BOOK-A-HOLICS discussion
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FAVORITE BOOK
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Oct 03, 2007 09:58PM
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GREAT TRUE STORY AND PICKING AT THE BRAIN OF AN ADVENTURER..
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It's hard to make a call on a single "favorite" book. I have a lot of "favorite" books."Lamb" by Christopher Moore is easily the funniest book I've ever read. "A Cold Dish" by Craig Johnson is my favorite mystery novel. "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole and "Huckleberry Finn" by Mark Twain are both very high on my "favorite" book list simply because they're good books. "The Grapes of Wrath" is one of the most beautiful books I've ever read. "Lord of the Barnyard" by Tristan Egolf is one of the best-written books I've ever read, if you like hyper-detail.
Like I said...tough call.
A very tough call indeed. However, considering I have read Jane Austin's books numerous times I may have to go with Pride and Predudice. But, I heard the Owl Call My Name by Margaret Craven and Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold are in competition.
My favorite book of all time is "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott. I just wanted to be a part of that family. And I love the time period. Like Laurie said, I was meant to be a March!But in a VERY close 2nd and 3rd are "The Pillars of the Earth" by Kenneth Follett and "Shogun" by James Clavell. Pillars is set in the middle ages and as an art history/architecture buff (favorite period is the gothic period), this story is amazing. Plus the characters are fully fleshed out and complex. I didn't want the story to end and am super excited there's a sequel (bought it but haven't read it yet). "Shogun" is set in ancient Japan around the samurai time. I found this to be incredibly interesting and informative. You can really tell Clavell did his research. I'm starting to get into asian history so this really complimented that interest. As you can tell, historical fiction is probably my favorite genre.
But I love pretty much any book that tells a good story AND has characters that you'd actually want to meet (even if you hate them). I like the "realness" of a story even if it is so absurd you have to suspend your disbelief in order to actually read.
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My favorite books are Little Women, Harry Potter, My Sergei, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, and Anne of Green Gables. I'm not really sure why these books are my favorite. They just touched me and stayed with me.
A few of my favorites, off the top of my head...Lonesome Dove
The Shell Seekers
The Woman in White
A Woman of Substance
Omamori
Like Ashley said, I'm sure there are more, but those stand out. Of course there are thousands of amazing books I have yet to read, so I'm sure this list will change. ;-)
I can't say that I really have a favorite book, but I think my favorite type of book is one with lots of suspense that keeps me on edge, then usually makes me gasp out loud that the book has taken the turn that it has. I don't like the ones that are too predictable and I figure out the end myself chapters before it happens. It might be a mystery, thriller, something with the supernatural like in "The Thirteenth Tale" or even just a regular book of fiction like "Water for Elephants", but I like to be suprised at the end.
My Favorite book at the moment has to be MR Mdishipman Fury by G.S Beard. I love the action in it, I like book that keep me turning the pages and this one totally does that for me. My all time favorite book is Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, I love any romance story but this one has so much more to it than just that. I like that fact that it goes through Janes childhood and gives you her whole life story and thats why it's my favorite another reason is scrummy Mr Rochester, I totally don't blame Jane for falling in love with him.
I liked Jane Eyre a lot too, Laura-Lou. I think it gets bad press as a "chick book" when it's actually way more than, I don't know, the historical equivalent of "Sex and The City" or whatever. C. Bronte is a great writer with incisive psycholigical observational skills...and a great storyteller to boot. Favorite book? I can't pick just one, of course. But if I had to pick just one? And I'm not cheating by picking a collection of works? Hm..."The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle" by Haruki Murakami would fit today. I'd probably mention another one tomorrow:)
My favorite fantasy book : Gormenghast. It's just ... such a lovely book to read. I love Steerpike and Fuscia; it was the first book I read in purple prose and I fell in love with it, but, more it first one that really pulled me into a new and different world.
If I'd read Tolkien's work first instead of Peake's, it'd be the Trilogy up here.
My favorite sci-fi book:
Dune. What can I say? It's, again, the first one I read that was a whole and wonderful world. I liked Foundation, but it was so cold and clinical, and at 10, I didn't get all of it enough to appreciate it. But Dune ... I got. I loved, and I still read it every few years.
My favorite historical book:
The Count of Monte Cristo edges out Persuasion which edges out Pride and Prejudice. Frankly, all three are so close they'll just be lumped into: Read these books! Detail, characters, and world-building. You really felt the time period, and I just ... loved them.
My favorite kid's book:
Watership Down. My absolultely favorite book from age 8-17. I loved this book and I gave a nice hardbound copy to my brother, my cousins, an dmy grandmother for christmases and birthdays. I don't often force books on people, but this one I did.
Lately I've been reading Stephen J. Cannell's Three Shirt Deal. It's the latest in his Shane Scully series, but a good book to start if you're a newbie: http://www.cannell.com/
My favourite would have to be The Kite Runner and that is closely followed by Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks. Year of Wonders did previously top the list but it's been a while since I've read it and read The Kite Runner in the last few months. Will have to reread Year of Wonders sometime, although that will be a while, I have plenty of books to read and I'm sure there are a few good ones in my pile that could quite possibly end up at the top of the list.
I have a few.The Road - Cormac McCarthy
Blindness - Jose Saramago
Death of an Ordinary Man - Glen Duncan
Odd Thomas Series - Dean Koontz
Dexter series - Jeff Lindsay
Stupidest Angel - Christopher Moore
One book to satisfy all my different tastes!
I always hesitate to answer this question. I feel like I am being disloyal to my runner-ups! The one book I frequently revisit and fall in love with all over again is James Joyce's The Dubliners. I can't explain it; I just love it.
I've read many bookd and have a lot of favorites. But one of my main favorites has to be "My Name is Asher Lev" by Chaim Potok. It is a wonderful read portrays the difficulty of being Jewish and having a creative hand and trying to satisfy both things for Jewish people do not approve of creativity.
the book i was just done reading was milkweed. i think that people should read this book because it does portrays the difficult task of being jewish doing the holocause. it was great book i highly recommend it to anyone who has a thrist for good reading
Gosh, what a hard question! As someone said earlier, I hesitate to name one favorite...I have read a lot of good things that are favorites for different reasons and I have a lot more to read and more favorites to discover. That being said, I think I would have to say Eleven Seconds by Travis Roy. I admit I am a crazed hockey fan, but that is not why I chose this book...it is an amazing story (and a true one at that!) of one young man's perseverance against all odds. I think what actually makes this book even closer to my heart is that this happened to Travis just two years before I went to college and discovered my passion for hockey...what happened to him could have happened to any one of my boys...I have seen him at games and he continues to be a beacon of hope for everyone, not just those who have suffered a life-changing injury. Bravo to Travis for sharing his story...I cried a lot, but was uplifted by his determination not to give up and I'm sure a lot of other people out there were as well!
My favourite book of 2007 was The Fortress of Solitude by Jonathan Lethem - admittedly the first half is better than the second but it is beautifully written and really evocative of the 1970s and 1980s in a way that made me feel those times were so far away now.My all-time favourite book is (currently) Any Human Heart by William Boyd, which tells the story of one life and the twentieth century and takes the reader to all sorts of places in the process that I just loved.
Childhood favourite was Black Beauty - the first book I ever read that made me cry and forget everything else.
Adolescent favourite was Orwell's 1984 - it inspired me to read most of his novels and quite a few essays which were stunning and remind me I should read them again..
I have 2 all time favorites, both by Charles Dickens. The first is Great Expectations, and the second is Nicholas Nickelby. I just think that these stories are about the true meaning and value of love and friendship. If this makes me a nerd, then I gladly take that title...lol.
Yeah, I have lots of favorites. All different kind of books. But the one I will single out is"Women Who Run With The Wolves".
This book is definitely written for women and not all women would like it, but I did.
I have read way too many books to pick a favorite. But there are some that I can read time and time again and love it now mater how often I have read it. Off the top of my head there are Absolutely Normal Chaos, The Secret Garden, and Matilda
Probably the "Shadow of the Wind" or "Atonement".
I totally agree with you Ky about Shadow of the Wind, it's one of my favorite also. An awesome book. Another favorite would have to be To Kill a Mockingbird.
Carson McCullers 'The Heart is a Lonely Hunter is one of my all time favorites.Realistic and captavating Carson reaches the reader via el reality. Lost in the South!
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. For me it doesn't even compare with any other book I've ever read. It is beautiful and amazing.
i can't choose one favorite book because there are so many. usually i read fantasy, though, because it tends to be more creative than realistic fiction... not always, but a lot of the time.
The Book Thief has become my new favorite YA Novel. It is a great story, very well written and really gets your emotions involved.
When I first read Belle Prater's Boy, I fell in love with the story instantly. I wouldn't say it's my favorite book, but I really remember it clearly, standing out from the other books I have read. I was fairly disappointed in the sequel, however.
I have to agree with others, this is a difficult task. But, I will give it a try. Probably my favorite work of fiction is The Violent Bear it Away by Flannery O'Connor. I love all of O'Connor's books and short stories. It is so sad that she passed away while being so young. Her contributions to the literary world are amazing, and I can only think that if she had lived, she would have produced so much more to enjoy. The non-fiction work that completely changed my life was The Soul's Code by James Hillman.
I could name more for various reasons, but if I had to pick two books to take with me if I were to be banished to a deserted island, it would definitely be those two.
I have to add one more. Mark Twain's The Mysterious Stranger. This book was written towards the end of Twain's life and its tone is completely different with most of Twain's work. He is less optimistic and more cynical than in any of his more popular books. It is an excellent read!
favorite fiction -DON QUXIOTEnonfiction - RISE AND FALL OF THIRD REICH
READ IN 8TH GRADE
TOO YOUNG PROBABLY BUT SHOWED ME WHAT AN ENTIRE COUNTRY COULD DO TO OTHER HUMAN BEINGS ( can we be proud of Vietnam?)
Favorite Singular Book - Jane Eyre - Read it in high school and fell in love with it.Favorite Series - Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series - I can't praise the series enough...the stories are just wonderful, and vivid and incredible.
Genre - Historical Fiction
I love any paranormal romance thats good book that goes into detail on what they are doing. Any books by Gena Showalter books.
Tough call...Favorite book: Pride and Prejudice by Austen
Close runner-ups: Pillars of the Earth by Follett, Beach Music by Conroy, and The Secret Life of Bees by Kidd
What only 1 book?! Hmmmm..........this is going to be hard. Well, I guess so far my favorite book is "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer. Everyone needs to read this book! Oh, and how is "To Kill a Mocking Bird"? My sister gave her book to me to read it, but I still havn't picked it up.
To Kill a Mockingbird is fabulous!
To Kill A Mockingbird is one of the best books of all time! I highly recommend it!
I like Night by Elie Wiesel. I cry every time I read it.
I have several - The Good Earth- Pearl S. Buck, Redeeming Love- Francine Rivers, Hinds Feet ON High Places- Hannah Hurnard....I could go on.
richard russo is my fav writer and his EMPIRE FALLS which i have read 3 times and now am listening to the audio tapes, is my fav book. his new book BRIDGE OF SIGHS which i have read twice, may be better and i shall order the cd s to hear it read.
It's a difficult question for me but here are my top picks:* The Pact - Jodi Picoult
*My Sister's Keeper - Jodi Picoult
*We Need to Talk about Kevin (can't remember author Lionel Shriver I believe)
*And the Band Played On (the story of the beginning of AIDS)
*Shake Hands With the Devil - Romeo Dallaire (story of the genoside in Rwanada.)
My favorite is probably:The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant
runner ups- Forever by Pete Hamill and Angels &Demons by Dan Brown
My favorite book "right now" is probably The Other Boleyn Girl because it awoke my passion for the Tudor Era.
Favorite Series: Stephen Kings Dark Tower Series and the Lytton Family trilogy by Penny Vincenzi.
SO SORRY I COULDNT NAME ONE... I am SO lame!
It's impossible for me to pick one favorite. I have so many favorite books. lol-The Bearded Lady by Sharlee Dieguez
-How I Left The Great State of TN & Went On To Better Things by Joe Jackson
-Red Dragon by Thomas Harris
-The Body Farm by Patricia Cornwell
-Stephanie Plum Series by Janet Evanovich
-Mad Girls In Love by Michael Lee West
-Crazy Ladies by Michael Lee West
-Queen of Mimosa Branch by Haywood Smith
-The Red Hat Club by Haywood Smith
-Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane
Those are a few of my favorites off the top of my head. There are many others.
my favorite book has changed over the years. years ago,20+,it was PRINCE OF TIDES..or all things bY pat conroy. he doesn t write enough books. then there was john irving s CIDER HOUSE RULES. i have read most of his books and concede that he his characters and stories at times are quite weird. i will read WATER FOR ELEPHANTS for our book club and wonder if it is like his SON OF THE CIRCUS. my ravorite book,writer now, by far is richard russo- first there was EMPIRE FALLS,and now there is, to top even that pp winner, in my opinion,THE BRIDGE OF SIGHS. i have read,loved, and enjoyed all of richard russo s books. i look forward to his next book which he has stated will take the characters from NOBODY S FOOL and write a new novel about them. to prepare for this reading, i will read NOBODY S FOOL for the 3rd time. you may remember that paul newman played the main character in that movie and he also played the funny grandfather in hbo s version of EMPIRE FALLS.
Marge - that's one of my faves, too. I love Jane Austen!
Kindred by Octavia Butler. It's about a black woman from the 70s that keeps getting pulled back in time to the late 1800s (when slavery was still very relevant) to save a little that will grow up to be her great great great relative. It was very engaging, very real and I loved it as a teen. I found it again as I was packing and read it again and loved it even more. Very original idea and this remains one of my favs to this day.
BOOK-A-HOLICS
Books mentioned in this topic
The Pillars of the Earth (other topics)The Road (other topics)
A Woman of Substance (other topics)
Gone with the Wind (other topics)
Water for Elephants (other topics)
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