nudge Posted May 17, 2019 Posted May 17, 2019 Or top 3. Or top 10. Or top 15. Or whatever you feel like. Doesn't have to be in any particular order either; I know at least for me it's impossible to rank my most favourite ones. Anyway - would love to hear what everyone's favourite books are and why. Maybe a separate list for fiction and non-fiction books if you feel like it. I'll do my list tomorrow as I'm heading to bed soon but just wanted to post this now before I forget it
Inverted Posted May 17, 2019 Posted May 17, 2019 I'm only going to explain my Non-Fiction choices since it's more important to know in advance what they're about, and trying to describe why you like novels normally just turns into faux-artsy wankery. Top 3 Novels: Die Verwandlung, Kafka The Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck As I Lay Dying, Faulkner Top 3 Non-Fiction: The Great Transformation, Polanyi -best economic history I've ever read, covering basically every facet of the progression from pre-modern economic life to the market society as we now know it. The Sleepwalkers, Clark -a basically untouchable account of arguably the most complex event in history, the outbreak of WW1. The Making of the Indebted Man, Lazzarato -a quite pessimistic but very thought-provoking look at how debt and credit has become the major ordering force in society and its psychological impact on modern life.
The Artful Dodger Posted May 17, 2019 Posted May 17, 2019 Fiction. The Fall - Albert Camus Ragged Trousered Philanthropists - Robert Tressell Germinal - Emile Zola Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte Non-Fiction....too many to mention, I love history books Rise and Fall of the Third Reich - William Shirer A People's Tragedy: The Russian Revolution - Orlando Figes The Ball is Round - David Goblatt.
Subscriber Viva la FCB+ Posted May 17, 2019 Subscriber Posted May 17, 2019 I used to read alot more in my late teens and early twenties Ill just list what I remember really shining to in no particular order, mostly fiction. All Quiet on the Western Front The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series (original 3) Troy series by David Gemmel (3 books) The Hobbit Watership Down Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep
Dr. Gonzo Posted May 17, 2019 Posted May 17, 2019 No particular order: Catch-22 - Joseph Heller The Crying of Lot 49 - Thomas Pynchon A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole The Count of Monte Cristo - Alexander Dumas Redbrest - Jo Nesbo
Subscriber CaaC (John)+ Posted May 18, 2019 Subscriber Posted May 18, 2019 All the Lee Childs - Jack Recher books 1 to 23, his next book Blue Moon gets released in October this year so then it will be 24, I can't really say in order which is the best as they are all good.
AMG Posted May 18, 2019 Posted May 18, 2019 A Clockwork Orange Hadji Murad by Tolstoy The Incredible Journey by Shiela Burnford Inferno by Dan Brown Brave new World by Aldous Huxley
Subscriber CaaC (John)+ Posted May 18, 2019 Subscriber Posted May 18, 2019 5 hours ago, CaaC - John said: his next book Blue Moon gets released in October this year Our son is visiting so that's my Christmas prezzie sorted out from him...
nudge Posted May 18, 2019 Author Posted May 18, 2019 Some nice lists there; keep them coming... I must admit I've always struggled with naming my top-whatever favourite books. I love reading, and so many books have made an impact on me throughout the years (especially during my childhood and teenage years); it's really hard to choose and my list would probably look different depending on the time I compile it. Anyway, I tried to think of the books that made a lasting impression on me that doesn't fade away with time. In no particular order: Fiction: On the Road by Jack Kerouac - now this is a book that was on the top of my favourites for a long time in the past. I first read it when I was around 15 or so and it significantly changed my outlook on life. However, I re-read it a few times after that (big mistake), and the older I got, the less impressed I was with the novel, the characters, the ideas and the values. I don't think I would have been able to relate to it if I first read it some 10 years later. I think it's one of those books one has to read at certain age/stage of life to truly appreciate it... At any case, I still will always put it on my most favourite list if only for the impact it made on me and my life choices originally. Citadelle (The Wisdom of the Sands) by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry - I've read a few other books of Saint-Exupéry before I dived into this one (and I really liked the ones inspired by his experience as a pilot while I wasn't too keen on The Little Prince); didn't expect it to be as challenging as it turned out to be. No wonder he considered it to be his life's work while all his other books were rehearsals for this one; too bad he died before he completed it... I struggled with understanding it the first time I tried reading it (probably was a bit too young), but even then my mind was blown away with the magnitude of it trying to contemplate the essence of life and humanity and the meaning of it all in 219 chapters. For me it is that one proverbial book you would take with you on a desert island to read at any time... (and I kind of did). Catch-22 by Joseph Heller - I've loved (anti)war books ever since I started reading; mostly thanks to Erich Maria Remarque who would definitely make it to my top 5 most favourite writers. However, Catch-22 is the best book to portray the absurdity of war and human condition through dark gritty satire and insane tragicomedy. Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami - I've read most of Murakami's books and love his style of magical realism in general but this one is definitely my all-time favourite. Both entertaining and unpretentious yet touches a lot of complicated themes through symbols and metaphors. Somewhat similar to Bulgakov's Master and Margarita in style - which is another one on my most favourite list... For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway - funnily enough, I don't even like Hemingway that much and can't usually relate to most of his books. This one, however, really impressed me a lot and was both thought-provoking and thoroughly enjoyable. Just a few other honourable mentions: The Stranger by Albert Camus, Life After God by Douglas Coupland, Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonnegut, all Remarque books, The Stand by Stephen King, Steppenwolf by Herman Hesse, American Gods by Neil Gaiman, The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, A Romance of Two Worlds by Marie Corelli, The Mysterious Island by Jules Verne (I better stop now). Non-fiction: Cosmos by Carl Sagan - probably the first book that started my love and appreciation for science. Escape from Freedom (also known as Fear of Freedom) by Erich Fromm - a very interesting analysis of how humanity's inherent search for freedom inevitably leads to feelings of alienation and thus fuels the rise of authoritarianism. Love his other books as well; still highly relevant. Games People Play by Eric Berne - transactional analysis of social interactions. Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl - both a memoir of surviving Nazi death camp and the basics of logotherapy. Why the West Rules—For Now: The Patterns of History, and What They Reveal About the Future by Ian Morris.
Rucksackfranzose Posted May 18, 2019 Posted May 18, 2019 Fiction: The little world of Don Camillo by Giovanino Guareschi The water-method man by John Irving Panter, Tiger & Co by Kurt Tucholsky Non- fiction Vertigo years by Philipp Blom, a historical and sociological treatise how the lives of the citizens of industrialised countries at the beginning of the last century was completely altered through economic innovation and scientific progress Rosa Luxemburg by Paul Frölich, a biography of the revolutionary marxist labour leader and feminist written by a reformist social democrat. Haltet die Saar, Genossen! by Ralph Schock ( probably only available in German), an anthology of political texts of Saarish as well as emigrated authors from other parts of Germany, who tried to convince the Saarish people not to vote for reunification with Germany at the 1935 plebiscite. These texts include a span from anarchists and communists over social-democrats and middle class centrists to Jehova's witnesses and Quakers.
nudge Posted May 18, 2019 Author Posted May 18, 2019 7 minutes ago, Rucksackfranzose said: Vertigo years by Philipp Blom, a historical and sociological treatise how the lives of the citizens of industrialised countries at the beginning of the last century was completely altered through economic innovation and scientific progress Just googled it for more information and reviews; sounds very interesting. Ordered it already
IgnisExcubitor Posted May 21, 2019 Posted May 21, 2019 In no particular order some of my favourites: Catch 22 Words can't describe how much I love this book. And probably the only book I have read multiple times, and still never got bored. Vyakti Ani Vali, a Marathi language book by the genius Pu. La. Deshpande. The Fortunate Pilgrim , my favourite Mario Puzo book. Beautifully written and well defined characters. A Suitable Boy Vikram Seth's magnum opus of sorts. Every subject, attached to his characters and/or story he covers in this book is described in correct detail. Despite being a big book at 1000+ pages, I found it engaging from start to the end. The Great Gatsby A lot of people either dislike this one, or deem it overrated. I don't care. To me, there was smoothness in the sentences and the narration. If I have to compare this to food, then it felt like a soft, airy, light but tasty Vanilla sponge cake. The White Tiger Aravind Adiga introduced me, a relatively privileged city kid, to the harsh realities of life in unknown corners of my country. Later on I went on to read Rahul Pandita's Hello Bastar, a nonfiction on the same subject and it made me angrier. God of Small Things I despise Arundhati Roy's politics to the point of disliking even her for her habitual lying, support of terrorists and hatred towards the country, but I cannot deny her writing skills in this wonderful novel. Our Moon has Blood Clots Rahul Pandita, a Kashmiri Pandit himself, charts the genocide and exodus of Kashmiri pandits from the Kashmir valley, and also offers the truth about that region. An essential reading if you really want to understand Kashmir. Annihilation of Caste Almost all works of Dr. Ambedkar are worth reading, but this one in particular is the most essential of them all. To me he is the greatest Indian, even far ahead of Gandhi. I have probably forgotten some, which I might add if I remember. I also think Philip Dick's Do Android Dream of Electric Sheep will feature in my favourites once I read it, considering I am obsessed with Blade runner.
Dr. Gonzo Posted May 21, 2019 Posted May 21, 2019 43 minutes ago, IgnisExcubitor said: In no particular order some of my favourites: Catch 22 Words can't describe how much I love this book. And probably the only book I have read multiple times, and still never got bored. Vyakti Ani Vali, a Marathi language book by the genius Pu. La. Deshpande. The Fortunate Pilgrim , my favourite Mario Puzo book. Beautifully written and well defined characters. A Suitable Boy Vikram Seth's magnum opus of sorts. Every subject, attached to his characters and/or story he covers in this book is described in correct detail. Despite being a big book at 1000+ pages, I found it engaging from start to the end. The Great Gatsby A lot of people either dislike this one, or deem it overrated. I don't care. To me, there was smoothness in the sentences and the narration. If I have to compare this to food, then it felt like a soft, airy, light but tasty Vanilla sponge cake. The White Tiger Aravind Adiga introduced me, a relatively privileged city kid, to the harsh realities of life in unknown corners of my country. Later on I went on to read Rahul Pandita's Hello Bastar, a nonfiction on the same subject and it made me angrier. God of Small Things I despise Arundhati Roy's politics to the point of disliking even her for her habitual lying, support of terrorists and hatred towards the country, but I cannot deny her writing skills in this wonderful novel. Our Moon has Blood Clots Rahul Pandita, a Kashmiri Pandit himself, charts the genocide and exodus of Kashmiri pandits from the Kashmir valley, and also offers the truth about that region. An essential reading if you really want to understand Kashmir. Annihilation of Caste Almost all works of Dr. Ambedkar are worth reading, but this one in particular is the most essential of them all. To me he is the greatest Indian, even far ahead of Gandhi. I have probably forgotten some, which I might add if I remember. I also think Philip Dick's Do Android Dream of Electric Sheep will feature in my favourites once I read it, considering I am obsessed with Blade runner. The White Tiger is such a fucking great book
nudge Posted May 21, 2019 Author Posted May 21, 2019 1 hour ago, IgnisExcubitor said: The White Tiger Aravind Adiga introduced me, a relatively privileged city kid, to the harsh realities of life in unknown corners of my country. Later on I went on to read Rahul Pandita's Hello Bastar, a nonfiction on the same subject and it made me angrier. 45 minutes ago, Dr. Gonzo said: The White Tiger is such a fucking great book I love this book; should probably have put it into my list... Good shout.
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