Heh, we have all kind of crap threads in "popular threads" subsection, but I really didn't find anything like this.
Either people don't read nowadays or no-one came to that thought.
Anyway, clue on a good book is always handy. So, what's that book or two that you pick up again and again and have skipped a night's sleep over it? And what is it about?
I have three:
1. Eclipse of the Crescent Moon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egri_csillagok) (Egri csillagok) by Hungarian writer Géza Gárdonyi.
I can't count how many times I've read it. IMO, it's most interesting, breathtaking historical novel ever written by humankind. Every nation should have a book like this about it's people and past. I recommend it to anyone who's even a bit into history, especially (late) medieval era.
(English version available on Amazon, reviews say it all.)
2. Skies of War by three-time Soviet Hero Aleksandr Pokryshkin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleksandr_Ivanovich_Pokryshkin).
The author was one of the best fighter pilots during WWII and book describes his life during war from being an ambitious plane mechanic to becoming one of most feared aces over Europe and after war, Marshal of Soviet Air Force.
He invented many airborne battle tactics, maneuvers, and his experience helped to improve fighter planes alot.
Unfortunately, book was never translated into English, but it's a really good reading. Even despite Soviet censorship appearing in almost every paragraph.
3. Death is the very last option (might be incorrect translation) by Bulgarian writer Bogomil Rajnov
I don't even know why I like this book so much. It's a short spy novel about Bulgarian intelligence operative infiltrating crime syndicate in Soho, London. Which later turns out CIA cover to smear Soviet Union via drug trafficking. But the way it's written, desperate situation of protagonist and extremely well executed atmosphere makes it better than any Bond movies or other spy stories. Protagonist isn't superhuman suit-guy with technical gadgets. All he has is sharp mind and special training. He gets beaten to almost death many times, survives many murder attempts and makes desperate decisions in more than desperate situations. A how-to-book for anyone trying hand at interesting crime novel.
The book seems to be really rare, and Google doesn't know a thing about it. Neither does Amazon.
I enjoy reading from time to time.
Two of my all-time favorites, "Moby Dick" by Herman Melville, and "The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde" by Robert Louis Stevenson, are two titles I've read quite a few times, in many different editions. I'm sure just about everyone here has read either of both of them at least once.
Right now, I'm reading a paperback novel called "Dead City" by Joe McKinney. It's about an on-duty police officer who finds himself caught in the middle of a zombie outbreak. It's nothing spectacular, but I find it entertaining enough.
I second Nine Toes with Moby Dick.
The best book I've ever read... Maybe "The Process" by Franz Kafka. I'll update if I remember other!
EDIT: Yes! I remember now! "The Complete Hitchhikers Guide to The Galaxy" by Douglas Adams. Although the last third weren't as good as it could have been, it's the only book that has made me actually laugh out loud and think at the same time.
Amber Decalogy, by Roger Zelazny.
Best fantasy novel ever, hands down and by a long shot.
I wish I could say I have a favourite book ever. On other days I might have answers and they vary.
I used to say Northern Lights and it's still up there. But I Am Legend and Vernon God Little are both books that I could read again and again. And I am quite a fan of Raymond Feist's earlier sagas, but I haven't really read a lot of fantasy to compare him to.
My favorite books are in no particular order
1. The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker. I love that story, I've read it quite a few times. Barker is a great writer and I just love the character of Frank. Plus Pinhead kicks ass.
2. Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas by Dr Hunter S Thompson. I've read the book so many times it's ridiculous, and each time it just gets better, I think it may be part of the reason I'm studying journalism next year.
3. Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk. First book of his I read was Fight Club which is great, but I think Haunted is a much stronger work.
4. American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis. I think this is great, it was the first book to get me into this writer, it is far greater than the movie, and that movie was great :) Lunar Park and The Informants are other books by Ellis you should read.
I don't really read a lot, but I have been as of late. My favorite books would have to be:
1) Ubik (Philip K. Dick) - Began reading this on the train to and from work during the summer holidays, it was fairly short at 200~ pages (but thats kind of what I wanted, short but interesting novels.). I wasn't too impressed when I first started reading it, but a couple of chapters in I was hooked. Brilliant book in my opinion.
2) Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep (Philip K. Dick) - This was the first book I read during the summer. I had heard good things and I'm a fan of the Blade Runner film and game (Blade Runner being based off of this short novel). Again it was reasonably short, but more than long enough.
3) Series of Unfortunate Events (Lemony Snicket) - Ok, so they are "kids" books I guess, at least aimed at 16ish year old readers, but I was about that age when I started them and I was sure as hell going to finish them (13 books all in all) and I would read them all again too!
Currently Im reading "Filth" by Irvine Welsh, which may also end up being added to this list by the time I'm finished. There are also loads more Philip K Dick books I could add. If you're a fan of Sci-fi and haven't read any of this books, it might be worth checking one out!
"IT", by Stephen King.
"Foundation Saga", by Asimov.
"Jurassic Park", by Chrichton.
"Agent Pendergast Saga", by Lincoln and Child.
Basically I have two favourite authors ..
"For Whom The Bell Tolls" and "The Sun Also Rises" by Ernest Hemingway
"Breakfast of Champions" by Kurt Vonnegut
but also
"The Red and the Black" by Stendhal
and when I was a kid, I really liked this book series called "Bert's Diary". It was by two swedish author and it was about a teenage boy who kept a diary. And it was really fun. Makes me laugh even now.
I'm really not into sci-fi and such books.
I'll use this opportunity to bring up a matter of some... national pride, I guess.
Aniara, by Harry Martinsson (Swedish author and Nobel laureate), is an epic poem from 1956, that I guess you could call science fiction. The Earth is on the brink of destruction, from war, pollution, and that stuff, and its inhabitants are leaving for Mars. One large space vessel (among many IIRC), named Aniara, is diverted from its path by a near-collision with an asteroid, and begins drifting, with no hope of rescue, out of the solar system and towards the constellation of Lyra. In 103 cantos, the poem depicts the struggle of the inhabitants to cope with their doom, their boredom, the emptiness of space itself as well as their own existence, and eventually with the news of the utter destruction of Earth. It's wonderfully poetic and a joyful and emotional experience to read. It's among the greatest masterpieces in Swedish literature, and had it been written in English, it would probably have a given place in the Western literary canon.
There is an English translation, which I haven't read beyond a few quotations but which seems good enough. I urge you to look for it. Even if you're not into sci-fi, honestly.
Definitely the "Catch 22" by Joseph Heller.
He uses the same sense of humour like me. There are tons of information on the internet about it. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catch-22)
The book is mainly about satyrical explanation of war and army. About that rubber heads. About the psycho. Greatest book I have ever read.
Something like Watership Down by Richard Adams, Then The Possessed by Fedor Dostoevsky. I also love Sinuhe (the egyptian) by Mika Waltari. But most of all I appreciate books that interest me from beginnin gto end, so there are several like the one I'm reading right now, The Insulted and Humiliated by Dostoevsky. Right after Satan comes to Moscow by Bulgakov. I really fancy eastern literature.
im waiting for melani rawn to hurry up and write the last book in the exiles series. ive been waiting years for it
To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
Fool On The Hill by Matt Ruff
I think that you need at least two reads, but the pacing is amazing, and there's a certain tone in the Finding Heaven story that just drags me into the book.
Moby Dick
Oh yes, this is a great one. True "adventure" all the way.
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn
This book made me wish to run away from home first time.
Small Gods by Terry Pratchett
This book has a special part in the shelf of my life- while I enjoyed almost all the Discworld books, this one is about being all alone, and helped me through a strange time.
Die Stadt der Träumenden Bücher by Walter Moers
Don't know if the English translation is any good, and what the title'd be, but heck, stop staring at this here list and read at least this one!
Harpy Tyme by Piers Anthony
The first Xanth book I ever read. Well worth the time.
Alice in Wonderland
Fight Club
Kingdom of Fear
American Psycho
Roadside Picnic - Boris & Arkady Strugatsky
Blood Music - Greg Bear
UBIK - Philip K. Dick (one of many!)
I Am Legend - Richard Matheson
The Stars My Destination - Alfred Bester
The Halloween Tree - Ray Bradbury
The Sirens of Titan - Kurt Vonnegut
The Forever War - Joe Haldeman
The Peace Machine - Bob Shaw
I'm more inclined to read short story collections, though...
Welcome to the Monkey House - Kurt Vonnegut
Deathbird Stories - Harlan Ellison
The Collected Short Stories of Philip K. Dick, Vol. 1-5
The Complete Works of H.P Lovecraft
Nightmare at 20,000 Feet - Richard Matheson
High Cotton - Joe R. Lansdale
The Stories of Ray Bradbury Vol. 1&2
I could go on... :)
I fancy teh Garfield.
Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand changed my life. Not saying it's a new bible or anything, just that it made me understand a lot about what I thought was wrong with the people around me at the time.
The last cool book I read was "Surely you're joking, Mr. Feynman!" by the famous physicist Richard Feynman. It's nice to know people who are extremely intelligent can also be wild and crazy sometimes. It's also really fun to read about. Your everyday quantum physicist isn't a good looking womanizer like that guy.
Quote from: Eigen on Wed 05/12/2007 14:47:05
Basically I have two favourite authors ..
"For Whom The Bell Tolls" and "The Sun Also Rises" by Ernest Hemingway
"Breakfast of Champions" by Kurt Vonnegut
I second all of these, awesome awesome books.
1984 by George Orwell. Great read; of course, it's pretty depressing being an American and watching your government use tactics right out of it. It's a cautionary tale, not a how-to book, guys.
But let's not drag this thread down with politics:
Watchmen by Alan Moore. If there's any comic book that actually deserves that pretentious "Graphic Novel" designation, it's this one.
I'd also like to second the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy recommendation, especially if anyone here has only seen the movie version. Read all five books of the trilogy- you won't regret it.
Hard to choose a favorite one, but I'll say :
The Foucault's Pendulum (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foucault%27s_Pendulum_%28book%29) by Umberto Eco. Deep inquiries into conspiracy theories by 3 editors who get fed up by all the crap they received for publication. So they decide to write their own. Each chapter of this book handle more material than 10 DaVinci Codes.
Burning Chrome (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burning_Chrome) : A compedium of short cyberpunk novels wrote by (EDIT: Mostly by) William Gibson. I think most of them are public domain today. And I strongly recommend Fragments of a Hologram Rose for anyone who believe that cyberpunk is olny about Shoot-Em-Up Stories.
Some books that I can (and have) read over and over:
(http://www.kweepa.com/step/pix/books/CuckoosEgg.jpg) (http://www.kweepa.com/step/pix/books/GalacticOdyssey.jpg) (http://www.kweepa.com/step/pix/books/LeTonBeau.jpg)
(http://www.kweepa.com/step/pix/books/TreasureIsland.jpg) (http://www.kweepa.com/step/pix/books/HHGTTG.jpg) (http://www.kweepa.com/step/pix/books/Holmes.jpg)
Ah yes, The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes. Good read.
Also:
High Crusade by Poul Anderson
The Hobbit obviously by J.R.R. Tolkien
Shadow of Sorcery by Andrew J. Offutt
The Elenium Series by David Eddings
The cuckoo's egg is great, a journey to the beginnings of internet and hacking
Smilla's Sense of Snow by Peter Høeg, great mixture of crime story, thriller and descriptions of greenland
Confessions of Felix Krull (Bekenntnisse des Hochstaplers Felix Krull) by Thomas Mann, really funny book
The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse by Robert Rankin, completely absurd fantasy story with very weird ideas
Generally, the books I've read to the point of nearly being able to recite passages from memory are:
- The Belgariad, The Malloreon, The Elenium and the Tamuli series, all by David Eddings
- The Sherlock Holmes series by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
- The Robot novels by Isaac Asimov
Sad but true.
I don't have a favourite book, but I enjoy fantasy most of all.
Currently I'm reading the books based on the Realm of the Elderlings (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Realm_of_the_Elderlings). In particular, I'm on the third book of the first trilogy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin_Hobb#The_Farseer_Trilogy), the Assassin's Quest (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassin%27s_Quest).
I'm really enjoying it so far, there's some great use of language, believable and unexpected plot development (no, I'm not speaking of cheesy "twists"), with interesting characters. I'd recommend it to more than just fantasy fans.
I forgot these classics :)
(http://i43.tower.com/mm/1013/101311592.jpg) (http://www.redfez.net/leopold/store/Game_Quest/images/GameQuestCover.gif)
I'm sure this has been discussed before, but why don't we have some kind of a book club?
Every 2 weeks or so we'll agree upon a book which we all have to read, and then we'll discuss it as we go. Each book can have its own thread so we can always keep discussions open even after going onto the next book.
If this isn't really deemed suitable for an AGS forum then Id be happy to host such a thing on the forum at my website.
Any takers?
(I am quite sure this has been proposed before, but theres no harm in asking again).
A book club would be great :D Though for the busy 2 weeks could be a bit too short. Or depending on the book of course. I'm starting work in 3 weeks, but some literature would do great on freetime! I'm in if there's more people to this.
Last Stand of the DNA Cowboys by Mick Farren.
Love this book. I must have read it a dozen times. Also love Phaid The Gambler by the same guy. Something about it just clicks with me. Very strange but self-consistent world. It was a nice change of pace from all the increasingly generic cyberpunk that was swamping my local Waldenbooks back in the day.
An Artist of the Floating World by Kazuo Ishiguro
Someone got this as a gift for me years ago. I lived in Japan for a while and this book really "brings that place back" for me every time I read it.
American Journeys: An Anthology of Travel in the United States Edited by E. D. Bennett.
A collection of letters written by people who were traveling America when it was still a brand new country. Makes me appreciate the interstate and air conditioning!
Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain.
Best coming of age story I've ever read. Also one of the last truly great things Twain wrote before he got old, cranky, and bitter.
Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy.
Not a big fan of techno thrillers, but Clancy more or less created that genre with this book, and it's still about the only book of its kind I actually want to read (and for a while there, books of this sort were about all I could find to read at airports! -- thank goodness that fad, along with so much of the uninspiring cyberpunk that followed in Gibson's wake, seems to have faded at last.)
Faerie Tale by Raymond E Feist.
Another one of those book I purchased while I was desperate for something to read and my options were limited. I bought this thing while my sister was in the hospital. Maybe it was the circumstances, but this book really struck a chord with me (this sort of thing isn't normally my cup of tea) and I still read it from time to time all these years later. The poor paperback is practically falling apart by this point!
Well, there you have it. Sort of a long list, but these are the books I can't get enough of.
- Ponch
Quote from: LimpingFish on Wed 05/12/2007 22:50:48
Roadside Picnic - Boris & Arkady Strugatsky
Have you seen the film "Stalker" by Tarkovsky? If so, how do you feel it was, compared to the book? "Stalker" is one of my favourite films.
My favourite author is Dostoevsky, and "Brothers Karamazov", "Crime and Punishment" and "The Idiot" in particular. His "The Insulted and Humiliated" is also a great, great novel. "Apart from him, Kafka, Joyce, Chekov, Proust, Mann. Also Hemingway, his short stories in particular.
So that my recommendation will not seem diluted I will list only the most mind blowing book I can remember reading:
A Short History of Progress by Ronald Wright. I caught a part of it in lecture form on public radio and I was hooked. Only a hundred or so pages but very compelling. It is basically an essay about how civilization is doomed. Most of it is about human history (hence the title) which is one of my great interests, but the implications for the future are manifest.
Re: Book Club. Good idea, since many folk in these forums share similar interests, but I don't think many students or employed people can read a book in two weeks. I would be interested in a non-fiction club, but only if the time period is stretched to at least a month.
http://www.lovelybooks.com/
I've read a fair number of detective stories, recently Colin Dexter's Inspector Morse series: usually fun and a (fairly) easy read, with clever plots. But the most interesting detective novels I've read recently are
Dissolution (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dissolution-Matthew-Shardlake-C-J-Sansom/dp/0330450794/ref=pd_sim_b_title_2/202-9208682-4493408) and Dark Fire (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dark-Fire-Matthew-Shardlake-2/dp/0330450786/ref=pd_sim_b_img_1) by C.J. Sansom, the first two books in the Matthew Shardlake series. The main character's a hunchbacked lawyer working for Thomas Cromwell in Tudor England. Its been very well researched and is pretty historically accurate, yet also well written with very interesting plots. Definitely a good read whether you're into mysteries, history or whatever.
I'll also 4th (5th, 6th?) The Hitch-hikers Guide To The Galaxy series, both intelligent and funny.
I also keep going back to certain books that I read when I was younger. They're not really recommendations (unless you know, or secretly are a 12 year old), but I have to admit I still enjoy them
Alex Rider series (and any other books) by Antony Horowitz - teenage spy books, but actually believable
The Edge Chronicles by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell - fantasy series with an expansive world and wonderful line art illustrations
Actually I'd like to mention I'm currently reading Bill Bryson's
Mother Tounge. It's about language and linguistics. I've only just started it but it's already fascinating and Bryson has a wonderful way of telling his readers facts without making it read like a text book (anyone who's read his
A Brief History of Everything or indeed any of his travel books, will know what I mean).
************
Quote from: BaRoN on Fri 07/12/2007 03:16:00
Re: Book Club. Good idea, since many folk in these forums share similar interests, but I don't think many students or employed people can read a book in two weeks. I would be interested in a non-fiction club, but only if the time period is stretched to at least a month.
Actually to be honest I'm hard pressed to read a book in 2 weeks aswell. Lets call it a month, and like I said we'd always leave the threads open anyway, so discussions can continue way after the month.
One thing though, I said I would host it on my forum, but its freewenbs one and that would probably mean having to sign up to freewebs to use the forum which seems a bit silly if your not actually planning to use freewebs. Would anyone mind, or shall we think of another way?
A confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
Dune by Frank Herbert
The Robots series by Isaac Asimov (Robots and Empire, the Ending... Just great)
(by alphabetical order)
Fierce Invalids Home From Hot Climates by Tom Robbins was one of the best books I have ever read.
Bt
I used to read almost all sf and fantasy I could get my hands on, but these days I tend to shy away from the epics minimum three books series after Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series spoiled those for me.
These days I'm more into less formulaic fiction (still mostly science fiction and fantasy), more intelligent if you will.
On my top list can be found:
- Most books by Terry Pratchett, especially the later Discworld books (which are both serious as funny).
- The books of Iain (M.) Banks, both his sf as his more literary works, with a special mention to Player of Games.
- The books of China Miéville. Highly innovative fantasy, great worldbuilding, great politics.
- Recently I discovered Neil Gaiman, at the moment I'm thoroughly enjoying American Gods. Haven't finished it yet, but so far it's great.
The Republic by Plato - we always remember him as the greatest above all Philosophers, but he was a marvellous storyteller too. I reread the Republic a least once every nine months and am fascinated and lost in the dialogues every time.
The Rime of the ancient mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge - there's a famous edition with the prints of Gustave Doré. Never has a book been such a pleasure to the mind and the eyes.
and probably somethin by Ernst Junger (I don't know how to make the umlaut above the "u"!), Heliopolis maybe. In Italy this author is widely overlooked and I feel in the rest of Europe too, sadly. Many great ideas and a tactile feeling in everyone of his words.