Hello everyone as an avid reader I would be interested in finding out what "" Your favourite book is and why""
I also believe that most people would be interested as WE all have one or ten books that we always go back to again and again, or perhaps there is that special book that had an incredible impact on our lives or brought joy to our childhood.
So if you would like to share the name and reason for Your Favourite Book ... I would love to hear from you.
If you cannot choose just one... YOUR top five would be even better.
Thank you and I look forward to hearing from you all.
Susy
33 Replies
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I quite enjoyed Philip Pullmans Dark materials. They are quite hard to get into but once you have gotten started they are fantastic.
I loved Harry Potter and am very dissappointed there will be no more.
Vicky
x
I really like my math book because it explains everything really well in words, and it has lots of examples that are worked out.
But speaking of ""real"" books I like harry potter of course, and dan brown books. In Harry potter i like the 4th book the best (have not been able to finisht he last book YET because of immense amounts of school work believe it or not). Why... because it was fun and exciting. I also liked the first one because it put me into a whole different world in some way.
Of the dan brown books i like Deception Point because it was exciting and unlike anything i have ever read. The rest of Dan Brown's books are quite similar to eachother, but ifyou only read one of them (and not all at once almost, which i did) they are all quite good.
Other books I like a lot are lord of the flies, the great gatsby, all stephen king books, prep, and catcher in the rye. Those are the ones i can think of right now, but I like most books that are exciting.
I am sorry if this post is jumbeled!
Cheers
When I was young (and I'm not that old now, but it seems like ever such a long time ago), my favourite books were a red leather-bound copy of Black Beauty, and a battered paperback copy of The Hobbit.
Black Beauty is quite inspiring in its message of endurance in the face of adversity; The Hobbit is just a wonderful fantasy tale. And Bilbo Baggins is such an excellent name!
Nowadays, I don't think I could pick a favourite book; there are just too many I enjoy reading.
I have sooo many fave books ive always got a couple on the go! faves have gotta be harry potter of course and there are so many others. erm when i was a kid it had to be adrian mole i got given a copy of his first book while in hosp once and it made me laugh so much when i was feeling down and rubbish! so if i need cheering up i read one of the books again and again it never fails to make me laugh however many times ive read it. Theres also a child called it by dave pelzer, goodnight mister tom,and soooo many more id be here all night naming them all lol!
Books-I love them! ;
my ""top"" 3-
1;Ulysses-James Joyce
2;The 3 stigmata of Palmer Eldritch-Phillip K Dick
3:A Perfect Spy-John le Carre-in another universe,I could see myself as Magnus Pym!
-I suppose there is a father-son (and holy ghost in the case of Ulysses)theme to all my favourites:never really thought of that before!!
My favourite for a good light hearted read are sophie Knisellas Shopaholic books. Warning - not to be read in a quiet place as laughing out loud is frequent.
Thomas the Tank Engine Books - the whole set
Just So Stories - Esp how the whale got his throat
From the 2 above my Grandfather would read to us everynight when we stayed with them
Beatrix Potter - All of them, my mother had a belief that all children should be exposed to BP and they were 1st books I read myself at 4!
Enid Blytons Adventure stories (castle, island, circus, mountain etc) in the days before ventolin inhalers when my mild childhood asthma was a problem sometimes, I loved these books cos they kept me amused whilst others were charging around
The Hobbit which lead to straight to the Lord of the Rings.
To this day I am still struggling with Silmarilion but now have it on audio book so will get through it!
Silmarillion apart I can read pretty anything I remember getting into trouble for reading a Frost in May in my catholic convent boarding school. I loved Silas Marner unlike everyone else in my class and could pick and read shakespeare as it were a novel.
I find Tom Sharpe extremely funny and a great lift when feeling rather peed off with life. His first book, 'Riotous Assembly' is a great belly laugh and will have tears running down your face.
Bibliography
* Riotous Assembly (1971)
* Indecent Exposure (1973)
* Porterhouse Blue (1974)
* Blott on the Landscape (1975)
* Wilt (1976)
* The Great Pursuit (1977)
* The Throwback (1978)
* The Wilt Alternative (1979)
* Ancestral Vices (1980)
* Vintage Stuff (1983)
* Wilt on High (1985)
* Grantchester Grind (1995)
* The Midden (1996)
* Wilt Omnibus (1996) - a collection of the first three Wilt novels sometimes known as ""Wilt in Triplicate""
* Wilt in Nowhere (2004)
Hey guys,
Great thread. I'm not usually one for posting but couldn't resist.
My favourites:
XinRan: Sky burial - READ IT! phenomenally good, sad but very uplifting. True story.
The Shopacholic series (Sp?)/ Undomesticated gooddess by Sophie Kinsella all hilarious. Good light hospital reading too!
Rosamund Pilcher: Coming Home/ the Shell Seekers. Both great books.
Cold Mountain; Charles Frazer. Powerfully written, the mental image of Jude Law adds to the enjoyment!
Emily Bronte: Wuthering Heights. dark and gothic.
STX
Thanks
Thank you and YES I did forget to mention my own favourite books!!! ( must be my age !!!!
Not in any particular order:
The Hobbit: JRT - Wonderful story / fable
Cold Mountain: C.F - Loved all the sub plots and historical details and of course the love stories - Film was not bad either - ( Yes..Jude Law did help it a good bit - would not have thought of him as rouged prior to the film!!)
The Lord of the Flies: W.G - Again lots of wonderful sub plots - First book I read in English
A Tale of Two Cities: C.D - In my opinion the very best of C.D Books
Emma - J.A - Wonderful story extremely well written - Transported me to that era.
Weathering Heights. E.B - It's got it all Love, passion, hate, jealousy, ghosts, sub plots.
The House of the Spirits: I.A - As above - reads very easy as well
Poems - P.N (Pablo Neruda) - In Spanish his poetry cannot be beaten, a must for all Spanish speakers. I was privileged enough to have him read to me as a child so am a little bias !!! (P.N was a family friend).
Plus dozen or more others....I have just realised how hard it is to prioritize such a passion... Please keep adding your own to the list.
I am positive I will be adding to mine in the next few days....
Oh, and GornFishin, Tom Sharpe is sooo funny, Favourite being Blot! ( Oh the vsisions of Lady Maud....)
He got chucked out of South Africa didn't he? LOL!
Harry Potter, a must
Alan Tichmarshes love novels! Very sweet.
currently reading
Penguins stopped play by Harry Thompson
No nettles Required by Ken Thompson ( A light hearted look & serious one too on wildlife gardening)
An many more.... Book shelves are heaving
But finaly a book written by my Great Great Grandfather, Isaac Levinsohn
Various titles depending on publisher ...The story of Isaac Levinsohn - a Polish Jew ... (He wandered across Europe from Kaunas (Kovno) Lithuania and ended up a Baptist Minister in the East End of London!!)
Kate
What a wonderful thread!
I guess I am probably from a different era to some of you young 'uns(!), but here is my list
To Kill a Mocking Bird - I don't know why, but I read this book about 30 years ago and it has stuck with me.
The Citadel - a wonderful but sad tale of a doctor in a mining village.
Anything by Monica Dickens or Daphne Du Maurier
My Sister's Keeper and The Plain Truth - both Jodi Picoult
Anything by Alan Bennett
Coma and most othrs by Robin Cook
Polly Toynbees books and articles.
Kathyx
Harry Potter would be mine if I chose a book book.
But I read a lot of Japanese manga - tons and tons and tons!
Some of my fave manga titles:
Fruits Basket
Gravitation
Full Moon o sagashite
Negima
I love all winnie the pooh and hairy maclary from donaldsons dairy books sorry i am that sad but i do have 3 kids!
I also love trash like the Janet evanovich books about the failing misadventures of stephanie plum the bounty hero escapism rubbish that you can read with a confuddled brain.
Some more
Atonement
The Cement GArden - both by Ian McEwen
A long way from Heaven and Erin's Child, the first of two in a list of books following the lives of an Irish couple who left Ireland during the potato famine. They are wonderful books by Sheila Kelly.
A blast from my childhood:
Any famous five book, Mallory Towers or St. Clairs. ALl Enid Blyton, I think.
Kathy
Just thought I would let you all know that so far
HARRY POTTER is Number 1
may have to get round to reading them sometime
I dont read so much now and when I do it tends to be forensic / medical thrillers such as those by Robin Cook, Patricia Cornwell, Kathy Reiches etc.
My favouite ever book is Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. I studied this for exams when I was at school and the pleasure I got from it will stay with me forever
Definately Harry Potter - I have got 2 chapters left to read in the last book!
EEK cant do a accurate shortlist as im a total bookworm but heres a few of my favourites in no particualr order
any books by:- Torey Hayden,Jodi Picult.JK Rowling, terry wogan((sad i kno)
I also love medical forensic thrillers and real life books.
I grew up with Beatrix Potter so they must feature along with Noel Streatfield and Judy blume.
I also love Echoes by Maeve Binchy and despite having to do it as a set book for GCSE To Kill a Mocking bird is brill.
My favourite all time book is
Roald Dahl's Danny Champion of the World - why - i wanted his dad! It's such a lovely book about the relaitonship between Father and Son - they also do cool stuff like fly a hot air balloon made out of paper - meths - cotton wool. At 38 i'm still trying to do it. When my little man is big enough i'll get him involved in the project! Never got one to fly let alone land - have nearly caught fire to myself and others trying though - ah well - one day i'll do it. Also always wanted to try and catch a pheshant using R.D's tecniques.
Love Isabel Allende House of the Spirits -just read it - i think i'll have to read it again
Carol Shields - Unless - a fabulous story
- The Stone Diaries - just fab
Sebastian Faulks - Birdsong - it really made me think about the 1st WW - it is beautifully written - I don't normally read 'war' books but this one doesn't glorify war.
- Charlotte Grey - it's about WW2 really really good
- The Girl at the Lion D'or - in between the 2 WW
They not really a trilogy - but there are characters who appear in all 3 or members of thier families.
Great thread - it's made me think about raiding attic and dragging out these to read again.
Emily Bronte - Wuthering Heights - no need for explanation
Nicki French - Killing me Softly - it's a thriller - good read - but do not ever ever WATCH the film - absolute tripe - although Joesph Fiennes nice to look at - actually watch it with volume down!!!
For a laugh i do like Janet Evanovich books about Stephanie Plum the bounty hunter - they make be laugh out loud - oh and the character of Ranger - he just sounds so yummy!!!!! Sad muppet even bought my partner the aftershave (you'd have to read them) that he wears!!!
Middlesex - Jeffery Eugendies - just read this - about a hermaphodite - their family and how they came to be - a good read.
Thanks for the thread - it's given me some ideas for new book post christmas.
Cheers Susy
Yeah somebody else who appreciates Ranger!!!!
No other person i know has read and liked the Stephanie plum adventures, they just think they are total trash (which they are) but very amusing total trash!
On a related matter,has anyone seen South Parks ""adaptation"" of Great Expectations? a work of genius!!-starring Roddy McDowell as ""an English person""-its a real treat, if a little bit naughty.
OK, so I'm a slow reader (sometimes). A bit late, but here goes. The order of my list has no meaning.
""Don't Cry For Me Aberystwyth"" - Malcolm Pryce (and all 3 previous in the series: ""Aberystwyth Mon Amour"", ""Last Tango in Aberystwyth"" and ""The Unbearable Lightness of Being in Aberystwyth"".) The more Welsh blood in the veins, the more this one's appreciated. If you know Aberystwyth, even better. Every page sets my wrinkles as I grin from ear to ear. I expect strange looks when I read one of these on my train journey to work. It's maybe not one for the pure English, though! (It is really. I just want to wind up a bit of competitve nationalism, and I'm also part South Atlantic!)
""Make Room! Make Room!"" - Harry Harrison. It was published in World Cup year as I approached my final year of school. It was a frightening prediction then of over-population and it is still just that. It's set in 1999. I could (and still can) feel the intense humidity, the dirt and the fear in the city. It may make you think hard about GM food.
""A Dog's Life"" - Peter Mayle. A wonderful view of the human condition from ""Boy"", the dog. His knee-height journal is just unadulterated. I love the book and I love the dog.
""The Shadow of the Wind"" - Carlos Ruiz Zafon. Set in Barcelona, 1945. A book about a book in the ""Cemetry of Forgotten Books"". A book about lives in a book. A book about books in those lives. Such intrigue. I was spellbound.
""Animal Farm"" - George Orwell. Frightening that I work with some of the worst of these characters. Fortunately, I also work with some of the best of them. (I DO work for the government!)
""Timeline"" - Michael Chrichton. It is so believable. I just love this type of book and I think Michael Chrichton is one of the best at it's type.
""Leiths Vegetarian Bible"" - Polly Tyrer. OK, so its a cook book, and I am not a vegetarian. There were no rules set to say I could not include a cook book and it is influential on my life. Whoever said vegetarian food was boring needs to try some of the stuff in this. I often use these for dinner parties and the compliments flow faster then the Danube in December. I found my all time favourite in this book. Great food.
""Chocolat"" - Joanne Harris. I have reason to believe in the wind! Also, as a direct result of trying it after reading the book and watching the film, I love chilli in chocolate.
With permission, I have to reserve my last two for my least favourite as the hatred has influenced me for so many years. I am sure that I am not alone.
""From Ur to Rome"". Finally, it took a couple of good films, twenty years later, to get me into a love for history. Unfortunately, the effort that this book made me endure, forcing its every word down my throat, when I was just eleven years of age, was to obliterate any interest in history from my life. I hated every moment of those classes and now sorely miss all the fascinating knowledge that I could have accumulated if only I was ""sold"" history in even the vaguest of interesting ways. I dumped history as a school subject as a direct result of this book. Such was its influence.
""Midsummer Night's Dream"" - Willy S. How many times can you read the same book and fruitfully gain anything from analysing every single aspect of every single word, of every single phrase, of every single sentence. I also had this rammed down my throat at that same school. It was only after about the fifth time of repeating that most repetitious of exercises that I actually saw the play. Hey, It was almost fun, which I am sure was what Willy meant it to be. I feel sure that he did not spend every moment of every waking day pulling apart and questioning every word, comma and capitalisation as I did then endure. It took 30 years and a new wife to get me half interested again in any of Willy's work. Now - I love it, but I can only watch - never read. So sad.
Alan
A Simple Plan by Scott Smith
Dying Young - Marti Leimbach
Sophies Bakery For The Broken Hearted - Lolly Winston
AND anything by NIcci French - Fabulous!!!
The Boy in Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne. It's quite a simple read but it's very moving and it stayed with me for a long time.
1984 by George Orwell. It took me two attempts before I read it the whole way through, but when I tried reading it the second time around I really enjoyed it (if that's the right word?!).
When I was little (ok, and still now) I loved the Josie Smith books and the 'Little House...' books which mum used to read to us before bed.
A child called it Dave pelzer
The lost boy Dave pelzer
A man named dave Dave pelzer
All true story books which would have the hardest man in a state.
'Guess how much I love you?' by Sam McBratney
Has been suggested to me by STX
Harry Potter (all of them) - need I explain why?
The Time Travellers Wife - because I've never read another book like it, it had me gripped from start to finish.
The Horse Whisperer - much, much better than the film, I usually choose to read this when I'm 'between books'.
To Kill A Mocking Bird - strangely I loved this book despite it being my set text for GCSE, the rest of the class hated it.
There are probably many more but I can't think of them right now, I should be asleep!
Anyone read ""Counting the Stars"" by Helen Dunmore. Seen a recommendation but may be a bit girlie.
Alan
xxx
- A Calendar of Love - by George Mackay Brown - Not being at all Orkney bias !
- Things can Only get Better - by John O'Farrell - Made me Laughed so much nearly fell of the sofa !!!
- Chocolate - by JSJ - have just read again for the second time, a Clas
Anything by Jodi Picoult, Torey Hayden, or Chaim Potok.
The Diary of Anne Frank - it got me into WW2/Holocaust history and has been re-read many times, as well as it's associated books. I even learnt Dutch so I could read it in it's original language.
Just finished Northern Lights.......Golden Compass book.......FAB !
Love Autobiographies....Helen Mirren's definitely worth a read and for all my fellow United followers....Baby faced Assassin was great. Got it for Christmas....Thank you kids !
Loved all the Harry Potter's and Dan Brown's books are good too, not just The Da Vinci Code......Angel's and Demon's is even better.
Bought my daughter Charlie a copy of Ballet Shoes recently, read it when i was much younger but still a good read. Did Woman In White for O'level English.....now i'm showing my age....Still got a copy and have read it alot. Good book.
If you want a giggle read Jeremy Clarkson.
Well now that i have bored you all will go back to my library !
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