Books

I don't know how many here like reading as a pastime, but I love it. Unfortunately, I don't read as often as I once did or as often as I'd like to, but I'd enjoy seeing a list of what others would recommend.

I must confess that I've always had a predilection towards the classics. Sometimes I'll hear or read a reference made about a famous book everyone's heard of, like War and Peace, and I kinda like the fact that I've read the book and can understand what the hell they're saying about it.

The first book I ever outside of the classroom as a lad was George Orwell's 1984, and it remains a fav of mine to this day... I've read it several times. I also am a huge fan of Charles Dickens, (could explain my love for wordy postings, lol!), and am extremely fond of Shakespeare, (I still can't believe JK Rowling has passed him in sales in the UK... the bard must be rolling in his grave!) :2 cents:

Anyhow, I still try to read occasionally, and lately have developed an interest in Russian novelists... especially Tolstoy and Anna Karenina.

I hope others have some titles of their favorite books/plays/etc. they'd like to share. I also hope that I've not set some sort of precedent by listing the classics... any type of of reading material is fine by me.... even trashy erotic novels!

I read quite a lot. My favorite authors rigth now are Matthew Reilly, PJ Parrish, and Mickey Spillane, and I'm mostly into mystery novels. Right now, my favorite books are: Ice Station, Dark of the Moon, and Battle Royale (Which is a great book, I'm rereading it now)

JL3001

U.S writer (alive): James Ellroy
Dead : Raymond Chandler

:coolman: No one writes better then H.P. Lovecraft.:coolman:

Hey Parker, you are the man with the great thread ideas. I love to read, and like you, i don't read as much as i want to or should. Time is a problem, as school keeps me pretty busy. But i have read more books in the past year than i have in my whole life. Once you get started on a good one, it's hard to stop. I also have read George Orwell's nightmarish vision of the future in "1984". That book is by far one of my favorites, giving us a warning of what could be if we let totalitarian governments gain too much control. The importance of the book is huge, i recommend this book to everyone. Here are some books that i have enjoyed that i have read over the past year and during my lifetime.
-Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman
-Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser
-The Culture of Fear by Barry Glassner
-Brave New World by Aldous Huxley(read this also if you enjoyed
1984)
-Have A Nice Day by Mick Foley
-The Stone Cold Truth by Steve "Stone Cold Steve Austin" Williams
-In the Pit With Piper by Rowdy Roddy Piper
-Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut
-The Godfather by Mario Puzo
-Catcher In The Rye by J.D. Salinger
-A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
-The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides
-Farenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Well, good to see there are other readers on this board. Keep on rockin and rollin!!

My favorite book I read in high school was Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde. Great book. I also love the book The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara. I'm a Civil War expert so that's the best there is. And my other favorites are A Simple Plan by Scott Smith, and my all time favorite.......Day of Reckoning by John Katzenbach. That book should be made into a movie. It's about 2 60's radicals who are part of a heist that goes wrong, and 18 years later their former leader is getting out of prison. She kidnaps their son and her father and wants revenge. I highly recommend reading that book.

I've read, "The Godfather".... always thought is was interesting that the singer (can't remember his name at the moment) is rumoured to be based upon Sinatra. He went through a similar drought in his career before making a big comeback in a film (can't remember which). I wonder....

I've read "Catcher in the Rye" and "Farenheit 451" in school.... loved them both.

Been meaning to read "Brave New World."

I've also read, "A Simple Plan." This is a fantastic book... I highly recommend it also, especially to anyone that likes a great suspense story. I read it a couple of years before the movie was made, and so of course I found the movie disappointing, even though it got good reviews (that almost always happens with me though).

Strangely enough, one of the few, perhaps the only book that I feel was surpassed by the movie version was "A Clockwork Orange." I liked the book, but I loved the movie.

Surprised the Tolkien fans have yet to respond, lol!

P.S. I doubt anyone here reads poetry, but English was my main focus of study in school, and I particulary liked and excelled at it and Shakespeare. Unfortunately, I've not read any in years, but (along with Shakespeare), I was particularly fond of Lord Byron.

There is one poem that will always be with me til my dying day. It's called The Clock of Life. It was my mom's favorite poem, partly because she was a nurse and the meaning behind it is fitting. I had it displayed at her funeral 3 years ago:

The Clock of Life is wound but once, and no man has the power
To tell just where the hands will strike at late or early hour.
Now is the only time you own. Live, love, toil with a will,
Place no faith in tomorrow for the clock may then be still.

I read some good books when i was younger.
My first book was "Where the red fern grows" a good one for youngins.
Later I read all the Jack London books.

Now I don't read as much as I want to, but I do read the Star Wars Exspanded universe books.

i read mostly Tom Clancy's novels at the hunt of red october, rainbow 6, the bear and the dragon, a debt of honor all are very realistic and describes well the reality of the world in which we live, i read also a political book talking about plots of the cia translated from american and written in french it is called "les complots de la cia" in english "plots of the cia" it described the techniques and the plosed that were made by the cia in the 1950 to 1975, it describes very well the keenedy case.I read also books from stephen king a master in the horror with shining and carrie. I read also an "Eagle 's duel" written by Peter Townsend (a raf spitfire markVI pilot) it describes the battle that the raf lead against the luftwaffe during 1940 in the air battle across the channel of the Manche.Another novelist that i read often is Claude Bernadac he wrote several novels speaking about what exactly happened in the extermination camps like auschwitz, chelmno as well as books describing the period of terror during which the german people was submissed during 6 years (1939-1945).You have some warm tears after reading some passages.
I also read Simon Wiesenthal autobiography"justice is not vengeance" great book and very informative.
I read mostly books based on reality and which can learn me something.

regards

georges

The only book that I have read from beginining to end in one sitting without putting down was Wiseguy by Nicholas Pileggi. Because the title was different I didn't know movie Good Fellas was based on this book. I bought it at an airport gift store because I needed something to read on a plane. It had the most good reviews on the back cover so I went with it over the other books on display. That book really had my attention occupied. As good as Goodfellas was, WiseGuy was 10 times better. Its a good book.

Here's some of the other books I enjoyed..... its not much of a book list since I'm not into fiction but here it goes anyway:


Private Parts- Howard Stern

The Dirt- Tommy Lee & Vince Neil

Lies & The Liars Who Tell Them- Al Franken

Napalm & Silly Putty- George Carlin

Ettiquette For Outlaws- Rob Cohen

Oh yes!!! Wiseguy and Hunt for Red October!!! Superb books, highly recommended. Excellent choice my friends.

I always wanted to read some of Ernest Hemingway's books. Does anybody know what his best one is? Thanx. Keep on rockin and rollin!!

I highly recommend everything by Umberto Eco, "The name of the rose", "Focault´s pendulum" etc.

Also, I really like Franz Kafka and Stefan Zweig. Good reads, both.

American psycho by bret easton ellis! what top book! its got it all violence, drama, humour, romance and midgets dressed as christmas elves! how can you beat that!? another fav of mine wld have to be Fear and loathing in las vegas! a truely funny book!

WC-Madman said:

I always wanted to read some of Ernest Hemingway's books. Does anybody know what his best one is? Thanx. Keep on rockin and rollin!!

Click to expand...

For who the bells ring

I assume you meant, For Whom the Bell Tolls. I've not read much Hemingway, except for The Old Man and the Sea and The Sun Also Rises. Read both in school. "Old Man" was OK, didn't really care for "Sun."

I have a question of my own: I've spoken to a few people who have similar tastes in books that I do that tell me they read Stephen King novels.... at the moment I can't remeber which ones they recommended! :o Anybody like reading King? If so, which novels are your favs?

I would have to say that King's best novel has to be The Shining. Rage is good from The Bachman Books. But if you want a true glimpse into the author mind during his alcohol problems and family strife The Shining is the goods. If anyone interested in a good read try Walter Miller Jr. A Canticle for Leibowitz one of my alltime favorites.

some more of my favorites........
A Heartbreaking Work Of Staggering Genius, Dave Eggers
The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, Michael Chabon
War of the Rats, David Robbins
Good Omens, Neil Gaiman,Terry Pratchell
Aldous Huxley, Island
Trout Fishing in America, Richard Brautigan