Books

[beMMADfabulous]

What are your favorite books, apart from the Harry Potter series? I'm currently making myself an ever-lengthening list of books I'd like to read soon. ;D

I LOVE BOOKS! haha

[Isabelle]

Now this is my kind of topic!! ;D I seem to remember a favorite book thread started ages ago, but new, updated versions are always fun!

So because I’m a bit of a nerd, I love reading memoirs, biographies and books about history, but I also love, love historical fiction and fantasy! But I’m game to read just about anything save for sci-fi and horror.

Some of the books I am currently reading simultaneously include:

Fiction:
-The Historian: Elizabeth Kostova
-The Solitaire Mystery: Jostein Gaarder
-Halide’s Gift: Frances Kazan

Nonfiction:
-A Walk in the Woods: Bill Bryson (absolutely hilarious account of hiking the Appalachian Trail)
-Three Cups of Tea: Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin (an account of promoting peace and education in countries across the Middle East mostly for young girls)
-Guns, Germs and Steel: Jared Diamond (reading this one again!)
-Silent Spring: Rachel Carson (this one again, also!)

And the following list are some of the books and authors that I have come to adore and always leave me wishing I had such talent and an imaginative mind:

Fiction:
-Anything written by Philippa Gregory, especially “The Other Boleyn Girl” (It’s being made into a movie, which I’m excited about!)
-The Nancy Drew series
-Anything by Barbara Kingsolver, ‘The Poisonwood Bible’
-Icy Sparks: Gwyn Hyman Rubio
-Sophie’s World: Jostein Gaarder

Nonfiction:
-The Scent of God: Beryl Bissel Singleton (A memoir of a woman who was a Poor Clare nun who left her order after falling in love with a priest, whom she eventually married. It’s a sad story, but beautifully written).
-Angela’s Ashes, ‘Tis: Frank McCourt (both are memoirs of him growing in poverty in Limerick, Ireland and then when he moves to New York to start a new life)

I could go on and on as my list is never-ending, but I think I should stop where I’m at. (My post is already way too long!) These are only a small fraction of my favorites. I also love collecting old books. I am constantly scouring used bookstores. All right, I’m going to cut myself off now! Once I get started…well, there’s no stopping me! I just loooove books!!

[MinnieQuill]

Oh dear, books...

Fiction:
- 'The Book Thief' by Marcus Zusak. Absolutely brilliant and one of my absolute favourite books. Quite strange in concept, but it really draws you in and the characters are wonderful. I've used it in some of my stories (which you may or may not have read. I think it was 'Ruins' and 'Don't Need the Sunshine'.) Great stuff.
- "The Shadow of the Wind" by Carlos Ruiz Zafón. Also a wonderful read and the characters are agin wonderful. It contains three characters that are as wonderful as Minerva! (bloody brilliant in other words)
- 'Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil' by John Berendt. Fabulous read. Ignore the movie that was made with it, that is absolute shit, the book is brilliant.
- 'A Lesson Before Dying' by Ernest J. Gaines. Read only if you want to end up sobbing. I made that mistake. My parents thought I'd gone mad.
- 'Rebecca' by the great Daphne du Maurier. Who doesn't know the line 'Last night I dreamt I went to Manderly'? Brilliant. Wonderful. I adore it.
- 'Tess of the d’Urbervilles' by Thomas Hardy. Awesome, can at times sound 'lofty' but that's to be expected due to its age. Still brilliant.
- 'Wuthering Heights' by Emily Bronte. Who can't love it? World's most histrionic tale and yet it's so brilliant.
- 'The Woman in White' by Wilkie Collins. I was surprised to find that the scene where he sees 'the woman in white' was based on how he met his mistress. Pretty cool, eh? Brilliant.
- 'The Devil's Feather' and 'The Shape of Snakes' by Minette Walters. Both fantastic.
- 'Year of Wonders' by Geraldine Brooks. I couldn't put this down when I first got it. I've read it a few times now, and it just seems to get better.
- 'The Virgin of Small Plains' by Nancy Pickard. I was skeptical when Dad threw it at me (literally - bloody hurt when it hit my forehead), but it is one of my three favourite books of all time.
- 'We Were the Mulvaneys' by Joyce Carol Oates. I could not stop sobbing when I finished this. It is simply amazing, the description, characters, just wow.
- 'The Memory of Running' by Ron McLarty. Supposedly 'light and cheerful'. pfft. I cried.

Crime (I give it a section of its own)
- Ian Rankin's 'Rebus' series. If you've watched the series on television, then ignore it. Books are great
- Val McDermid's 'Tony Hill and Carol Jordan' series. I don't read her other stuff but the four titles with those two characters are great. ('The Mermaids Singing, Wire in the Blood, The Last Temptation and The Torment of Others.')
- 'The Godfather' by Mario Puzo. Not as good as the movies (surprisingly), but good in its own right. A tad wierd, and quite violent so if that's not your cup of tea don't go there.

Non-Fiction
- 'The White Mouse' by Nancy Wake. As fairly obvious by the title, this is the story of Nancy Wake, the Australian spy in France during the war. An amazing tale, it reads like a film script and you realise just how strong some people are. A brilliant, brilliant book.
- 'Not Another Bloody Love Letter' by Anthony Loyd. A biography of his life as a journalist and his struggle with a heroin addiction. Wonderful stuff.

I think I'll stop there or I'll end up reciting all the books in my house (we're packing them and thus thought 'hey, let's count them.' 1647. We were impressed with ourselves. ). Can you believe they're just the tip of the tip of the iceberg that is my favourites?

[Rachel]

I love books!
Fiction:Anything by Enid Blyton,I still love reading all of them!In particular Famous Five,Mystery Series,Adventure Series,Malory Towers and St Clare's.
Love Lessons, the Girls series,Lola Rose all by Jacqueline Wilson.
Georgia Nicolson diaries by Louise Rennison.
The Princess Diaries series and All American Girl 1&2 by Meg Cabot.
Les Misérables and The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo.
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.
The Babysitters Club series by Ann.M.Martin
The Demon Headmaster series by Gillian Cross.
Secrets by Danielle Steel.
Noughts and Crosses trilogy,Tell Me No Lies and Hacker by Malorie Blackman.
Goodnight Mr Tom by Michelle Magorian.
Paris by Emile Zola.

Non-fiction
Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder.
It's Not A Rehearsal:Amanda Barrie's Autobiography
Any books on the Tudors because I love that era.
Marie Antoinette:The Last Queen of France. My new favourite historical figure.

I have got to shut up or I may list every book I own.

[beMMADfabulous]

Isabelle, I'm adding "The Scent of God" by Beryl Bissel Singleton to my reading list. It sounds really good.

Let's see. I'll list a few I like...

"The Ultimate Gift" by Jim Stovall
"The Prince of Tides" by Pat Conroy (soo much better and more detailed than the movie!)
"The Notebook" by Nicholas Sparks
"The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald
"A Wrinkle in Time" by Madeleine L'Engle (and the others from the "Time" quintet as well, but AWiT is my favorite of them)
"The Penny" by Joyce Meyer and Deborah Bedford

I also love the short story "Lamb to the Slaughter" by Roald Dahl (and many other short stories), the play "Pygmalion" by George Bernard Shaw, "Macbeth" by William Shakespeare, and lots of other stuff.

I currently have "Jewel" by Bret Lott being sent to me (I ordered it online), and I own "True Believer" by Nicholas Sparks" and "The Five People You Meet in Heaven" by Mitch Albom, which I shall read after finishing my current read, "The Memory Keeper's Daughter" by Kim Edwards.

[The Anglophile]

Oooh. I have a stack about two feet high of books I want to read, including Middlemarch, which I'm reading on principle because I hate the movie, Great Expectations, Stiff, Flush: A Biography, and A Passage to India.

I have to say my top three favourite books of all time are A Room with a View, by E.M. Forster, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, by Muriel Spark, and Orlando, by Virginia Woolf. I'm also terribly fond of Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, by Susanna Clarke.

I love E.M. Forster. I've also read his books Maurice and Howards End, and I love those too. I just want to give him a hug.

[pinnacle]

Try and get your hands on anything by Neil Gaiman. He's not your typical fantasy author; I don't know what it is about his novels that are so amazing. I read Stardust first, which is a fairy tale without being simply or boringly written. (And it's now a movie coming out this August...) That's not to say all of his books are fairy tales, though. Definitely not. Neverwhere, anybody?

[beMMADfabulous]

Ooh yeah, I've been wanting to read "Stardust" by Neil Gaiman.

[pinnacle]

bemmadfabulous said:

Ooh yeah, I've been wanting to read "Stardust" by Neil Gaiman.

You must! It's a gorgeous book. Heh, I've never called a book gorgeous.

[Catwoman99]

I highly recommend "The Looking Glass Wars" by Frank Beddor. It's twist on Alice in Wonderland. Basically, Princess Alyss (Lewis Carroll spelled her name wrong!) is forced to leave Wonderland and enter our world after her evil Aunt Redd kills her family and takes over Wonderland. In our world, she meets Lewis Carroll and tells him her story, but when he publishes it, he gets it all wrong and turns it into a children's fairy tale, where the true story is much darker. The book is about how she is trying to get back to Wonderland. My favorite part is that the Mad Hatter is Alyss' bodyquard named Hatter Maddigan, who is loaded with weapons including a top hat that can transform into spinning knives.

Check it out: www.lookingglasswars.com

- April :-)

[StormAngel]

o.0. My fave topic!!

Let's see... I currently spend about $200 a month on books...

Fiction:

The inheritance series by Chris Paolini
"Sense and Sensibility" - Jane Austen
"The house" - Danielle Steel
"True Evil" - greg Illes
"Memories of Midnight" - Sidney Sheldon
"The secret of Moon castle" and the whole Secret series - Enid Blyton

Non-fiction : "Chemistry : The tenth edition"
"Principles Of Anatomy And Physiology: Gerard J. Tortora"
"The Genetic Code by Isaac Asimov"
and "The anvil Rings"

[Admiral Sun Wentai]

Let me see...

My bookself is crammed with school books, so it's very hard to say what my favorite book is...

I'm currently obsessed with the Artemis Fowl series, Chinese Kung Fu novels, history books and many more...

[QuillofMinerva]

Oh gosh, where does one start when it comes to saying favourite books?

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón.
Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier
Persuasion by Jane Austin
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespheare
Hannibal by Thomas Harris
The Lovely Bones by Alice Seabold
Anything by Karin Slaughter

[MinervaMcGonagall]

Life of Reilly by Rick Reilly
Bitter Harvest by Ann Rule
Death Row Encylopedia
Warriors Don't Cry by Melba Beals

[TabbyForever]

Ok I love forensic crime novels and Patricia Cornwell has to be the best around at the mo doing these, i've read all her Kay Scarpetta series, and while the latter books aren't quite as good as her earlier ones there still fantastic.

I've also read a couple of what can only be described as dark biology meets forensic science books by an author called Richard Preston; The Hot Zone is a fictional story set around the outbreak of Ebola outside Washington DC. The Cobra Event is a really chilling book about a new highly contagious virus thats designed with the plan of releasing it in New York and how this plan is discovered and stopped. Bother are a really good read and rather scary but worth it.

My fave book of all time though has to be The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, two words: Read It!!

Ok those are my few faves.

J. xx

[MinnieQuill]

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón.
Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier
Persuasion by Jane Austin
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespheare
Hannibal by Thomas Harris
The Lovely Bones by Alice Seabold
Anything by Karin Slaughter

Bloody hell, did you just come in a look at the ultimate shelf in my ultimate bookcase? All of the above titles are in there ... freaky.

Except for Karin Slaughter - I've gone off crime now except for the first three Patricia Cornwell books. 'Postmortem', 'Body of Evidence', and 'All That Remains' for anyone that is interested.

I'll re-recommend 'The Shadow of the Wind'. It gets better everytime you read it.

[KristaMarie]

I have two favorites that I really loved, despite having to read them for school:

A Farewell to Arms
To Kill a Mockingbird (the book is SO much better than the movie...)

[pinnacle]

kristamarie said:

I have two favorites that I really loved, despite having to read them for school:

A Farewell to Arms
To Kill a Mockingbird (the book is SO much better than the movie...)

Woooord. Two of my ultimate favorites.

[StormAngel]

I've updated my list...

Now the newest book on my favourites list is 'Angel Falls' - Nora Roberts..

[beMMADfabulous]

pinnacle said:

kristamarie said:

I have two favorites that I really loved, despite having to read them for school:

A Farewell to Arms
To Kill a Mockingbird (the book is SO much better than the movie...)

Woooord. Two of my ultimate favorites.

Yes, great books!!

I'm currently reading "Jewel" by Bret Lott, and it's excellent.

[ιady ταвz]

Jane Eyre- Charlotte Bronte
Pride and Prejudice- Jane Austen
The Crucible- Arthur Miller
To Kill a Mockingbird- Harper Lee
Nancy Drew Series- (i forgot)
Chronicles of Narnia- (i forgot again)

Just to name a few

[misshoneychurch88]

oh god, if I named all the books I love, we would be here for weeks A couple of my recently (re)read faves

Jane Eyre-Charlotte Bronte--She is simply one of he most wonderful characters
Sense and Sensibility-Jane Austen--Well all of hers are on my faves list
A Room With a View and Howards End-E M Forster-- so perfectly written, both of them are wonderful
The Good Soldier-For Madox Ford--I just read this for my Mod. Brit Fic class and loved it. very sad, but fantastic
The Once and Future King--I forgot who wrote it, but so fab
Anything by Roald Dahl and AA Milne. best childrens literature
Most Shakespeare, though I abhor Hamlet.
Mrs Dalloway-Virginia Woolf--the everyday little things can be so interesting
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, Waiting for Godot, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof--three of my favorite plays of all time
Edgar Allen Poe-The Pit and the Pendulum is my fav story and Annabell Lee is my fav poem
A Wrinkly in Time- Madeline L'Engle-- Smithi Pride!!

ok now non-fiction
Woodwards books, he writes non-fiction like a novelist
Anderson Cooper's book--such a facinating read, rather deoressing, but he's an excellent writer and was on the ground in war zones, in the wake of the tsunami and in New Orleans. THe descriptions are horrifying
Lies and hte Lying Liars Who Tell Them, Al Franken-- I laugh my ass off every time I read even just a chapter
oh and more Smithie love to Gloria Steinem and Betty Friedan for most of the things they wrote, and generally setting off modern feminism

own, random category
Edward Gorey. He's an author, poet and illustrator who inspired Tim Burton somewhat(that or they have the same brain). Very macabre, but great

There are many more, but I either didn't read them recently, or they werent on my bookshelf in this room I'll update when I have more(and maybe someday I'll read some modern fiction, gasp!)

[Aribeth]

Oh my don't get me started!

-The Clique series
-Rules
-Song of the Sparrow
-Lord of the Rings series
-The Hobbit
-Nancy Drew series
-Number the Stars
-Island of the Blue Dolphins
-Christmas Carol
-Holes
-Narnia series
-Pride and Prejudice
-Stardust
-On my Honor
-Emily Dickinson
-Shakespeare
-Huckleberry fin
-any physics book
-any history book
-Code Orange
-Inkspell&Inkheart
-grammar books
-Spelling Bee Books
-a lot of poetry
-How to win Friends and Influence People
-A Wrinkle in Time
-Things Hoped For
-Little House books
-Dungeon Master's guide
-Monster Manual
-Player's Handbook
-Confessions of a Part Time Sorcerer
-Guide to NWN
-Similarion
-Dragonanicon
-Each little bird that sings
-Little Women
-Moby Dick

[Aribeth]

aribeth said:

Oh my don't get me started!

-The Clique series
-Rules
-Song of the Sparrow
-Lord of the Rings series
-The Hobbit
-Nancy Drew series
-Number the Stars
-Island of the Blue Dolphins
-Christmas Carol
-Holes
-Narnia series
-Pride and Prejudice
-Stardust
-On my Honor
-Emily Dickinson
-Shakespeare
-Huckleberry fin
-any physics book
-any history book
-Code Orange
-Inkspell&Inkheart
-grammar books
-Spelling Bee Books
-a lot of poetry
-How to win Friends and Influence People
-A Wrinkle in Time
-Things Hoped For
-Little House books
-Dungeon Master's guide
-Monster Manual
-Player's Handbook
-Confessions of a Part Time Sorcerer
-Guide to NWN
-Similarion
-Dragonanicon
-Each little bird that sings
-Little Women
-Moby Dick

Oh there's more but if I list more I'd be missing Soccer,Softball,Fencing,Golf and I'm still going to be here for weeks listing all of the sports I play O.K. if I list more books I'll miss school!

[tabbyminerva]

Just to name some...
Fiction
Wicked-Gregory MacGuire
Twilght series-Steohenie Meyer
anything Stephen King
The Quickie- James Patterson
Nancy Drew series
Non fiction
anything about Greek or Roman history