xkcd

by **CombustibleLemons** » Sat Oct 17, 2009 2:40 am UTC

well my friend gave me the book The Forever War saying it was a pretty good book. I finished last night and wow one of the best books I've ever read. Coming in 2nd and 3rd is Enders Game and the Southern Victory series by Harry Turtledove.
Page topper.

by **gummih** » Thu Oct 22, 2009 4:11 pm UTC

great thread! All these books that I love!

Here are some of my favourites that haven't been posted in every other post

Great Mambo Chicken and the Transhuman Condition: Science Slightly Over the Edge
Rendezvous with Rama
Ringworld
Life of Pi

- I feel that these books are subroutines devised to filter us out and group us into fitting forums.

by **kaimason1** » Thu Oct 22, 2009 7:58 pm UTC

I personally love the Odyssey, the Iliad, Fahrenheit 451, Lord of the Flies, 1984, Animal Farm, 2001 - A Space Odyssey, Shakespeare (except Midsummer's Night Dream)... the list is ever expanding...

by **TheGrammarBolshevik** » Thu Oct 22, 2009 9:11 pm UTC

In the performances that I've seen, A Midsummer Night's Dream has been built around the creativity of the actors. That's probably part of what you're missing by reading it on paper, as it's obviously a very well-regarded work.

by **kaimason1** » Fri Oct 23, 2009 7:49 pm UTC

I don't know... I guess, then, it could be good...

by **nsmjohn** » Wed Nov 04, 2009 7:48 pm UTC

The Book of the New Sun

by **mmmcannibalism** » Sun Nov 08, 2009 1:17 am UTC

Hamlet

Brave New World

1984

by **stacymcmahon** » Mon Nov 09, 2009 10:54 pm UTC

1. Slapstick by Kurt Vonnegut- This book lets you see how bizarre someone else can think and makes you feel like you are approaching normal. Read a review of it and you will be hooked.
2. Lolita by Nabakov- This book makes you think because although the main character is a pedophile, you side with him.....
Other great reads: The Bell Jar, Being Peace, Einstein's Dreams, Catcher in the Rye, The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy, The Metamorphosis, Even Cowgirls Get the Blues

by **rnbguru** » Tue Nov 10, 2009 9:20 pm UTC

Ken Grimmwood's Replay is my favorite book (though I could probably give you five or six "favorites").

It's just a really clever story, asking the question of "What if you could live your life over again?" Very much like Groundhog's day only on a greater scale, the story is really well told, very compelling.

by **FuckThePainAway** » Tue Nov 10, 2009 10:33 pm UTC

pollywog wrote:Has anyone read "Lolita"? Is it good? I would like to read it, but where I am, if anyone found out, I'd pretty quickly be labelled a pedophile, and as I'm not a priest, I'd get into trouble for that. Is it worth it? I understand that the writing is very good.

I have read Lolita and it was amazing. Most beautifully written book I have ever come across. And you won't be considered a paedophile, as Lolita is thought by many to be a classic without taking in mind its subject matter. Read it!

My all time favourite book has got to be Misery by Stephen King. Incredible book, the writing was amazing and the author's use of metaphor was unlike any I've come across.

The Shining also by S King is another favourite. Scarier than Misery it is a classic horror. The iconic film is a good adaptation as well.

The controversial Lolita is the best written book I have ever read. It hasn't dated though it was written decades ago. A must read. Don't be put off by the theme of paedopilia as the author doesn't go into huge detail with the sex. Many Mills and Boon books are more graphic.

The Know-It-All by AJ Jacobs is little-known but immensely funny. It is a true story of a man who undertakes reading the whole of the Encyclopaedia Britannica. Anyone who likes Bill Bryson's books will enjoy this.

by **Skythe** » Thu Nov 12, 2009 1:48 am UTC

I love Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. Eh, but I also love Holes. It's a toss up for me.

by **rnbguru** » Fri Nov 13, 2009 2:23 am UTC

Skythe wrote:I love Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. Eh, but I also love Holes. It's a toss up for me.

Ender's Game's a solid choice. I went to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and it seemed like required reading as everyone swore by that book.

by **Sleipner** » Mon Nov 16, 2009 8:04 pm UTC

Definitely the Ender's Game series, the whole thing. Though the Ender's Game and Children of the Mind hold special places in my heart.

Spoiler:

Summary: Ender's Game series rocks and you should read it.

by **Mr Cow** » Sun Nov 22, 2009 2:10 am UTC

A book called Final Theory, although I can't remember who it's by.
Also, Ender's Game and Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card.

by **lesliesage** » Sun Nov 22, 2009 8:30 pm UTC

puzzle

by **viniquity** » Thu Nov 26, 2009 11:27 pm UTC

Lolita is quite a fine book, you should try and download the e-book. My favourite book has to be Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged, absolutely brilliant.

by **Cammy** » Fri Nov 27, 2009 3:06 pm UTC

Life of Pi
The Alchemist
American Gods

by **Pretty Socialite** » Sun Dec 06, 2009 12:04 am UTC

oh god i love to read books... with plenty of pictures, yes... but books nontheless lets see....

i think that eat pray love book was pretty bloody fantastic.

by **yurf_rendenmein** » Wed Dec 09, 2009 12:21 am UTC

I don't read much, but I have to say that the best book I've read is World War Z by Max Brooks
Also, I've heard a lot about 1984 and have wanted to read it for a while now but I've never found the time to.

by **emceng** » Wed Dec 09, 2009 6:08 pm UTC

lesliesage wrote:Seriously, Sleipner? I had read the Ender (and Shadow) series many years ago except for Children of the Mind, which I've repeatedly heard was awful. I finally read it this week because I *did* always want to know what happened to Jane. IT WASN'T WORTH IT. Oh my god... unbelievably bad. It's amazing that that book came out of the same person. Ender's Game, Ender's Shadow, Shadow of the Giant, Speaker for the Dead... they're all freaking masterpieces in one series, and then he came out with Xenocide, which was slipping, and then Children of the Mind. Wow.

[/url]

Not to be a dick, but you do know that Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide and Children of the Mind were written before the Ender's Shadow sequels?

I am not dispusting the crappiness of Children of the Mind, but they were the original sequels.

by **ihatebumperstickers** » Fri Dec 11, 2009 1:56 am UTC

enders game. because i am such a precocious dude.

or because its awesome??!

by **Skythe** » Fri Dec 11, 2009 6:49 am UTC

ihatebumperstickers wrote:enders game. because i am such a precocious dude.

or because its awesome??!

Oh, it is so awesome. Most of the other books in the series is pretty good, save a few exceptions.

by **Platinu Kismet** » Mon Dec 14, 2009 8:11 pm UTC

pollywog wrote:Tell us your favourite books, and why they are so cool.

Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelazny because it's so encompassing. It starts in our world and just goes nuclear. The hero goes to other dimensions, learning about himself as he goes. All 10 books are great but I prefer the 2nd set of 5, which are about the son of the main character from the first series. There are 3 by John Gregory Betancourt also that aren't bad but aren't nearly as good as the first 10.

The Riddle-Master of Hed, Heir of Sea and Fire, and Harpist in the Wind by Patricia A. McKillip (All 3 are in the single volume Riddle of the Stars as well). Epic fantasy that's so amazing I don't know where to start. A ruler who is little more than a farmer at heart and in fact but who has a thirst for knowledge that can't be quenched. Sets off a crazy chain of events by winning 1 riddle contest.

Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hob (Assassin's Apprentice, Royal Assassin and Assassin's Quest). Really good series about a bastard child to a prince who is forced into a life he isn't interested in but manages to make the best of it.

Riftwar Saga by Raymond Feist, is out of this world good. I forget what book (2nd or 3rd I think) but when one of the main characters faces off against a few other mages... chills. (Purposefully leaving this vague so as not to post spoilers)

by **Pending** » Thu Dec 17, 2009 3:58 pm UTC

Mairead wrote:Favourite book EVER EVER EVER has to be Alice in Wonderland.

Mine, too.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Through the Looking Glass, and What Alice Found There both by Lewis Carroll
Tweak by Nic Sheff
Anything written by Augusten Burroughs...
Twelve by Nick McDonell
The Giver by Lois Lowry
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

Others I can't think of right now...

by **nouna** » Fri Dec 18, 2009 9:10 pm UTC

Lord of the Rings, to be entirely unoriginal...!! It is a classic though

by **DoctorSubmarine** » Thu Dec 24, 2009 12:01 am UTC

The little-known Good Omens by Neil Gaiman AND Terry Pratchett! Fantastic satire about the end of days.

by **JCM** » Sat Dec 26, 2009 11:39 pm UTC

I personally like Fahrenheit 451, The Last Book in the Universe, and anything similar.

by **olubunmi** » Sun Dec 27, 2009 9:52 pm UTC

Segu - Maryse Condé.
It's where I got my forum name from

It's basically about a rich family in an African kingdom in the 19th century. It deals with war (Muslim vs non-muslim tribes), slavery (both in Africa and across the ocean), colonization (the French are coming >_> ), and it covers about 80 years of history. So yeah, it's a rather long read, but I really enjoyed it.

by **ceaser13** » Tue Dec 29, 2009 11:58 pm UTC

Atlas Shrugged, by Ayn Rand.
...
(It won't work, I'm wearing a bulletproof vest)
It's a great portrait of heroic, rational businessmen fighting the advances of a socialist state. Complealty changed the way I viewed the entire world. If you haven't read it, you need to.

War and Peace - it's really worth the 1400 pages. A great portrait of a bygone time. Plus it has Napoleon, and Napoleon was awesome.

by **Rich_Roast** » Wed Dec 30, 2009 12:30 am UTC

Kenzaburo Oé, A Personal Matter; I never sympathised as much with a main protagonist than in that novel. The only novel I ever read in one sitting.

Mishima is also worthwhile if you're interested in Japanese literature, Confessions of a Mask and Death in Midsummer and Other Stories standing out in my mind. But I always felt Oé to be the more mature, feeling and accessible of the two. If only for not putting a massive sword through his belly.

by **manmantong2000** » Fri Jan 01, 2010 3:27 am UTC

Didn't read any previous reply, simply posting my respond.

Favorite book:

Joy Luck Club

Living Social wrote:A stunning literary achievement, The Joy Luck Club explores the tender and tenacious bond between four daughters and their mothers. The daughters know one side of their mothers, but they don't know about their earlier never-spoken of lives in China. The mothers want love and obedience from their daughters, but they don't know the gifts that the daughters keep to themselves. Heartwarming and bittersweet, this is a novel for mother, daughters, and those that love them.

"The book told the stories of each Chinese mothers who carries their heavy life story when they were in China, and wish their daughters to carry on the fine Chinese traditional traits while being successful in America. The mother was despair on making their daughter understand the bitterness they had went through, but the daughters begin to appreciate for their mother's actions and eventually understand their mother in their own interpretation. Each stories shows contrast between the Chinese traditional philosophy of humbleness and conservative nature, and the American ways of free thoughts and the emphasis on individuality. Also the book clearly demonstrated the how Chinese parent express their love and care of their children: not with sweet words, but with actions; not empty phrase and mindless encouragement (like the psychologist in the story), but the bitter reality, sincere advice, and actual support. As a Chinese who was born in Hong Kong - an international city with the Chinese culture as the mainstream while under strong strong influence from the Western World, I can understand not just the hope and despair these mothers has on their daughters, but more importantly, their love, expressed in ways that only Chinese could understand by heart." - manmantong2000, also posted on his facebook.

The content of his book resonate within me.

Also, loved Harry Potter

I read the first three book when I was in Hong Kong in Chinese translation, and Order of the Phoenix just came out a year after I arrive to US. I read each volume many times in English and Chinese. Let me save some breath from praising this book further.

By the way, I didn't forget you, Eragon and the Books of Inheritance!

WHERE ARE YOU MY LAST VOLUME?!

I got more books in my "LOVE IT!" list, but not gonna save them for the others

do you know that XKCD cited Chronicles of Narina not only once?

by **TheWeirdDarkGirl23** » Fri Jan 01, 2010 7:32 am UTC

Go Ask Alice By Anounmous, it was my favorite book because i thought it was an intersting but extremely sad book.

by **hopesdead** » Mon Jan 04, 2010 8:45 pm UTC

My favorite is Angels & Demons by Dan Brown. I enjoyed the movie more than The Da Vinci Code but they made so many little changes let alone no featuring the Illuminate Diamond (but I have official A&D shirts and hats with the Diamond).

by **manmantong2000** » Wed Jan 06, 2010 2:00 am UTC

hopesdead wrote:My favorite is Angels & Demons by Dan Brown. I enjoyed the movie more than The Da Vinci Code but they made so many little changes let alone no featuring the Illuminate Diamond (but I have official A&D shirts and hats with the Diamond).

Totally agree with you, and Angels and Demons is a very nice sci-fi novel!

by **hopesdead** » Thu Jan 07, 2010 3:39 am UTC

I won't call Angels & Demons sci-fi. Yes it does deal with science but it is more like a new genre that was created by Dan Brown which I'd like to coin as religious fiction. He deals with religion in two books and he puts fiction in them. As the movie was very entertaining, it changed lots of little things which annoyed me. And most of all, they wrote it as a squeal so that itself changed the story being that characters already knew who Robert was. And most of all they removed the scene with the plane which was my favorite. And the assassin was a trained killer who wouldn't let himself get caught and the movie had the guy shooting his gun all around Vatican City. Vatican City is a nice country to visit (I went there when I was 11 on a tour of Europe; and yes I am Catholic) if anyone gets the chance. The Swiss Guards have more colorful outfits then what they are seen wearing in the movie. Movies never really live up to the books they are adapted from 100% of the time. Each movie I've seen based off a book that I've read always has something (even if it is a little unimportant thing) that I notice that annoys me.

by **manmantong2000** » Thu Jan 07, 2010 8:26 pm UTC

hopesdead wrote:I won't call Angels & Demons sci-fi. Yes it does deal with science but it is more like a new genre that was created by Dan Brown which I'd like to coin as religious fiction. He deals with religion in two books and he puts fiction in them. As the movie was very entertaining, it changed lots of little things which annoyed me. And most of all, they wrote it as a squeal so that itself changed the story being that characters already knew who Robert was. And most of all they removed the scene with the plane which was my favorite. And the assassin was a trained killer who wouldn't let himself get caught and the movie had the guy shooting his gun all around Vatican City. Vatican City is a nice country to visit (I went there when I was 11 on a tour of Europe; and yes I am Catholic) if anyone gets the chance. The Swiss Guards have more colorful outfits then what they are seen wearing in the movie. Movies never really live up to the books they are adapted from 100% of the time. Each movie I've seen based off a book that I've read always has something (even if it is a little unimportant thing) that I notice that annoys me.

hm, I don't know much about categorize the genre of a work, so I guess it is a religious fiction than. (I don't have too much enthusiasm in this one)

I am pretty sure we can write another page or two just to briefly list out the changes made in the movie that doesn't correspond to the book, and yes, I agree that the original story is, and always, better than the movie version (I assume you want to say book's plot is better than the movie plot). However, I still want to say that the movie portrayed some scenes from the movie (with a bit off in description) with stunning beauty, and still be recommended even if you have or haven't read the book.

I found myself irritated by the fact that the character who came up with the idea of using black out to search for anti-matter in the movie is different from the book.

by **Faust06** » Thu Jan 14, 2010 10:05 pm UTC

I have quite a few favorites. A few:

fiction:
Hard-boiled Wonderland, and the End of the World - Haruki Murakami
The Windup Bird Chronicle - Haruki Murakami
Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse - Robert Rankin
American Psycho - Brett Easton Ellis
Making Money - Terry Pratchet
House of Leaves - Mark Danielewski

other:
all Chuck Klosterman stuff
The Insanity Defense - Woody Allen
Sex And War - Potts & Hayden

by **Reborn** » Sat Jan 16, 2010 9:45 am UTC

Dune. I read the book when i was 12. Finished the book, fifteen minutes later started reading again. Every year i read it again. Dune is just infinite awesomeness.

by **Blue_Aquila** » Sun Jan 17, 2010 2:47 am UTC

In my opinion, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is among the best books written in recent times, it combines science fiction, absurdity, and humor into a masterful menagerie. Ender's Game (And the sequels thereof) provide interesting theological/philosophical ideas, as well as retaining a sense of action and suspense. The Dune series is amazing, I don't know what it is about it but I've always found myself going back and reading through them, whether it be the prequels or the sequels or even just Dune, there's always something new to find when you read between the lines.

by **Triangle_Man** » Sat Jan 23, 2010 7:37 am UTC

I personally enjoy any book from Terry Prachett's Discworld series. I love the man's writing style, creative plotlines, sense of humor, and discriptive language. He is one of the best.

I also read a pair of novels called Ilium and Olympos, which are among the strangest Sci-fi novels I've ever read. It's written by Dan Simmons, whom I increasingly believe to be a complete madman (in a good way)...

Who is online