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Other Topics => Off-Topic Discussions => Books & Comics => Topic started by: DrunkDestroyer on May 07, 2011, 08:21:59 am
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Reccommend to us your favourite books of all time right here, any description you think is necessary, genre, style, absolutely whatever you think will get people to read them since they deserve it so much.
Compile a list, write reviews, make a flashy banner: just get people to read your favourite books/series/everything!
Imma open up and reccommend to you guys three books, to open up.
Fight Club
Yeah, you've seen the movie, and if you are female, this loses half its appeal, and you can go cry about no Brad Pitt, and how Jack is an infinitely better name than Joe. It is pretty much the same story. Which is good, because it is a damn good story. It doesn't appeal to everyone, can be a bit over-the-top, but you will never know until you try it. It has a strong taste, so be warned. In fact, an analogy so good that it might come from the book itself is coming: the book is like porn. Most people like it, some will get really, too into it, and some people hate it on principal. You don't really get neutral feelings. But you have to try the book out, or at least rent the movie.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
You've probably read this one too. In fact, it might classify as a childrens book, I'm not too sure, but that should under no circumstances stop you from reading it. The hook of this book is the first person character, who has Aspergers Syndrome. And the thing is, it's done well. The condition/syndrome is getting some more publicity now it seems, with many geniuses and ect thought to have it, but this book will really work it, and live it. Pretty sure this one will appeal to pretty much everyone. Has some very emotional scenes in here, which beautifully contrast with the lack of emotion in the narration. Give it a try.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
All the books I am reccommending seem to be very mainstream, and similarly orientated, which is probably one of the reasons I'm looking for some variety. I think that this is one of the only books that I really got into without a first person narrator. The plot moves quite slowly beginning and end, but the middle is fast paced, as you slowly realise the massive scale. I don't know if it's happenned for anyone else, but during the middle, I suddenly clicked at one paragraph, and realised just what the story was implying. From then on, I pretty much couldn't put the book down. This one deserves the biggest warning of all, in terms of suitable content- I would skip this one if you don't like violent/forceful scenes, and if you have ever truly been powerless before someone in your life. (Hard to explain this without being overly blatant, but losing all TV and computer time or whatever is definitely not what I am talking about here).
In fact, this book itself isn't written as well as the other two in my opinion, but the story... you'll remember the story. Trust me.
And now you do yours :)
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Lamb by Christopher Moore
Everyone knows how the Bible leaves out Jesus's life from 12-30. Well, this book fills in that gap. It's a fictional comedy told through the eyes of Jesus's fictional best friend, Biff. You'll laugh, you'll cry, and you'll read it until it is engraved in your mind. It's probably the funniest book I've ever read.
The Cobra Event by Richard Preston
A fictional telling of a man-made pathogen being let loose into society. If you're looking for a thriller, this one is for you.
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
More fiction, but this time of the sad kind. Set in Nazi Germany, one gets a glance at a young girl's life and what happens to her, her family, and her friend. Emphasis on the sad.
The Great Train Robbery by Michael Crichton
The fictional account of a real event. Another suspense/thriller. One of Crichton's best works.
The list goes on, but I'll leave it at that.
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I didn't read many books but my top are
Sandkings
Ever since I was small I wanted to have micro universe. It's really fascinating, building castles wars and lot of turnovers. Pity that it ended so suddenly.
Chronicles of Amber
"Wait, so the one behind it wasn't Bleys and Fiona but Brand ? Wait so the one behind wasn't Brand, Chaos just used him? Chaos used son of my brother Random whom I hate the least? Please could someone explain it to me?"
So many conspiracies, I love it. In one moment you're totally sure about and the next everything seems to collapse.
Hobit
Great fairy-tale which doesn't look like a fairy-tale. (Except the whole concept and dragons, dwarfs, magic, elfs and treasure on the end of the journey ;D :)) )
Fahrenheit 451 (or 542?)
Ravishing story which really gets you thinking about lot of things
Dying of the light
"When you give things name they start exist."
Sci-fi about planet Worlorn and romance and kavaalars
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Bloody Jack series
BEST SERIES EVER. These are great novels full of romance, comedy and action, but not enough of each to deter you. The only qualm is it has a bit of "rude" stuff in it.
Temeraire series
These are some great epics about a nopoleonic age/wars with DRAGONS. everyone knows that dragons make things cooler, and this is no exception. It has the ruthlessness of napoleons army and strategics, the cunning of dragons, the enchantment of asian dynasties and the terror of a naval captain flying a dragon!
Asterix books
These comedic childrens (though my dad still reads them) comics are set in france (or gaul) around 30 ish BC, and follow the hilarious adventures of the invincible Obelix and the cunning Asterix, as they wade through the world wreacking havoc on the romans in their wakes.
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I don't have favorite books but rather favorite series. I'm still very young, so I haven't read any adult books and that affects my choices. So here they are:
Harry Potter
Probably my favorite out of this bunch, the books are just so damn good. Do you want to know how much I like them? I went to the book store at midnight to get the last one and read in in 1 day and 20 hours. Thats a full 800 page book in less than 2 days. The magical feeling of the books is something you cannot find anywhere else.
Hunger Games
My type of books. Action-packed, twists at every turn, and a battle to keep the ones you love alive. The last one was a bit disappointing, but still very good. It had some very shocking turns in the end.
Percy Jackson
Again, my type of books. Similar to the Harry Potter books, something about fantasies really interests me. This book has actually helped me point out which FGs are Roman Gods and their Greek names.
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I don't have favorite books but rather favorite series. I'm still very young, so I haven't read any adult books and that affects my choices. So here they are:
Harry Potter
Probably my favorite out of this bunch, the books are just so damn good. Do you want to know how much I like them? I went to the book store at midnight to get the last one and read in in 1 day and 20 hours. Thats a full 800 page book in less than 2 days. The magical feeling of the books is something you cannot find anywhere else.
Hunger Games
My type of books. Action-packed, twists at every turn, and a battle to keep the ones you love alive. The last one was a bit disappointing, but still very good. It had some very shocking turns in the end.
Percy Jackson
Again, my type of books. Similar to the Harry Potter books, something about fantasies really interests me. This book has actually helped me point out which FGs are Roman Gods and their Greek names.
I love PJ! I read two books in like 3 hours :L I also did that with a HP book - well, more like 6 hours but still
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Of Mice and Men
Sad story, especially the ending.
That was Then, This is Now by S.E. Hinton
Another sad ending story
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The Dark Materials Trilogy by Phillip Pullman
Takes you into a fantasy world where Lyra and her Daemon are destined for a huge adventure, you should read this trilogy because large polar bears are involved. :3 Just kidding im bad at summary so here's an official one: The story involves fantasy elements such as witches and armoured polar bears, and alludes to a broad range of ideas from fields such as physics, philosophy, theology and spirituality. And not to mention how awesome Phillip Pullman is as a writer, its very well written.
Alex rider series- Anthony Horowitz is an awesome writer, and while some make spy books seem like a kid wrote it, he adds different elements of thrill, reality and other cool stuff. I think in each book he dedicates a page to where he got his information from, ie. NASA to get info about a space station. So it really feels like its real.
Ender's game- No need for explanation, its soo good: Set in Earth's future, the novel presents an imperiled humankind who have barely survived two conflicts with the Formics (an insectoid alien race also known as the "Buggers"). In preparation for an anticipated third invasion, an international fleet maintains a school to find and train future fleet commanders. The world's most talented children, including the novel's protagonist, Ender Wiggin, are taken at a very young age to a training center known as the Battle School. There, teachers train them in the arts of war through increasingly difficult games including ones undertaken in zero gravity in the Battle Room where Ender's tactical genius is revealed.
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Not many books I can recommend that haven't already been said - The Hobbit, Harry Potter, Hunger Games, Percy Jackson, Alex Rider are some of my favorite series. Fight Game is also a popular book at my school - some people tell me it would be my type of book, though I'm not sure.
However, two other series worth noting are Artemis Fowl and the Inheritance Cycle - both are great fantasy series with a little of everything in them.
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Eragon, very good book cycle on dragons and dragon riders, still yet to be complete by a fourth.
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Most of these books sound like they are for young teenagers... adult fiction > youth fiction.
And by adult fiction, I don't mean graphic novels (book porn).
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The Orphan's Tales by Kathryn Valente
A series of two books (In the Night Garden and In the Cities of Coin and Spice). The main story of each serves as a framework to tell other stories, but then each of those stories also contains even more stories. Each of the stories connects to the others in some small way, and eventually they all connect together to tell an even bigger story. Yet, somehow, the author manages to do this without making it confusing.
The main focus of these books is an orphaned little girl who lives in the palace garden telling stories to a young prince. Beyond that the plot is very difficult to describe without spoiling the end.
The writing style is absolutely spellbinding and the story sticks with the reader long after you finish it.
A Night in the Lonesome October by Roger Zelazny
I'm a fan of most of Roger Zelazny's work, but this one especially. It was the first of his books I ever read, and is probably the most accessible to the average reader.
The cast of characters includes people who are recognizable, but never directly named as: Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Frankenstein, Jack the Ripper and many others from various classics (or historical figures). Unlike many other books that borrow characters from timeless classics, this one is never corny about it. Told from the viewpoint of the main character's dog.
The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
I first read this book shortly after I became Christian. I'll try to avoid starting a theological debate here, but I sincerely recommend anyone interested in Christianity look into C.S. Lewis. He has a lot of clear, no-nonsense explanations of the faith that are accessible to almost anyone.
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Darklord of Derkholm by Diana Wynn Jones - Probably my favorite book in the world. I know the name sounds childish and it is sort of a kids book, but both young and old readers can enjoy it. Here's the plot:
In a magical alternative world, Mr. Chesney's Pilgrim Parties descend once a year from (presumably) our world, expecting all the trappings of a fantasy land: the evil Dark Lord, the Glamorous Enchantress, attacks from Leathery-Winged Avians, and wise Wizard Guides. The real fantasy world is nothing like that. But Mr. Chesney is backed by a very powerful demon, so the entire world must put on an enormous act, just for the tourists, and it is devastating the fantasy world. The farmlands are laid to waste, populations slain, dragons and elves are unable to mate, and if they do not cooperate, the demon will come after them.
At the suggestion of the Head of University, Querida, the all-knowing Oracles are consulted on how to end the carnage wreaked by the tours. It appears that the only way to end the tours is to make the (apparently incompetent) Wizard Derk the next Dark Lord, and his son, Blade, the Wizard Guide for the final tour.
It's both awesome and funny.
I also have to suggest pretty much anything by George Macdonald, particularly, The Golden Key, Lilith, The princess and The Goblin and its sequel The Princess and Curdie.
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Most of these books sound like they are for young teenagers... adult fiction > youth fiction.
And by adult fiction, I don't mean graphic novels (book porn).
your point being?
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I dont know if its my favourite but "of all time" made me think of Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace.
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A good book is a good book, the target audience doesn't matter. I would even say good children's books and young adult books bear rereading from time to time as you "grow up." You get different things from them at different points in your life.
Fight Club
Yeah, you've seen the movie, and if you are female, this loses half its appeal, and you can go cry about no Brad Pitt, and how Jack is an infinitely better name than Joe.
Hey!! I thought the book was pretty great, and I didn't think Brad Pitt was that awesome in the movie... But maybe I'm just crying 'cause I'm about to get my period or something, I'll go buy some shoes to make myself feel better. ;)
Anyway, back to topic... It's hard for me to say "of all time" but these are the first four that jumped into my head.
The Demolished Man by Alfred Bester
Winner of the first-ever Hugo Award. Takes place in the near future where telepaths are common and integrated into all levels of society. Then the first premeditated murder in decades happens. The book alternates perspectives between the detective and the murderer (who himself is being hunted by a third party), and not in a half-done way -- you know everything about both men from the beginning, the mystery comes from the things that neither of them know. It was written in the 50s, so it has some decidedly non-PC stuff in it, but it's both a fun science fiction book and a smart detective story.
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
No, really, not EVERYTHING Steinbeck writes is depressing! East of Eden actually has both sad AND happy parts!* The book has it all -- love, hate, sex, violence, revenge, forgiveness, hope, dreams, family drama, and probably a few other things in a story about... well, it's hard to say what it's about. It's huge (602 pages) and it's about people. It starts with a handful of them and follows their lives and their choices, and the meanings of their lives and choices. Look, I'm doing a terrible job describing it, but if you want a realistic and beautifully written American epic, grab this book.
* Note to folks outside the U.S.: A lot of Americans have to read Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath in high school. It's a good book and an accurate picture of its era, but it also does a great job putting people off Steinbeck forever because it's horribly depressing.
We by Evgeny Zamyatin
Takes place in a dystopian world where life is governed by rules of absolute efficiency, and follows an engineer as he begins to fall prey to emotions that he has always believed are pointless and meaningless. The book was snuck out of the USSR, published in Czechoslovakia, and then filtered westward where it influenced Orwell, Huxley, Rand, and Le Guin.
His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman
The books are Northern Lights (inexplicably renamed The Golden Compass in America), The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass. The setting is a sort of parallel world to ours, with twists -- technology isn't as far along, but magic and science and religion all coexist in daily life; there are races other than humans; and everyone has an outward manifestation of their soul, called a daemon. The daemon is tangible, can speak, is as intelligent as you are, and comes in the form of an animal that reflects your personality (children's daemons are shapeshifters until sometime in their teens). It starts off following a tomboyish orphan named Lyra, a ward of Oxford College in England. A playmate suddenly disappears, and she takes it on herself to find him. And the story gets bigger from there, fueled by Lyra's determination to save her friend no matter what.
There's a movie version of the first book, but it suffers from some of the common problems of adapting big books into movies: it tried to keep too much of the book, and it relies too much on exposition. It looks beautiful and the casting is incredible -- but it doesn't make much sense if you haven't read the books, and there's an awful lot of talking.
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Honestly, the line between 'teenage fiction' and 'adult fiction' is very thin. As much as I hate to bring it up, the Twilight series is a good example of that.
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I don't have a favorite book per say, but definitely a favorite series.
Discworld Series This is the description from wikipedia:
Discworld is a comic fantasy book series by English author Sir Terry Pratchett, set on the Discworld, a flat world balanced on the backs of four elephants which, in turn, stand on the back of a giant turtle Great A'Tuin. The books frequently parody, or at least take inspiration from, J. R. R. Tolkien, Robert E. Howard, H. P. Lovecraft and William Shakespeare, as well as mythology, folklore and fairy tales, often using them for satirical parallels with current cultural, political and scientific issues.
There's multiple storylines, and they're such great reads.
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Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand - modeled my old/other avatars after him.
VERY YES. I can't believe I forgot to mention Cyrano de Bergerac. Since my family is part French, we often joke that we're Gascons.
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Most of these books sound like they are for young teenagers... adult fiction > youth fiction.
And by adult fiction, I don't mean graphic novels (book porn).
Most of these are for young teens, but these books can be reread as you get older, there is no defining line between teen and adult fiction, as ddevans mentioned.
You also mentioned that graphic novels are book porn, I find that very offensive, as my dads job is to write graphic novels, and through him I have gained a great storage of knowledge and understanding. Graphic novels are no less books than any novel.
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Many of these I have read.
Two to note: Under the Dome, By Stephen King, and the Maximum Ride series, by James Patterson.
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I don't have a favorite book per say, but definitely a favorite series.
Discworld Series
<snip>
There's multiple storylines, and they're such great reads.
Truth! They're really funny, and you don't have to read them in order -- there's not an overarching plot.
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I've got 2 favorite series.
1. Remnants by K.A. Applegate.
It's like a middle school level reading series (14 short books). But it's one of my favorites because of the story.
Very simple Overview: An asteroid 1/3 the size of the earth slams into earth, breaking it apart. NASA sees it coming a few days before impact, and hastily throws together 80 hibernation capsules and launches. (This takes place in 2011, which is somewhat ironic). Those of the 80 that survive when they wake up must find a way to survive. (if i say any more i'd be giving away the plot)
2. The Riftwar Cycle by Raymond E. Feist
This is adult fiction. I couldn't summarize it better than the author does, so here's the website: http://www.crydee.com/
The series isn't finished yet, but almost.
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The Cat in the Hat and The Cat in the Hat Comes Back
DR. SEUSS IS F***ING AWESOME.
Gone series: 4 books atm, gets a good perspective on life and how spoiled we are.
Hunger Games: 3rd one was quite...shocking, but twists in plot make it awesome
The Looking Glass Wars: An unknown series atm, the "real" story to Alice in Wonderland
Ranger's Apprentice: Fun little series, the mid-evil period makes it more believable
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Flatland by Edwin J. Abbott - a fascinating look at the way dimensions interact.
Gödel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter - a very heady examination of the feasibility of artificial intelligence, featuring the most Epimenidean master from each discipline: mathematics, art, and music.
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster - a teens' paperback novel with plenty of wordplay, should definitely grip the attention of a grown person who is fascinated by words (such as myself).
The Book of the Dun Cow by Walter Wangerin, Jr. - a masterpiece of an allegory involving farm animals. The sequel is darker, but also more poetic.
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card - yes, you've probably heard all kinds of people mention this. So why haven't you read it? It deserves the attention it gets, unlike some things.
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The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster - a teens' paperback novel with plenty of wordplay, should definitely grip the attention of a grown person who is fascinated by words (such as myself).
:o Me too, I love that book!
Also The Lottery by Shirley Jackson, it was pretty dark that's about all I can say without giving too much away.
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Just remembered, one of the best books i've ever read is Animal Farm By George Orwell, it's a good book, thats meant to be a parody of the Russian Revolution, but cast into the form of animals controlling a farm.
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Just remembered, one of the best books i've ever read is Animal Farm By George Orwell, it's a good book, thats meant to be a parody of the Russian Revolution, but cast into the form of animals controlling a farm.
Not a parody, but an allegory ;)
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Allegories are stories in which the main elements stand for abstract concepts, like good and evil - see Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress for the clearest example. Animal Farm is in fact analogy - or, yes, parody.
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Err...
Fight Club and Survivor by Chuck Palahniuk - For some reason I found his latter works quite predictable, but that's probably just me because I had a Chuck P book marathon back then. But I never get tired of these.
American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis - yay violence
Too many Kurt Vonnegut books to think of...
and Catch-22 by Joseph Heller - Just started on Closing Time, but I can tell this sequel's gonna be awesome.
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Dune (and series), by Frank Herbert.
The book, and the series, are simply awesome. The ideas, and so on, are really creative, and ot was my first book i ever read with over 600 pages. :o :o :o
King's Blood Four (and series), by Sheri S. Tepper. ??? ??? ???
I doubt anyone will have ever read those books, but it's (in my opinion) better than Dune, and the series overall has a nice history.
Ender's Game (and series) by Orson Scott Card. 8) 8) 8)
Yet another great series, but the quality deteriorates the further the story goes - which isn't much of a problem, the first one is so good it's still nice to read at the last one of the series.
(could be classified as PG15+, or something, i think. Anyways, not exactly something to give to your 9-year-old to read.) Time Enough For Love, by Robert A. Heinlein.
Sounds different for the rest you've seen me talk about, right? Well, it is. It's an envolving story, with some nice philosophy behind it.
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Love all the Discworld novels by Terry Pratchett.
Favourite one is probably The Last Continent.
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Love all the Discworld novels by Terry Pratchett.
Favourite one is probably The Last Continent.
How could i have forgotten those! should have looked back towards my huge collection (i'm still missing some, unfortunately.) Meks me laugh every 50 pages or so, and little smirks from me in between. heh.
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Somehow I forgot the Uglies series, one of my favourites, a 4 book series about a futuristic world. I love it, as it has a distinct corruption note to it, but you can still read it as just a good novel, OR an indepth philosophical story bout corruption...
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The Inheritance Cycle (formerly known as the inheritance trilogy)
Follows the adventures of a teen and his dragon as they work to kill an evil king.
very good, the first book was made into a movie, but don't watch it, as the move is VERY bad, and gets a lot of the details wrong.
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More it leaves three quarters of the detail out.
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not only is it sad, but its stupid, as they made changes that made it impossible for them to make the sequels, because the Ra'zac were essential for the plotline, but i digress...
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1. A Song of Ice And Fire by George R. R. Martin - 5th book to be released on July 12th, first book made into series called Game of Thrones (selftitled) by HBO. Simply the best fatasy novels you can read. I know of only one book that can fight for the first spot, and that is...
2. Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson - pure and epic briliance, from what i know, it hasn't been made into a film or tv series yet, but once it does, oh my gosh ;p very good and very long read, totally worth it
3. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card - the best Sci-Fi book you can get, hands down. Oh, and it's on the FBI's list ... so if you're thinking of joining the academy, you should read this alongside The Art of War by Sun Tzu ;-)
4. Foundation series by Isaac Asimov - this guy was genius! Thrilling read from start till the end, a must read for sci-fi fans!
5. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo or Millenium series by Stieg Larsson - great criminal story with a heroin that is, in my opinion, the best female character ever put on paper.
6. Many many more novels out there that are worth reading.
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DON'T PANIC
I'll pimp for The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. Everyone should read this book in the same way that everyone should see Monty Python and the Holy Grail, they're both legendarily good.
Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein is another of my favourites. It is vastly different from the movie (which I liked) because it's a lot less over the top gratuitous and a lot more of a gritty and realistic sci-fi future.
I sixth for Enders Game too, it was great. When's the movie coming out?
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My favourite books are
1984 by George Orwell
A fantastic book, one of the most important in the distopic genre.
The third twin by Ken Follett
Amazing story, I shared it with mom and she said: "How many twins are there? I'm about to learn of the fourth"
I also like Harry Potter series and many other books by Ken Follett
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yann martel's Life of Pi
milan kundera's The Unbearable Lightness of Being
The Colour of Magic (Discworld)
LoTR series
Dragonlance Chronicles and Legends Trilogies by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman
Infinite Jest and The Broom of the System by David Foster Wallace
Tortilla Flat and Cannery Row by John Steinbeck
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Just finished Watership Down by Richard Adams. A fantastic novel, something for just about everyone. I blitzed the last third of the book, as it got too good to put down and kept me up all hours of the night.
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I like Huckleberry Finn-I first read it when I was little and liked it better than Tom Sawyer, and read it again when I was older.
The Ringworld series is also pretty good, for science fiction.
Watership Down is really good. I loved the stories inside the story. Near the end it got scary, I read this one also when I was probably too young for it.
I like Eoin Colfer books, I like his singles better than Artemis Fowl. My favorite is Airman, and then The Wish List.
Treasure Island is a must-read pirate story. Beware the man with one leg.
I also liked the Stoneheart trilogy by Charlie Fletcher. Fun thing to read just for pleasure.
Frankenstein is also a good horror story. I feel sorry for the monster though. He just didn't seem to know how to deal with people. And you really should know the story of the cartoon guy on all the halloween candy bags.
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Just finished Watership Down by Douglas Richard Adams. A fantastic novel, something for just about everyone. I blitzed the last third of the book, as it got too good to put down and kept me up all hours of the night.
Fixed. So long and thanks for all the rabbits :p
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Gosh, thank you. That's kind of embarrassing... then again, it is really late.
I take it you've read Watership Down?
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Gosh, thank you. That's kind of embarrassing... then again, it is really late.
I take it you've read Watership Down?
Nothing to be emabarrassed about. For some reason it made for me some pretty funny images. I have read Watership Down (really good). In general i like books with personified animals like Animal Farm or even the Frog & Toad books by Arnold Lobel.
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Have you read The Book of the Dun Cow? Incredible book, right up your alley. The sequel, The Book of Sorrows, is even better, but denser.
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Just realized i forgot to mention The Belgariad and The Mallorean by David Eddings. Anyone here read/know of those?
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Have you read The Book of the Dun Cow? Incredible book, right up your alley. The sequel, The Book of Sorrows, is even better, but denser.
I haven't. I will have to check those out if i ever get the (unjustly levied) fine removed from my library card.
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Bimbos of the Death Sun by Sharyn McCrumb - hilarious murder mystery, kind of dichotomous that, but she pulls it off brilliantly.
Battlefield Earth by L. Ron Hubbard - epic sci fi
The Stand by Stephen King - epic apocalypse
Thrice Upon a Time by James P. Hogan - epic time travel
The Tomb by F. Paul Wilson - first (sort of) in an epic horror series.
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Hawkmoon and Corum: Prince in the Scarlet Robe are two of my favourites, both by Michael Moorcock. His masterfully psychological way of writing really brings life to his characters, as their emotional response and development seem credibly human. I started reading stuff by him after Robert Jordan, who led me into Dark Fantasy via Conan: The Destroyer. I didn't think a book about Conan would be all that deep, but it's amazing. Robert Jordan was a master, and now I don't really read anything other than Dark Fantasy. It's so much more alive than realistic literature or cookie-cutter high fantasy.
I certainly don't mind H.P. Lovecraft either. His horror stories of the Great Old Ones are similarly alive and evocative.
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I'm not sure how long this list will be, and I'll likely update it as I remember books, but whatever.
1984 - George Orwell.
A Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgess.
A whole hell of a lot of short fiction, so I'll go with my favorite two authors here - Ray Bradbury and Ursula K. Le Guin.
A Treasury of Modern Fantasy.
As much as I'm (actually very slightly) ashamed to admit it, the Artemis Fowl series along with the Redwall series.
Slaughterhouse 5 - Kurt Vonnegut.
Something's Missing - Matthew Dicks.
The His dark Materials trilogy - Philip Pullman.
Thief Lord - Cornielia Funke.
The Phantom Tollbooth - Norton Juster.
A Dirty Job - Christopher Moore
That's the list so far. I'm forgetting things, and as such this isn't complete, but it can be updated.
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My favorite books of all time just happen to be the series that just had its fifth book released on monday, yes you know what i'm talking about.
George R.R. Martin's series a Song of Fire and Ice.
It is an epic series that starts with A Game of Thrones an escalates amazingly. The storyline is jagged because it goes through chapters of a set number of characters that survive and die , but that is okay, because you still can find out where in the timeline it is through the major world events that happen . Main characters die out and pretend to die out alot. The book series is awesome and the first season of the TV show on HBO just ended a couple weeks ago. I wholly recomend this series to anyone that enjoys heavy, thick books with complex storylines.
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I'm a huge reader, particularly in fantasy and science fiction. Here are a few of my favourites: (some already mentioned are favourites of mine as well but I'll stick with those nobody has listed to avoid repetition)
FANTASY:
-"The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant" by Stephen Donaldson. Guy ends up teleported from the real world into a fantasy world and people think he is the reincarnation of their greatest hero. Incredibly well-written, though I will warn that the language is a bit difficult; you'll need to buy a dictionary when you get these. I wouldn't let younger children read these, though, as there are a few adult ideas; one of the major plot points is the rape of one character by the hero. 6 books from the late 70s/early 80s, and he's started another set of 4 books in the last couple years, but I haven't read the new ones yet.
-"The Wheel of Time" by Robert Jordan (being finished by Brandon Sanderson) Can't believe nobody said this yet. Absolutely epic fantasy series; literally hundreds of characters to keep track of; great fun! Sadly, RJ died a few years ago before completing the series, but his wife picked Brandon Sanderson to complete the last few books, and he's done a great job, not only with the writing itself, but even in managing to keep things in Jordan's style.
-"The Sword of Truth" by Terry Goodkind. Another one I can't believe nobody has mentioned. Another epic fantasy series, though with nowhere near as many characters as Jordan's novels, but no less good for that. I thought he'd finished the series, but apparently he's going to do at least one more novel in the near future.
-"The Shannara Series" by Terry Brooks. Does nobody in this thread read fantasy? :p I'm listing all of the greats here. (apparently the secret to success in fantasy writing is to be named Terry; Terry Goodkind, Terry Brooks, and Terry Pratchett have all made huge names for themselves in fantasy) Excellent series of novels and the ones that I blame for my epic fantasy addiction that began about age 12 when a friend recommended them to me.
-"Conan the Barbarian" by Robert E. Howard. (apparently Robert is also another good fantasy author name!) REH died at an early age (30s from suicide) but he still managed to write an awful lot of stuff, and other authors have written books in the Conan universe, such as L. Sprague de Camp. These are considered 'low fantasy' in that there isn't a lot of magic or wizards or that sort of thing; it's mostly Conan going around kicking ass and screwing women :p
-H.P. Lovecraft. Another author who died young (40s from some illness if I recall), he never wrote any novels, focusing exclusively on short stories, but damn can he write short story horror fantasy. He was called "the greatest horror writer of all time" by Stephen King. STEPHEN KING. Now THAT'S endorsement.
SCIENCE FICTION:
-"John Carter of Mars" by Edgar Rice Burroughs. More famous for creating Tarzan (which I haven't yet read) ERB also wrote these fun novels. They are a little bit silly and formulaic, being the literary equivalent of an action movie, but I liked them nonetheless.
-"Neuromancer" by William Gibson. This guy literally invented cyberpunk with this novel. Take the bleakness of Orwell's '1984' and imagine he'd lived to see the internet, and that's about the mood you get here.
"Otherworld" by Tad Williams. This is like "The Matrix" on steroids. A series of 4 books set roughly 100 years in the future, where the main plot is centered around a secret virtual reality construct. Williams also wrote some fantasy, notably "Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn", and is also worth reading, but "Otherworld" is much better, so I'm putting Williams in sci-fi.
"Eon", "Eternity", and, to a lesser degree "Legacy" by Greg Bear. Hard scifi at its finest. Not much in the way of aliens here, but quality scifi nonetheless. It's got everything; time travel, immortality, The Matrix-like computers, and everything else you'd want in science fiction. It's got a few aliens, too, but they are not the focus of the novels.
GENERAL FICTION:
"Atlas Shrugged" and "The Fountainhead" by Ayn Rand. These are rather philosophical works, but I thought they were masterfully written, and still relevant today; Atlas Shrugged's economic situation is almost as screwed up as our modern situation.
"Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley. This book is very often compared to "1984", so I'm surprised that was mentioned here and this one wasn't. If you liked 1984, you'll like this. Little known trivia: Huxley died the same day as JFK, but the assassination coverage overwhelmed news of his death.
Many of the other books in this thread I also recommend, but I won't do more than list them. Frank Herbert's "Dune", Raymond E. Feist's "Riftwar", Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien, Harry Potter by JK Rowling, Dragonlance (by various authors), Ringworld by Larry Niven, 1984 by George Orwell, Battlefield Earth by L Ron Hubbard, Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card (and basically anything else he's done) are all excellent choices in my opinion.
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Think I'm gonna have to get my hands on a copy of Orwell's 1984. I'm not big on dystopia stories, but with all these echoing recommendations...
Currently reading book one of Donaldson's Thomas Covenant series. It's alright, but so far it feels like LotR Junior.
Between the above and Watership Down I read The Andromeda Strain, a very easy read but not really my thing. Never been a fan of disaster flicks... they tend to ignore the characters and focus more on the technicalities of what's going on, and I don't like that. I prefer deep characters. I guess if you like movies like Armageddon and Outbreak, you might like it.
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Johann, it's a classic. Nothing more, but it's great in its own right. If you're not big on the genre, it's really up to you if you want to check it out or not.
(I... Would recommend it, however.)
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IMO the ideal dystopia reading quartet is Brave New World, 1984, We, and The Handmaid's Tale.
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The Man Who Walked Through Time. Just read it. Loved it. Now I want to go hike through the Grand Canyon in my spare summer.
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anyone read the book orphans its a great sci fi miltary type thriller its on par with that of enders game its a great serious ive only read the first two of five but its kept me up alll night reading.
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Well, I've got to say some of my favorite books are Showdown, Saint, and Sinner by Tedd Dekker.
And I know these may be able to be classified as chick flicks: The House of Night series of books. I've only read the first three, but I read the second and third all in one sitting. They probably aren't the best as far as writing skills go, but they definitely kept me reading.
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I dont know why, but for some reason I loved the book "Carry on Mr. Bowditch" when I was school. Read it 3 or 4 times. It really wasn't amazing, but I really liked it.
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My favorite books/series
Warriors Series
Awesome series. The books are about wild cats who live in the forest, in their different clans.
The Graveyard Book
A book about a boy who grows up in a graveyard. A very good book by Neil Gaiman.
Percy Jackson Series
A great series involving Greek mythology.
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Hopscotch (Rayuela), by Julio Cortázar, is definitely one of my all time favorites. Two authors I like very much as well, but can't pinpoint just one work, would be J.M. Coetzee and Haruki Murakami, since I enjoyed most books I've read from them.
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The Back of The North Wind
By: George MacDonald
Might be considered a 'girly' book by some but I enjoyed it immensely, it's about a boy who meets the north wind. While it may sound fantasy-ish it's much more emotional and goes into depths about the character's feelings. One of the few books I can say proudly that I cried when I finished it without losing masculinity.
In truth though, any of MacDonald's books are good, fantasy or otherwise. (Except for Phantastes, many people say it's magnificent, but just couldn't get into it.)
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One of the Greatest book series that I have read so far is the Night Angel Trilogy by Brent Weeks. :darkness
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A Planet Called Treason by Orson Scott Card.
I just finished reading it, and I'm going to read it again. I didn't find Ender's Game to be so good as people say (not bad either, don't kill me :P ) but I thought this was amazing. The beginning is kind of weird but it gets harder to put down as you go on. It's about someone who at first uncontrollably grows body parts, and a deception with moral questions about stopping. Lots of surprises! I can't say more or I'll give it all away. ;)
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What is everyone's opinion on The Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind??
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What is everyone's opinion on The Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind??
Kicks ass. (if I forgot it in my giant list, it should be there :p) The tv series wasn't that great though, mostly because they didn't follow the books.
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"Foucault's Pendulum" by Umberto Eco, because it's not only a great plot, but it's also the book that tought me most about the belief system.
"The world according to Garp" by John Irving, an absolutely magnificent story, I was so sad when it was over that I started again right away.
"Un amour de Swann" by Marcel Proust because that could have been me.
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What is everyone's opinion on The Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind??
Kicks ass. (if I forgot it in my giant list, it should be there :p) The tv series wasn't that great though, mostly because they didn't follow the books.
The first few books were awesome but by I was disappointed by the last few books. I really wanted Richard to learn his gift instead of the series just ending by Nikki just collaring Jagang.It could have been a lot better in my opinion.
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The Books of Amber by Rodger Zalazny. A genius series, worth the lengthy read
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The Books of Amber by Rodger Zalazny. A genius series, worth the lengthy read
I love them, too. They are my most favourite books, pity that he didn't finish the Merlin series
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Master Magician Series by W. J. Maryson (although it's probably only in Dutch)
This is a series of 6 books which revolves around a young kid in medieval settings, who turns out to be the only one capable of defeating the world's nemesis.
It sounds kinda corny, but the way magic and time are used is quite.. refreshing. The amount of characters introduced is immense, so if you start reading this for the first time, I'd recommend you to grab hold of paper and a pencil.
The Magicians by Lev Grossman.
This is a take on the general 'childish and romantic' approach many people think of when they hear about magic.
The story is about a few teenagers who get enrolled in a school for magicians, but the magic world is a bit more.. grim, "realistic".
When characters encounter a giant threeheaded wolf, they run for their lives instead of approaching. If you're into magic, this is definitely a good read. I read the first part of the book in one night, after which I had breakfast and went to bed.
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The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
Sharpe's Rifles (and the rest of the series) by Bernard Cornwell
... and Lord of the Rings (i'm a sucker for the hobbits)
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... and Lord of the Rings (i'm a sucker for the hobbits)
Hobbits!! Hoo yeah!
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And I know these may be able to be classified as chick flicks: The House of Night series of books. I've only read the first three, but I read the second and third all in one sitting. They probably aren't the best as far as writing skills go, but they definitely kept me reading.
I had this phase (although somewhat stupid, in hindsight) where I read several different vampire series...my half-niece recommend it to me and I enjoyed it, to an extent, for the first five books. After that I slipped out of the phase entirely.
I haven't been reading much lately, but what I have read are these:
Maximum Ride series, by James Patterson
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, by Avi
The Schwa Was Here, by Neal Shusterman
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Recently read a really good series, called the Gone series. Its a sci-fi adventure action series, quite interesting, and I would highly recommend it.
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The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
Sharpe's Rifles (and the rest of the series) by Bernard Cornwell
... and Lord of the Rings (i'm a sucker for the hobbits)
I really liked The Fountainhead as well; Atlas Shrugged is also good. And of course, LotR is classic fantasy at its finest. Mostly I'm a big fantasy/scifi fan. I think I posted a list a month or two ago of a few of my favourites already.
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Recently read a really good series, called the Gone series. Its a sci-fi adventure action series, quite interesting, and I would highly recommend it.
Do you mean the graphic novel? I've only read the first book, but was VERY impressed as it is a story about a baby dinosaur, but the story has no words.
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The Schwa Was Here, by Neal Shusterman
Read it. Loved it.
I am now invisible...
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I have no favorites but I can post a list of good fiction reads. Ive read a lot of nonfiction
too but reality other than science and history is of no concern for me and even that is boring.
So I will only suggest fiction.
Edit
The Gunslinger, first book in The Dark Tower series
Stephen King
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Tolkiens Ring Trilogy
Tolkien
Foundation trilogy and Second Foundation (without the prequels) and the 4 Robot novels with R. Daneel Olivaw including "I, Robot"
Isaac Asimov
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Douglas Adams
Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch
Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
Harry Potter
JK Rowling
Vampire Chronicles 1-6 plus Blood and Gold and Pandora
Anne Rice
A Man Of His Word series and A Handful Of Men series, both are quartets.
Dave Duncan
To that I would like to add two other series of light reading.
Codex Alera by Jim Butcher book 1-6(end)
A lost Roman Legion have settled and populated another world and learned to command elemental beings called Furies. Ages later and we follow the boy turning man "Tavi" whos got no powers and is considered a freak, but he got a brain like no other and use it to outmaneuver everyone. I like the fact that he ages 2 year between each book and each book until now (I'm currently reading nr 5) have had a clean ending.
Dresden Files 1-13 (20 or so planned) by Jim Butcher
Harry Dresden professional Wizard detective in modern day Chicago. When supernatural things goes bump in the night he is the one to call. A fantasy kitchen sink story with lots of humor and wise ass attitude and each book is a contained story. I would murder someone if there was a series that long with cliffhangers. Dead Beat (7th in the series) is the best one in the series as of yet. Things went over the top with one of the best "crowning moment of awesome" you will ever read.
Got two upcoming books to read and if anyone of you have read them i would gladly hear from you, those are.
1634 by Eric Flint
The Passage by Justin Cronin
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Illusions from richard bach
It is a story about a modern messiah who wanted to teach a normal person how to make miracles. It is a short and interesting book with a surprising end. One of my favourite books :)
1984 from george orgwell
Is a book about a person who was "awake" in a world conquered by Big Brother. The book has a good end too.
(sorry for my english)
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The Confession by John Grisham
Paths of Glory by Jeffrey Archer
A Prisoner of Birth, also by Jeffrey Archer
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If you are looking for a great read. Pick up Brent Weeks' Night Angel Trilogy. One of the better reads.
Also Robert Jordan's Wheel of time series is one of my personal favorites.
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I would say lord of the rings would be one of my favourites :D
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I would say lord of the rings would be one of my favourites :D
Not only a favorite but the very ORIGINAL 8)
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Eragon series, BEST EVER!! book four comes out very soon... Genre: Fantasy/Adventure. Author: Christopher Paolini.
just to name another awesome series. Rangers Apprentice by John Flanagan. Also Fantasy/Adventure
Last one, the secret series by Pseudonymous Bosch. Genre: Mystery....
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Eragon series, BEST EVER!!
I've read all three books, and it is very good. A bit long, but that's necessary.
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Just started the Lensman series. For a Ph.D, the guy writes good. Totally epic.
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Well, my favorites are by genre. :P
Fantasy: Mercedes Lackey, everything except those silly modern day elves. >.< (Some titles are: Arrows of the Queen, Take a Thief, Exile's Honor, and more)
Sci-fi: Isaac Asimov is extremely popular, and I love his work.
Crime: Tom Clancy: Net FOrce Series.
Classical: Crime and Punishment, Fahrenheit 451, 1984, Brave New World, Animal Farm, etc.
Biographies: Anything about Nicola Tesla
Horror: H.P. Lovecraft's entire works and most fan made works. Specific favorite: The Crawling Chaos.
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Hi,
This is my kind of topic.
I live on books.I eat them,I drink them,they intoxicate me.I had long ago fallen in love with them,and to this day,they have not failed to satisfy my tastes.
i've read a lot of books(it's sad,however,that there aren't many libraries where I live,which is a rather small place in Africa.However,my favourite books would have to be these:
"The increasingly inaccurately named Hitchhikers Trilogy"
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (1979)
The Restaurant at the End of the Universe (1980)
Life, the Universe and Everything (1982)
So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish (1984)
Mostly Harmless (1992)
And Another Thing... (2009)
And the
"Ink series"
Inkheart
Inkspell
Inkdeath
________
hellfire
out/
~~~~~~~
Idiot one,
to idiot two,
Do you read me,
I repeat,
Do you read me?
~~~~~~~
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I think I might have said this before but i couldn't find it. Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow are defintely my 2 favorite books.
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Eragon series, BEST EVER!!
I've read all three books, and it is very good. A bit long, but that's necessary.
I wouldn't say the best ever, but definitely up there. I am about halfway through the 4th book and so far so good.
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Am currently reading Pride and Prejudice, and it is not only an easy read, it has me hooked. The characters are already very believable and richly developed about 50 pages in.
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Am currently reading Pride and Prejudice, and it is not only an easy read, it has me hooked. The characters are already very believable and richly developed about 50 pages in.
Yay! I like Jane Austen so much that my sister got me a massive leather-bound copy of all her works for my B-day ;D
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Best book I've ever read is Nikki Sixxes This is Gonna Hurt, yes it has some strong language, and probably some shocking pictures (I've only ever heard the audio book). I must say it is a very good book to build up spine and can really make you think about your world view. I say that any one fifteen and above should read it.
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The Witcher
Written by Andrzej Sapkowski, Polish author. If you still don't know the book and you want to get to know more about it, follow the link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Witcher (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Witcher)
I bet many of you know the game though :). There was a Polish TV series made as well, based on The Witcher.
The Star Diaries
Another great Polish writer, Stanisław Lem and one of my favourites of his books :). I have even made an analysis of part of it for my school project :). If you like sci-fi, I bet you'll love Ijon Tichy and his cosmic adventures :).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dzienniki_gwiazdowe (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dzienniki_gwiazdowe)
I love reading Agatha Christhie, Raymond Chandler, Harry Harrison, Andrzej Pilipiuk, Rudyard Kipling and many, many others... The books listed above are just an examples of my main interests :).
Sil.
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I don't read books very often, but I've thoroughly enjoyed the Inheritance Cycle. Although Inheritance left me a bit crushed there in the end (if you've read the book you likely understand why), the amount of sheer thought and imagination that must have been put into the 4 novels was extraordinary and made for a series that I could easily spend days incessantly reading if I wanted to.
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I don't read books very often, but I've thoroughly enjoyed the Inheritance Cycle. Although Inheritance left me a bit crushed there in the end (if you've read the book you likely understand why), the amount of sheer thought and imagination that must have been put into the 4 novels was extraordinary and made for a series that I could easily spend days incessantly reading if I wanted to.
I need to read that 4th book.
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The death gate cycle (seven books) is just awesome.
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"Narren sterben" by Mario Puzo
i read it in german
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I realize that some of these have already been put out here, but I'd like to reinforce their image as great books.
Ender's Game - Possibly my favorite book of all time. It has all the great elements of a sci-fi book, and has that human relationships feel to it you find in Firefly or Serenity.
Dune/God Emperor of Dune - A great series, but it's really heavy sci-fi. If you don't like sci-fi, this probably isn't the book for you. On the other hand, it's very philosophical and has a metric ton of amazing quotes.
Those are my favorites, but anything by Orson Scott Card, Sara Douglass, John Grisham or Terry Goodkind/Pratchett is amazing.
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I realize that some of these have already been put out here, but I'd like to reinforce their image as great books.
Ender's Game - Possibly my favorite book of all time. It has all the great elements of a sci-fi book, and has that human relationships feel to it you find in Firefly or Serenity.
Oh, Ender's game! This book has a kind of personal meaning for me :). [I have not listed it above, 'cause I have read the book just few months ago, so it doesn't match for me the sentence 'all time' :)]. But here is the story: my 'in-the-future-to-be-boyfriend' used to say I reminded him Ender very much, when it comes to my philosophy of life. When we first met, it was my birthday. He pulled out Ender's game and said that I had mentioned I would love to read it, but he thought it would be better to buy me one as a gift instead of lending me his one. And this day he asked me if I would like to be his girlfriend. [Said 'yes', but not only thanks to the book, lol.]. So I can say Ender's game has changed my life :).
Sil.
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I realize that some of these have already been put out here, but I'd like to reinforce their image as great books.
Ender's Game - Possibly my favorite book of all time. It has all the great elements of a sci-fi book, and has that human relationships feel to it you find in Firefly or Serenity.
Oh, Ender's game! This book has a kind of personal meaning for me :). [I have not listed it above, 'cause I have read the book just few months ago, so it doesn't match for me the sentence 'all time' :)]. But here is the story: my 'in-the-future-to-be-boyfriend' used to say I reminded him Ender very much, when it comes to my philosophy of life. When we first met, it was my birthday. He pulled out Ender's game and said that I had mentioned I would love to read it, but he thought it would be better to buy me one as a gift instead of lending me his one. And this day he asked me if I would like to be his girlfriend. [Said 'yes', but not only thanks to the book, lol.]. So I can say Ender's game has changed my life :).
Sil.
Romance much? :D
And yes, Ender's Game is a good book. I support it.
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I'm reading both A Song of Fire and Ice and The Night Angel Trilogy. I am one book into the first, and I'm about 30 pages into the third of the latter. Both are easily some of my favorite reads.
I also enjoy Palo Alto by James Franco. Hard to read at times, but fun and quick; Finished the 150 pages or so in about a day :)
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I'm going to have to say Catch 22. It's an amazing book; I reread it all the time.
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The Black Company series by Glen Cook.
S'about 9 books. Some of the grittiest dark fantasy stuff I've dealt with, but with a sort of military twist. The sorta thing you inhale, instead of read though.
War for the Oaks by Emma Bull. Standard reading for the native house-geeks here.
The Dark Tower series by King. Another one of those long series, that I assume most people oughtt'a be familiar with. Not his standard horror. Huge world. Post apocalyptic/fantasy/western... somehow.
Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut. Though this is my favourite of 'is, anythin' by Vonnegut ends up falling into that 'brilliant-must read' group.
Also, I don't know that I can place a 'favourite' or 'best', but HP Lovecraft. Man was genius.
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The Honor Harrington series by David Weber. But I've to wait always for the translation into german.
And often they split one of the original books into two german books. >:D
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Haha, I'm always simultaneously surprised by how many people have read War For the Oaks and how many people have never even heard of it. My head can't seem to quite grasp whether it should be considered a popular book or not...
Fantasy: (Arg, too many to count or remember) The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson, Parsifal's Page (book four of a series) by Gerald Morris, the Erec Rex series by Kaza Kingsley. the Bartimaeus trilogy +1 prequel by Jonathan Stroud, Ysabel by Guy Gavriel Kay, Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta
Mystery: The King of Lies by John Hart
Action: Ice Station by Matthew Reilly. The Altar of Eden by James Rollins
Romance: On Mystic Lake by Kristin Hannah, All Night Long by Jayne Ann Krentz
Nonfiction: Little Princes by Conor Grennan, The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson
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Hermann Hesse - Steppenwolf
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The Giver
a society being more and more dystopian
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You guys have mentioned so many books I like, I'll try to confine myself to three.
The City of Dreaming Books: Walter Moers is just amazing. Extremely imaginative to the point of being a bit insane.
The Final Question: Well it's a short story, but it's still really uplifting.
The Library of Babel: Jorge Luis Borges. That is all.
Others that have been mentioned already: 1984, Dune, The Great Train Robbery, Godel, Escher, Bach... books are just awesome.
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Aside from many other books that have been mentioned, my favourite series would have to be The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica.
These books are AWESOME. Won't say too much about them, or I'll ruin the surprise at the end of Book #1 Here there be dragons, but they are about familier people, in the setting of both World Wars, and many other times. An imaginary land, a race to change time, I read one after the other up to Book #5 The dragon's aprentice, AND there's going to be more! ;D ;D ;D
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Aside from many other books that have been mentioned, my favourite series would have to be The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica.
These books are AWESOME. Won't say too much about them, or I'll ruin the surprise at the end of Book #1 Here there be dragons, but they are about familier people, in the setting of both World Wars, and many other times. An imaginary land, a race to change time, I read one after the other up to Book #5 The dragon's aprentice, AND there's going to be more! ;D ;D ;D
Does the rest of the series get better? I thought the first book tried too hard to be both historical and fantasy and in the end, sort of failed to engage me in either genre. Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld, was much better, in my opinion.
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Aside from many other books that have been mentioned, my favourite series would have to be The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica.
These books are AWESOME. Won't say too much about them, or I'll ruin the surprise at the end of Book #1 Here there be dragons, but they are about familier people, in the setting of both World Wars, and many other times. An imaginary land, a race to change time, I read one after the other up to Book #5 The dragon's aprentice, AND there's going to be more! ;D ;D ;D
Does the rest of the series get better? I thought the first book tried too hard to be both historical and fantasy and in the end, sort of failed to engage me in either genre. Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld, was much better, in my opinion.
Yes! The series gets better as it goes on. Thought if you don't like the first one, you probably wont like the rest.
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The Giver
a society being more and more dystopian
There's some good additions to that. Read 'em?
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I started to read Lord of the Rings. i actually like it.
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I started to read Lord of the Rings. i actually like it.
The 2nd one is epic. The other two are epic as well, if you can get past the lagging bits. (I skim read the first half of the last so I could find out what happened to Frodo). The movies are even better. (Though I am a teeny bit biased :P)
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Recently re-discovered a book I hadn't read for years: Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts. It's not the sort of book we've been posting here (it's a based-on-a-true-story novel about the characters of Mumbai's underworld). But it gives you the feeling of reading something incredibly profound and downright incredible. Really should be better-known.
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The Pilgrimage paulo coelho
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Sophie's World, a truly intriguing philosophical story with twist and turns abound.
Rubyfruit Jungle by Rita Mae Brown, actually got the book courtesy of my teacher clearing out her book stock. The lesbian theme may put off many readers, but the story is very well done.
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I have so many favorites it's hard to choose ;D
School of Fear by Gitty Daneshvari- 4 kids with extreme phobias get sent to a crazy summer camp to cure their fears.
Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart- A strange plague overcomes the village Ku-fu, and Number Ten Ox and Master Li (who has a "slight flaw in his character") try to find a cure.
No Talking by Andrew Clements- This is a great book, even though it's kind of short. Some 5th graders have a contest to see whether the boys or the girls can go without talking the best.
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No doubt, "The pirate's dilemma" By Matt Mason.
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A lot of good stuff mentioned. My recommendations:
Anything by John Varley. Why he isn't far more well known and popular with dozens of film adaptations of his novels is beyond me. Good, "hard" sci-fi. Not necessarily kids stuff - lots of frank discussion of some uncomfortable topics. The series of Red Thunder, Red Lightning, and Rolling Thunder are his homage to Robert Heinlein, and probably a good place to start.
To Kill a Mockingbird - it's one of those books that always gets assigned in school - each of the 3 years that I spent teaching English I assigned it to at least some of my classes. And I always loved reading it every time.
Mark Twain is always good. I don't think a lot of people realize just how subversive he is. I can't even imagine how disappointed he would be with the US today.
Clive Barker is someone that more people should pay attention to. I think a lot of people dismiss him as just a horror writer, but he actually is more a fantasy writer than a horror writer (though there is some terrifying scenes in the fantasy novels). I recently read Imajica (published in 2 volumes). It is an amazing feat of world building and storytelling. Again, not kid friendly. However, the book The Thief of Always is an equally wonderful story that is totally appropriate for the 9 year-old and up crowd. I read it a few years ago and regretted that I hadn't read it sooner because I would have loved it so much when I was young.
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Lamb by Christopher Moore
Everyone knows how the Bible leaves out Jesus's life from 12-30. Well, this book fills in that gap. It's a fictional comedy told through the eyes of Jesus's fictional best friend, Biff. You'll laugh, you'll cry, and you'll read it until it is engraved in your mind. It's probably the funniest book I've ever read.
Oh god, I love Christopher Moore. A Dirty Job is one of my most favorite books ever. Haven't read Lamb yet, but I highly recommend anything he writes.
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My favorite would have to be House of the Scorpion Its a very interesting book and it kinda brings up the possible problem of human clones in the future any ways its based in a few areas but it starts in a strip of land in between mexico and america ( both of which are becoming weaker) the strip of land traffics illegal narcotics and is home to the oldest man alive and so many problems happen when he makes a clone named Matt
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Don't think anyone's mentionewd these, but I'm really liking the Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series. This is basically a full-out war throughout the world (and more) fought only, more or less, by 'Immortals' (not the Elements creature) in hopes of universal domination. :D I really like Sci/Fi+Fantasy books, including favorites like The Hunger Games and Harry Potter (favorite Potter Was PoA). Also, another series was The Maze Runner series, a series where a group of teenage boys end up in a maze, surrounded by deadly creatures, and must survive, against all odds.
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I am a genius of unspeakable evil and I want to be your class president
It really changed my views on life.
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The books I can think of that most fit into this would be Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card and The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. Both made an impact on how I think, more than any other books.
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My favorite book series is the dragon keeper trilogy by carol wilkinson.
Dragon Keeper
Garden of the Purple Dragon
Dragonmoon
Its a fantasy novel about a slave girl who saves the last imperial dragon from her master lan.
Togheter with the dragon she escapes from her master.
They travel together around the world while protecting the dragon stone (which is a dragon egg).
Im not gonna say much more since it would spoil the story if somebody ever intends to read it.
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Have read over 500 books so it's hard to recall all of them.
But some outstanding ones that I still remember:
Da Vinci Code. (Propably my all time favorite.. for now ;P)
I recall Holes being a good book when I read it for school 4 years ago :)
Right now I keep reading a lot of Sven Hassel's books (I've read his books trought many times & still like reading them again and again).
As a kid I used to spend A LOT of time reading K. A. Applegate's Animorphs & Everworld series.
Then again, I've read a lot of books written by Margaret Weis/Tracy Hickman.
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Right now I really like The Belgaraid and The Malloreon by David Eddings. But all fantasy will do for me.
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Right now I really like The Belgaraid and The Malloreon by David Eddings. But all fantasy will do for me.
Love :D
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Hmm where do I start ?
Great Expectations - for me Dickens' greatest work - read it when I was about 14 and it's stayed with me ever since ;
Great plot, glorious language, very funny, deals with love, hate, regret, redemption and more . . . . surely a candidate for greatest ever English novel.
Lord of the Rings - well who doesn't have it as one of their faves.
Anything by A E Van Vogt - a guilty pleasure but, for me, he's a unsung hero of Sci-fi
And a bit left field but "Slaughter of the Innocent" by Hans Ruesch. Emotionally a very difficult book to read but a must for anyone who professes to love animals.
A renowned work published in 1978 Ruesch proves that vivisection is scientific fraud.
And for the nerd in me, one of Porter's fantastic sixth-form maths text books - any will do but perhaps Dakin & Porter "'Elementary Analysis" is my fav. Happy memories.
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I love all books written by David Gemmel and most books written by Raymond.E.Feist otherwise my favorite book is probably From where I stand by Tabitha Suzuma.
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most books written by Raymond.E.Feist
Which ones do you not like?
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My favourites are, in no specific order:
Peter Ustinov - The Old Man and Mr. Smith
J.R.R. Tolkien - Lord Of The Rings
Haruki Murakami - ねじまき鳥クロニクル (The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle), 世界の終りとハードボイルド・ワンダーランド (Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World)
Thomas Mann - Bekenntnisse des Hochstaplers Felix Krull (Confessions of Felix Krull, Confidence Man)
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe - Faust
Hermann Hesse - Narziß und Goldmund (Narcissus and Goldmund)
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Someone had to have mentioned this already (I'm too lazy to go through 12 pages of posts), but my favorite is the Ender's Game series by Orson Scott Card
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Currently my favorite book is Black Swan by Nassim Taleb. It's non-fiction, just some notes about how the world works, about people etc. Book focuses on unpredictability of events, but is much deeper then some "swan happens"-slogan. Also, it's overfilled with Taleb's charisma. It all is why this book is so great to me.
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All the good old Sci-Fi, ( Golden Age of Sci-Fi ) few authors I don't like, however, if you want some Sci-Fi titles ask me
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Call of the Wild by Jack London is my favorite.
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I submit to you my #2 favorite book of all-time:
(purely for entertainment purposes)
Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein
If you can, read the un-abridged version. The abridged version is definitely well-done too, but loses a lot of detail depth that Heinlein is SO good at creating.
Enjoy!
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My favorite book is actually 8 books! ::)
The Dark Tower from Stephen King. I have read LotR the first time around 20 years ago and have read it about 15 times now, save to say Tolkiens story is number 2 but for me SK is a god among modern writers. My collection is 43 books now and Dark Tower is the climax of his stories!
- The Dark Tower (Stephen King)
- Lord of the Rings (J.R.R. Tolkien)
- At the Mountains of Madness (H.P. Lovecraft)
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I submit to you my #2 favorite book of all-time:
(purely for entertainment purposes)
Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein
If you can, read the un-abridged version. The abridged version is definitely well-done too, but loses a lot of detail depth that Heinlein is SO good at creating.
Enjoy!
Add to this one - Catch 22. Great read, this.
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Of Mice and Men
Sad story, especially the ending.
That was Then, This is Now by S.E. Hinton
Another sad ending story
I saw the movie on that, and yes it is sad
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My favorite book of all time would be, Harry Potter. I like fantasy stuff, like elements for example :D
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The Kite Runner - Khaled Housseini
A young afghan boy, Amir and his friend set out to win the local Kite-fighting tournament.
But a tragic trail of events leads Amir down a winding path of tragedy, which ultimately can only be healed by one thing - Redemption
The Vampire Saga - Darren Shan
Vampires n shit, ends up in war between two clashing races - the vampires and the vampaneze.
The chronicles of Ancient Darkness - Michelle Paver
Honestly my favorite series of books of all time
Set roughly six thousand years ago, Torak is forced out of the comfortable life he leads with his father when a demon bear is unleashed on the forest he lives in. Seeking solace, and ultimately finding it in the shape of a small, scraggly wolf cub, Torak starts out on a journey that will eventually take him all over the world.
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PHB / DMG and MM 3.5
= ]
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Skeleton Crew: A compilation of short stories written by Stephen King. Includes the novella, The Mist and 22 other short horror stories. Very gory with deranged concepts, intricate symbolism, and truly rivetting characters. A very invigorating read. :)