Books

[Atomic Boo]

I guess this is a difficult sort of thread and very general. there are so many genres and reading levels around.

Feel free to post anything you like about books being something like favourite book/ what genres you like, recent collection or why you dont like them!

 

Seeing as im 13 i dont read giant novels, but ive read all the harry potters and Alex rider books if youve heard of them. Im also on the last book of the Lion Boy trilogy.

I reckon my favourite book is Holes, by louis sachar. amazing

 

but the book i have most respect for is 'the war of the worlds'. if you think about it, for its time it was groundbreaking because giant tripods and lazer beams from mars was never speculated in its time and now its just become standard. So well done to H.G Wells for that.

[Charlie]

My favourite book is 'The Pillars of the Earth' by Ken Follett. It's about a builder who's dream is to build a Cathedral.....

 

All Ken Follett's books are really good and easy to get into. You should try reading 'Code to Zero' by him, that was the first one I read, my sisters just read it and she loved it too, she's only a year older than you....

[Athriller]

My favourite book is 'The Immoralist' by Andre Gide. Quick synopsis:

 

'Superb novel by modern French master deals with the consequences of amoral hedonism. It is the story of Michel, who tries to rise above good and evil and give free rein to his passions. In so doing, he neglects his wife, with tragic consequences'

 

And a nice amazon review:

 

The Immoralist is straightforward in language and easy to read, but more complicated, more complex are its themes: Man's sense of morality towards society, family, himself. What happens when man's values conflict with those of society's? Whose interests should be served? Gide explores these themes through one man's odyssey of self-discovery. The protagonist is the learned and conflicted Michel who yearns for something more than the stable, predictable, familiar life he has always known, but no longer finds tolerable. It is after a life-threatening bout of tuberculosis that these feelings rise to the surface, intensify, and are more keenly felt.

 

This hunger, still unidentified, takes him on a journey, both literal and figurative, where his search for self-awareness, or self-truth, carries him to distant and exotic locales. New experiences and mysterious encounters give way to a new aestheticism in which weakness, constraint, and life's banalities play no role. Heightened senses, unsuppressed impulses erode age-old human values that were once accepted blindly.

 

A life less checked, though, can have consequences, as is the case for Michel, and for so many others like him. As Michel becomes stronger, his wife becomes weaker. Indeed, society becomes weaker. How can the newly strong fail to quash the weak in their path? The question one must ask, then, and Gide does, is whether a life without restraint has value. Is there something admirable in the old adage, "To thine own self be true"?

 

One of the novel's most inspired moments is found in its ending. Without giving anything away, it is the last passage, after the reader has come full-circle, where Michel's journey seemingly ends. Will Michel embrace his new truth? The reader is left to wonder. The Immoralist is told in narrative, in Michel's own voice. It is self-confessional literature at its highest, and should be read by anyone who reads to think and be moved.

 

And it gave birth to one of my favourite quotes of all:

 

"Every moment should take away with it every thing it brings.â€"

 

Currently reading 'On Liberty' be ye olde John Stuart Mill.

[MindFreak]

Harry Potter are among my favourites.. as are the Artemis Fowl-books and especially the Northern Lights-books by Philip Pulman.. those books are great.. truly amazing works..

 

I usually read fantasy, as this genre.. well.. I dunno.. the mysterious worlds just call for me, you know? You just captivate me.. if written in a decent way..

 

Also, the Broken Sky-series by Chris Wooding is actually pretty good.. written in a manga-sort of way..

 

Erm.. I think that was it..

[EchoDesiato]

The hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy series, and the Dirk Gently series, anything by Douglas Adams really. I also read the book that is very popular at the moment: Dan Brown's The Da Vinci code. It's really good and I plan to read more Dan Brown.

[Monopolyman]

My all time favourite is 'The Catcher in the Rye' by J.D. Salinger.

 

I'm not a great man for literature myself, but this book had a hold on me (and many others) by the strength of the main character who spirals down into a mental breakdown. I won't go into detail, but it's a good read

 

I'm also interested in this book called 'The Scarlet Letter' by Nathanial Hawthorne I'm reading in English, about this woman who had an affair, and is punished for it by a hypocritical puritan soceity.

 

Oh yeah, and the Bible aswell

[Arragaun]

I'm gonna vouch for virtually all the books that have thus far been mentioned; Harry Potter and Philip Pullman expecially (I really loved the Dark Materials when I was younger). I also reccommend the Hitchiker's Guide, I think that everyone new to sci-fi should start by reading these, just to lighten things up.

 

At the moment I'm reading mainly sci-fi and I've got these on the go:

 

-Eternity by Greg Bear (I also reccommend the precursor; Eon.)

-The Algebraist by Iain M. Banks (not read any of his other books, but this one is certainly refreshingly British sci-fi. If you read it, imagine a Dweller being voiced by Hugh Laurie.)

-Rise of a Merchant Prince by Raymond E. Feist (I read this guy's Rift War series and Serpent War saga and liked them at the time, though now I think they're a bit dated next to the following...)

-The Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson (I simply cannot reccommend this series enough, they're fantasy, but encompass so much more that has to do with our own reality as well. Real brilliance in writing.)

-Tom Sharpe has written some rather entertaining novels, namely Wilt and Riotous Assembly, both of which come in a box set which is probably available from Waterstones or Amazon though at the moment I cannot find a link...)

-Night's Dawn Trilogy by Peter F. Hamilton (These are ace, Hamilton's got some really cool ideas regarding science-fiction and he implements them very well in these books. I'd also advise Pandora's Star and its sequel Judas Unchained which are also very good, though I didn't enjoy them as much as Night's Dawn...)

 

So, that's my book dissertation. Hope someone at least knows what I'm on about...

[EEVILMURRAY]

Wilbur Smith - River God. Slam in the synopsis remix,

 

Ancient Egypt. Land of the Pharaohs. A kingdom built on gold.

A legend shattered by greed...

 

Now the Valley of the Kings lies ravaged by war, drained of its lifeblood, as weak men inherit the cherished crown.

 

City of Thebes. The Festival of Osiris.

 

Loyal subjects of the Pharaoh gather to pay homage to their leader, but Taita - a wise and formidably gifted eunuch slave - sees him only as a symbol of a kingdom's fading glory. Beside Taita stand his protégés: Lostris, daughter of Lord Intef, beautiful beyond her fourteen years; and Tanus, proud young army officer, whose father was betrayed by Lord Intef, Chief Vizier of Egypt whose power is second in wealth only to the Pharaoh. Tanus and Lostris are deeply in love, but unbeknown to them, their union is impossibility. Taita is the slave of Lord Intef. It was Intef who had Taita castrated as a young boy after he found that he had slept with a young slave girl. Together Taita, Lostris and Tanus share a dream -- to restore the majesty of the Pharaoh of Pharaohs on the glittering banks of the Nile.

[Charlie]

Wilbur Smith - River God. Slam in the synopsis remix,

 

Ancient Egypt. Land of the Pharaohs. A kingdom built on gold.

A legend shattered by greed...

 

Now the Valley of the Kings lies ravaged by war, drained of its lifeblood, as weak men inherit the cherished crown.

 

City of Thebes. The Festival of Osiris.

 

Loyal subjects of the Pharaoh gather to pay homage to their leader, but Taita - a wise and formidably gifted eunuch slave - sees him only as a symbol of a kingdom's fading glory. Beside Taita stand his protégés: Lostris, daughter of Lord Intef, beautiful beyond her fourteen years; and Tanus, proud young army officer, whose father was betrayed by Lord Intef, Chief Vizier of Egypt whose power is second in wealth only to the Pharaoh. Tanus and Lostris are deeply in love, but unbeknown to them, their union is impossibility. Taita is the slave of Lord Intef. It was Intef who had Taita castrated as a young boy after he found that he had slept with a young slave girl. Together Taita, Lostris and Tanus share a dream -- to restore the majesty of the Pharaoh of Pharaohs on the glittering banks of the Nile.

 

Forget what I said earlier, that (River God) is the best book ever

[EEVILMURRAY]

To quote Lee Evans;

 

Fucking Right Love!

[Babooo]

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho...very good book...nice and short....and very deep. Makes you think....... : peace:

[reaper673]

Terry Pratchett- All an amazingly funny series of books.

 

The Dark Tower series- Stephen King- Im on Wolves of Callia atm and I'm loving it, an awesome series.

[Hellfire]

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho...very good book...nice and short....and very deep. Makes you think....... : peace:

Isn't that guy portuguese?

Anyway, I haven't read much, but my fave books are The Lord of the Rings trilogy by Tolkien. I also enjoyed Harry Potter, specially the last one. Hitchiker's Guide to Galaxy is also a pretty fun book, easy to read and lighthearted. Oh and Narnia is also cool. Recomend fantasy books please, I need to read one of those :P

[Ashley]

Not really big into books. Although I did read "Norweigan Wood" by Haruki Murakami a year or so ago and liked it. Was an odd but enjoyable story. Also recently read "Mysterious Skin" by Scott Heim which, like the film, is engrossing and moving but a rough subject. Especially as the book is a bit more descriptive.

 

Currently reading "We Need To Talk About Kevin" by Lionel Shriver. Im liking it, but like all books its taking me ages. Determined to try and finish it soon. Its about the mother of a son who "does a Columbine", and is just a series of letters to the now estranged father. It talks about the past and how she always resented having the child anyway, but went along with it all to keep him happy. Makes me wonder if my mom feels similar because it reminds me of the sitch with Richard in ways.

[Pit-Jr]

I like a good Stephen King novel, ive read the following

 

Desperation-better have some free time, its a 700 page whopper. The ending is a bit weak but the meat of the book is brilliant. Im betting on a movie adaptation.

Gerald's Game-perhaps the scariest book ive ever read

Rose Madder-not exactly a horror, but a very mental suspense.

Needful Things-the book is far better than the movie, as usual. The devil opens up a thrift store!

The Long Walk-a shorter novel but one of the best concepts ever. Teenagers sign up to participate in a walk-a-thon. The catch though, if they stop before the finish line, they get shot :shock:

Also i actually enjoyed some of the 'forced reading' i had to endure in high school, in particular The Crucible about the Salem witch hunts and To Kill a Mockingbird

[Stocka]

I love and only read fantasy books. I can't get into any other genre.

I'm currently reading The Belgariad and The Mallorean series by David Eddings. Its so magical and wonderful.

[Arragaun]

I love and only read fantasy books. I can't get into any other genre.

I'm currently reading The Belgariad and The Mallorean series by David Eddings. Its so magical and wonderful.

Have you read any of The Elenium or The View From The Mirror?

[Stocka]

No...I only really got into reading last year

[Eenuh]

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho...very good book...nice and short....and very deep. Makes you think....... : peace:

 

Oooh, thank you for posting that here. I had to read that for my French class a couple of years ago (in French of course) and I really loved it. I've been wanting to read it again, but I'd forgotten who wrote it. So thank you. =3

 

I think my favourite book though has to be The Neverending Story by Michael Ende. I've been loving that book since I was a kid and read it a couple of times already. You probably all know the movie(s); if you liked those, you might like the book even better.

[Arragaun]

Well I've only read the first book in each series but he does weave a very nice world in both of them. Pick 'em up if you like those other ones.

[gaggle64]

At the moment I'm reading the book version of "Letter from America" by Alistair Cook (who you may recall was in the news recently because his bones and organs were stolen for use in pagan rituals and illegal experimentation). It's a great read - you can just read any of the letters and gain a facinating insight into momentus events in Americas post-war history. From post-war immigration in 1946 to the aftermath of the Iraq war in 2004, it's a riviting, intelligent but surprisingly easy read. Highly recommended.

[Platty]

I dont really read a lot of books but currently im reading Time out's guide to New York as im going there in about 15 days. Its a pretty useful book and also includes some history about New York which is very interesting. Ive found out quite a lot about the new found land that i didnt know about before.

[AshMat]

The Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy series is incredible. I saw the movie and it inspired me to read them. Pick them up if you can. Also the Artemis Fowl series, the books are pure genious and get me hooked. And any book by Danny Wallace is usually hilarious.

[mario114]

I read a few of those Alex rider books when i was younger; they were quite good. At the moment I am reading the tom Clancy books -highly recommended, but one of my favourite books was the lord of the rings trilogy, very good read; with so much more depth than the films.

[spirited away]

I turned 14 last month and have got back into reading after a long break, my favourite series would have to be the alex rider, scorpia or point blanc would be my favourite. Hole is a very good book as well as is the last h potter book - unlike the films...

 

I am currently reading the 1st of jonathon Strouds Bartimaeus trilogy - The Amulet of Samarkand. We seem to have a similar interest in books boo so you may want to ahve a look at this one.( ill write down the blurb in case ur interested):

 

' A young magician's apprentice, Nathaniel, secretly summons the irascible 5,000- year-old djinni, Bartimaeus , to do his bidding. The task for Bartimaeus is not an easy one - he must steal the powerful Amulet of Samarkand from Simon Lovelace, a master magician of unrivalled ruthlessness and amibiton. Before long, Bartimaeus and Nathaniel are caught up in a terryfying flood of magical intigue , rebellion and murder.

 

Although i guess they dont really count as books ive been reading the manga Dn Angel series by Yukiru Sugisaki which have some neat artwork in, i might ahve a look at the cowboy bebop series of books as well as they seem to be a popular series among manga/ anime fans.