The best book you ever read was...

The best book you ever read was...

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Discussion

g4ry13

16,887 posts

254 months

Tuesday 23rd August 2011
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I just finished reading Catch 22 for the second time. Only on one occasion have I ever read a book twice.

Frankeh

12,558 posts

184 months

Tuesday 23rd August 2011
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E21_Ross said:
David copperfield - Charles dickens
Just an FYI, that's a free download in the kindle store.

Matt Harper

6,613 posts

200 months

Tuesday 23rd August 2011
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Both factual, unembelished, terrifying, heart-rending, un-put-downable.

db

724 posts

168 months

Thursday 25th August 2011
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Dixie68 said:
Chickenhawk by Robert Mason. Biography about his time as a helicopter pilot in Vietnam. Easily the best war era book I've ever read.
it arrived today, will get stuck in tomorrow.

Asterix

24,438 posts

227 months

Thursday 25th August 2011
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Weaveworld - Clive Barker
The Shipping News - Annie E Proulx

Both books I've bought a number of times because I keep giving them away to people to read.

Also, there was a short story written by one of the Russian classical authors, I think it was Dostoevsky. It was about a child that was going to school in Moscow and had to travel from his village out in the country. He catches a ride with the hay caravan going to the city. On the way, there is a huge thunder storm where they hide beneath the wagons. You know that taste you get in the air just before an electrical storm? The writing was so visceral that I actually got that taste in my mouth when reading that certain passage.

Stunning prose. I can't seem to find it again so if anyone recognises it, please let me know.

shalmaneser

5,930 posts

194 months

Thursday 25th August 2011
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The Forever War by Joe Haldeman. Utterly brilliant.

Also, and as previously mentioned, 'His Dark Materials', and 'The Stars my Destination'.

vescaegg

25,489 posts

166 months

Thursday 25th August 2011
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World war z is awesome. As is the zombie survival guide, so seriously written! hehe

I really like Day of the Triffids.

tenohfive

6,276 posts

181 months

Thursday 25th August 2011
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db said:
it arrived today, will get stuck in tomorrow.
I liked it but it turns a bit self indulgent at the end IMO. It did point me in the direction of a few others though:
Low Level Hell: A Scout Pilot in the Big Red One - Hugh Mills
Xin Loi, Viet Nam - Thirty-one months of War - Al Severs
The second being the better of the two. I preferred Xin Loi to Chickenhawk, but both the above equal it.

The Bourne Identity is a truly brilliant book. I enjoyed the film (and watched it first) but it didn't do the book any justice, and having seen the film didn't spoil the book - the storylines are very different. It really surprised me by how good it was.

But desert island scenario, it'd have to be Small Gods by Terry Pratchett. I like most of the Discworld books but Small Gods is the best of them. Followed by Thief of Time and Night Watch.


MarsellusWallace

1,180 posts

200 months

Thursday 25th August 2011
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I've not read a novel for a great many years but in the past-

Christine-Stephen King

The Rats
The Fog
Fluke. -James Herbert

v8will

3,301 posts

195 months

Thursday 25th August 2011
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Killing Zone - Harry McCallion. An autobiography of a life in the paras, the SADF, SAS and RUC

E31Shrew

5,920 posts

191 months

Thursday 25th August 2011
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Birdsong. Cracking novel

tenohfive

6,276 posts

181 months

Thursday 25th August 2011
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Forgot to mention (on account of it not being on my book shelf - some bd stole it) - Horses Arse by Charlie Owen.

Huff

3,140 posts

190 months

Friday 26th August 2011
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Best books I have ever read, as in - books I can and do return to and always get more from on re-reading:

Pepy's Diary
and
The Periodic table - Primo Levi.

- both by turns insightful, unguarded, funny, moving; even profound, for different reasons. If I had to pick just one, it'd be The Periodic table.




db

724 posts

168 months

Friday 26th August 2011
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tenohfive said:
I liked it but it turns a bit self indulgent at the end IMO. It did point me in the direction of a few others though:
Low Level Hell: A Scout Pilot in the Big Red One - Hugh Mills
Xin Loi, Viet Nam - Thirty-one months of War - Al Severs
The second being the better of the two. I preferred Xin Loi to Chickenhawk, but both the above equal it.
thanks, will look for them. amazon time smile

ESOG

1,705 posts

157 months

Friday 26th August 2011
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Good topic OP!!! The best book I ever read was:

Non-Fiction - Think and Grow Rich by Napolean Hill. (Can I get a thumbs-up from those of you who have had the liberty of reading this book!)

Fiction - For me fiction varies by my mood and depends on what genre I am 'in to' on any given day but; hmmmm I can't decide really, too many to list, it is like choosing your favorite movie, there are far too many top tens. But I would say my favorite genre is horror, and I enjoy reading horror anthologies, I have a whole lot of those.

Mug

472 posts

172 months

Friday 26th August 2011
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Absolute favourite is Shogun by James Clavell. It is a long book, but I read it once a year.

CunningPlan

228 posts

159 months

Friday 26th August 2011
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I forgot to mention the Dune series by Herbert. And I agree about the Dark Materials series too.

PaulHogan

6,086 posts

277 months

Friday 26th August 2011
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Today I'll answer with "The Player of Games" by Iain M Banks. But on another day I might pick a different book.


Turbodiesel1690

1,957 posts

169 months

Friday 26th August 2011
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v8will said:
Killing Zone - Harry McCallion. An autobiography of a life in the paras, the SADF, SAS and RUC
+1 - years since I read it but a cracking story

Tuvra

7,920 posts

224 months

Friday 26th August 2011
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