the bell jar by sylvia plath, nothing is perfect but this is as close as it gets in my opinion. i've read it at least once a year since i was about twelve.
I really like Jerry Spinelli. Especially the book about the library card. That always stuck with me for some reason.
Ever since I read it in 7th grade, Things Not Seen has been my all-time favorite. There's just something about that story that makes me love it.... I also love pretty much every book that Dennis L. McKiernnan has ever written.
Oh man, it is entirely too difficult to choose just one! Emergence by David R. Palmer was absolutely fantastic. I am so utterly disapointed that he died after writing his second book, Threshold. His work in Emergence was nearly flawless. The entire novel is written in Pitman shorthand. A feat in and of itself but it follows a young girl as she 'emerges' from a shelter into a post-apocalyptic America and believe me, he was entirely unique in presenting this overdone theme. Very Heinlein-esque with the portrayal of his characters. Speaking of him, Heinlein's Sixth Column (also known as The Day After Tommorrow) was my favorite of his classics. What a truly revolutionary way to overcome an occupying army... Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman's Legend of the Twins Trilogy was most likely the reason I yearned to express myself through creative prose in the first place. The first trilogy in the Dragonlance series (Dragonlance Chronicles) was fantastic however you could most certainly hear the D&D dice rolling behind everything the characters did. The Legends broke away from that and in my mind, is one of the best fantasy series ever written. Finally, I simply must mention Tom Clancy's Without Remorse. Easily his best novel in my humble opinion. It is considerably more tragic than most of his work, and perhaps that is why it has become a favorite of mine, but it really is a must-read.
For me, it's a toss up. My favorite book was Superfudge as a child. Then I discovered Piers Anthony, and the Xanth novels. I also read Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy about the same time. I've never been able to rate A Spell For Chameleon over Hitchhiker's, or vice versa. I still read both yearly, as I find them to be like very old comfortable friends. That, to me, is the essence of what a good book should be.
Just finished reading Life of Pi by Yann Martel. One of the most suprisingly ingenious works of literature I've ever read. Cerainly the best contemporary fiction novel I've read in recent memory. peace, -nick
My favorite book is most likely Timeline by Michael Crichton. I love the way he writes his novels, chronological, yet in such a way you really are surprised when something happens! (or that is what it feels like to me). I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys history...or science...or both! Its a great book overall and is one of the few I would actually attempt to read again.
Hard to pick just one but When The Lion Feeds by Wilbur Smith. Also up there is the Lord of the Rings trilogy, anything else by Wilbur Smith but especially the Courtney novels and The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum.
My favorite novel now that I've reflected a bit is Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. Not only did it influence me to better myself, it was also the first long novel that I ever read and I did it in about three days. It also ended up encouraging me to read books that I would have otherwise passed up - such as Fahrenheit 451 and 1984. The biggest downside is knowing how many people immediately dislike me because I actually like Ayn Rand novels.
The best book I ever reader was The Bourne Supremacy by Robert Ludlum, it was an intricate masterpiece. The plot was so complex with so many things woven together yet I didn't get lost. Both Jason Bourne and David Webb are extremely dislikable, which is why I love them. David webb is a depressed professor who doesn't do much and his alter ego Jason Bourne is just a cold blooded killer fueled by absolute rage. The movies were great but they made the Bourne character such a wuss, why doesn't he like guns? The real Jason Bourne always found a piece or some kind of knife, and he wasn't afraid to kill people. But for my favorite I'd have to pick X-Wing: Isard's Revenge by Michael A. Stackpole. I first read it in forth grade over ten years ago and probably read it over a dozen times since. It's just a damned good story. It's intense and very brutal for a Star Wars book. I like how he changed the Star Wars universe to his liking and how close he stuck to the game it was based off of. The way the politics played out in this one was so amazing. It ends on an absolute cliff hanger and leads into a sequel. Did we get a sequel? No, we got some horrible, half-assed, uninspired mess of a series continuation by Aaron Alston. He may be a better writer, but his stories suck and he writes the most unrealistic character development ever. I think he literally killed the series. I've outgrown the series anyway and I'm into straight up non-fiction these days or more realistic sci-fis and thrillers. Some close seconds for me. Prey by Crichton, he takes a far out concept and makes it believable, and he knows how to do intense action and believable characters, I literally read his book in one sitting. No didn't sleep lol I couldn't put it down! Black Hawk Down, this book just makes me wanna go out and kill some bad guys. This is just an amazing true story of courage and insanity. Old Man and the Sea by Hemingway, I love fishing and I love Hemingway's crystal clear details. Donny Brasco by Joe Pistone, the pacing never slows and it never stops being interesting for one second. He manages to tell a true story and still have a very good moral.
I have yet to delve into the pages of Atlas Shrugged, but I am a fan of Ayn Rand. The Fountainhead was a good read, but I'd have to say my favorite book was Anthem.The writing style she used was very interesting and the way she presented her message was just superb.
I don't have a favorite book per say, but I read a good book lately called: "The Surrogate" by Judith Henry Wall. It's about a young 20 year-old that's in need of money, and ends up signing a contract to become a Surrogate Mother for some rich evangelist named Amanda Hartmann. It's really good, especially once you hit the middle of it, after all the detailing and stuff.
All time favorite book? Hmm tough one… I’d say the Hobbit. I’m not too fussed on Lord of the Ring’s. It’s alright and you do have to give it points for kick starting the modern fantasy genre, but it’s not what I’d call a gripping read. But the hobbit…well I grew up with that book; had it read to me when I was five, read it myself a few years later, re-read every so often and it’s still fun. So while it might be nostalgia talking I’m going to say “the Hobbit” is my number one book.
The two favourites I've read this year are Nabokov's Lolita (courtesy of wf.org's fine and fledgling book club - thanks arron) and JG Ballard's High-Rise. Lolita is so dangerously engaging and scandalous that it's impossible to put down, and Ballard's anti-Animal Farm portrayol of fine society descending into bestiary is ingeniously sharp as to question the point of most other social commentaries.
Ah that sucks. I never do much research on anybody I admire. The exception was Robert Ludlum but that's because I did a report on him. EDIT: Thanks for letting me know.
I had forgotten all about "Iceheart" until you mentioned it. I need to go dig that book out of the attic.
Less Than Zero by Bret Easton Ellis is my favorite novel, and has been for about 8 months now. The character of Clay is both unlikeable and yet at the same time sympathetic, and when I read it for the first time I was already feeling the apathetic emptiness Clay was feeling in the novel about everything, and I could totally relate. It was the ultimate portrait of the decadent MTV generation of early eighties L.A., where bisexual sex and cocaine use was so casual it wasn't even thought about by those involved, as they had endless amounts of money and didn't care about anything. Not only did I enjoy it, but it inspired me to write my own novel about my generation which I am now beginning to submit to agents.
Undoubtedly Lolita. I can't get enough of the aesthetics of the language, the word play, the trickery, the games, the endless attempts to locate Dolores in Lolita and the ease with which we forget, as readers, the Dolores exists as a separate entity at all. It's one for rereading and reevaluating. I'm not sure I'll ever get bored of it.
^ Our September book of the month was Lolita. Too bad you missed it. We had a pretty good discussion about it, too. I agree with you that it's an amazing book written by an amazing writer.
