Best book you've ever read
- Thread starter Tattooed Goddess
- Start date
Have read many; "best" is just often what I recently finished.
H.P.Lovecraft's work. Novels by Terry Pratchett. Don Marquis' THE LIVES AND TIMES OF ARCHY AND MEHITABEL. Larry Niven's RINGWORLD. works of Ambrose Bierce. Clark Ashton Smith. C.M. Kornbluth. fond of a book called HE DIED WITH A FELAFEL IN HIS HAND. Emily Dickenson.
H.P.Lovecraft's work. Novels by Terry Pratchett. Don Marquis' THE LIVES AND TIMES OF ARCHY AND MEHITABEL. Larry Niven's RINGWORLD. works of Ambrose Bierce. Clark Ashton Smith. C.M. Kornbluth. fond of a book called HE DIED WITH A FELAFEL IN HIS HAND. Emily Dickenson.
Dang it! How could I have forgotten Larry Niven?
I LOVE "Ringworld" and many other books and short storys by him... :biggrin1:
Thanks ZOS23xy!
I was the same. In school had to watch the movie and read the book. I dont think at the time i appreciated it but when i read it again not long ago i realized thing i hadn't the 1st time
Other:
Love the Crue and im going to have to look for this one
Le Petit Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery is a book I still read every couple of years. It's a great mind re-set and reminds me to try to look at everything around me with fresh perspective. Because sometimes a hat really can be a snake that's devoured an elephant.
The Count of Monte Cristo
The Count get's his ass handed to him, when a bunch of people betray him. Some dude steals his wife. When he finally escapes prison after many years he obtains a very large treasure and the awesome title of The Count of Monte Cristo.
So now he has a shit-ton of mad cash, and a palace and superior killing SKILLZ. He could kill all the motorboating bastards that screw him over, pretty much right away. But no, he watches, waits, and plots there demise. He even befriends all of his old enemies and their families.
I'm telling you, the shit that goes down when his ultimate plan of vengeace goes down is intense. I'm pretty sure he get's this one guy to kill himself.
It's the quintisennctial novel of revenge.
The Catcher in the Rye
I kind of dislike the main character because he acts and sounds so much like me. And he complains too much. Like me.
But don't get me wrong, very enjoyable and thought provoking. Still very easy to read afted being published a million years ago.
I find myself to be a mix of the main characters in these awesome books.
Well pretty much...
The Count get's his ass handed to him, when a bunch of people betray him. Some dude steals his wife. When he finally escapes prison after many years he obtains a very large treasure and the awesome title of The Count of Monte Cristo.
So now he has a shit-ton of mad cash, and a palace and superior killing SKILLZ. He could kill all the motorboating bastards that screw him over, pretty much right away. But no, he watches, waits, and plots there demise. He even befriends all of his old enemies and their families.
I'm telling you, the shit that goes down when his ultimate plan of vengeace goes down is intense. I'm pretty sure he get's this one guy to kill himself.
It's the quintisennctial novel of revenge.
The Catcher in the Rye
I kind of dislike the main character because he acts and sounds so much like me. And he complains too much. Like me.
But don't get me wrong, very enjoyable and thought provoking. Still very easy to read afted being published a million years ago.
I find myself to be a mix of the main characters in these awesome books.
Well pretty much...
conchis
Legendary Member
- the possibility of an island (michel houellebecq)
- choke, (chuck palahniuk)
- glamorama (bret easton ellis)
- retorno 201 (guillermo arriaga)
- white noise (don de lillo)
- hotel new hampshire (john irving)
- the road (corman mccarthy)
- the thought gang (tibor fischer)
- the portnoy's complain (philip roth)
- the harlot's ghost (norman mailer)
- choke, (chuck palahniuk)
- glamorama (bret easton ellis)
- retorno 201 (guillermo arriaga)
- white noise (don de lillo)
- hotel new hampshire (john irving)
- the road (corman mccarthy)
- the thought gang (tibor fischer)
- the portnoy's complain (philip roth)
- the harlot's ghost (norman mailer)
HazelGod
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The Dark Tower - Stephen King's seven part magnum opus that took him almost thirty years to finish. If I had to choose a favorite volume, it would be a tough decision...but I'd have to say Wizard and Glass, which details the protagonist's back story in detail.
Second Treatise on Civil Government by John Locke. I first read this in HS when I was involved in Lincoln-Douglas debate. It was my initial glimpse into the philosophies that drove our founding fathers to establish the republic in the manner they chose.
Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlen. Reading this in early college opened my eyes to the truth that our democratic form of government isn't without flaw...and that citizenship by birthright will likely be its ultimate undoing.
A Rose in Winter by Kathleen Woodiwiss. If you don't get it, I won't bother explaining.
Second Treatise on Civil Government by John Locke. I first read this in HS when I was involved in Lincoln-Douglas debate. It was my initial glimpse into the philosophies that drove our founding fathers to establish the republic in the manner they chose.
Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlen. Reading this in early college opened my eyes to the truth that our democratic form of government isn't without flaw...and that citizenship by birthright will likely be its ultimate undoing.
A Rose in Winter by Kathleen Woodiwiss. If you don't get it, I won't bother explaining.
Student Success Secrets, when I was 16 yrs old. It's why I'm so successful today. It changed the course of my life. It's my first exposure to Nerolinguistic Programming. Good Stuff!
My favourite book is also one of the technically best written books I've ever read - Catch-22 - Joseph Heller.
Other close bests:
The Sound and the Fury - William Faulkner
For Whom the Bell Tolls - Ernest Hemingway
Written on the Body - Jeanette Winterson
I may add this to the list
The Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger but I will have to read that again at least twice before I'm totally sure - greatest test of a book - rereadabilty
Honourable mention also has to go to:
Against a Dark Background - Iain M Banks which I can read again and again and never grow tired of.
Other close bests:
The Sound and the Fury - William Faulkner
For Whom the Bell Tolls - Ernest Hemingway
Written on the Body - Jeanette Winterson
I may add this to the list
The Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger but I will have to read that again at least twice before I'm totally sure - greatest test of a book - rereadabilty
Honourable mention also has to go to:
Against a Dark Background - Iain M Banks which I can read again and again and never grow tired of.
Um, I'm with hotmilf on this one.
NCbear (who has 16 six-foot-tall bookshelves that are overflowing so completely that he really needs to buy two more)
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Maybe a more revealing measure is the names of books of which you have multiple copies. Several times, I've gone to the local Borders and brought home a new copy of a book I already have--sometimes knowingly, sometimes not.
Examples of unknowing duplication:
Examples of unknowing duplication:
- several books by Orson Scott Card, the Mormon sci-fi writer who lives in Greensboro
- several books by David Weber, author of the Honor Harrington series
- several books by Eric Flint, author of the 1632 alternate history novel and many of its sequels
- I have five different sets of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy, and two copies of The Silmarillion [the Tolkien sets are in three sizes so I can read them in different venues]
- I'm working on building three complete sets of the Harry Potter books [hardcover, three-quarter-sized softcover, and small crappy quality paperback]
- I have three copies of the Bible [three different translations]
- I have seven dictionaries [unfortunately, not including the OED--yet] and four thesauri
hmmm..., way too many, and have probably forgotton dozans. Most recently The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy
Not_Punny
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A kindred spirit! :tongue:
I constantly give away books because I have no more room, and I have about 12 boxes of books in storage.
I have read the majority of books named in this thread, and totally agree that they are fine books. Picking a fav is like Sophie's Choice...
- - - - - - -
Just saw your more recent posting...
Multiple copies as a test! Absolutely!
I haven't KEPT all my multiple copies, but some of the multiple copies I have had in recent years are...
-- Two and a half sets of Harry Potter books (I read at least four of them out loud, cover to cover, having fantastic fun with all the voices)
-- Lord of the Rings
-- Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz
-- Lord of the Flies
-- The Merlin books by Mary Stewart
-- To Kill A Mockingbird
-- Elephant Man
-- Dune
-- The Talisman by Stephen King and Peter Straub (plus Ghost Story, the Shining, and The Green Mile)
Yep... all these multiple copies... :biggrin:
- - - - -
And yes, I'm waiting for time to go by enough to reread The Time Traveller's Wife and The Poisonwood Bible
I also love anything and everything by Neil Gaimin.
London_Calling
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I love 'The heart is a lonely hunter' by Carson McCullers.
The title alone should win prizes!
The title alone should win prizes!
Osiris
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I have numerous one's that stick out, but a few that really click are:
Sci-Fi - The Demolished Man, The Stars My Destination both by Alfred Bester.
Mystery - Retribution by Jilliane Hoffman or Death Comes as the End by Dame Agatha Christie
Suspense - The List of 7 by Mark Frost
Non-Fiction (AKA Faction) - Tea That Burns by Bruce Edward Hall, The Measure of a Man, The Autobiography of Sidney Poitier, and Pink Samurai by Nicholas Bornoff
Historical treatise - The Art of War by Sun Tzu and The Prince by Nicolo Machiavelli
Drama or Literature - Forbidden Colors by Yukio Mishima
Sci-Fi - The Demolished Man, The Stars My Destination both by Alfred Bester.
Mystery - Retribution by Jilliane Hoffman or Death Comes as the End by Dame Agatha Christie
Suspense - The List of 7 by Mark Frost
Non-Fiction (AKA Faction) - Tea That Burns by Bruce Edward Hall, The Measure of a Man, The Autobiography of Sidney Poitier, and Pink Samurai by Nicholas Bornoff
Historical treatise - The Art of War by Sun Tzu and The Prince by Nicolo Machiavelli
Drama or Literature - Forbidden Colors by Yukio Mishima
