what was the best book you ever read?

[feartheflames]

is ordering books of ebay a good idea?

[Flames09]

Originally Posted by feartheflames

is ordering books of ebay a good idea?

Just like everything the sellers feedback is the most important.

[Hakan]

Best book you've ever read is a bit of a tall order. It's hard to rank books.

Books that I've really enjoyed:

Anna Karenin - Tolstoy

Crime and Punishment - Dostoevsky (did a couple russian lit courses and loved them)

Metamorphosis - Kafka

Midnight's Children - Rushdie

The Eternal Lightness of Being - Kundera

God of Small Things - Roy

As I Lay Dying - Faulkner

What can I say, I love tragedies.


Non-Fiction

Shakey (Neil Young biography but just an excellent all around expose of the 70s rock'n'roll era)

Please Kill Me (similar to shakey except focuses on the 70s punk scene)

[Flames09]

MUST READ!!!!

Vengeance - George Jonas

[burnin_vernon]

"The Dirt" - story of Motley Crue.

Absolutely hilarious and shocking; it doesn't leave out any detail of living the rockstar lifestyle. But it is also very touching, and you see that, underneath it all, these are 4 very sad guys with some serious demons. I found myself laughing in one chapter, and then in tears in another. When Vince talks about his daughter...get the kleenex ready.

Very explicit, though. Definitely R-rated

[FanIn80]

A Prayer for Owen Meany - John Irving

[icecube]

Originally Posted by burnin_vernon

"The Dirt" - story of Motley Crue.

Absolutely hilarious and shocking; it doesn't leave out any detail of living the rockstar lifestyle. But it is also very touching, and you see that, underneath it all, these are 4 very sad guys with some serious demons. I found myself laughing in one chapter, and then in tears in another. When Vince talks about his daughter...get the kleenex ready.

Very explicit, though. Definitely R-rated

I'll second that. Also my favourite book of all time.

[jammies]

Anything by Iain Banks, either his sci-fi or mainstream novels.

Helprin's "A Soldier in the Great War"; there are passages of sublime intensity throughout.

Thomas Hardy's "Tess of the D'Urbervilles", which I read in high school and first introduced me to the idea that there was more out there than hack sci-fi/fantasy (not that I still don't read that, mind you).

Bret Easton Ellis' "Less than Zero", "American Psycho". Both movies made from the books weren't too bad, although the latter is the better.

My absolute favorite, though is still "Lord of the Rings" despite now being able to see some of the shortcomings of the book; however, when you've read it a dozen times before the age of fourteen and a couple dozen times since, you pretty well have to admit to yourself it is your favorite and is likely to remain so regardless.

[Berger_4_]

Blood Price...dammit i can't remember the author right now...its a book about Bosnia, and a computer programmer and whatnot...really good

War and Peace-Tolstoy...i'm about a third of the way through now, and its amazing that a book about nothing can be so interesting

Jeffery Archer's trilogy about his prison time...astounding read

its a little embarrassing, but i'm actually quite excited for the new harry potter book to come out...hate the movies though

Rainbow Six-Tom Clancy

[socalwingfan]

Johnny Got His Gun - Dalton Trumbo - should be required reading for anyone thinking of joining the military

[sadora]

Personally, it would be impossible to choose only one as a favorite so, here is my top five, in no particular order.

Cien Años de Soledad (One Hundred Years of Solitude)
On The Road
Dharma Bums
Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas
The Rum Diary (soon to be made into a movie starring...Johnny Depp)

[wpgflamesfan]

Originally Posted by burnin_vernon

"The Dirt" - story of Motley Crue.

Absolutely hilarious and shocking; it doesn't leave out any detail of living the rockstar lifestyle. But it is also very touching, and you see that, underneath it all, these are 4 very sad guys with some serious demons. I found myself laughing in one chapter, and then in tears in another. When Vince talks about his daughter...get the kleenex ready.

Very explicit, though. Definitely R-rated

I third that. Tommy Land by Tommy Lee is also pretty good but it just isn't on the same level as the dirt. BTW i herd they were making this book into a movie.

[Azure]

Originally Posted by socalwingfan

Johnny Got His Gun - Dalton Trumbo - should be required reading for anyone thinking of joining the military

Does that book have something to do with the band Metallica? I'm a little confused here....

[habernac]

Originally Posted by Azure

Does that book have something to do with the band Metallica? I'm a little confused here....

Metallica used clips of the movie for their video "One".

[burnin_vernon]

Originally Posted by wpgflamesfan

I third that. Tommy Land by Tommy Lee is also pretty good but it just isn't on the same level as the dirt. BTW i herd they were making this book into a movie.

I have heard that for some time now. I couldn't see it doing the book justice, but would still be interesting

[JackJack]

A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry

I thought since it was part of Oprah's Book club.....

No but really, one of the most touching books you will ever read that deals with the struggles of daily life and the tragic personal events of 1970's India.

[bigtmac19]

Originally Posted by HelloHockeyFans

Ooooh man, hard question.

My Life by Bill Clinton... Lucky Man by Michael J. Fox... I really like biographies.

Biographies are great, always one of my first choices at the library.

[peter12]

The Selfish Gene - Richard Dawkins
Finding Darwin's God - Kenneth Miller
Mere Christianity - C.S. Lewis
Ulysses - James Joyce

[bigtmac19]

Originally Posted by simmer2

I raided my mom's old books from University and absolutely loved most of them. I am a big fan of memoirs and biographies, as I feel you can learn so much from a person who has done something great (or not so great).

Alright, so here's my list:

1) Autobiography of Malcolm X: I was absolutely amazed at his ability to change as a person. His determination and resoluteness was astounding.

2) The Kite Runner (fiction): I got really emotional in this book, and that doesn't happen all the time.

3) Black Like Me by John Howard Griffith (Non-Fiction): One of the most radical social experiments done. Thought it was very touching.

4) Rainbow Six by Tom Clancy (Fiction): Odd one to put on this list but it was easily one of the most engulfing books I have ever read.

5) Fermat's Last Thereom (Math/History): I really enjoy these types of books. It provides some great insight into some of our world's most intelligent mathematicians.

6) The Zurich Axioms (Business): For anyone who is interested in business books, I think this is one of the best.

Just recently read The Kite Runner, really enjoyed it. His new book is recently out.

Re: James Clavel, read Whirlwind years ago, found it very hard to get into, but finally did and enjoyed it. He is heavy reading though.

Angela's Ashes was good as well.

Have read most of Ludlum and Grisham too.