Your Favorite Books

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. I've read it so many times that I could quote from it whenever asked to (and pretty much anything). It's my bible.

A few of my personal favorites are:

The Inheritance ( one of Louisa May Alcott's long lost novels, written when she was seventeen and my FAVORITE book! It's so fanciful, and delightful to read!)
A Tree Grows In Brooklyn
Pride and Prejudice
Little Women

I'm a big historical fiction buff! I really like being transported to another era and being able to imagine myself imersed in that world. Plus they usually are so romantic! ^.^

quote:

Originally posted by Almasy One of my favorite books that I thoroughly enjoyed was "The Picture of Dorian Gray" by Oscar Wilde! It's one of the few books that genuinely kept me enthralled to the point where I didn't want to stop reading it!

I bought that book nearly 5 years ago and haven't even read it yet! The story always sounded so intriguing. I just need to sit down and actually read it!


My favorite book of all-time is most definitely Alice's Adventure's in Wonderland. I had to do a research project over Lewis Carroll my junior year of high school, and part of that project was to read a book he wrote The Disney movie destoys the overall meaning in the book - if you want a crazed tale, laced with cynacism, that pokes fun at society (namely the Victorian era) then Alice's Adventure's in Wonderland is a read I'd highly reccommend! It was surprisingly much better than I was expecting, and certainly isn't a children's tale if taking the true meaning of the book to heart.


I also really loved (and ashamedly still do to this day) The Westing Game when I was growing up. It's an easy read by far, but I still enjoying spending an afternoon reading it. It's another silly tale about a group of families/people who move into this apartment complex, who seemingly have nothing in common aside from the fact that they all live in the same place....except they're all written into this mysterious dead guy's will. I probably made it sound more hokey than it is


I also read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in high school, which I throughly enjoyed. Although many people have called Mark Twain's language...rough, and unsuitable for today's literary standards (and I'll agree that the language is quite shocking, however, one must take into account what time period the novel was written), I still say Huck Finn is a fine piece of literature. Now there's a book I couldn't put down. I'm just a fan of Twain's ability to take the reader to the actual scene in the book! Great book, only read it once though


I'm sure there are more books I've enjoyed, but I've rambled on long enough and I should be heading to class soon!


Latah
Token

Gummibear, have you read A Long and Fatal Love Chase? It's another one of Alcott's "lost" books. She set it aside, as it was considered "too racy" for her audience.

Good stuff.

My current four favorite books in order of preference:

4) The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R. King. Certain to set Holmes purists howling, this book is great deal of fun if you can suspend your disbelief. In which a retired and literally almost bored unto death Sherlock Holmes meets his match...in a fifteen year old upstart of a girl named Mary Russell. A literate and canon respectful "what if" that's also a good mystery. The first in a seven book (currently) series.

3) Tam Lin by Pamela Dean. The ballad of Tam Lin set amoung English and Classics majors in a small midwestern college. Gorgeous prose, the kind that as a writer yourself makes you envious. Great for those who remember college with fondness, and even better for bookphiles. (The novel is riddled with allusions to other works and friendly and not so friendly literary debate.

Now, I know some of you out there might start yelling that Juniper, Gentian, and Rosemary is the better Dean book. Nonsense. The plot is contrived and the characters are unlikeable, elitist twits. The whole thing never would happened were the kids not "gifted" snots with overindulgent and irresponsible parents.

2)Christy by Catherine Marshall. In 1912, a sheltered young woman leaves her home to teach in the Great Smokey Mountains. Ignore that it's been marketed as both a "Christian" novel and a "girl" book. The themes of hope, faith, and the search for personal meaning are universal. Focus on the insight into a culture that no longer exists. Focus on the central metaphor of faith as a healing reality. And if you chose, focus on the subtle love story.

My current favorite book, for now, is:

1) Fire and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones. Her masterpiece, if you ask me. This is not a book for anyone who dislikes to think and/or work for it. A fusion of the ballads of Tam Lin and Thomas the Rhymer set in 1980's England. Labeled as Young Adult, don't let that put you off. This is a beautiful, haunting, and very adult novel that works on at least three levels. It's one of those books that every time you return to its pages, you find something new, something you missed. And you will have to go back; this is one of those novels you need to read at least twice before you "get it". Read it. You won't regret it.

More later I'm sure.

quote:

Originally posted by LillyRose Gummibear, have you read A Long and Fatal Love Chase? It's another one of Alcott's "lost" books. She set it aside, as it was considered "too racy" for her audience. Good stuff.

Thank you for the recommendation! I just looked the book up on Amazon. It looks like an incredibly good read! I think I'm going to pay a visit to Borders and see if I can pick up a copy.

"A Wrinkle in Time" by Madeline L'Engle. I know, EVERYBODY read it in the 4th grade, but it's still a fantastic read. Especially if you go back to it every few years and allow the 'society' and messages to sink in more deeply.

"The Phantom Tollbooth" by Norton Juster. I would never have heard of this book if my 4th grade teacher had not read it to us and had us do activities around it. It is a fabulous collection of word plays, puns, convoluted reason, and incredibly simple common sense. Another kids' book, but another one that gets better with age.

I'm sure there's others, but my mind's on children right now. ^_^;

quote:

Originally posted by Token Girl I also really loved (and ashamedly still do to this day) The Westing Game when I was growing up. It's an easy read by far, but I still enjoying spending an afternoon reading it. It's another silly tale about a group of families/people who move into this apartment complex, who seemingly have nothing in common aside from the fact that they all live in the same place....except they're all written into this mysterious dead guy's will. I probably made it sound more hokey than it is

I remember that. Barney Northrup and the other guys with directions for their last names

spoiler (highlight to read):

all ending up being Westing, who's real name escapes me, who's still alive

. Read it in 5th grade. Good stuff.

I'd have to say that my all time favorite has to be the Harry Potter series. I fell in love with it, and never really feel out.

But recently I read a book called Through Violet Eyes by Stephen Woodworth. The cover was what tugged on my line, but the storyline really drew me in. The story has a sequal called With Red Hands that was just as good as the first one. Gotta say, if Harry Potter didn't exist, this would be my number one all the way.

Pretty easy question... I suppose I will list my top nine favorite books, in reverse order:

9. Dracula, by Bram Stoker -- Not the easiest read, and certainly not for everyone: Stoker likes to get very descriptive and can spend a good two or three pages at a time just going off on wild tangents about the surroundings, but it's still a marvelous book. Fan of vampires should certainly read it--it is, after all, the original Dracula story. In my opinion, it is also the greatest Dracula story.

8. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, by C.S. Lewis -- I will be the first to admit it certainly is not the best in the series, but I suppose because it was the first one I read I hold a special attachment to it. In all reality, I think this spot should be reserved for The Horse and its Boy or even Prince Caspian , both of which were better (and both of which I enjoyed even more when I first read them a few years after I read The Lion... ), but that would be too much of a betrayal.

7. The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne -- I don't really care what anyone says, I absolutely adored this book. Some hate it, but I love Hawthorne's style of writing--some of his psychological descriptions are particularly stunning, in my mind. It's not a book I can recommend to anyone--it's a love-it or hate-it book, really--as much as I would like to.

6. A Prayer for Owen Meany, by John Irving -- This was a very interesting book I read the summer after my Freshman year, after receiving it as a gift. It touched on a lot of thought-provoking themes, in my opinion. My biggest regret was that I lost my copy--I accidentally left it at the Museum of Natural History (where I interned that summer), and never repossessed it. I hope to get another copy again, someday...

5. The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien -- I do not believe I need to really explain this one, so I will keep it rather short. A brilliant book: Tolkien never ceases to amaze me.

4. The Romance of Three Kingdoms, attributed to Luo Guanzhong -- If you have an interest in Chinese history, I suggest giving this book a thought. It is incredibly long: I read Robert Moss's translation (believed to be one of the best today), and it was over 2,000 pages long, stretching over four volumes. It isn't an easy read, either; all of the names are, predictably, Chinese, and there are literally hundreds of different characters, so it can be difficult keeping track of them all. Still, though by no means completely historically accurate, the avid reader will learn a lot from this book, and it is very interesting. It is the most popular book in Asia for a reason...

3. Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, by Gregory Maguire -- A wonderful spin on Oz; I really adore dear Elphaba. An excellent book, I certainly recommend it to anyone: fans of The Wizard of Oz will be pleasantly surprised by the spins Maguire puts on Oz. And to make the book even better, there are a lot of interesting political and even philisophical themes put forth by the book, so certainly expect to do a little thinking (though in my mind, no book is truly great unless it inspires thought).

2. The Silmarillion, by J.R.R. Tolkien -- Personally, I like this more than The Lord of the Rings , and I think it's Tolkien at his best. Fashioned much like a myth, detailing the genesis of Middle Earth and the First Age (though also spending some time on the Second and Third Ages as well), The Silmarillion is truly a work of literary genius. No one can claim to be a true Tolkien fan until this book has been read at least once.

1. Les Misérables, by Victor Hugo -- Is this really a surprise to anyone? Definitely my favorite book of all time, and it is another behemoth--well over a thousand pages. I only regret not knowing French so that I may appreciate it in its original form.

I haven't been reading as much as I use to.

But probably my most read book, probably up there in my list of top five books, is The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King. It's a very easy read in most ways and it's probably to most un-Stephen King book I've ever read but I love it anyway. I actually have two copies of it. One to read. One to admire the artwork.

I'll think of some others later. That's the only book that came to mind.

BabyGhia

1. The Catcher in the Rye
2. The Great Gatsby
3. The Outsiders

I still have alot of books out there that I need to read, but some books that I've read and liked are:

The Dune books, Catch-22, most Asimov Stuff, Farenheit 451, The Golden Compass, 1984, The Great Gatsby, Ender's Game...... you know what?

This is all middle school stuff, I need to get my ass down to the library.

The Sound and The Fury- William Faulkner, easily one of the greatest pieces of american literature ever written. A great extended metaphor for the fallen south. If you haven't read it, and don't have a problem with reading something about incest (no actual sex though), then it's a definite must read.

Of Mice and Men- John Stienbeck. Again, one of the greatest pieces of American literature ever. The movies really don't do it justice. Its really a very compelling story, and one of the few to ever make me cry.

East of Eden- Stienbeck. Great retelling of the book of genesis. Its just awesome.

Grapes of Wrath- Stienbeck. Again, unbeliavable. Pick it up

The Great Gatsby- F. Scott Fitzgerald- Compelling, enthralling book. Not that long, but it has one of the deepest most them ridden plots ever written. It establishes the American Archetype so that has to be worth something.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn- Mark Twain. Great comedic sattire of early American society. It really set the standard of all American novels written after it, and is probably one of the first great pieces of american literature.

The Picture Of Dorian Gray- Oscar Wilde. A great mysterious book. Very good stuff. I read it over the summer then lent it to a girl i knew, and I have never gotten it back. A shame really as its a definate favorite of mine.

Atlas Shrugged- Ayn Rand. Amazing book. There is so much to say about how good it is that I won't even begin to go into it. Its just awesome.

When Will Jesus Pass the Pork Chops- George Carlin. Hilarious book. Easily one of the funniest books I have ever read. If you've ever seen George Carlin do stand up, you know what I mean.

quote:

Originally posted by LillyRose 4) The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R. King. Certain to set Holmes purists howling, this book is great deal of fun if you can suspend your disbelief. In which a retired and literally almost bored unto death Sherlock Holmes meets his match...in a fifteen year old upstart of a girl named Mary Russell. A literate and canon respectful "what if" that's also a good mystery. The first in a seven book (currently) series.

I LOVED that book! I absolutely raved about it and basically, it started my slight obsession with Sherlock Holmes. (I need to read more of the stories and move away from this series for a bit.) I'm currently up to The Moor. I enjoy the adventure SO much when I read the book that I'll forget everything else. Of the series though, I really enjoyed A Monstrous Regiment of Women.

Artemis Fowl is a series I adore because of the 12 year old spy. I mean, Butler is just like Norman in a very bizarre way.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen is my ultimate favorite book of all time. I don't really know why. I thought it was well written, the movie helped a lot in my view of the book, but it didn't take me a lot of time to read it either (like Beekeeper's). It's a lovely love story. The only problem is, I'm one of very FEW who like it. I'd read it for the fun of it again if I was in the mood!

Later,
Pen1300

Fahrenheit 451 - Probably my very favorite book. It's a mixture of poetry and scifi that hasn't really been matched since, and it still makes sense 50 some years after being written.

Dandelion Wine: One of Ray Bradbury's "pure" stories, basically nostalgic stuff, but written in a way that makes it interesting rather than boring...

A Graveyard for Lunatics: I'll be the first to tell you it's not one of Bradbury's best books, but it's certainly the most interesting, in my opinion.

The Truth: Terry Pratchett = Genius.

Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy: One of the first non Star Wars scifi books I ever read. It's just...well...it's just Hitchhikers.

Anne of Green Gables: My favorite non-scifi book ever. Anne is a character I can identify with, because most of the time my head isn't even in this stratosphere...

Aparat by Clive Barker is my favorite I loved the story and the imagery that goes along with it. It has been one of the only books to truly capture my mind and make me read it and enjoy it.

spoiler (highlight to read):

That and I just loved John and I am also wanting to get my hands on the second book too! ^_~""

hmmmm that would be jurrassic park and it's sequel. those were awesome.

Just a few of my favorites, off the top of my head:

The Count of Monte Cristo - Revenge! So perfect! So well written! Far beyond anything any movie can come up with, mainly because the acts of revenge are so sweeping and meticulous that it would take forever to build up in a movie.

The Complete Sherlock Holmes - The written works by Doyle are amazing. Hound of the Baskervilles takes on a whole new level when you read it. The dynamic is also much more vivid between Holmes and Watson.

Shibumi - The story of a master assassin living with a beautiful concubine in a Basque castle in modern times. Add to his list of skills proximity sense (he can sense people around him, even in total darkness), expert spelunker (the cave scenes in the book are the most dramatic), and the ability to kill using anything (a pencil, a magazine, etc.) and you are left with an awesome novel. Also a good measure of Japanese philosophy thrown into the mix, hence the title.

Timeline - Way better than the movie. 'nuff said.

The green mile by stephen king. i just finished it last hour. it's whole lot different from the movie.

To kill a mockingbird. it's kinda cool.