What's your favorite book? [Archive]

shimmer728

02-04-2005, 07:59 AM

Not sure. I've read so many over the years, it's hard to pick just one......I really loved Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 when I was a teenager. That's probably one of my all-time favorites.

As for contemporary stuff, I love anything by Olivia Goldsmith. Her novels are both unbelievably trashy and incredibly well-written. I also love the Shopaholic series...... :redface: Just because they're fun to read.

WeirdBrake

02-04-2005, 08:50 AM

My favorite novel is unquestionably 1984 by George Orwell. It has so much substance to it, and it's brilliant and powerful.

J-girl

02-04-2005, 09:23 AM

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Beach by Alex Garland

I am currently reading "what dreams may come" by Richard Matheson.

Empressallie

02-04-2005, 09:30 AM

Some fav's
Catcher in the Rye - Salinger
1984 - Orwell
Brave New World - Huxley
Portrait of a Lady - James
My Invented Country - Allende
All Shakespeare

I like some light stuff too like the DaVinci Code and anything by David Sedaris.

Currently I am reading 100 Years of Solitude by Garcia Marquez. It's really good so far. It's about science and technology coming to a remote mythical village.

Great thread btw.

Winter Storm

02-04-2005, 09:37 AM

I have a couple:

The Bluest Eye -Toni Morrison
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
Mirror- Graham Masterton

Tayl405

02-04-2005, 09:46 AM

The Beach - Alex Garland
In the Time of the Butterflies - Julia Alvarez
Slouching Towards Bethlehem - Joan Didion

J-girl

02-04-2005, 09:49 AM

The Beach - Alex Garland
In the Time of the Butterflies - Julia Alvarez
Slouching Towards Bethlehem - Joan Didion

I loved the BEACH!!! I wanted to mention it but was embarssed to do so lol! :redface:

I'll do so now though haha

Tayl405

02-04-2005, 09:50 AM

Why would you be embarrassed? Should I be? lol

J-girl

02-04-2005, 09:53 AM

Why would you be embarrassed? Should I be? lol

I dont know maybe cuz it was made into a movie starring Dicaprio! WHICH I saw on the big screen :redface: :huge:

But now I am out of the closet thanks.

Crimson King II

02-04-2005, 09:56 AM

Embarassed b/c of DiCaprio? I'll say, sure...he's not the most manly of guys...but he'll be (and in many ways already IS) among the premier actors of his time. Much respect for him...as girly as he may be. But don't be ashamed.

biodork

02-04-2005, 10:02 AM

i LOVE the Harry Potter Series

But my other favorite that has lasted since HS are the Kay Scarpetta Series by Patricia Cornwell

MetFanL

02-04-2005, 10:08 AM

Brave New World, Animal Farm, Great Gatsby, Jane Eyre, Night.

I read a TON of books, but those are my "classics." I really liked this book "Cheat and Charmer" that I just read (a novel about family in LA in the 50s and the blacklist), Memoirs of A Geisha, Mary After All... Oh, and there is this book called "The Lover" by Marguerite Duras that is just WONDERFUL. I've read it a million times.

rafflesj

02-04-2005, 10:18 AM

East of Eden, Steinbeck
I like others, but nothing has been this profound.

Sus122079

02-04-2005, 10:20 AM

"Pride & Prejudice", Jane Austen
"Little Women", Louisa May Alcott

Love them classics. :huge:

LakeJay

02-04-2005, 10:24 AM

Brave New World, Animal Farm, Great Gatsby, Jane Eyre, Night.

Oooo nice call...Let me add Animal Farm - Orwell.

midtwenty

02-04-2005, 10:48 AM

The sheer number of books I've read would easily fill a library. There's no possible way I could remember all of them. Some were great, some mediocre, some downright shitty. But hell, I'll read anything if it's got print on it. A cereal box, a tube of toothpaste, VCR instructions. Unless a book was particularly bad or particularly great, I typically need to read it a couple of times at least, just to be able to remember later that I HAVE read it. I began reading at age 4 and promptly began devouring everything I could get my hands on. And haven't stopped. I can't keep track. HA, I just remembered - case in point...my friend lent me a copy of "The General's Daughter" a couple weeks ago. When she gave it to me, I thought the title seemed familiar. I was better than half through it when I realized I actually HAD read it before, a few years ago.

It's too hard to nail down even just a handful of my favorites, but I'll freely admit I'm a sci-fi/fantasy addict. It's not the only genre I'll read, but it's my favorite. Give me some Larry Niven or Robert Heinlein and I'm in heaven. But by that same token, I'll follow Niven's "Ringworld" with Charles Dickens' "A Tale of Two Cities." I read whatever takes my fancy.

Based on my personal two most important traits of reading material (enjoyment and re-readability), I'd have to say Robert Jordan's "Wheel of Time" series is my absolute favorite. Ten books so far, the author thinks probably 12 total when it's complete...I'm currently in the middle of re-read number 8 or 9. Can't remember. Re-reads are necessary. The series is far too detailed and involved and you'd never catch everything going on with a single reading. Besides, books with glossaries in the back are sexy. ;) Haha!

megrocks

02-04-2005, 11:06 AM

The Book of Laughter and Forgetting - Milan Kundera
Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
Me Talk Pretty One Day - David Sedaris
The Romantic - Barbara Gowdy
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn - Betty Smith

Oh, I want to read Ethan Frome because a lot of LOST people are talking about it because of the creepy character named Ethan Rom. What's it about?

Kitty

02-04-2005, 11:19 AM

Invisible Man - Ralph Ellison

lawya girl

02-04-2005, 11:28 AM

Wuthering Heights

and though they're not books, all Shakespearean plays.

midtwenty

02-04-2005, 11:52 AM

I thought that book was horribly depressing.

Have any of you ever read Ethan Frome?

Ethan Frome is a wonderful book. Not without it's own share of depression and desperation, but wonderful regardless.

hopeless

02-04-2005, 03:27 PM

My favorite books I absolutely love are To Kill A Mockingbird, I also like the movie version of that one too, & Catcher In the Rye, & The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison. In my view, those books are such a classic to read with strong messages & themes. I'm into more contemporary classics, compared to historal classics like Great Expectations or Jane Erye. I'm sure those books are great for those who like that time period, but I read A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens in high school & didn't like it whatoever including the movie version.

Skyblade

02-04-2005, 03:51 PM

My favorite book is "Earth Abides" by George Stewart.

I really usually don't like science fiction, but this is a great book. It reminds me of that movie "28 days later" without all the zombies.

midtwenty

02-04-2005, 04:17 PM

Starfish81

02-04-2005, 04:29 PM

I dont know maybe cuz it was made into a movie starring Dicaprio! WHICH I saw on the big screen :redface: :huge:

But now I am out of the closet thanks.

I love Leo. He's talented and smart, and he cares about the environment.

Starfish81

02-04-2005, 04:31 PM

i LOVE the Harry Potter Series

Me too, me too!

Who is the Half-Blood Prince? J.K. says it's neither Harry nor Voldemort.

ErLeCa

02-04-2005, 04:44 PM

Me too, me too!

Who is the Half-Blood Prince? J.K. says it's neither Harry nor Voldemort.

I'm can't wait to find out.... man I love being a dork!

natbumpo

02-04-2005, 04:56 PM

A prayer for owen meany...john irving

wordsmith

02-04-2005, 05:24 PM

I'm with midtwenty...I can't even begin to narrow down, because I've been devouring books all my life, pretty indiscriminately. Probably why I was an English major. There are in fact no books that I categorically hate except the works of William Faulkner (starting with Crapsalom, Crapsalom). Here's just a smattering of titles of all different types that stood out to me:

-Charlotte's Web, E.B. White
-The Great Gatsby, F.Scott Fitzgerald
-Bridge to Terabithia, Katharine Patterson
-O Pioneers, Willa Cather
-All the Harry Potter Books, J.K. Rowling
-The Fionavar Tapestry and A Song for Arbonne, Guy Gavriel Kay (Midtwenty?)
-Bridget Jones' Diary, Helen Fielding
-She's Come Undone, Wally Lamb
-Empire Falls, Richard Russo
-A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, Dave Eggers
-The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne
-The Handmaid's Tale and Cat's Eye, Margaret Atwood
-The Idiot Girl's Action Adventure Club, Laurie Notaro
-Liner Notes, Emily somebody or another
-High Fidelity and About A Boy, Nick Hornby
-Fall On Your Knees, can't remember author, but she's Canadian
-Where the Heart Is, Billie Letts
-Plainsong, Kent Haruff
-A Thousand Acres, Jane Smiley
-Native Son, Richard Wright
-A Farewell to Arms, Ernest Hemingway
-The Awakening, Kate Chopin
-To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee

Starfish81

02-04-2005, 05:45 PM

That is a hefty smattering, wordsmith.

artbabe

02-04-2005, 05:54 PM

I have a couple:

The Bluest Eye -Toni Morrison
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
Mirror- Graham Masterton

good stuff winter storm. roald dahl's a genius. i'm just cracking the spine of the bluest eye now.

cynthiabduke

02-04-2005, 05:56 PM

Devil on the Cross-Ngugi
Beloved-Morrison
Me Talk Pretty One Day-Sedaris
The Red Tent-Diamant
Mama Day-Naylor
The Awakening-Chopin
Great Gatsby-Fitzgerald
Fair and Tender Ladies-Smith
Jitterbug Perfume-Robbins
Pride and Prejudice-Austen
The Violent Bear it Away-O'Connor
The Handmaid's Tale-Atwood

artbabe

02-04-2005, 05:57 PM

As for contemporary stuff, I love anything by Olivia Goldsmith. Her novels are both unbelievably trashy and incredibly well-written. I also love the Shopaholic series...... :redface: Just because they're fun to read.

hey shimmer, have you read bad boys? so good and fluffy. if you like fluff, you'll love Marian Keyes.

heatherf

02-04-2005, 06:44 PM

Where The Red Fern Grows- Wilson Rawls

How much did you love that book? I loved it! :huge:

Tayl405

02-04-2005, 06:48 PM

More of my favorites:

--How could I forget Harry Potter??? I'm obsessed!
--This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald (or anything by him for that matter)
--Love in the Time of Cholera by Gael Garcia Marquez
--Poisonwood Bible by Barbra Kingsolver

Whoever pointed out To Kill a Mockingbird--good call. I think I read 4 or 5 times for school but I loved it every time!

wordsmith

02-04-2005, 06:50 PM

Good reads, heather.

inuts

02-04-2005, 07:57 PM

Don't laugh--

"Neverending Story" by Michael Ende. I didn't read this book until I was 22. And I was blown away.

biodork

02-04-2005, 08:13 PM

Who is the Half-Blood Prince? J.K. says it's neither Harry nor Voldemort.

I have no clue but I've already pre-ordered the book on Barnes and Noble.com!

cornflakegirl

02-04-2005, 09:00 PM

a tree grows in brooklyn was my favorite book when i was younger. i think there is a play or musical out now.

read ethan frome in high school. don't recall liking it much.

harry potter is amazing

as for my ultimate faves -

cats cradle & galapaigos - vonnegut
the dark compass ( & the other 2 in the series) - phillip pullman
animal dreams & the poisonwood bible - barbara kingsolver
ishmael - daniel quinn
franny & zooey - salinger

ugarachel82

02-05-2005, 01:25 PM

i LOVE the Harry Potter Series

Harry Potter kicks serious butt!

And if you like that, you should try other children's lit. favorites. I love children's books, but that's probably because I'm going to be a teacher. Just finished Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo. I hear they're making it into a movie with Jeff Daniels. It was a beautiful story and I just don't see how they will turn it into a good movie. We'll see.

I also like girlie books, the Shopaholic series is fun, as is The Nanny Diaries.

And if anyone hasn't read it, The Lovely Bones is simply devine. It's older, but it's out in paperback know so you can buy it without going broke. If you liked the Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold has a non-fiction book called Lucky that she wrote partly as a memoir. I couldn't get through it because of the subject matter (she's coping with her own rape and sexual assault) but I could appreciate the writing through the half that I did read.

Kitty

02-05-2005, 01:31 PM

-She's Come Undone, Wally Lamb

Are you serious? I found this book to be completely horrible and trashy.

mishl982

02-05-2005, 01:46 PM

I also like girlie books, the Shopaholic series is fun, as is The Nanny Diaries.

Me too, I like reading books that are kinda like Sex & the City and doesn't require much thinking, hehe.

Tayl405

02-05-2005, 02:34 PM

No offense, but I can't STAND the Shopaholic series. I didn't like the Nanny Diaries either. I like good chick lit every once in awhile (usually when I'm stressed out and need something simple). But I prefer Sarah Mlynowski (Milk Run), Laurie Notaro, and Helen Fielding.

Kitty

02-05-2005, 05:50 PM

No offense, but I can't STAND the Shopaholic series. I didn't like the Nanny Diaries either.

agreed!!! I don't understand the craze, at all.

shimmer728

02-05-2005, 07:36 PM

-To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee

I can't believe I forgot this. That has to be one of my all-time favorites. The movie, on the other hand, was a huge disappointment.

Irish79

02-05-2005, 10:30 PM

Are you serious? I found this book to be completely horrible and trashy.

She's Come Undone is trashy??? I thought it was pretty depressing in parts, but I liked the story and the way it ended.

I love books by Anna Maxted, and I liked the Nanny Diaries - I want to read Citizen Girl which is by the same authors.

Kitty

02-06-2005, 11:03 AM

She's Come Undone is trashy??? I thought it was pretty depressing in parts, but I liked the story and the way it ended.

I love books by Anna Maxted, and I liked the Nanny Diaries - I want to read Citizen Girl which is by the same authors.

Yeah, it is very trashy. It's trash trying to act like its some work of literary genius which makes it especially bad.

hopeless

02-06-2005, 10:05 PM

I'm also into the Shopaholic series by Sophie Kinsella. Those are fun books to read that I like, which makes me laugh. I know other people thinks it's crappy or it sucks, but I like it a lot since I can relate to the character since I'm an absolute shopaholic & not afraid to admit it.

rafflesj

02-06-2005, 11:06 PM

Where The Red Fern Grows- Wilson Rawls

How much did you love that book? I loved it! :huge:

OMG - I cried so much at the end of this book! I almost cry just thinking about it. Its the sadest, most wonderfulest book ever! Awwwww.

Irish79

02-06-2005, 11:12 PM

And the movie is out with Dave Matthews as the father! I actually hated having to read that book in elementary school - it's so sad! :cry:

Irish79

02-06-2005, 11:15 PM

Yeah, it is very trashy. It's trash trying to act like its some work of literary genius which makes it especially bad.

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree... :p

halose7en

02-07-2005, 02:59 AM

One of my absolute favorites is called Shadow Baby by Alison McGhee. I can't tell you how awesome it is. I decided to read it at the last minute for a class assignment, since I couldn't find any other book to read that met the requirements! But man...it was worth it! First time I actually shed a tear reading a book.

As for others that I really liked..

The Scarlet Letter by Nathanial Hawthorne
The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
Lord of the Flies by William Golding

Odd how all four of those books have been turned into movies at least once...!

wordsmith

02-07-2005, 09:55 AM

Well, I'll be the first to admit that I'm absolutely as inclined to read trash as great literature. I've been reading Shakespeare (okay, Children's Illustrated Tales from Shakespeare, but still) alongside my grandma's copies of The National Enquirer as long as I could read, practically. But, I think there's a LOT out there, and on the best seller lists, too, that's far more schlocky than than Wally Lamb (Nicholas Sparks, for example). You're entitled to your opinion, Kitty, but I guess I just don't see what makes it qualify as trash. I think Lamb writes more fleshed out female characters than a lot of women authors do.

midtwenty

02-07-2005, 10:38 AM

"Where the Red Fern Grows" and "Summer of the Monkeys" are both set in Oklahoma, so it's big stuff around here. Both in the Illinois River bottoms and the Ozark Mountains foothills if I remember correctly. My whole family is from that area. "Red Fern" specifically is set somewhere around Tahlequah, OK (which was also the end of the Trail of Tears, btw) and my mom's side of the family has lived there for, oh, over a hundred years or so.

So, am I the only sci-fi dork on the boards?? Say it ain't so!

wordsmith

02-07-2005, 10:47 AM

mid, at least one of the authors I mentioned in my big list falls under sci-fi/fantasy. I lean more toward the fantasy end than the sci fi, though.

midtwenty

02-07-2005, 03:08 PM

Oh, I missed your list. I'll have to go back. I tend to lean the other way...more hardcore sci-fi.

k.monster

02-07-2005, 08:55 PM

Today's pick is Ender's Shadow, by Orson Scott Card.

I agree - it's a super fun read. I really liked all the Ender books (Children of the Mind being my least favorite)

I think my favorite books are:
My Name is Asher Lev - Chaim Potok
Only Begotten Daughter - James Morrow
Blamless in Abaddon - James Morrow
Mists of Avalon - Marion Zimmer Bradley

I'm also a fan of David Sedaris, Sherri S. Tepper and Octavia Butler (to name a few)

Starfish81

02-07-2005, 11:39 PM

I agree - it's a super fun read. I really liked all the Ender books (Children of the Mind being my least favorite)

My favorite Ender story is now "Teacher's Pest," where Ender's intelligent yet arrogant father first meets Ender's equally brainy, yet much more pleasant mother, who is coincidentally the TA for the university class he is required to take. It's such a cute story, if you can get past the LDS propoganda :frustrate.