Originally posted by abaloneClarification:
two more absolute favourites i forgot to add
Shikasta by Doris Lessing
Riddley Walker by Russel Hoban
and Spyglass books were a good read
I just trawled through the thread and wrote the list of books in order of number of mentions. HHGTTG got 4 mentions, that's why it's Number 1 in this list, although I don't suppose anyone could really agree that it's "THE GREATEST BOOK EVER WRITTEN"...
If it had been a list of authors, then John Irvine would be Number 1. However, most people just mentioned his name, or a title which no one else mentioned.
If everyone had posted a list of 10 books, I could have compiled a more comprehensive list, but most only mentioned a couple.
Originally posted by abaloneThat book is sheer genius. "The little shining man the addom". Varg you should read it, after A Clockwork Orange you're in the right head space.
Riddley Walker by Russel Hoban
I remember Pilgermann being excellent too. Russell Hoban is a complete antidote to miserabilism.
Originally posted by angie88Well, I thought about books I don't only like, but books which I have consulted frequently over several years. Dictionaries come in naturally there. Of course the Brockhaus isn't just a dictionary, although the volume I use most is the German-English/English-German dictionary. I could have mentioned some more dictionaries, but the Brockhaus and the Kluge are those which are most fun to read.
jesus katja, 2 dictionaries? 😕
Originally posted by rbmorrisI have to add "The Razor's Edge", by Somerset Maugham to my list. Also "Waiting for the Barbarians", by J. M. Coetzee.
Catcher in the Rye --J.D. Salinger
Hunger --Knut Hamsun
Notes From Underground/The Double --Fyodor Dostoevsky
Ask The Dust --John Fante
Lucky Jim --Kingsley Amis
The Man Who Was Thursday: A Nightmare --G. K. Chesterton
Does poetry count? I love the Romantic poets...especially Coleridge and Byron.
Favorite Book (as of now) : The Giver (displays the weaknesses of a controlled, brainwashed society; a society w/o pain, choices...but w/o love, feelings)
My favorite sports story by far is Oklahoma Sooners (the team and coach Bud Wilkinson - complex, intriguing at so many levels; well written). Four Minute Mile (excellent story on running, the struggle to break the 4 min. barrier; Bannister, Landy, Santee)
A Million Little Pieces: an outstanding book noting the tragic and brutal life of an addict (of alcohol, drugs), and the enormous difficulties in staying sober.
Stories that Will Pull Heart Strings: The Notebook, A Walk to Remember (much better than movies, truly very emotionally appealing)
Spyglass books (His Dark Materials), Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter (lol) good reads too.
1) I'm glad to see a few posters mentioning Dostoevsky. "Idiot" by Dostoevsky is also a good one; 2) "Sophie's World" by Gaarder is my favourite book; 3) "Through the looking glass" by Carol shouldn't be missed; 4) "Nature's Number" by Stewert is a nice book; 5) "Faust" by Goethe; 6) "Happy Prince" by Wilde; 7) i'd like to include short stories written by MR James; Oh, i can't think other two at the moment..I'll come back to this later.
Some pretty boring, arty-farty, namby-pamby stuff mentioned here. Now, here's a list that will REALLY entertain:
1) The House on the Borderland, William Hope-Hodgson
The best science fiction / fantasy book ever written
2) Carnacki the Ghost Finder, William Hope-Hodgson
A great collection of short ghost stories - imaginative and exciting
3) Through the looking Glass, Lewis Carrol
4) Alice in Wonderland, Lewis Carrol
Two, wonderful, acid-induced (?) trips
5)Switch Bitch, Roald Dahl
Superbly written 'pornography'
6) Over to You / Kiss Kiss, Roald Dahl
Short stories that keep you mesmorised
7) The Molecular Biology of the Gene, James Watson
The book that changed the way science books were written
8) The Devil's Alternative, Frederick Forsyth
Unputdownable - exciting, intriguing
9) Biochemistry, Albert Lehninger
Essental and the best book on biochemistry
10) How Not to Play Chess, Eugene A. Znosko-Borovsky
The only book that teached HOW to play chess
Originally posted by znshoDo you like Iain Sinclair too perhaps? He's big on Hodgson.
1) The House on the Borderland, William Hope-Hodgson
The best science fiction / fantasy book ever written
2) Carnacki the Ghost Finder, William Hope-Hodgson
A great collection of short ghost stories - imaginative and exciting
(Hodgson was into body-building as well as writing weird tales.)
Has anyone except me read The Peculiar Memories of Thomas Penman by Bruce Robinson?
Man I loved that book. I laughed so much I peed a little...
Anything by Irvine Welsh is awesome.
For fantasy, I really enjoyed Feist's Riftwar Saga. Kicked LOTR into touch in my opinion. Also, book 11 (!) of the Wheel Of Time Series by Jordan is out now. Man, that dude can stretch a story - it is pretty good though.