What is the best book you have ever read?

[averageusaconsumer]

I just finished reading my last book and it was mediocre at best. I want to read something great next. Any suggestions?

[dallaskd]

the bible

[Moral Troll]

the bible


I concur!

[Shelly]

Harriet the Spy

[duncan228]

A Prayer For Owen Meany- John Irving

[TheTruth]

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. Chabon.

[dirk4mvp]

Where the red fern grows

[dirk4Mvp_]

Charlottes Web

[Mr.Bottomtooth]

Where the red fern grows
:tu Awesome book.

[ShoogarBear]

Um, off the top of my head:

Invisible Man -- Ralph Ellison
One Hundred Years of Solitude -- Gabriel Garcia Marquez
All the President's Men -- Woodward and Bernstein
Going After Caciatto -- Tim O'Brien
Their Eyes Were Watching God -- Zora Neal Hurston
Beloved -- Toni Morrison

But the question is like "what's the best song you've ever heard?" There's really no one answer.

[SpursWoman]

Stephen King is my favorite author, and It is probably my favorite.

Is there a specific genre you prefer? There are way too many possiblities. :lol

Because I like smut, too ... and Jackie Collins is my favorite in that genre. The Bitch is probably my favorite by her. :lol

[Ronaldo McDonald]

A Brave New World!

[u2sarajevo]

The Stand...

http://www.tabula-rasa.info/HorrorImages/Stand.jpg

[L.I.T]

Don't have one, basically too many to choose from. It really depends on what mood I'm in at any given time.

If you are looking for something a bit oddball and kind of light summer fare I just finished "A Dirty Job" by Christopher Moore. It was funny and kept my interest; if only a bit twisted.

[theroc5]

the bible
yep

[E20]

Um, off the top of my head:

Invisible Man -- Ralph Ellison
One Hundred Years of Solitude -- Gabriel Garcia Marquez
All the President's Men -- Woodward and Bernstein
Going After Caciatto -- Tim O'Brien
Their Eyes Were Watching God -- Zora Neal Hurston
Beloved -- Toni Morrison

But the question is like "what's the best song you've ever heard?" There's really no one answer.
During my transition summer to my Jr year of HS, for my AP US History class you had to read a book of a list and do a little project for it as a part of summer HW and I chose that book. I didn't really read it and I just BS'ed an essay, but it had something to do with black people. My teacher said it was a good book and I said I agree. :lol

I don't read that much, but when I read Jurrasic Park by Micheal Crichton, I liked it, same with The Hobbit.

[ploto]

Picture of Dorian Gray is excellent. Or for a nice challenge, you could read Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man.

[BigBeezie]

The Kite Runner

It's thought provoking and suspenseful...

[CharlieMac]

I really dont like Toni Morrison.

[Xolotl]

I'm reading The Count of Monte Cristo and just got done reading 1984

[Mr.Bottomtooth]

I'm reading The Count of Monte Cristo and just got done reading 1984
1984 is a weird ass book. But I still liked it. The Count of Monte Cristo just plain lost me. I understood like the first 1/3 of the book, but the rest of the way I couldn't make heads or tails of it.

[NorCal510]

Where the red fern grows
that book is for like 7th graders

who reads books anyway?

[marini martini]

Who reads books anyways?
r U fuckin'etarded?

[Avitus1]

The Stand...

http://www.tabula-rasa.info/HorrorImages/Stand.jpg

That book is awesome...

[leemajors]

that book is for like 7th graders

who reads books anyway?
it's actually an elementary level book, but who knows where you are. one of my personal favorites is A Confederacy of Dunces. Hearts in Atlantis is also pretty good, especially the first two stories. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy - Portnoy's Complaint - Like Shoog said, too many to name, i could go on and on.

[Duff McCartney]

My Son's Story

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

Honourable mentions:

Infinite Jest - David Foster Wallace
Cryptonomicon - Neil Stephenson
The Lord of the Rings trilogy
Anything by Kurt Vonnegut

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

the bible

As long as you don't take it to be a LITERAL document (ie. that the world was created 6000yrs ago, Noah actually put all the animals in the Ark, etc).

If you do, you're an idiot.

[Avitus1]

[center]
http://home.earthlink.net/~karen20000/Legend.jpg
This is another good book.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

A Brave New World!

That's surprising from you Ronaldo, good choice.

And to that add 1984 and Farenheit 451.

We are currently living through an era where predictions from all three are a reality... :(

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

that book is for like 7th graders

who reads books anyway?

See, this is one of your problems, McFly. There's a lot to learn in them thar books...

Not only can you learn about people and events and places in books, you learn to use your imagination, to be patient and persistent, and you can learn to use the language, which so few people do with any kind of beauty any more... :depressed

Try reading a book, you might learn something. :rolleyes

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

it's actually an elementary level book, but who knows where you are. one of my personal favorites is A Confederacy of Dunces. Hearts in Atlantis is also pretty good, especially the first two stories. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy - Portnoy's Complaint - Like Shoog said, too many to name, i could go on and on.

Mmmm, if you like spy thrillers, it's hard to go past Le Carre.

If you like crime, don't miss The Cold Six Thousand, and anything else, by James Elroy.

[leemajors]

Mmmm, if you like spy thrillers, it's hard to go past Le Carre.

If you like crime, don't miss The Cold Six Thousand, and anything else, by James Elroy.
currently tearing through reginald hill's dalziel and pascoe mysteries. read everything by lecarre, pd james and charles todd as well. can't get enough of british detective fiction.

[NorCal510]

if im required to read a book for a project, i just go to www.sparknotes.com

A+ the EZ way

[zekes]

The Alchemist

[td4mvp21]

Wuthering Heights

[ShoogarBear]

Man, both Confederacy of Dunces and Tinker, Tailor, Solider, Spy. :tu

For "junk", I go with Robert Parker's Spenser crime novels.

Can never go wrong with a Sherlock Holmes compilation.

The original Dune (although everything after goes downhill).

The Odyssey.

Crap, I'm just looking at all the things on my shelf I don't have time to read anymore.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

if im required to read a book for a project, i just go to www.sparknotes.com

A+ the EZ way

Yeah, but did you actually LEARN anything? It is annoying that your teachers aren't smart enough to see through bullshit like that.

You know how far that will get you in university, where you actually have to think for yourself and analyse multiple sources? Also, by relying on the Clift notes you are simply regurgitating someone else's version of the primary source. How do you know that you agree with them or that they are right? Go to the PRIMARY SOURCE at all times or you have no credibility.

My whole point before about reading books teaching patience and persistence and imagination is obviously lost on you. Cutting corners and doing things the "EZ way" is exactly what is wrong with the world today.

If you are the future, I am very afraid for humanity...

Generation Y can bite me.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

currently tearing through reginald hill's dalziel and pascoe mysteries. read everything by lecarre, pd james and charles todd as well. can't get enough of british detective fiction.

If you like crime, try The Cold Six Thousand. The style is annoying at first, but after 50 pages or so I got to like it, and the story is riveting. Apparently it is the second in a trilogy that starts with American Tabloid, but I haven't read that.

[The sone]

native son...the catcher in the rye...the chocolate wars one and two hmmm...the giver...all of theses are high school reading but i find myself drawn to re-read them...perhaps its a compfort thing...or maybe a familiarity thing...but they really changed the way i saw life. the movie soilent (sp) green, im almost sure it was taken from a book, of mice and men, through the dragons eyes, forrest gump was a good read...lots of info on a nice life in that one, and who could forget EVERYBODY POOPS!...thats an instant classic....the monster series, the house that jack built... hmmm.....i could go on and on.....you get the idea.

[sabar]

Hmm, hard to order them, but in order of my most favorite first:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/ae/Gates_of_Fire_hardcover_image.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d4/TheCallOfTheWildBookCover.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/13/Fheit451.JPG


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a5/LessonBeforeDying.jpg


http://www.stanford.edu/dept/english/courses/sites/moya/media/images/GWGomez1.jpg

A nod to Plato's Republic, Homer's Odyssey and Illiad, and a ton of old stuff that most people won't have much patience for, but good reads none-the-less.

[carina_gino20]

I don't know about the best but here are some books I really liked:

A Tale of Two Cities by Dickens
The Prestige by Christopher Priest
Harry Potter series for some light reading
The Giver by Lois Lowry

there are so many out there and it depends what genre you like most

[ComfortablyNumb]

I thought To Kill a Mockingbird was pretty great. read it about 10 years ago.

One of my favorites.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

[ComfortablyNumb]

As long as you don't take it to be a LITERAL document (ie. that the world was created 6000yrs ago, Noah actually put all the animals in the Ark, etc).

If you do, you're an idiot.

I'm an idiot.

[Shelly]

I'm a big fan of true crime books :oops

[leemajors]

I'm a big fan of true crime books :oops
i imagine you're very familiar with this site then?

www.crimelibrary.com

[leemajors]

native son...the catcher in the rye...the chocolate wars one and two hmmm...the giver...all of theses are high school reading but i find myself drawn to re-read them...perhaps its a compfort thing...or maybe a familiarity thing...but they really changed the way i saw life. the movie soilent (sp) green, im almost sure it was taken from a book, of mice and men, through the dragons eyes, forrest gump was a good read...lots of info on a nice life in that one, and who could forget EVERYBODY POOPS!...thats an instant classic....the monster series, the house that jack built... hmmm.....i could go on and on.....you get the idea.
i liked catcher in the rye, but i liked his stories about the glass family a lot more - nine stories, raise the roof beam high, franny and zoe.

[Thunder Dan]

I had a thread like this a couple weeks ago. It had like 7 pages full of good stuff. My favorites are:

http://images.barnesandnoble.com/images/11590000/11590185.jpg

http://www.ukazu.com/archives/linked_content/SexDrugsCocoaPuffs.jpg

[Xolotl]

I forgot about the Illiad and the Odyssey those are two I havent read in a long time but still great

[TheTruth]

[center]
http://home.earthlink.net/~karen20000/Legend.jpg
This is another good book.
We saw previews for the movie based on this book. It looked pretty interesting.

[phyzik]

Ender's Game
by Orson Scott Card

The Last King: Rome's Greatest Enemy
by Michael Curtis Ford

[NorCal510]

Yeah, but did you actually LEARN anything? It is annoying that your teachers aren't smart enough to see through bullshit like that.

You know how far that will get you in university, where you actually have to think for yourself and analyse multiple sources? Also, by relying on the Clift notes you are simply regurgitating someone else's version of the primary source. How do you know that you agree with them or that they are right? Go to the PRIMARY SOURCE at all times or you have no credibility.

My whole point before about reading books teaching patience and persistence and imagination is obviously lost on you. Cutting corners and doing things the "EZ way" is exactly what is wrong with the world today.

If you are the future, I am very afraid for humanity...

Generation Y can bite me.
i hate reading books that im forced to. at least let us choose what books we want to read. shittttttt!

[duncan228]

i hate reading books that im forced to. at least let us choose what books we want to read. shittttttt!

My son was the same way.

He's 17 now, I think you're younger?

Anyway, when he had to read "1984" he hated it.

He just read it again by choice and he loved it and therefore got much more out of it.

While you're in school you have to read what's required. But try to find something that interests you and read it on your own. It doesn't have to be fiction, wander around a bookstore or the library until something catches you.

You'll get a lot out of it and maybe won't resent the required reading so much.

[NorCal510]

See, this is one of your problems, McFly. There's a lot to learn in them thar books...

Not only can you learn about people and events and places in books, you learn to use your imagination, to be patient and persistent, and you can learn to use the language, which so few people do with any kind of beauty any more... :depressed

Try reading a book, you might learn something. :rolleyes
majority of the class doesn't even read what they're supposed to...

at least i'm making a 0 to none effort...

[Lady Marmalade]

Their Eyes Were Watching God -- Zora Neal Hurston
Beloved -- Toni Morrison
A Time to Kill - John Grisham
The Scarlet Letter - Nathaniel Hawthorne
Night - Elie Wiesel

[cherylsteele]

I am kinda surprised that no one mentioned the dictionary as a smart-ass comment.

[ShoogarBear]

I am kinda surprised that no one mentioned the dictionary as a smart-ass comment.I actually used to do that. Not really read it, but when I went to look up a word, would remember other words I wanted to look up, and next thing you know a half-hour had gone by.

Internet killed a lot of things. :lol

[FromWayDowntown]

I agree with Shoog about Ralph Ellison's "Invisible Man" -- if you haven't read it, it's worth the time.

I really liked "One Hundred Years of Solitude" as well.

I'd also put Crime and Punishment and Watership Down among my favorites.

But in the end, my favorite over more than half of my life remains To Kill a Mockingbird, just because it is such a rich story and so incredibly well-written.

[leemajors]

I agree with Shoog about Ralph Ellison's "Invisible Man" -- if you haven't read it, it's worth the time.

I really liked "One Hundred Years of Solitude" as well.

I'd also put Crime and Punishment and Watership Down among my favorites.

But in the end, my favorite over more than half of my life remains To Kill a Mockingbird, just because it is such a rich story and so incredibly well-written.
But do we thank Truman or Harper for that?
j/k
It is a great book regardless of conspiracy theories as to its author.
One of my favorite autobiographies is Beneath the Underdog: His World as Composed by Mingus. Its factual content may be up for debate, but it's still a good read. I didn't enjoy the Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin at the time i had to read it in 6th grade, but when i found out its content may have been embellished greatly i certainly enjoyed it a lot more.

[theroc5]

I'm an idiot.
Im a proud Idiot then as well

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

So, two of you believe that the earth was created 6000 years ago? Fuck me, I cannot get over that. The volume of evidence to prove that supposition wrong is absolutely irrefutable.

Note that I am not criticising the Bible as a document, nor your right to have faith, merely the idea that the Bible is somehow a factual account of the history of the planet, which is plainly absurd.

Anyway, I'll leave you to your delusions.

[peewee's lovechild]

Toni Morrison sucks ass.

Read the entire Dark Tower series by Steven King.

Also:
Cat's Cradle
Slaughter House 5
(both by Kurt Vonnegut)
Memories of my melancholy whores (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
Choke (Chuck Palahniuk)

[atxrocker]

Choke (Chuck Palahniuk)

good book.

[peewee's lovechild]

Thus spoke Zarathurstra - Frederick Nietzche

Great book.
The cornerstone to Atheism.

[peewee's lovechild]

Also, I'm just about to read this book:

God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything by Christopher Hitchens.

There is greatness in this book.

[Banks91]

Ender's Game
by Orson Scott Card
The Last King: Rome's Greatest Enemy
by Michael Curtis Ford


The whole Ender series is great, even though parts just went right over my head. Also the books on Bean and Ender's brother the Hegemon are good too.

[Jimcs50]

[QUOTE=peewee's lovechild]

Cat's Cradle
Slaughter House 5
(both by Kurt Vonnegut)
QUOTE]

:toast

Also must reads:

Tortilla Flats(Steinbeck)

The Sun Also Rises(Hemingway)

The Kite Runner(Hosseini)

The Three Musketeers(Dumas)

The Heart of Darkness(Conrad)

and

The Last of the Mohicans(Cooper)

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

Invisible Man -- Ralph Ellison
All the President's Men -- Woodward and Bernstein



Two of my favorites.

[Vertigo]

I just finished Brasyl by Ian McDonald last night. Quite an enjoyable ride.

[1369]

"The Road" Cormac McCarthy

"Pattern Recognition" William Gibson

"West Of Jesus" Steven Kotler

"Old Man's War" John Scalzi

"We Were One" Patrick O'Donnell

"Starship Troopers" Robert Heinlien

"In Search Of Captain Zero" Allan Weisbecker

"Shadow Divers" Robert Kurson

"The Helldivers' Rodeo" Humberto Fontova

[ShoogarBear]

Also must reads:

Tortilla Flats(Steinbeck)

The Sun Also Rises(Hemingway)

The Kite Runner(Hosseini)

The Three Musketeers(Dumas)

The Heart of Darkness(Conrad)

and

The Last of the Mohicans(Cooper)Jim has personally autographed copies of them all. :p:

[Mr. Dictionary]

I am kinda surprised that no one mentioned the dictionary as a smart-ass comment.

injure
–verb (used with object), -jured, -jur·ing.
1. to do or cause harm of any kind to; damage; hurt; impair: to injure one's hand.
2. to do wrong or injustice to.
3. to wound or offend: to injure a friend's feelings.
[Origin: 1575–85; back formation from injury (n.); r. injury (v.)]

[Ladyspur .]

Archie.

[peewee's lovechild]

Ladyspur is hot.

[leemajors]

[QUOTE=peewee's lovechild]

Cat's Cradle
Slaughter House 5
(both by Kurt Vonnegut)
QUOTE]

:toast

Also must reads:

Tortilla Flats(Steinbeck)

The Sun Also Rises(Hemingway)

The Kite Runner(Hosseini)

The Three Musketeers(Dumas)

The Heart of Darkness(Conrad)

and

The Last of the Mohicans(Cooper)
maybe you should check this out:

Fenimore Cooper's Literary Offenses

by
Mark Twain

[ShoogarBear]

I've never read Cooper, but I recall the story about him is that basically he was a guy reading a book and complaining about how bad it was, and his wife told him he should write one if he thought he could do better.

I also remember reading he did things like change a character's name in the middle of a book, and leave story lines hanging. :lol

[Jimcs50]

I thought The Sun Also Rises by Hemingway stunk...

Was that the one about some people wandering around Spain? I could barely get through it, it was so meandering and meaningless...

or maybe it was so deep it went over my head...

.

If Hemingway goes over your head, you better stick with romance novels.


:)

[slayermin]

I will have to write down some of these titles.

I finally read Catcher in the Rye recently. Great book. I don't get why it was so controversial. Different time, I guess. I am currently reading 1984 and Wuthering Heights. Hopefully will finish both soon.

One of my favorites is The Natural. I don't think I will ever get over the ending.

[Sonia_TX]

Um, off the top of my head:

Invisible Man -- Ralph Ellison
One Hundred Years of Solitude -- Gabriel Garcia Marquez
All the President's Men -- Woodward and Bernstein
Going After Caciatto -- Tim O'Brien
Their Eyes Were Watching God -- Zora Neal Hurston
Beloved -- Toni Morrison

But the question is like "what's the best song you've ever heard?" There's really no one answer.

I was going to suggest that too.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

If Hemingway goes over your head, you better stick with romance novels.
:)

I'm a big Hemmingway fan, but my favourites of his are For Whom the Bell Tolls and A Moveable Feast.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

I go to a top 100 University...and it still works. I don't consider it cheating. It definitely helps though.

Whether YOU consider it cheating or not is irrelevant - do you reference the source? If not, you are plaigarising and there's no grey area there at all.

However, my comment was not about whether "it works" or not, it was about whether you actually learn anything - there is a very big difference between passing a course and actually learning/improving your mind. Short cuts may allow you to pass the course, but I doubt you learn much by taking them.

If you only read someone else's version of the book then you are cheating yourself. How do you know you won't see different things in the book than the Clift notes guy did? Being at university, you should understand the value of proper research from primary sources, or that "top 100" univesity of yours isn't doing its job.

If you are at a "Top 100" university and can't bother to go to primary sources I don't know what to say except that maybe the auditors ought to look at your uni a little closer because it's not doing a very good job of teaching you about academic integrity.

Incidentally, while we're one upping each other, my university is consistently rated in the Top 20 IN THE WORLD, 16th, 18th, 16th in the last three years in the Times survey. :p:

[carina_gino20]

speaking of Hemingway, I loved The Old Man and the Sea, simple but classic.

Crime and Punishment and The Idiot by Dostoevsky are also winners for me.

[Ronaldo McDonald]

Two other great books I've read are A Clockwork Orange and Siddartha.

Definitely read and then see A Clockwork Orange. The book isn't at all colorful in terms of its textless expression of place and other details so when you see the sophistcated and transcendental imagery the movies adds to it it feels like a seperate experience from reading the book.

Basically, the books pithy, so the movie keeps the whole story but adds the stunning imagery.

As for Siddartha, it's just a great, short read that can enable you to think differently about how you live.

[Leetonidas]

The Outsiders was always one of my faves. I don't read too many books, but I'd have to say Demon In My View is my favorite book.

[Amuseddaysleeper]

It's not a book but more of a short story, Franz Kafka's "The Metamorphosis" is probably my favorite story of all time

[Sense]

Their Eyes Were Watching God -- Zora Neal Hurston
Beloved -- Toni Morrison
A Time to Kill - John Grisham
The Scarlet Letter - Nathaniel Hawthorne
Night - Elie Wiesel

Amazing book...!!! read that one!!! NOW

[sabar]

Night is good, required reading in a lot of schools too. John Steinbeck (author) is good, last thing I read from him was The Pearl. Not a favorite but a good read.

Technically not an author, but Arthur Miller is a classic playwright, all his stuff are good reads and life lessons.

[Flea]

I cannot get into Toni Morrison.

I am currently reading Grapes of Wrath and it is really good.

The Good Earth is a fantastic book and so is Confederacy of Dunces. Both are pulitzer prize books. Another great book I have read is Shogun. I love James Clavell's books and have read all of those (Taipan, Shogun, Noble house) several times.

[Jimcs50]

I finally read Catcher in the Rye recently. Great book. I don't get why it was so controversial. Different time, I guess. I am currently reading 1984 and Wuthering Heights. Hopefully will finish both soon.

.

:toast


Forgot this one...I have read this book 3 times. My son read this 2 years ago and loved it as well.

[peewee's lovechild]

It's not a book but more of a short story, Franz Kafka's "The Metamorphosis" is probably my favorite story of all time

One of THE BEST short stories ever.

[peewee's lovechild]

I cannot get into Toni Morrison.

I am currently reading Grapes of Wrath and it is really good.

The Good Earth is a fantastic book and so is Confederacy of Dunces. Both are pulitzer prize books. Another great book I have read is Shogun. I love James Clavell's books and have read all of those (Taipan, Shogun, Noble house) several times.

I forgot about The Good Earth.

Great book.

[ALVAREZ6]

I'm reading 1984 right now....weird ass book.


Out of the books I've read in the past year, Cat's Cradle and Native Son were pretty good.

[Mr. Peabody]

Walden; or, Life in the Woods -- Henry David Thoreau

I try to read it at least once a year.

[cherylsteele]

injure
–verb (used with object), -jured, -jur·ing.
1. to do or cause harm of any kind to; damage; hurt; impair: to injure one's hand.
2. to do wrong or injustice to.
3. to wound or offend: to injure a friend's feelings.
[Origin: 1575–85; back formation from injury (n.); r. injury (v.)]
Did I insult you some way?

I heard a comedian say one time that every book was in the dictionary....you just have to put the words in the correct order.

[L.I.T]

Modern-day masterpiece: The Road by Cormac McCarthy.

[mardigan]

Where the Wild Things Are
Of Mice and Men

[leemajors]

Two other great books I've read are A Clockwork Orange and Siddartha.

Definitely read and then see A Clockwork Orange. The book isn't at all colorful in terms of its textless expression of place and other details so when you see the sophistcated and transcendental imagery the movies adds to it it feels like a seperate experience from reading the book.

Basically, the books pithy, so the movie keeps the whole story but adds the stunning imagery.

As for Siddartha, it's just a great, short read that can enable you to think differently about how you live.
you should read some more Hesse then. Siddartha is ok, but Damian was much better imo. Steppenwolf is also quite good.

[ShoogarBear]

Man, I couldn't get into Steppenwolf at all.

Death in Venice, too. Guess I don't like German authors. :lol

[ploto]

I finally read Catcher in the Rye recently. Great book. I don't get why it was so controversial.

I love to read, especially all those books that teachers assign for students to read. I read Middlemarch for fun- all 800 pages of it. But Catcher in the Rye did nothing for me- maybe because it had been so hyped beforehand.

[ploto]

I go to a top 100 University...and it still works. I don't consider it cheating.
Of course it's cheating. You do not read the book and you use the information provided by someone else as "your" analysis of the book. So unless you cite the Spark Notes in your papers, you are cheating.

[ComfortablyNumb]

To Kill a Mockingbird
Of Mice and Men
The Pearl
1984
The Stand
Don Quixote
Green Eggs and Ham
The Cat in the Hat
The Old Man and the Sea

[ShoogarBear]

Green Eggs and Ham is a freakin classic. Dr. Seuss was a genius.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Of course it's cheating. You do not read the book and you use the information provided by someone else as "your" analysis of the book. So unless you cite the Spark Notes in your papers, you are cheating.

That's exactly what I said. No reply as of yet.

And both Gig and Norcal miss the point that cutting corners is cheating yourself.

Anyhoo...

[ShoogarBear]

great list ComfortablyNumb, except for the seuss ones (sorry shoogarbear)You do not like Green Eggs and Ham?

[Baba Ganoush]

dante's inferno
paradise lost
miem keimpf
art of war

[ploto]

Green Eggs and Ham is a freakin classic. Dr. Seuss was a genius.
I meant what I said and I said what I meant. An elephant's faithful, 100 percent
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/039480077X.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

Dr. Seuss was actually quite ahead of his time with books that had environmental and tolerance messages.

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0394823370.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/thumb/0/07/180px-Sneetches.gif

[ShoogarBear]

dante's inferno
paradise lost
miem keimpf
art of warThis goes in the thread "books that look good on your shelf that you've never read".

(Actually, I have read bits of those, but never finished.)

[ShoogarBear]

Dr. Seuss was actually quite ahead of his time with books that had environmental and tolerance messages.

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0394823370.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

I remember having to read The Lorax in sixth grade.

:tu hippie teachers

[L.I.T]

Fuck the Seussical hate. There is more wisdom contained in this book than any other:

http://a1.vox.com/6a00b8ea0717f81bc000b8ea0723811bc0-500pi

[ShoogarBear]

98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed!

[spurster]

A Canticle for Leibowitz., Walter M. Miller, Jr.
Cryptonomicon, Neal Stephenson
The Curse of Chalion, Lois McMaster Bujold

[DarkReign]

Im going to have to take some notes from this thread.

I used to be a huge Dean Koontz fan, but his game has slipped considerably since Dark Rivers of the Heart.

Big King fan, Dark Tower Series is going to eventually break my heart when King dies and it goes unfinished (Roland, ftw).

Isaac Asimov has been by far the most entertaining of any author I have read due to his unique scientific perspective. Solid Asmiov Gold.

The Sherlock Holmes Anthology. Bought the 4 book set that included ALL of Sir Doyle's writings of the great, flawed Inspector. "The theatre lost its greatest actor when Holmes found crime." -Watson

Laugh if you will, but I immensely enjoyed On a Pale Horse by Piers Anthony. Didnt enjoy the other books in the series, though.

[ShoogarBear]

nobody hates seuss. my previous comment about not including him with the other classics in this thread was more regarding the fact that I thought this thread was for books that take longer than 5 minutes to read. :reading Size isn't everything.


I'm reminded of a seuss book I read while in a doctor's waiting room. It was more for adults... with a lot of jokes that kids would not understand. It was something about a guy who had to go to the hospital... don't remember the title. I thought it was clever and funny.Sounds like Jokes for the John. :lol

[Creation88]

Ishmael- Daniel Quinn

[Creation88]

Ishmael- Daniel Quinn
Into The Wild

[Jekka]

I have way too many favorites, so I'll try to pick two per genre.

General fiction/novel: The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse by Louise Erdrich / Kite Runner by Hosseini

Young Adult Fiction: the Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer / the Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud

Fantasy: the Kushiel series by Jacqueline Carey / The Death Gate Cycle series by Weis and Hickman

Nonfiction: Red China Blues by Jan Wong / Red Azalea by Anchee Min


Has anyone read the second book by Kite Runner's Hosseini yet? I've got it but have yet to start it and am curious about opinions.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

A Canticle for Leibowitz., Walter M. Miller, Jr.
Cryptonomicon, Neal Stephenson
The Curse of Chalion, Lois McMaster Bujold

I said that one too, back on page 1. Fantastic book, huh? :tu

So engaging that I read it in only 6 days (it's well over 1000 pages, small print).

[O-Factor]

A MUST READ for any fan of science fiction, mystery, suspence. It has western elements, futuristic elements, medieval elements, magic, monsters, demons, wizards, witches, vampires, cyborges, and is tied to many of Kings other works, like THE STAND, and SALEMS LOT just to name a couple. Its a 7 book series. Its Stephen Kings Magnus Opus. THE DARK TOWER SERIES

http://a6.vox.com/6a00c2251e2fab8e1d00c2251f23de549d-500pi

http://a7.vox.com/6a00c2251cc2dc8fdb00d4142490ef3c7f-500pi

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0670032565.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

http://www.booksamillion.com/bam/covers/0/67/003/257/0670032573.jpg
http://www.liljas-library.com/img/other/DT5_full.jpg

http://www.silverbulletcomics.com/~editor/brant/Marvel/darktower/dark_t4.jpg

http://a0.vox.com/6a00c225236004549d00c225244e08549d-500pi

[spurster]

I said that one too, back on page 1. Fantastic book, huh? :tu

So engaging that I read it in only 6 days (it's well over 1000 pages, small print).
The Baroque Cycle was disappointing, though.

[Avitus1]

We saw previews for the movie based on this book. It looked pretty interesting.

Pretty good book but also pretty short.

[Avitus1]

http://photos14.flickr.com/16378235_fa4140059d.jpg

[mardigan]

Just got done reading Mystic River, damn good book