What are your favorite books? [Archive]

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Omega

11-09-2004, 11:22 AM

Although I don't get much reading time now, I used to read alot of books. I really enjoyed the Tolkien books long before the movies came out so the movies kind of brought everything to life.

I also read some of the Star Wars novels which if brought to the big screen would make for some very interesting movies.

And of course, Stephen King is amazing. The Langoliers is out of this world.

Viper

11-09-2004, 01:00 PM

Jeffery Deaver and Dan Brown.

Two of the most brilliant plot designers on the planet.

Jeffery Deaver:
The Bone Collector
The Coffin Dancer
The Empty Chair
The Stone Monkey
The Vanished Man
Twisted

Dan Brown:
Angels and Demons
The Davinci Code

Crow

11-09-2004, 01:04 PM

James Patterson did the Kiss The Girls and Along Came a Spider books, the films where great too, and of course Mr Deaver

Kay B

11-09-2004, 01:46 PM

of mice and men is my fave ever book

Cofey

11-09-2004, 05:40 PM

My favorite books, obviously, are The Hobbit, LOTR, etc...everything by Tolkien basically. I can't stand the LOTR movies though cause they did such a huge injustice to the story in so many ways.

I also like Shakespeare, Homer, Dr. Seuss, and other such classics.

Identity Crisis

11-09-2004, 07:25 PM

i'm a stephen king junkie, i feed off his dark tower books for sustenance. but there's a whole world out there i'm not familiar with, i'll just list some authors i like.
palahniuk
vonnegut
terry pratchett
richard matheson
lovecraft
poe
robert jordan
straub
dan simmons
douglas adams
watterson

but really in going with a recommendation of a book, it's hard to do without knowing what genre people like, because that, most of the time, seems to really define what books they will and will not read.

The Dude

11-09-2004, 08:06 PM

I have not read a book in a long time but my two favorites are:

Brave New World
Cetcher in the Rye

Pro A.

11-10-2004, 12:33 AM

From my favorite authors:

Stephen King:
The Dark Tower
Bag of Bones
The Stand
The Dead Zone

Tom Clancy:
The Hunt for Red October
Clear and Present Danger

Dan Brown:
Angels and Demons
The Da Vinci Code

Star Wars Novels:
Heir to the Empire
Dark Force Rising
The Last Command
Specter of the Past
Vision of the Future
Star by Star

Elmore Leonard:
Get Shorty
Out of Sight
Rum Punch
Be Cool
Tishmoingo Blues

John Le Carre:
The Spy who Came in from the Cold
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
The Honourable Schoolboy

Ian Fleming:
From Russia With Love
On Her Majesty's Secret Service

Misc. books:
Mystic River by Dennis Lehane
Red Dragon by Thomas Harris
The Company by Robert Littell
The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler
American Tabloid by James Ellroy
The Cold Six Thousand by James Ellroy

Many others I'm sure I'm forgetting.

Crow

11-10-2004, 12:35 AM

Wraith554

11-10-2004, 01:40 AM

LOTR books

Harry Potter books

Halo books

Most Tome Clancy books specifically:
Without Remosre
The Bear and the Dragon
Red Storm Rising
Power Play books
Rainbow Six
Hunt for red October
Patriot Games
The Cardinal of the Kremlin
Net force books

Micheal Crichton:
Jurrassic Park
The Lost World
Sphere
Timeline
The Andromeda Strain
Congo

There's more but I can't think of them

MagicJuggler

11-10-2004, 02:24 AM

Pro A.

11-10-2004, 02:41 AM

I mean from other authors. Right now, I'm reading Jon Stewart's America and A Drink Before the War by Dennis Lehane.

Dorbin

11-10-2004, 02:52 AM

I don't read much outside school, actually...in fact, far too little.

My favorite books from what I have read are The Narnia Series (which I haven't finished) by my dawg Clive Staples Lewis (we call him C.S. on the streets), the Wheel of Time Series by Robert Jordan (which I haven't finished), and, of course, The Lord of the Rings series and The Hobbit by my favorite literary gangsta of them all, J.R.R. Tolkien (which, fortunately, I DID finish).

Most of the time, I am too lazy to make myself read. :(

Viper

11-10-2004, 02:55 AM

Dorbin, grab Angels and Demons. Not finishing it will not be an option.

Dorbin

11-10-2004, 02:57 AM

^ Hmm, I'll look into it.

I somehow get the feeling that not only will it apparently keep me interested, but that if I don't finish it, you'll become violent...lol.

Not finishing it will not be an option, MUHAHAHAHA.

Viper

11-10-2004, 03:06 AM

Dan Brown wrote it with tiny chapters so you think, "Sure, I can read another chapter."

Next thing you know, it's 6...chapters...later. And you want more.

Michael

11-10-2004, 03:16 AM

I like Jack London, Tolkien, and John Marsden currently. I'm not trying to force myself to read Kon-Tiki...damn I do not like this book at all...

Blaksmoke

11-10-2004, 04:13 AM

My favorite books are "The Exodus" by Leon Uris, "1984" by George Orwell, and "The Winds of War" by Herman Wouk.

peasantlover

11-10-2004, 08:58 AM

"1984" by George Orwell
"Beyond Good and Evil" by Friedrich Nietzsche
"Caught in the Crossfire" by David Drake
"Dune" by Frank Herbert
"I, Robot" by Isaac Asimov (personal note; Will Smith needs to DIE!)
"Lord of the Rings Trilogy" by Tolkien
"Mutineer's Moon Trilogy" by David Weber
"Panzer Battles" by Major General Von Mellethin
"The Postman" by David Brin
"The Prince" by Niccolo Machiavelli
"Walden" by Henry David Thoreau

Book I'm currently reading:
"How to Win Friends and Influence People" by Dale Carnegie.
"The Wealth of Nations" by Adam Smith

Books I want to read:
"The Art of War" by Sun Tzu
"Das Kapital" by Karl Marx
"The General Theory of Economics" by Johnathan Maynard Keynes
"Neuromancer" by Ted Gibson
"Panzerkrieg" by Heinz Guderian

You are incredibly well red for a 17 year old (books of substance, I mean, not more Stephen King.. hehe).. I have a book on CD of How to Win Friends and influence people.. it costs me 50 bucks but was well worth it. That has to be the most powerful, life-changing self-help book out there. You might also want to check out "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill, another classic along the same vein.

I love the Prince.. Macchiavelli gets such a bad rap in modern times. I finally got around to reading the Art of War about 6 months ago (on CD actually.. haha I love audio books.. I even purchased the Odyssey on audio for a long road trip recently, even tho ive read it several times) it isnt as good as Machiavelli but it is an excellent text and still relevant today.

I think wealth of nations, seriously read, will turn any socialists into a free-market guy (are you listening Lord Worm?)..

Anyway, you need to lay off the science fiction for your fiction reads, it will rot your brain (haha just kidding).. but seriously, check out Dostoevsky, he is incredible (Crime and Punishment, The Idiot, The Brothers Karamazov). He is my favorite novelist.. you get all the depth and brilliance of the 19th century Russian literature, but without the monotony of Tolstoy.. hehe.

And as I said before.. I love Nietzsche, but he is dangerous without a little Plato, Aristotle, hell even Kant, mixed in. And if you really want to be well rounded philosophically, mix in a little Thomas Aquinas, I bet you'll find a lot more to catch your interest there than you think.

goku2057

11-10-2004, 09:08 AM

The Harry Potter Books are damned good.

Aneid

Oddysey

Dante's Inferno

Night - Eli Weisel

Damn, i can't even think...

peasantlover

11-10-2004, 06:49 PM

Aeneid. :p

Nights

11-10-2004, 07:00 PM

Self Help books...

Books on enthusias/debate/personalities...that sort of thing.

I don't know why...

peasantlover

11-10-2004, 07:24 PM

which ones?

MagicJuggler

11-10-2004, 11:42 PM

You are incredibly well red for a 17 year old (books of substance, I mean, not more Stephen King.. hehe).. I have a book on CD of How to Win Friends and influence people.. it costs me 50 bucks but was well worth it. That has to be the most powerful, life-changing self-help book out there. You might also want to check out "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill, another classic along the same vein.

I love the Prince.. Macchiavelli gets such a bad rap in modern times. I finally got around to reading the Art of War about 6 months ago (on CD actually.. haha I love audio books.. I even purchased the Odyssey on audio for a long road trip recently, even tho ive read it several times) it isnt as good as Machiavelli but it is an excellent text and still relevant today.

I think wealth of nations, seriously read, will turn any socialists into a free-market guy (are you listening Lord Worm?)..

Anyway, you need to lay off the science fiction for your fiction reads, it will rot your brain (haha just kidding).. but seriously, check out Dostoevsky, he is incredible (Crime and Punishment, The Idiot, The Brothers Karamazov). He is my favorite novelist.. you get all the depth and brilliance of the 19th century Russian literature, but without the monotony of Tolstoy.. hehe.

And as I said before.. I love Nietzsche, but he is dangerous without a little Plato, Aristotle, hell even Kant, mixed in. And if you really want to be well rounded philosophically, mix in a little Thomas Aquinas, I bet you'll find a lot more to catch your interest there than you think.

I tried reading a little bit of "The Republic," but found it entertaining in it's absurdity: Let's make war a family affair. When going out to fight enemy nations, let mom and pop fight alongside each other, and let Junior come and watch while on horseback. Yes...if only we instilled war by example...wait we already do!

I can actually survive the monotony, if there is depth to it. The only real reason I didn't finish "War and Peace" was when I realized that it was the abridged version. I said "this censored version isn't worth my time" and went to programming.

OutlawAdidas

11-11-2004, 12:00 AM

For Love of Evil by Piers Anthony

Teh Roxor!

11-11-2004, 01:53 AM

The Wheel of Time makes the Lord of the Rings look simple. I really reccomend reading it, if you like fantasy. And don't be put off by the strange, incomprehensible beggining.

I enjoyed:
The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan
Siddhartha by Herman Hesse
Brave New World by... somebody.

...crap. I cannot think of any right now...

Dorbin

11-11-2004, 02:15 AM

I only read the first 8 in the WOT series, mostly in 7/8th grades in fact, but I have the 9th and will finish it...someday.

I agree, Jordan's plot is very very complex, and for the most part, that is a good thing. However, LoTR isn't remotely simple, even in comparison...there are nuances in those books that Jordan can't even understand, I'd wager.

Xer0

11-11-2004, 04:16 AM

Well, right now i think my favorite book would have to "The Count of Monte Cristo" by Alendar Dummas. Fucking amazing book.

Lord Worm

11-11-2004, 07:47 AM

Jeffery Deaver:
The Bone Collector
The Coffin Dancer
The Empty Chair
The Stone Monkey
The Vanished Man
Twisted

Holy shit, Viper. I love Jeffery Deaver. Read The Blue Nowhere. It's amazing.

Viper

11-11-2004, 07:50 AM

Getting that one soon. Just started Speaking in Tongues.

Read any of the Lincoln Rhyme series yet?

goku2057

11-11-2004, 08:08 AM

I can't believe no one here has read Night...

Lord Worm

11-11-2004, 08:14 AM

Getting that one soon. Just started Speaking in Tongues.

Read any of the Lincoln Rhyme series yet?

Speaking in Tongues was strange, and that's all I'll say. Licoln Rhyme series are awesome. I've read pretty much all of them unless there are some I'm unaware of.

A book I read recently and enjoyed (Despite its constant 'strangeness') was Dark Matter by Garfield something or other. It's a weird book about quantum physics and serial killings.

Viper

11-11-2004, 08:30 AM

Haven't heard of that one before but sounds interesting enough.

Those I listed are all Lincoln Rhymes novels. Twisted is a collection of short stories that take his trademark plot twists to the limits and it includes a Lincoln Rhyme short story called 'The Christmas Present'.

http://www.jefferydeaver.com/Novels_/TwelfthCard/twelfthcard.html

OMG, he finishes a case from one book to the next. The missing shoes at the end of The Vanished Man.

Spatula

11-11-2004, 05:37 PM

high fidelity by nick hornsby.

breakfast of champions by kurt vonnegut.

Omega

11-11-2004, 05:51 PM

Is that book related to the movie High Fidelity with John Cusack?

Nights

11-11-2004, 06:04 PM

Like:

The Essential Enneagram: The Definitive Personality Test and Self-Discovery Guide

Who Moved My Cheese?: An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life

Reading People: How to Understand People and Predict Their Behavior-Anytime, Anyplace

Than stuff like:

Neil Simon: Brighten Beach Memories (Sorry I don't remember the exact title)

Dungeons and Dragons (The Role playing books not the novels)

The Witch and the Wombat (funny book)

Dorbin

11-11-2004, 06:26 PM

Goku, do not fret; I read Night by Elie Wiesel back in 10th grade (was required), and I did enjoy it.

goku2057

11-11-2004, 07:02 PM

Yay!

I believe the book is related to the movie.

Michael

11-11-2004, 08:57 PM

Well...I'm about to read Goblet of fire in one day...that's all I have...peace out...

Lord Worm

11-11-2004, 11:51 PM

Jeffery Deaver does mad research before he writes a book. The Vanished Man is pretty good for research, but The Blue Nowhere is amazing. You feel smarter after reading one.

Xer0

11-12-2004, 12:19 AM

Yay!

I believe the book is related to the movie.

Yeah, i read it too and it was a great book, but you have it the other way around, the movie came after the book, at least i am 99% sure of that.

Serene Samus

11-12-2004, 03:01 AM

James Patterson is one of my favorite authors. My favorite books of his are Roses are Red and Jack and Jill.

I like Tom Clancy's stuff too. I haven't read much, but from what I have, I really like Rainbow Six.

Nights

11-12-2004, 03:13 AM

Damn ... I almost forgot

The Bourne books are awesome...

Viper

11-12-2004, 04:38 AM

Jeffery Deaver does mad research before he writes a book. The Vanished Man is pretty good for research, but The Blue Nowhere is amazing. You feel smarter after reading one.
Getting it this weekend now.

The Stone Monkey research must have taken a few years. The vast amount of Chinese knowledge in it is incredible, same as the Vanished Man. All those illusionary and magician techniques aren't exactly common knowledge.

Get the Stone Monkey on CD book, Boyd Gaines is one of the best dialogue readers ever.

peasantlover

11-12-2004, 04:39 AM

Nights.. ive read who moved my Cheese.. good stuff.

Griffin-Pierre

11-15-2004, 11:02 PM

Harry Potter, Eats, Shoots and Leaves, Fallout and a lot of Malarie Blackman when I was younger. I don't read enough any more. Used to be a right little bookworm.

Jon

11-15-2004, 11:42 PM

Good thread. Anyways, for you Dan Brown lovers.... please tell me you have also read Deception Point and Digital Fortress. Not as good as Da Vinci Code or Angels and Demons but still far superior to most books.

Lets see, as for my favorite books/authors. Wow... this may take a while.

I guess I'll start with

Dan Brown- Gotta love all four of his books. Eagerly awating his next release. I think it's going to be about freemasonry and the such. I'll definately pick this one up the day it is released.

David Morrell- Excelent books. I haven't read any of his newer books but his older ones are superb. Particularly "The Brotherhood of the Rose", "The Fraternity of the Stone", and the book that brings the characters and plots from both of those books together, "The League of Night and Fog." All of these books rank in my top 15 books of all time. These books are much like Clive Cussler books which I will get to later.

Neil Stephenson- This guy is a master story writer. I have only read "Cryptonomicon" and I was utterly amazed. It's a great book, but not for the average reader. You have to be dedicated to finish this book. I need to go out and get the rest of his "Barouqe Cycle" series.

Cliver Cussler- The books are so simply written yet the suspense and storylines are some of the best I have read. Clive Cussler is by no means a complicated writer that uses huge words and complicated plots. No, he sticks to simplicity... and it works..... perfectly. I have been reading Cussler since I was 8 years old. I have pretty much read every one of his books. That's about 30 or so. Not too sure how many. Reccomended books by Cussler are "Atlantis Found", "Sahara" and just about every other one of his books.

Nelson Demille- Not many people read his books for some reason. I find them to be very good. I highly reccomend "The Charm School" to anyone that likes any of the authors/books I have listed above. Other notables by Nelson are "The Talbot Odessey", "Gold Coast" and "The Lions Game". Great books.

Tom Clancy- I have read many of his books in the past 4 or so years. So many to name. I'm sure all of you know who Tom Clancy is and what his books are. I would probably have to say "Rainbow Six" was my favorite... and no, I'm not talking about the game.

David Eddings- My fourth favorite fantasy author. His books are excellent and easy reads. Most notable are his Belgariad and Mallorean series which follows the life of a child all the way to adulthood in a medieval fantasy setting. I loved these books.

J.K. Rowling- Third favorite fantasy author. I think everyone knows what these books are about and whether or not they like them. Me, I love them and if anyone wants to make a big deal about it, contact me privately.

Robert Jordan- Second favorite fantasy author of all time for his "Wheel of Time" series. I haven't read many of them yet but I'm already hooked. Excellent writer.

Tolkien- Favorite fantasy author. I think this is no suprise and I do not think I need to explain why.

Ray Bradbury- Pretty much the only science fiction I really read. Most of his books are a collection of short stories most of which are exellent reads. You may get reminded of The Twilight Zone while reading his stories.... well, it would be an appropriate thought considering Ray Bradbury was a writer for the old show. I love his short stories but the book that takes the cake is "Fahrenheit 451". This book shows a frightening look at our future where censorship has taken over and where books are illegal and people are killed for having them. It tells the story of Guy Montag who is a fireman... only the firemen of the future start fires instaid of putting them out. Anyways, just go buy/check out/borrow/steal this book. It is great.

Other notable books and not necassarily the authors are to follow:

"Don Quixote"- Unfortunately the author of this book died about 500 years ago so don't expect a sequal.

"Rule by Secrecy"- Jim Marrs wrote this book but his other books suck. This book has everything you want to know about conspiracy theories. It is a fun read.

"American Soldier"- General Tommy Franks wrote this book. It is an autobiography. His life is a great story and this book was an excellent read.

"Amimal Farm" and "1984"- Both by George Orwell and both exellent reads.

"Requiem for a Dream"- I forget the author's name but this book is fantastic. Not for everyone however. I reccomend the movie by the same name as well, directed by Darren Aronofsky.... but this thread is about books.

"The Time Machine"- An excellent book by H.G. Wells. It's the story of a man from 19th century England that makes a time machine and accidently travels to the year 802,700 where he finds two distincly different races of... future "man". One of my favorite books of all time.

"Around the World in Eighty Days"- Haven't seen the new Disney movie with Jackie Chan based on this book but I'm willing to bet the book is 100 times better. It tells the story of a man that bets a substantial amount of his money that he can travel around the entire world in... well 80 days. Obviously. Anyways, the journey is exciting and often times humorous.

"Beowulf"- Well.... this 'poem' was written (somebody correct me) over 1000 years ago. We don't really know the author... or from where he came for that matter but it is one of the rare works to survive the dark ages. It's basically what created modern fantasy. I read somewhere that Tolkien got many of his ideas from this poem.

"Grendel"- A modern book written from the perspective of Grendel, the main adversary in "Beowulf". This book is hilarious.

"Mind Hunter"- Excellent book by John Douglas. Chronicles the real life cases of John Douglas who is hailed as one of the greatest profilers of all time. This book gives a frightening insight into serial killer's minds. This book was reccomended to me by Viper on NNow a while back. Thanks Viper, this book is great.

Anyways.... I have many more books that I love but not enough time to write about them. On to the grand finale, the magnum opus, the creme de la creme....

Stephen King- My favorite author ever. Here is the biggest reason why.

"The Dark Tower" saga. Seven books in total. The latest just recently released in September, over twenty years after the first book was created by this genius of an author. I can't even begin to explain this series. For me to explain why this seven book long story is the greatest story ever created would take me far too long and would require a thread in itself. Maybe some other time. All I can say now is that if you pass on these books, I pity you.

For this book to take me through such an emtional roller coaster and to be such a thrill.... I can't even explain. I'm pretty sure those of you that have read this story will agree with my that you either
a) cried, or
b) was very near to crying
in more than one spots during this book. And the ending.... oh man don't even get me started. It has to be one of the greatest/saddest/worst/stunning/suprising/dissapointing/fulfilling endings ever. Think that contradicts itself? Maybe so. All I got to say is 19.

The end.

Spatula

11-18-2004, 04:17 AM

i cant believe that no kurt vonnegut was in that, jon and horny.

and yeah, the movie of high fidelity was based on the book.

Jon

11-18-2004, 05:39 AM

Never read any of Kurt Vonnegut. Do you reccomend I do so?

peasantlover

11-18-2004, 08:23 AM

Jon, you dummy. Cervantes did make a sequel to Don Quixote.. (well, he added books anyway to extend the story).. and I dont believe for a second you read Don Quixote.. teh whole thing is .. like 700 pages or so. Perhaps you are thinking of "Man a la Mancha," the musical based on Don Quixote???
lol

Jon

11-18-2004, 08:41 PM

I didn't know he made any sequals, but what I meant is that don't expect the author to write any new sequals because he is dead. And yes, I read it last year. Oh, and it's not 700 pages you twat, it is 1050.

Anti-Colin

11-18-2004, 08:51 PM

You should read "Slaughter House V" jon.

peasantlover

11-18-2004, 10:58 PM

ugh.. i read about 100 pags of it in HS Jon, lol.

Jon

11-19-2004, 12:02 AM

I almost bought Slaughter House 5 at the bookstore last time I was in but I bought a poker book and a new copy of 1984 instaid.

That sucks that you only read 100 pages monk. I can never leave a book unfinished. It kills me thinking of what happens in it. I think I've only not completed two books in my lifetime. The rest I have to read through even if they are horrible.

Raptor

11-26-2004, 03:10 AM

My favorite books are:

"The Perks of being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky
"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee
"The Three Musketeers" Alexandre Dumas
...

I guess that's it right now. Don't get much of a chance to read besides english class and I don't have that this semester.

Vishus

11-26-2004, 05:39 AM

Drow stories by Elaine Cunninghame and R.A. Salvatore.
Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling.

Hyrule_Dude

11-26-2004, 06:01 AM

Speaker for the Dead
By Orson Scott Card

Boggy700

11-26-2004, 09:36 AM

I don't read a lot of books, but I really enjoyed 'To Kill A Mockingbird' by Harper Lee, and 'Popcorn' by Ben Elton.
Just yesterday I was awarded 'The Art Of War' by Sun Tzu for coming top of my interactive media class, so I get to read that at some point in the future.

But really, the books I enjoy the most are comic books and graphic novels.
Every Calvin And Hobbes book is automatically loved by me, and the 'Tenth Anniversary' book is my favorite book of all time.
I also love 'Nufonia Must Fall' by Kid Koala, and the accompanying soundtrack is very nice too.
Also by Kid Koala are the small comic books that he includes with his albums, which I enjoy.

miaandjohnrule

11-26-2004, 07:34 PM

1984 & Animal House by George Orwell , Breakfast of Champions & Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonnegutt , On the Road by Jack Kerouac , In Cold Blood by Truman Capote , Catch 22 by Joseph Heller

Crow

11-26-2004, 07:56 PM

what was George Orwell's animal fetish all about?

Ravster

11-27-2004, 09:50 PM

i hardly read books, but i like goosebumps, the ones where you choose your own endings and the lord of the rings trilogy

peasantlover

11-27-2004, 10:41 PM

miaandjohnrule

11-28-2004, 08:27 PM

what was George Orwell's animal fetish all about?

WTF are you talking about?

Jon

11-29-2004, 01:46 AM

what was George Orwell's animal fetish all about?

Communism.

Dark_Cloud

11-29-2004, 03:20 AM

I just read The Stand by Stephen King, and it is probably one of my favorite books of all time. Congo was pretty badass also. Pretty much anything from Michael Crichton or Stephen King is good.