What are some of your other favorite books?

[BlackCaptain]

Sure, we all love LOTR, but is that the only books you read? Not me. This thread is were people can post wat other books they like the most. Ill include a poll for you to post your second favorite books next to LOTR.

[Hobbit-GalRosie]

I voted for The Chronicles of Narnia, although I actually haven't read all of those just yet. They're pretty darned good though. I also love the Redwall books. The Dragonriders of Pern can be pretty good, but there are a scant few things in them that I couldn't post here or the mods would be all over me, so I'm none too happy with those parts. One of my all time favs is The Last Unicorn. Um, okay, I seem to be listing all the fantasy ones I like but I'm not limited to that...I also enjoy Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, certain Star Trek novels, and a great many horse stories, since I'm a horse NUT! The Black Stallion, Misty, etc, and on the non-fiction side of that coin The Imperial Horse, which is sub-titled something like "The Saga of the White Stallions" or maybe Lipizzaners instead of white stallions, something like that. Fascinating book, you even learn some other history from that because the Napoleonic Wars kept messing things up for those poor horses. AUUUGGHHH! NO ONE ELSE IS GOING TO CARE ABOUT MY STUPID HORSES!!! WHY DON'T I JUST SHUT UP!!!

Okay, I'm done.

[Dragon]

dragonriders of pern and the acorna series are my favorite series

[Lasgalen]

Other books I like are Dune by Frank Herbert and Elric of Melnibone by Michael Moorcock. I also really enjoyed reading The Belgarion series by David Eddings and Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelazny.

-Lasgalen

[Rangerdave]

My favorites not including Tolkien, hmmm....lets see

Here is a list of books that either mean a great deal to me or have had a profound impact on my way of looking at the world. in no particular order of course
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck The Musketeer Cycle by Alexandar Dumas The Mote in Gods Eye by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle To Reign in Hell by Stephen Brust Firelord by Parke Godwin Beloved Exile by Parke Godwin Sherwood by Parke Godwin Robin and the King by Parke Godwin La Divina Commedia by Dante Alighieri Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenence by Robert Pirsig The Dune Cycle by Frank Herbert Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein Job by Robert A. Heinlein The John Carter of Mars series by Edgar Rice Burroughs Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck A Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee Brave New World by Auldous Huxley The Anarchist Cookbook by William Powell Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut The Titan Trilogy by John Varley The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger Day of the Jackal by Fredrick Forsythe The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald Catch-22 by Joseph Heller Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury Finnigan's Wake by James Joyce Kim by Rudyard Kipling Watership Down by Richard Adams One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey

And thats just what I could think up off the top of my head, If I were not so lazy, I would walk down the hall to my library and find the others.

RD

PS: I also take a certain guilty pleasure in reading the "Male Oriented Romance Novels" of the likes of Ian Flemming and Mickey Spillane. James Bond and Mike Hammer are old friends of mine.

RD

[Dragon]

that's a nice looooong list ya got there, I've heard of some of 'em, but nothing I'm really interested in

[Aerin]

The Martian series by Edgar Rice Burroughs?! I love those books! :D
RD, I've read about half the books on your list; good stuff!

My dad has gotten me into so many books; we'll spend hours and hours sitting and talking about the books we've both read (which is quite a list, hehehe)

To make a list of even some of my favourite books would be a major headache - for me, writing it, and for you, reading it. :rolleyes:

[Rangerdave]

Originally posted by Dragon
that's a nice looooong list ya got there, I've heard of some of 'em, but nothing I'm really interested in

I think that may be one of the most tragic statements I have ever heard

RD

[chaos]

I thought "The Beach" was really good.

[Bombadillo]

ehm...

- dante's devine comedy
- edgar allen poe
- douglas adams: hitch hikers guide to the galaxy

and of course a lot more but they wont pop up in my mind....

[Lasgalen]

I stuck to fantasy type books in my original post. Some other books that come to mind are: The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner, The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, and several books by Kurt Vonnegut, especially Bluebeard and Slaughterhouse Five.

-Lasgalen

[Aragorn21]

I liked the Narnia series, it was very good, but LOTR is better.
Also I like The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas (great book)

[Celebithil]

I think Dragonlance is by far the best non-Tolkien work the number of great books is great and outweighs the few bad books (Thanks Jean Rabe!) Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman are some of the best authors. I would also highly recommend the Last of the Renshai series by Mickey Zucker Reichert anyone who likes fantasy would enjoy it tremendously and anyone into swords or norse mythology would find it gbetter than tremendous.

[FoolOfATook]

My favorite "series" type books outside of Tolkien:
Dante- The Divine Comedy
John Milton- Paradise Lost
William Shakespeare- The Henriad (Richard II, Henry IV 1-2, Henry V)
Kurt Vonnegut's Kilgore Trout novels (Admittedly stretching the definition of "series" ;))

My absolute favorite books? Top five, in no order:
Kurt Vonnegut- Cat's Cradle
Mark Twain- The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn
Hunter S. Thompson- Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas
Charles Dickens- Great Expectations
F. Scott Fitzgerald- The Great Gatsby

Ask me on another day, and the list would probably be different.

[*Lady Arwen*]

Favorite, besides LOTR...
-His Dark Materials
The Golden Compass
The Subtle Knife
The Amber Spyglass

-The Royal Diaries(do I even dare say how many)
Elizabeth I -Red Rose of the House of Tudor
Cleopatra VII- Daughter of the Nile
Marie Antoinette - Princess of Versailess
Isabel - Jewel of Castilla
Anastasia - The last Grand Duchess
Nzinga - Warrior queen of Matamba
Kaiulani - The People's Princess
Lady of Ch'iao Kuo - Warrior of the South
Victoria- May blossom of Britannia
Mary, Queen of Scots - Queen without a coutry
Sondok- Princess of the moon and stars
Jaranara- Princess of Princesses
Eleanor- Crown Jewel of Aquitaine

-Artemis Fowl
Artemis Fowl
Artemis Fowl- The artic incedent

-The Secret Garden

-Harry Potter
The Sorcerer's stone
The Chamber of Secrets
The Prisoner of Azkaban
The Goblet of Fire

Can't think of any more right now.

[33Peregrin]

I was never into fantasy much, until LOTR. And even after it, I still don't read that many. LoTR just isn't fantasy to me. Anyways, I read a lot. (Or read a lot of different books before LOTR) One or two of my favorites right now are The Yearling, To kill a mockinbird and books like that. I don't know why. I used to be really into horses, so I read a ton of those. There are so many I read that I won't even list one. Besides, I am really tired.
Poppy:)

[*Lady Arwen*]

I love fantasy, fiction, cience fiction all that stuff! But I also like historical books as well as other types of books.

[MacAddict]

Hmm... i don't read a lot but my faves other than LOTR would be The Myst Books and some sci-fi (i used to read some star trek books and other Sci-Fi).


~MacAddict

[Phenix]

my other fav books:
(in no order)


the wheel of time serie
the redwall books
the deveryn books(are that there name? it's the books by katherin kerr)
artemis fowl


this is just some of the books though.. (don't know the english name of teh others:P)

[Arrhia El.]

I enjoy reading Terry Prattchet for light reading but I also like other fantasy (like Robin Hobb) .... which I am always being told i should read less of and widen my tastes in books

[Celebthôl]

The Chroincals of Narnia, they are a very close second, i love those books, i can read them whenever (just like LOTR ;))

[Goldberry344]

i voted for the chronicals of narnia, though i equally adore his dark materials and harry potter. and tamora pierce.

[Mischievious Merry]

I LOVE books so I have quite a list.:)

Les Miserables
Nancy Drew series ( BTW I and my sis think that The author of Nancy Drew ALSO wrote the Hardy Boys. But my mom doesn't think so. What do you all think?)
The Phantom of the Opera
Jane Eyre
Pride and Prejustice
Secret Garden
Little Women
The Little House series
The Five Little Peppers
The Black Stallion series
Alfred and the Saint
My Friend Flicka
Lots of Margurite Henry's books
The Thoroughbred series
I have alot more but I suppose I ought to stop there.:rolleyes:

[Mischievious Merry]

Oh and Willow King

[FoolOfATook]

Actually, there was no "author" for either the Nancy Drew books or the Hardy Boys books. They were all done by ghostwriters.

[Mischievious Merry]

HaHA HA
Very funny;)

[FoolOfATook]

Ummm, I wasn't kidding. All of the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys books really were written by ghostwriters.

[Carantalath]

Other favorite books of mine, other than LOTR, are the Harry Potter books, Ella Enchanted, The Face on the Milk Carton, Holes, and The Wyrd Museum trilogy. There are lots of others too but I can't think of them right now.

[Rangerdave]

I can't say if this work is worthy of great praise, but I felt I should mention it.

The Passers by David LeMaster is out now. You can find more information at this LINK (http://www.fictionwise.com/eBooks/eBook9078.htm)

I realize that this is a shameless plug, but Dr. LeMaster is a very good friend of mine.


RD

[Lossengondiel]

hmm hmm hmm...

Chasing Redbird
The Secret Garden
Requiem
Harry Potter
Star Wars
The Lord of the Rings
Series: Water
Mossflower

I've read so many those are just a few of what I can remember. i generally read anything interesting that I can pull of a library shelf

[spirit]

anne rice???
she writes vampire chronicles. anyone like them. i m reading queen of the damed. onlu started. worth readin it.

[Thorin]

Nine books (brain is not working, too many books to choose a tenth from) other then LoTR that are great (not in any particular order):

1. Rainbow Six - Tom Clancy
2. The Alienist - Caleb Carr
3. It - Stephen King
4. The Relic - Richard Preston and Lincoln Child
5. Pet Semetary - Stephen King
6. The Stand - Stephen King
7. The Ultimate Evil - Maury Terry
8. Helter Skelter - Vincent Bugliosi
9. Without Remorse - Tom Clancy

[spirit]

Originally posted by spirit
anne rice???
she writes vampire chronicles. anyone like them. i m reading queen of the damed. onlu started. worth readin it.

anyone seen the movie for it?

[*Lady Arwen*]

Its not in the right order...

1- His Dark Materials Trilogy - Philip Pullman
2- Artemis Fowl Series - Eoin Colfer
3- 1001 Nights - All I know is that is Arabic
4- Tresure Island - Robert Louis Stevenson
5- Call of the wild - Jack London
5- White Fang - Jack London
6- The Count of Monte Cristo- Alexandre Dumas
7-The secret Garden
8- Martin's Mice - King-Smith
9- A mouse named Wolf - King-Smith
10- The Royal Diaries Series - A different author for each book
11- Harry Potter seires -Rowling

[Beleg]

Jeffery Archers every book. Its a shame that not many people have read him.

Pride and Prejudice

Dracula

The Sign of the Four (My favorite Holmes) book.

Call of the Wild's local Translation.

Harry Potter.

[Rhiannon]

This is not anywhere near a complete list, but;

The Deed of Paksennarion by Elizabeth Moon - The first major fantasy I read after being raised on LOTR. I was ten and it was 1029 pages of small print; it took six months. And I immediately started reading it again.

Persuasion and Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Rose Daughter, Spindle's End, The Hero and the Crown, The Blue Sword, Deerskin, The Door in the Hedge and Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast by Robin McKinley - The only books by Robin McKinley not on my BB (beloved bookshelf) list are Outlaws of Sherwood and her other short story collection, and that's through no fault of their own.

The Sevenwaters Trilogy: Daughter of the Forest, Son of the Shadows, and Child of the Prophecy by Juliet Marrillier

Bridge to Terabithia and Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Peterson

Baby by Patricia MacLachlan

The Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patricia McKillip

Becket or The Honor of God and Antigone by Jean Anouilh

The Ropemaker by Peter Dickinson (Robin McKinley's husband)

The Wanderer by Sharon Creech

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

The King's Damosel by Vera Chapman (founder of the British Tolkien Society)

Briar Rose by Jane Yolen

The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Anderson (in it's original, un-diluted, tragic form)

Till We Have Faces and The Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis

The Celtic Crusades Trilogy by Stephen R. Lawhead

The Dark is Rising Sequence by Susan Cooper

The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede

[Aglarthalion]

Next to LotR, my favourite book series is the Myst Trilogy, the three books being Myst: The Book of Atrus, Myst: The Book of Ti'ana, and Myst: The Book of D'ni.

[*Lady Arwen*]

I've just stared to read a series called the Seventh Tower by Garth Nix. It has 5 books in the collection.
The first is "The Seventh Tower: The Fall"
The second is "The Seventh Tower: The Castel"
The third is "The Seventh Tower: Aenir"
And I don't know the name of the last 2 ones..

[Rhiannon]

Ooh, Garth Nix rules. I haven't read the Tower series, but I love Sabriel, Lirael, and Abhorsen- and Mr. Nix is very cool and visits Readerville pretty regularly.

[Courtney]

I just love books in general! There are way too many of my favorite books to name them. My favorite author of all time, however, is Ray Bradbury, and my favorite story by him is a short story that I read a long time ago, forgot the title, and can't find back. It was really creepy though. I had nightmares for about a year.

[FoolOfATook]

Bradbury is under-rated, I think. Something Wicked This Way Comes, Farenheight 451, The Martian Chronicles and The Illustrated Man are all really wonderful, in my opinion. Do you remember anything about the short story that you can't quite place? The distinguished literary minds here might be able to help. ;)

[Rhiannon]

Bradbury is wonderful; Something Wicked This Way Comes was too creepy for me, but I loved Dandilion Wine and Farenheit 451, and his recent collection/novel- To Dust Returned? That's not it, but it was something similar. About the Family. I have never been able to get into The Martian Chronicles, though. It's very weird. I think, though, that it's just that I find the beginning very depressing.

[Courtney]

ummm it is kind of confusing... Some people went to Mars, and they lived there for a while, but then the people on earth lost contact with them. And they saw no other life on Mars. then after a few years, they sent another ship to Mars, and the earth people saw a martian village, but they wouldnt go in it. Eventually they ran out of supplies, and it got hot so they went into the town, and I am not sure but they ended up turning into Martians, and it turned out that the martian village was really made by the last earth people, but they forgot where they were from when they turned into martians...

yeah... It sounded better the way Ray bradbury told it.:)

Thank you so much if you can help!!!:)

[kohaku]

hmmm just a few from my mini-library in my dorm that i have read in the past year:
Lord of the Flies
On the Beach
Frida
The Lost World
Cat's Cradle and Slaughterhouse Five
Sword of Shannara series
I, Robot

a few old favorites:
Watership Down
White Fang and Call of the Wild
The Shining
Dragondoom
American Tragedy

can't think of anything more, so tired...

[kohaku]

oh yes, can't forget Dances with Wolves... great stuff!

[Estrella]

I love lord of the flies. I also suggest The Giver, and Brave New World. they're so phrophetic it's creepy. My uncle gave me a book for Christmas called After the Ring, It's a book of short stories written in honor of J.R.R. Tolkien. My personal favorite is the conjour man.

[Courtney]

Oh wow! I loved the Giver, and Brave New World! Did you know that there is a play of The Giver? My brother's class took a field trip to see it. I think it would be hard to do it as a play, because how would you make it black and white at the beginning?
I hated the end of Brave New world though. It was so depressing.........:(

[Beleg]

Lord of the Flies is pretty nerve-wrecking and depressing. I almost had a headache the first time I read it.

[Estrella]

But Brave New world's ending was very real... though it was unhappy.I agree with you on the giver... you can't really capture it in a play... you'd have to give everyone in the audiance black and white glasses. Lord of the flies sadly enough, reflects society in general, but the end was a bit quirky, as if nothing had happened... But my Personal favorite was Jane Eyre.. i cried at the end of it. I'm a hopeless romantic. ;)

[Rhiannon]

Love Jane Eyre- Love The Giver. Can't say I love Brave New World, though I can say I appreciate it. Never read Lord of the Flies.

[Estrella]

Anyone ever read The Gving Tree? It's about a third grade reading level, but it carries a very adult lesson. I always cry at the end of it, it's just so sad.

[Rhiannon]

The Giving Tree is a family favorite- I was shocked when I first met people who hated it. Did you know it was once banned by some organization or other? I can't remember who, but it must have been a feminist group, because they object to the Giving Tree being 'she'.

[Estrella]

that is so stupid. Generally a nuturing person or thing is given the pronoun of she... some people. But the book is just so sad... Why would anyone hate it?

[FoolOfATook]

It might have been a group of strict Freudians who objected to the Giving Tree being a she.... ;)

[Estrella]

ohh... of course. that makes sense. But of course Frued himself made everything down to a slice of bread sexual... ( a bit of insight into himself? ;) ) But The giving tree is just a childs book meant to teach about giving, and happiness. I'm not attacking personally, just a thought. Some people can really overreact.

[Zale]

I personally like "The View From The Mirror" quartet by Ian Irvine. A nice blurring of good and evil, an interesting world and some very original bits.
Also the "Chronicles Of The Raven", for light reading: fast-paced with good characters and plot lines.
I won't go into SF 'cos there are too many classics to list.

[Estrella]

i'll have to read that one. sounds interesting.

[Helcaraxë]

I like (outside of Tolkien):

Macbeth
The Wind in the Willows
Sword of Shannara
The Belgariad
Wheel of Time
Sword of Truth
Redwall
Dune
A Wizard of Earthsea
Narnia

I have more, but my limited mortal mind can recall no others.

[Eriol]

hmmm.... I can't really compare books of different types. How could you compare Richard Feynman's Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman, undoubtedly the best autobiography I've ever read, with Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment, the most gripping novel that I ever laid eyes upon?

(All you Stephen King fans, go check Dostoevsky for psychological suspense)

Favorite books would include the Gospel of John, Thucydides' History of the Peloponnesian War, something by C.S. Lewis (I can't decide which), Owen Barfield's Poetic Diction, Darwin's The Descent of Man... many books on bridge... Nero Wolfe mysteries... Shogun... Thomas Kuhn's The Structure of Scientific Revolutions... Karl Popper's The Open Society and Its Enemies... Von Mises' Human Action... books by Malba Tahan...

And last but definitely not least, Calvin and Hobbes books :cool: :D

[FoolOfATook]

This Stephen King fan is way ahead of you, Eriol... ;) Have you read The Double? It's one of Dostoevsky's earliest novels, and it's tremendous. Crime and Punishment is maybe the best novel I've ever read- at any rate, it's up there with books like Gatsby and Huck Finn and Great Expectations on my personal list of nearly perfect works of literature.

[Estrella]

I can't really seem to get into stephen king. But right now i'm hooked on poety. specifically Russian. I have a couple of Yeventshenko books, and 3 fairly old poetry books, complete with thin pages, tiny writing, and the old paper smell. I rescued then from the library's discard shelf. They're copyrighted 1947. They have the best collections of poetry i've seen. every thing from norse to The book of the dead to Giglamesh. I'm also reading alot of Naruda,and pushkin.

[FoolOfATook]

I adore Pushkin! His poem "The Bronze Horseman" is one of my all-time favorites!

[Boromir]

My second favorite book series would have to be the wheel of time. Right now I'm on the third book, the dragon reborn. It's really cool. :cool:

[Estrella]

You should read Yevtshenko then! his Brask station book is the best! But i've read the Choniciles of Narnia about 3 times, the whole series... the last book is so sad. But i might give Wheel of Time a try too.

[Eriol]

Originally posted by FoolOfATook
This Stephen King fan is way ahead of you, Eriol... ;) Have you read The Double? It's one of Dostoevsky's earliest novels, and it's tremendous. Crime and Punishment is maybe the best novel I've ever read- at any rate, it's up there with books like Gatsby and Huck Finn and Great Expectations on my personal list of nearly perfect works of literature.

As well you should! You are the Lit. Major, right? I am just a meek biologist. I didn't think you would put Darwin in your list :D.

Dostoevsky is really something. Yes, I've read that, and The Gambler, and The Idiot (I'm not sure these are the titles in English). I love them all.

Though I don't care much for Stephen King, this opinion is based on movies :o . I never read anything of his.

[Estrella]

For scary stories, i prefer Poe. For some odd reason The Cask of Amontdeado ( I can't spell that one!) is perfect bedtime reading for me. But i admit, i'm hooked on Harry potter, even preordered the 5th book. I'm not going to major in Lit though... teaching. Maybe Literature teacher... :D

[Lantarion]

There are other books beside Tolkien??! :eek:
;)
Well, let's see.. These are in no particular order, because that would be dificult.

Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
the Hitch-hiker's Guide to the Galaxy series - Douglas Adams
Divina Commedia - Dante (this was so amazing..)
The Pedestrian - Ray Bradbury (short, but excellent)
1984 - George Orwell (sickening, but fabulous)
Animal Farm - George Orwell (very interesting)
Cannery Row - John Steinbeck (wonderful)
Lord of the Flies - Golding (yikes!)

I have read far less great titles than I would want, and can remember less than I have :(.. During the summer I am going to read the Kalevala in its long form, and maybe the Poetic Edda (I've only the Prose, and that very swiftly).

[Elendil3119]

I voted for Narnia. Harry Potter was ok, and sort of entertaining, but the literary style is poor and the storyline is childish. :D It can't compare to anything by Tolkien or C.S. Lewis, in my opinion. Narnia is my favorite series of books besides LotR. I might have to change my favorite though after I read The Space Trilogy, by Lewis. I've heard its an amazing book(s), with some extremely good allegory.

[Estrella]

At school it was kinda scary. The LIbrarians and i were on first name basis', and we joked that i'd read the whole Library. I started to read darwins book... Origin of species? I still want to read Mein Kampf, Hitler's book, he was a real nutcase. But One book i suggest, is called 4th world. It's set in today, but it's in a world where everybody spends all thier time on the internet. It's by Dennis Danvers, and was written in 1998 i beleive. Very good.

[Beleg]

Eek! Joseph Conard is a scary writer. I have read a story of his, perhaps Lord Jim and it was full of sailor stuff and so on.

Do read Mein Kampf. It is a wonder.

I don't understand why people love Stephen King?:(
The guy chokes the novel with overwhelming emotions of every type...not to my liking...

:shakes head:

[Estrella]

One thing Stephen king did do well was Rose Red. I was actually scared, i was as freaked out as when i saw signs. Elendil, i'm the same way. I love The chronicles of Narnia.. Aslan is the best character ever. i loved book 5, The voyage of the dawn treader.

[Rhiannon]

I'm about to start my first Stephen King- Dolores Clairborne - which my brother has been nagging me to read forever. But first I'm finishing the really excellent novel I've been reading called The Road Home - I can't remember the author's name right now, though. And after that I'm reading my first Bujold, a stand-alone that my sister says I will love, but I forget the name of it. Yes, I am in need of a nap and short on coherency.

[Eliot]

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson. Very good. I really like adventure stories.

1984, and Animal Farm by George Orwell. Both VERY great books. Though, I like the latter a little better then the former. Only because 1984 can be so depressing at times.

The Redwall series by Brian Jacques. I really liked them, though I wouldn't call them "hits". :)

What If? is a book by a bunch of different historians (Ambrose, Keegan, McCullough, many more). It's a truly brilliant book. If you can possibly get your hands on it (and if you like history), read it. It amazed me that if the French had won at Sedan in September 1870, then there wouldn't have been a German Empire, which means no World Wars, no Communist revolution in Russia (during WW I), and no Cold War. Imagine that...... :(

The Derwood series. It's kinda kiddy, but I enjoy them. Not very popular, so pretty much nobody's heard of it. There's six books in the series:

Derwood, Inc.,
A Dangerous Game,
Treasure in the Yukon,
Courage by Darkness,
Llamas on the Loose,
and, Abandoned

I haven't read them in a few years, but I loved them then.

Fatherland, and Enigma by Richard Harris.

I can't think of the rest right now. Gotta go.

[Lantarion]

Ah, I forgot a few:
Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency and The Long Dark Teatime of the Soul - Douglas Adams.
These are hilarious, and very gripping! :D

I've read a lot of short stories too.. Here are some names I canr ecall off the top of my head:
The Destructors - Graham Greene
A Sound of Thunder - Ray Bradbury
The Japanese Quince - [sorry, can't remember by who] (This was very 'quaint' and small, but it was pretty humorous in a way)
The Most Dangerous Game - [can't remember again..] (Quite good, very gripping, but it's too striaghtforward IMO)

[Eriol]

Hey, I also forgot some very important books: everything by Plato, but most especially Apology of Socrates, The Symposium, and Phaedro.

Of course the spelling of the last can be very wrong :D. In Portuguese it is Fedro

These three books should be mandatory reading for all.

;)

[Estrella]

Those for for when you want to look and sound all Edumacted.. Eriol..;) But I"m also a big fan of Japanese Manga... -Sigh- i know... it's comics, but it's higher level comics. I have them right beside my Astromony and Geology book. Pictures help.. drawing style is way cool. lol :p

[Eriol]

Not at all! They are extremely fun and interesting reads in themselves.

Not ALL classics are boring, you know ;)

[Estrella]

I wouldn't have pegged you as The Manga Type, Eriol. I guess it all depends on my mood. I might be reading like, Fountian head one week, and then reading How to Talk to your cat the next. (But of course i can already talk to my cat. ;) )

[Eriol]

Manga Type? Well, I wouldn't have pegged me as one either, for I don't have the slightest idea of what it means...

:confused:

[Estrella]

LOl.... it's Japanese Comics , but there like, a lot thicker. Anyway.. Nvm. :cool:

[Rhiannon]

I enjoy manga, but I don't ever buy it myself- just like comic books, I wait for my brother to get it- so mostly I read Lone Wolf and Cub, though there are lots of others I plan to look for, once I have money that I'm not obsessively saving for TSGTFG in December.

[Estrella]

I like The Anime more... But Anyone read the Seven Waters Trilogy yet?

[Talierin]

Oh oh oh! MEEEEEEEEE! I ADORE THEM! Rhiannon loves them too! I have dibs on Finbar!

[Rhiannon]

You can have Finbar, but Red is all mine. And I'll take Bran too.

I adored the Sevenwaters Trilogy. I liked Marrillier's next book, Wolfskin, too, but not as much.

[Talierin]

I haven't read it yet... BUT I have first dibs on it when my library gets it, hopefully next month... have first dibs on In the Forest of Serre too

[Rhiannon]

I waaaaant In the Forests of Serre. I've been drooling over the cover art for months. I had a dream the night after it was released that I was in Wal-Mart trying to get them to give it to me. They wouldn't.

[Aerin]

That's not fair to take both Red and Bran!! :p *mutters* Rat....

I need to read Wolfskin, but as my to be read list is already about 2 feet high, I think it'll have to wait a couple of weeks, hehe. *looks at TBR pile and wonders when the rest of life will fit in around the reading...*
And a new McKinley book.... I want! I just re-read Spindle's End, and liked it a lot better than when I first read it.

[Talierin]

pssst, it's not McKinley... think McKillip ;)

[Rhiannon]

Yes- new McKinley book is still forever away...*languishes*. But a friend of mine saw the cover at BookExpo America! She says it's v. pretty.

<edit> The cover for Sunshine, that is.

[Boromir]

I like the Chronicles of Narnia, even though I have only read like three chapters, but my all time second favorite fantasy series is The Wheel Of Time, dude I love that series. I just finished the third book.

[Manveru]

Anybody heard of A. Sapkowski? No? I thought so...;)

And now seriously... His best works are: ''Krew elfów'', ''Czas Pogardy'', ''Chrzest Ognia'', ''Wie¿a Jaskó³ki'' and ''Pani Jeziora'' (these are Polish titles-I don't know whether they were translated into other languages-but I can 'play' and translate them: ''The Blood of the Elves'', ''The Time of Contempt'', ''The Baptism of Fire'', ''The Tower of the Swallow'' and ''The Lady of the Lake''--> I hope it makes sense;)). Altogether these books make ''Saga o WiedŸminie'' (again Polish title;)) -->''The Sage of the Witchman'' (I don't really know if the term ''witchman'' exists in English--> I had to translate it somehow;)).
It's a great stuff and I strongly recommend it (I wish there was English translation... I think there's German, but I'm not sure;)).

[Annushka]

My favorite author of all time is Curt Wonnegut. Has anybody read any of his works? As well as Dino Buccatti (sp), Paulo Coelho. Now I`m reading "Someone flew over the Cocoo neck". There was a famous movie which I haven`t watched. Seems promising.

And I haven`t heard of A. Sapkowski;)

[Manveru]

Originally posted by Annushka:
My favorite author of all time is Curt Wonnegut. Has anybody read any of his works?
I have... I've read ''Cat's Cradle'', great book:D
Originally posted by Annushka:
And I haven`t heard of A. Sapkowski
Too bad...

[Beleg]

Ne one knows 'bout D.H.Lawerence?

Poor guy created quite a stir during the early 20th century.

[Estrella]

i personally love Victoria Holt. I'm a hopeless romantic. But I can't find any of her books new.. have to go to used book stores.

[Captain]

I like anything by Michael Crichton. He's my second favorite author.

[Lantarion]

Originally posted by Annushka
Now I`m reading "Someone flew over the Cocoo neck".
LOL :D
Excellent typo, funniest I've seen in a long time. ;)
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.

I also like most of Agatha Christie's detective novels. Gotta love ol' Poirot! :D

[Annushka]

Originally posted by Lantarion
LOL :D
Excellent typo, funniest I've seen in a long time. ;)
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.

I also like most of Agatha Christie's detective novels. Gotta love ol' Poirot! :D

Yeah, I know:o But I didn`t read it in English, so that's an excuse. By the way, it's a GREAT book. Now I wanna see the movie. Especially Jack Nicholson.

Poirot is my favorite detective. Well after Sherlok Holmes (now I`m obssessed with spelling:()

[Rhiannon]

Love Poirot. Poirot is the best ;)

[Eliot]

Originally posted by Captain
I like anything by Michael Crichton. He's my second favorite author.

Oh, he's very good. I've read both Jurassic Park and The Lost World. They were both great, though I haven't really taken to time to look into any of his other books.

[Courtney]

Michael Crichton is awesome! I also like Sphere and Congo. The books of Jurassic Park and The Lost World were soooooo much better than the movies! I like the part with the waterfall the best!:)

[Lantarion]

A great series I've just started reading by an Anne McCaffrey is the Dragonriders of Pern series. It's amazing, her writings are completely fantasy-based and have many qualities attributed to fantasy literature, and yet the whole background of the story is science fiction- based! It's really very very good, I recommend it.

[ely]

* "Katherine" by Anya Seton
* Harry Potter books
* Everything by Terry Pratchett
* "The Crystal Cave" by Mary Stewart

There are probably some more, but I just don't recall any of them at the moment

[Rhiannon]

Where are the people who love Robin McKinley? I know you're around here somewhere...There's a whole lot of lovely new stuff up at her website (www.robinmckinley.com)

[Captain]

I'm annoyed that my library doesn't have Sphere (or had someone just checked it out for a period of 2 months?)

[Courtney]

HEY!!!! I love Robin McKinley!!!! Thanks for the link!:) Hey, have you ever read the one about Robin hood? or Deerskin (I think that's what it is called... it's been a while!

[Rhiannon]

You're welcome!

I've read them all. I love McKinley! I'm eagerly awaiting Sunshine in a big way.

[Zale]

OK. Several things to add here.

1. Does anyone know where I could get hold of ALL the Elric books as a single collection? Does anyone know WHAT all the Elric books are? I've read 'Elric of Melnibone' and 'Sailor On The Seas Of Fate' but I haven't been able to find any of the others, and I get the impression there's loads.

2. When I was younger I thought the world of Redwall... At least, of the first nine books; the rest are just pale copies in my opinion; not original at all, and they add nothing to the series. From 'Pearls of Lutra' through to 'Mattimeo' is all that you need.

3. Did anyone else read any Robin Jarvis books? I really enjoyed all of those, especially 'Thomas', 'A Warlock In Whitby' and 'The Fatal Strand'.

4. I'm also reading the Wheel Of Time series, and I've just started Book 6. It's costing me a fortune, but worth it. Once I've bought the whole series I'll have start over again. Which might take a while...

[Courtney]

I have read some of the Elric of Melnibone stories, but I can't tell you where to find them all because I have been trying to find out myself. The ones I read were a part of the Eternal Champion Series, but I can't find any of them past book 7 or something.

[Zale]

Does that mean that there are several Elric series? I thought the Eternal Champion books were like a collection of various isolated stories, but obviously not. Michael Moorcock is so confusing.

[FoolOfATook]

The books of Jurassic Park and The Lost World were soooooo much better than the movies!

Everyone's entitled to their opinion, but I strongly disagree, especially about the first Jurassic Park- a work with a real sense of style, concieved by a true genius- something that I can't imagine anyone accusing Crichton of either being, or being capable of.

Which leads to...

FoolofATook's Top Five Movies that were better than the books:

-Jaws
-Get Shorty
-Psycho
-Touch Of Evil
-The Godfather

[TheFool]

Book & film of Congo = absolute toilet, but whooaah! The book of Jurassic Park, I thought, was excellent. The 'film' still makes me cringe though.

*runs off to watch first 5 mins of Touch Of Evil again*

[Arebeth]

First, a silly question: who wrote the Chronicles of Narnia? and what is it about?
I'm really ashamed but I don't know them.

Anyway, I've always been reading a lot, so there are a lot of books I like. I'm just going to say the ones I can think of at the moment.

-Seven Pillars of Wisdom, by T.E.Lawrence. Great book, especially if you are a little interested in the politic problems around Middle-East and Arabia.

- Notre-Dame de Paris, by Victor Hugo (sorry but I don't know the English title, maybe the same?). I'm currently rereading it. A classic among the classics.

- Johnatan Coe's books. Especially "What a Carve Up!" and (a little less good, but still fun) The Rotter's club.

-Amélie Nothomb's books. (She's a Belgian writer) Don't know the titles in English, sorry for that.

-The Book of Illusions, by Paul Auster.

- You will kill me but I can't help suggesting "Dracula" by Bram Stoker. The original one. Obviously because of my obscure fascinations.

I like Shakespeare, too (well...) and some things Goethe wrote.
And so many more....

[Talierin]

Chronicles of Narnia were written by C.S. Lewis, who was one of Tolkien's best friends. They're basically children's christian allegorical fantasy. The general idea is that children from 40s England get magically "pulled" into Narnia, another "world", when Narnia is in trouble. There's 7 books.

The Magician's Nephew - Digory and Polly through the use of magic rings and the Woods between Worlds get into Narnia right as Lord Aslan (a lion, basically Christ) is "singing" it into being.

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe - The White Witch from the Magician's Nephew has caused it to be always winter, and never christmas in Narnia, and her reign will only be ended when Aslan returns to Narnia and two Sons of Adam and Two Daughters of Eve sit on the four thrones at Cair Paravel, those being Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy. They get into Narnia through a wardrobe in the old house out in the country they're staying at while the bombs are dropping on London.

The Horse and His Boy - About some events that happened during the reign of Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy.

Prince Caspian - An evil king has taken over Narnia, sending the dwarves, talking beasts, and other folk into hiding. Prince Caspian, the evil king's nephew and true heir to Narnia, calls the four siblings back into Narnia with Susan's magic horn to take Narnia back.

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader - King Caspian sails to the edge of the world in a search for 7 lords of Narnia sent into exile by his evil uncle. Edmund, Lucy, and their horrible cousin Eustace join him, called by Aslan through a painting in Eustace's house.

The Silver Chair - King Caspian's only son, Prince Rillian, has been taken away under enchantment by an evil enchantress, and nobody knows where he is. Aslan calls Eustace and his schoolmate Jill into Narnia to find Prince Rillian.

The Last Battle - The world of Narnia is coming to an end. Jill and Eustace come to help fight with the last king of Narnia against the evil forces.

[FoolOfATook]

-Seven Pillars of Wisdom, by T.E.Lawrence. Great book, especially if you are a little interested in the politic problems around Middle-East and Arabia.

Another book turned into a great movie. I plan on reading it at some point, given my twin loves of history and Lawrence of Arabia, but the size intimidates me ever so slightly, and I share the same disease as Rhiannon regarding having too many books and not enough time. ;)

- Notre-Dame de Paris, by Victor Hugo (sorry but I don't know the English title, maybe the same?). I'm currently rereading it. A classic among the classics.

I haven't read any Hugo yet, (although he is another on my list), but I have spent enough time studying literature to know that the English title is The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

[Rhiannon]

*applauds Tal's lovely summary of Narnia*

I share the same disease as Rhiannon regarding having too many books and not enough time.

It's not exactly a disease...more of an obsessive-compulsive thing. I'm sure it's treatable, with the right therapy.

The question is, why the heck would you want to get treated?

And (on topic), Sunshine by Robin McKinley is definitely going to be one of my favorite books.