Favourite books

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Posted: Tue Apr 10, 2007 4:47 am

I've got a thing for Mark Twain, but my favorite novel is Dune by Frank Herbert.

I'm currently reading Sacred Games by Vikram Chandra. It's kinda like The Godfather based in Bombay...

Sid

Master Baiter Joined: 11 Feb 2007 Posts: 128

I always like to suggest 400 pages of rabbits when someone asks that question, Watership Down by Richard Adams. seriously though i liked it. probably all that brian jacques i read as a kid.

oh and 1984

Posted: Tue Apr 10, 2007 7:45 am

heres_jonny wrote:

This may seem a bizarre question, but I have a non-baiting related problem: without a book, I can't sleep. Probably something habitual, but I need something to read before I nod off.

I'm exactly the same way. I'll read technical manuals before going to sleep if that's what it takes.

However, for some cracking good reads (which have, unfortunately, kept me up until 4 AM on more than one occasion):

- anything in the Aubrey/Maturin series by Patrick O'Brian. Excerpts from several of these books went into the 'Master and Commander' movie. Read the books. They are WAY better.

- the Flashman series by George MacDonald Fraser. The fellow who wrote 'Octopussy'. Engaging, erudite, highly politically incorrect, and very, very funny.

- if you are into science fiction, I recommend anything by Peter F. Hamilton. The 'Night's Dawn' series (starting with 'The Reality Dysfunction') should get you hooked.

- have you seen '300'? Interested in a non-comic-book take on the battle of Thermopylae? Read Stephen Pressfield's 'Gates of Fire' ('Thermopylae' literally means 'hot gates'). Absolutely excellent. Or just read Herodotus.

- speaking of ancient authors: if droning historical prose isn't your cup of tea, might I suggest Aristophanes? 'Lysistrata' and 'The Clouds' actually made me laugh out loud. (That could just be because of the MA in Classics thing.) The Satyricon by Petronius (the world's first actual novel, by the way) is also surprisingly well-suited to modern tastes.

I'm curious to see what literature you select. Please keep us informed.

Posted: Tue Apr 10, 2007 2:59 pm

^^^^^ Definately Aristophanes. When I was in school the teachers had the great talent of making things really boring. Instead of taking the kids to a Shakespeare play they have the poor buggers read it in class. Usually kids don't like reading in class, or at least the dickheads I was in school with didn't.

Anyway, I was turned off the whole drama thing, until a wet day in the college library I picked up a copy of Aristophanes Clouds because I read everything else of remote interest. I almost pissed myself laughing. Jokes on farting, buggery, politicians, philopsophers, religion. You could say it's like Spitting Image on acid.

I read him before I did university.

Posted: Tue Apr 10, 2007 3:26 pm

heres_jonny wrote:

I've read all of Pratchett in about 10 days

Including the young adult books such as the Tiffany Aching/Nac Mac Feegle series and Maurice and His Educated Rodents? If not, I highly suggest them.

I *cough* screened them before giving them as Christmas presents. Ye shan't be disappointed even if you're over twelve.

Posted: Tue Apr 10, 2007 5:21 pm

^^^ Yes, Pratchett's children's books are as good as his adult ones. There's a few books mentioned that I have already read to death (King, Orwell, Rankin and Reichs being the main culprits) but I'm amazed at the response on here!

I certainly have a lot of suggestions, and shall be trooping off to my local library with a list to seek out some of the titles mentioned here.

Radden wrote:

The Exorcist (1970s?) was a very good book..

Yes, in one of the earlier runs, the line "My name is Legion" was printed as a separate chapter on a page all to itself. Chilling!

Jen Derbender wrote:

I'll read technical manuals before going to sleep if that's what it takes.

Except when, as I once discovered, you fall asleep when reading them held above your face thanks to how heavy they are!

If you've read the flashman books, have you also tried the McAuslan books by MacDonald Fraser? Hilarious stuff.

I'll bore you all by letting you know what the local library had!

Thanks very, very much for all the suggestions here and in PMs Very Happy

Baiting Guru Joined: 19 Mar 2007 Posts: 2628

The Nac Mac Feegles are wasted on kids Laughing

I've been inspired by a few of the books here.
After I've finished the Kathy Reichs and the next book I've got lined up, I'll look around for some of these suggestions

Anybody read the sequels to the Dune series, written by Frank Herbert's son I think, Are they any good?

Posted: Tue Apr 10, 2007 5:56 pm

^^^Yeah, they're writen by his son Brian, who collaberated with Kevin J Anderson on the 'House' trilogy, they are surprisingly readable if not as good as the originals.

Posted: Tue Apr 10, 2007 5:57 pm

I'm a fan of George Orwell's writings. Really is an eye opener about society in general. Of course "1984" is my favorite, but also "Homage to Catalonia" and "Animal Farm" are also very good works.

The thing I liked about Stephen Kings "The Shining" is how they dealt with the character Jack Torrance's alcoholism. The movie of the same name by Stephen Kubrick was very different from the novel, however I enjoyed them both.

Baiting Guru Joined: 19 Mar 2007 Posts: 2628

^^ Thanks. Saw them in the shops and wondered.
Ah well, more books coming to my house soon.
Need bigger shelves.
Need bigger house.
I should really use some of the lottery money I keep wining or inherit, if only it would hurry up and come through.....

Posted: Tue Apr 10, 2007 6:07 pm

carter beats the devil by glen david gold is a good read.

Posted: Tue Apr 10, 2007 6:11 pm

@Dupes: Like so many good books, the attempt to transpose them to a film often doesn't quite work. I think that's particularly true of Stephen King, where, apart from the Shining (sort of), I don't think the books have made very good films.

Personally, I'd recommend his early book Salem's Lot - absolutely brilliant story

Books I would steer clear of, by the way, are any books by Albert Camus. Unless you want to feel like hacking your own head off in despair afterwards!

Posted: Tue Apr 10, 2007 6:20 pm

@heres_jonny:

Quote:

If you've read the flashman books, have you also tried the McAuslan books by MacDonald Fraser? Hilarious stuff.

Love the semi-autobiographical stuff. When, as a young Army officer, I was first put in command of a platoon, one of my sergeants gave me 'The General Danced at Dawn'. Hilarious indeed. Just about anything by GMF ('Pyrates', 'Mr American') will keep me up reading.

@Dionysius:

His portrayal of Socrates still makes me laugh whenever I think about it.

Posted: Tue Apr 10, 2007 8:23 pm

I'm a fan of Robin Hobbs Farseer trilogy if you can cope with fantasy adventure. Read them ones about 20 times. Also George R R Martins Game of thrones sage. (but thats very big set of 4 books so far).

Posted: Tue Apr 10, 2007 8:38 pm

Earlier in the thread TSNerd mentioned Jasper Fforde. He has written 6 books and they are all brilliant. http://www.jasperfforde.com

I am currently reading through all of Neil Gaiman's books and mostly enjoying them.

Posted: Tue Apr 10, 2007 10:44 pm

My favourite ever book was 'Illusions - The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah' by Richard Bach, where a new messiah decides to quit, and ends up barnstorming in a biplane that never kills flies. Wink

'Lord of the Rings' I enjoyed so much I failed some exams because I was busy reading it, and couldn't stop.

'On the Road' by Jack Kerouack is a good read, though I haven't read it for many years.

BTW, I see you've mentioned 'The Exorcist'. Like 'Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy' was better on the radio because the pictures were better, the book is better than the film, it has telepathy and stuff that you could never describe on film as well as the book does.

Posted: Wed Apr 11, 2007 1:43 am

Somebody mentioned the Flashman series up there - I'd just like to second that, and third and fourth and fith it if possible!

Posted: Wed Apr 11, 2007 2:25 am

Asimov's foundation series will chew up a few night-time hours!

Posted: Wed Apr 11, 2007 2:36 am

Anything by Charles Bukowski. [Post Office, Women, Hollywood.....]

Master Baiter Joined: 06 Nov 2005 Posts: 233 Location: USA

If you enjoy Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Roger Zelazny was superb. His Amber series is one of the best, and single novels, like Lord of Light are considered classics.

Tanya Huff has a series about a human/vampire team (Blood series) that is smart and sexy.

If you like these, ask me for more leads--I've got lots of them! Wink

Posted: Wed Apr 11, 2007 5:28 am

William Gibson

Baiting Guru Joined: 04 Jan 2006 Posts: 3193

Mary Gentle - especially the Ash trilogy.

Posted: Wed Apr 11, 2007 10:11 am

Dan Simmons Hyperion books are legend. Philip K Dick wrote the book on writing the book. Julian May Saga of the Exiles, brilliant. George RR Martin, superb.

Posted: Wed Apr 11, 2007 10:23 am

@My Toe:

I second the motion on the Hyperion books. I was going to include them in my big list above, but had to make the cut somewhere.

Quote:

Whan that Aprille with his shoures soote
The droghte of Marche hath perced to the roote,
And bathed every veyne in swich licour,
Of which vertu engendred is the flour

Simmons proves that there is still magic in Chaucer.

Posted: Wed Apr 11, 2007 12:45 pm

zombie wrote:

I'm a fan of Robin Hobbs Farseer trilogy if you can cope with fantasy adventure...

Second that, and would like to add the second series of Farseer books, The Tawny Man trilogy... Not as good as the Assassin books, but ties off the story really well...

I'm currently, very slowly, working my way through Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches trilogy... Still on book 1... Since Christmas... Since I don't have a 2 hour commute to work each day any more, I don't have the time to read like I used to...