The best book you ever read was...

[PlankWithANailIn]

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card, simply loved it. Being turned into a film to be released next year. The film will also include the story in the book Ender's Shadow, which was written 14 years later and expands one of the other characters, it is also a great book and I am looking forward to the film.

[BenM77]

I believe my best books are ahead of me but for now here are a few that stand out as great reads.

Dune. The first book is the best, the next two are also quite good.

Catch 22.

Enders Game. I didn't read the sequels, a great book on its own.

The Bourne Trilogy for action, great books from Ludlum.

[Frenchda]

northwest monkey said:

Currently reading "The Stand" by Stephen King for about the 10th time so very possibly the best book I've read.

I go back to this every couple of years - one of the best books of my favourite genre.
I am plucking books of this thread for future reading, keep it up please.

[BOBBY G]

[quote=coppice]My word ..some 'courageous' nominations for best book ever read. And some which I'd agree with- or only mildly disagree anyway.I read early on that somebody had nominated Jackie Stewart's autobiography as best book. Hmm- if it deserves an award it would surely be for the most fawning celebrity obessed advertorial I have ever read. Great driver and safety campaigner, Sir Jackie, but spare us the deathless prose.

So- on my list - Hemingway was always the man and it would be the less obvious choice of Islands in the Stream (which had NOTHING to do with Dolly Parton)or probably A Moveable Feast which makes me wonder why I bother when I write - wonderful spare prose that moves me to - yup- tears every time I re read it. Hardy- Tess I always adored; and Postcards by Annie Proulx is extraordinary. In Patagonia by Bruce Chatwin is truly wonderful- if borderline bonkers.

Oh, and I adored Catcher in the Rye too.....




Please can you forward me on your copy of Catcher in the Rye. I would very much like to read it again.

[coppice]

Err ..buy your own..cheeky sod !

[marcosgt]

Back from the dead thread

"1984" by Orwell is right up there. Sadly, it's also as relevant today as it was in 1948...

"On The Beach" by Nevil Shute is a great book, much under-rated I think (as are many of his books).

I really enjoyed "The Tesseract" by Alex Garland (and I thought The Beach was a self-indulgent mess, personally), rattled through it in no time, but I'm not sure it's a candidate for 'best book I ever read'.

Of the stuff I was forced to read at school, I only recall Lawrie Lee's "Cider with Rosie" with any affection, a very evocative book.

In terms of Non-Fiction, "Band of Brothers" is good, but possibly my view is shaped by having seen the TV series. Matthew Parker's "Monte Cassino" is a brilliant book, better than many of the other much praised war books in my opinion, many of which just become long lists of unit movements, place names and dates.

M

[blindswelledrat]

Mobsta said:

I stopped reading the "what book are you reading now" thread last year, as nearly all the posts simply added to the long list of book names which weren't exactly TOP recommendations, nor was a summary provided.

It would be great to have a quality thread which loosely summarises what everyone feels is one of their best reads, along with a brief summary for those who are interested.

Couldn't agree more, good thread idea

Next2pages said:

Maverick: Its good
Eisenhorn (warhammer)
Pistonheads annual
Godwhale
Stig of the dump

Thats a shame

[BOBBY G]

coppice said:

Err ..buy your own..cheeky sod !

I just wanted to burn your copy.

[nick heppinstall]

When I was a nipper : The Adventures of the Wishing Chair

When I was a Teen : Sword of Shannara

Adult : Nights Dawn Triology by Peter f Hamilton

[Fishtigua]

I still haven't met anyone else who has read William Boyd's New Confessions. I found the novel so well written I kept looking in the middle for the photos, it reads so well as an autobiography. It's based on Jean-Jacques Rousseau's Les Confessions.

Bloody good read.

[rev-erend]

I'm not sure if I could nominate a best book ever but I have read some great books by :

JRR Tolkien
Terry Pratchett
David Eddings
Tom Clancy
Terry Pratchet
John Milton
John LeCarre
Clive Cussler
Phillip Pullman

[Legend83]

Fiction:

- 1984
- The Book Thief
- A Tale of Two Cities

Non-Fiction:

- Blood River: A Journey to Africa's Broken Heart
- If This is A Man
- A People's Tragedy: The Russian Revolution

War:

- Stalingrad
- The Price of Glory

[coppice]

Fishtigua said:

I still haven't met anyone else who has read William Boyd's New Confessions. I found the novel so well written I kept looking in the middle for the photos, it reads so well as an autobiography. It's based on Jean-Jacques Rousseau's Les Confessions.

Bloody good read.

You have now; and you are right too.

[Obiwonkeyblokey]

NOt the best, but certainly ne of the most enjoyable

The Wolf of Wall Street

[The_Doc]

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.

Gave this book to my brother after I'd read it twice

He's now a helicopter pilot

[The_Doc]

shalmaneser said:

The Forever War by Joe Haldeman. Utterly brilliant.

'.

Read and re-read this one many many times

Can I also nominate Neuromancer by William Gibson.

Proper proper SF

[Munka01]

I have read too many good books to name one. Top three would be..

Mr Nice - Amazing autobiography by Howard Marks. Truely amazing life starting with being the first Welshman to be offered a scholarship to Oxford, and leading to be the biggest weed smuggler in the world.

Marching powder - Rusty Young - autobiography of an Australian man serving a sentence in a Bolivian jail, where you must buy your cell. He ends up being a tour guide for the jail where backpackers came and stayed in his cell for a night for a fee and get smashed on pure cocaine made in the jail. Simply unbelievable story.

Escape by David McMillan - A true story of the only westerner to have ever escaped from Bangkok's 'Hilton' jail.

Edited by Munka01 on Friday 26th October 09:00

[Mobsta]

Munka01 said:

I have read too many good books to name one. Top three would be..

Mr Nice - Amazing autobiography by Howard Marks. Truely amazing life starting with being the first Welshman to be offered a scholarship to Oxford, and leading to be the biggest weed smuggler in the world.

Marching powder - Rusty Young - autobiography of an Australian man serving a sentence in a Bolivian jail, where you must buy your cell. He ends up being a tour guide for the jail where backpackers came and stayed in his cell for a night for a fee and get smashed on pure cocaine made in the jail. Simply unbelievable story.

Escape by David McMillan - A true story of the only westerner to have ever escaped from Bangkok's 'Hilton' jail.

Edited by Munka01 on Friday 26th October 09:00

Interesting selection. Mr Nice was a great film, and the latter two fascinating books about brutality and survival which really make you realise just how small the UK is on the map and how vastly different (and scary) other societies are.

You'd enjoy Corby's 'my story' and Reefer Men

[zb]

Mobsta said:

Munka01 said:

I have read too many good books to name one. Top three would be..

Mr Nice - Amazing autobiography by Howard Marks. Truely amazing life starting with being the first Welshman to be offered a scholarship to Oxford, and leading to be the biggest weed smuggler in the world.

Marching powder - Rusty Young - autobiography of an Australian man serving a sentence in a Bolivian jail, where you must buy your cell. He ends up being a tour guide for the jail where backpackers came and stayed in his cell for a night for a fee and get smashed on pure cocaine made in the jail. Simply unbelievable story.

Escape by David McMillan - A true story of the only westerner to have ever escaped from Bangkok's 'Hilton' jail.

Edited by Munka01 on Friday 26th October 09:00

Interesting selection. Mr Nice was a great film, and the latter two fascinating books about brutality and survival which really make you realise just how small the UK is on the map and how vastly different (and scary) other societies are.

You'd enjoy Corby's 'my story' and Reefer Men

If you've not read them already I can recommend both "Snowblind" and "Smokescreen" by Robert Sabbag.

[bad company]

Yoof Full Chav said:

Sir Jackie Stewart's autobiography. He achieved so much despite being dyslexic, and survived one of the worst periods in F1 history, and being pilloried in the motorsport press for wanting to stop his fellow drivers dying. Worth a read

I didn't like that book at all. I have a lot of respect for JS but he seemed to use the whole book to tell the reader how good he was.