Favourite Book

rickinyorkshire · 03-09-2009, 8:40 AM

First off, woohoo!

Now to kick off this Book section I thought I'd go with 'what would be your favourite book of all time?'.

Mine would have to be Stephen Kings 'The Stand'.

mentalpen · 03-09-2009, 9:00 AM

Good to see a book forum

My favourite book has got to be 25th hour by David Benioff.

Sniper Ash6 · 03-09-2009, 9:08 AM

Probably one of my favourites is Tom Clancy's Rainbox Six

Its a brilliant book (but really quite long at ~900 pages)

*phairplay* · 03-09-2009, 9:12 AM

PHIL LOVELY: THE SCREAMING TREE

amazing book A MUST READ...

GasDad · 03-09-2009, 9:20 AM

Fiction: Orson Scott Card - Enders Game

Non Fiction: Douglas Hofstadter - Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid

Toasty · 03-09-2009, 9:35 AM

The Song of Albion Series by Stephen Lawhead is my favourite collection of books, however, David Eddings Elenium and Tamuli collections run this close.

Phantoms by Dean koontz is my wifes out and out favourite and is my favourite of his.

KhalJimbo · 03-09-2009, 9:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sniper Ash6

Probably one of my favourites is Tom Clancy's Rainbox Six

Its a brilliant book (but really quite long at ~900 pages)

Not such a fan of Tom Clancy's books I think he goes into too much detail and then the story kinda gets lost along in amungst all the detail he puts in.

I cant really pin point my favourite books, but my favourite authors are John Grisham and Kathy Reichs

Sniper Ash6 · 03-09-2009, 9:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Earthworm Jim

Not such a fan of Tom Clancy's books I think he goes into too much detail and then the story kinda gets lost along in amungst all the detail he puts in.

I cant really pin point my favourite books, but my favourite authors are John Grisham and Kathy Reichs

I have read a couple of the other Tom Clancy books and though some of them were harder to get into they were still brilliant and i really enjoyed them

Part of me liking Rainbow Six is that i have always liked the games

Another set of books i really like are the Lee Child ones about Jack Reacher

johnny70 · 03-09-2009, 9:50 AM

Stephen King- The Stand Complete and Uncut. Much better the the one that was 1st published, fantastic read if you can get through the whole 1200+ pages

Alan CD · 03-09-2009, 9:58 AM

One of my favourite books is "Piece of Cake" by Derek Robinson. WWII RAF Battle of Britain novel.

This book is a bit cutting and not 'boy's own hero worship' stuff.

GasDad · 03-09-2009, 10:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sniper Ash6

I have read a couple of the other Tom Clancy books and though some of them were harder to get into they were still brilliant and i really enjoyed them

Part of me liking Rainbow Six is that i have always liked the games

Another set of books i really like are the Lee Child ones about Jack Reacher

I sort of understand why people are fans of Clancy (I've read most of his books) - but he does write rather repetitively on occasions . If I had to re-read a Clancy book it would be Red Storm Rising or perhaps Sum of All Fears.

The thing he has brought to the 'Thriller' I think, is multiple simultaneous plot lines, sort of Hill Street Blues for the novel. So reading Clancy is very different to reading say Ludlum.

Sniper Ash6 · 03-09-2009, 10:10 AM

I have never read any of Ludlum's books

I have only read Red Storm Rising and Rainbow Six from Clancy and would probably pick Rainbow Six to read again (and have been considering doing it soon actually)

GasDad · 03-09-2009, 10:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sniper Ash6

I have never read any of Ludlum's books

I have only read Red Storm Rising and Rainbow Six from Clancy and would probably pick Rainbow Six to read again (and have been considering doing it soon actually)

Ludlums plots were great if somewhat convoluted. But his use a language and sentence structure, was great. Try the Icarus Agenda.

rickinyorkshire · 03-09-2009, 11:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnny70

Stephen King- The Stand Complete and Uncut. Much better the the one that was 1st published, fantastic read if you can get through the whole 1200+ pages

It is a big book (the uncut) but it is so immensely engrossing. When the Swine Flu pandemic hit I kept thinking of 'Captain trips'

darth kevinho · 03-09-2009, 12:00 PM

I loved The Time Travellers Wife also I Am Legend.

Ivor the Engine · 03-09-2009, 12:19 PM

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Read it plenty of times and the end still kills me.

Birdsong, by Sebastian Faulks has to be up there too.

**Theydon Bois** · 03-09-2009, 1:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sniper Ash6

Probably one of my favourites is Tom Clancy's Rainbox Six

Its a brilliant book (but really quite long at ~900 pages)

Its a very good book, and the (early) PC games are brilliant as well.

Fave book for me? Not a hope in hell of picking one. If my place was burning down, I would be running around picking up as many as I could from Gemmell, Feist, Abercrombie, Pratchett.....

I listed some must have reads here, and that would be a good start to pick one from for me:

Must Read List?

Sniper Ash6 · 03-09-2009, 1:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Theydon Bois

Its a very good book, and the (early) PC games are brilliant as well.

Fave book for me? Not a hope in hell of picking one. If my place was burning down, I would be running around picking up as many as I could from Gemmell, Feist, Abercrombie, Pratchett.....

I listed some must have reads here, and that would be a good start to pick one from for me:

Must Read List?

Yeah the early Rainbow Six games when it was actually properly Rainbow Six as Clancy had intended with the proper team were brilliant. Vegas and Vegas 2 are good but shouldnt have the title Rainbow Six

I would grab some more Clancy books to read but dont really have much time to read

Stream62 · 03-09-2009, 3:19 PM

The David Eddings series (both the Sparhawk and the Belgarath ones) get my vote as have read those probably more than any other.

DPinBucks · 03-09-2009, 3:29 PM

I'm not putting this down, but I don't think you can have a single favourite book.

My list:

Tom Clancy: Red Storm Rising & Executive Orders
Joseph Heller: Catch-22
Stephen King: The Stand (uncut); It
Larry Niven: Ringworld
Peter Robinson: Aftermath (to be televised)
Richard Dawkins : The Blind Watchmaker

Any by Tom Clancy, PG Wodehouse, Alan Coren, Terry Pratchett, Michael Connelly, Reginald Hill, Peter Robinson, Peter Hamilton.

IMO Niven & King definitely went off in their later books.

Codehead · 03-09-2009, 3:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DPinBucks

I'm not putting this down, but I don't think you can have a single favourite book.

I couldn't single out one book either. The nearest I could manage was the Riftwar trilogy.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DPinBucks

Richard Dawkins : The Blind Watchmaker

I've been meaning to pick that up for a while.

hopeless · 03-09-2009, 3:58 PM

one of my favourites is American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis. ive never read a book quite like it

-oh and Jaws by Peter Benchley

filmfreak71 · 03-09-2009, 6:03 PM

My favourite book is still Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird, but I also really like Dennis Lehane's Shutter Island, which has just been made into a film, so I can't wait to see it!

whymca · 04-09-2009, 7:13 AM

A few of my (many) favourites.....

The Adventures Of Goodnight And Loving - Leslie Thomas
Swan Song - Robert R. McCammon
IT - Stephen King
By Reason Of Insanity - Shane Stephens
Anything by Kinky Freidman (The best Jewish country-music singing detective there ever was!)

Oh, nearly forgot, non-fiction favourite....

Death In The Long Grass - Peter Hathaway Capstick

DJMS · 04-09-2009, 3:40 PM

+1 for Lee Child & Dean Koontz

Personal favourite would be very hard to choose from those below:

Not a penny more not a penny less by Jeffrey Archer
A time to Kill by John Grisham
The Firm by John Grisham
Angels and Demons by Dan Brown

with a fond mention of favourites as a kid

Emil and the Detectives by Erich Kaster
James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl

sniffer66 · 07-09-2009, 9:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GasDad

Ludlums plots were great if somewhat convoluted. But his use a language and sentence structure, was great. Try the Icarus Agenda.

I recently read the Bourne trilogy having read them as a kid. Much better then the films, and the films werent bad either !

sniffer66 · 07-09-2009, 9:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stream62

The David Eddings series (both the Sparhawk and the Belgarath ones) get my vote as have read those probably more than any other.

Ditto on the Belgariad and Mallorean. I started reading them around 1988 and have re-read them countless times since. Silk is one of my favourite all time characters

whiskyboozer · 07-09-2009, 7:35 PM

Amongst many fantastic books today I will choose this one.

'American Pastoral'- Philip Roth.

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 1998.
This wonderful novel explores many themes (some grand), terrorism, religiosity, sexual revolution, Watergate, other themes (less grand) glove making, high school sports. Each dealt with exquisite detail and equally fascinating, the mark of a truly wonderful writer.

Go read this book as soon as you can!!