So what IS your favourite book?

[TomOfSweden]

...of all time. The one you've loved the most, that has changed your life the most, that you've re-read the most or which you've recommended the most to others. If you can't manage just one, then tell us the ones that share the first place.

I'll start with Genome by Matt Ridley. Every page was mind boggling and awesome.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genome_%28book%29

another book which isn't my favourite but deserves to be mentioned because it's so awesome is Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut. It's just pure genius. So is all his books, but this one stands out I think.


So what do you think guys?

[Thorne]

There's no way I can pick just one. But I do have my favorites.

Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings" is up there, mainly because it's such a wondrous tale of adventure mixed with a fairly consistent "history" of its own.

Goodkind's "Sword of Truth" series. Seldom does a book (or books) get me so engrossed that I want to reach into the pages and help the good guys, or strangle the bad guys. There were times when I had a strong physical reaction to what was happening, and not always good reactions, either.

Heinlein's "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress", an irreverent look at government and society, probably one of Heinlein's best.

Auel's "The Clan of the Cave Bear" and its sequels, just because they were fun to read! That girl is single-handedly responsible for the advance of civilization!

Turtledove's alternate history books, too numerous to mention. Extremely detailed and well thought-out "what-if" scenarios with just enough reality to make you think things really COULD have happened that way.

I don't know, there are so many. My home library has over 700 books, hardcover and paperback, and they've all influenced me in one way or another.

We even have a Bible, a gift from my sister, though I've never touched it (it might scar me for life ) and we keep it locked in a dark closet where innocent children won't be corrupted by it.

[Ozme52]

There's no way I can pick just one. But I do have my favorites.

Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings" is up there, mainly because it's such a wondrous tale of adventure mixed with a fairly consistent "history" of its own. Enjoyed them and the movie rocked because so much of the imagery matched my own. But it's never merited a full reread for me.

Heinlein's "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress", an irreverent look at government and society, probably one of Heinlein's best. Yes... but a flawed book. Heinlein unwittingly misidentified the main protagonist and killed him.

Auel's "The Clan of the Cave Bear" and its sequels, just because they were fun to read! That girl is single-handedly responsible for the advance of civilization! I would be right with you, but Auel riddled it with Larmarkian evolution... and that spoiled it for me. LOL

Turtledove's alternate history books, too numerous to mention. Extremely detailed and well thought-out "what-if" scenarios with just enough reality to make you think things really COULD have happened that way. I'm all over that with you... but was disappointed with his newest series which begins with Opening Atlantis. It's good but isn't really new or thought provoking. He tried to do something with the natural history of the land (zoological) but missed the mark. Just a retake on Australia more or less. Birds instead of marsupials...

Good choices Thorne

[DOMLORD]

Anything from Tolkien is outstanding.
Then there's "Fight Club" and "Choke"
Finally anything from Robert E. Howard (creator of Conan) is kind of corny but under rated and awesome.

[Thorne]

Anything from Tolkien is outstanding.

I don't know if I would go that far. "The Silmarillion" was interesting, but rather slow and somewhat boring in parts. Good background for the history of Middle Earth, though.

Finally anything from Robert E. Howard (creator of Conan) is kind of corny but under rated and awesome.

Yeah, I enjoyed the Conan stories, too, but I don't think I could classify them as being among my favorites.

[Alex Bragi]

Good thread (as usual) Tom.

Ok, anything by the late great Sidney Sheldon. He was a brilliantly gifted author, but more than that I love that he loved to write about strong female characters.

[mkemse]

Call Of The Wild

[Euryleia]

It is hard to choose just one, so here are my favorites:

For just wonderful word play and children's books that aren't really for children: Norman Juster's Phantom Tollbooth, Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking-glass, and The Book of Merlin by T.H. White

Great characters, including the cities that the stories take place in: Armisted Maupin's Tales of the City, A.S. Byatt's Possession, Mary Renault's Last of the Wine and Gone to Soldiers by Marge Piercy.

Fascinating World Building: The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell, Ammonite by Nicola Griffith, Parable of the Sower by Octavio Butler.

Excellent Southern US writing: Pat Conroy's Prince of Tides, Fanny Flagg's Fried Green Tomatoes, Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver and Walking Across Egypt by Clyde Edgerton

[seekingsusie]

Lord of the Rings ...

[Ozme52]

I guess when I read for enlightenment and knowledge, I absorb in a way that I rarely think about the book itself... and they all commingle and combine to create my own personal perspective and awareness of the world around me... the universe I live it.

When I read for entertainment, with rare exceptions, once the book is done, it's done. Even those I poured through in short order... barely more than an entertaining movie.

So my 'favorite' has to be those stories that bring me back to reread over and over again.

The Lensman Series - Seven books by E.E. Doc Smith. Space opera from the 1930's.

and

Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow by Orson Scott Card.

I enjoy them afresh, every time I crack them open.

[Thorne]

I guess when I read for enlightenment and knowledge, I absorb in a way that I rarely think about the book itself... and they all commingle and combine to create my own personal perspective and awareness of the world around me... the universe I live it.

When I read for entertainment, with rare exceptions, once the book is done, it's done. Even those I poured through in short order... barely more than an entertaining movie.

So my 'favorite' has to be those stories that bring me back to reread over and over again.

The Lensman Series - Seven books by E.E. Doc Smith. Space opera from the 1930's.

and

Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow by Orson Scott Card.

I enjoy them afresh, every time I crack them open.

Funny, but even though I've been reading science fiction my whole life I've never really been able to get into either of those series. I remember reading the original "Ender's Game" when it was a novella in Analog magazine, I believe. It did nothing for me.

I know when I was younger, and poorer I suppose, I could read some books more than once and still enjoy them. LOTR was one of those. I probably read it at least four times when in my 20's. But now I find I'd much rather find something new than go back to something I've read before.

[seekingsusie]

Ursula Le Guin -- Left Hand of Darkness.

Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series, and I really hope that whoever finishes this series based on his notes before his death does a good job.

[Thrasher]

Surprised nobody mentioned Phillip K Dick(androids), Dashiell Hammett(red harvest), Jim Thompson(too numerous to mention)(Grifters). John Irving(Hotel New Hampshire)
What about "Dune"
"The Floating Opera" (Barth)
"The thought Gang" by Tibor Fischer is the funniest book I've ever read

[Shwenn]

Surprised nobody mentioned Phillip K Dick(androids), Dashiell Hammett(red harvest), Jim Thompson(too numerous to mention)(Grifters). John Irving(Hotel New Hampshire)
What about "Dune"
"The Floating Opera" (Barth)
"The thought Gang" by Tibor Fischer is the funniest book I've ever read

I will have to get The Thought Gang immediately because this is the first time I've born witness to a fellow Barth fan. I read "Lost in the Funhouse" in a creative writing class and it changed everything I'd thought about writing. As for "Hotel New Hampshire", when that movie 'Hope Floats' came out, I actually got angry. I could only think, "It's SORROW floats. Not hope. Sorrow."

My all time favorite book ever is:

Les Liasons Dangereuses by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos

I don't care how many movie treatments of this book you've seen, it's worth reading and reading carefully.

Other favorites authors/books:

Literature:
William T. Vollmann - You Bright and Risen Angels
Arudhati Roy - The God of Small Things
Margret Atwood - The Blind Assassin
Cormac McCarthy - Border Trilogy (Though The Crossing made me briefly suicidal)
Raymond Carver - Anything. Just pick anything. It'll rock your inner world.

Sci-Fi:
Neil Stephenson

Horror:
Stephen King - but only his short stories. His books do nothing for me. His short stories put me in quite a state.

[lstsl]

I too love reading and look forward to reading some of the books listed above

TANGENT: anybody here have an e Reader? It's like an iPod for books, the screen is specially designed for reading text so it doesn't strain your eyes like lcd or led screens... all sorts of cool stuff, the battery lasts for 75,000 page turns (War and Peace five times over). I love mine!

But anyways; favorite books:

The Hobbit, but not LotR (it was just too slow for me, loved the movie though)
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson
Pandora's Star trilogy and Fallen Dragon by Peter F. Hamilton
THE WHEEL OF TIME SERIES!!!!!!!! by Robert Jordan (whom I will never, ever forgive for dying while writing the last book. EVER!)
The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy and Dirk Gently series by Douglas Adams (who I will never, ever forgive for dying while writing The Salmon of Doubt)
The Discworld series by Terry Pratchett (great word play, and a satire of everything that ever happened on earth at any time, often simultaniously!)

And the MacDonald Hall series, No Coins Please, I Want To Go Home etc by Gordan Korman (I know they're little kid books but they are great, kids conspiring against adults. Kind of like 'Escape tunnel from East Germany' type thing but less depressing.

All university textbooks, and highschool science texts!!

This is in no way a complete list

[Thorne]

THE WHEEL OF TIME SERIES!!!!!!!! by Robert Jordan (whom I will never, ever forgive for dying while writing the last book. EVER!)

Fortunately he left copious notes and ideas. His wife (?) has already hired another writer to complete the series based on these notes. Don't know when it will be done, but at least we know it's coming!

[Shwenn]

TANGENT: anybody here have an e Reader? It's like an iPod for books, the screen is specially designed for reading text so it doesn't strain your eyes like lcd or led screens... all sorts of cool stuff, the battery lasts for 75,000 page turns (War and Peace five times over). I love mine!

That is so unappealing to me.

I'm a total print junkie. Like all junkies, I'm reverential about the whole ritual that surrounds getting my fix. The heroin addict loves the act of cooking the powder in a spoon. The smoker relishes opening a new pack of cigarettes. I'm that way with actual books.

The smell of a new book. The feel of an old one. Turning a page. Feeling the weight balance slowly shift from right to left. Watching the book begin to bulge as the binding is continuously distressed.

I don't want to give any of it up.

[Thorne]

That is so unappealing to me.

I'm a total print junkie. Like all junkies, I'm reverential about the whole ritual that surrounds getting my fix. The heroin addict loves the act of cooking the powder in a spoon. The smoker relishes opening a new pack of cigarettes. I'm that way with actual books.

The smell of a new book. The feel of an old one. Turning a page. Feeling the weight balance slowly shift from right to left. Watching the book begin to bulge as the binding is continuously distressed.

I don't want to give any of it up.

I agree with you, Shwenn. I'm pretty much the same way.

On the other hand, I wouldn't mind having some kind of cheap, durable reader that I could upload text files into without having all kinds of expensive, unnecessary bells and whistles. I just want to READ the friggin things!

[Dr_BuzzCzar]

That is so unappealing to me.

I'm a total print junkie. Like all junkies, I'm reverential about the whole ritual that surrounds getting my fix. The heroin addict loves the act of cooking the powder in a spoon. The smoker relishes opening a new pack of cigarettes. I'm that way with actual books.

The smell of a new book. The feel of an old one. Turning a page. Feeling the weight balance slowly shift from right to left. Watching the book begin to bulge as the binding is continuously distressed.

I don't want to give any of it up.

Add me to that group. When traveling I'll read a minimum of 5 books a week. I don't do the bar scene anymore so hotel time tends to be reading time as well as airplane time is reading time too. Flying is hell on a control freak.

On OP question:

I read extensively from literature to trash. It would be absolutely impossible to narrow to just one book.

Authors I've read everything I can find:
Hemingway
Criton
Michner
Clavell
Roark
Hunter
Edgerton
Herbert
Verne

[nighttimestar]

Okay so this really silly. But can a your favorite book be a book you are reading now??? I love to read and can breeze through most books in a couple of days.

Currenty I am reading Andy Warhol's The Philosophy or Andy Warhol (from A to B and back again) Some of sayings and looks on life he had are so simply put that it gives you a sense of peace when you read them.

[alaure]

One of the books that I especially love is The Student Conductor by Robert Ford. It blends classical music (a huge love for me, and a part-time job) with romance and politics, not to mention well-crafted writing. Whilst it is satisfying as a quick read, I would recommend to read it slowly (often going back over paragraphs) to make the most of the language in it and the literary mise en scene.

[sisterhoney61 {RW}]

My all time favorite book is An Unknown Woman by Alice Koller. It is a memoir, originally written in 1962/63. Koller is 37, single, has a PhD but no job and no home (she crashes at friends' homes). She decides to live for three months in the middle of winter in Nantucket. Her only companion is a German shepherd puppy (and she doesn't know anything about dogs). She goes to Nantucket to find out the truth about her life and what she wants to do with it.

I've reread this book several times. It was one that truly showed me that you can live your life the way you want to, as unconventional as it may seem to others. You can be true to yourself. You don't need the white picket fence and two car garage and 2.5 kids and the golden retriever in order to be happy.

[sisterhoney61 {RW}]

Since others were discussing series here, I want to say what my favorite series are:

The Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelazny
A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin
The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
Kushiel's Legacy by Jacqueline Carey
The Mabinogion Tetralogy by Evangeline Walton

[donriser]

Oh how I love, LOVE reading!! So many different categories of books too. Here are a few of my favorites:

Fiction:

The Secret Life of Bees ~ Sue Monk Kidd
Cry the Beloved Country ~ Alan Paton (Powerful book)
The Poisonwood Bible ~ Barbara Kingsolver (really love this author)
Lying Awake ~ Mark Salzman
The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns ~ Khaled Hosseini

Erotic fiction:

Just finished book 2 of the Marketplace Series ~ Laura Antoniou (really enjoying these).
Master/Slave ~ N.T. Morley (great compilation of short stories)

[icey]

i read a hell of a lot and all genre so id be hard presed to say which is my favourite, erotic books id say has to be beautys punishment by anne rice.

i love true story ones so the tory hayden books
angelas ashes by frank mccourt is wonderful both funny sad and inspiring.

the book of the die by luke rhinehart i found a bit weird but very very different and id certainly recommend it.

its about an eminent psychiatrist who decides to live each day by the dice,
so he will each day set up a way of being or an action for each number some good some bad and he got more and more strange until eventually all his choices were weird and had some peculiar effects on his life!

its very very difficult to explain it and the write-ups dont do it justice it sounds a bit naff, but i would say if ever you get the opportunity read it! its a really great and original book

Just finished book 2 of the Marketplace Series ~ Laura Antoniou (really enjoying these).

ive been trying for ages to get hold of this series and cant half the bookshops say they'll order them in then never get round to it, will have to use amazon.

[AdrianaAurora]

If it’s well written subject doesn’t mean much to me, it depends on what mood I am in. I love reading, I read a lot and I read everything. I love getting into other peoples heads and their thought process, so obviously I love books with BDSM theme. But if I had to pick my absolute favourites…

“The Trial” (“Der Process”), Franz Kafka – I love the way Kafka writes, its brilliant, complex and yet so everyday. And it’s scary how modern and relevant it still is today.

“Waiting for Godot”, Samuel Beckett – The best existential analogy ever.

"September" Rosamunde Pilcher – I don’t usually go for books in this genre, but this one is simply so beautifully written. It doesn’t happen often that I wish there was more, and this is a thick book with good ending.

[Tufty]

My all time fav is 'To Kill a Mockingbird' by Harper Lee

[tessa]

My all time fav is 'To Kill a Mockingbird' by Harper Lee

Same for me. An outstanding piece of literary art.

[Butkus]

"Battle Cry" by Leon Uris. I knew them by different names but I knew them all. Most of them are on a wall in Washington,D.C.

[Pertez]

Sensei ~by David Charney