Your Favorite Books

[Ennui]

I voted "No" in the poll, but if it's here then I'm for damn sure gonna post in it.

Let's kick this shit off.

What are a few of your favorite books or authors?

Myself: Dostoevsky, PK Dick, William Gibson, Vonnegut

 

[MJ12]

1984, Invisible Monsters, Great Gatsby are some of my favs.

I need to read more books, I've had to read a lot of shitty ones in my life. Any suggestions?

 

[knut]

I read a fair bit, but I think Pratchett's Discworld books are always going to be some of my best reads. More specifically the books involving the Night/City Watch, and even more specifically, the books Men at Arms abnd Nightwatch

Children of Men by P.D. James was fantastic also, but I kind of wished I had read it before I saw the movie. But then my opinion on the film may be lower (I love both) so maybe it's for the best.

More later, gotta rush out now.

 

[Narvi]

Pratchett makes an excellent series. I like Stephen King, but his quality has gone downhill recently. Tolkien is excellent, as well as 1984, and I love GRR Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire.

Asimov is still awesome, with his logic puzzles disguised as stories, and his brilliant essays. Frank Herbert is still fairly readable.

Man, I'm still not as widely read as I'd like.

 

[kupocake]

I'm a lover of the 19th century novel. Austen, the Brontes, Dickens, Eliot and Gaskell, the old pillars of English Literature. They're not so crusty and old if you take them apart from the century of enthusiastic critical community that raises them up as 'proper reading', whatever the hell that is. They were the trash fiction of their day, and all those authors were cash-fueled entertainers first, intellectuals second, just like the artists behind stuff that is today (ironically) considered as inferior to books like Jane Eyre or David Copperfield.

That's why I'm not so keen on a lot of stuff in between then and now. Authors of Modernism and Post-Modernism that wallpaper their own arse in complex latinate sentences then stick their heads up there, just so they can look down their noses at you from a warm, moist vantage point that physically embodies their own sense of self worth. (Oops. I thought I was over The Way by Swann's. My mistake.)

Great Gatsby

Gatsby is a great book. Short and thematically to the point. I think the American novelists picked up where the Victorians left off. Writing Books that expressed something that was worth reading. I wish I had read more of Fitzgerald and Steinbeck and all those other authors I skipped over in A-Level.

I need to read more books, I've had to read a lot of shitty ones in my life. Any suggestions?

Reading more books is always a good thing, but don't buy into the vague sentiment that doing so will somehow improve you, and for the love of god, don't ever do a degree in Literature! I haven't read a book, intending to enjoy it for ages now. Every book I want to read right now has very big pictures! Manga mostly. I'm re-'reading' Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind again whilst home for the Christmas holidays. It's far more beautiful than the Anime version.

 

[Ennui]

Honestly, I almost have way too much to say in response to all of this to even be able to reply. But I will.

Russian literature is amazing though. Dostoevsky first and foremost in my mind, but also Tolstoy, Chekhov, Soltzhenitsyn, etc

 

[Yorick]

The Alchemist is the best book ever.

Ever.

EVER.

Other favorites include:
"I, Robot" by Asimov
"Choke" by Chuck Palahniuk
"A Scanner Darkly" by Philip K Dick
"Timequake" by Kurt Vonnegut
"Catcher in the Rye" by JD Salinger
"Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury
"John Dies at the End" by David Wong
"Servant of the Bones" by Anne Rice

 

[StardogChampion]

Neuromancer.

 

[Darkside55]

Any derivation of Alice in Wonderland is guaranteed to take a top spot on my book list.

After that, probably Hudson Hawk. In fact I probably owe it to Hudson Hawk that I read at all any more, as I was a voracious reader as a child but that petered out when I became a teenager. Had I not picked up that copy of Hudson Hawk that my highschool library gave away for free I probably wouldn't have gone back to being a person who HAS to read every day. The book itself is nothing special per se, but it's rather funny and has some good action, although the plot becomes rather farfetched. And I adore the way the titular character times everything by singing.

And after that, Redeption of Althalus by David Eddings. Fantasy book about gods, and magic, and the greatest thief in the world. One of the only books I ever go back and reread from start to finish.

 

[Dog--]

Zombie Survival Guide

Or pretty much any Where's Waldo books. (Seriously. They are enjoyable)

 

[Jintor]

Any and All Discworld and Discworld-Related books.

Anything by Douglas Adams.

Anything by Neil Gaiman.

The Man Who Was Tuesday, by GK Chesterton.

Warlock and River God, by Wilbur Smith

Masters of Rome series, Colleen McCullough.

 

[Yorick]

Any derivation of Alice in Wonderland is guaranteed to take a top spot on my book list.

<3 Alice in Wonderland.

And on that topic, "Finding Alice" by Melody Carlson was fantastic.

Also add "Cut" by Patricia McCormick to my list.

 

[Stigmata]

House of Leaves, by Mark Z. Danielewski.

It's the only book I've read in ages. It is awesome.

Also some of the standards like 1984 and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

 

[Eejit]

Shogun by James Clavell is one of the most amazing books I've ever read.

Iain M Banks does some seriously good sci-fi.

For fantasy probably Robert Jordan (RIP) and George RR Martin. Pratchett is a given.

Fred Saberhagen did some great stuff in both of those genres. I enjoyed the Empire of the East and Book of Swords series'.

 

[redruM]

Shogun by James Clavell is one of the most amazing books I've ever read.

Agree 100% with that, I'm re-reading it now actually.

Also, the other books from Clavell's Asian Saga (Shogun, Tai-Pan, Gai-Jin, King Rat, Noble House, Whirlwind) are excellent too, although Shogun is probably my favorite.

 

[Jintor]

I would assume that you liked "The Shining", redruM.

 

[redruM]

I would assume that you liked "The Shining", redruM.

I've actually only seen the movie, it's not particularly my favorite, but redrum kinda stuck on me and now it's my nick for everything

 

[ríomhaire]

Discoworld, especially Reaperman, Hogfather, Night Watch and Hat Full of Sky.
Some of the Wheel of Time books. It's a very inconsistant series.
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
His Dark Materials

 

[99.vikram]

I like dark/quirky humour a lot, so my absolute fave has to the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy etc.

I also love Sci-fi, so I <3 Dune, Necromancer, etc.

 

[Cavalry]

Stephen Coonts Final Flight

 

[Qonfused]

Anything (as in any book written by) by Carl Hiaasen.

 

[Man|-|unter]

Honestly speaking I don not have any favorite list OR any specific genre I would stuck for.

As for now I am currently reading and hope to be the better of my previous reading to be in my favorite list.

1) The Electric Church

2) Altered Carbon

3) Fight Club

4) LOTR

5) Murder in Shakespeare's England

etc...

 

[Sheepo]

1984 (just awesome)
Guns Up (great war book)
Andromeda Strain (one of Micheal Crichton's greatest)

Haven't been on for a while and am happy to see we finally got our book section (even if it's an add on to fanfiction).

 

[Eejit]

Crap I forgot John Wyndham, probably cause I haven't read any in ages.
Excellent author, Day of the Triffids is one of my favourite books of all time, though almost all of his books are great.

 

[MJ12]

House of Leaves, by Mark Z. Danielewski.

It's the only book I've read in ages. It is awesome.

I heard that book was great. I attempted to read it, but it's so tough, you really have to put so much time and effort into that thing. I got it from the library so I couldn't read it at my own pace, I might end up buying it so I can do that.

 

[Yorick]

Yeah I had a pretty hard time getting into House of Leaves and eventually put it down.

 

[Seagull]

Ender's game series (and the ones from Bean's perspective, too)

 

[MJ12]

Anyone ever read Rant by Palanuik? It sounds interesting, I might read it.

 

[Atomic_Piggy]

Stephen King, H.P. Lovecraft, Tolkien, Arthur C Clarke, Isaac Asimov, Marc Laidlaw, Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, Philip Pullman (yeah yeah I know his books aren't aimed at adults but they are too good not too mention - His Dark Materials series was a wonderful trilogy - just a shame the movie is gonna be awful).

Yeah, I know they are all authors, but I have read so many books I wouldn't have any idea which is my favourite.

 

[dfc05]

My favorite author is Steinbeck... favorite book by him is The Winter of Our Discontent. I also like some of the shorter books (The Pearl, Of Mice and Men).

A Scanner Darkly is another of my favorites, although it was really depressing.

 

[Reginald]

American Gods by Neil Gaiman.

Nothing else compares in my book. Pun intended, however weak.

 

[BabyHeadCrab]

Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card
Slaughter-House Five - K.V.