Which are your three favourite books?

[amadeus]

I picked up a very funny book: "Politically Correct Bedtime Stories," where things like Little Red Riding Hood is offended at the statement that it is unsafe for little girls to walk through the woods alone.

 

[Plexus]

The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis
1984 by George Orwell
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Others that come to mind:

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis

 

[mrtn]

Some Pratchett. I think I'll join stormbind and choose Guards! Guards!
Some Tolkien. While LOTR is very good, I think I'll choose The Hobbit seeing as I've read that about a million times.
Some Steven Brust. Let's go with the first Vlad Taltos book, Jhereg. The first author that hasn't been mentioned yet, the Vlad books are a series of fantasy books written in a agent/snoop type style, highly enjoyable. Make you want to be an assassin when you grow up.

 

[Rambuchan]

1) Whatever is in the toilet when I am constipated.
2) Whatever the dentist's surgery table has on it.
3) Something that would impress people I will never meet.


(Damn I'm cynical tonight)

 

[cidknee]

I love the "Jack Ryan" series of books by Tom Clancy and theres a great series of books on ww2 and beyond ( as seen by a bunch of marines) by W.E.B Griffin. "The Corps" I like them. But ive also read all the Harry Potter series and Tolkien.

 

[Evil Tyrant]

Thank You Jeeves-PG Wodehouse

The entire LOTR series-JRR Tolkein

I am also fond Agatha Christie's mysteries, but don't have a particular favorite.

 

[I am the Future]

1984-Orwell
Hitchikers Guide To The Galaxy-Adams
Animal Farm-Orwell

 

[mrtn]

...(Damn I'm cynical tonight)

Then you should try some Steven Brust.
He has a flying poisonous carrion-eating reptile as a sarcastic sidekick.

Loiosh spotted the enemy pickets and guided us past them. I don't think any of my little band figured out what Loiosh was up to; they just followed me. That was best. Once past the pickets, we had to remain hidden until Loiosh and I could identify the cook-tent. We entered the enemy camp and I had them wait while Loiosh and I searched. The supply wagons were near the mess-tent, which was both good and bad for my purposes. The cook-tent was less than thirty yards from the river, which was good.
"Well? Are they guarded?"
"Four guards, Boss. Moving rightwise around the wagons and the tent. You want to try the same trick we used last time? That was fun."
"No. Too much danger they figured it out. And I won't discuss your idea of 'fun.'"
"What then?"
"We wait."
"Clever, Boss. Do you think if I had opposable thumbs I could come up with plans like that?"
"Shut up, Loiosh."

 

[cgannon64]

1. Franny and Zooey, by J.D. Salinger. He's written like three books, and for whatever crazy un-American reason, this isn't the one read in every high school in America.
2. Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley. (The best Huxley quote: "l.s.d. 100 µg, i.m." )
3. The Brothers Karamasov, by Dostevesky. I like it so much because it was the first time since childhood I read a book so far over my head that I limited myself to enjoying the story and characters, which are excellent.

 

[Birdjaguar]

These books have had a significant impact on me:

Science Fiction/Fantsasy:
LOTR
Time enough for Love
Nine princes in Amber
Outland

Fiction:
Aztec
A soldier in the great war
Niccolo Rising and the rest of the series
Count of Monte Cristo

Non Fiction:
Campaigns of Napoleon
Guns Germs and Steel
Blink

Spirituality:
The Prophet
Love alone prevails
The way of zen


In truth there have been way too many to list even if I could remember them all. this is a start though.

 

[frekk]

Aztec

Gary Jennings? I put that one down too, earlier. It's an amazing piece. First time I've ever run across anyone else who's read it, though. A couple of details were a bit far-fetched (the, er, monocle) but mostly I thought it was just amazing.

 

[Birdjaguar]

Gary Jennings? I put that one down too, earlier. It's an amazing piece. First time I've ever run across anyone else who's read it, though. A couple of details were a bit far-fetched (the, er, monocle) but mostly I thought it was just amazing.

It was a superb book. My wife just bought me Aztec Autumn by him its a 1997 sequel to Aztec. I haven't read it yet but will soon.

Anyone who is interested in meso America would like Aztec. Have you read the Daniel Peters' books Tikal, Incas and one other I forget now? I enjoyed theem also.

 

[Richard Cribb]

I will have to check Eminescu. Nikolaus Rameau seems to have been another good rumanian poet. I know of his poem "the three horsemen"

Pardon my ignorance, but I don't know any "Nikolaus Rameau" and it seems to be a quite odd name for a Romanian. Do you have any more information about him?
About Eminescu; this webpage has a good, bilingual (Romanian and English)selection of Eminescu's poetry:http://www.gabrielditu.com/eminescu/.

 

[Narz]

As of right now :

(1) The Power of One - by Bryce Courtney

(2) Siddharha - by Hermann Hesse

(3) The Long Walk - by Stephan King (aka : Richard Bachman)

 

[Narz]

honorable mention to :

The Duplicate ("young adult" book by Willam Sleator)
the Tripod Trilogy (John Christopher)
Narcissus and Goldmund (Hermann Hesse)
The Giver (forgot the author)
We The Living & The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand)
Of Mice And Men (John Steinback)
Candide (Voltaire)
The Alchamist(Paulo Coleho, sp?) and
One Flew Over The Cukoo's Nest (Ken Kesy).

 

[Kyriakos]

hm, actually it was Nicolaus Lenau, and not Nicolaus Rameau, i confused the Rameau part from the composer of 'les indes gallandes' I have only read one poem by Lenau, because it was translated by a well known greek poet of the 1930's.
The poem is titled (at least in that translation) "the three" (horsemen).

here is an attempt to translate the very beginning of the poem it to english, since i couldnt find any url about it:

"Since the final battle was lost, three horsemen return on their own,
from deep wounds the blood is flowing" etc

 

[Ultima Dragoon]

3. Martin the Warrior

Boo yah! A Brian Jacques Fan! How many books do you have? I have all (I think?) of the novels on Redwall by him. As for my favourite books, they are:
1. Gilead's Blood
2. Salamandastron/The Pearls of Lutra
3. Tommorow

 

[Godwynn]

Boo yah! A Brian Jacques Fan! How many books do you have?

I have all of them up to Marlfox. After that one I found out about Ayn Rand and started reading hers.

 

[Rambuchan]

@ mrtn: That's good stuff

@ Narz: Siddartha was inferior to Huxley's 'Doors of Perception' IMO, it was a more convulted way of saying much the same thing and you still got to go on a great journey.


As far as the thread goes, I can't possibly pick out 3 books that are favourites. I mean history? fiction? popoular culture? satire? graphic novel?

 

[Kyriakos]

I havent read anything by A. Huxley (the fact that he was taking drugs didnt make a good impression on me, and i am not into sci fi either) but Siddartha was written a lot before Huxley's books i think. At least i think that Huxley is a lot more modern than Hesse.
I like a number of Hesse's books, although i am not too fond of his orientalism. He has written though one short story which impressed me a lot, and is about a person who goes to some alternative way of life institute, in asia minor, and ends up being killed by some man who has become an ape due to the idea that returning to nature is a high goal (and also due to the fact that obviously he was already mentally ill). Also i like another short story by Hesse, titled "Taedium Vitae" (boredom/ disgust from life)