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What's your favourite book? (Not MS)

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What's your favourite book? (Not MS)
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Rapunzel
08 Jan 2012 at 10:04PM
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Having got a kindle a few months ago, I am now able to enjoy reading again (thanks to the great big font you can change your books to.)  I started by re-reading The Hobbit and am now devouring The Lord of the Rings.  I'd forgotten how brilliant they are and realise how much I've missed reading over the last few years.  Couldn't be doing with large print books and couldn't be bothered to go to the library to get them! 

Anyway, just wondered what are other people's favourite books / series of books?

Happy reading xxx

serenjns
08 Jan 2012 at 10:34PM
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Wuthering Heights or Jane Eyre. Classics. Both free on Kindle. Bonus. 

lals02
08 Jan 2012 at 10:36PM
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Hiya,

One of my favourite ever books, after doing it in English at school is To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee.  I've read and loved everything Terry Pratchett has written, and I also love the Harry Potter books.  I'll read anything with a good story really - I also have a Kindle and think it's fantastic!

Luisa x

Tree65
08 Jan 2012 at 10:42PM
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Jane Eyre - definitely! Studied the Bronte sisters for my dissertation. Have always loved Charlotte's work in particular.

Teresa xx

xSimplexTwistx
08 Jan 2012 at 10:49PM
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Mine has to be The Master and Margerita by Mikhail Bulgakov.  That along with the well known George Orwell classics.

:)

whammel
08 Jan 2012 at 11:05PM
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The Ragged Trousered Philantropists must be my favourite and Homage to Catalonia for the George Orwell section.

Amanda P
08 Jan 2012 at 11:10PM
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At the moment I am on an animal story fest! I have read Black Beauty, Animal Farm, War Horse, and White Fang.
I would definately recommend them all if you have never read them!
In answer to your question, my favourite book is The Call of the Wild. X

amylou
08 Jan 2012 at 11:19PM
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I joined a book group last year and have read loads of good books since then, ones I wouldn't normally choose. I read so much more now on my kindle :D I really enjoyed the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and the two follow up books (just seen the film, its fantastic). I enjoyed The Bell Jar, and Alone In Berlin, and Lisa Jewell books are all great as well.

Jackier
09 Jan 2012 at 12:44AM
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I remember reading The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough when I was at school. I was so excited when it was serialised on TV but big let down-the book knocked it into a cocked hat !

Boojum
09 Jan 2012 at 1:09AM
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Love in the Time of Cholera, by Garcia Marquez

 

MontyMole
09 Jan 2012 at 5:13AM
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James Herbert - Domain cool

rizzo
09 Jan 2012 at 5:38AM
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Frederica by Georgette Heyer. It's my go to book when I need a mental hug!

Karen x

hunny
09 Jan 2012 at 10:08AM
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Anything by Barbara Erskine, long winded, but spooky and clever, also,(guilty pleasure), Forever Amber.

Greenfinch
09 Jan 2012 at 10:53AM
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The shadow of the wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. I  find it difficullt to read a book at the moment, I can't concentrate for very long :-(

neuronerd
09 Jan 2012 at 10:54AM
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I could take a picture of my little library and send it to you since I love them all!! but especially enjoy Terry Pratchett, went through a phase of criminal investigator books with Kathy Reichs being my favourite, oh and a couple by Peter V Brett called the painted man and The desert spear, oh and Maria Snyders Study trilogy of Poison Study, Fire Study and Magic Study...all very good.....I could go on but I won't torture you any more lol.

Mel xx

Rabbit Fan
09 Jan 2012 at 10:55AM
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I adore anything by DH Lawrence and JB Priestly, but who comes a close second has to be Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird.

                                      Moira

DoctorGeoff
09 Jan 2012 at 11:16AM
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Halting State by Charles Stross

I have re-read this more times than any other book in my collection.

Geoff

scootasboy
09 Jan 2012 at 11:46AM
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Would recommend JRR for the fantasy stuff, On the Road by Jack Keroac sp for the hippie/beatnik advertours, Le Carre for the cold war and spy stuff, Tom Shape to make you laugh out load and On the Beach by Neville Shute for my all tims favourite. Shame my mince pies are no longer book friendly but the Kindle magnify seems a great help it would seem.

Phil

chris.r
09 Jan 2012 at 12:16PM
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I could bore the moss off of a stone statue.  sleeping

As I have only ever read electrical engineering, theory/reference books.

　

　

Take care.

　

Chris R.

I. El. (Eng). (Rtd).

Snow Leopard
09 Jan 2012 at 12:24PM
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Anything by Patricia Highsmith. Her most well known is 'The Talented Mr Ripley' (because of the film). That is the first of a series of novels about Ripley. She wrote other novels too. All brilliant. They have a plot like a thriller but they are not really thrillers in the true sense. Very deep, psychological novels. Wonderful detail. Scarey in an 'everyday' way. Unputdownable!

Anything by Henning Mankell. Writer of the 'Wallander' series of crime fiction and other novels. Again very well written and don't really just fit into the crime genre. Once you get to know Kurt Wallander you can't live without him in your life.

I love my Kindle!

Pat x

Tree65
09 Jan 2012 at 1:45PM
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Loads of people are singing the praises of the Kindle but I love the whole reading experience of a book, actually turning the pages, leafing back to check on something, the smell of a new book etc.

Can anyone try to convert me from my old-fashioned viewpoint?

Teresa xx

Byrony
09 Jan 2012 at 3:15PM
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Tree65 wrote:
Loads of people are singing the praises of the Kindle but I love the whole reading experience of a book, actually turning the pages, leafing back to check on something, the smell of a new book etc. Can anyone try to convert me from my old-fashioned viewpoint? Teresa xx
                                             

I really wouldn't want to change your viewpoint because if you have the vision to read print from a book I'm all for it. It's lovely to turn pages, put your bookmark in when you place your book down and oh the smell of a book, why do books smell so good?

Sarahx 

Byrony
09 Jan 2012 at 3:24PM
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My favourite and most read book on my shelves has to be 'Angela's Ashes' by Frank McCourt and my next most read book is 'The Pianist' by Wladyslaw Szpilman. Both were made into films but nothing lives up to the written word!

 

Sarahx

Rabbit Fan
09 Jan 2012 at 4:59PM
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I agree Sarah, books smell so very good don't they? Print is meant to be carcinogenic though so I do try to hold back, but there is nothing better than the smell of a friendly book. The extra size print on a Kindle sounds fantastic though.

                                Moira

Upytupy
09 Jan 2012 at 5:18PM
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The best ones I have ever read are "a thousand splendid suns" by Khaled Hossaini and "life of pi". Used to love anything by Agatha Christie.
Cheryl:)

...and yes i have a kindle, because I like to tidy things away and a kindle saves leaving lots of books lying around.

sunset
09 Jan 2012 at 5:19PM
Top

The best book I have read recently is 'The Lock Artist' by Steve Hamilton.  I happened to see part of the crime Awards on ITV4 one night and it was voted best book of the year. It's original and just brilliant!

Like Others, To Kill A Mockingbird is a favourite, as is The Colour Purple. 

Jodi Picoult writes some good novels too, short chapters, page-turners in the literal book sense!

jessiej
09 Jan 2012 at 5:43PM
Top

There's so many.....

The Time Travellers Wife I love, We Need to talk about Kevin is amazing too, and like the other commentsTo Kill A Mockingbird, A Thousand Splendid Suns but one book I've been going back to for over 20 years is Battle Cry by Leon Uris

brenda28
09 Jan 2012 at 7:53PM
Top

PatB wrote:

Anything by Patricia Highsmith. Her most well known is 'The Talented Mr Ripley' (because of the film). That is the first of a series of novels about Ripley. She wrote other novels too. All brilliant. They have a plot like a thriller but they are not really thrillers in the true sense. Very deep, psychological novels. Wonderful detail. Scarey in an 'everyday' way. Unputdownable!

Anything by Henning Mankell. Writer of the 'Wallander' series of crime fiction and other novels. Again very well written and don't really just fit into the crime genre. Once you get to know Kurt Wallander you can't live without him in your life.

I love my Kindle!

Pat x

 

I love her Ripley books,I haven't read them for a long time.Ripley is an absolutely mesmerising character.The film didn't do the book justice.I hated the fact that Marge was portrayed as a beauty in the film.

 

My favourite books are

 

Watership Down by Richard Adams

A Short Walk In The Hindu Kush by Eric Newby

Full Hearts And Empty Bellies by Winifred Foley (originally published as A Child In The Forest)

A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute

 

he_funk
10 Jan 2012 at 2:19AM
Top

I used to devour novels, and a couple of my personal favourites were Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks and Joseph Heller's Catch 22. But for some reason now I'm much more interested in non fiction, from behavoural economics to comedy to a bit of history. Some of the things I'd recommend are Are You Dave Gorman by Dave Gorman & Danny Wallace (very funny story about a stupid boy project), Anthony Beevor's Stalingrad (story of the world war 2 battle that's as gripping as a novel), Fermat's last Theorem by Simon Singh (the gripping story about how the proof of the famous conundrum was found - you don't have to like Maths to enjoy it), or The Drunard's Walk by Leonard Mlodinow (all about how randomness rules our lives - a bit dry to start off with but worth sticking with).

Dan

pagegirl
10 Jan 2012 at 10:46AM
Top

jessiej wrote:

There's so many.....

The Time Travellers Wife I love, We Need to talk about Kevin is amazing too, and like the other commentsTo Kill A Mockingbird, A Thousand Splendid Suns but one book I've been going back to for over 20 years is Battle Cry by Leon Uris

 

 

Totaly LOVE The Time Travellers Wife named my little girl after Henrys wee one, Alba was not 'loved' as a name by the Grannys but they have since come round, and my Alba could never be named anything other :)

 

Love most ' chick lit' books Cuban Heals is a fab book.

 

tounge

 

Lynsey xx

Snow Leopard
10 Jan 2012 at 11:30AM
Top

Tree65 wrote:
Loads of people are singing the praises of the Kindle but I love the whole reading experience of a book, actually turning the pages, leafing back to check on something, the smell of a new book etc. Can anyone try to convert me from my old-fashioned viewpoint? Teresa xx

Hi Teresa, I agree... but I use both kindle and books. I love a book. I love reading everything from the copyright to when it was first published etc. I love old books from charity shops that have 'to Susan with my love. Xmas 1962' in the front. So evacotive! I will never ever give up the beauty of holding and reading a real book...

BUT I also find kindle really useful. Because I can't get out much it means I have instant access to nearly everything I want to read (not everything as some things aren't on kindle yet... but nearly everything!). So if I'm lying in bed unable to sleep at 2am and I start thinking about a Muriel Spark novel that I read 30 years ago and would like to read again, I can open my laptop, turn on my kindle and within a couple of minutes I have that book. It's like magic (in fact you can do it without even using the laptop...)

Then if the print is too small for my poor eyes, I can make it larger. If the spacing is too tight (I have double-vision) I can change it. And also on days when fatigue is making everything seem like an effort, I can hold the kindle which is so light and easy...

So what I'm saying is that it's not a case of one or the other... book or kindle... but both. The point is that it's all about the joy of reading.

And while I'm on the subject, if you love reading and didn't hear it on radio this morning, Jeanette Winterson read her essay 'A bed, a book, a mountain' as part of book of the week on radio 4 this morning. All about reading and what it means. Wonderful stuff. Listen again on iplayer.

Pat x

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