I like threads about books. Mainly because I like books. And reading them. I saw a thing on a Friend's Facebook and I thought it would work better here.

Think of 15 books you've read that you'll not forget, and write about them briefly here. If you need a reason, I can guarantee I'll try at least a few of the books that get written about here. Personally, I do not need any reason except insomnia.

I read Science Fiction, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, History and Science of all sorts, so my list is very mixed. So, in no particular order...

1. Catch 22 - Joseph Heller. Total cliche for a list like this, I know, but even though I found it heavy going, I genuinely loved it.
2. The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich - William L Shirer. What I know about Nazi Germany and what came before WWII, I know from this. Devoured it in no time.
3. The Selfish Gene - Richard Dawkins. Okay, so the guy is a dick. He is also very good at explaining science. And, in my opinion right most of the time. (And I regularly read Popular Science and pick holes the size of tanks in what I am reading.)
4. Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro. My favourite of his books. The book is even better than the excellent film. The Nazi sympathizer subplot is more fully explored in the book.
5. Lord of the Rings - Some guy. I read this for the first time aged 11. Now, aged 31, I estimate I have read it 12 times. I am in double figures, for sure.
6. The Black Company - Glen Cook. Modern fantasy writing, 20 years ago. Who needs heroes?
7. Chung Kuo - David Wingrove. Future history. 7 books of "Bloody hell, what next?"
8. The Wind up Bird Chronicle - Haruki Murakami. I could include so many of this guy's books. How can I leave out Dance Dance Dance and Norweigan Wood? Because in this book, the main character spends half of the novel sitting at the bottom of a dry well.
9. Legend - David Gemmell. THIS is the template for heroic fantasy. Raw, unsophisticated writing for Gemmell's first outing, but the story is undeniably gripping and I really cared about each of the characters.
10. World War Z - Max Brooks. Written by Mel Brooks' son. An Oral History of the Zombie War. How can that not be all win?
11. Perdido Street Station - China Mieville. Now, THAT is an imagination. The city, the creatures, wow. Slight shame about the plot...
12. The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks. Why do I love Iain Banks and hate Iain M Banks? They are the same person!!
13. Guns, Germs and Steel - Jared Diamond. This guy is clever. Closest thing to a modern polymath. He draws together many academic disciplines to paint a picture of why the world is how it is. If you want to create a world for a book, or a campaign, you NEED to read this. Collapse is also amazing.
14. Underground - Haruki Murakami. Manages to be the only guy on the list twice by virtue of having this non-fiction book alongside his fiction. Harrowing accounts from survivors, perpatrators and associates of the Tokyo Subway Sarin gas attack.
15. Malazan Books of the Fallen - Steven Erikson. There is no better Fantasy writing. Period.

So, if anyone reads that... repsonses?

Here goes, in no particular order:

1. Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut. Possibly the single finest work of science fiction ever produced.
2. Catch 22. When Joseph Heller was criticized by an interviewer for his failure to ever write another book on par with it, Heller replied "Well who has?"
3. Harry potter. All of it. I'm so happy to see kids reading again.
4.The Mysterious Stranger by Mark Twain. He spent much of his life trying to write this one. It was worth the effort.
5. Galapagos by Kurt Vonnegut. freaking brilliant. One of my favorite books.
6. Our Dumb Century by The Onion. As a history geek, this book is like a drug to me.
7. Akira by Katsuhiro Ottomo. Every time I look at it, I feel slowed for the next two week whenever I draw.
8. The Great Dark by Mark Twain. It's unfinished, but fantastic.
9. Zhang Huan (artbook) This dude changed the way I see art.
10. Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut. Notice a pattern here?
11. The Complete Calvin and Hobbes. You are not a complete person until you've read this.
12. Pride of Baghdad by Brian K. Vaughn. Heavy.
13. We 3 by Grant Morrison. One of the most interesting exercises in empathy I've read.
14. Catcher in the Rye by J D Salinger. A classic.
15. Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller. My favorite play write.

I like some of the books on your list. I read some science fiction and fantasy, but mostly history and philosophy.

1. LOTR - JRRT. What proper list would be complete if this wasn't here. Tolkien's style is unmatched.
2. Spirit of the Laws - Montesquieu. Brilliance wrapped between two covers. This book has helped more then anything to define my political perspective.
3. The Man Who Was Thursday - GK Chesterton. One of the few "detective" books I have ever read. More importantly one of the best page turners ever written.
4. The Civil Wars - Caesar. While I am not a devote of Julius Caesar, the man's brilliance cannot be understated. His account of the Roman Civil War is stunning.
5. The Twilight of the Idols - Friedrich Nietzsche. This man's half-mad writings are the work of genius. I am a firm believer that if Christianity is wrong, Nietzsche is definitely right.
6. On bs - Harry Frankfurt. This book is amazingly pretentious and insightful. A must read for any philosophers...
7. Knight's Cross - David Fraser. A wonderful biography on Erwin Rommel. This provided a brilliant insight to the Desert Fox's private life and his ultimate reality as the only member of German high command who wasn't a Nazi.
8. Kaffir Boy - Mark Mathabane. This chilling account of the horrors of apartheid and the disgusting racism among all the people's of Africa. This first opened my eyes to the unrealistic worship of democracy.
9. Gulliver's Travels - Jonathan Swift. I just love the satire in this book, nothing more needs to be said.
10. Mere Christianity - CS Lewis. One of the most profound influences on my life, no more need be said.
11. Are Women Human? - Dorothy Sayers. A brilliant examination of the feminist movement and the idiocies that it can entail.
12. JEB Stuart - Burke Davis. A phenomenal biography on one of the most brilliant tacticians of all time. My name should repeat how big an effect this book had on me.
13. Letters to a Diminished Church - Dorothy Sayers. Sayers makes it on my list twice. Her unique outlook and interpretation of religion have had the largest impact on me religiously, apart from the Bible of course.
14. History of the Kings of Britain - Geoffrey of Monmouth. Monmouth's beautiful depiction of Britain's history continues to inspire me, a must read for any history buffs. Even though this book is very fantasized, it is still very enjoyable.
15. A History of the English Speaking Peoples - Winston Churchill. Wonderful all the way around. Churchill's realization that myth and legend are just as important for some histories as fact is truly amazing.

That's 15 for me. I do hope that many of you read the one's that you haven't. They are all wonderful, and I treasure each of them greatly.

1) Hunger Games
2) David (A boy who flees Nazi-Germany alone)
3) Scout
4) Eragon (surprisingly good)
5) Redwall (all of them, I've read them at least 3 times each)
6) Guants Ghosts (I was young, okay?)
7) The Power of One
8) LotR (surprising depth, impossible for any movie to do it justice, though it came close)
9) The Messenger
10) Sun Tzu: The Art of War

Those are the MOST outstanding, the ones that clearly make the cut. (And also kind of the ones I have read most recently.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
BTW, I didn't really enjoy Harry Potter.

BloodofOrks wrote:Here goes, in no particular order:

1. Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut. Possibly the single finest work of science fiction ever produced.

I've been meaning to read some Vonnegut for literally years. Maybe I will start with this one, though I already own The Sirens of Titan, which is also on your list. There is a series of SF classics that I own most of, including another truly awesome book - Gateway by Frederick Pohl.

7. Akira by Katsuhiro Ottomo. Every time I look at it, I feel slowed for the next two week whenever I draw.

Damnit, I meant to include that on my own list. Book 1, Yamagata's Death. OMFG. Book 2. 30 pages of buildings falling over with absolutely no text at all. And it is bloody awesome. How can 30 pages of buildings falling over be good?!I own all 6 books in both English and Japanese, plus 3 versions of the film, The Akira Collection, the comic colour adaptation of the film and several collector's edition comics from Dark Horse.

13. We 3 by Grant Morrison. One of the most interesting exercises in empathy I've read.

Looks interesting. I loved Zenith, but have read little else from Grant Morrison.

14. Catcher in the Rye by J D Salinger. A classic.

I probably should read this.

15. Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller. My favorite play write.

Oh, hey, I did not think to include any plays on my list. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead!!


Automatically Appended Next Post:

JEB_Stuart wrote:I like some of the books on your list. I read some science fiction and fantasy, but mostly history and philosophy.

4. The Civil Wars - Caesar. While I am not a devote of Julius Caesar, the man's brilliance cannot be understated. His account of the Roman Civil War is stunning.

I'll have a look at this

5. The Twilight of the Idols - Friedrich Nietzsche. This man's half-mad writings are the work of genius. I am a firm believer that if Christianity is wrong, Nietzsche is definitely right.

I am a firm believer that Christianity is wrong. I wonder if Nietzsche is right?

8. Kaffir Boy - Mark Mathabane. This chilling account of the horrors of apartheid and the disgusting racism among all the people's of Africa. This first opened my eyes to the unrealistic worship of democracy.

I've long had my doubts about democracy. I think I would enjoy this.

9. Gulliver's Travels - Jonathan Swift. I just love the satire in this book, nothing more needs to be said.

As a child I read an bridged kiddie version of this. I reckon I should read the proper version!!

12. JEB Stuart - Burke Davis. A phenomenal biography on one of the most brilliant tacticians of all time. My name should repeat how big an effect this book had on me.

Who?!

14. History of the Kings of Britain - Geoffrey of Monmouth. Monmouth's beautiful depiction of Britain's history continues to inspire me, a must read for any history buffs. Even though this book is very fantasized, it is still very enjoyable.
15. A History of the English Speaking Peoples - Winston Churchill. Wonderful all the way around. Churchill's realization that myth and legend are just as important for some histories as fact is truly amazing.

I have not read any British history for a LONG time. Weird.

That's 15 for me. I do hope that many of you read the one's that you haven't. They are all wonderful, and I treasure each of them greatly.

1. Legend - David Gemmell
2. The Scar - China Mieville
3. Perdido Street Station - China Mieville
4. The Lord of the Rings - JRRT
5. The Many Coloured Land series - Julian May
6. The Player of Games - Iain M Banks
7. Vurt - Jeff Noon
8. The Sprawl Trilogy (Neuromancer, Mona Lisa Overdrive, Count Zero) - William Gibson
9. Random Acts of Senseless Violence - Jack Womack
10. Drachenfels - Jack Yeovil
11. Crooked Little Vein - Warren Ellis
12. Snow Crash - Neal Stephenson
13. The Belgariad and The Malloreon - David Eddings
14. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
15. The Dragonlance Chronicles, the first trilogy (and the war of the twins was ok) - Tracey Hickman and Margaret Weis

1. Catch 22, Joseph Heller. I think everyone's put this on their list so far, probably because it's so stonkingly good. Swings wildly between the ludicrous and the macabre, and is very funny, and very sad.
2. A Farewell to Arms, Ernest Hemingway. A really, really powerful ending, and the best example of Hemingway's 'man's man'.
3. Dune, Frank Herbert. People call it the greatest sci-fi novel of all time. I don't know if they're right because I haven't read that much science fiction, but the fact that people can seriously make the claim means something.
4. The Quiet American, Grahame Greene. This is hands down my favourite book. The concept is basically for two characters, one old Europe and one the US, to debate engagement with Vietnam, but while that approach often results in stilted, unrealistic characters here Greene has brought each to life with tremendous depth. The story takes on a momentum all of its own, while story exploring the politics of the region with tremendous foresight (it was written in 1955).
5. Cry the Beloved Country, Alan Paton. Published just before apartheid was introduced, the book looks at the breakdown of the tribal system among black South Africans, due to the greed of white South Africans for the tribal lands, and growing racism that covers the fear they have for the blacks they've treated so poorly.
6. In Cold Blood, Truman Capote. Chilling study of a small town murder. Created the true crime genre, and I've probably never read anything so beautifully written.
7. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee. The American classic, walks an interesting line between keeping to simple moral truths and embracing exactly how complicated life really is. 'Be the same man at home as you are in the street' is just about the best piece of advice for decent living that I've heard.
8. The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. This is just a short children's book, but contains the best explanation for the meaning of life I've ever read.
9. 1984, George Orwell. Often confused as a criticism of socialism (which would be odd given Orwell was a socialist) it is in fact a criticism of those who use socialist rhetoric as means of taking power for it's own sake. Inciteful book that condemned new political ploys before many of them had started happening.
10. Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger. Captures a time and a mood perfectly. If you've ever been a selfish but gifted kid, you'll know what this book means.
11. The Communist Manifesto, Karl Marx & Freidreich Engels. Doesn't delve into the crazy of Marx' economics, instead focussing on his excellent work in economic history. Contains a remarkably inciteful summary of capitalism, and if nothing else it's really short and you get to claim afterwards you've read the Communist Manifesto.
12. The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck. I won't deny this is heavy going, but it explains better than anything else I've read what happens to people when the system stops working.
13. Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie. It's the funny and tragic story of India since independance, but more importantly is the only post-modern book I've been able to understand.
14. Watchmen, Alan Moore. The comic book that really is high literature, it pays tribute to the comics that came before, satirises them and tells the story of what really happens to the people who volunteer to stand on the wall guarding civilisation.
15. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams. Because it's absolutely hilarious.


I've probably forgotten a whole lot of my favourites in there, but that was off the top of my head. I'll get home and look at the bookcase and start counting all the books that should have made the list. Watch for edits to the above in about three hours . I'm already thinking Ian McKewan's Saturday should be in there instead of A Farewell to Arms. Or Hubert Selby's Last Exit to Brooklyn.

Don't edit!! Don't edit! Add!

There are several Dutch books that made an impression on, though I doubt many of them have been translated into other languages.

De Aanslag / the Hit by Harry Mulisch - while it was required reading for everyone in my class I found it a touching story and for some reason it still sticks with me

De Kleine Blonde Dood / the Little Blonde Dead by Boudewijn Büch - same as above really

Oeroeg by Hella Haasse - a small booklet and a short story, but one that made an impact on me for reasons unknown

Animal Farm by George Orwell - a sad, sad tale really that really needs to be read more

Lord of the Flies by William Golding - a great store that really shows some deep stuff for such a simple premises

The Killers by Ernest Hemingway - I like pulp and this is for me the best one in the bunch

Ravenor by Dan Abnett - sci-fi pulp can be cool as well

The Watchmen by that scary git - I feel kinda bad for listing this one

The Alphabet of Manliness by Maddox - a book to my heart

I, Claudius by Robert Graves - it shows its age but still a great read every now and then

In no particular order

1. Harry Potter
2. The needle - Ken Follet
3. The third twin - also Ken Follet
4. Schindlers List
5. LotR
6. Dan Brown Books (Digital Fortress, Angels and Demons, Deception Point, The Da Vinci Code) Hate me, I dont care, I kinda liked em all

Im not gonna add any BL books. There are some good ones in there, but its not really top literature.

Reaperman by Terry Pratchett - great story, funny and intelligent, about Death being forced to retire against his will
G.A.S. by Matt Ruff - the most bizarre book I´ve ever read, featuring a mutated shark, black robot-servants, Walt Disney, a disturbed war-veteran hiding porn books in public libraries and a
submarine named Yabbadabbadoo
Nathan the Wise( ? Just knowing the german title ) by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing - This piece of literature is great; it has so many good thoughts in it and a good message about tolerance
Gotrek and Felix/Ragnar by William/Bill King - great fantasy/sci-fi, with everything in it you want to read about
Gaunt´s Ghosts - Traitor General by Dan Abnett - I think this is the most cinematic novel of the series and it features one of the best character studies I´ve read ( the traitor, his chasers, and
guard )
Lord of the Rings- I´ve just started reading it, and I must say i´s great. The depth and way of the storytelling are very good; it´s a bit like an old ( 18th century ? ) english gothic novel IMO
( the fog scene )
everything else Terry Prattchett has written - he´s a genius. But I have to say that I disliked Nightwatch and Interesting Times because of the often featured cruelty that doesn´t fit the storys.

The Dirk Gently novels by Douglas Adams - Great! A private investigator with a new method of investigating. Random search. Everything is linked, so it doesn´t matter where you start searching, you
find what you´re looking for. Dirk Gently is quite funny, very egozentric and always having trouble, and there are aliens, electric monks and aggressive
eagles
Ciaphas Cain by Sandy Mitchell - absolutely intelligent and funny written novels about a laconic commissar trying to stay alive in the imperial guard.

And a lot of really good youth-books I´ve read as I was a teenager.

Flachzange wrote:Im not gonna add any BL books. There are some good ones in there, but its not really top literature.

Dunno if this is about highbrow, I put the Dragonlance books in there and I refer to them as 'a book at bogtime', they aren't heavyweight in the slightest, just a simply written and easy to read tale constructed from a group's DnD experiences. Really loved reading them and have reread them twice, don't think the thread was about the booker prize winners...

So which BL books did you enjoy? I'm reading the first Guant's Ghosts omnibus atm and enjoying it, I'd like to know which books you thought were good.

I´ve forgotten about a few.

Dracula by Bram Stoker - It´s been a while since I´ve read it, and I must say, it´s very good. But I didn´t manage to read it to the end, because the speed of telling is too slow. They need 300 pages to impale the first vampire, and then they start chasing the other one. But the style is great and it´s interesting to read the original vampire story.

Evil by Jan Guillou - it´s more of a teenager-book, but it is interesting for everyone, I think. It´s about a boy being victim of domestic violence and by thus getting sadistic, until he learns about the goods of non-violent behaviour. It`s not over-moralic in style, but in a way very intimidating because of the details described and the way of cruel thinking the author describes. ( planning days in advance where to strike the next blows; the boy´s father letting his bulldog kill a small dog and stating it was an accident ) You can write books about heavy themes well or bad; this one is well.

Dracula by Ralf Peter Märtin - an easily comprehensible history book about the war in eastern europe against the ottomans and the ,,true" history of Vlad Tepec ( there are many good books about horror/real life )

Bollocks, I forgot the Gormenghast books and Dune (only the first one though, the second climbed up it's own arse and the series got worse after that).

So many good reads...

1. The Lord of the Rings - Tolkien
2. Every single book ever written by David Gemmell
3. The Malazan Book of the Fallen - Steven Erikson
4. The Remains of the Day and An Artist of the Floating World by Kazuo Ishiguro
5. The Heritage of Shannara - Terry Brooks
6. Vietnam, A History - Stanley Karnow
7. Persuasion - Jane Austen
8. Hamlet - Shakespeare
9. X-Wing, Wraith Squadron - Aaron Allston
10. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? - Edward Albee
11. Angels & Demons - Dan Brown
12. Long Day's Journey Into Night - Eugene O'Neill
13. Endgame - Harold Pinter
14. The World According to Jeremy Clarkson
15. An Ice-Cream War - William Boyd

I wouldn't want this to turn into a thread about what book is "best". After all, I have Legend on my own list, and it sure ain't literature.

Which reminds me. The first three books of Stephen King's Dark Tower series, also IT and The Stand.

I'll bite. No particular order:

1. A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court - Mark Twain. My favorite book of all time. Interesting idea of a modern man (modern meaning 1800's) getting magically transported to the Medieval Times and trying to bring "civility" to an older culture.

2. The Lord of the Rings - Tolkien. Can't NOT have this in the list. It's the gran-daddy of all modern fiction.

3. Battle Royale - Koushun Takami. The novel is a lot deeper than the movie, for sure. While not as deep into the minds of the characters as it could have gotten, it's an interesting look into the minds of teenagers who suddenly find themselves forced to kill their class-mates.

4. Dune - Frank Herbert. Definitely one of the best pieces of sci-fi around. Also arguably a source of inspiration for Star Wars.

5. Berserk - Kentaro Miura. My favorite graphic novel series of all time. Dark fantasy mixed with horror with heavy themes of friendship/comraderie and revenge.

6. Grendel - John Gardner. Interesting look at the Beowulf saga from the point of the monster, Grendel.

7. Old Man's War - John Scalzi. Relatively new Sci-Fi writer. Reminiscent of Starship Troopers but without the heavy political messages and with a hell of a lot more humor.

8. Hitch-hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams. Simply hilarious.

9. Redwall - Brian Jacques. While the series as a whole was great, this was really the start of it all and really best set up the Redwall world (and let's be honest, a lot of the sequels seemed rather derivative). Also, this book always made me freakin' hungry.

10. The Great Brain Series - John D. Fitzgerald. Fantastic kid's book series about a group of siblings in Utah around the late 1890's. I should try to re-read these, actually.

11. Reaperman/Mort - Terry Pratchett. Pratchett is always at his best when he writes for the character of Death, who we must remember ALWAYS SPEAKS IN ALL CAPS.

12. Ender's Game/Speaker for the Dead - Orson Scott Card. Fantastic sci-fi and another book that looks into the mind of a child put into a very adult situation. The sequel (Speaker for the Dead) is arguably the best book in the series.

13. Schindler's List - Thomas Keneally. An account of Oskar Schindler's life and his motivations as an entrepeneur who found himself saving the lives of Polish Jews during WWII.

14. The Killer Angels - Michael Shaara. Fantastic account of the Battle of Gettysburg from the American Civil War.

15. Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens. While I bemoan the wordiness of most Dickens novels, I loved this book.

The GOR series.

Kidding! Kidding!

I know I'll never forget "Image of the Beast" by Phillip Jose Farmer, even if I took a hot poker to that part of my brain.

In no particule order:

1.Eragon
2.Angels and Demons
3.Hannibal
4.Misery
5.48
6.Ghost of Sleath (sp?)
7.Cirque de freak
8.Elder
9.Brysingar(sp?) Havn't read Eragon, Elder or Brysingar in ages so not sure about spelling.
10.Da Vinci Code
11.Lord Loss
12.Fulgrim (Just finished reading and its pretty darn disturbing, i dont think il ever forget that)
13.Shining
14.Assasin Quest
15.Fools fate
16.Assasins Apprentice
17.Harry potter and the Deathly hollows
18.Harry potter and the half blood prince

Couldnt fit them into 15 sorry.

1) The Bible: Yes, I know it's a collection of books/letters, and I also am a firm believer that Christianity is right, and Christians are often wrong.
2) Lord of the Rings: Nuff said
3) The Hobbit: Delightfull childrens book
4) 1984: Orwell's brilliant depiction of bad socialism gone awry
5) Misery: Not a big King fan, but this book was brilliant
6) The Normal Christian life: by Watchman Nee..excellent exposition of the book of Romans.
7) The Dragon Lance series: fond memories of when I was kid.
I got to get back to work....

GG

In no particular order:

1) Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - Pirsig
2) Lord of the Rings - Tolkien
3) Good Omens - Pratchett & Gaiman
4) Watchmen - Moore
5) Any of the Discworld books - Pratchett
6) Alice in Wonderland - Carroll
7) The Neuromancer Trilogy (Neuromancer/Count Zero/Mona Lisa Overdrive) - Gibson
8) The Prince - Machiavelli
9) On War - Clausewitz
10) Strategy - Basil Liddell-Hart
11) The Cathedral and the Bazaar - Raymond
12) Guns Germs & Steel - Diamond
13) Inside Tube Amps - Torres
14) American Gods - Gaiman
15) Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, first four books - DM Guide, Player Handbook, Monster Manual, Deities & Demigods - Gygax

In no particular order.

1. Fight Club - Chuck Palanuk really great book and kind of made me think at times about the pointlessness of the way some things are in society.


2. LotR - JRRT Just has to go on the list.

3. A brief History of Time - Stephen Hawking I love space and the ideas behind quantum theory... even if I can not begin to understand the math behind them.

4. The Harry Potter Series. As stated earlier, anything that gets children reading is good to me. I also really liked how these books matured in tone and kind of grew up in seriousness as you went along. It did not seem patronizing or like the author was holding anything back content wise.

5. Sandman - Neil Gaiman The other example of comics that can be held up and called literature next to watchmen.

6. The Wheel of time series - Robert Jordan and being finished by Brandon Sanderson. It has had its' ups and downs but I have constantly kept coming back to this series and will be very happy when it is finished.

7. Mistborn: The Final Empire - Brandon Sanderson. I picked this up just to see who this kid was that they were handing off WoT to. This book was just too much fun and the last 100 pages or so I could not put down.

8. Dune - Frank Herbert. Purely great Sci fi. Can really stand on it's own without anything else added. I have read ALL the rest by both Herbert and his son. Non of it really comes as close to being as perfect as the first book.

9. Contact - Carl Saigen. Haven t really thought about this in a while but it just popped in here. Wish something like this really would happen so we could hurry up and get rid of this chip on our shoulders about being the best thing in the universe.

10. Neuromancer - William Gibson. The beginnings of cyberpunk... accept no substitutes

11. Mage: The Hero (discovered/Defined) - Matt Wagner Two series of comics written about 13 years apart from each other and a third is on it's way someday. Really cool telling of a hero's journey with reincarnations of previous heroes of history from around the world.

12. The Long Hard Road Out of Hell - Marilyn Manson. His autobiography covering his early years to mainstream success with Antichrist superstar. The guy is a really good storyteller... he will have you laughing one minute and asking yourself "what the feth is wrong with humanity" the next.

13. Warhammer 40.000 rulebooks 2nd Ed. Never has three small books inspired me so much, or cost me so much fething money. No matter how much I might grumble from time to time about the company... I can never see myself geting tired of the imagery or background.

14. Vampire: the Masquerade While I might have cu my gaming teeth on D&D, this was the one that really launched my for for the RPG genre. It really is a shame what they did to it. Some people like the new plot-less system and some don't... I don't.

15. The Mission Earth series - L Ron Hubbard. I had a summer in high school where I ready that, battlefield Earth and Final blackout. Can't really say any of them were all that great now, but I want some Recognition (or pity) for making it through all that.

1. The Time Traveler's Wife by Niffeneggar. Yes, the movie sucks, but I loved the book. It does in fact sit on my top three books.
   
2. A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. LeGuin. I return to this book year after year. The poetry of it still startles me.
   
3. The Book Thief by by Zusak. Who knew that Death could have such empathy for the Holocaust without turning the book saccharine?
   
4. The Dark Tower series by Stephen King. I'm cheating by including all seven books. Yes the series breaks down towards the end, but even those books have their moments.
   
5. The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri. A book about cultural identity speaks volumes to a brown guy living in this country and realizing there are moments when I just don't fit in.
   
6. Transmetropolitan by Warren Ellis. This graphic novel series is about a fantastic near future where America and the City have manufactured everything we could possibly want and it doesn't change a thing about how we behave.
   
7. The Sandman series by Neil Gaiman. Ever changing art throughout, but somehow Gaiman and his collaborators make it all work.
   
8. Planetary by Warren Ellis. A series about a world filled with secrets and the organization dedicated to both uncovering them and preserving them.
   
9. The Invisibles by Grant Morrison. I still don't know what this series is about.
   
10. Different Seasons by Stephen King. This book has four novellas in it, three of which have been turned into movies and contain some of his best writing.
    
11. Dune by Frank Herbert. This book is big. It's because of this book that I can't read the prequel books about cyborg brains and psychic powers.
    
12. Salvatore's Dark Elf stuff. Fun to read all the fight scenes and phat lewts that Drizzt picks up along the way.
    
13. Across the Nightingale Floor by Lian Hearn. A beautiful book that somehow includes ninjas without being hammy.
    
14. Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein. I'm not so much taken by the fighting scenes as the lectures and the indoctrination.
    
15. Mage Storms Trilogy by Mercedes Lackey. Mostly I like the character Karal and all the things he has to cope with in a world filled with magic.
    
16. Darian's Tale by Mercedes Lackey. This trilogy works for me (even despite all the over explaining her characters do) because of Darian.
    
    

If you take all the series and expand them into books, I'll have gone WAY OVER 15. Sorry!

I am quite disturbed nobody has mentioned George Orwell's animal farm... while very short its a classic

There are only a few I can think of, off hand.
In no particular order:

Friday - Robert Heinlin (or however you spell it).

Shogun - James Clavelle

Street Kid (don't know... Read it in 6th grade. Never forgot it)

Space Wolf - Yes... a 40K novel

I know why the caged bird sings - Maya Angelou

The Giving Tree - Silverstein

Not "The Best" per se but my favorite in no particular order...

Wolf's Hour - Robert R. McCammon
Dune - Frank Herbert
Where the Wild Things Are - Maurice Sendak
Let the Right One in - John Ajvide Lindqvist
Tuf Voyaging - George R. R. Martin
Voyage of the Space Beagle - A. E. van Vogt
Haunting of Hill House - Shirley Jackson
Musashi - Eiji Yoshikawa & Charles S. Terry
Godzilla Compendium - Marc Cerasini & J.D. Lees (Still own it!)
Lord of the Rings - J.R.R. Tolkien
War of the Worlds - H.G. Wells
Inferno - Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle
Complete Works of Edgar Allan Poe
The Hyperion Omnibus - Dan Simmons
A Man Without a Country - Kurt Vonnegut

Certainly there are more 'important' and 'meaningful' books I've read, these are just my favorite.

1984 - Possibly the most important book ever written. It's unfortunately been hijacked by anyone wishing to take a cheap swipe at the Government but thats certainly no fault of the book.

Waylander -David Gemmell. May have said Legend but Waylander was the first Gemmell book I ever read and it's always stuck with me. It's was the first Fantasy novel (aside from Tolkien) I ever read that I didn't consider pretentious tosh.

Lion of Macedon - David Gemmell. Gemmells peak AFAIC. A truly brilliant story, even if it takes some liberty with history.

Robert Rankin - Web Site Story. Not his best but the first I ever read and therefore it has a special place in my heart. He's better than Pratchett, there I said it!

War of the Worlds - H.G. Wells. Simply astonishing. Sometimes I have to stop and remind myself that this was written over 100 years ago!

Lee Child - One Shot. Against not the best but the first in the series I ever read. Possibly the best modern day thriller writer out there.

Sandy Mitchell - For the Emperor. Simply for convincing me that the Black Library books weren't all terrible!

Bernard Cornwell - The Aurthur Trilogy. Yes this is 3 books but they act as one long and powerful tale. I can't pick one. It's basically what I would call historical fantasy. The attention to detail and characters are all so realistic you can almost taste it. I love almost every Cornwell novel but these stand above the others.

Dan Brown - Angels and Demons. I realize that poor old Mr Brown has become an easy target for literary snobs and bandwagon jumpers wishing to appear superior by attacking something popular the world over, but he's very good at what he does. That is, writing fast paced, entertaining, page turning thrillers. I haven't picked up one of his books that I didn't demolish in under a day. I don't care one fig for the flaming. Angels and Demons was my favorite so far and I've pre-ordered his new one.

Simon Scarrow -Under the Eagle. Un-complex ripping yarns about soldiers and battles during the Roman conquest of Britain. The first in the series but they keep getting better and better. This is everything the Black Library novels should be yet aren't.

Band of Brothers - Stephen Ambrose. The most brilliant and personal account of men in combat I've ever read.

Black Hawk Down - Mark Bowman. The 2nd most brilliant and personal account of men in combat I've ever read.

LotR - Nothing I can say here that hasn't been said already.

Garth Ennis - Preacher. The funniest, most sickening, though provoking and downright enjoyable comic I've ever read. I rate it above Watchmen, but only just.

Watchmen - Again nothing I can say here that hasn't been said already.

Stalingrad - Anthony Bevor. The best account of a Major Battle I've ever read. Makes even the dry accounts of endlessly moving units seem fascinating.

Conn Iggulden - The Emperor Series. As long as your not fussed about historical accuracy in your fiction I can't recommend these enough.

I got beaten to the punch on most of these. Here goes:

1. Lotr - Tolkien
2. 1984 - Orwell
3. Slaughterhouse Five - Vonnegut
4. Great Gatsby - Fitzgerald
5. Farewell to arms - Hemmingway
6. Death of a Salesman - Miller
7. Fountainhead - Rand
8. Martian Chronicles - Bradbury
9. The Stranger - Camus
10. Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy - Adams
11. The Time Machine - Wells
12. Transmetropolitan - Ellis
13. Jurassic Park - Chriton
14. Killer Angels - Shaara
15. Fables - Aesop

Polonius wrote:4. Great Gatsby - Fitzgerald

Disagree!!!!!!!! UGH what terrible tripe.

The little prince: Probably the most important book written by a man. Ever.

Lotr
Les miserables, Victor Hugo; The best french writer.
Fiction: Borges, Weird, unique... just amazing.
Froth on the Daydream, Mood Indigo (in french L'Ecume des jours ) Vian; once again, a amazing french book.
Perfume Just good.
Steppenwolf Hesse.

1. Mike Sirota's Bycling through Time and Space.

2. The first book in the Discworld Series

3. Ringworld

4. The 2nd Ringworld book (lol so unforgettable that I forgot the title)

5. The 3rd Ringworld book (see above 'lol')

6. The 4th Ringworld book (see above 'lol')

6. Fifteen Hours

7. The Once and Future King

8. The Grapes of Wrath

9. Death of a Salesman

10. Guilty Pleasures (Anita Blake)

11. Dead Witch Walking

12. Dark Journey (New Jedi Order)

13. Outbound Flight

14. The Phantom Menace (Star Wars... the novelization seemed hella more enjoyable than the movie)

15. Xenos (Eisenhorn... I believe this is the title of the first one... I liked the whole series but this one seemed so 'full')


...oh man, there is so much more... this makes me want to go through all the present books I have to see what I've read through... and as I type this I can't believe I didn't put down Starship Troopers haha

Unfortunately I can't add much that hasn't already been mentioned, but I'm bored and like writing about books, so I'll add my $.02*. And I'm quite aware that much of my list reads like a High School summer reading list. I don't friggin' care.

*MSRP, actual value may differ.

Not listed in order of rank, rather in order of when I think of them.

1. 1984, George Orwell. It took this book to open my young mind to the idea that the Government really does/can determine our way of life. And that could be a very bad thing.

2. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley. More of the above. Scary future is scary.

3. Descent of Angels, Mitchel Scanlon. The thread is "Books you'll not forget", but it doesn't specify WHY. I'll never forget this book due to how much it blows. And the balls on Scanlon to write dialogue for The Emperor, that just chaps my ass.

4. The Hobbit, Tolkien. LOTR is the obligatory, pretty much, but honestly I found The Hobbit more memorable. Maybe because I was very young when I first read it, maybe because it was the first book I read cover to cover in one sitting, or maybe because it's just not quite as dry as LOTR, but The Hobbit sticks with me like warm happy feeling.

5. Chronicles of Narnia, CS Lewis. One of the first series of books I read. And it got me through 4 years worth of book reports.

6. Cannery Row, John Steinbeck. Really, I should say ALL of Steinbeck's work. He's my absolute favorite author. But Cannery Row sticks in my head above all the others. Probably due to the camaraderie and preseverance of the characters.

7. We The Living, Ayn Rand. Another author where I'd like to mention just about all of their work, she's probably my second favorite author. But We The Living stood out above the rest of work due to the sheer grittiness and finality of it. I found it fittingly grim throughout, unlike her other works which, arguably, had a happy ending (or as happy an ending as anyone could expect). I found it both depressing as hell and life affirming, somewhat of a counterpoint to 1984. (I don't care if people think I'm pretentious!)

8. Walden, Thoreau. Living on a boat in relative seclusion at the time I first read this book, I found it vaguely mirrored my situation. I seemed to share a similar light-hearted yet sardonical view of the 'civilized' world as the author.

9. Jacqueline Carey. Everything she's penned that has been published I've found wonderful. The two Kushiel's Trilogies were exciting and intriguing like few other books I've read. And The Sundering Saga was a very interesting and moving look at the 'bad guys', and what unfortunate circumstances brought them to their state. The mirroring of LotR was exceptional, and painted a world that's maybe not so morally aboslute.

10. Sandy Mitchell. Not at all 'high-literature' but listed because Ciaphas Cain is one of the very few literary characters I can honestly say that I love to death. Just such a fun personality.

11. Band of Brothers, Stephen Ambrose. The most fascinating account of any group of fighting men I've ever read.

12. The Prince, Niccolò Machiavelli. Memorable for one in that I found myself seeing the logic and sense in most of Machiavelli's ideas of leadership. More so, memorable because after reading it I realized that the term 'Machiavellian' is not only absurdly over-used, but also entirely inappropriate. At least, in my opinion. It just seems that the general belief system has been warped and exaggerated, or incorrectly interpreted. But that's just me.

13. All Quiet on the Western Front, Erich Remarque. First book to really bring home to me the true horror of war.

14. Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury. As a self-proclaimed bibliophile and bookworm, this book scared the CRAP out of me. Maybe one of the scariest books I've ever read.

15. The Old Man and the Sea, Hemingway. I really related to the excellent portrayl of the sea as a generous provider of life, while at the same time being a cold, fierce, uncaring creature. Both giving and taking in one action.

Honorable Mention:
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Robert M. Pirsig. For being the most memorable book I've never actually read (at least not fully). Mostly because my father is constantly quoting it and telling me to read it.

I'd have to read 15 books first

Kidding, but a few that have stuck with me through the years:

Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader - The entire series was great, but this one was my absolute favorite and have probably read it about 5 times throughout my youth. Silver Chair gets an honorable mention as well.

Fahrenheit 451 - Read as a class assignment, but I loved it. Read it a couple more times since.

Homer's Oddyssey - A classic and a great book.

The first three Harry potter books - Were good. I didn't care for the rest really. Yea...I had potter fever for awhile.

I don't read a lot of fiction, but I'll see what I can recall.

1. Diplomacy - Kissinger (Diplomatic history through the eyes of one of the best)

2. A History of God - Armstrong (Diplomacy for God)

3. Principia Mathematica - Russel, Whitehead (cemented my belief that Greggory House is a dramatization of Russel)

4. Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus - Wittgenstein (excellent illustration of the limits of logic in the course of argument)

5. Kitab hikmat al-ishraq - Suhrawardi (first historic mention of a concept akin to 'necessary, and sufficient')

6. A Treatise of Human Nature - Hume (Probably the most important book in the history of Western philosophy)

7. Critique of Pure Reason - Kant (I have nightmares about this one)

8. Fountainhead - Rand (This book should not be cast aside lightly, it should be thrown with great force)

9. The Communist Manifesto - Marx, Engels (pretty much what Sebster said)

10. Dune - Herbert (It is pretty much the greatest sci-fi novel ever written. Just don't mention the rest of the series. Accept God-Emperor.)

11. New Wars - Munkler (The military fallout in the wake of the Cold War)

12. Power: A New Social Analysis - Russel (Libertarian Lenin)

13. Utilitarianism - John Stuart Mill

14. The Qu'ran - Muhammad

15. The Bible - Various

1. Once a Hero- Elizabeth Moon
2. American Gods- Neil Gaiman
3. Outlander- Edith Patou
4. Don Quixote- Miguel Cervantes
5. Frankenstein- Mary Shelley
6. The Odyssey- Homer
7. The Marriage of Heaven and Hell- William Blake
8. Nuklear Age- Brian Clevinger
9. East- Edith Patou
Repeats, but still excellent works
10. Grendel- Jon Gardner
11. Lord of the Rings- Tolkein
12. Dune
13. Mere Christianity
14. The Ciaphas Cain Novels
15. 1984

I think you need to come to Ayn Rand from the right mindset to get into her. I read the Fountainhead for that essay contest in high school, and as a mildly disaffected upper middle class over achiever i took to it like cancer on a prostate. She's got some scary ideas, and like most philosophies the logical progression ends up horrifying, but for me and for a lot of people, it was nice to read something that seemed to tell me that it was ok to be a proud, and it was ok to not feel bad for wanting to do things for yourself. Age has greatly tempered my zeal, of course. Nobody is also going to call her the most gifted story teller. There are ridiculous plot points in both Fountainhead and Atlas shrugged, and the characters are two dimensional at best (with a small handful of exceptions like Gail Wynand and Hank Rearden). What Rand is good at is capturing a mood and a tone. While Atlas Shrugged badly needs an edit, the mood of creeping horror as civilization crumbles is pretty evocative.

So, yeah, I didn't intend to be a massive apologist for Rand, but it turned out that way.

Polonius wrote:I think you need to come to Ayn Rand from the right mindset to get into her. I read the Fountainhead for that essay contest in high school, and as a mildly disaffected upper middle class over achiever i took to it like cancer on a prostate.

That's actually a goog point. Though I think it may be true of any controversial text. When I first read the Fountainhead (for the same essay contest) I was a bitter, underachieving teenager, so it had essentially the opposite affect on me. Combine that with the wooden nature of the text (especially for something billed as a novel) and it isn't particularly surprising that I would hate it.

1- The Last Book In the Universe
2- The Island of Dr. Moreu
3-One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish
4-Rainbow Six
5- The Prince
6-Utopia
7-Desperation
8-The Saint
9-15 Hours
10- Red Rabbit
11- The Hunt for Red October
12- Atlas Shrugged
13- Farenheit 451
14- Bridge over the River Kwai
15-Skeleton Crew

dogma wrote:

Polonius wrote:I think you need to come to Ayn Rand from the right mindset to get into her. I read the Fountainhead for that essay contest in high school, and as a mildly disaffected upper middle class over achiever i took to it like cancer on a prostate.

That's actually a goog point. Though I think it may be true of any controversial text. When I first read the Fountainhead (for the same essay contest) I was a bitter, underachieving teenager, so it had essentially the opposite affect on me. Combine that with the wooden nature of the text (especially for something billed as a novel) and it isn't particularly surprising that I would hate it.

Atlas Shrugged is even tougher. The tirades and rants by characters are longer (one stretches for over 50 pages), but there's also more of a story being told. It has a few really rewarding moments as well.

the thing with the Fountainhead is that of the five main characters (Roark, the girl, keating, wynand, and toohe) only one was written as anything approaching a human being. Roark is the platonic ideal of man, The girl is an idealized mary sue, Keating was written to have no personality, toohey is simply name wrapped around everything Rand hated, and only Wynand was written with nuance. He was the man that tried and failed to face down evil.

Fifty wrote:

JEB_Stuart wrote:
4. The Civil Wars - Caesar. While I am not a devote of Julius Caesar, the man's brilliance cannot be understated. His account of the Roman Civil War is stunning.

I'll have a look at this

The man is incredible in his writings. You really should take a look at this and his history of the Gallic Wars. My suggestions on other Roman authors would be Cicero's letter to Atticus and various friends. Also his books on oration and philosophy. All are just amazing. Another good read would be the Greek and Roman Lives by Plutarch. The life of Pompey is especially wonderful, despite its tragic end.

Fifty wrote:

JEB_Stuart wrote:5. The Twilight of the Idols - Friedrich Nietzsche. This man's half-mad writings are the work of genius. I am a firm believer that if Christianity is wrong, Nietzsche is definitely right.

I am a firm believer that Christianity is wrong. I wonder if Nietzsche is right?

I have heard many good arguments for atheism, deism etc., but I have never felt them to be adequate enough. Nietzsche has come the closest to this, but I still find his arguments lacking. It is ironic that I find Nietzsche's work to be just amazing whereas most Christians abhor him and avoid him like the plague. Those types of Christians scare me....

Fifty wrote:

JEB_Stuart wrote:12. JEB Stuart - Burke Davis. A phenomenal biography on one of the most brilliant tacticians of all time. My name should repeat how big an effect this book had on me.

Who?!

JEB Stuart was a Confederate Cavalry commander in the Civil War. He is widely considered to be one of the most brilliant cavalry commanders of all time. Sadly, he died shortly before war's end. I am continually amazed at the epic figures that are hidden away in American history.

Fifty wrote:

JEB_Stuart wrote:14. History of the Kings of Britain - Geoffrey of Monmouth. Monmouth's beautiful depiction of Britain's history continues to inspire me, a must read for any history buffs. Even though this book is very fantasized, it is still very enjoyable.
15. A History of the English Speaking Peoples - Winston Churchill. Wonderful all the way around. Churchill's realization that myth and legend are just as important for some histories as fact is truly amazing.

I have not read any British history for a LONG time. Weird.

You should. Both of these books are great.
I know that I already put up my 15 books, but here are a few more that I saw in my library, and I just had to share them with everyone. These are also in no particular order.
Confessions - St Augustine
Summa Theologica - St Thomas Aquinas
Fear and Trembling - Soren Kirkegaard
Either Or - Soren Kirkegaard
Histories - Herodotus
The 12 Caesars - Seutonius
Pensees - Blaise Pascal
The Silmarillion - JRRT
Orthodoxy - GK Chesterton
Leviathan - Thomas Hobbes
Thus Spoke Zarathustra - Nietzsche
The Anti-Christ - Nietzsche
The Great Divorce - CS Lewis
The Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
Burmese Days - George Orwell
The Whimsical Christian - Dorothy Sayers

Thats all I have for now. Sadly, this is only a small portion of my library, most of it is still in storage

Wolfsbane - one of the few scifi books that I misspent my youth on that continues to have an impact on me. I don't know why.

Neutron Star (short story collection). My introduction to "hard" space opera sf as well as the joy of short stories - Niven remains one of my favorite authors.

American Gods - this book singlehandedly got me interested in reading current authors that weren't Pratchett again.

AD&D Player's Handbook. All my life I'd read these wonderful stories about people having these adventures. Now I could have them myself. My life has never been the same.

LotR - this made me realise that however other people might wax lyirical about something, that didn't mean I would love it as much, either. Don't get me wrong, I like LotR. It just didn't come as a revelation to me like it did to apparently everbody else.

Various Myths & Legends: Hey, look! People now long dead looked up at the stars, wondered, and dreamed, too! I'm not as alone as I thought!

Anything by Pratchett - despite slightly formulaic writing, in every single one of his books you go, at one time or another: Hey. He's got a point. How does he do that?

The Sandman - rekindled my interest in comics, if of a slightly different bend from the ones I'd enjoyed when I was a teenager.

Bone - Made me realise that characters alone *can* be enough to drive a story. Plus, I doubt anyone who's read it hasn't fallen in love with Thorn at least a little - that's how real the characters are.

More as I think of them.

In no particular order...

1. The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein - TANSTAAFL! Revolt and revolution on Luna from Terra! Awesome to the max!
2. Neverwhere by Neil Giaman - Wonderful dreamscapelike storytelling that only Giaman can do. Alice In Wonderland but dirty and takes place below London in the sewers and more!
3. The Beast by A. E. Van Vogt - Very trippy novel. Man finds space engine. Colossal conspiracy begins!
4. Rant by Chuck Palahniuk - An oral history of Rant Casey and how he gave everyone rabies!
5. Any and all Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - Do I have to say anything? Its all really quite singular my dear Watson...
5. The Art Of War by Sun Tzu - This books was written before Christ was born and it is still extremely relevant and useful. I have read this book many a time.
6. Paradise Lost by John Milton - Beautiful words about the fall of Satan to the abyss. A universal hubbub gone wild.
7. Flow My Tears The Policeman Said by Philip K. Dick - One day a man is a famous T.V. figure known by millions the next completely forgotten!
8. Prometheus Rising by Robert Anton Wilson - This books tries to explain how your brain works and is filled with exercises that really opens your mind.
9. Still-Life With Woodpecker by Tom Robbins - A love story that sometimes takes place on the cover of a pack of Camel Cigarettes.
10. Gun With Occasional Music by Jonathan Lethem - A detective in the future where asking questions is illegal unless you have a license to do so!
11. Kill Two Birds And Get Stoned by Kinky Friedman - A story about a man trying to write the great Armenian novel who meets two people who change his life.
12. One Hundred Years Of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez - One the most beautiful stories ever written in my humble opinion. Just read it.
13. I Am Legend by Richard Matheson - I have often fantasized about drowning myself in whiskey and killing zombies and this book has it!
14. Illium and Olympos by Dan Simmons - Why is the Trogan War being fought on Mars? Why do the gods use technology? Who is left on Earth? The Tempest? Setbos?
15. Geek Love by Katherine Dunn - Circus folk who uses drugs and poison to make more interesting freaks until one of them starts a cult...

JEB_Stuart wrote:
Thus Spoke Zarathustra - Nietzsche

Ah, that's a good one. Probably the best example of Neitzche's tendency to advocate everything he was not.

I have a copy of Atlas Shrugged and a many dented wall where it was thrown, often and with great force. It would have slotted nicely into the 'so bad it's funny' category, but Rand was so antagonistic to her supposed enemies that it just ended up infuriatingly stupid. Sorry to anyone if it feels like I'm ragging on a favourite book of their's, but damn I'm still angry about that book.

One Hundred Years of Solitude. I always start it loving it, and I never can bring myself to get further
than 50 pages. I love the writing so much that it gets in the way of understanding what's
going on.

JEB_Stuart wrote:

Fifty wrote:

JEB_Stuart wrote:
4. The Civil Wars - Caesar. While I am not a devote of Julius Caesar, the man's brilliance cannot be understated. His account of the Roman Civil War is stunning.

I'll have a look at this

The man is incredible in his writings. You really should take a look at this and his history of the Gallic Wars. My suggestions on other Roman authors would be Cicero's letter to Atticus and various friends. Also his books on oration and philosophy. All are just amazing. Another good read would be the Greek and Roman Lives by Plutarch. The life of Pompey is especially wonderful, despite its tragic end.

If you're going to read Cicero and Caesar's works than you must read Catallus's carmines. They have some humorous insight into the time; only he would write poems about sodomizing his critics, Cicero being an ass and telling Caesar to shove it.

sebster wrote:I have a copy of Atlas Shrugged and a many dented wall where it was thrown, often and with great force.

O Lord in Heaven, this is hilarious! Definitely Sigging.

JEB_Stuart wrote:I have heard many good arguments for atheism, deism etc., but I have never felt them to be adequate enough. Nietzsche has come the closest to this, but I still find his arguments lacking. It is ironic that I find Nietzsche's work to be just amazing whereas most Christians abhor him and avoid him like the plague. Those types of Christians scare me....

Nietzsche's take on religion is interesting in that it reads almost like a lament for the wool which was pulled from society's eyes by recent history and secular philosophy. It appeals to many Atheists because the phrase 'God is Dead' can be interpreted quite aggressively, but that phrase doesn't really represent a proclamation of pride or victory. Its a pronouncement that Nietzsche seems to see as the herald of strife (in its most famous incarnation the words were uttered by a raving madman) through the destruction of objective reality which can only be overcome through the agency of the Ubermensch (a kind of 'chosen people' allegory).

Its all really quite amusing because, try as he might, Nietzsche ended up aping the popular religious doctrine of his day in the course of mourning its impotence.

MeanGreenStompa wrote:

Flachzange wrote:Im not gonna add any BL books. There are some good ones in there, but its not really top literature.

Dunno if this is about highbrow, I put the Dragonlance books in there and I refer to them as 'a book at bogtime', they aren't heavyweight in the slightest, just a simply written and easy to read tale constructed from a group's DnD experiences. Really loved reading them and have reread them twice, don't think the thread was about the booker prize winners...

So which BL books did you enjoy? I'm reading the first Guant's Ghosts omnibus atm and enjoying it, I'd like to know which books you thought were good.

Fair enough.

Even though a lot of people are not a big fan of the unkillable Tanith 1st, I have enjoyed every single book so far
Eisenhorn and Ravenor are pretty high up as well the old Inquisitors series by Ian Watson. I enjoyed most of the Horus Heresy books, except the first DA one, as well as the Word Bearers (Abyss) book. Storm of Iron is a fantastic read, so is Pawns of Chaos. Nagash was great and Malekith was a bit so-and-so.

Im not so big on the collected story books. I think theyre ok to pass some time but thats about it. Except that Last Church story in the Heresy collection book. That was great.

Id have to go through my shelf do check which of the others I really like lol Theres just too many BL books to really keep on top of them all. Ill see if I find any others I enjoyed a lot though.

I mostly read sci-fi/fantasy. Dont really recall why, but I guess it started when I moved to the states and couldnt speak a word of english. So I picked up some books and found the Star Wars books to be a rather easy read. Therefore, Ill add some of those as well.

X-Wing Series: Awesome. Simply because my favorite character of all-time is Wedge Antilles
Republic Commando Series: Great read, especially if you like Mando-style action.
Legacy of the Force Series: I still need to pick up the last two of the books, but I really enjoy it so far.

The New Jedi Order: I got a great deal on the bay and picked up the entire 21 book series for almost nothing, so Im working through that as well. Its okay so far, though Im not a big fan of the "unknown alien species takes over everything" concept. Ill see how that goes. The Darth Bane books were kinda cool as well.

Fate of the Jedi ... well, that one is kinda tough for me lol I find it to be too predictable and a tad boring when it comes to some of the individual plots. I am however really interested in the overall outcome of that particular series.

I liked the Rogue Squadron stuff, too, but stopped reading when they switched
(can't remember if they switched Authors or the entire Rogue Squadron, but
maybe it was both).

Just a couple as I am at work (and I have a terrible memory anyway, so there are probably a few that I will have forgotten even though I love them).

Day of the Triffids

Crysalids

The Mist (short story, OK film with a terrible "WE ARE AMERICA AND WE WIN" ending)

Z for Zacharia (sp)

Caves Of Steel 1&2

The first Nights Dawn book from the trilogy, and to some extent the 3rd one.

One of the Robot series of short stories with 3 robots visiting Jupiter, can't remember the title but it was fantastic. Either by IA, or ACC. I always get the two mixed up

The Night Watch (TP)

corpsesarefun wrote:I am quite disturbed nobody has mentioned George Orwell's animal farm... while very short its a classic

BrookM did. I actually agree. I am really not a big fan of 1984 at all, whereas I thin Animal FArm is both truer about the world we live in, truer about human nature, better written, scarier and generally just awesome.

1. Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien - arguably the Ur-Example of the traditional fantasy novel. If you haven't read it and profess to like "genre" fiction, read this now.

2. The Holy Bible (NKJV) - Even if you don't believe in Christianity, it's fascinating from a historical/mythological perspective especially the Old Testament

3. La Morte d'Arthur by Sir Thomas Mallory - The first printed English novel, and while the archaic language can be a bit of a slog, the story of King arthur and the tragic fall of a noble man is gripping.

4. Dune by Frank Herbert - A fascinating transposal of Muslim doctrine into a feudal SF world that dare's to address the question - "What if there is a Messiah, and he is wrong?" The sequels, prequels and adaptations fail utterly to measure up.

5. Lies My Teacher Told Me by James W. Loewen - I think the subtitle sums it up nicely -"Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong"

6. The God Particle by Leon Lederman - A great layman's approach to particle physics and quantum theory that's easily accessible, even if it is a little dated now (The epilogue talks about constructing a particle accelerator that got canceled, but is very similar to the LHC)

7. The entire Discworld series by Terry Pratchett. - Excellent comic fantasy.

8. DragonLance: The Annotated Chronicles by Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman. The first book I read that proved gaming fiction could be good on it's own merits.

There's more, but I can't think right now. I'll edit the other 7 in later.

My list, in order they popped in my head.

1- The Great Bridge by David Mc Cullough - Any civil engineer or engineering student should read this book about the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge.

2- Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh by Robert C O'Brien - Read this in 6th grade and it fostered my love of sci-fi and fantasy

3- Lord of the Rings by Tolkien

4- Go Dogs Go by P.D. Eastman - Thanks mom

5- Eisenhorn by Dan Abnett - This makes the list because I have read and re-read this book 5 times and it is pure win.

6- The Iceman: Confessions of a Mafia Contract Killer by Philip Carlo - Disturbing portrait of a disturbed man

7- Under and Alone by William Queen - Infiltration of the Mongols Outlaw biker gang by an undercover ATF agent.

8- Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach

9- Lord of the Flies by William Golding - Being a fat asthmatic kid while in high school, this book was scary.

10- Silas Marner by George Eliot

11- Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan - I never thought I would take pages of notes reading a series of books. I have at least 3 composition books full of stuff I wrote down while reading these.

12- King City by Brandon Graham - I generally hate manga, but something about King City just wins.

13- The Man Eaters of Tsavo - John Henry Patterson - Not sure how much is bragging and how much is fact, but still a good read.

14- Marine Sniper: 93 Confirmed Kills by Charles W. Henderson

15- Boots on the Ground by Dusk: My Tribute to Pat Tillman by Mary Tillman

poptarticus wrote:5- Eisenhorn by Dan Abnett - This makes the list because I have read and re-read this book 5 times and it is pure win.

Yeah I forgot that one. That is the best BL book I have read..... bar none.

GG

dogma wrote:

JEB_Stuart wrote:
Thus Spoke Zarathustra - Nietzsche

Ah, that's a good one. Probably the best example of Neitzche's tendency to advocate everything he was not.

It really is one of his best pieces. I am looking to move on to reading more of his letters and his book Beyond Good and Evil. I find Nietzche's criticisms and observations to be absolutely brilliant, some of which still apply today, it is his solutions that I have problems with. Either way, I cannot deny the man's brilliance, and therefore deserves my attention.

dogma wrote:

JEB_Stuart wrote:I have heard many good arguments for atheism, deism etc., but I have never felt them to be adequate enough. Nietzsche has come the closest to this, but I still find his arguments lacking. It is ironic that I find Nietzsche's work to be just amazing whereas most Christians abhor him and avoid him like the plague. Those types of Christians scare me....

Nietzsche's take on religion is interesting in that it reads almost like a lament for the wool which was pulled from society's eyes by recent history and secular philosophy. It appeals to many Atheists because the phrase 'God is Dead' can be interpreted quite aggressively, but that phrase doesn't really represent a proclamation of pride or victory. Its a pronouncement that Nietzsche seems to see as the herald of strife (in its most famous incarnation the words were uttered by a raving madman) through the destruction of objective reality which can only be overcome through the agency of the Ubermensch (a kind of 'chosen people' allegory).

Its all really quite amusing because, try as he might, Nietzsche ended up aping the popular religious doctrine of his day in the course of mourning its impotence.

As I said earlier Nietzsche's attempts to establish the existence, and more importantly the meaning, of humanity without the existence of God is the closest I have ever come to agreeing with the non-Orthodox stream of thought, but it is still lacking. It is strange how his paper's and books are aggressively interpreted as militantly atheistic and the like. Nietzsche was more concerned that the recent scientific and philosophical events of the 18th and 19th centuries killed the idea of God and therefore removed all sense of meaning for the various European societies. That is why he created the idea of the Übermensch, as you stated. Sadly enough, the theologians and church leaders of the 19th century were to rigid and dogmatic to be able to counter the arguments made by scientists and philosophers. On a side note, I would love to have seen how Kirkegaard and Nietzsche would have written if they lived at the same time. Their correspondence to each other would have been incredibly amazing.

Not in any order of preference, just the order I remembered them.

1. 1984, George Orwell. Prescient perhaps, in light of current politico-socio movements and the desires of governments to curtail what their people think (or at least see and read about).

2. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley. More of the above. Scary future is scary.

3. Foundation, Asimov. Star and generation spanning epic with hive worlds and politics.

4. Dune, Frank Herbert. As above (but planet wide deserts instead of hive cities - but prison worlds also).

5. Starship Troopers, Robert Heinlein. Needs no description.

6. Of mice and men, John Steinbeck.

7. Armor, John Steakley. Power armour and war. Felix is awesome.

8. Ranks of Bronze, David Drake. Roman legion in the service of alien overlords (as slave levies) who rebel, and decide to take the fight to them.

9. Art of War, Sun Tzu

10. Snorri Eddas, Snorri Sturlusson. Epic norse saga. Heroes that make Marneus Calgar look like a mischievous kid with a slingshot.

11. The Prince, Niccolo Macchiavelli. Helpful n dealing with my (former) corporate overlords.

12. Hammer's Slammers, David Drake. Future mercenaries whose skill is in winning wars - for the right price. Very little glorification of battle (you get the distinct impression that combat is not a good place to be).
13. Technopoly: The surrender of culture to technology, Neil Postman.

14. Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury. As a self-proclaimed bibliophile and bookworm, this book scared the CRAP out of me. Maybe one of the scariest books I've ever read.

15. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Robert M. Pirsig.

In no particular order:
1- Vulcan 607, Rowland White. About the Vulcan raids in 1982 in the Falklands war
2- Dune, Frank Herbert
3- Stalingrad, Anthony Beevor. In depth account of the battle from both viewpoints.
4- LOTR, Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales. JRRT
5- The Dark Tower Series. Stephen King. Sort of a western but set in a post apcalyptic version of Earth with time travel (hard to explain series in short)
6- Bomber Boys. Patrick Bishop. Accounts from WWII RAF aircrew
7- Dunkirk. Hugh Sebag Montefiore. Detailed account from the British Army entering France to the retreat.
8- Making Money. Terry Pratchett. About a conman/thief who is put in charge of running the royal mint in Ankh Morpork
9- Guards Guards. Terry Pratchett about the inept night watch of above city battling a dragon.
10- Home Run, Escape from Nazi Europe. John Nichol & Tony Rennie. Stories of escapes back to GB and escape /resistance lines in Europe
11- Last Man Down. Richard Piccioto. About a firechief on 9/11 who becam trapped inside WTC
13-Orcs Stan Nicholls. About an orc warband that goes renegade from it's ruler.
14- SS General. Sven Hassel fictional account of a Tank units retreat from Stalingrad
15- Nightmares and Dreamscapes. Stephen King. Collection of short stories.

1. Lord of the Rings - J.R.R. Tolkien I would mention this fifteen times and drop all others from the list gladly, I will also miss out The Hobbit and Silmarilion by merging them in with this book. I had the pleasure of having this epic masterpiece read to me by my tweedy history teacher who in many ways resembled Tolkien. I remebmer pressing a copy of Two Towers into his hands in case he got the idea that he should discontinue. It helped that he had a first edition too, which included the extra half chapter missing in subsequent volumes. Yes, extra half chapter. I know some will ask, the extra content was in Rivendell, Gandalf and Elrond give a much more detailed account of the history of the ring. I can understand why it was dropped.

2. The Prince - Nicollo Machiavelli An eye opener into the nature of humanity, I remember machiavellis lessons well. while very much a textbook the underhand subject matter makes it extraordinary reading and yes it does have commentaries that work in daily life even for non-tyrants. I learned from Machiavelli's view on charity or more poiniently the ugly human raction to it.

3. The Histories - Herodotus Possibly the most important non-religious book written, and Herodotus blurs the lines on that too. Without Herodotus we have very little understanding of what went on in ancient history between the fall of Troy and the rise of Rome. Its filled with wonderful tales masterfully spun, yes the word is chosen deliberately. From Croesus of Lydia to Leonidas of Sparta it spans many lands gods and peoples, heros and oracles, trajedies and calls to wisdom. the true heart of the classics. Read it, or at least a good translation of it, its high culture in packaged easily digestible form.

4. New Testament in Modern English - J.B. Phillips I wasn't going to add the Bible, but I have to one way or another. Many attemtops have been made to reiterate the Bible, the most popular recent work The Message does not in my opinion do a good job, its dumbs down, which is not good. Phillips translation simplifies and makes radable prose but does not dumb down ther message and that makes it a superior version. I was lucky to find a copy.

5. The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho Beautifully written story of a yound Spanish boy who goes on a spiritual journey into the Sahara in search of lost treasure.

More later, maybe.

Orlanth wrote:

2. The Prince - Nicollo Machiavelli An eye opener into the nature of humanity, I remember machiavellis lessons well. while very much a textbook the underhand subject matter makes it extraordinary reading and yes it does have commentaries that work in daily life even for non-tyrants. I learned from Machiavelli's view on charity or more poiniently the ugly human raction to it.

3. The Histories - Herodotus Possibly the most important non-religious book written, and Herodotus blurs the lines on that too. Without Herodotus we have very little understanding of what went on in ancient history between the fall of Troy and the rise of Rome. Its filled with wonderful tales masterfully spun, yes the word is chosen deliberately. From Croesus of Lydia to Leonidas of Sparta it spans many lands gods and peoples, heros and oracles, trajedies and calls to wisdom. the true heart of the classics. Read it, or at least a good translation of it, its high culture in packaged easily digestible form.

Thank you Orlanth! How could I forget the Prince?!?! Also on Herodotus, I am inclined to agree with you. Since Herodotus practically invented what we call history, his book is priceless and should be a standard read in college if not high school.

I haven't read enough books to compile a list but there is an AMAZING series which my father loved, which passed down to me - of which i have enjoyed to a great extent.

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO ALL.

"The Sword of Truth" series, first book is the Wizards first rule, the whole series goes to about 8 books. Trust me, if you like wizzards, massed wars and one kick ass hero - you would like this series.

1) sword of truth
wizards first rule
stone of tears
blood of the fold
soul of the fire
temple of the winds
faith of the fallen
pillars of creation
naked empire
confessor
Debt of bones

all by terry goodkind all fantastic

2) the riddle master of hed
heir to sea and fire
harpest in the wind
by Patricia A. McKillip

3) Malekith loves it.

4) We need to talk about kevin (cant recall who wrote it)

5) lightning
by Dean Koontz

6) Misery
by Mr King

7) Emperor the death of kings
by Conn Iggulden

8)Wheel of Time series
by Robert Jordan.

9)Riftwar Saga
Raymond Feist

10) sea of trolls
Nancy Farmer

11) Dexter
Jeff Lindsay

thats all i can think of for now but technically thats more than 15
XX

@Poptarticus: I remember Go Dogs Go, but i mistakenly thought it was another of the many Dr Suess books i had.

chromedog wrote:2. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley. More of the above. Scary future is scary.

Free love and a general fallout of supernatural religion is scary? With the exception of programming and being one of the mass produced people, i'd describe it as a fairly pneumatic future.

1. Colour of Magic - Terry Pratchett : I could fill the list with Pratchett novels, and they probably would be my favourites... but i won't.
2. Assassin's Apprentice - Robin Hobb
3. Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card
4. WoT Eye of the World - Robert Jordan
5. Daniel X Alien Hunter - James Patterson : What an awful book!
6. Brave New World - Huxely
7. Thief of Time - Terry Pratchett
8. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone : Oh yes, i went there.
9. Bombproof - Michael Robotham
10. Thunderball - Ian Fleming
11. Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
12. Fox in Socks - Dr. Suess
13. Ship of Magic - Robin Hobb
14. Does Anything Eat Wasps?: And 101 Other Questions - New Scientist
15. Warhammer 40000 (rule book) - Alessio Cavatore etc

The Assassin Series - Robin Hobb
Legend - David Gemmel
The Empire Series - Janny Wurts and Raymond E. Feist (Nearly made me cry)
The Riftwar Saga - R.E. Feist
The Serpentwar Saga - See above
LOTR - duh. Who do you think?
The Troy Series - David Gemmel
Redwall Series - Brian Jaqques (What got me reading fantasy when I was 9)
The Rigante Series - David Gemmel
Waylander - David Gemmel
The Jarusalem Man Series - David Gemmel
Ghost King - David Gemmel
Romulus, My Father - I can't remember ( a really sad, gritty Biography of a migrant in Oz in the 20s/30s)
Lord of the Flies - William Golding (I think...) (well written, hated every second of it)
The Watchmen - Alan Moore (only read this earlier this year. Finished it in 3 hours, with tea breaks. Loved it)

I know all up that is about 50 books, but the series' are all the same story over several books...

OH, The Martian Chronicles.
How could I have forgotten.

I was young when I read it and hadn't delved into much fiction except a couple Dragonlance novels. That thing kind of blew me away.

Also: Animal Farm.

Thank you roze! I had the plot and the twist at the end running through my head all of yesterday, but my google-fu was not strong enough to find that title. The Sea of Trolls is an outstanding modern adaptation of an ancient fairy tale.

Yeah and to think i only read it because someone left it on a train! Thank you that forgetful person!!

@ Ridcully - I still have the copy my mom read to me....over and over and over...lol I can't wait to read it to my daughter in a few months. I remember arguing with mom over the color of the red light, telling her it was pink, so many memories.

15 is a short book list. I wish I had read more of the "classics." I may have to pick up Animal Farm, 1984, Catcher in the Rye and so on and take a break from Mistborn, etc. I haven't read any Gemmel either, so there is an option for the next trip to the B&N.

In my next 15 I think I would add Mistborn just for the magic system alone, very creative. Dan Abnett's Malus Darkblade books would be there too.

Too lazy to write the authors but here ya go:

1) Ender's Game
2) The Hunt for Red October
3) A Brave New World
4) 2001
5) Rendezvous to Rama
6) The Great Gatsby
7) Flyboys
8) Flags of our Fathers
9) Band of Brothers
10) Childhood's End
11) Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
12) Marine!
13) Napalm and Silly Putty
14) The Alphabet of Manliness
15)Star Wars: Shadows the Empire (this is what really got me into reading sci fi in the first place)

1. The Bible - Everyone should read it...one of the greatest literary achievements of humanity, even if you don't agree with it. I would mention the Qur'an as well, but it just wasn't as memorable and I have pretty much forgotten it.

2. Ender's Game (Orson Scott Carde)- Another popular one on here.

3. Hills Like White Elephants (Hemmingway)- The first Hemmingway story I really picked apart for meaning.

4. The Penal Colony (Kafka) - Gruesome, disturbing, I still don't understand it all.

5. King Lear (Shakespeare) - Acted in it as a minor support character, read it repeatedly, love the meaning and the humanity of it all.

6. The Stand (King) - Stephen King's condemnation of technology and his offered alternative to it is very well written and gripping...it's not a horror story at all.

7. The Art of War - No brainer here

8. The Shining (King) - A play in novel format, it's still awesome, and definitely a bit spooky

9. Imperial Armor 4: The Anphelion Project - I like this one the best so far of the ones I've read.

10. Redwall (Brian Jacques) - I read this one over and over as a kid!

11-13: Lord of the Rings Trilogy - 'Nuff said.

14: The Silmarillion (Tolkien) - Great prequel to LOTR and a good batch of short stories as well, there are some REALLY good ones in there.

15: Insomnia (King) - More conventional thriller, but I love the main character and how a used-up old man can still be a hero. Good stuff.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

AlexCage wrote:Unfortunately I can't add much that hasn't already been mentioned, but I'm bored and like writing about books, so I'll add my $.02*. And I'm quite aware that much of my list reads like a High School summer reading list. I don't friggin' care.

If it's good, it's good. I've got a BA in English, so my list reads very similarly for half of it. Most of what we read we forget next week, that's why academics read the books they read...they are unforgettable!

8. Walden, Thoreau. Living on a boat in relative seclusion at the time I first read this book, I found it vaguely mirrored my situation. I seemed to share a similar light-hearted yet sardonical view of the 'civilized' world as the author.

Every 20-something should read this. It is phenomenal, and the one quote I will never forget: "Rags are as becoming as purple when one is struck by a cannonball."

I genuinely cannot believe that no one has mentioned A Song of Ice and Fire by GRR Martin... Its way better written than LoTR!

LotR is probably the most influential series of all time, and its the father of all things fantasy and I love it for that (Read it several times over) But still there are much better plots in loads of other books.

And to think that 40k novels are being mentioned and ASoIaF not even listed.... I really, really find it strange.

Relativity by Albert Einstein.

Off the top of my head...

1.Shogun - James Clavell read it about a dozen times
2.LOTR trilogy - Tolkien same as above
3.The Stand - Stephen King my favorite King novel, completely sucks me in
4.American Gods - Neil Gaiman an amazing commentary on my country, and an incredibly imaginative story. Of course it is Neil.
5.The Book of the New Sun - Gene Wolfe One of the hardest books for me to read, I've read it like 5 times, and still don't understand parts.
6.The Count of Monte Cristo - Dumas just a freaking good book
7.Do Robots Dream of Electric Sheep? - Philip Dick better than the movie, and that's saying alot
8.Animal Farm - Orwell blew my mind when I first read it in jr. high
9.A Clockwork Orange - Burgess waaaaay better than the movie
10.Fight Club - Chuck Palahniuk saw the movie first, so I had Pitt and Norton already in my head when I read it.

Oh yeah the Sword of Truth series too, but particularly "Faith of the Fallen" That one had me in tears.

Wheel of Time
Lotr
Any Ciaphas Cain novel
The Illiad
Mein Kampf
Most anything Stephen King
Anything by John Grisham
Horus Heresy series
I.A 1-6
Of Mice and Men
Anything by Tom Clancy

Ridcully wrote:
Free love and a general fallout of supernatural religion is scary? With the exception of programming and being one of the mass produced people, i'd describe it as a fairly pneumatic future.

Scary in its tone of absolute blandness.
A Population drugged/programmed into mindless subservience.

That to me is more scary than any totalitarian overlord oppressing the people plot.

(Although there are more than a few books in my "favourites" that feature that plot).

Wow, I can't believe I forgot Animal Farm.

Lots of good idea here, I started reading my Hemmingway short stories again after a hiatus of about four years. Glad I chimed in here.

Ashen-Shugar wrote:I genuinely cannot believe that no one has mentioned A Song of Ice and Fire by GRR Martin... Its way better written than LoTR!

Freaking phenomenal series, and I was very tempted to list it (or at least A Clash of Kings), but I'm being ornery about it until A Dance wuth Dragons is published.

1) Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
2) Battle Royale by Koushun Takami
3) LotR by J.R.R. Tolkien
4) The Bachman Books by Stephen King
5) The Green Mile by Stephen King
6) Angels and Demons by Dan Brown
7) Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson
8) Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
9) Macbeth by Shakespeare
10) The Tempest by Shakespeare
11) To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Ashen-Shugar wrote:I genuinely cannot believe that no one has mentioned A Song of Ice and Fire by GRR Martin... Its way better written than LoTR!

Complete and utter blasphemy...I will give this one chance to repent of your heinous sins before I send Emperor's Faithful and his Inquisition after you....

Not a full list, but in no particular order

(1. Mort / terry prachett
(2. macbeth / guess
(3. the curious incident of the dog in the nightime / mark haddon
(4. A short history of nearly everything / Bill bryson
(5. Once were warriors / Alan duff
(6. the hitchikers guide to the galaxy / Douglas adams
(6. the resturant at the end of the universe / Douglas adams

@ Ashen-Shugar: Nice name

Lint wrote:1.Shogun - James Clavell

Woah, can't believe I did not think of that. It literally changed my life.

Read Shogun
Because of that, I read a biography of Will Adams, the real life person that the book Shogun is based on.
After that, I started reading Japanese history books.
That developed into a general interest in Japan as well as a specific interest in Japanese art.
Started learning Japanese.
Moved to Japan for two years...

Topic dead for a month....

Firstly, a month is not that long. Secondly, the post is not inane, as it responds with a relevant point.

But I guess when you get your kicks from posting "funny" pics, you have to take opportunities where you find them, right?

1. Colin Wilson--The Occult: A History This is what really got me interested into the paranormal and all things...weird. Spans from the rituals of ancient Mesoamerica to the ties between Hitler and the occult, and ends off with Edgar Kaycee. Amazin'.
2.Lord of the Rings--Nothing really more needs to be said. Amazing series, some of my first fiction I ever read. Still read it every so often.
3. Dune--Again, same as Lord of the Rings. Amazing, and holds its own alongside what we see now.
4. Richard Matheson--I Am Legend: Amazing piece of fiction, and frankly--an interesting look at how myths perpetuate.
5. Glen Cook--The Black Company: Awesome series, full of betrayal and guerilla warfare.
6. Stephen Brust--The Vlad Taltos novels: Pretty fun books about a smart-assed assassin making his way in a world where he's just a "normal" man being played off against gods and mages that could fry him with but a thought. Best line?
"It doesn't matter how subtle the wizard...a knife between the shoulderblades is always enough to crimp his style."
7. Robert Heinlein--Starship Troopers: Great piece of fiction, with a fantastic subtle bit about the dangers of society.
8. Robert E. Howard--Any and all Conan books: 'Nuff said. Great books, great author, shame at how he left the world too soon.
9. Jim Butcher--The Dresden Files: Great author, great books, smartass wizard in modern times. Highly recommend.
10. David Gemmel--The Rigante novels: Always fascinating read, kind of a "what if..." Roman/Celtic series. Fun books.
11. Karen Traviss--The Republic Commando novels: Fun, interesting, and full of Mandalorian funsies.
12. Michael J. Durant--In The Company of Heroes: Really interesting book about his time working with Delta, and a bit about what happened to him after being shot down in Somalia.
13. Mary H. Herbert--The Valorian series: Fun books, full of myths and a sentient, deity gifted horse.
14. Edgar Rice Burroughs--The Outlaw of Torn: Awesome book of vengeance. Great read.
15. Richard Minniter--Shadow War: Interesting look at the war on terrorism, and how it was going leading up to 2005.

1/ Lord of the Rings, J R R Tolkien, Probably the first "proper" book I ever read, it cemented my love of all things Fantasy

2/ Mort, Terry Pratchett, Read to my class in junior school and got me hooked on Disc World for many years

3/ The Mallorean/Belgariad, David Eddings, A fantastic two set's of books with great characters and some very clever issues covered

4/Best Served Cold, Joe Abercrombie, Brutal and full of dark humour

5/ The Picture of Dorian Grey, Oscar Wilde, A truly creepy Faustian tale

6/ Drachenfels, Jack Yeovil, The first Warhammer book I ever read, wonderful camp horror

7/ Mr B Gone, Clive Barker, A cleverly written and very twisted horror

8/ Dark Tower series, Stephen King, Simply stunning

9/ Winter King/Enemy of God/Excalibur, Bernard Cornwell, difficult to pick one paricular series but these books are my favorite interpretation of the Arthurian legend

10/ Master and Comander series, C S Forester, Wonderfuly descriptive historical fiction and vivid naval combat

11/ Neil Gaiman, Neverwhere, Bizzare and briliant alternative fiction, also a cracking BBC series

12/ Temeraire series, Naomi Novik, After a whole raft of naff dragon books this series revitalises the genre

13/ Bartimeus Trilogy, Jonothan stroud, a fantastic magical series just as good as Harry Potter

14/ His Dark Material trilogy, great books, awful film!

15/ Generation Kill, Evan Wright, A gritty, honest and moving acount of modern warfare

15 books? What do you think I am, 70 years old?

Ahtman wrote:15 books? What do you think I am, 70 years old?

Well you started wargaming in 1988, so I can safely assume you are at least 21. 70, though? Seems unlikely!

I'm not much of a book reader but here are the ones I really enjoyed -


1. Bret Hart - My real life in the cartoon world of wrestling
2. Slash - The Autobigraphy
3. Shawn Michaels - Heartbreak and Triumph
4. Stephen Kings - IT
5. Fellowship of the Ring
6. Two Towers
7. Return of the King
8. The Hobbit
9. The Warlock of Firetop Mountain
10. Death Trap Dungeon

Ok I’ve just finished reading it and it’s a history book but I’ve just finished reading Mud, Blood and Poppycock by Gordon Corrigan.

Now I’ve never read anything about WW1 as it’s not a period that’s ever interested me and all my opinions were based primarily on popular conceptions of the war and from watching Blackadder. So I picked it up in Waterstones almost by accident. it’s a book which attempts to shatter the popular myths of WW1 and being relatively Ill informed regarding it I thought it was worth a punt.

No only did I demolish it in about a day but I can’t remember the last time a history book made me totally change my opinion on a subject. I intend to read some more books on the war to help me out but it’s certainly one of the most though provoking books on the realities execution of warfare I’ve ever read. It’s also given me an enthusiasm for the history of WW1 I never though I would have. Can’t recommend it enough.

Ooh, cool thread. I'm glad it was resurrected as I missed it earlier.

Most of what I would regard as memorable has already been quoted, but I can't believe no-ones mentioned:

Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield. An awesome retelling of the battle of Thermopylae from a young Helot's point of view. Think 300, only written well and with at least a nod to historical accuracy.

Fatherland by Robert Harris. Alternate history regarding the end of WW2. Far better than the film...but that wouldn't be hard.

War & Peace. Tolstoy. It's memorable to me as it's one of the few books I've ever started and not finished, no matter how much a slog. I. Just. Didn't. Care.

Lord Of The Rings - These books will never meet their equals.

Promise Of The Witchking - R.A Salvatore. This book is just so great that I keep reading it.

Dune - The books that introduced me to fantasy/ sci fi books and games in general.

For whom the bells tolls - Ernest Hemmingway, this bok is a classic and a must read for the people who want a really good book.

Cernunnos Komme - B. Andreas Bull- Hansen This is a book in Norwegian, not sure if it is avalibal in English. Very good fantasy book, with a very good and somewhat different hero and story line.

Anubis by B. Andreas Bull- Hansen. this has to be the most depresing and grim book I have ever read, it has avery good story line witch deals with the consquenses of a world wide racial and religios war
A link for those outhere who wants to know more about this great writher
http://www.bull-hansen.com/index.php?page=main

squilverine wrote:
15/ Generation Kill, Evan Wright, A gritty, honest and moving acount of modern warfare

Seconded. I found it interesting that he at first painted the soldiers he was with as almost bloodthirsty but as time went on he seemed to gain respect for them.

Fifteen books (or series) that I'll not forget

1. The Lord of the Rings- (series, Kinda) it took two tries but darn was it worth the effort. It took me till I was almost 30 to understand the tragedy that was Boromir, and he was a minor character. It was sold as three books but the single unified edition I have is the best way to view it. An Epic book.

2. The Robotech series - An ok anime, but the Jack Mckinney books brought it to life for a farm kid who lived in the days before cable, and is still better then the series ever managed.

3. Starship Troopers- Heinlein at his best. A challenging book by a challenging author.

4. The Outsiders. The first of three books I read for school that were worth my time. A classic.

5. Jean val Jean. An abridged readable version of Les Mis. Introduced me to a concept I still think deeply on later in life. What is justice?

6. The Odyssey. Another abridged book, but still very readable.

7. Not wanted on the Voyage. I still hate this book. The only thing I really remember about it was that it taught me I didn't need to read the darn book to pass a University level English class. I wouldn't try to finish it on a dare.

8. Discworld. Even with the occasional stumble (carpe jugulum is best read as vignettes) it is quotable and amazing. Capable of being serious and funny at the same time.

9. Dresden Files. Another series which just keep going well.

10. Hardy Boys. A great series to start reading on.