Favourite Books and why

Re:Favourite Books and why (OneArmedScissor)

Sun, 03 Mar 2013 11:05:32 GMT

My list would probably be huge, so here's a top 5 in no particular order:

Mark Z. Danielewski - House of Leaves
Starts off slowly with a lot of academic-style analysis and pseudoscience, but quickly becomes a dark-as-hell horror story and a portrait of a psychotic storyteller.

B.S. Johnson - Albert Angelo
Uses a range of storytelling styles (prose, journalistic, letters, diaries etc) to piece together a character portrait of a depressed architect forced to make a living as a substitute teacher to a rabble of idiot kids.

Ann Quin - Passages
Presents the tensions and conflicts in a relationship which has all but fallen apart due to alcoholism and adultery - but written like romantic poetry. Very strange read.

Margaret Atwood - Oryx and Crake
Presents the relationship between two best friends; the last human survivor in a post-civilisation world, and the megalomaniac who brought it all down.

Lawrence Sterne - The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman
The original 'experimental' novel - uses visual and typographic trickery to represent episodes from the life of a sarcastic bastard.

So I guess you'd look at that and say I'm into fictional character portrayals that use unusual writing styles to represent the unusual nature of those characters.

Re:Favourite Books and why (Caniplaywithdownload)

Sat, 23 Feb 2013 19:09:19 GMT

The Black Magician Trilogy - Trudi Canavan
The First Law Trilogy - Joe Abercrombie
A Song of Ice and Fire Series - George RR Martin
Pretty much any book by Bernard Cornwell.

Re:Favourite Books and why (JamieEatWorld)

Mon, 11 Jun 2012 21:31:07 GMT

Favourite book has to be American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis.

Such an amazing storyline, keeps you hooked for hours, love the whole imagery and imagination behind all Easton Ellis's work but this stands out for me. Before viewing the mediocore movie, read the far superior book

Re:Favourite Books and why (WalsallMosher)

Thu, 24 May 2012 08:43:40 GMT

I read a lot of stuff that had a lot of Influence on several of my favourite musicians. For example, Ian Curtis of Joy Division liked to read books by Franz Kafka, Fyodor Dostoevsky, JG Ballard amongst others.

I thought buy reading books that had influenced one of my favourite singers, it would maybe give me an understanding into what made that person tick, so to speak. Perhaps maybe give me an extra bit of Insight and appreciation into their Lyrics.

Here are some of my favourites:

Franz Kafka - The Trial

JG Ballard - Crash (Very strange - actually f*cked up is the phrase I should use!)

Fyodor Dostoevsky - Crime and Punishment

Ka Tzetnik - The House Of Dolls - (An insight into the Concentration Camps in WW2 and some of the sickening things that happened there.)

George Orwell - Nineteen Eighty-Four

Re:Favourite Books and why (rammystein)

Wed, 09 May 2012 14:36:05 GMT

anything from franz kafka his stories and poems dont ever have a happy ending love his stuff

Re:Favourite Books and why (Big_Mick_On_Campus)

Sun, 06 May 2012 21:20:08 GMT

The Kite Runner - Hosseini - made me cry!
The Motel Life - Willy Vlautin, awesome debut and to be released as a film this year.
Northline - Willy Vlautin - everybody should read this book!!
I was so into it, when it ended, i emailed the author to ask what happens to the main character!
Lean on Pete - Willy Vlautin - described as Tom Sawyer for the crystal meth generation lol
Lucifer Box trilogy - Mark Gatiss - typical Mark Gatiss, funny & filthy adventures of a spy!

Re:Favourite Books and why (BroDownUnder)

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 10:08:05 GMT

The Divine Comedy - Dante Alighieri
Ulysses - James Joyce
Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
Essays - George Orwell
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - Robert Persig

And countless historical biographies, etc. - favourite amongst which is probably Mao: The Untold Story

Err... forgot to put 'why'. Hmmm, because they're all genuinely brilliant?

Re:Favourite Books and why (mdb86lfc)

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 02:55:23 GMT

Conn Iggulden is one of my fave authors at the moment. He has a truly great trilogy about Genghis Khan, also a series set in the Roman Empire. Very well written and completely absorbing.

Unrelated to stories.. Origin of species by Darwin and Zoonomia by Erasmus Darwin are the 2 of my favourite books :)

Re:Favourite Books and why (DisturbedDenton)

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 00:34:36 GMT

Little Envy

DisturbedDenton

if you cry at the end of His Dark Materials, I would seriously recommend The Dark Tower series by Stephen King if you haven't read them already. It's the same sort of thing - dark fantasy/adventure. The fourth book "Wizard and Glass" is the first novel to ever make my cry, it was heartbreaking. Great series though, and I haven't even finished it yet...on the 6th book (out of 7)

I'm ashamed to say I haven't ever read anything by King to date - It's been on my to-do list for ages, so this sounds awesome! Thanks!

no problem alot of King stuff obviously is very horror orientated, all his 'one-off' novels I mean, but Dark Tower is by far my favourite work by him just cos its fantasy. And its as good a place to start as any really! Word of advice though - they are challenging books - take your time and really get into them, and you won't be disappointed!

Re:Favourite Books and why (Little Envy)

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 00:19:26 GMT

DisturbedDenton

if you cry at the end of His Dark Materials, I would seriously recommend The Dark Tower series by Stephen King if you haven't read them already. It's the same sort of thing - dark fantasy/adventure. The fourth book "Wizard and Glass" is the first novel to ever make my cry, it was heartbreaking. Great series though, and I haven't even finished it yet...on the 6th book (out of 7)

I'm ashamed to say I haven't ever read anything by King to date - It's been on my to-do list for ages, so this sounds awesome! Thanks!

Re:Favourite Books and why (Vixxi)

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 00:09:50 GMT

I love Lee Child. The Jack Reacher series i absolutely love i think it's awesome!

Would recommend it to anyone!
Pick up the first one Killing Floor - i'm sure you wont regret it :-)
I got totally addicted and read through 4 in a month lol. Had to slow down before I run out! Onto 'one shot' now which theyre making into a film and apparently tom cruise is playing the main part.

Also Vince Flynn books are great & I love the Dexter series xx

Re:Favourite Books and why (DisturbedDenton)

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 23:45:12 GMT

Little Envy

Northern Lights/The Subtle Knife/The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman - Possibly my all-time favourite set of books. The worlds created are really easy to get lost in and the plot blows my mind away. Never fail to cry near the end too.

Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh - Became a much easier read once I gained some friends from Edinburgh! There's a lot of underlying points/opinions of the author scattered around. Haven't decided if that's a good or bad point - It's one of those reads that haunts your mind for a while once you've finished. Haven't had time to read the sequel yet.

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley - A short read that gives you a lot to think about. Generally I love books that create alternate worlds, and dystopian/utopian ones are all the more interesting to think about. 1984 by George Orwell is similar - but pretty lengthy. Section near the end of 1984 takes real patience to get through too.

An Evil Cradling by Brian Keenan - Tend to hate autobiographies but this one's amazing. The author really has a particular voice to him (along the lines of..cynical Irishman maybe?) and if you're well-read on the happenings in the Middle East, it's an interesting read for sure. Still accessible to even the clueless though.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - What can I say, I love my classics.

Anything by F. Scott Fitzgerald is generally awesome as well. His writing style is incredible and his books tend to be pretty short from my experience.

if you cry at the end of His Dark Materials, I would seriously recommend The Dark Tower series by Stephen King if you haven't read them already. It's the same sort of thing - dark fantasy/adventure. The fourth book "Wizard and Glass" is the first novel to ever make my cry, it was heartbreaking. Great series though, and I haven't even finished it yet...on the 6th book (out of 7)

Re:Favourite Books and why (Nemoness)

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 23:16:25 GMT

We Need To Talk About Kevin is now amongst my favourites too. I started it about a week ago, and ever since, when I've had time, I've not had it out of my hands. Such an amazing piece of work.

Re:Favourite Books and why (Little Envy)

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 22:54:52 GMT

Northern Lights/The Subtle Knife/The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman - Possibly my all-time favourite set of books. The worlds created are really easy to get lost in and the plot blows my mind away. Never fail to cry near the end too.

Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh - Became a much easier read once I gained some friends from Edinburgh! There's a lot of underlying points/opinions of the author scattered around. Haven't decided if that's a good or bad point - It's one of those reads that haunts your mind for a while once you've finished. Haven't had time to read the sequel yet.

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley - A short read that gives you a lot to think about. Generally I love books that create alternate worlds, and dystopian/utopian ones are all the more interesting to think about. 1984 by George Orwell is similar - but pretty lengthy. Section near the end of 1984 takes real patience to get through too.

An Evil Cradling by Brian Keenan - Tend to hate autobiographies but this one's amazing. The author really has a particular voice to him (along the lines of..cynical Irishman maybe?) and if you're well-read on the happenings in the Middle East, it's an interesting read for sure. Still accessible to even the clueless though.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - What can I say, I love my classics.

Anything by F. Scott Fitzgerald is generally awesome as well. His writing style is incredible and his books tend to be pretty short from my experience.

Re:Favourite Books and why (Varyags_Of_Miklagaard)

Sat, 26 Nov 2011 11:51:21 GMT

'Roll Of Thunder, Hear My Cry' by Mildred Taylor.
I read this 6 times as part of my GCSE exam coursework, bearing in mind I'm 29 now, it really stuck in the memory and I've read it a few times since.
It's set in the Deep South, told from the view point of a nine year old black girl and focuses on the racism and abuse of the time. Very good read and very insightful.

Re:Favourite Books and why (Nemoness)

Wed, 29 Jun 2011 18:31:25 GMT

As of a week ago, James Patterson's Alex Cross novels are now amongst my favourite books. I read Along Came A Spider and Kiss The Girls in about 4 days.

Re:Favourite Books and why (Hurricane_Drunk)

Mon, 27 Jun 2011 19:09:51 GMT

nfe

^
My copy of it arrived today, so I'll get hammered in soon.

Let me know what you think when you're done.

Re:Favourite Books and why (tiny_t18)

Fri, 17 Jun 2011 11:33:18 GMT

"The Book With No Name" and "The Eye Of The Moon" by Anonymous

Re:Favourite Books and why (DisturbedDenton)

Thu, 16 Jun 2011 21:59:02 GMT

Northern Lights, The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman. I love these kind of "alternate reality" or universe books like Harry Potter and His Dark Materials. Really original and epic stories, really get you stuck in and create an epic alternate world that is believable and gets you emotionally involved.

The Shining by Stephen King. Really great horror tale that is generally unsettling, incredibly well written.

The Amityville Horror by Jay Ansen. The one book that has properly freaked me out

Abarat by Clive Barker - not as good as Northern Lights etc or Harry Potter but its a really colourful, fun, OTT book that has potential to develop in the sequels. Quite childlike, but the books are meant to be getting darker and so aimed more at adults, which I will much prefer.

The Rats, Lair and Domain by James Herbert although haven't read them in a looong time. Just nice and gory, and turn a simple and cheesy (no pun intended) idea into something pretty deep and intriguing.

Re:Favourite Books and why (Nemoness)

Sat, 11 Jun 2011 09:24:00 GMT

I honestly couldn't pick a favourite. The child in me loves Harry Potter, then there's all the ones by Torey Hayden and Shane Dunphy that I love. I guess I just love reading, pretty much anything as long as it keeps my interest, way too much to chose a single favourite.