Favourite Book/Story

[Cranberry]

Ooooh, books I enjoy!

I don't read nearly as much as I should but I just recently finished re-reading "The Lost World" by Michael Crichton. Great read, that and "Jurassic Park". They're long books but definitely worthwhile particularly if you're like me and enjoy science-y stuff. Or if you liked the movies. The books are much better than the movie and far more graphic if you would enjoy reading some slightly more detailed accounts of how the dinosaurs maul everyone.

I read and enjoyed both of those books (he managed to make even the technical, science-y stuff seem both plausible and interesting), but his writing style annoys the hell out of me! Every time someone talks, it's just "___ said." There's never a "remarked" or "joked" or "whispered" or anything else but "said." Drives me nuts. Seriously, open to just about any page in either book, and you'll see.

I liked The Handmaid's Tale, too. I love dystopian fiction. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is a recent book in that genre and it's excellent -- very fast-paced and exciting, with a well-developed main character and lots of twists. The sequel, Catching Fire, just came out and is also very good. I'd highly recommend both of them, and can't wait for the third and final book to come out next year.

Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta kind of defies description, or maybe it's just that no description I've seen does it justice, but it's excellent -- probably one of the best books I've read in a long time. It's somewhat of a mystery, and every plot point, every tiny thread, is resolved and/or tied into another in amazing ways. The last friend I loaned the book to read it three times before returning it... it's just that sort of book. I don't want to spoil any of it, so all I can say is: read it.

And of course, I will second the recommendation of the His Dark Materials series by Philip Pullman (although I think many NCers have already read and enjoyed these books!). Excellent, just excellent. I love the concept of daemons and how fleshed-out the world is, and I like how he skewers organized religion (but not belief itself, really -- read this great article about that).

[Mistress Morbid]

I could never get into the Dark Materials books...I read the first one, tried to get through most of the second one, and it just bored me, I don't know why. I like the concept of a lot of things, but as a whole they just didn't keep my interest.

[AngharadTy]

I read and enjoyed both of those books (he managed to make even the technical, science-y stuff seem both plausible and interesting), but his writing style annoys the hell out of me! Every time someone talks, it's just "___ said." There's never a "remarked" or "joked" or "whispered" or anything else but "said." Drives me nuts. :P Seriously, open to just about any page in either book, and you'll see.

One of my creative writing professors told us that "remarked" and "joked" and whatnot are a crutch for people who want to tell, not show. I agree to some extent (I didn't really like the guy, or his taste in literature, which mainly ran to beat poetry), but I mostly think that you need some variation so people don't end up getting frustrated at the word "said"! But something like "said with a grin, leaning forward" is better than "joked," which is a bit tell-not-show. I notice it just as much if an author seems allergic to the word "said." Gotta find a balance.

Definitely, though, Crichton's style can get annoying if you read 5 books in a row (which I just did recently--Jurassic Park, Lost World, Congo, Sphere, Timeline), because he doesn't spend a lot of time developing characters, just situations and science. I do adore his books, though. A lot lot lot. Jurassic Park + Lost World are two of my favorite scifi books.

[Cranberry]

Oh yeah, I'm with your professor -- it's just as bad if they never use the word "said." I'm only annoyed if they use it so often that it becomes all I can see! When I read a Crichton book, it takes me a while to get into the story and stop emphasizing every "said" in my head. With all of the other books I mentioned, I couldn't even tell you how often the author uses "says" or "said" as opposed to "asks" or "calls" or "informs" or whatever, because I just don't notice. I like it when writing just flows.

[Kamil]

Going with the 'books I love that no one's heard of' theme, I have to pimp out my favorite series: The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant by Stephen R. Donaldson. Originally there were three, then not long after he wrote three more -- then a long, long, long time later, he decided to pick the world up again, and now he's half-way through with what he swears to be the final four books. The third installment is supposed to be out next year, I believe.

Now would be good. Last week would've been better. x.x I love, love, love this world, as much for its other inhabitants as for Covenant himself,

Spoiler: open/close

who it took a long, long time to wish anything other than a fiery death. =D

I like a lot of Donaldson's other work as well, most especially the Mordent's Need books.

I really like Margaret Weis' Star of the Guardian series too. I've thiefed my net psued from the series, as well as a couple of pet names. ^^

[Usul_Princess]

Twilight. The book AND movie!


Probably 'Thinner' by Stephen King. I'm currently on "Needful Things", and even though I'm only on page 214, it doesn't look like it'll top my favorite. I can't watch the movie because like people have mentioned earlier, your own imagery is ruined by how Hollywood tells the story.

Spoiler: open/close

I did see the first 15 minutes of it, and it drove me nuts that Linda looked more like Mariah Carey, than the 14 year old scrawny blonde girl in the book.

I'm pretty harsh on everything else because I'm so biased towards him.

[Madge]

Thanks Cranberry, now if I ever read another Crichton book I'm going to notice the said thing! I seriously never noticed it before.

I agree with you about the characters not developing, though. It's a bit annoying but at the same time it's not the way that he writes which I guess you have to respect. I like the situations and the science mostly!

Also, the fact that the dinosaur books are reasonably hard to put down. I should start some more of his books, but I will wait until AFTER I have forgotten about the "said" thing.

[Alicorn]

Lord of the Rings: one of my favorite books and I'm re-reading them right now. I also just finally got around to reading the Hobbit and really enjoyed it.

Animorphs: I know they are pre-teen books but oh how I love them. They just have a special place in my heart. I remember how I would get the newest one and couldn't put it down till I finished it. How I wish I had them with me now (they are in the states with my mom for the time being), I want to re-read them so badly.

Darkly Dreaming Dexter: Not the most well written but I still enjoyed it. I picked it up because I fell in love with the series and couldn't put it down. Dexter is just so loveable. I was so disappointed in the 2nd and 3rd ones. They were just let downs. The 2nd was just so slow going and the 3rd..ugh don't get me started. The newest one I'll borrow from the library but I doubt I'll buy it.

Vlad: The Last Confession: I couldn't put this book down. It was written in the view point of 3 people that knew and was around Vlad Dracula. It made me want to learn more about Vlad. It was gory and not for the feint of heart.

I have a others but those were the first to pop in my mind. I've been reading a lot more since I moved with my wife then I have through my whole life. Not that I'm complaining, I'm really glad I am. The only downside is that I keep getting books I want to read but then there are books I want to re-read. And I'm not that fast of a reader so it takes me a bit to get through a book. So it never seems I will ever catch up on all the books I want to read. **sigh** Though he doesn't help that I keep buying books. ^-^'

[Mistress Morbid]

Haha, oh man I loved Animorphs too. They were my favourite books when I was young, I have every single one and they're also residing with my Mom currently. xD

I've actually been meaning to re-read them lately, it would be quite nostalgic.

[Seerow]

You can always do what I did Alicorn; download them. I got them for free as pdf files from an Animorphs fan site ages ago. If you want, I can send them too you, the files aren't that large (30ish mb for the all of them). It took some getting used to reading them on a comp as I usually like an actual book, but it is better then nothing!

Remembered some other books I enjoyed

Sabriel by Garth Nix. I wasn't overly fond of the rest in the series, but Sabriel still holds a place in my heart.

Another by Garth Nix is Shade's Children. One of my all time favorite books really. All of the adults suddenly disappear from earth and kids are all that's left. They are rounded up then harvested into creatures to fight and hunt down escaped kids. Excellent read really. If possible, try to read it in the paper back edition. The hardcover image is rather frightening to look at.

The Tripods Trilogy by John Christopher (for this book anyway. He has tons of pen names), while being in the youth section, is still an amazing read. The books aren't long and I can get through the entire series in a day or two. There's rumors of a movie being in the works, that would be exciting!

The Pillars of the World series by Anne Bishop is great too. Two of my pets on Subeta are based loosely on the world there. It's got witches, magic, the Wild Hunt, elves, and more! Great fun for all. That, and the third book has an amazing cover.

[Enriana]

My disclaimer: I have been reading YA fiction since before I was even a young adult, and have had trouble getting myself into adult fiction. A lot of my favourite books, as a result, are YA. (Also, if you ever need a YA recommendation, don't hesitate to hit me up. I know that section like the back of my hand.)

That said, here are some top authors:

Neil Gaiman: He should be first. He's transcended several genres, but he does urban fantasy best. Neverwhere is so brilliantly awesome that I get tingles of glee just thinking about it. Everything he's written is amazing in one way or another, but a few favourites... Neverwhere, American Gods, Stardust. The Sandman comics, while not books, bear mentioning as well as MirrorMask, which is also not a book.

Tamora Pierce: One of the top YA authors of all time, though she doesn't have a gigantic following (but she should!). She mainly writes quartets, in medieval fantasy. This is one of those people where if you see their new release on the shelf, you pick it up and buy it no matter what it's about - hell, don't even look at the flap before buying it. They wrote it, so it's gonna be great.

Philip Pullman: I recommend that everyone listens to a good audiobook at one point or another. Books on tape (or CD, or .mp3) simply make the world better. A book that you couldn't previously get into might just come alive when someone's reading it to you. I experienced His Dark Materials in full cast audio, which means that instead of one person doing all the voices, they're done by a full cast. It was stellar, and I've listened to it so many times, I can recite parts of it by heart. This book's views and take on thing really made me think when I read it - and I still think about it, and what it discusses, to this day.

Scott Westerfeld: As his adult stuff is out of print, I haven't gotten my hands on it. I intend to, though, because this man writes gold. The Uglies series was awesome in a truly mind-bending way, I own the series and love it. His ability to create an entire world, intricate and full of detail, and then make you want to live in it surpasses nearly anyone.

Sarah Dessen: Some books are predictable, and follow a formula. While this is often bad, leading to boring books, there are times when it's not. Sarah Dessen's books are an example of this. While the plot follows a similar path each time, her books are like the ultimate comfort food: you read them, and feel better. They are so well-written, they are definitely feel good books, but they make you think, too. Each one has a theme that's interesting, and heartfelt.

Jim Butcher: Kind of like Harry Potter for grownups, Jim Butcher's Dresden Files series is truly wonderful. The main character is likable, and his world is vivid and rich with life and detail. I've actually saved his last few books of the series (last as in latest, the series is still going) for when I'm feeling particularly down: that's how much of a treat they are.

There are probably a LOT more, because I used to (and am now again) read more than I did anything else in the world. I've been reading most of my life, and nothing has given me such exquisite comfort.

[Madge]

Also, Garrett, if you want an Australian author, pretty much everything I've read by Brian Caswell is really awesome. He's a YA author as well, but he was basically an English teacher who was like "wow, most books suck for students to write essays on" and so he wrote a bunch of books with really good stories.

Deucalion & The View From Ararat - 2 books about a planet that humanity colonises, with indigenous aliens. Basically an analogue for the colinisation of Australia, so it has themes like the theft of aboriginal rock art as well as other themes like genetic testing and such. Both very good.

Asturias is about a bunch of people who get put into a band by a record company, except the record company decides to make sure the musicians are awesome and talented so they produce good music as well as do the whole manufactured band thing. The trials and tribulations of the whole thing, lovely characters, etc. Had a whole bunch of shit about the spanish civil war in it though, none of which I ever read, and it didn't stop me from enjoying the book.

Dreamslip, about a pair of twins who whenever they dream go back in time and experience stuffs. It's really awesome, one of them gets "lost" and the other has to go through all of history to find her. I think it's a bit of a Dystopian novel in a way.

I don't know how easy these books will be to get a hold of for most of you since Brian Caswell is not exactly world renowned.

[MeZergy]

I love The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde...

I'm currently reading Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and I love it...

I'm a sucker for classics, as you can see.

[Alicorn]

You can always do what I did Alicorn; download them. I got them for free as pdf files from an Animorphs fan site ages ago. If you want, I can send them too you, the files aren't that large (30ish mb for the all of them). It took some getting used to reading them on a comp as I usually like an actual book, but it is better then nothing!

I would love to take you up on that offer! XD I won't be able to have my collection till summer of next year. So not having to wait till then to read them again would be great! Would pming my e-mail to you be alright?

Jim Butcher: Kind of like Harry Potter for grownups, Jim Butcher's Dresden Files series is truly wonderful. The main character is likable, and his world is vivid and rich with life and detail. I've actually saved his last few books of the series (last as in latest, the series is still going) for when I'm feeling particularly down: that's how much of a treat they are.

I just started collecting those! I meant to mention that series with my list and totally forgot. Ever since I heard that James Marsters voiced the auto book and that he enjoyed them I decided to give them a try. Lucky me that they were just coming out with a box set of the first 3 so I went ahead and bought it (it also came with a free poster, score!). So glad I did. I just need a few more and I have the whole series up to date. I find the books so fun and entertaining and Dresden is so lovable and witty. I also find myself getting quiet attached to some of the side characters too.

[Mongoose]

Lots of good books mentioned here - it's made me want to re-read Jurassic Park and the Lost World, so much better than the films imo. My favourite books are the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series by Alexander McCall Smith. I love the characters and the simple but enjoyable stories. I can get lost in them, I love Africa and reading the books, set in Botswana, transports me there and I love it when stories do that. I find that I have to remind myself that it's fiction, the main characters are well developed and it makes them feel so real.

I also really enjoyed the Dark Magician Trilogy and Age of Five Trilogy by Trudi Canavan - quite easy reading making them great bedtime books. Life of Pi by Yann Martel was an interesting read, I didn't know much about it before reading and it wasn't really what I expected, good though. I'm currently reading Purfume by Patrick Suskind, it's bizarre but intriguing and I'll be interested to see where it goes!