What are everyone's fav books?

[tilted]

If you don't like fiction much, i say, try reading some good short stories. i mean good ones..

maybe try "Best Australian Stories 2003" edited by Peter Craven

i got this for Christmas, and i'm loving it...

the stories take about 40mins to read, and they're beautifully written.

or try some Margaret Atwood (Canadian) - the collection "Wilderness Tips" is a great start.

i love short fiction, it's so much less long-winded, it is unified, punchy and usually very affecting.

[ella]

I agree, short-fiction when it's well written is great. I seem to have read more stories when I was younger. I think there's some Dostoyevsky short stories kicking about in my room, so maybe I'll give them a go when I feel like switching my brain on again

I read The Corrections by Johnathon Franzen this year and loved it...really sharp and funny and moving and and and...great. I'm also a bit of a Dave Eggers fan (shut up) they're really good once you get over the self-consciously 'ironic' post-modern gimics. Virginia Woolf is another brilliant writer (goes without saying really) her words just flow so beatifully, it's poetry, prose, social commentry and philosophy all at once. I read and really enjoyed Too the Lighthouse, although Orlando was also good. Next on the list A Room Of One's Own.

has anyone here read The Unbearable Lightness of Being? Any thoughts - people have told me I should read this

[tilted]

lol... good old 4unit english giving us some short fiction cred i read some virginia woolf as well, her ability is astounding.

i was at glebe last week, and bought a hand made badge with a hand drawn picture of a wiry man with the words Franz Kafka in typewriter font underneath. If it weren't for 4unit, i would've had no idea who the guy was lol...so i'm starting to see that the joy that was 4unit spreads itself allover the place!

[Tiberius]

ella said:

I think there's some Dostoyevsky short stories kicking about in my room, so maybe I'll give them a go when I feel like switching my brain on again

Not a short story by any stretch, but Dostoyevsky's book Crime and Punishment is worth reading. It's about a guy who has a mean landlady. He rationalises that if he kills her he'll be doing the greater good since the murder will be trivial compared to the suffering he will relieve for the greater number of people if she's gone. But in killing her, he's also forced to take an innocent life and it spirals from there. The story explores the idea that for every action there’s a consequence and asks why suffering exists and how to deal with it.

[singingcirclesaway]

Tiberius said:

Do you enjoy fictional television shows or fictional movies Mel?

Get technical. We were talking books, so I only meant books for that.

[kim-b]

i'm not sure who told me to read this...but i borrowed it out.

The Outsider by Albert Camus

It's a short story and I read it in about 2 hours. I'm not sure if someone recommended it in the thread but yeah. Thank you.

[Tiberius]

heartspark said:

Get technical. We were talking books, so I only meant books for that.

Ahh, same diff to me. A story can be told through film or text. It's a different medium but the effect can be just as powerful.

[TheFool]

I can't pick just one book to be my favourite, its too hard. My list includes;

• The Lord of the Rings/ The Hobbit/ The Silmarillion by J.R.R Tolkien
  
• The Farseer triology/ The Liveship Traders triology/ The Tawny Man triology by Robin Hobb
  
• The View From The Mirror Quartet/ The Well of Echos Quartet (Still waiting on the fourth one to come out) by Ian Irvine
  
• The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan
  
• The Elenium/ The Tamuli by David Eddings
  
• Any thing by Tamora Pierce, my first true favourite author
  

Ah I'm heavily into fantasy, and will read it over and over again.

[gone]

I'm reading Australian artist 'Jeffrey Smart's memoir at the moment. I'm really enjoying it!

And it was a steal at $6 at this big book/dvd/cd sale in the city (which took Deane and i 90 minutes to look all through to come out with only the one book...!)

I've been interested in his work for about 2 years now and also bought a great book from borders with hundreds of colour prints!







The first time I ever saw one of his pictures (this was at the art gallery of nsw when i was 12 or 13)
I just stood there for ages staring.... and before i left i wrote down on a piece of paper-

'Jeffrey Smart- He appeared to be on the outside, but he was truly, right in the picture'

Anyway, good thing I didn't throw the paper out because I probably would have forgotten about him

(well maybe.... if i hadn't bought a large print of autobahn in the black forest ll later that day )

[jessi anne]

i capture the castle - dodie smith

i loved this book from the moment i started to read it when my mum bought it for my birthday. and then they went and made a movie of it! it really doesnt do justice to the book. someday im going to live in a castle:)

[PrincessRia]

The Silmarillion - JRR Tolkien.. reasons have been explained by other posters
Queen Kat &c - Maureen McCarthy... i dont really know, but it just has so much relevance to todays uni society. it tends to lack depth but the understanding is incredible
The Truth About ... - Christopher West... this guy is the most incredible interpretive writer ever. he fascinates me.


I tend to be more into non fiction books, specifically history ones.

[Hazy Recollections]

PrincessRia said:

Queen Kat &c - Maureen McCarthy...

I read that one back in high school, it was a great book back then (heh i'm so old) can't remember how relevant it is though. Anyway doesn't really matter, it's a great read.

[Control Alt. Delete]

I haven't been a reader of fiction since school. So many of my favourite books are naturally non-fiction.

Top Ten Everything - Russell Ash
Dictionary - Various
Thesarus - Dr Peter Roget
Flacco's Burnt Offerings - PJ Livingston
The PreHistory of The Far Side - Gary Larson
The Poet's Manual and Rhyming Dictionary - Frances Stillman
The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Music - Various
The Bible - Various
The Sell-In How the Music Business Seduced Alternative Rock- Craig Mathieson
The Art of Happiness - His Holiness the Dalai Lama

I am currently reading Run Out by Graham Halbish which is a sort of history of the modern game of cricket n Australia. Although I'm not the biggest fan of cricket, I have received many books and now DVD's about the history of the game and the players for Xmas. Sure I watch some of the matches and generally leave the TV on the cricket over summer (although I always listen to CDs and rarely the Commentary Team), there is only so much anyone needs to know about the game.

[Hazy Recollections]

Control said:

The Art of Happiness - His Holiness the Dalai Lama

I have a question about this one. What is this book like? I mean does it have teachings in it or something? i dont know, we just have it at work and heaps of people ask me what it's like. Im too lazy (or interested in other books) to read it.

[gone]

hmm Dalai Lama books.... I always find myself picking them up and flicking through, liking, but never purchasing

will have to break that chain soon