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What's your favorite book?
Tyinstl Posts: 225
Oct 19, 2009 5:52 PM GMT
Twilight = gtfo.

This is mine:

Soulasphyxi Posts: 159
Oct 20, 2009 5:59 AM GMT
This sounds stupid but...


Witch of Blackbird Pond. :X
Marly_le_Roi Posts: 18
Oct 20, 2009 6:02 AM GMT
I am happy my life does NOT depend on that question because I have so many books about which I have gotten enthusiastic in the past and which I try to reread when time allows... Not to mention that there are still great books yet to be read and awaiting the first moment I can steal to get to them!
fizzle Posts: 217
Oct 20, 2009 6:02 AM GMT
The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy

timgoblue Posts: 50
Oct 20, 2009 6:04 AM GMT
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Jboegz Posts: 12
Oct 20, 2009 6:06 AM GMT
Currently my favorite book is My Ishmael by Daniel Quinn. I did read Moby Dick a year ago, maybe I picked it for the title
MSUBioNerd Posts: 1430
Oct 20, 2009 6:20 AM GMT
Just one? But there are so many different ones, for different reasons.

Pure enjoyment: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
Pure information: Guns, Germs, and Steel.
Thought provoking science fiction: The Terminal Experiment
Classics (older): A Tale of Two Cities
Classics (modern): Animal Farm
Fiction where I couldn't stop laughing: Good Omens
Nostalgic book from childhood: A Swiftly Tilting Planet
loogan32000 Posts: 14
Oct 20, 2009 6:41 AM GMT
the black sun first book i ever read
awesome
Oct 20, 2009 6:50 AM GMT
I'm halfway through a few old favorites: LOTR (The Two Towers) and "The Far Pavilions", by MM Kaye. I have a lot of other books i've only just started...my dream is taking time off from school and reading them all lol.
Balljunkie Posts: 585
Oct 20, 2009 1:26 PM GMT
One Hundred Years of Solitude by. Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Oct 20, 2009 1:43 PM GMT
Oct 20, 2009 2:05 PM GMT
A Confederacy Of Dunces.

Have read it over 20 times

FRONT2BACK Posts: 74
Oct 20, 2009 2:07 PM GMT
Just finished reading Augusten Burroughs' books...OMG Sellevision is a riot!

I re-read Dicken's Great Expectations and Irving Stone's Agony and the Ecstasy (story of Michelangelo) every few years or so ... but it is Richard Bach's Illusion's that finds it's way back to me. Everytime I read it - I come away with something new.
DanielH Posts: 450
Oct 20, 2009 2:08 PM GMT
I actually don't think I've read a book I've enjoyed.


Just read it to read it.



Uhm, I guess my favorite was...Jedi Academy.

Because the story doesn't end at Return of the Jedi.
Jd22639 Posts: 30
Oct 20, 2009 5:10 PM GMT
the women of the underworld series. by kelly armstrong. i own and have read all but one of them.
Oct 20, 2009 5:46 PM GMT


and


plus,


and finally,
yngstud4mscl Posts: 119
Oct 20, 2009 5:53 PM GMT
I just bought "The Lost Symbol" by Dan Brown. Both "Angels&Demons" and "The Di Vinci Code" were amazing. The lost symbol should be really good.
Pinny Posts: 1726
Oct 20, 2009 5:54 PM GMT
Pure enjoyment: Harry Potter series because they are quick and fun.

Best books PERIOD (in terms of style, plot, esthetics, and pure literary genius): In search of lost time (Yes I have read it all and will finish it again come April), Father Goriot, Dangerous Liaisons,

Ulysses by Joyce is good too, but gets crappy at the end.
Oct 20, 2009 5:58 PM GMT
I forgot one:


I read this immediately after reading Jane Eyre and have to say I enjoyed this book far more...and it made me appreciate Jane Eyre in ways I would not have expected.

I do not recommend the movie, but highly recommend this book...even if you've never read Jane Eyre.
Oct 20, 2009 6:07 PM GMT
Luckydog76 saidA Confederacy Of Dunces.

Have read it over 20 times



Funniest book ever. I can't figure why nobody's made a movie of it.
Oct 20, 2009 6:08 PM GMT


A defining moment in my life - that awakened me on many levels. It helped define my sexuality and my self - worth. Celie is someone I feel so much a part of - still to this day I tear up a bit about how lost I was til I read and heard those first words - "Dear God..." I wasn't so alone in Katy, TX anymore.
The film and the book are still very close and dear to my heart.




Herbert's "Dune" made me aware of how powerful and sublime merging words from different cultures can create such a lasting impact in reader's mind and imagination.

These 2 books were an essential part of how I evolved in my teens and early 20's. Profound and thought provoking literature.
IHG84 Posts: 215
Oct 20, 2009 6:19 PM GMT
Photobucket

Great book, awesome guy
Oct 20, 2009 6:50 PM GMT
IHG84 saidPhotobucket

Great book, awesome guy


It looks quite interesting, what is it about?

My fav book list is a long one, but here are a couple of them:

1) The Fountainhead
2) Love Story (Yes I read and cried)
3) Memoirs of a Geisha
4) An Innocent Man
xassantex Posts: 232
Oct 20, 2009 8:03 PM GMT
an anthology of french poetry, it's always lying around , excellent bathroom reading ..lol.. that an mtbike & car magazines of course.

Le dit de Tyany by Francois Cheng .

Le livre des nuits by Sylvie Germain .

The Alexandria Quartet , Lawrence Durrell ... the art of description !

Briefe an einen jungen dichter , by Rainer Maria Rilke .
my german sucks right now, but i'm still enjoying the book.

but there are tons of excellent books that had a lasting effect on me.
Oct 20, 2009 8:26 PM GMT
Okay I cant remember what I had for lunch nevermind remember what books I have liked.

Here goes:
Lord of the Rings (all of them)
The Secret
Harry Potter (all of them)
The Millionaire Next Door

Currently reading The Big Book

jprichva Posts: 4654
Oct 20, 2009 11:16 PM GMT
Luckydog76 saidA Confederacy Of Dunces.

Have read it over 20 times


You beat me to it. It may be the funniest novel ever.

"There was plenty 'o beaux at the ball, but ah still got mah honor"......
Oct 20, 2009 11:26 PM GMT
DSM 4



and anything by Clive Barker
Oct 20, 2009 11:33 PM GMT
jprichva said
Luckydog76 saidA Confederacy Of Dunces.

Have read it over 20 times


You beat me to it. It may be the funniest novel ever.

Toole's book is the only time in 2 millenia that Boethius' The Consolation of Philosophy has been a laugh riot.

My own fave, which I've read over 20 times, and some bits of which I know by heart, is Andrew Holleran's Dancer from the Dance.
zdrew Posts: 2822
Oct 20, 2009 11:33 PM GMT
Usually whatever I'm currently reading. Right now, that would be Renée Manfredi's Above the Thunder.
hoosierlad Posts: 36
Oct 20, 2009 11:43 PM GMT
Balljunkie saidOne Hundred Years of Solitude by. Gabriel Garcia Marquez



absolutely in the top 5

for just reading enjoyment: The Stand-Stephen King
classic Wuthering Heights-Emily Bronte
Howards End - EM Forster
Best recent Empire Falls-Richard Russo
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Klay-Michael Chabon

wait, that's 6-there's just too many!
jprichva Posts: 4654
Oct 20, 2009 11:45 PM GMT
TexDef07 said
Toole's book is the only time in 2 millenia that Boethius' The Consolation of Philosophy has been a laugh riot.

Not to mention that endearing medieval nun Hroswitha.
Oct 21, 2009 12:00 AM GMT
The one I'm reading now:

billy321 Posts: 3
Oct 21, 2009 1:44 AM GMT
The Fountainhead by Ayan Rand
Oct 21, 2009 1:48 AM GMT
1984
Empire Falls
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (aka: Blade Runner)
The Penultimate Truth
Empire of the Sun
makavelli Posts: 256
Oct 21, 2009 3:28 AM GMT
Just by quick glance at my bookcase:

I, Claudius by Robert Graves
Candide by Voltaire
Shalimar the Clown by Salman Rushdie (has a part on page 18 I cry to)
Ape and Essence by Aldous Huxley
Johnny Got His Gun by Dalton Trumbo
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
Gerald's Game by Stephen King (so many good ones out there though)

I just picked up Stripping Bare the Body by Mark Danner
phemt Posts: 978
Oct 21, 2009 3:34 AM GMT
Oct 21, 2009 3:36 AM GMT
imperator Posts: 473
Oct 21, 2009 3:44 AM GMT
I can't tag just one to the exclusion of my other favourites. The short list is:

Come Out Fighting, The Art of Happiness, The Art of War, The Tragedy of Today's Gays, The Prophet by Kalil Gibran, The Tao Te Ching, and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy all clamour for attention in my head when I think of "my favourite book(s)."
Oct 21, 2009 3:51 AM GMT
white fang -> jack london
fifth business -> robertson davies
maurice -> em forster
KyleAD Posts: 387
Oct 21, 2009 3:57 AM GMT
GuerrillaSodo... Posts: 2946
Oct 21, 2009 4:00 AM GMT
The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
Azazel Pictures, Images and Photos
makavelli Posts: 256
Oct 21, 2009 4:03 AM GMT
GuerrillaSodomite saidThe Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
Azazel Pictures, Images and Photos



TOTALLY!

I gave that book to my dad and haven't seen it since.
Oct 21, 2009 4:11 AM GMT
Oct 21, 2009 4:44 AM GMT
I love Augusten Burroughs. Running with Scissors was amazing, but the movie was terrible. And I love Dry because..well...I'm gay...and I'm an aspiring copywriter. Oh, and of course the story was interesting, and true. I just hope I don't become an addict like him.

When I think about it, I've never read a book that truly made me laugh out loud. Any recommendations would be appreciated.
MuscleLuke Posts: 128
Oct 21, 2009 4:47 AM GMT
Tyinstl saidTwilight = gtfo.

This is mine:



Your mom's a fish.
GuerrillaSodo... Posts: 2946
Oct 21, 2009 4:51 AM GMT
makavelli said
GuerrillaSodomite saidThe Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
Azazel Pictures, Images and Photos



TOTALLY!

I gave that book to my dad and haven't seen it since.


Yeah, Begemot and Koroviev fucking rock!
Bound4Muscle Posts: 5
Oct 21, 2009 5:02 AM GMT



Facing the Lion, Being the Lion, by Mark Nepo

THE best book EVER !!!!
Oct 21, 2009 5:05 AM GMT
Charlotte's Web, it's elementary but still love it.
noren Posts: 353
Oct 21, 2009 5:29 AM GMT
. . . It's so nice to see A Confederacy of Dunces getting the recognition it deserves . . . and did you know that Walker Percy played a key role in getting it published? . . .

. . . I'll put in a plug for P.G. Wodehouse . . . if you aren't familiar with his work, please do yourself a favor and dive in . . .
Space_Cowboy_... Posts: 268
Oct 21, 2009 12:21 PM GMT
well Fight Club and anything written by Chuck Palahniuk

The Vampire Chronicles

and Perfume: The Story of a Murder

Really awesome books check them out
LikeThe_Infer... Posts: 82
Oct 21, 2009 12:28 PM GMT
Someone mentioned Sellovision, and that's definitely one of my favorites - I've read it like 5 times, and I still laugh out loud.

But since that one was mentioned, I'll mention another one I don't see listed, and that's Christopher Rice's "A Density of Souls"

Oct 21, 2009 5:27 PM GMT
WOW !!! Tough to narrow to a few>>> Here are some: CLOSE RANGE (Wyoming Stories)...by Annie Proulx--collection of short stories which includes Brokeback Mountain...also THE SHELTERING SKY by Paul Bowles..haunting... CONFEDERACY OF DUNCES...would love to have a mint condition 1st edition...THE GREAT GATSBY...F. Scott Fitzgerald--great commentary on how the very rich think. (also would love to have 1st edition, signed copy) Could never forget the lines contained, "and so we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past"... One more for now, THE SUN ALSO RISES by Ernest Hemingway--the lead character is in love with a woman but cannot consumate their relationship because of "war wounds"..I too have been in love with women...the emotional attraction was not enough, however... Oops, almost forgot, THE HOURS by Michael Cunningham...wonderfully written, concerning depression and freedom of sexual expression...this book's characters really stayed with me... So far, have about a thousand books, many 1st editions. Love reading... If you look hard, you might find me at the local thrift shop, nose buried in a book...stop by, say hello...
Oct 21, 2009 5:32 PM GMT
Electra seems to be my favorite by whichever writer actually...
bottomline Posts: 274
Oct 21, 2009 5:36 PM GMT
Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie. I recommend everybody here to read it.
inmate_665532... Posts: 243
Oct 21, 2009 5:40 PM GMT
this forum wouldnt have enough space for all the books i consider my "favorites". and some of which are actually on this forum
pdx_traveler Posts: 24
Oct 21, 2009 5:52 PM GMT
Soulasphyxi saidThis sounds stupid but...


Witch of Blackbird Pond. :X




"Awareness" by Anthony DeMello
kietkat Posts: 73
Oct 21, 2009 6:30 PM GMT
My childhood and still all time favorite book is A Wrinkle in Time.. even to this day I still don't get 100% of it lol.
marsupial Posts: 62
Oct 21, 2009 6:51 PM GMT
Luckydog76 saidA Confederacy Of Dunces.

Have read it over 20 times




One of my favourites! Hands down!
Matia79 Posts: 154
Oct 21, 2009 7:01 PM GMT
A FINE BALANCE

MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA

LIFE OF PI

MIDDLESEX

CRY OF THE KALAHARI

Plenty of others....
Oct 21, 2009 7:04 PM GMT
Soap, Sex, and Cigarettes: A Cultural History of American Advertising by Juliann Sivulka



Encyclopedia Of The Palestinians by Philip Mattar

McGay Posts: 5118
Oct 21, 2009 7:10 PM GMT
From the beach to the bathroom to the sofa, it's a good read.

Oct 21, 2009 7:34 PM GMT
All of E.M. Forster's books are great. MAURICE has special meaning for me, as I was in my own similar "sitiation" during college years. Loved John, experienced many unforgettable moments while visiting him at school in Clemson, SC...inner-tubing on Lake Hartwell, more specifically what we did afterwards, nights spent camping outside of Charleston, at the beach in Kiawah & Isle of Palms... he was my first...he ended up getting married... only difference is that I didn't have my very own "Scudder" coming up a ladder to my bedroom window...
Oct 21, 2009 7:46 PM GMT
1. Naked Ape : Human Zoo by Desmond Morris
2. The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
3. The Catcher In The Rye by by JD Salinger
4. The god Delusion by Richard Dawkins
5. The Lorax - by Dr. Suess LOL!
(The Lorax has probably had the biggest impact from childhood, believe it or not. It really shows how bloody rotten humans are to the environment and animals.)

Cheers,
Keith
Oct 21, 2009 9:44 PM GMT
Well I love all the books from Terry Brooks' Shannara Series
& all the books from Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman

I don't just have one favorite book.
Oct 21, 2009 9:55 PM GMT
Bound4Muscle said


Facing the Lion, Being the Lion, by Mark Nepo

THE best book EVER !!!!
Leonardo, you are so fucking sexy !!!
jarhead5536 Posts: 1255
Oct 21, 2009 10:00 PM GMT
The Princess Bride by William Goldman. The book is so hysterical that it makes the movie seem boring and unfunny in comparison...
Jd22639 Posts: 30
Oct 21, 2009 10:07 PM GMT
MeOhMy said1984
Empire Falls
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (aka: Blade Runner)
The Penultimate Truth
Empire of the Sun


I think i just fell in love with you
marcopolowong Posts: 33
Oct 22, 2009 1:24 AM GMT
Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
Oct 22, 2009 1:56 AM GMT
Gilbercrat said
When I think about it, I've never read a book that truly made me laugh out loud. Any recommendations would be appreciated.


I still LOL at Dunces after all those readings. JP, OW and all the others endorsing this book can't be wrong. Give it a whirl.
creature Posts: 327
Oct 22, 2009 2:30 AM GMT
Frankenstein.
Oct 22, 2009 3:09 AM GMT
Hmmmmm.....let me think about that and get back to you

  • Destiny Disrupted: A History of the World through Islamic Eyes, by Tamim Ansary

  • No god but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam, by Reza Aslan

  • Washington's Crossing, by David Hackett Fischer

  • 1066: The Hidden History in the Bayeux Tapestry, by Andrew Bridgeford

  • The Unfolding of Language: An Evolutionary Tour of Mankind's Greatest Invention, by Guy Deutscher

  • Letter Perfect: The Marvelous History of Our Alphabet From A to Z, by David Sacks

  • Good Book: The Bizarre, Hilarious, Disturbing, Marvelous, and Inspiring Things I Learned When I Read Every Single Word of the Bible, by David Plotz

  • Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why, by Bart D. Ehrman

  • Gorgon: The Monsters That Ruled the Planet Before Dinosaurs and How They Died in the Greatest Catastrophe in Earth's History, by Peter Ward

Oct 22, 2009 4:36 AM GMT
I love books. Have read so many I don't even know where to start. some of my faves are:
'The prostitute' by A. Surangkhanang
'The Chinese Cinderella' by Singaporean author (forgot her name)
'Naomi' by Junichiro Tanizaki
The diary of Adrian Mole series by Sue Townsend
'Do androids dream of electric sheep?' by Phillip K. Dick
Some science fiction by Michael Crichton
Crime fiction by James Patterson, Jonathan Kellerman, Patricia Cornwell.
Oct 22, 2009 5:07 AM GMT
Gilbercrat saidI love Augusten Burroughs. Running with Scissors was amazing, but the movie was terrible. And I love Dry because..well...I'm gay...and I'm an aspiring copywriter. Oh, and of course the story was interesting, and true. I just hope I don't become an addict like him.

When I think about it, I've never read a book that truly made me laugh out loud. Any recommendations would be appreciated.


"Dry" was over the top. I have recommended that book to numerous people in my life... and on this site as well. It's so great.
joelisinNY Posts: 20
Oct 22, 2009 5:14 AM GMT
Cheers to the Brothers Karamazov guy up above me.

1. Autobiography of Red

2. Gravity's Rainbow

3. Invisible Cities

4. Notable American Women



...and I just realized I really like minimalist cover design.
rytheguy Posts: 7
Oct 22, 2009 5:15 AM GMT
Invisible Monsters. So stylized... sooo amazing!
Oct 23, 2009 1:56 AM GMT
danisnotstr8 said
Gilbercrat saidI love Augusten Burroughs. Running with Scissors was amazing, but the movie was terrible. And I love Dry because..well...I'm gay...and I'm an aspiring copywriter. Oh, and of course the story was interesting, and true. I just hope I don't become an addict like him.

When I think about it, I've never read a book that truly made me laugh out loud. Any recommendations would be appreciated.


"Dry" was over the top. I have recommended that book to numerous people in my life... and on this site as well. It's so great.
Besides " A Confederacy of Dunces", you might also want to check out, "Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim", by David Sedaris (his big sister Amy used to play Candy, the girl with the terminal overbite, on the TV show, "Strangers With Candy")
Oct 23, 2009 2:00 AM GMT
Bless Me Ultima
hockeynick79 Posts: 273
Oct 23, 2009 2:10 AM GMT


1984 by George Orwell, hands down.
NorCalJD Posts: 22
Oct 23, 2009 2:11 AM GMT
The Magus by John Fowles
heartrobb Posts: 201
Oct 23, 2009 2:35 AM GMT
Collected Stories of Eudora Welty
Brave New World- Aldous Huxley
A Boys Own Story and The Beautiful Room Is Empty-Edmund White
Go Tell It On The Mountain-James Baldwin
Dry-Augusten Burroughs
Zeitoun-Dave Eggers (currently reading)
and embarrased to say- Stori Telling-Tori Spelling.
Oct 23, 2009 2:59 AM GMT
off the top of the head(too many to list):











-the forgotten realms elminster series
me35mtl Posts: 90
Oct 23, 2009 3:01 AM GMT
im not much of a reader but the one book i liked was the kite runner
Oct 23, 2009 3:35 AM GMT
My all time fave has got to be the Sea Wolf by Jack London. Extraordinarily entertaining.
Oct 25, 2009 1:55 AM GMT
My very first favorite, "The Velveteen Rabbit".
Oct 28, 2009 3:26 PM GMT
This is one of the most enjoyable threads I've read on this site.

I can't pick a favorite book. I will say that I like non-fiction best. I am currently reading "Your Inner Fish: A 3.5 billion year history of the human body" by Shubin.
Oct 28, 2009 3:48 PM GMT
bigmusclepete saidMy very first favorite, "The Velveteen Rabbit".


ha... yes.. ditto!
cosmicjewboy Posts: 121
Oct 28, 2009 3:57 PM GMT
Star Maker by Olaf Stapledon
Oct 28, 2009 4:01 PM GMT
rytheguy saidInvisible Monsters. So stylized... sooo amazing!


This is my favorite too.
altair89 Posts: 33
Oct 28, 2009 4:24 PM GMT
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes


Oct 28, 2009 4:27 PM GMT
The Jungle

by Upton Sinclair
jawrhed Posts: 626
Oct 29, 2009 5:29 AM GMT
ObsceneWish said
Luckydog76 saidA Confederacy Of Dunces.

Have read it over 20 times



Funniest book ever. I can't figure why nobody's made a movie of it.


They have trouble casting - John Belushi and Chris Farley both overdosed during negotians.

MY fave books? too many to list - but - "Valley of the Dolls" is a great campy laugh.................
Oct 29, 2009 9:45 PM GMT
Neuromancer by William Gibson


crls64 Posts: 52
Oct 29, 2009 10:06 PM GMT
There are so many but if I had to choose one it would be "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coehlo. A quick read but incredibly uplifting book!