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What's your favorite "classic" book?
redheaded_dud... Posts: 368	Jul 13, 2008 3:41 PM GMT Quote I'm going on a long vacation next month, with quite a bit of time on planes. I consider myself fairly well-read, but I know there are a lot of classics or near-classics out there that I haven't read. I'm not interested in Dean Koontz here; I want something worth reading. Your suggestions?

yo_mamali Posts: 334	Jul 13, 2008 3:47 PM GMT Quote screwtape letters by cs lewis. i come back to this book every few years. o yeah... have fun on your vacation!
TRASHxIT Posts: 8	Jul 13, 2008 5:14 PM GMT Quote I really adore Phillip Pullmans "His Dark Materials" trilogy, more commonly The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife & The Amber Spyglass. I found they are fascinating to read, and pullman is a goddamn genius.
Hidden/Deleted Member	Jul 13, 2008 5:16 PM GMT Quote the Picture of Dorian Gray, the Tempest, and Dr. Faustus
Sedative Posts: 5129	Jul 13, 2008 5:22 PM GMT Quote Alice's Adventures in the Wonderland!
halltd Posts: 294	Jul 13, 2008 5:31 PM GMT Quote I'm a big Ray Bradbury fan. "Something Wicked This Way Comes" is one of my favorites. Actually, it was one of the few books in school I enjoyed reading.
Luckydog76 Posts: 831	Jul 13, 2008 5:42 PM GMT Quote Confederacy Of Dunces.
cjstreed Posts: 72	Jul 13, 2008 5:47 PM GMT Quote Luckydog76 saidConfederacy Of Dunces. ok, I have to admit...I really had to force myself to finish that book. It definitely had it's moments of sheer brilliance in the debauchery of New Orleans, but some of the characters really got under my skin; I suppose that means they were well written. My favorite classic is "The Scarlet Letter"--I ought to read it again sometime. It's simply a marvel of the Transcendentalists genre.
Caslon7000 Posts: 7510	Jul 13, 2008 5:48 PM GMT Quote P. G. Wodehouse ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P._G._Wodehouse ) Although not your classic Classical writer, a humorous writer appropriate for a vacation and with a fantastic command of English. His most famous characters are Bertie Wooster and his butler, Jeeves. There was a series made of their stories (notice that Bertie is played by the actor who know plays the lead in "House") http://youtube.com/watch?v=p6lZU_x_2vw&feature=related oh, but I see now that you are from Texas. Wodehouse's stories devolve from situations of class and social decorum...which may require a bit of explanation to a texan...and if there is no one with you to give that explanation, I am afraid the stories may be quite unintelligible. You should prolly just forget all about trying to read Wodehouse. Of course, we here in Virginia can instantly appreciate all his humorous situations of class and social decorum.
mindgarden Posts: 1326	Jul 13, 2008 6:11 PM GMT Quote Yeah... I have an omnibus edition of Wodehouse, but it seems a little cloying to read straight through. Best taken in small doses. There is a big two-volume omnibus edition of Mark Twain that makes a good vacation haul-along. If you haven't been through it yet, Neal Stephenson's Baroque Cycle (Quicksilver, The Confusion, The System of the World) is an amazing vacation-length read. One of the best vacation reads that I ever had was a paperback edition of Isaac Asimov's non-fiction "Life and Energy." It's a very elegant 350 page undergraduate-level summary of the physical and chemical basis of "modern" biology. (As of 1962.) It's a bit dated now... I see the cover price of my copy is $1.25. Good grief, it was written before chemiosmotic theory! Anyway, I carried it along and read it during a hike on the Pacific Crest Trail when I was a teenager, and it just seemed very satisfying to stop on a mountaintop, or beside a stream and read a chapter. There must be a modern equivalent somewhere.
Caslon7000 Posts: 7510	Jul 13, 2008 7:11 PM GMT Quote From Mark Twain, "A Tramp Abroad" is a fun one. There is a great new translation of Beowulf by Sheamus Heaney. Blow the socks off of what you had to read in high school so you can really appreciate the poem now. http://www.amazon.com/Beowulf-New-Verse-Translation-Bilingual/dp/0393320979/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1215976053&sr=8-2 "Who Murdered Chaucer?: A Medieval Mystery" if you like history. The pricipal author is Terry Jones of Monty Python...who knew he was a medieval scholar http://www.amazon.com/Who-Murdered-Chaucer-Medieval-Mystery/dp/0312335881/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1215976155&sr=1-1
coolarmydude Posts: 625	Jul 13, 2008 7:33 PM GMT Quote Theodore Rex. A biography on Teddy Roosevelt. Did you know that his wife and mother died on the same day due to separate events?
Crimthann Posts: 738	Jul 13, 2008 7:37 PM GMT Quote Ivanhoe. No, It's not a Russian Hooker.
StripperRocco Posts: 1915	Jul 13, 2008 7:39 PM GMT Quote Sedative saidAlice's Adventures in the Wonderland! A to the MEN!
XRuggerATX Posts: 2524	Jul 13, 2008 7:40 PM GMT Quote Caslon5000 saidP. G. Wodehouse ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P._G._Wodehouse ) Although not your classic Classical writer, a humorous writer appropriate for a vacation and with a fantastic command of English. His most famous characters are Bertie Wooster and his butler, Jeeves. There was a series made of their stories (notice that Bertie is played by the actor who know plays the lead in "House") http://youtube.com/watch?v=p6lZU_x_2vw&feature=related oh, but I see now that you are from Texas. Wodehouse's stories devolve from situations of class and social decorum...which may require a bit of explanation to a texan...and if there is no one with you to give that explanation, I am afraid the stories may be quite unintelligible. You should prolly just forget all about trying to read Wodehouse. Of course, we here in Virginia can instantly appreciate all his humorous situations of class and social decorum. I take jabs at Texas too, but I live here. So...umm...yeah. You should probably just stick to the lolcats, caslon.
GobB Posts: 672	Jul 13, 2008 7:43 PM GMT Quote the wizard of oz
mindgarden Posts: 1326	Jul 13, 2008 7:45 PM GMT Quote Chill, Rugger, I think he was trying to write that as Wodehouse.
XRuggerATX Posts: 2524	Jul 13, 2008 7:51 PM GMT Quote My bad then. But public forums are great for "in" jokes, huh? /sarcasm
MSUBioNerd Posts: 597	Jul 13, 2008 8:18 PM GMT Quote Well, of the classic Brit and American Lit, I think my favorites have to be: Any Shakespearian comedy 1984 Animal Farm To Kill a Mockingbird The Scarlet Letter Wuthering Heights The Bell Jar The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds The Glass Menagerie Anything by Mark Twain Anything by Edgar Allen Poe If you want to delve a bit deeper into western traditions, there's always The Odyssey. I read the Latimer translation, which I feel is a pretty good one. I'm also in the midst of 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez at the moment, which I'm enjoying. There are of course good works outside the Am/Brit Lit grouping, but I admit to being more familiar with classics originally written in English than with those written in other languages.
a1972guy Posts: 1790	Jul 13, 2008 8:46 PM GMT Quote Maybe not traditional "classics" but for the author they are; Anne Rice "Memnoch The Devil" and "Sleeping Beauty"
LexMister Posts: 6	Jul 13, 2008 8:55 PM GMT Quote To Kill A Mockingbird...beautiful. Secret Life of Bees...destined to become a modern-day classic. Anything by John Irving.
dashdashdash Posts: 36	Jul 13, 2008 9:02 PM GMT Quote Have to stick with Czarodziej on this one, "The Picture of Dorian Gray" Is superb, Wilde may only have written one novel, but it was superb work. Then anything by Orwell, might i suggest "Down and Out in Paris and London" or " Coming up for air" Peace
craigindc Posts: 30	Jul 13, 2008 9:25 PM GMT Quote Two of my favorites: East of Eden:Steinbeck's huge novel spanning a few generations. Great family dynamics and an interesting, chilling look at evil. Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead: whatever you think of her philosophies, this book entranced me more and more as it went along. The characters are among the most sharply drawn, interesting characters I have ever read. Definitely not a short or light read, though.
Caslon7000 Posts: 7510	Jul 13, 2008 9:47 PM GMT Quote XRuggerATX said Caslon5000 saidP. G. Wodehouse ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P._G._Wodehouse ) Although not your classic Classical writer, a humorous writer appropriate for a vacation and with a fantastic command of English. His most famous characters are Bertie Wooster and his butler, Jeeves. There was a series made of their stories (notice that Bertie is played by the actor who know plays the lead in "House") http://youtube.com/watch?v=p6lZU_x_2vw&feature=related oh, but I see now that you are from Texas. Wodehouse's stories devolve from situations of class and social decorum...which may require a bit of explanation to a texan...and if there is no one with you to give that explanation, I am afraid the stories may be quite unintelligible. You should prolly just forget all about trying to read Wodehouse. Of course, we here in Virginia can instantly appreciate all his humorous situations of class and social decorum. I take jabs at Texas too, but I live here. So...umm...yeah. You should probably just stick to the lolcats, caslon. MindgardenChill, Rugger, I think he was trying to write that as Wodehouse. No, Ruggers had it right. It was pure Virginian jab at Texas, texans, and whatever they delude themselves with as culture out there. Personally, I dont see why anyone would want to live west of the Tidewater. I tell you, it doesnt matter how many times I turn around, it is always a shock when I see that there is a whole continent behind me. ...
Hidden/Deleted Member	Jul 13, 2008 10:01 PM GMT Quote Caslon5000 said No, Ruggers had it right. It was pure Virginian jab at Texas, texans, and whatever they delude themselves with as culture out there. Personally, I dont see why anyone would want to live west of the Tidewater. I tell you, it doesnt matter how many times I turn around, it is always a shock when I see that there is a whole continent behind me. I so totally understand this. Since leaving Detroit a zillion years ago, I have lived my entire adult life within a mile or two of I-95 (New York, Richmond, and now Fort Lauderdale). Why anyone would want to live farther west than that astounds me.
ursamajor Posts: 1261	Jul 13, 2008 10:14 PM GMT Quote Thinking of Texas and Virginia (through the eyes of a Canadian and Bloomers & Pills this comes to mind............. If you're ever in a jam, here I am. If you're ever in a mess, S.O.S. If you're so happy, you land in jail. I'm your bail. It's friendship, friendship, just a perfect blendship. When other friendships are soon forgot, ours will still be hot. Da da da da da da dig dig dig. If you're ever down a well, ring my bell. If you're ever up a tree, just phone to me. If you ever loose your teeth when you're out to dine, borrow mine. It's friendship, friendship, just a perfect blendship. When other friendships are soon forgeet, ours will still be great. Loddle doddle chuck chuck chaa. If they ever black you're eyes, put me wise. If they ever cook your goose, turn me loose. And if they ever put a bullet through your brain, Ill complain. It's friendship, friendship, just a perfect blendship. When other friendships are soon forgit, ours will still be it. Ah loddle doddle hip hap hap. If you ever loose your mind, I'll be kind. And if you ever loose your shirt, I'll be hurt. If you're ever in a mill and get sawed in half, I won't laugh. It's friendship, friendship, just a perfect blendship. When other friendships are are up the crick, ours will still be slick. Ah loddle doddle woof woof woof, hep hep hep, chopp chop chop, dig dig dig. Good evening friends. Cole Porter jprichva said Caslon5000 said No, Ruggers had it right. It was pure Virginian jab at Texas, texans, and whatever they delude themselves with as culture out there. Personally, I dont see why anyone would want to live west of the Tidewater. I tell you, it doesnt matter how many times I turn around, it is always a shock when I see that there is a whole continent behind me. I so totally understand this. Since leaving Detroit a zillion years ago, I have lived my entire adult life within a mile or two of I-95 (New York, Richmond, and now Fort Lauderdale). Why anyone would want to live farther west than that astounds me.
ursamajor Posts: 1261	Jul 13, 2008 10:17 PM GMT Quote Some things to consume your summer: Magister Ludi - Hesse Dune - Herbert Atlas Shrugged - Rand Terry
Hidden/Deleted Member	Jul 13, 2008 10:26 PM GMT Quote ursamajor said Atlas Shrugged - Rand That book is such a lifesaver. I was staying at a hotel on business not long ago. The "fitness center" didn't have any dumbbells. Fortunately, the gift shop had copies of both "Atlas Shrugged" and "The Fountainhead". Perfect for bicep curls.
SAHEM62896 Posts: 960	Jul 13, 2008 10:27 PM GMT Quote There are several: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee Kokoro by Natsume Soseki The Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison Confessions of a Mask by Yukio Mishima Ishmael by Daniel Quinn (a near-classic) Airplane by Arthur Haley Naomi by Tanizaki Junichiro Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
ursamajor Posts: 1261	Jul 13, 2008 10:34 PM GMT Quote Oy, I just flew in from Wilted Manners and boy are my arms tired, but seriously folks, take my wife....no really, take her. Two gunmen walk into a bar wearing balaklava. The bartender rips the balaklava off of the leader who promptly shoots him in the face and then shoots the assistant bartender for good measure. The ringleader waves his gun in the air addressing the patrons and asks "did anyone else see my face"? One man responds, "I think my wife did". Terry jprichva said ursamajor said Atlas Shrugged - Rand That book is such a lifesaver. I was staying at a hotel on business not long ago. The "fitness center" didn't have any dumbbells. Fortunately, the gift shop had copies of both "Atlas Shrugged" and "The Fountainhead". Perfect for bicep curls.
mindgarden Posts: 1326	Jul 13, 2008 10:59 PM GMT Quote Speaking of Tidewater Snobbery... some of John Barth's stuff can be a good read, when you're stuck on an airplane and have a lot of time to kill. I liked Giles Goat Boy, anyway. Tidewater Tales and Letters were OK.
HighVoltageGu... Posts: 1044	Jul 13, 2008 11:07 PM GMT Quote I love my Catcher in the Rye!
ITJock Posts: 1224	Jul 14, 2008 12:08 AM GMT Quote Anything by Shakespeare. Almost anything by Charles Handy, Frank Harris,Frank McCourt, Iris Murdoch, Frank O'Connor, Rebecca West, James Joyce ( esp.Dubliners, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Exiles and poetry, Ulysses, or Finnegans Wake), Lewis Carrol, Oscar Wilde, William Butler Yeats, George Bernard Shaw, Samuel Beckett, Seamus Heaney, Joseph Conrad, Robert Burns, Dylan Thomas, Edgar Allan Poe. I would also highly recommend Izaak Waltons "The Compleat Angler" (a perennial favorite). Its not really just about a fishing trip.
joescorpio197... Posts: 829	Jul 14, 2008 12:13 AM GMT Quote halltd saidI'm a big Ray Bradbury fan. "Something Wicked This Way Comes" is one of my favorites. Actually, it was one of the few books in school I enjoyed reading. HighVoltageGuy saidI love my Catcher in the Rye! These two get my votes.
farfle Posts: 61	Jul 14, 2008 12:35 AM GMT Quote Many of my favorites have already been listed...I would add to the list Mary Renault's fiction about Alexander the Great, Siddhartha by Herman Hesse, and if you are interested in science fiction at all Asimov's Foundation Trilogy.
Barricade Posts: 259	Jul 14, 2008 12:47 AM GMT Quote The Catcher in the rye To Kill a Mockingbird The Jungle A separate peace ..love 'em all
redheaded_dud... Posts: 368	Jul 14, 2008 4:14 AM GMT Quote Thanks, guys. Even the elitist East Coasters. Good list, and quite a few I haven't read (and even a few I hadn't heard of). I should have mentioned I'm going to Scotland and Germany. Wonder if that would spur any further ideas?
TD22 Posts: 863	Jul 14, 2008 4:21 AM GMT Quote redheaded_dude saidI'm going on a long vacation next month, with quite a bit of time on planes. I consider myself fairly well-read, but I know there are a lot of classics or near-classics out there that I haven't read. I'm not interested in Dean Koontz here; I want something worth reading. Your suggestions? The last of the wine and anything by Mary Renault!
RBY71 Posts: 2050	Jul 14, 2008 4:31 AM GMT Quote Since we're talking about classics.... Yertle the Turtle- Doctor Seuss Where the Sidewalk Ends- Shel Silverstein Creepie Susie: And 13 Other Tragic Tales for Troubled Children- Angus Oblong Night of the Mary Kay Commandos- Berkley Breathed
Caslon7000 Posts: 7510	Jul 14, 2008 4:32 AM GMT Quote redheaded_dude saidThanks, guys. Even the elitist East Coasters. Good list, and quite a few I haven't read (and even a few I hadn't heard of). I should have mentioned I'm going to Scotland and Germany. Wonder if that would spur any further ideas? Where in Germany? And rent the movie "Good bye, Lenin" to see what the reunification was like on an everyday level...that is the changes in the stores and availability of products, etc. It was just as sudden as the movie shows. The movie is a comedy, btw. How much do you know of German history?
steven_patter... Posts: 51	Jul 14, 2008 5:19 AM GMT Quote Dostoyevsky's THE IDIOT WINTER'S TALE by Mark Helprin SKIN LANE by Neil Bartlett
coachjw Posts: 70	Jul 14, 2008 5:41 AM GMT Quote To Kill A Mockingbird will always be my all-time favorite book... ever since the first time I read it in 9th grade, which is OVER 22 years ago! Crazy! Other "classics"...? I really enjoy drama, especially Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams.
ursamajor Posts: 1261	Jul 14, 2008 6:23 AM GMT Quote redheaded_dude more-or-less saidThanks, guys. Even the cousin-fucking Virginians. Good list, and quite a few I haven't read (and even a few I hadn't heard of). I should have mentioned I'm going to Scotland and Germany. Wonder if that would spur any further ideas?
GCoop Posts: 15	Jul 14, 2008 6:26 AM GMT Quote If you're up for British lit make sure you read Jane Eyre by Charlette Bronte along with anything and everything by Virginia Woolf.
gumbosolo Posts: 94	Jul 14, 2008 7:27 AM GMT Quote Got to second Alice, Tempest, Dark Materials, and Virginia Woolf . . . also, good for traveling and reading in bits: The Little Prince, Tennyson's In Memoriam, Byron's Childe Harold's Pilgrimage (about traveling!) . . . longer stuff, William Buck's retelling of the Mahabharata, Italo Calvino's The Baron in the Trees.
yo_mamali Posts: 334	Jul 14, 2008 11:21 AM GMT Quote o and another book i like to reread from time to time is the death of ivan ilyich by leo tolstoy
ChicGymGeek Posts: 725	Jul 14, 2008 12:05 PM GMT Quote Favorite book that is a near-classic: "Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger. I've read that book at least a dozen times.
SurrealLife Posts: 3752	Jul 14, 2008 1:12 PM GMT Quote "David Copperfield" by Charles Dickens, "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens, "War And Peace" by Leo Tolstoy, "Middlemarch" by George Eliot, "The Lord of The Rings" by JRR Tolkien, "Fifth Business" by Robertson Davies, "A Prayer For Owen Meany" by John Irving, "100 Years Of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, "The Turn of The Screw" by Henry James, "Titus Groan" by Mervyn Peake, "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Also any short story collection by Alice Munro.
MSUBioNerd Posts: 597	Jul 14, 2008 1:55 PM GMT Quote Doh! I forgot Charles Dickens. My favorite of his would be Tale of Two Cities, though, rather than the mentioned Great Expectations or David Copperfield. And, for what it's worth, although many people on here seem to have really liked it, I didn't care for Catcher in the Rye. I was also relatively indifferent to the Picture of Dorian Gray. And while I really enjoyed the first two books of His Dark Materials (the third was merely alright--would have been much better in my opinion without a romance between, what, 11-year-olds?), I didn't list them because I didn't think they qualified as classics. I can list off a whole ton of sci fi/fantasy books which I think are worth reading if you're interested.
MunchingZombi... Posts: 1798	Jul 14, 2008 1:57 PM GMT Quote SAHEM62896 saidKokoro by Natsume Soseki I love, love, love that book. Some other great 20th century Japanese lit. The Sound of the Mountain by Yasunari Kawabata Confessions of a Mask by Yukio Mishima The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami My favorite piece of Classic Japanese lit it Hojoki. A long poem that I read at least once a year.
HighVoltageGu... Posts: 1044	Jul 14, 2008 2:09 PM GMT Quote Lord of the Flies Love that one too!
SAHEM62896 Posts: 960	Jul 14, 2008 2:09 PM GMT Quote MunchingZombie said SAHEM62896 saidKokoro by Natsume Soseki I love, love, love that book. Some other great 20th century Japanese lit. The Sound of the Mountain by Yasunari Kawabata Confessions of a Mask by Yukio Mishima The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami My favorite piece of Classic Japanese lit it Hojoki. A long poem that I read at least once a year. I did mention "Confessions..." That book was VERY good. Very hard to read at first when I was first coming out, but still an incredible read. What about Kitchen by Yoshimoto Banana? A more recent "classic" but still a great book.
Caslon7000 Posts: 7510	Jul 14, 2008 2:13 PM GMT Quote ursamajor said redheaded_dude more-or-less saidThanks, guys. Even the cousin-fucking Virginians. Good list, and quite a few I haven't read (and even a few I hadn't heard of). I should have mentioned I'm going to Scotland and Germany. Wonder if that would spur any further ideas? kissy I am sure I dont want to know who had to fuck whom/what to produce a little lawn troll like you kissy Darling
joggerva Posts: 407	Jul 14, 2008 2:18 PM GMT Quote MSUBioNerd saidI'm also in the midst of 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez at the moment, which I'm enjoying. I'm reading this as well; so far, it is turning out to be a great summertime read. And since nobody else has mentioned him, I'd recommend anything by Hemingway for travelling.
SurrealLife Posts: 3752	Jul 14, 2008 2:27 PM GMT Quote MSUBioNerd saidDoh! I forgot Charles Dickens. My favorite of his would be Tale of Two Cities, though, rather than the mentioned Great Expectations or David Copperfield. And, for what it's worth, although many people on here seem to have really liked it, I didn't care for Catcher in the Rye. I was also relatively indifferent to the Picture of Dorian Gray. And while I really enjoyed the first two books of His Dark Materials (the third was merely alright--would have been much better in my opinion without a romance between, what, 11-year-olds?), I didn't list them because I didn't think they qualified as classics. I can list off a whole ton of sci fi/fantasy books which I think are worth reading if you're interested. I agree "A Tale of Two Cities" is right up there, I would also not exclude "The Pickwick Papers", "Bleak House" or "Little Dorritt". Some books not mentioned by others that are a great read by not too long or difficult. "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen; "Silas Marner" by George Eliot; "The World According To Garp" by John Irving; "Myra Breckinbridge" by Gore Vidal; "The Life of Pi" by Yann Martel; "The Corrections" by Jonathan Franzen; "Fugitive Pieces" by Ann Michaels. Any book by Rohinton Mistry or Margaret Atwood I enjoy, as well as Robertson Davies (there are a lot of good Canadian authors). For gay fiction I would recommend "Dancer From The Dance" by Andrew Holleran and "Faggots" by Larry Kramer for the pre-AIDS era, and "A Home At The End Of The World" by Michael Cunningham and "Call Me By Your Name" by Andre Acilman for more recent offerings.
ursamajor Posts: 1261	Jul 14, 2008 2:31 PM GMT Quote Caslon5000 said ursamajor said redheaded_dude more-or-less saidThanks, guys. Even the cousin-fucking Virginians. Good list, and quite a few I haven't read (and even a few I hadn't heard of). I should have mentioned I'm going to Scotland and Germany. Wonder if that would spur any further ideas? kissy I am sure I dont want to know who had to fuck whom/what to produce a little lawn troll like you. - Terry replied to the mother-sister Virgin-ian "gentr-Y-chromosome" - I may be a troll but at least I go to bed a night knowing that my biography wasn't written by Jack Towne kissy Darling
zdrew Posts: 1858	Jul 14, 2008 3:42 PM GMT Quote Giovanni Boccaccio's Decameron. One of the source materials of The Canterbury Tales, but bawdier and more fun, and it's in prose instead of metered verse so translations are less cumbersome.
Hidden/Deleted Member	Jul 14, 2008 10:18 PM GMT Quote steven_patterson saidWINTER'S TALE by Mark Helprin One of my favorite all-time books as well.
MikeOnMain Posts: 467	Jul 14, 2008 10:59 PM GMT Quote This year is the 400th anniversary of John Milton's birth, so I'd cast my vote for "Paradise Lost". It's dense, ornate, demanding, all-absorbing, musical, cinematic, epic, heroic, tragic, you name it. There's nothing else quite like it.
obscenewish Posts: 3264	Jul 14, 2008 11:27 PM GMT Quote "The Deptford Trilogy" by Robertson Davies.
farfle Posts: 61	Jul 15, 2008 12:03 AM GMT Quote Be careful if you read "A Prayer for Owen Meany" in public...uncontrollable laughter is frequent while reading it!
Hidden/Deleted Member	Jul 15, 2008 2:13 AM GMT Quote obscenewish said"The Deptford Trilogy" by Robertson Davies. Actually, Davies wrote three full trilogies. The Deptford Trilogy, the Salterton Trilogy, and the Cornish Trilogy. They are all magnificent. Two other trilogies that are almost unknown today and brilliant: "The Balkan Trilogy" and "The Levant Trilogy" by the British writer Olivia Manning. I read them again and again. They were made into a wonderful BBC miniseries called "Fortunes of War", starring Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson about 20 years ago.
SurrealLife Posts: 3752	Jul 15, 2008 9:20 PM GMT Quote Jprichva, another good trilogy that most people have never read is the "Regeneration" trio of books by British author Pat Barker. About the relationship between WWI soldier/poets Siefried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen, and the time they spent in a hospital recovering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. At that time PTSD was a new and very controversial diagnosis. The horrors of trench warfare and the extensive exposure to high explosive shells in World War I were the likely culprits.
Sedative Posts: 5129	Jul 18, 2008 7:50 PM GMT Quote Oh hey I just remembered, Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book Note that contrary to what Disney made it seem, it does not only contain the story of Mowgli but a lot of other stories as well, most of them allegorical and set in exotic places. Easy to understand as well and not heavy reading, as it's not in archaic English. It's also NOT a children's book. LOL Kipling has the heart of an explorer and it shows in his writings. My favorite stories include Toomai of the Elephants, Rikki Tikki Tavi, and The White Seal. It made a huge impact on me when I was younger, and it's my second all-time favorite next to Carroll's works. Especially recommended if you're an animal lover.
london_nyc Posts: 295	Jul 18, 2008 7:56 PM GMT Quote Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte So haunting, so romantic, so intense.

Wellu Posts: 17	Jul 18, 2008 7:58 PM GMT Quote Does Roget's THESAURUS count?

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