georgeek
msg:3816355 | 5:16 pm on Dec 30, 2008 (gmt 0) |
The Iliad and The Odyssey by Homer
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arieng
msg:3816408 | 6:20 pm on Dec 30, 2008 (gmt 0) |
So hard to choose...maybe Neuromancer by William Gibson?
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2oddSox
msg:3816528 | 10:13 pm on Dec 30, 2008 (gmt 0) |
Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follet. I've only just read this one recently. It's not my usual fare and I wasn't sure I was going to like it, but by the time I finished this book I really felt like I had lived alongside the book's characters, in their time. I was more than a little disappointed to finish the book. Added bonus: it's nearly 1000 pages long and not a single paragraph of unnecessary 'fill' to be found. (and Catch-22 as my runner-up)
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limoshawn
msg:3816558 | 11:56 pm on Dec 30, 2008 (gmt 0) |
Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah
By Richard Bach
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wheel
msg:3816581 | 12:23 am on Dec 31, 2008 (gmt 0) |
2oddsox: There's a sequel that's not bad either. Are there any others like me - voracious reader but no favorite? I read books all the time, but just as mass entertainment. Like an Arnold movie. I'm not looking for inspiration, I'm looking for an hour or two of zoned out. Two days after I've read a book I'd be hard pressed to tell you what it's about. Thank goodness my local indie bookstore knows my tastes, tracks all the books I've read, and specifically keeps in stock titles targetted at my tastes. All I have to do now is drop in and say 'got any good books?' and the proprietor hands me my next three novels :).
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ken_b
msg:3816583 | 12:32 am on Dec 31, 2008 (gmt 0) |
The dictionary. Not much of a plot, but still a fairly useful read
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2oddSox
msg:3816595 | 12:50 am on Dec 31, 2008 (gmt 0) |
Wheel, the missus bought it for me for Xmas, so I'm saving it for when the two youngsters in the house give me some peace and quiet. Should be in about 15 years.
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shrimp
msg:3816602 | 1:12 am on Dec 31, 2008 (gmt 0) |
The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jennette Wall
# ISBN-10: 0743247531
# ISBN-13: 978-0743247535
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Anyango
msg:3816686 | 5:32 am on Dec 31, 2008 (gmt 0) |
Great New Inputs! Keep Em Coming!
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martinibuster
msg:3816711 | 6:48 am on Dec 31, 2008 (gmt 0) |
Various writings by Carl Jung have helped in sorting out reasons why things are they way they are by providing a filter or matrix for seeing them in a different way. Not saying he is correct, just that he provides an interesting lens. On the Road was an important book for me at a young age. Need to revisit it, might not resonate as much now. I gave it to a niece and eight months after she read it she joined the army and is shipping out to one of the hot spots. Er, ah... not the effect I expected. I'm an atheist, but I have to agree that the bible, particularly the psalms, proverbs, and the books dealing with Saul and David, contain a wealth of useful information for helping to navigate a path through the experience of being human. No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai was a good one. So were various by Mishima, like Temple of the Golden Pavilion and The Sailor who Fell from Grace with the Sea.
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wheel
msg:3816855 | 1:47 pm on Dec 31, 2008 (gmt 0) |
[tan] if you're just looking for some light sci-fi/fantasy reading, the book fat white vampire blues is pretty good. As is any of the books by Kelly Armstrong. Light, no brainer entertainment.
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greenleaves
msg:3817030 | 6:49 pm on Dec 31, 2008 (gmt 0) |
100 Years of Solitude If you are anything Latin American (either descendant or live there), this is a important book. Second runner up would be The Art of War, although that is more a hand book for life and business, then an entertaining book like the first one mentioned.
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tonynoriega
msg:3817075 | 8:07 pm on Dec 31, 2008 (gmt 0) |
james and the giant peach. read it in like the 5th grade and was mezmorized by it. never felt the "childhood awe" in any other book like i did that one.
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poster_boy
msg:3817538 | 11:28 pm on Jan 1, 2009 (gmt 0) |
Moneyball. As an A's fan who enjoys the economics of sports - it's such a delightful read.
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vincevincevince
msg:3817601 | 2:47 am on Jan 2, 2009 (gmt 0) |
The Desert Fathers: Sayings of the Early Christian Monks If you wonder why, pull it up on Google Books (or Amazon) and pick a random page to read.
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Swarley
msg:3817977 | 6:35 pm on Jan 2, 2009 (gmt 0) |
The Harry Potter books!
No matter what age they are a quick escape from the real world in to a crazy one. Also I would have to agree The Great Gatsby and the Alchemist are both fantastic.
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henry0
msg:3818118 | 10:14 pm on Jan 2, 2009 (gmt 0) |
Big time number one:
Iliad and the Odyssey by Homer
Then:
"Brave new world" Aldus Huxley, when I was young... and still leaving in FR it was a topic of my bachelor, I happened to read it just a week before :)
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Anyango
msg:3819403 | 12:12 pm on Jan 5, 2009 (gmt 0) |
Any Other Book Fans around ?
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graeme_p
msg:3821003 | 1:27 pm on Jan 7, 2009 (gmt 0) |
| Any Other Book Fans around ? |
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Yes there are I am sure. I hesitated to reply because of the difficulty of picking one. One previous reply cheated by choosing the Bible (which consists of several books).I cannot even pick one per category. Religious books: several by CS Lewis that influenced me a lot when I was younger, the Gospel of St John, Science and the Renewel of Belief by Russell Stannard. Fiction: Pride and Prejudice, The Pickwick Papers, Gaudy Night (Dorothy Sayers), Brother to Dragons (Charles Sheffield), The Man Who Was Thursday.....and lots and lots more Biography: Wild Swans, Surely you are joking Mr Feynman etc.
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henry0
msg:3821014 | 1:51 pm on Jan 7, 2009 (gmt 0) |
Interesting! Nowadays we are still purchasing "real printed books” and reading also instead of uniquely listening or watching
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AdWordsAdvisor
msg:3822205 | 8:15 pm on Jan 8, 2009 (gmt 0) |
Great thread - glad I took a look at Foo today. I am going to push the definiton of a 'book' bit and say the six thousand page long novel that is encompassed in the 20 or so Aubrey/Maturin novels, by Patrick O'Brian. First in the series: Master and Commander. An absolutely breathtaking series about friendship, honor, doing the right thing. A bit hard to get through, perhaps, because of the arcane technical language and details, but so worth it. I am on my third go-round working start to finish - both reading on paper and listening on Audio, depending on what I find at the Library. A true source of pleasure for the past decade for me. Amazing, amazing writing, wonderful story. Brilliant. May I link to Wikipedia for an overview? [en.wikipedia.org...] AWA
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grandpa
msg:3822222 | 8:32 pm on Jan 8, 2009 (gmt 0) |
| Nowadays we are still purchasing "real printed books” |
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The internet, for all it's advances, still hasn't become the resource of books that I thought it might become. One can find books to buy.. one can read book snippets.. one cannot call up a book and read it, for the most part. I know that things are moving in that direction, but we are far behind my vision of a virtual library. This is just an OT observation. Any discussion should be started in a new thread. Now, back to your favorite books.
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mr_gideon
msg:3822955 | 6:31 pm on Jan 9, 2009 (gmt 0) |
After much thought, I finally settled on one. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter Thompson. It affected me in many ways but most importantly, it opened my eyes. Kenny
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