Now THIS doesn't happen very often: I have a new favorite book, and it's the one I'm reading (listening to the audiobook, actually) right now! "The Book of Lies" by Brad Meltzer. It's a thriller novel surrounding two unsolved murder mysteries: One is the oldest murder: Cain's murder of his brother Abel. Nobody knows what the murder weapon was, or where it is. But it's somehow connected to another unsolved murder, a 1932 shooting death of the father of Jerry Seigal, which inspired the son to create a character who bullets can bounce off his chest, and thus, he created Superman. I can't tell you anything else because I don't want to spoil it, but this is an awesome book!
There's been a few to get added to my "faves" list, but the Top of the Pops is still Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. It is literally the only thing from my required reading in high school that I enjoyed to any degree. As it turns out, it's still the one to beat as years go by. Favorite series of books: The Dark Tower by Stephen King ... I haven't even finished the series yet, and I can say that with confidence.
Some of these books sound really interesting, I should go check 'em out. It's really hard to pick my absolute favourite book, but I very much enjoyed reading The Golden Compas by Philip Pullman. It's a fairly popular book. Granted, it's not nearly as well known as Harry Potter or Eragon, but it got a movie made after it. (which wasn't that great unless you've read the book) It has two sequels, but I still like TGC the best.
My favorite book right now is probably Pinball 1973. It's got virtually no plot. The story is about pinball, but the actual plot-thing doesn't start until half way into the book. All of a sudden it's like "oh, by the way, you might not have known this from the past hundred pages, but this story in about pinball. And it begins now." Oh, really?
I find it quite hard to decide at the moment as i have read quite a few books, but in my point of view Robert Jordan's Wheel of time series is definitely up there. So is A song of fire and ice by George R R Martin, but i have only read up to the third book so far. I am also reading A sword of truth by Terry Goodkind, i am only on the second book, but thus far i have enjoyed it.
I don't have a favorite single book ever... But I have my top. In no particular order: Night Angel Trilogy - Brent Weeks Republic Commando Trilogy - Karen Traviss Go Ask Alice - Anonymous Impulse - Ellen Hopkins I don't read as often as I should, and I'm sure there are more but these are just the ones that jumped out at me.
I've posted here already, but my answer changed since then. It's a book I bet you're never read before: The Disappearance ("Vanishment" in some places) of Haruhi Suzumiya, book four in a series. I admit that the version I read was not brilliant in the wording, but that's because I had to rely on an unofficial translation; it was originally in Japanese, and has yet to be professionally translated into English. Still, it was an accurate translation, and I loved the story itself to death. :redface:
Well, its hard to pick one... I really enjoyed The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle along with Anne rice's Blood and Gold and my fav stephen king book was pet cemetery. The stand is close- but i never got through it ( due to mom lending it out and not getting it back) I should go out and buy it...
Stephen King's The Stand, definitely. Strangely, the first time I read it, I had the flu. Really scary at the time!!!
Stephen King's "Cell" - I've always been a big zombie fan when it comes to books or movies so reading this different outlook on how a "zombie invasion" could happen. As someone who lacks a cell phone, it's fun to think I would of been one of the survivors. Another King book I really liked was "Thinner" I got really into the charicter's mob-like friend. I think I have "The Stand" in my collection, will have to read that soon.
Stephen King's Cell WAS a great book, however, there was one problem with the book that took it down several pegs in my view: The ending. Some Stephen King books are great. Some are bad. Some are "great book/bad ending." That was a great book, bad ending... I personally hate cliffhangers, and as much as King loves "The Lady or the Tiger," that story was the only time that should ever be done. Interestingly, I consider "Thinner" to be another "great book/bad ending," not because it was a cliffhanger, but because (spoiler warning!) come ON -- the curse got baked into a pie? That stretched credulity just a little thin for my tastes. The best King in my view were The Stand, Salem's Lot, Misery, and, now being on book 6 of Dark Tower, I'd say books 2 and 5 of Dark Tower were among my favorites. I also loved IT. (I also have affection for several others, mostly early, including The Shining, Carrie, the Dead Zone, Christine. On the other hand, I hated Cujo. I also find him, often, way too wordy. Duma Key didn't impress me, nor did Needful Things. The Tommyknockers was only okay. I kind of liked The Girl who Loved Tom Gordon.)
I love rohinton mitry - a fine balance and family matters. They really put you in a different environment with great deep characters. and bright lights big city - jay mcinerney. Love the city feel and story in general.
I'm a big fan of The Fountainhead, by Ayn Rand. If you're a creative person, it's definitely worth a read. She can be kind of ridiculous at times, but it was just so affirming.
marquis de sade, Juliette De Sade was without a doubt corrupt and transcendent, in 1814 and still today. With that said, his writing style is beautiful and thought provoking. I finished the book over 9 months ago but I still carry it around and think about it daily...impressive, right?!?! lol If you haven't read anything by De Sade and you enjoy great writing that is twisted with philosophy, I would definitely recommend that you look into his work!
I enjoyed Garth Nix's The Old Kingdom trilogy, though he made some major problems after that, when he decided to write some spin-offs of it for World Book Day, which I disliked immensely. The main novels were my favorites, particularly Sabriel; I far preferred the titular protagonist to Lirael, the protagonist of the second two books. On another note, I also enjoyed Sophie's World, Inkheart (mainly the character of Dustfinger; much of the rest of the book seemed rather shallow), Edgar Allen Poe's The Pit And The Pendulum, and 1984. The Supernaturalist and Shade's Children were also personal favorites, though Eoin Colfer's far more famous Artemis Fowl series bored me. Also, The Wind On Fire series by William Nicholson holds a special place in my heart. And of course, I love much of Dan Brown's work. Finally, if we're allowed to mention manga rather than purely written media, I adored Death Note.
I'm going to add The Plague by Albert Camus to the list. It is quickly surpassing We the Living by Ayn Rand and Brandon Sanderson's Elantris as my favourite novel.
Ulysses, by James Joyce. I won't pretend I understood all of it, but as a purely aesthetic experience there's no greater read. Jim
Anything by Milan Kundera. Notably, The Book of Laughter and Forgetting. I am in awe of his sentence, a true work of diction and poetic configuration. His prose is unnerving in its beauty of unhinged reality, the unique plight of individual.
I'm a huge fan of If on a Winter's Night a Traveler, by Italo Calvino. All the different stories contained within it are quite intriguing, and the revelation at the end makes it all worth it. It essentially seems to me like an extended love poem directed towards writing, reading, and books in general—and that's something I can definitely get behind.
The name of the Rose by Umberto Eco (read it over 15 times since I was a teenager) and Homer's Illiad and Odyssey (a constant joy and reference).
