14 Nov 05
Originally posted by Darth Spongety Darth......100 years of solitude is a classic too.
i'll add a few more to the list:
One Hundred Years of Solitude- Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Naked Lunch- William Burroughs
{edit} and shout out a concurrence to Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy and Thus Spake Zaratuthstra- and for that matter several on Nietzche1844's list. (although I might argue against Ulysses... it's good, but over hyped)
I believe Ulysses is great, cuase of the language and some other points;still i understand not many ppl like it.
15 Nov 05
Top 10 Books so far:
1: Hitchikers' Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
2: Catch 22, Joseph Keller
3: War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy
4: Dune, Frank Herbert
5: Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkein
6: The Brothers Karamazov, Dostoevsky
7: 1984, George Orwel
8: One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, Ken Kesey
9: A Clockwork Orange, Anthony Burgess
10: Shogun, James Clavell
15 Nov 05
Originally posted by c99ux3 of my favourite books in the top 10, with my absolute favourite on the number 2 spot.
Top 10 Books so far:
1: Hitchikers' Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
2: Catch 22, Joseph Keller
3: War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy
4: Dune, Frank Herbert
5: Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkein
6: The Brothers Karamazov, Dostoevsky
7: 1984, George Orwel
8: One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, Ken Kesey
9: A Clockwork Orange, Anthony Burgess
10: Shogun, James Clavell
It pleases me no end.
HOWEVER...
How come there's not 1 John Irving book there? How the hell is that possible???
3 sci-fi/fantasy novels, excluding "1984" in the top 10! That must surely be indicating something? On-line chess players prefer unreal literature?
15 Nov 05
Originally posted by VargI'm just finishing 'for whom the bell tolls', hence my use of thee, thy, thou and my repetitive use of: "I obscene in the milk of your mother" like language.
Just finished reading A Clockwork Orange and I think it's an excellent book.
I've got a dilema though.
The new John Pilger book (assorted work by various serious journalists) and the new Umberto Eco book are both within my reach. I don't know which one to 'do' first.
15 Nov 05
Originally posted by Bosse de Nagecouldn't do it .. just too much like work and not fun.
Ever tried Finnegans Wake?
also couldn't get through Remembrance ... Proust .. just didn't do it for me
I'm not good at the slash your wrists stuff - but I did really like A Quartet - the 4 novel set worked really well -= and you could smell the intrigue
Agree with much of what's been posted but how about:
Thomas Pynchon : Gravity's Rainbow
Murakami: Wind-up Bird Chronicles
Perec: Life, A User's Manual
15 Nov 05
Originally posted by abaloneFinnegans Wake is a good idea but far too bloody long. It's nice to hear Joyce reading bits of it but that's about it. (I have a friend consecrating the next however many years to a thesis on Wagnerian motifs in FW; better him than me).
Thomas Pynchon : Gravity's Rainbow
Murakami: Wind-up Bird Chronicles
Perec: Life, A User's Manual
I've heard good things about Murakami. What do you say?
Perec can either be annoying or brilliant. The book you mention is fantastic. I also like W.
Can't read Thomas Pynchon. Couldn't even finish the Crying of Lot 69. Yet I thoroughly enjoyed Beckett's Trilogy. Contradiction abounds.
15 Nov 05
2 edits
Originally posted by Bosse de NageFor Murakami - definitiely start with Wind-up Bird .. others don't work so well.
Finnegans Wake is a good idea but far too bloody long. It's nice to hear Joyce reading bits of it but that's about it. (I have a friend consecrating the next however many years to a thesis on Wagnerian motifs in FW; better him than me).
I've heard good things about Murakami. What do you say?
Perec can either be annoying or brilliant. The book ...[text shortened]... finish the Crying of Lot 69. Yet I thoroughly enjoyed Beckett's Trilogy. Contradiction abounds.
Pynchon needs patience and maybe not worth it given limited time and infinite opportunity
haven't read Beckett (Thomas A' or Samuel - latter is only Nobel laureate to have played first class cricket!)- where should I start (more accessible the better)?
I like some of the semi-historicals too
Lempriere's Dictionary
Fingerpost
Pope's Rhino
Mason Dixon
and best recent book I've read was Cloud Atlas by David? Colin? Mitchell or IM Banks's Algebraist
...and after all this ... MAKE SOME MOVES!!!
15 Nov 05
Originally posted by abaloneSam's the man. More Kicks than Pricks (stories) and Murphy are good places to start. Then try Molloy.
haven't read Beckett (Thomas A' or Samuel - latter is only Nobel laureate to have played first class cricket!)- where should I start (more accessible the better)?
15 Nov 05
Originally posted by shavixmirOne side effect of reading A Clockwork Orange was my almost using words like "viddy", "von" and "horrorshow" in real conversations.
I'm just finishing 'for whom the bell tolls', hence my use of thee, thy, thou and my repetitive use of: "I obscene in the milk of your mother" like language.
Mind you, I had the same problem after reading a lot of Irvine Welsh!
15 Nov 05
Originally posted by Nordlysjesus katja, 2 dictionaries? 😕
Brockhaus Enzyklopädie in 30 volumes
F. Kluge, Etymologisches Wörterbuch
Ummm...
Timeline-Michael Crichton
The Amber Spyglass-Pullman (children's book, but I still think it's brilliant)
Ebola-W. Close
Double Whammy-Carl Hiaasen
Budding prospects-T.C. Boyle
Eaters of the dead-Michael Crichton
15 Nov 05
Agreed on:
- Catch-22
- all the Irving books, with "A Prayer For Owen Meaney" being the best
- HitchHikers Guide to the Galaxy
Are there no Salman Rushdie fans? Both "Midnight's Children" and "The Ground Beneath Her Feet" are excellent.
I loved "The Tin Drum" by Gunther Grass; which I read because John Irving raves about Grass's writing.
Even though you've seen the movie and totally know the story, read "Sophie's Choice" by William Styron. You still won't be able to put it down.
And lastly "The Cat in the Hat".