories, that are separated, you aren't urged to read it in one go. You can read a little every day. If I tell you anything about the plot of any story I would ruin it for you. Find it, read it, like it, and remember who told you about it.

Svetla recommends...

I recommend this series that begins with Fallen. The author is Lauren Kate.

The book is about the forbidden love between a human girl and a fallen angel. Lucinda is a teenager sent to a school where all of the students have some kind of dark future. And there she meets Daniel... Some of you may decide that the story is a lot similar to Twilight, but they don't have anything in common. For me, Fallen had a deeper meaning and the romance was not presented in such an obvious way, making it sound like a soap opera.

The book catches the reader's interest and is interesting to read. A hint of gothic scent could be felt...

Alexander recommends...

A book I recommend to people who have liked The Hitchhiker's Guide by Douglas Adams is The Long Dark Tea Time of the Soul. It is a strange piece of writing that combines mystery and fantasy and comedy. It has a peculiar sense of humor. The plot involves a private detective, an American woman living in London, and the Norse Gods.

Elena recommends...

Vianne is a divorced woman with a little child. She moves to a small french village during the time when the Catholic church is very powerful. She is not accepted and has a lot of difficulties starting a business with her chocolate shop.

Will the skeptical people change, when they taste the amazing chocolate Vianne makes? Will their hearts get warmer, as the chocolate they are drinking? Will Vianne find a new love or will she stay a single, friendly woman? Read Chocolat and taste the flavor of this story, both sweet and sour.

Karina recommends Uglies

If you like fantasy stories that capture your attention so much that you don't want to stop reading, then this is the book for you. It is about a young girl named Tally who is about to get what she has always wanted. However, she realizes that there are more important things than being perfect - friendship, loyalty, happiness. What choice will she make? Will she follow her heart and what will it tell her? This book is the first one in a trilogy, so you might also enjoy Pretties and Specials by Scott Westerfield.

Siyana recommends Where Rainbows End

If you like romantic stories which give important life lessons but at the same time are fun to read, then Where Rainbows End is just for you. The style of the book is interesting because it tells what happens via e-mails, texts and letters. Where Rainbows End is from the author of P.S., I Love You and tells the story of Alex and Rosie, who are best friends since childhood but eventually fall in love with each other. Will they be together after all the obstacles they meet?

If you like this book, you would probably also like P.S., I Love You.

Lewbina recommends Black Beauty

Black Beauty is a book for the animal lovers. It's a story about a horse, but with human problems. It is interesting how people don't know and probably will never understand if the animals think like them and undergo almost the same situations. The book is a fictional story, but it still makes you think if one horse can have similar feelings like the humans.

Dimitar recommends The Tao of Pooh

The Tao of Pooh is a representation of Eastern wisdom, hidden in the character of Pooh and interpreted by the author. The book tells a story about how we should act in a natural way, what is our true human nature and how to reach it. The book is very short and easy to read.

Viara recommends The Five People you Meet in Heaven

This book has become one of my favorite books. I love it because it is intriguing and has an unexpected end. It gives many life lessons and has a lot of interesting thoughts and original aphorisms. Once you start, you just can't stop, until you know what will happen to Eddie, who is the main character.

Teodor recommends Pet Sematary

This is one of the best horror books I have ever read. It tells the story of a doctor who has a great family and a great life. There is a scary secret about his house, which puts an end to his happy days. I liked this book a lot because it was very interesting, very scary and contained some very intelligent thoughts.

Goran recommends The World According to Garp

Although not entirely depressing, the novel offers a grim reality through the eyes of Garp who has to constantly deal with things like death - a main theme in the book. It is incredibly easy and fun to read with very attractive characters. The pace of the novel is just right and it is full of emotions around each page.

Mila recommends Ishmael

This is an amazing, life-changing book that should be read by everybody. Considering the problems of our time (such as exreme growth of population, decrease in resources, extinction of a species, etc.), people are in serious trouble. Ishmael does not contain the solution to the crisis, but rather gives inspiration and hope that things can change and harmony with nature can be created once again.

Read this book. Ask questions. Find the answers.

The Picture of Dorian Gray

The Picture of Dorian Gray is a book about a really handsome guy called Dorian Gray who meets a good painter. He makes him a great portrait and Dorian realizes how handsome he is, and wishes that the portrait would grow and change instead of him, and his beauty and youth will remain forever. However, the wish happens and the face on the portrait becomes older and older, and uglier. Dorian becomes arrogant, selfish and bad; he starts to do bad things until one day...

Simona recommends One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey is a book I loved, because it reminds me how short life is, and that I should not be afraid to do what I want to do and to experience as much as possible, enjoying just the beauty of being alive. It is the story about people's life in the asylum. They are treated like they are a great danger for society and should be watched carefully all the time in order not to mess up. All the rules that are imposed on them smother them and their life consists pretty much only of breathing, eating and sleeping. People are not meant to live in such suppression.

Boris recommends For Whom the Bell Tolls

This book is written by Hemingway and it's really nice and intense. If you like action and adventure mixed with a love story, this is the book for you. We see a young saboteur that has to blow up a bridge, and track this man's actions in sunny Spain in a Guerilla camp.

Ivo D. recommends Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

This is the best Harry Potter of the entire series. Harry faces tons of challenges including fighting with Death Eaters and leading a secret brotherhood. He even gets involved with a girl. There are many sudden turns and unexpected deaths. If you like fantasy, action and adventure - this book is for you!

SIlvia recommends Naked, by David Sedaris

This is a book that is written in the form of several autobiographical stories. There is a lot of sarcasm in them and it is often very funny. Naked is a more modern book but it is not for everybody. Sedaris talks openly about his sexuality and life in general.

Julia recommends A Clockwork Orange

It is all about a gang of guys who hang out together and joke with people. Once they had fun joking one of their many victims, three of the boys decide to betray the fourth one so that when the police come, he could be sent to jail. So that is what happens. There, they put him under control and try to change his nature radically, like when he thinks about sex, he would feel sick and throw up. Would they succeed?

I loved this book. It is hilarious and at the same time horrible, because one can be surprised at what the human mind can think of. Still, it is really nice and addictive. Even though it was written in 1960, it does not sound dated at all. It is rather realistic and modern.

Vicky recommends The Right Attitude to Rain

The Right Attitude to Rain is one really interesting book that leads the reader into Edinburgh and makes him/her feel like he/she is in Scotland. The feeling that the book brings is the most interesting thing about the book, but not the only thing. The story itself is about a woman who is almost 45, and she is confused about her feelings towards a man who is 14 years younger than her. She wants to be with him but her strong morals stop her. Her thoughts about this and other philosophical themes are what keeps the reader intrigued during the whole book.

If you liked the book Chocolat, you would probably like this book too because the styles are similar in their descriptions.

Nina recommends Pippi Longstocking

I'm sure everybody knows the story of Pippi Longstocking. When I was re-reading it recently I suddenly felt like the person I was at 5. I was a happy kid who had a lot of dreams and played a lot of games. I recommend this book because it helps the reader remember who she was and where he came from. It is like a time machine to the land of smiles.

Alex recommends The Secret Garden

The Secret Garden, by Frances Hodges Burnett, is an excellent, must-read book. It's a great read, especially in the springtime, since half the book talks about the blooming of spring and the "magic" mature that can even manage to heal the ill-tempered Collin. The Secret Garden is a book you can read in a night. The words, the pages, the story flows with a wonderful beat. Mary, a spoiled child living in India, loses her parents to yellow fever which makes her have to move to her uncle's mansion in England. After discovering the healing powers of gardening, she not only heals her bad temper, but she also manages to turn her widower of an Uncle's child into a normal, happy, healthy boy.

Anna recommends P.S. I Love You

It only takes a blink of an eye to lose the one you love. Holly Kennedy, the main character of P.S. I Love You, is totally devastated when her husband is diagnosed with cancer. Holly and Gerry were high school sweethearts and no one could imagine them without each other. Until the death of Gerry leaves Holly all alone. P.S. I love You is an entertaining book teaching one how to stop mourning and start a new life.

Andrea recommends...

After reading Slam by the same author, I was thrilled by his style of writing, so I took About a Boy. It is a book about the curious friendship between a man in his 30s and a 12-year-old boy. Filled with humor, but also serious issues, the book kept my attention till its very end. If you are a fan of Nirvana too, you will definitely like this novel.

Related: Slam, High Fidelity

Nina and Vesco recommend...

The world many years from now. A scholar who claims he knows a way to predict the future. Will he be able to put his theory into practice? What will he discover about the world around him? Is human destiny only a series of equations? Nobody knows...

Related: The Foundation

-Nina

This book starts the Foundation series by Isaac Asimov. If you have read some of his books, you'll like it. I have read some fo the other Foundation books, but I couldn't understand some things about the entire story. This book made it more clear to me. So if you have read some Isaac Asimov, then you should definitely read this one. And if you want to read about the Foundation and the Empire, this is the place to start!

-Vesco

Karina recommends...

A wonderful book about a small town in France and a woman who is not accustomed to its lifestyle and beliefs - a book about good and evil, about finding yourself, and mostly about chocolate. A charming story that would make you question what is good and what is not and would make you love chocolate even more.

Violeta recommends...

This is not a book that you read for half an hour and then leave. It's a book that one may read for weeks and still enjoy grasping every word. What is the life of the prostitute that never thought of being one? How does she find love through her profession? What are those 11 minutes - nothing or maybe everything? A story of a woman that chose the easy way, but it turned out to be the hardest.

Related: all Paolo Coelho's books, but especially recommended... Veronica Decides to Die.

Ivo G. recommends...

The autobiography of The Red Hot Chili Peppers lead singer tells the thrilling story of a drug addict who could rap becoming a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominee. It shows everday situations through the mind of a rock star. The exciting story of a lifetime has turned into a bestseller for a reason.

Jenny recommends...

I highly recommend this book for anyone who is open-minded, wants to read something very different, and is more interested in ideas rather than plot. Its main charcter is a drug addict (on heroin, in particular) whose life or rather thoughts are very weirdly described. The catching thing in the book is that you can hardly distinguish between a real event and a hallucination... or maybe it is a mix of them? his ideas, however, are extremely original, and it is the reader's decision to accept or totally deny them. But he can't just stay neutral.

Siyana recommends...

The Undomestic Goddess is about a woman who has a great job - the dream that she has been working for since childhood. And still... there is a thing missing - family and love. A huge mistake makes her run away and find something new. She has to choose between love and work... but what will she choose?

This book is suitable for readers who like romantic stories with happy endings.

Julia recommends...

This is a book written by a very young Italian physicist describing the life of a girl and a boy who become a man and a woman. They start their friendship in kindergarten and they keep it until the book ends. It is a novel about happiness, truth and true friendship. I'd also recommend you read The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

Boris recommends...

An interesting book that I've read this quarter is The Night of the Dragon. It's fiction, a very nice book filled with adventures. It's the second part of the series, the first is called The Day of the Dragon. So it's full of swords, might and magic and dragons, of course. It's a nice book, and I think you'll like it.

Mariya, Mina and Lora recommend...

If you like weird stories with mad characters and poems without any logic, then you would love Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carrol. Everybody knows what these books are about, and even has read them already. I'd recommend that you read them again - from the point of view of a relatively grown-up person, not of a child... and you'll be surprised how many imporatnt things are said there. I hope you'll see them and like the book even more.

-Mariya

Lewis Carrol shows us the world of a girl the way she sees it using her unlimited imagination. Everything seems nonsense to the reader but that's the point- he shouldn't try to understand it. He should enjoy the book and Alice's adventures and remember the wonderlands and creatures from his childhood.

-Mina

As childish as it may sound, the book I liked the most from all the outside reading books this year was Alice in Wonderland. I've always thought that this was just a kid's book, but it was a lot more. I loved the style of the author and definitely the original ideas. The movie that was recently released was totally awful and it was very different from the book. There is an animated movie from the 1950s, which is very accurate, and if you're wondering whether or not to read the book, you should see it.

-Lora

Vicky and Ivo G. recommend...

High Fidelity is a book by Nick Hornby that shows the life of a thirty five year old man whose girlfriend left him for the guy who used to live on the upper floor. He remembers all of his bad break-ups and tries to find connections between them to understand what's wrong with him. He meets all of his "five worst break-ups" girls and this changes his perception of relationships. On top of that his ex-girlfriend's dad dies and this makes him even more confused.

It's a book about music, relationships, love and dreams about the future that will make every girl a little more competent on boy's view on life.

Related: Slam, also by Nick Hornby

-Vicky

Nick Hornby tells a story of a life in his bestseller High Fidelity, explaining one man's point of view in a unique way by listing his top 5 choices of movies and records on one side, but on the other side, taking a look at his personal life. Will he get back together with his girlfriend? What was the initial story of his record shop? And much more about the everyday life of an inspired music shop owner will keep your attention to see the world through someone else's point of view.

-Ivo

Simona recommends...

The graphic novel Persepolis is about an Iranian girl growing up during the Islamic wars in the 20th century. Many people whom she know and loves die during the war for standing up for what they believe. However, this does not stop her from being a rebel and always saying her opinion out loud even if that's gonna bring her trouble.

If you like graphic novels, you might also like: Maus

Teodor recommends...

The newest book by Dan Brown is an absolute masterpiece. Several years had passed from the adventures of Professor Langdon in Paris, when a new mystery awaits him. This time, the life of his best friend depends on his ability to solve mysteries. Personally, I like this book more than the most famous book of this author - The Da Vinci Code. If you liked The Da Vinci Code, I strongly recommend this book to you - it will keep you interested until the end and you won't get bored.

Related: Deception Point, Angels and Demons, The Da Vinci Code

Goran recommends...

For those interested in political regimes or the whole history of how politics came to be, this would be a great read. It is not short but it is very easy to grasp. The book begins from ancient Greece and continues till all the different branches of capitalism. Each political system is explained systematically. Along the way one would also learn a lot of history. It's amazing - never thought you could tell the history of politics in an easy-to-understand and elegant way.

Alexander and Pavel recommend...

Ender's Shadow is a mixture of several genres. It is partly sci-fi, partly dealing with the psychological experiences of characters, and partly a children's book. The reason for the last is that unlike in most sci-fis, the main character is a small kid - much more mentally developed than others but still a kid - and events such as a war against aliens are looked at from his perspective.

Related: Ender's Game

-Alexander

Ender's Shadow is a science fiction book that can really make you stay awake all night because you can't stop reading. It has the story of Ender's Game, a book I have previously recommended, but it is told through the eyes of a totally different character, Bean. Without him we understand that Ender himself would have never managed to succeed in his mission. I recommend it not only to fiction lovers but to all people who want a dynamic and interesting book.

-Pavel

Svetla and Jenny Recommend

The curious incident of the dog in the night-time is a really unusual and intriguing book. It's about a boy who find his neighbor's dog killed in front of her yard. He starts an investigation in order to find out who killed it. The weird thing is the entire story is from the boy's perspective. He is the most unique character I have ever read about. He looks from the perspective of a person who is scared of the world; he doesn't trust anyone. At the same time he is a pure genius and he does not know the meaning of being evil. Those interested in psychology would like this book the most.

-Svetla

This book is probably one of the smartest books I've ever read. It is about a boy with autism, a mental illness, making contacts with people - a hard and horrible thing for the ill one. All the facts about physics and mathematics in it make the reader learn a lot, but do not consider the book a "nerds-only" entertainment. I read it in a flash because of the main character's interesting thoughts and the simplicity of the writing combined with the intelligence that makes it impossible to put down this book.

-Jenny

Lora recommends...

The Man Who Laughs is a very emotional and rather scary book I read a while ago. It tells the story of a boy, who got kidnapped when he was a child and then was tortured. This torture was inspired by the fact that at the time the book was written, people found it funny to see "freaks" in the circus. So Hugo tells beforehand of all the other kids, who were, for example, put in a box so their bones got deformed. The laughing man got his mouth extended so that it looked like he was laughing all the time, but on the inside he was very sad.

Mila recommends...

This is an amazing book that tells two stories at the same time. The first one is about a young man who wakes up in a hospital and finds out his girlfriend has died in a bus crash. While he wanders through his memoires, a soldier from World War I tells his own story of lost love.

Lewbina recommends...

This month I read the first book of the Twilight series. I have watched the movie, but believe me the book is much better. This is a fictional story about vampires. There is this human girl who falls in love with the extremely handsome Edward. He hides many secrets about his family and himself and when Bella finds out the truth the adventures begin.

Related: New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn

Dimitar D. recommends...

The Secret, by Rhonda Byrne, is a book sending a message to everyone about the incredible power of the mind that each one possesses. Although Rhonda Byrne is the author of the book, in it many people have written their stories and have given advice.

Related Book: Quantum Physics; Mind Power into the 21st Century

Ani recommends...

A really good book with a movie made on its story, but the book is better and has parts that are not in the movie. This is a story about a retarded man who has to deal all alone with the world. Being the fastest runner in college, he plays football, later falls in love with a girl, and passes through many things till the end of the book.

Related: Of Mice and Men

Dimitar Recommends...

This is a book from the author Andrzej Sapkowski. It discusses the sotry of an assassin with special talents and his specialty is in killing creatures that threaten humans. If you like fiction, you'll definitely like The Witcher.

Related Books: Lord Loss, The Witcher: Sword of Destiny, Lord of the Rings

Viara recommends...

I'd recommend the book By The River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept by Paulo Coelho. If you enjoy love stories and stories that talk about life in general, you should definitely read it. I totally loved it.

Also recommended: All of Paolo Coelho's books

Ani recommends...

A book with a really exciting and interesting theme in th unique style of Agatha Christie. It tells the story of 7 people who want to make a joke with their friend who loves to sleep a lot. They buy seven clocks and make the alarm of each clock ring in a row at 6:30. On the next morning they find him dead and till the end of the book the mystery becomes more and more complicated, until finally it's revealed.

Alex and Vesco recommend...

If you like graphic novels, I recommend Maus. It is a story about the holocaust. A father tells his son what happened with a lot of details. The thing that makes this holocaust story special is that all the Jews are represented as mice and all the Nazis - cats. The Polish peopls are represented as pigs and the Americans as dogs. I really like the drawings, they are well made and perfectly show emotion. If you studied Night in 9th grade and want it like a graphic novel, then I recommend that you read it. Read it in one go, it will take you less than two hours. -Alex

Are you interested in the Holocaust? Are you bored of heavy books that talk about WWII? Then Maus is the book for you. It's not just a book - it's a graphic novel that tells the story of hte Jews during WWII in an unusual way. Watch the Nazis and Jews play like a cat and a mouse. Who's going to win? -Vesco

Teodor recommends...

The Hobbit is a very popular book written by J.R.R. Tolkien. It is a very interesting and easy-to-read story, of a hobbit called Bilbo. Bilbo is an ordinary hobbit - he just stays at home, doing his work and drinking tea. Everything is perfectly normal, until one day he is included in an adventure and his life is changed forever.

Everbody who likes adventure books will love this one. It is very well written and it makes you part of the story. If you are a fan of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, you would like it as well, because The Hobbit is some kind of a prologue to the trilogy.

If you like this book you would probably like: Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, The Return of the King, The Children of Hurin

Peter recommends...

Lord of the Rings is an epic book in the genre of adventure fiction. It is one of a kind and it is the beginning of an era in which people compare books from the same genre to Lord of the Rings. Movies, action figures, toys, play cards... all these things keep the flames going in the readers' hearts.

Just give it a go and by the end of the first chapter, you will be enchanted by Tolkien's writing style.

Related: The Hobbit

Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit, living in the shire under The Hill, leading a peaceful life as a farmer... until one day, the mightiest dwarves from Middle-Earth come to his house and make him passionate about going on adventures - hunting dragons, finding rare armor and weapons and acquiring special rings. Read the whole book to see what eactly is going on and if Bilbo manages to complete the adventures.

Veselin recommends...

This book is about scientists, military, war and terrorists. A scientist called Benes has some vital information which can win the war. But as Benes is escorted from one military base to another, the convoy is attacked. Benes survives, but he's unconscious. The information, however, has to be recovered. Join Grant and his team of scientists while they are traveling inside Benes' brain. Will they be able to recover the information? Will they manage to save the world?

If you like scifi, you will absolutely love Isaac Asimov's books - the Foundation series are some of the greatest books ever!