Well?
Shit. That's hard. Going to have to think about this one a while.
Paradise Lost
I know, weird pick, but I love it.
God, so many. Just one?
I always say Crime and Punishment is my favourite novel.
But, man.... A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving is great.
REd Dragon by...um...the Silence of the Lambs guy, I remember reading in one sitting it was that good.
So many.
I really liked a lot of books, but if I would have to pick quickly, it would be among War and Peace, Catch 22, or the Hyperion series...
Probably Kafka's "The Process".
i think you guys misunderstand. he wants to know which is your favourite, not which you think will make you look more suave.
Quote from: Slargos on July 08, 2011, 02:36:38 AM
i think you guys misunderstand. he wants to know which is your favourite, not which you think will make you look more suave.
In that case, Death of a Salesman.
Quote from: Norgy on July 08, 2011, 02:42:36 AM
Quote from: Slargos on July 08, 2011, 02:36:38 AM
i think you guys misunderstand. he wants to know which is your favourite, not which you think will make you look more suave.
In that case, Death of a Salesman.
I can see why you made your first pick to begin with: [You're] Not very original. :P
@Norgy :lol:
About the OP, I need to think about it, but in different periods of my life I've considered as favourites:
The adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Ten Little Indians
LOTR
Titus Groan
Dune
The Razor's Edge
The Name of The Rose and Foucault's Pendulum
Treasure Island
the lord of the flies
And others.
L.
Watchmen or The Possibility of an Island.
ooohh, i forgot:
American Pastoral
The Human Stain
The Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy
Shit, I have to cull some of these...but how? :cry:
L.
I really did love Earth Abides.
A Soldier of the Great War.
Quote from: Scipio on July 08, 2011, 06:06:10 AM
A Soldier of the Great War.
There's the winner, right there.
Quote from: Tyr on July 08, 2011, 05:01:37 AM
I really did love Earth Abides.
And what of the Dude?
Hmmm... I don't think I can name a favorite, but here's an attempt at a top five in no particular order:
Life and Fate
A Canticle for Leibowitz
American Gods
Red/Green/Blue Mars (three novels, but I'll count em as one here)
The Old Man and the Sea
I've thought about it & It's either LOTR or Les Rois Maudits.
Too difficult to pick one above others, so I'll just go with Brian Aldiss's 'Helliconia' trilogy.
edit:
Our Italian friend's choice of H2G2 is good one, a very well written book.
Probably Terry Pratchett's "Night Watch".
Quote from: Grey Fox on July 08, 2011, 06:32:04 AM
I've thought about it & It's either LOTR or Les Rois Maudits.
I go with Les Rois Maudits.
The original six volumes, though. The seventh and last was a bore, mostly because all main characters were dead.
I really dig Rushdie for his style, and I've read Pratchett's Small Gods over and over again, but best book? Not quite.
I think I'll have to go with Paradise Lost.
Quote from: Drakken on July 08, 2011, 07:26:22 AM
Quote from: Grey Fox on July 08, 2011, 06:32:04 AM
I've thought about it & It's either LOTR or Les Rois Maudits.
I go with Les Rois Maudits.
The original six volumes, though. The seventh and last was a bore, mostly because all main characters were dead.
It barely has anything to do with the First Six. Shouldn't have been included in the series. Damn Marketing.
Based on how often I read them LotR and A.S. Neill's The Last Man Alive.
Quote from: mongers on July 08, 2011, 06:57:16 AM
Our Italian friend's choice of H2G2 is good one, a very well written book.
Based on the number of times I've read them, my favourite would probably be a toss up between Hitdhhikers, Lord of the Rings, and Narnia.
But all of them are childrens, or adolescent, books. :blush:
Favourite adult book however?
I really dig early Douglas Coupland - Generation X, Shampoo Planet, Microserfs. But even that might be more enjoying the setting than the writing itself.
I got it. Barney's Version, Mordecai Richler. An adult book that I quite thoroughly enjoyed. Haven't seen the movie however.
Quote from: Pedrito on July 08, 2011, 03:43:42 AM
Foucault's Pendulum
One of my favourites.
Also, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.
Martin Heidegger, "Being and Time." :yeah:
Seriously, I think L-F Céline's "Journey to the End of the Night" has got to be my favorite, at least as far as fiction is concerned.
Quote from: Slargos on July 08, 2011, 03:38:01 AM
I can see why you made your first pick to begin with: [You're] Not very original. :P
Do you know how much an original Kafka would cost?
It's a classic and its theme remains fresh even today.
I've read more entertaining books, but from the impressions it left, it's still the best along with these:
http://www.bokkilden.no/SamboWeb/produkt.do?produktId=131160
Since Bjørneboe isn't well known outside of Norway, I went with Kafka.
Quote from: Norgy on July 08, 2011, 02:32:53 AM
Probably Kafka's "The Process".
Ah, I think that is more commonly translated at least in the US as "The Trial." I was kind of bewildered that there was a whole Kafka book I'd never even heard, considering how little he published. One of my favorites also.
Some of my favorites:
- Short stories: Ficciones by Borges - surely the greatest short stories ever written
- Invisible Cities by Calvino - dunno who to classify it: fable, series of short stories, poetry? Certainly not for all tastes, but I find it awe-inspiring
- The Master and Margarita by Bugalikov - Satan comes to Stalinist Moscow and finds himself right at home. Hilarious and sad at the same time.
- The Man Who Was Thursday by Chesterton - dectective novel as religious allegory. Every page is more bizzare than the one before.
- Cloud Atlas by Mitchell. Profound, brilliant.
Atlas Shrugged. Opened my eyes it did. I carry a copy with me at all times.
Quote from: Capetan Mihali on July 08, 2011, 12:14:49 PM
Quote from: Norgy on July 08, 2011, 02:32:53 AM
Probably Kafka's "The Process".
Ah, I think that is more commonly translated at least in the US as "The Trial." I was kind of bewildered that there was a whole Kafka book I'd never even heard, considering how little he published. One of my favorites also.
My favorite Kafka remains
In The Penal Colony. "Be Just ..."
Quote from: Grey Fox on July 08, 2011, 07:40:59 AM
Quote from: Drakken on July 08, 2011, 07:26:22 AM
Quote from: Grey Fox on July 08, 2011, 06:32:04 AM
I've thought about it & It's either LOTR or Les Rois Maudits.
I go with Les Rois Maudits.
The original six volumes, though. The seventh and last was a bore, mostly because all main characters were dead.
It barely has anything to do with the First Six. Shouldn't have been included in the series. Damn Marketing.
You know, think of it, I might add
When a Lion Loses France among the worst books ever read.
To me,
Les Rois Maudits ends when Robert d'Artois dies of his wounds and the real Jean Ier dies mad and alone in his Siena jail.
If we're restricting this to works of fiction, then I'd have to go with my CV. :)
:D
Quote from: Norgy on July 08, 2011, 12:11:42 PM
Quote from: Slargos on July 08, 2011, 03:38:01 AM
I can see why you made your first pick to begin with: [You're] Not very original. :P
Do you know how much an original Kafka would cost?
It's a classic and its theme remains fresh even today.
I've read more entertaining books, but from the impressions it left, it's still the best along with these:
http://www.bokkilden.no/SamboWeb/produkt.do?produktId=131160 (http://www.bokkilden.no/SamboWeb/produkt.do?produktId=131160)
Since Bjørneboe isn't well known outside of Norway, I went with Kafka.
My point, of course, is that it's not a very original choice, just as it's not very original to death-of-a-salesman me. :P
Quote from: mongers on July 08, 2011, 02:41:38 PM
If we're restricting this to works of fiction, then I'd have to go with my CV. :)
:lol:
Quote from: mongers on July 08, 2011, 02:41:38 PM
If we're restricting this to works of fiction, then I'd have to go with my CV. :)
:D
My pick is the Aubrey/Maturin series.
Quote from: Admiral Yi on July 08, 2011, 05:43:11 PM
Quote from: mongers on July 08, 2011, 02:41:38 PM
If we're restricting this to works of fiction, then I'd have to go with my CV. :)
:D
My pick is the Aubrey/Maturin series.
I dunno - I loved those books, but best ever?
Maturin was a definite Mary Sue character for O'Brien.
Quote from: Barrister on July 08, 2011, 05:47:03 PM
I dunno - I loved those books, but best ever?
Maturin was a definite Mary Sue character for O'Brien.
Best in the sense of what I enjoyed the most, yes.
What's a Mary Sue character?
Quote from: Admiral Yi on July 08, 2011, 06:22:30 PM
What's a Mary Sue character?
A character that stands for what the author would like to see of him or herself if he were there, or a fantasy characterization for either the author or the reader. Usually has the best personality and a vast array of skills to the point of being one-dimensional, always the solution to all problems MacGyver-style, and always there to save the hero.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Sue
Since those two often have homoerotic, bromance connotations in the series, I vote to label Maturin a "Marti Stu".
Well that's not very fair then. A physically ugly character with opium addiction and a savage temper can hardly be described as overly perfect.
I am learning so much on this forum today.
Quote from: Admiral Yi on July 08, 2011, 06:59:05 PM
Well that's not very fair then. A physically ugly character with opium addiction and a savage temper can hardly be described as overly perfect.
Paul Bethany was rather hot.
Quote from: Admiral Yi on July 08, 2011, 06:59:05 PM
Well that's not very fair then. A physically ugly character with opium addiction and a savage temper can hardly be described as overly perfect.
He isn't described as being perfect for some of the exact reasons you mention.
Yet over the course of the series he evolves from a simple Irish ship's surgeon to being descended from Spanish nobility, an important British secret agent, fluent in a dozen languages, a world renowned naturalist. At one point he has enough money to buy HMS Surprise and give it to Aubrey.
Reading the books I did feel like O'Brien identified with Maturin and became very found of the character (he was also fond of Aubrey, but didn't see himself in that character). He has definite Mary Sue qualities.
But I'm not trying to criticize the books - I devoured the whole 20 book series, and quite thoroughly enjoyed them.
I feel compelled to beat Beeb for using that damn infernal term.
One of my ancestors was a world renowned naturist.
Quote from: katmai on July 08, 2011, 10:55:52 PM
I feel compelled to beat Beeb for using that damn infernal term.
Try playing WoW on a straight RP server. Insanity. As for myself, I'll always have a special place in my heart for
The Legend of Huma by Richard A. Knaak from the Dragonlance series. Great literature? No. However, I read it for the first time in... 4th grade? and have read it many, many times since. It's a whole bunch of nostalgia and happy memories all wrapped up in one book for me. I'm also rather partial to
Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk, LoTR, and a few others.
Some of my favorite books
The Long Goodbye-Raymond Chandler
Ham on Rye-Charles Bukowski
Quote from: katmai on July 09, 2011, 01:53:00 AM
Some of my favorite books
The Long Goodbye-Raymond Chandler
Ham on Rye-Charles Bukowski
Good choices.
I had a serious Bukowski period. I even read some of his books.
another great book that I fondly re-read every some years is The Great Gatsby.
L.
Quote from: Pedrito on July 09, 2011, 12:27:47 PM
another great book that I fondly re-read every some years is The Great Gatsby.
L.
:bleeding:
Quote from: Norgy on July 09, 2011, 12:05:00 PM
Good choices.
I had a serious Bukowski period. I even read some of his books.
:P
Quote from: mongers on July 08, 2011, 02:41:38 PM
If we're restricting this to works of fiction, then I'd have to go with my CV. :)
:lol:
As for the original question, I don't know. Maybe Hyperion. I read my copy so many times it fell apart.
Hard to narrow down. Some off the top of my head;
True Grit by Portis
The Bachman Books
Dune
The Man Who Would Be King
Musashi
Quote from: Norgy on July 09, 2011, 12:05:00 PM
Quote from: katmai on July 09, 2011, 01:53:00 AM
Some of my favorite books
The Long Goodbye-Raymond Chandler
Ham on Rye-Charles Bukowski
Good choices.
I had a serious Bukowski period. I even read some of his books.
Yeah, I had a Bukowski period for about two years in my early 20s. I loved his short stories, and at the time would rate Harry Chinaski as one of my heroes.
Quote from: Josephus on July 09, 2011, 01:46:52 PM
Quote from: Norgy on July 09, 2011, 12:05:00 PM
Quote from: katmai on July 09, 2011, 01:53:00 AM
Some of my favorite books
The Long Goodbye-Raymond Chandler
Ham on Rye-Charles Bukowski
Good choices.
I had a serious Bukowski period. I even read some of his books.
Yeah, I had a Bukowski period for about two years in my early 20s. I loved his short stories, and at the time would rate Harry Chinaski as one of my heroes.
He's no Bandini.
I can only think of hedge knights, sellswords, faceless men, bloodriders, first men, children of the forest, greeseers, the nights's watch, etc.
I'm hopeless.
This time tomorrow night, I hope to be ~300 pages in. :)
Quote from: Siege on July 11, 2011, 10:01:17 PM
I can only think of hedge knights, sellswords, faceless men, bloodriders, first men, children of the forest, greeseers, the nights's watch, etc.
I'm hopeless.
You know, you might like Westerns.
Quote from: Razgovory on July 11, 2011, 10:58:13 PM
You know, you might like Westerns.
Oh! Oh! McCarthy's
Blood Meridian! and
Not a Country for Old Men, too.
L.
Quote from: Pedrito on July 12, 2011, 02:25:57 AM
Quote from: Razgovory on July 11, 2011, 10:58:13 PM
You know, you might like Westerns.
Oh! Oh! McCarthy's Blood Meridian! and Not a Country for Old Men, too.
L.
Heh, my wife tried to read
Blood Meridian, and she said it made her almost physically ill. :D
I myself like McCarthy.