Favorite books

jbarter · Post by **jbarter** » Mon Oct 11, 2004 7:09 am

I just looked through the shelves and realised the books I've read the most times are 'Larkrise To Candleford', 'Green Rushes' (now normally published under the title 'The Quiet Man'), 'Last Night's Fun' and all my Jerome K Jerome books.
BTW has nobody recently read 'The Star of the Sea'? I recommend it highly .

chas · Post by **chas** » Mon Oct 11, 2004 8:57 am

happyturkeyman wrote:. . .
Ender's Game and Enders Shadow by Orson Scott Card.
. . .

I probably forgot something.

I most definitely forgot those two. I also really liked Shadow of the Hegemon.

I also forgot kids' books. One fish two fish red fish blue fish is my absolute fav by Dr Seuss. I also like the Lorax and Dr Seuss's ABC's.

written or co-written by Maurice Sendak are the Little Bear stories and Where the wild things are

Staying at someone's house, she had a book called Stella Luna that is absolutely wonderful. It's about a fruit bat who's raised by birds. Lovely story and lovely illustrations.

Jack · Post by **Jack** » Mon Oct 11, 2004 9:01 am

chas wrote:
I also forgot kids' books. One fish two fish red fish blue fish is my absolute fav by Dr Seuss. I also like the Lorax and Dr Seuss's ABC's.

written or co-written by Maurice Sendak are the Little Bear stories and Where the wild things are

Staying at someone's house, she had a book called Stella Luna that is absolutely wonderful. It's about a fruit bat who's raised by birds. Lovely story and lovely illustrations.

Oh! I love One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish. I have read that book (to kids and to myself!) at least a hundred times. Have you ever read another Seuss book, The Butter Battle Book? It's absolutely precious. I love it.

chas · Post by **chas** » Mon Oct 11, 2004 9:04 am

dwinterfield wrote: Good crime fiction is character driven. . .

I'd say that's true of all genres of fiction.

caniadafallon · Post by **caniadafallon** » Mon Oct 11, 2004 9:20 am

Ah, books... my ever-faithful companions! I honestly don't know what I'd do if someone took all my books away.

Some of my long-term faves:

Jane Eyre
Wuthering Heights
Pride and Prejudice
Sense and Sensibility
Anna Karenina

Fantasy Fiction:

Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series
all of the Harry Potter books
Anne McCaffrey's Dragons of Pern series
Terry Brooks' Shannara series

These are just a few out of many. I also love reading Celtic Mythology books and faery tales from around the world, in addition to all my spirituality and healing books. Right now I'm reading Alchemical Psychology, by Thom Cavalli, Music and Sound in the Healing Arts, by John Beaulieu, The Celts, by Jean Markale, Music, the Brain, and Ecstasy, by Robert Jourdain, and The Mabinogi and Other Welsh Medieval Tales, by Patrick K. Ford.

Best,
Ad

dwinterfield · Post by **dwinterfield** » Mon Oct 11, 2004 10:36 am

chas wrote:
dwinterfield wrote: Good crime fiction is character driven. . .
I'd say that's true of all genres of fiction.

I'm not sure I agree. Lots of crime fiction is plot driven. In the crime group, police procedurals are less concerned with character than how cops (or lawyers or crime scene techs) do things. There seem to be some romance writers moving to mysteries. I'm not sure a 5 page description of the anatomy of the cop's girl friend/soulmate and her perspiration patterns offers much character development. There are many writers whose pure talent with language seems to be their driving force. Others focus on history or politics. I'm not being judgemental here. There are good bad and great books in all catagories. Some of each kind are built around character others aren't. It's a good thing people have different tastes.

brianormond · Post by **brianormond** » Tue Oct 12, 2004 8:59 pm

To confirm the good judgement of previous posters: "In A Sunburned Country" by Bill Bryson-A Yank's take on Australia. My mother sent a copy to my girlfriend and we had a constant tug-of-war over it. Bryson could be an ambassador if he would only lower himself.

-also: Mark Helprin's "Winter's Tale", a story of an Irish burglar, gangs in the Five Points, cooking, railroads, metalwork, engineering, a horse, snow, etymology, journalism, courage, love & sacrifice. I found a dog-eared copy in Seattle's "Half-Price Bookstore" for fifty cents hours before starting a three-day train trip from Seattle to Detroit. It really improved the trip. I've
seen this book described as "...wildly inventive..", and its true.

-Will Durant's "Our Oriental Heritage", part of his and Ariel Durant's compendium of world history. I like this one best as it details the cultural cross-fertilization of ancient cultures in the near and middle east coherently. Invaluable for those of us without a "classical" education.

-Erskine Childer's "The Riddle of the Sands", a good World War I-era spy thriller on the North Sea.
Childer's own story was dramatic as well, and he was executed in 1922 for carrying a gun given him by Michael Collins:
http://www.irish-society.org/Hedgemaste ... _-_pt1.htm
http://www.irish-society.org/Hedgemaste ... ilders.htm

-Patrick O"Brian's serial Aubrey/Maturin series- holds up well to repeat readings.

-Jorge Amado's "Home is the Sailor"-a langorous tale of a genial upper-crust Brazilian layabout called upon in a crisis to perform the role he is purportedly qualified for, that of a sea captain.

Jack · Post by **Jack** » Tue Oct 12, 2004 9:07 pm

The only book of Bryson's that I have read is Mother Tongue, about the English language, and there were more than a few factual errors in it. I assumed that he wrote about languages, but it looks like he just writes about anything he chooses, which would explain the errors.

FJohnSharp · Post by **FJohnSharp** » Tue Oct 12, 2004 10:11 pm

I'm on a short story binge right now, reading lit mags like Night Train and Tin House; the weekly New Yorker fiction; and I'm going through the Best American Short Stories anthologies for ones I missed.

I'm also reading young adult lit, because I'm writing a YA book and I'm trying to immerse myself in the form.

Last Book I read was House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III. Oh, I read Mitch Albom's The Five People You Meet in Heaven too.

For those of you who like short fiction, Night Train magazine is a terrific journal, whose stories are literary but accessible. I highly recommend tracking it down. A list of stores is available here

www.nighttrainmagazine.com

Jennie · Post by **Jennie** » Wed Oct 13, 2004 5:46 pm

The All of It by Jeannette Haien is my favorite novel. It is simply a good story, told with compassion and humor. It challenges lots of judgements made by many of us, and conveys hope. It's also written in dialect, which makes it fun.

I never used to read non-fiction, until I married Vince. Now I can add some good biographies and field journals to my list of favorites, too.

Otherwise I'm immersed in early Spanish ballads at the moment. If I read too much in English I start feeling guilty.

Jennie

scottielvr · Post by **scottielvr** » Wed Oct 13, 2004 6:42 pm

I loved James Morrow's The Wine of Violence some years back. I've been wondering if I should break down and buy his Godhead trilogy; have any of you sf readers read that? My beastly local library does not have such a heretical work, of course. It sounds marvelous.

PhilO · Post by **PhilO** » Wed Oct 13, 2004 7:30 pm

How could I forget, Jonathan Lethem's Motherless Brooklyn.
He's written some out there stuff, like [/i]Gun With Occasional Music, a futuristic detective story with a talking kangaroo, for example, that I actually enjoyed; but Motherless Brooklyn is a modern masterpiece - the inner workings of a mind of an orphan criminal turned detective with a heart and tourette syndrome. The contrast between the speech and the active intelligent mind lurking behind it is unforgettable.

Philo

gonzo914 · Post by **gonzo914** » Wed Oct 13, 2004 8:16 pm

The Little Engine That Could -- I always cry when she get those "good thing for boys and girls" over the hill.

Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel -- An allegory for life: Work long and hard and be rewarded by a substandard minimum wage job.

Candy -- Much more fun than Candide

The Serge Storms chronicles by Tim Dorsey (Florida Roadkill, Hammerhead Ranch Motel, Stingray Shuffle, Orange Crush, Triggerfish Twist) -- see the Serge Storms Florida Experience here -- http://www.timdorsey.com/

Corporate Ethics for Dummies by George Bush (with Ken Lay). No, wait. That hasn't been released yet.

Darwin · Post by **Darwin** » Wed Oct 13, 2004 8:19 pm

gonzo914 wrote:Candy -- Much more fun than Candide

Makes me think of the Byrds doing Child of the Universe--one of my all-time favorites.

lonewhistler · Post by **lonewhistler** » Thu Oct 14, 2004 11:03 am

...I should have "Chronicles: Vol.1" in my grimey little hands by this weekend. I. Can't. Wait. Viva Bob!!