Favourite Books

[Beffery]

Before this year all I read was English texts for VCE (One True Thing: Anna Quindlen, Night: Elie Wiesel.. etc) Reading school texts are just the same as reading with a gun to your head, you can't enjoy it (though I did get straight A+'s )

Now I'm outa school I have taken the time to read what I want (Freedom!!) and these would definitely be my favourites:

- "The Rose Boys" Peter Rose
- "The Rainmaker" John Grisham
- "Stupid White Men" Michael Moore
- "Lord of the Rings" J.R.R. Tolkien
- "It's Not about the Bike: My Journey Back to Life" Lance Armstrong

There are more, but that's all I can think of at the moment.

Oh, and I've also read "Big Jack - my sporting life"

 

[CharlieG]

Originally posted by Lady Lawrence

A Time To Kill - John Grisham (purely becuase this book changed my opinion on the death penalty and I am such a stubborn cow that once my mind is made up it's impossible to change it!)

Ha! It did the same thing for me! It's a powerful book and probably the best debut novel I've ever read.

 

[Yianni]

Originally posted by Milkman
Anything by Hunter S. Thompson.

Ha, ha, you like drugs!

 

[Yianni]

Originally posted by aesop
The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho

One of the BEST books I have ever read. Reading it on a beach in Thailand was a life changing experience.

I have read it 4 times

 

[Seb]

The Wheel of Time - Robert Jordan
The Farseer Trilogy - Robin Hobb
The Tawny Man - Robin Hobb
The Belgariad Series - David Eddings
The Mallorean Series - David Eddings
The Tamuli Series - David Eddings
The entire Dragonlance series - Weis and Hickman
The Death Gate Cycle - Weis and Hickman
Harry Potter - JK

Those are basically my favourite fantasy novels and sit on my bookcase gathering dust, usually (Although I've been picking up the odd one every now and then and have a bit of a read)

Other books I have and enjoy are:

100 Years of Australian Rules Football (The author escapes me atm)
The Road to Kardinia (Once again, the author's name escapes me)
Buddha (Stories obviously from Buddha)

Argh, I have more.. just can't recall them off the top of my head.

 

[myee8]

Originally posted by bugman5
Fatherland - Robert Harris
Red Dragon - Thomas Harris
The Dice Man - Luke Rheinhart
Trainspotting - Irvine Welsh
1984 - George Orwell
Fever Pitch - Nick Hornby

Great book that 1984, gives such a great insight into the way things are today with technology, privacy and surveillance

 

[Doggie Boy]

Originally posted by tashibatts
"The Tommorow Series" -John Marsden
A few others from John Marsden (Winter, So Much to Tell You)

Watership Down was pretty good..

"Cat & Mouse" -James Patterson


Go Roos

The Tomorrow Series are my favourite books two, although I thought the final one was a bit of a letdown.

The first 3 were awesome.

 

[TheBloods]

Originally posted by Generalissimo
Royal Flash - George MacDonald Fraser

Hey - I just finished that this morning!!

Originally posted by bugman5
1984 - George Orwell

Great book, although I did it for HSC, which tends to depreciate the value of it somewhat. Animal Farm is also outstanding.

I loved David Eddings' Elenium and Tamuli series.

I think all the Harry Potter books are great.

Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird is one of my all-time favourites - just superb.

Linda Fairstein's Final Jeopardy was very good, particularly for a first book. Patricia Cornwell is also good, as is Anne Perry.

Annie Proulx's The Shipping News is a very interesting book. It just meanders along and the main character is a bit of a dweeb, yet it is an amazingly enjoyable story.

Joseph Heller's God Knows is very funny and quite irreverant.

I like Jostein Gaarder's Sophie's World too.

Peter Hopkirk's The Great Game is well worth reading.

Originally posted by CharlieG
Hmm... my decidedly non-literary tastes wouldn't seem all that impresive in this thread. I'm a fan of Grisham, Archer, Baldacci and DeMille in particular.

I wouldn't worry - I've read heaps of Grisham, J Archer, Clancy, Cussler, and Crichton. I think they are a fantastic read - lots of fun.

 

[Seb]

Animal Farm is also outstanding.

I wouldn't say outstanding, a slight exaggeration perhaps.

It was a respectable novel, but far from outstanding IMO.

 

[CharlieG]

Originally posted by Shaitan
The Wheel of Time - Robert Jordan
The Farseer Trilogy - Robin Hobb
The Tawny Man - Robin Hobb
The Belgariad Series - David Eddings
The Mallorean Series - David Eddings
The Tamuli Series - David Eddings
The entire Dragonlance series - Weis and Hickman
The Death Gate Cycle - Weis and Hickman
Harry Potter - JK

Going on this list - I think you'd like the Dune series by Herbert (forget the first name) and Terry Brooks novels, which are various series.

I don't read fantasy very much, but my soon-to-be-brother-in-law does and these are the two authors he regards as the best.

 

[sebastien]

The Girl with a Pearl Earring
Harry Potters
Agatha Christie series
The Godfather
Left Behind series
Things Fall Apart
Triage

 

[lozstar]

I don't read many books, so I can only say the 5 Harry Potter books

 

[TheBloods]

Originally posted by Shaitan
I wouldn't say outstanding, a slight exaggeration perhaps.

It was a respectable novel, but far from outstanding IMO.

Yeah, I might have exaggerated a little, but I think the theme is very profound.

 

[Lady Lawrence]

quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by Lady Lawrence

A Time To Kill - John Grisham (purely becuase this book changed my opinion on the death penalty and I am such a stubborn cow that once my mind is made up it's impossible to change it!)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Originally posted by CharlieG
Ha! It did the same thing for me! It's a powerful book and probably the best debut novel I've ever read.

Did it turn you anti to pro or pro to anti Charlie?

 

[CharlieG]

Originally posted by Lady Lawrence
quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by Lady Lawrence

A Time To Kill - John Grisham (purely becuase this book changed my opinion on the death penalty and I am such a stubborn cow that once my mind is made up it's impossible to change it!)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Did it turn you anti to pro or pro to anti Charlie?

Pro to anti. I thought at the start that Billy Ray Cobb and Pete Willard deserved to die, and in a sense, Tonya Hailey needed them to die. But, if Cobb and Willard deserved to die, I had to apply the same criteria to Carl Lee... and he definitely DID NOT deserve to die.

So... that's more or less the effect it had on me. You?

 

[hans moleman]

since it's one of the few books i've read in the last 5 years, i'd have to say Catcher In The Rye.

 

[Vintage 62]

The Herald Sun, post-GF edition 2003
" " " 2002
" " " 1981
" " " 1980
" " " 1979
" " " 1977
" " " 1970
" " " 1966
" " " 1964




A great, non-fiction series which just keeps getting better and better. (Early volumes are titled either "The Herald" OR "The Sun.")

 

[Destructive]

Originally posted by sebastien
Left Behind series

I have read all of them bar the last one. A top read.

 

[PeteLX]

Less Than Zero by Bret Easton Ellis used to be my fave when I was young, then got into the Vampire Chronicals by Anne Rice, then read all the James Bond books by Ian Fleming.

At the mo... tried again to read LOTR but just can't be arsed. Stupid White Men by Mike Moore.

 

[Stevo]

Originally posted by Beffery
Reading school texts are just the same as reading with a gun to your head, you can't enjoy it (though I did get straight A+'s )

Agreed. The only book I read as a year 12 text and thoroughly enjoyed was "Reading in the Dark" by Seamus Deane. Powerful novel set in Northern Ireland. I forgot to list that as one of my favourites, it had a profound affect on me.

And congrats on your straight A+s.

 

[Stevo]

Originally posted by Shaitan
The Wheel of Time - Robert Jordan
The Farseer Trilogy - Robin Hobb
The Tawny Man - Robin Hobb
The Belgariad Series - David Eddings
The Mallorean Series - David Eddings
The Tamuli Series - David Eddings
The entire Dragonlance series - Weis and Hickman
The Death Gate Cycle - Weis and Hickman
Harry Potter - JK

If you've read all of Jordan's books, you deserve to be knighted. Never before have I waded through such overblown, maudlin, gaudy filth.

Never read Hobb's books, despite recommendations to do so.

I think Weis and Hickman were at their best in The Death Gate Cycle. It was the most interesting in terms of world-building. Dragonlance was more solid in terms of characterisation, but the plot and world-building never got me hooked.

As I did to another fantasy reader above, I have to strongly recommend to you George R. R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" fantasy series (the best yet); Steven Erikson's "A Malazan Book of the Fallen" fantasy series; Greg Keyes' "The Briar King"; and finally R. Scott Bakker's "The Darkness That Comes Before". All of them are of contemporary fantasy's avant-garde, with less of the romantic nonsense of Jordan/Eddings/et al, and more of a focus on politics, strong - and anti-heroic - characterisation, and complex narratives. At least your high-brow literary friends won't scorn you for reading them.

 

[Vintage 62]

Originally posted by PeteLX
Less Than Zero by Bret Easton Ellis used to be my fave when I was young,

All Brett Easton Ellis's early books can be seen as drafts for "American Psycho," have you read it?

It wasn't so much written as pasted together from glossy magazine advertisements, but is very cleverly done. A lot would find the violence too distasteful to see any worth in the book, but I found the violence to be almost peripheral, and think the book is an insightful and humourously exaggerated portrayal of modern western values.

It should be said though, that I am almost certainly in the minority!

 

[BomberGal]

Originally posted by Beffery
Before this year all I read was English texts for VCE (One True Thing: Anna Quindlen......(though I did get straight A+'s )

Ahh, you wanna give me some hints for OTT then? I thought OTT was good the first time I read it...but then I read it again...and again...and again...and after studying so much I don't enjoy it. We're also doing The Divine Wind, which I thought was boring as the first time I read it, but after looking at the themes & issues, I actually quite like it. I'm just sick of it.

OK, so let's try this again - posted this yesterday, but it didn't work cause the server was busy.

My fave book is one I read as background for History- Revolutions last year, and it looked pretty daunting and boring, but I loved it - it was called 'City of Darkness, City of Light', by Marge Piercy, and it's a six person account of the French Revolution, including Danton & Robespierre. The way the characters' lives intertwine is brilliant. The best thing was it taught me more about the French Revolution, and helped it stick in my mind more, than the textbook ever did.

When I was younger I loved the Tomorrow series, and although aimed at a younger teenage audience, I love 'Willow Tree and Olive', the story is beautiful.

 

[Seb]

Originally posted by Stevo
If you've read all of Jordan's books, you deserve to be knighted. Never before have I waded through such overblown, maudlin, gaudy filth.

Then I shall be knighted.

I found the Wheel of Time sensational from books 1 - 7, after that however, I'd probably have to agree with you. The story does drag on as Rand continues to bicker and Faile rips Perrin's beautiful character apart. The series definitely started to become an anti-climax when Faile was introduced. She ruined the wolf man!....The great wolf man!

I haven't read Jordan's other series, though... I don't even know the name of it. Is that any better?

Never read Hobb's books, despite recommendations to do so.

Well judging from the latter half of your post, you prefer the Political agenda and not the romantic side of things, so you'd probably really enjoy Robin's work. I find it a tad trying, although I have read the Farseer Trilogy some 3 - 4 times and still find it rather enjoyable. Some characters, like in the Wheel of Time will grow on you, though... and you'll either warm to them.. or despise them. For me...Well... I love The Fool

I think Weis and Hickman were at their best in The Death Gate Cycle. It was the most interesting in terms of world-building. Dragonlance was more solid in terms of characterisation, but the plot and world-building never got me hooked.

Yep, Death Gate Cycle wins out over Dragonlance, streaks ahead, IMO. Dragonlance is a good introductory series to Weis and Hickman's work however. It definitely kept my nose within the cover, and did give me the feeling of wanting more. Once I found the DGC though, that was it.

As I did to another fantasy reader above, I have to strongly recommend to you George R. R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" fantasy series (the best yet); Steven Erikson's "A Malazan Book of the Fallen" fantasy series; Greg Keyes' "The Briar King"; and finally R. Scott Bakker's "The Darkness That Comes Before". All of them are of contemporary fantasy's avant-garde, with less of the romantic nonsense of Jordan/Eddings/et al, and more of a focus on politics, strong - and anti-heroic - characterisation, and complex narratives. At least your high-brow literary friends won't scorn you for reading them.

I'll have to check some of them out, thanks for the suggestions.

 

[Stevo]

Originally posted by Shaitan
Then I shall be knighted.

I found the Wheel of Time sensational from books 1 - 7, after that however, I'd probably have to agree with you. The story does drag on as Rand continues to bicker and Faile rips Perrin's beautiful character apart. The series definitely started to become an anti-climax when Faile was introduced. She ruined the wolf man!....The great wolf man!

I haven't read Jordan's other series, though... I don't even know the name of it. Is that any better?

I thoroughly enjoyed "The Eye of the World" and that got me hooked onto Jordan. I think it all goes downhill from there, although there are a sprinkling of good moments here and there amongst the other books. But like you say, the majority is amonst the earlier books. I hate to be a cynic, but one can't help but think it's a bit of a money-making exercise now for Jordan.

I didn't know he had written another series...