Five Favorite Books

[sunvalleylaw]

Facebook had another top 5 thing going on and I saw that one of our other fretters had answered it. So I did too. These are the ones I listed off the top of my head.

The Lord of the Rings, Tolkien
To Kill a Mockingbird, Lee
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Kesey
The Martian Chronicles, Bradbury, and
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Twain/Clemens

I am enjoying the Dark Tower series, but I am not ready to say it supplants one of the above yet. What are your five? :)

[R_of_G]

Good thread Steve. I will limit myself to one each from Tolkien and King.

The Hero With a Thousand Faces - Joseph Campbell
The Silmarillion, J.R.R. Tolkien
It - Stephen King
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
Sirens of Titan - Kurt Vonnegut

[Rocket]

"The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge", "A Separate Reality", "Journey to Ixtlan", et al. - by Carlos Casteneda
Colossus Trilogy ["Colossus: The Forbin Project", "The Fall of Colossus", "Colossus and the Crab"] - by D.F. Jones
"Shadowland" - by Peter Straub

http://www.thefret.net/showpost.php?p=94663&postcount=37

[Suhnton]

"The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge", "A Separate Reality", "Journey to Ixtlan", et al. - by Carlos Casteneda
Colossus Trilogy ["Colossus: The Forbin Project", "The Fall of Colossus", "Colossus and the Crab"] - by D.F. Jones
"Shadowland" - by Peter Straub


I might have to check those out, they look good.

Of the books I've read in the last few years:

Guns, Germs and Steel / The Third Chimpanzee - Jared Diamond
Wild Swans - Jung Chang
In Cold Blood - Truman Capote
Short Stories - Shiga Naoya
Moomin series books (Japanese translated version) - Tove Jansson
The Moomin novels are essentially for kids, but they're highly imaginative, a good read.

[mechanic]

1 Hop on pop
2 Green eggs and ham
3 Cat in the hat
4 One fish two fish red fish blue fish
5 There's a wocket in my pocket

[Jimi75]

Too many books to choose the top 5 really. As I am going to work by train, I read - constantly!
Two outstanding books among the last two years were:

Il Gattopardo - Tomasi Di Lampedusa (I have read this in its original Italian version)

The year of living biblically - A.J. Jacobs - a fantastic adventure, a real story

The other topps change from time to time, such as Dan Brown's and Simon Beckett's novels.

[Geraint Jones]

I read a lot and try to balance the pulp with the more intellectually stimulating to slow down my brain turning to mush .

Catch 22 by Joeseph Heller
Foucault`s Pendulum by Umberto Eco
The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William Shirer
The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald
Hitler My Part In His Downfall by Spike Milligan.

Maybe you should start a thread on books you`ve read but failed to understand and finish .

[bigG]

There are too many to list a Top 5, but my all-time favorite is a short read called:

Illusions, by Richard Bach

If you haven't read it, I highly suggest it. I've never read another book like it. Might be life changing - will certainly open up a new way of looking at life. :AOK:

[Childbride]

i simply can't do that, i've read too much. i was a communications/journalism major, then an english lit major, before i went to law school.

same if you asked me my five favorite movies.

so i thought really hard and came up with some authors.

tolkien

stephen king [specifically lisey's story, the stand, the dark tower series, and the talisman, which was written with straub]

steinbeck... [grapes of wrath, of mice and men] [faulkner always gave me a headache]

c.s. lewis

the works of e e cummings... as a poet, he spoke to me. i know that's not a book, but i'm treating this topic openly. :)

[Steve206]

For me, and keeping in mind that these were major books in subtle ways, that ended up teaching me things about life and myself.

Atlas Shrugged- Ayn Rand

Shogun - James Clavel

In his own write - John Lennon

Cities in Flight - James Blish

Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance,,,,,

Steve

[sunvalleylaw]

Good ones Steve! Ok folks, keep 'em coming. They don't have to be strictly all time favorites or anything, just 5 you really like. Seems a good way to get some good summer reading ideas.

[Ro3b]

Here's some good stuff I've read in the last couple of years. I'll do a music-related list and a general one.

Faking It: The Quest for Authenticity in Popular Music by Hugh Barker and Yuval Taylor
Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground 1981-1991 by Michael Azerrad
Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk by Legs McNeil, Gillian McCain
Guitar: An American Life by Tim Brookes
Guitar Man: A Six-String Odyssey, or, You Love that Guitar More than You Love Me by Will Hodgkinson


Perdido Street Station by China Mieville
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
Heat: An Amateur's Adventures as Kitchen Slave, Line Cook, Pasta-Maker, and Apprentice to a Dante-Quoting Butcher in Tuscany by Bill Buford

[tot_Ou_tard]

"The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge", "A Separate Reality", "Journey to Ixtlan", et al. - by Carlos Casteneda

et al. ? Man, I stopped after the first three: great stories but I never did get my Jr Shaman badge.



Foucault`s Pendulum by Umberto Eco
Nice to see Eco on the list. Have you read The Island of the Day Before?

It's nothing like Foucault's Pendulum, but I think that it's a great book.



Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon
Kavalier & Clay is a great story. Are any of his others any good? I've only read this one.

I found Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell a fun read, but somehow forgettable.

[R_of_G]

Kavalier & Clay is a great story. Are any of his others any good? I've only read this one.

I read Chabon's The Yiddish Policeman's Union a couple of years ago and thought it was quite good.

[tot_Ou_tard]

I read Chabon's The Yiddish Policeman's Union a couple of years ago and thought it was quite good. Thankee sai.

[Ro3b]

+1. You might not think a detective story set in a Jewish exile community in Alaska would keep you up at night reading, but it definitely will.

[Geraint Jones]

Nice to see Eco on the list. Have you read The Island of the Day Before?

It's nothing like Foucault's Pendulum, but I think that it's a great book.

Thirteen years ago I took a year off work and went off on an extended holiday around Australia,NZ and a chunk of SE Asia , in my rucksack for the trip I packed The Island of the Day Before . I lugged that book around for the whole trip , now that should go on my list of failed to understand/finish , I did try but it was to much for me .I was too tight to throw the book away in fact its in my book case now as a reminder of my failure .

[sunvalleylaw]

I lugged "Anna Karenina" around on a senior year college vacation in the US Virgin Islands. I even used it as a pillow when we had to sleep in the FLA airport on a layover at the end of the trip because we did not save enough money for a hotel room. :D :rotflmao: I still have that copy, and though I was able to write an excellent paper that got me a good grade based on the lectures without even finishing the book, I will re-read it one of these days. The short story Master and Man remains my favorite Tolstoy, although I very much enjoyed all I learned from my study of, if not complete reading of, Anna Karenina
Thirteen years ago I took a year off work and went off on an extended holiday around Australia,NZ and a chunk of SE Asia , in my rucksack for the trip I packed The Island of the Day Before . I lugged that book around for the whole trip , now that should go on my list of failed to understand/finish , I did try but it was to much for me .I was too tight to throw the book away in fact its in my book case now as a reminder of my failure .

[aeolian]

I used to read much more. In the last 20 years or so, with a wife and kids I've really slacked off.

This is just a jumble of different things. Some were actually my favorites, although I've forgotten many of them over the years. Some I read fairly recently and so still remember that I enjoyed them.

Revenge of the Lawn - Richard Brautigan
- I must have read this short book more than 50 times from 1970 to 1990. But if you know this book you will know it is a very quick read

In a sunburned country - Bill Bryson
- Funny as hell and informative

Something like an autobiography - Akira Kurosawa
- I read it many years ago, and recently picked it off my bookshelf and read it again

[R_of_G]

+1. You might not think a detective story set in a Jewish exile community in Alaska would keep you up at night reading, but it definitely will.

I read a lot of books in audiobook format because I have chronic migraine issues and sometimes I can't physically read too much or it gives me terrible headaches, but I am too avid a reader to just not read. The audiobook for The Yiddish Policeman's Union was read by Peter Reigert (who many of you may know from his performance as Boone in Animal House). It was a great reading and really got me hooked on the story.

I finished it in two days and then later read it again in physical book form. Great story. I still haven't read any other of Chabon's books but there are a couple on my list to pick up at some point. If that book is indicative of his style, I think I'll enjoy the rest of his stuff as well.

As an American Jew myself, I found the concept of a Jewish exile community in Alaska fascinating. I first learned about the book listening to a Fresh Air interview with Chabon and it was that concept that made me check the book out.

Good to know other people liked it too.

Tot, looking forward to your thoughts if you wind up reading it. Long days and pleasant nights. :)

[tunghaichuan]

When I was in high school I took an AP (advanced placement) English class my senior year. I picked Dostoevsky for my presentation. I read Crime and Punishment, The Brothers Karamazov, The Idiot and a few of his short stories. The Brothers Karamazov was brutal: I divided the total number of pages in the book by the time that I had to read it and forced myself to read a set amount of pages per day. I never would have gotten through it had I not done this.

My all-time favorites are:

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle
The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle
The Battle Circle Trilogy by Piers Anthony
War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells
Many Waters by Madeline L'Engle

L'Engle is probably my favorite author. I've read just about every book of fiction she had written. I also have signed copies of the two aforementioned books.

I also really enjoyed the Golden Compass series by Philip Pullman and Breakfast with Buddha by Rolland Merullo.

tung



I lugged "Anna Karenina" around on a senior year college vacation in the US Virgin Islands. I even used it as a pillow when we had to sleep in the FLA airport on a layover at the end of the trip because we did not save enough money for a hotel room. :D :rotflmao: I still have that copy, and though I was able to write an excellent paper that got me a good grade based on the lectures without even finishing the book, I will re-read it one of these days. The short story Master and Man remains my favorite Tolstoy, although I very much enjoyed all I learned from my study of, if not complete reading of, Anna Karenina

[sunvalleylaw]

Tung, your list on Facebook was what prompted this thread. I enjoyed "A Wrinkle in Time" very much way back when, but forgot all about it. I will have to pull it from the library and re-read it. I never read "The War of the Worlds" but I bet it is good.

P.S. The same russian lit prof that was instructing us in Tolstoy also taught us about Dostoevsky. I agree, it was brutal. He was just too dark for me. Tolstoy was long winded, but I could get into the characters better.

[tunghaichuan]

A Wrinkle in Time is my favorite book. Its awkward adolescent characters really spoke to me, having been an awkward adolescent myself. It was the first YA (young adult) book. If you get a chance to re-read it, let me know what you think.

War of the Worlds is good too. Wells predicted many things that only occurred decades later: space travel and lasers for example. His other books are good too: The Invisible Man and The Time Machine.

Yes, those Russian authors are dark. And very long winded as well. :D

tung



Tung, your list on Facebook was what prompted this thread. I enjoyed "A Wrinkle in Time" very much way back when, but forgot all about it. I will have to pull it from the library and re-read it. I never read "The War of the Worlds" but I bet it is good.

P.S. The same russian lit prof that was instructing us in Tolstoy also taught us about Dostoevsky. I agree, it was brutal. He was just too dark for me. Tolstoy was long winded, but I could get into the characters better.

[sunvalleylaw]

I read both The Invisible Man and Time Machine around the time I read A Wrinkle in Time. I also felt a bit awkward during pre-adolescent and adolescent years, til I made peace with it and myself at about 16.5-17 so I know what you mean.

[R_of_G]

A Wrinkle in Time is my favorite book.

:AOK:
I loved that series of books. I already have a copy waiting for Ella.

Speaking of favorite childhood books, mine is The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster.

[tunghaichuan]

:AOK:
Speaking of favorite childhood books, mine is The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster.

Another one of mine. I re-read that when I was in my 20s, and it hadn't lost any of its magic.

tung

[R_of_G]

I re-read it pretty often as well and you're right, it's still as good as it ever was.

Did you ever see the film which was directed (in part) by Chuck Jones? It could have been better, but it's not bad. It stars Butch Patrick (Eddie Munster) as Milo. Incidentally, we named our cat Milo after the boy in the book. :D

[tunghaichuan]

I didn't know there was a film, thanks for the heads up. :AOK:

tung



I re-read it pretty often as well and you're right, it's still as good as it ever was.

Did you ever see the film which was directed (in part) by Chuck Jones? It could have been better, but it's not bad. It stars Butch Patrick (Eddie Munster) as Milo. Incidentally, we named our cat Milo after the boy in the book. :D

[R_of_G]

It's only available on VHS but some people still have VCR's, right?

They actually aired it a few weeks ago on Turner Classic Movies so I was able to record it to my DVR.

[red]

"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" - Douglas Adams
"Slaughterhouse 5" - Kurt Vonnegut
"Heavy Weather" - P.G. Wodehouse
"Ishmael" - Daniel Quinn
"Post Office" - Charles Bukowski

I'm going to regret this list a bit later when I think of other stuff that deserves more to be up there.

[Spudman]

"Ishmael" - Daniel Quinn


That is one that I've read. Certainly interesting and thought provoking.

[Childbride]

When I was in high school I took an AP (advanced placement) English class my senior year. I picked Dostoevsky for my presentation. I read Crime and Punishment, The Brothers Karamazov, The Idiot and a few of his short stories. The Brothers Karamazov was brutal: I divided the total number of pages in the book by the time that I had to read it and forced myself to read a set amount of pages per day. I never would have gotten through it had I not done this.

My all-time favorites are:

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle
The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle
The Battle Circle Trilogy by Piers Anthony
War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells
Many Waters by Madeline L'Engle

L'Engle is probably my favorite author. I've read just about every book of fiction she had written. I also have signed copies of the two aforementioned books.

I also really enjoyed the Golden Compass series by Philip Pullman and Breakfast with Buddha by Rolland Merullo.

tung

ooohhh, forgot about l'engle. delightful writer. love her work.

[tot_Ou_tard]

Thirteen years ago I took a year off work and went off on an extended holiday around Australia,NZ and a chunk of SE Asia , in my rucksack for the trip I packed The Island of the Day Before . I lugged that book around for the whole trip , now that should go on my list of failed to understand/finish , I did try but it was to much for me .I was too tight to throw the book away in fact its in my book case now as a reminder of my failure .
My wife's feeling exactly & in fact I don't think that I have ever successfully convinced anyone that it is a great story.

Many people think that Foucault's Pendulum is hard to follow with its labyrinthine plotline weaving together secret histories. the Island of the Day Before is an altogether different kind of confusion. The pace is laconic, the action nonexistent, but there is a heightened sense of something but it is not clear what that something might be. It is the interior, adrift, & delusional "antipode" to Foucault's fast-paced, conspiritorial & esoteric thriller.

For some reason the Island of the Day Before sat perfectly with me. I loved it.

I've never read Baudolino nor The Myserious Flame of Queen Leona. Although I did check both out of the library & started them.

[tot_Ou_tard]

ooohhh, forgot about l'engle. delightful writer. love her work.
Me too. Well at least Wrinkle in Time as that is all that I have read by her.

[red]

Right.

"Dharma Bums" - Jack Kerouac
"The Old Man and the Sea" - Ernest Hemingway

Told you I'd be back :).

[tot_Ou_tard]

Sirens of Titan - Kurt Vonnegut
You mean Kilgore Trout do you not. :D

I've read nearly every Vonnegut book. He's one of the all time bests!

I'm particularly fond of Breakfast of Champions as that was the first one that I read as a young teen. Hooked me right away.

I will read anything by Tom Robbins.


Another Roadside Attraction (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Another_Roadside_Attraction) (1971 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1971_in_literature))
Even Cowgirls Get the Blues (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Even_Cowgirls_Get_the_Blues_%28book%29) (1976 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1976_in_literature))
Still Life with Woodpecker (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Still_Life_with_Woodpecker) (1980 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1980_in_literature))
Jitterbug Perfume (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jitterbug_Perfume) (1984 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1984_in_literature))
Skinny Legs and All (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skinny_Legs_and_All_%28novel%29) (1990 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1990_in_literature))
Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Half_Asleep_in_Frog_Pajamas) (1994 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1994_in_literature))
Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fierce_Invalids_Home_from_Hot_Climates) (2000 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2000_in_literature))
Villa Incognito (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villa_Incognito) (2003 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_in_literature))
Wild Ducks Flying Backward (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_Ducks_Flying_Backward) (2005 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005_in_literature)) — a collection of non-fiction essays, reviews, and short stories.
B Is for Beer (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=B_Is_for_Beer&action=edit&redlink=1) (2009 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_in_literature)) ISBN 0061687278 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0061687278)I just looked up his bibliography & noticed that I didn't know about the last two.

[red]

You mean Kilgore Trout do you not. :D
Yes, sorry for the confusion :).

Well, since you've read everything mr. Vonnegut wrote (and so did I), I'll try to get a Tom Robbins book. A fellow Vonnegut fan can't be wrong :).

[tot_Ou_tard]

Yes, sorry for the confusion :).

Well, since you've read everything mr. Vonnegut wrote (and so did I), I'll try to get a Tom Robbins book. A fellow Vonnegut fan can't be wrong :).
Well Robbins is the euphoric antipode (to again borrow that phrase from the Island of the Day Before) to Vonnegut's biting wit.

Different beasts altogether.

[red]

Well Robbins is the euphoric antipode (to again borrow that phrase from the Island of the Day Before) to Vonnegut's biting wit.

Different beasts altogether.
I didn't really expect them to be the same, I just meant that it's a noteworthy recommendation coming from somebody who really appreciates Vonnegut. I'm a bit out of leads as to what to read next actually, and I take your suggestion as a bit of good luck about that. I've looked up Tom Robbins on Wikipedia and it looks like something I might enjoy.

Cheers!

[tot_Ou_tard]

W

I also really enjoyed the Golden Compass series by Philip Pullman and Breakfast with Buddha by Rolland Merullo.

tung
Yes, O yes! on the His Dark Materials trilogy (ie Golden Compass etc).

That series is fantastic.

Never heard of Breakfast with Buddha, but I may have to get me to a library or a bookstore & check it out.

[tot_Ou_tard]

I didn't really expect them to be the same, I just meant that it's a noteworthy recommendation coming from somebody who really appreciates Vonnegut. I'm a bit out of leads as to what to read next actually, and I take your suggestion as a bit of good luck about that. I've looked up Tom Robbins on Wikipedia and it looks like something I might enjoy.

Cheers!
Cool Beans!

[tunghaichuan]

Yes, O yes! on the His Dark Materials trilogy (ie Golden Compass etc).

That series is fantastic.


Skip the movie that just came out a while back, it really sucks. Not like the book at all. I can't really discuss the books any further as they are religious-themed.



Never heard of Breakfast with Buddha, but I may have to get me to a library or a bookstore & check it out.

Interesting book, it kind of falls down at the end, but overall an enjoyable read.

tung

[tot_Ou_tard]

I re-read it pretty often as well and you're right, it's still as good as it ever was.

Did you ever see the film which was directed (in part) by Chuck Jones? It could have been better, but it's not bad. It stars Butch Patrick (Eddie Munster) as Milo. Incidentally, we named our cat Milo after the boy in the book. :D
Yup, I've seen that film many times.

These are the films my kids grew up on:

The Phantom Tollbooth
The Yellow Submarine
The Point
The pilot for the 1960s Batman TV show.
The Adventures of Mark Twain (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Adventures_of_Mark_Twain_(1985_film))

[tot_Ou_tard]

I can't really discuss the books any further as they are religious-themed.


Yup.