What's the best book you've ever read? Like, one that hits all the right areas for what makes a great piece of literature, and something that changed your life?
Best book you've ever read?
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I don't know about greatest of all time, but my favorite book is American Gods by Neil Gaiman. It would take forever to explain why this book is so great, but the fact that the plot is so complex and yet so subtle that it requires multiple readings to catch all the details, and even that might not be enough. Plus, Gaiman's vast knowledge of mythology really comes into play, and how he characterizes the gods as people actual people while still keeping true to their source material is a thing of beauty. It's probably the only book that I bought three copies for: two really worn out ones for reading, one signed one for display.
Yeah, I've heard about this book, but just never got round to buying it. But I think I will do, since I can't remember the last time I got, like, really engrossed in literature since The Catcher in the Rye.TakerFoxx said:
It's hard to say, my life hasn't been "changed" all that frequently by any particular work of art. There's the usual suspects they make you read in high school, like Catcher in the Rye, Lord of the Flies, 1984 and Demian, the typical teenage eye-openers. Then there's pop culture fodder like Clockwork Orange. And I'm particularly proud of reading classic doorstoppers like Dante's Commedia, or oldies like Petronius' Satyricon or La chanson de Roland and all those plays by Shakespeare.
The most life-changin' I've done lately has been through the works of Cormac McCarthy, Philip K. Dick and Kurt Vonnegut. I couldn't tell you any book in particular (Breakfast of Champions is a good contender), but I read a few in the right order and the experience brought reading back to my life on a regular basis. Since then I review every book I read, and I schedule a few dozen books every year so I don't lose the habit.
The most life-changin' I've done lately has been through the works of Cormac McCarthy, Philip K. Dick and Kurt Vonnegut. I couldn't tell you any book in particular (Breakfast of Champions is a good contender), but I read a few in the right order and the experience brought reading back to my life on a regular basis. Since then I review every book I read, and I schedule a few dozen books every year so I don't lose the habit.
Just a quick word of warning: I wasn't kidding about needing multiple readings to really get into it. After my first time reading it, my reaction was something to the tune of, "Pretty good, but I like his other stuff better." It wasn't until I picked it up again a few months later that it clicked and became amazing.Relish in Chaos said:
I'd say my favorite series was the Codex Alera. It was, by the author's own admission, basically lost Roman legion mixed with Pokemon(taken on an internet dare at that) but the series is well done with plots both big and small. It has people using elemental superpowers, people outsmarting people with elemental superpowers, it has intrigue, it has Romans, and it's all pretty glorious.
There was also the Green Rider series. I'm not quite sure why I like the series as much as I do, especially since I forgot about it for a few years, but I got giddy nonetheless when I found out a new book was out and a second was due to be released in a few months
There was also the Green Rider series. I'm not quite sure why I like the series as much as I do, especially since I forgot about it for a few years, but I got giddy nonetheless when I found out a new book was out and a second was due to be released in a few months
I have two that I would say are both first class literature and extremely enjoyable reads (putting aside many others which are enjoyable but not such a high caliber of literature, or fine literature but not quite so enjoyable). I guess I'm a bit of an Anglophile (though there are some great American writers too; Robert Penn Warren and Ernest Hemingway come to mind)...
Louis de Bernieres' Birds Without Wings, a work of historical fiction set in World War I Anatolia (in the Ottoman Empire) on the eve of the Armenian massacre. It's a beautiful tragedy that reads almost like mythology (a style that I found worked really well; Bernieres also uses it in his more famous Captain Corelli's Mandolin), and it mixes in a fair bit of actual history of the twilight years of the Ottoman Empire.
Kazuo Ishiguro's The Remains of the Day, a work historical fiction set in the interwar years (between WWI and WWII). It's sort of a sad story about people deluding themselves into doing something that they wish was the right thing but really isn't (on multiple levels, though in some cases it's rather subtle and a casual reader might not connect the dots). It includes a fair bit of history related to the "appeasement" movement in Britain; I liked reading about that because it's so horribly misunderstood nowadays.
Louis de Bernieres' Birds Without Wings, a work of historical fiction set in World War I Anatolia (in the Ottoman Empire) on the eve of the Armenian massacre. It's a beautiful tragedy that reads almost like mythology (a style that I found worked really well; Bernieres also uses it in his more famous Captain Corelli's Mandolin), and it mixes in a fair bit of actual history of the twilight years of the Ottoman Empire.
Kazuo Ishiguro's The Remains of the Day, a work historical fiction set in the interwar years (between WWI and WWII). It's sort of a sad story about people deluding themselves into doing something that they wish was the right thing but really isn't (on multiple levels, though in some cases it's rather subtle and a casual reader might not connect the dots). It includes a fair bit of history related to the "appeasement" movement in Britain; I liked reading about that because it's so horribly misunderstood nowadays.
Well, to me an example of fine literature is Wuthering Heights. The book is written in a rather clever and unique way and hits the right spots for great literature. Considering that Wuthering Heights was Bronte's very first book, that's one hell of a damn feat. It didn't exactly change my life, but it certainly changed the way I read classic literature and reminded me that holding a grudge can drive people to do insane things. I had to study it for university and I was very fortunate to have a professor who made the book a lot of fun to dig into. It was kind of a blow to realise that it was being advertised as this great true love story, especially when I saw a copy of it with a sticker saying "Bella in Twilight's favourite romance" or something to that effect.
Another book I felt hit the right spots for great literature is Carrie by Stephen King. It's a very short book but it's written in such an engrossing way. I feel it is rather similarly written to Dracula, in that it's told in other accounts, newspaper articles and diaries. It's also one of the first books to ever truly creep me out.
One of my favourites is the Harry Potter series. I grew up with those books. I love to read them, it's like stepping into this giant world full of adventure and magic. Where you can feel the world change and develop.
All Quiet on the Western Front is another I consider great literature. That book is just amazing and I recommend it to absolutely everyone. It's World War One literature, historical fiction, but it paints a very powerful and accurate picture of the war. It's from the viewpoint of a german soldier. It's another very short book but it's one of the most powerful I have ever read. I can't praise it enough. It's also the only book to ever make me burst out in tears on a train. I've read a hell of a lot of WW1 literature, I did my dissertation on it for university, and out of all the books I've read, that one takes the cake. Another good WW1 book is the memoir of Edmund Blunden, called Undertones of War. Also Memoirs of an Infantry Officer by Siegfried Sassoon and also Regeneration by Pat Barker.
Another book I felt hit the right spots for great literature is Carrie by Stephen King. It's a very short book but it's written in such an engrossing way. I feel it is rather similarly written to Dracula, in that it's told in other accounts, newspaper articles and diaries. It's also one of the first books to ever truly creep me out.
One of my favourites is the Harry Potter series. I grew up with those books. I love to read them, it's like stepping into this giant world full of adventure and magic. Where you can feel the world change and develop.
All Quiet on the Western Front is another I consider great literature. That book is just amazing and I recommend it to absolutely everyone. It's World War One literature, historical fiction, but it paints a very powerful and accurate picture of the war. It's from the viewpoint of a german soldier. It's another very short book but it's one of the most powerful I have ever read. I can't praise it enough. It's also the only book to ever make me burst out in tears on a train. I've read a hell of a lot of WW1 literature, I did my dissertation on it for university, and out of all the books I've read, that one takes the cake. Another good WW1 book is the memoir of Edmund Blunden, called Undertones of War. Also Memoirs of an Infantry Officer by Siegfried Sassoon and also Regeneration by Pat Barker.
The only book I really got super into within the last few years was The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. 'S about this guy who is basically your typical medieval hero character but he isn't really. He goes out of his way to present himself to the world as this unstoppable badass when he's really one step away from a breakdown. He is talented don't get me wrong, he just uses a few underhanded tactics to push the point further. He passes a test with close to flying colours when going to this not quite magical university and afterwards he reveals to the reader that he had snuck into a few classes a few hours earlier to memorise some answers, every other action in his life is one sleight of hand trick to look better. It's REALLY good
Oh and imma cheat and add a couple of Visual Novels, they count as literature don'tcha know. Katawa Shoujo, which everyone who spends time on the internet around gaming or anime sites should have at least heard of already and Grisaia No Kaijitsu.
Both really well written with untypical main characters. KS has a sort of cynical at times nice guy with a heart condition and a penchant for White Knighting and GnK has a shounen anime protagonist military badass. Apparently this guy has been on countless special ops military operations before he's out of highschool so he's hyper competent. It makes no sense but it makes for a compelling and interesting character nonetheless. Also Michiru is best girl. Every scene she's in is hilarious.
Oh and imma cheat and add a couple of Visual Novels, they count as literature don'tcha know. Katawa Shoujo, which everyone who spends time on the internet around gaming or anime sites should have at least heard of already and Grisaia No Kaijitsu.
Both really well written with untypical main characters. KS has a sort of cynical at times nice guy with a heart condition and a penchant for White Knighting and GnK has a shounen anime protagonist military badass. Apparently this guy has been on countless special ops military operations before he's out of highschool so he's hyper competent. It makes no sense but it makes for a compelling and interesting character nonetheless. Also Michiru is best girl. Every scene she's in is hilarious.
Would 'Calvin and Hobbes, attack of the deranged mutant killer monster snow goons' count? Its a great read...by far.
Ah well if that doesnt count, my top fav book is still a tie between Bram Stoker's 'Dracula' and Dante Aligheri's 'Divine Comedy'
Reasons:
Dracula: it scared the crap out of me as a kid haha, I actually managed to sleep with a cross next to my bed for the reading and a couple weeks after, I was..13 or 14 at the time I believe.
Divine Comedy: This is the portion where I add that Yao Ming face going 'Well..Im going to burn'.
Close No.3 would be Tolkien's Hobbit, simply cause it was tons of fun reading.
Though there are of course books that are utterly horrifying...120 Days of Sodom from De Sade...its a classic but...by god there is not a horror movie to this day that I can account for horrifying me as much as that book did. Serbian Film was running up to it but...literally that book is miles and miles in front. Soooo if anyone wants something to literally make their jaw drop whilst reading it..go for it haha, though I will give a warning that it is pretty...bad Ill say. Not bad as in a 'crappy' book (<--anyone whos read it...see what I did there?) but more along the lines of..really really messed up.
Ah well if that doesnt count, my top fav book is still a tie between Bram Stoker's 'Dracula' and Dante Aligheri's 'Divine Comedy'
Reasons:
Dracula: it scared the crap out of me as a kid haha, I actually managed to sleep with a cross next to my bed for the reading and a couple weeks after, I was..13 or 14 at the time I believe.
Divine Comedy: This is the portion where I add that Yao Ming face going 'Well..Im going to burn'.
Close No.3 would be Tolkien's Hobbit, simply cause it was tons of fun reading.
Though there are of course books that are utterly horrifying...120 Days of Sodom from De Sade...its a classic but...by god there is not a horror movie to this day that I can account for horrifying me as much as that book did. Serbian Film was running up to it but...literally that book is miles and miles in front. Soooo if anyone wants something to literally make their jaw drop whilst reading it..go for it haha, though I will give a warning that it is pretty...bad Ill say. Not bad as in a 'crappy' book (<--anyone whos read it...see what I did there?) but more along the lines of..really really messed up.
Harry Potter series...I guess that series would be on most peoples list.
The Belgariad series from David Eddings got me into reading.
But my personal favorite was the first 3 books of The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever from Stephen Donaldson. Brilliant mixture of fantasy, psychology, loss, hope, and the blurry lines between reality and fiction.
The Belgariad series from David Eddings got me into reading.
But my personal favorite was the first 3 books of The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever from Stephen Donaldson. Brilliant mixture of fantasy, psychology, loss, hope, and the blurry lines between reality and fiction.
Lord of the Flies. Political philosophy book? Check. Discussion on human nature? Check. Beautiful, almost poetic, writing? Check. Religious parable? Check. Supernatural invading the natural? Check. Dark, heartbreaking, terrifying, and beautiful, this is the one book I WISH I had written.
Does Berserk count? It's the thinking mans Game of Thrones. Hands down, the best fantasy story ever written, with the possible exception of the Tolkien mythology. It's philosophical without being preachy, and the characters are beautiful and tragic.
Does Berserk count? It's the thinking mans Game of Thrones. Hands down, the best fantasy story ever written, with the possible exception of the Tolkien mythology. It's philosophical without being preachy, and the characters are beautiful and tragic.
That's a tough one as I'm not sure there have been all that many books that I would say changed my life in any real way. Also, the few I would say maybe set me on a certain path here or there aren't necessarily what I would consider to be the best books I've read. The early DragonLance novels, for example, made me totally fall in love with fantasy and I still read them from time to time today but I will readily admit that the writing in them is largely amateurish and even painful to read at times.
If I had to pick a best book, though, it would probably be either Neuromancer or Pattern Recognition by William Gibson. Both are excellent reads.
If I had to pick a best book, though, it would probably be either Neuromancer or Pattern Recognition by William Gibson. Both are excellent reads.
The Complete Chronicles of Conan: Centenary Edition
Contains every one of Robert E. Howard's Conan stories, set out in the order they were written, as well as some drafts and other unfinished works that were never published. It's a rather epic tome and the pride of my, admittedly small, book collection. He's also my favourite and most influential author, which adds upon it all.
The Dragonlance Chronicles. They are basically epic fantasy for young adults and those books are responsible for me surviving several rough patches as a young kid. I've read and re-read the entire thing, plus the War of the Twins which came afterwards, countless times. It's not as snooty as some people's supposed picks, but as for the impact on my life, Dragonlance is streets ahead.
I also named my cat after one of the characters. Non-existent internet points for anyone who guesses it.
I also named my cat after one of the characters. Non-existent internet points for anyone who guesses it.
Probably my favorite books ever were The Risen Empire and The Killing of Worlds by Scott Westerfeld. Really outstanding sci-fi with interesting characters, a great story, and a really excellent world. I've read them a few times and they never get old. Highly recommended to say the least!
The Harry Potter series.
Can't pick an specific book because all of them are awesome, though the first two are kind of meh.
Can't pick an specific book because all of them are awesome, though the first two are kind of meh.