# Favorite Book EVER?



## Garden of Kadesh (Jan 23, 2007)

What is the best book you've ever read?

Mine would have to be _Lord of The Flies_. Some people say it's somewhat dry, but I've never noticed. It has such a strong message for a short book.


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## Tundra Belle (Jan 23, 2007)

In all the years of my reading, there has been only one book that made me laugh, cry, love, cheer, rage, and shed bitter tears when it ended. 

The character: Ayla. The book: _Clan of the Cave Bear_, by Jean Auel. 

To this day, just thinking about the beauty of that novel gives me goosebumps. If only I could aspire to such writing.


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## DarkDevotion (Jan 23, 2007)

Oh man...um...I'm torn...but my top two are Dark Magic by Christine Feehan and Threads of Malice by Tamara Siler Jones. I love them both. Anything by them is amazing.​


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## The dead poet (Jan 23, 2007)

I would have to say "Darren Shan" I have been reading him for about 3 years and JRR Tolkien. Lord Of The Rings, you cant beat a trilogy like that.


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## Jolly McJollyson (Jan 23, 2007)

Either Joyce's _Ulysses_ or Beckett's _Trilogy_.


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## Mike C (Jan 24, 2007)

How do you choose just one?


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## Jolly McJollyson (Jan 24, 2007)

Mike C said:
			
		

> How do you choose just one?


I checked which one I could throw the farthest.  It was a tie.


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## T.W. North (Jan 24, 2007)

Not so much one book, but three:

His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman


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## Mike C (Jan 24, 2007)

Jolly McJollyson said:
			
		

> I checked which one I could throw the farthest.  It was a tie.



Throwing books? I normally reserve that practice for LOTR. Doesn't travel as far, but the boxed set can do a lot of damage. It's about all it's good for.


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## Jolly McJollyson (Jan 24, 2007)

Mike C said:
			
		

> Throwing books? I normally reserve that practice for LOTR. Doesn't travel as far, but the boxed set can do a lot of damage. It's about all it's good for.


Wow.

That is so unfair.

It's good for flat-out bludgeoning as well.


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## dwellerofthedeep (Jan 24, 2007)

I'm with Mike, I couldn't compare a lot of my favorite books to each other. Also, as far as books as weapons go, I find your average RPG book will usually get the job done.  If it doesn't you need a hardcover Moby Dick.


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## Jolly McJollyson (Jan 24, 2007)

Or the unabridged Les Mis.


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## mswietek (Jan 24, 2007)

I would have to say Christopher Logue's, War Music which is a series of poems retelling the Illiad with modern language.  Anyone who thinks poetry can only be about light and airy-fairy things should check out the bloodbath that is "All Day Permanent Red".

Michael


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## Mike C (Jan 24, 2007)

mswietek said:
			
		

> Anyone who thinks poetry can only be about light and airy-fairy things...



...hasn't read much poetry.


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## Jolly McJollyson (Jan 24, 2007)

mswietek said:
			
		

> Anyone who thinks poetry can only be about light and airy-fairy things...


makes me wonder why he's reading the poetry of twelve-year-old kids who watch hours upon hours of anime.


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## Archduke Robert of France (Jan 24, 2007)

The Once and Future King. I thought it was very interesting and I couldn't put it down. Of course, I finally got A Tale of Two Cities and Les Miserables, so we'll ahve to see how this works out.


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## jeune-romantique (Jan 25, 2007)

My favourite book has to be 'The Time Traveler's Wife' by Audrey N.
Great idea, well written and the first book that made me cry.


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## saintoflight (Jan 25, 2007)

Shakespeare is a very intriguing man. I really, truly enjoyed 'Future Eden' and 'Space the Final Frontier' (in that order) by Colin Thompson. Never underestimate a chicken. As a kid I enjoyed them and I don't mind them that much now either.


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## Neo (Jan 25, 2007)

American Psycho, Bret Easton Ellis.


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## romanesco (Jan 25, 2007)

Not fiction, but it would have to be _The Way of Zen_ by Alan Watts. It tied my brain in knots.


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## Shawn (Jan 25, 2007)

"Hamlet"... the Dover Thrift Edition (I think it was from the Cambridge Library). The prose is spectacular and Hamlet, himself, is to die for. (no pun intended)


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## Tundra Belle (Jan 25, 2007)

In all the years of my reading, there has been only one book that made me laugh, cry, love, cheer, rage, and shed passionate tears while trying to read it to my six-year-old son. 

The characters: Hazel. Fiver. Pipkin. Bigwig. The book: _Watership Down,_ by Richard Adams. 

To this day, just thinking about the beauty of that novel gives me goosebumps. If only I could aspire to such writing!

Cheers,


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## Scarecrow (Jan 25, 2007)

The only book I ever cried over was _A Darkling Plain_, which was the fourth and final book in the _Mortal Engines_ series by Philip Reeve.


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## T.W. North (Jan 26, 2007)

Ah, I actually cried in His Dark Materials...the second book actually  But yeah...


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## Geist (Feb 1, 2007)

For me it'd have to be the Legend of Drizzt series by R.A. Salvatore.


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## Amber Leaf (Feb 1, 2007)

the dice man - luke rhinehart. 

its a good old yarn


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## edropus (Feb 1, 2007)

It's pulp and has no literary credibility but James Clavelle's _Shogun_ is the book I've read more times then any other - 6, the second time starting the moment I finished the last page.

If you're going on pure literary quality then _The Divine Comedy_.


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## deviger (Feb 1, 2007)

I don't know about the best book, but the three books I've read the most were  "1984" by Orwell, "Clockwork Orange" by Burgess, and "On Writing" by King.  Like I said, I don't think they are the best books I've ever read, but there must be some reason I've re-read them so many times.


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## Faldwin (Feb 1, 2007)

Argh!  I hate this question there are about three or four authors that come to mind immediatly(sp?)  Christoper Paolini (Eragon, Eldest), Tamora Pierce (Tortall Books), Philips Pullman (His dark materials) and Garth Nix(Abhorsen).  For the longest time my favorite book was "Hatchet" by Gary Paulsen.  Then I read Eragona and it immeadiately(I hate spelling this word) became my favorite book.  However, I just read the "His Dark Materials" trilogy and that might be even better *shudders*.  But of course I can't ignore "Illusions" by Richard Bach.  That book changed my life.  So in conclusion, the answer to the question is I have no idea.


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## Tundra Belle (Feb 2, 2007)

In all the years of my reading, there has been only one book that made me laugh, cry, love, cheer, rage, and shudder with relief and sudden laughter when the protagonists actually survived. 

The characters: Cadman Weyland versus the Grendle...and a multitude of characters. The book: _The Legacy of Heorot,_ by Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle, and Steven Barnes. 

To this day, just thinking about the beauty of that novel gives me goosebumps. If only I could aspire to such writing!


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## mashowasho (Feb 3, 2007)

Favourite book EVER? Gotta be "Hannibal" by Thomas Harris.


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## strophariad (Feb 5, 2007)

John Updike

The Rabbit Novels:
Rabbit Run
Rabbit Redux
Rabbit is Rich
Rabbit at Rest
Rabbit Remembered

All are collected in one monster volume called "Rabbit Angstrom".


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## Erase (Feb 6, 2007)

Meep! Hmm. Can't choose between Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and The Phantom of the Opera. Both own my soul, though they have very... different... styles. XD


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## Himani (Feb 6, 2007)

*favorite-est ever*

My favorite book would have to be _The Last Unicorn_ by Peter Beagle. Every time I read it, I find new depths, and it always manages to be touching and intense.

Coming a close second would be Garth Nix's _Sabriel_ and I will always have a special place in my heart for Tamora Pierce's Tortall series (I think that it was mentioned before). I remember devouring anything Tamora Pierce wrote when I was younger. It's funny, but I think most of the books that have impacted me completely I found when I was in my early teens.


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## umbramaker (Feb 6, 2007)

And, what, nobody in here has mentioned _Grendel_ yet? What's the matter with you all? :wink:

My favorite book of all time is _The Number of the Beast_ by Robert A. Heinlein.


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## The Minstrel (Feb 7, 2007)

Battle Royale by Koushun Takami, though it was close betweent that and a few other books.


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## nostalgicdemise (Feb 7, 2007)

"Stardust" by Neil Gaiman


If I like you enough, I'll recommend it.


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## Skradetz (Feb 7, 2007)

I thought Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk was the best one that I have ever read.  It is the first book I read that really got me into reading and other books and things like that.


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## Tundra Belle (Feb 10, 2007)

In all the years of my reading, there has been only one book that made me laugh, cry, love, cheer, rage, and shed scalding tears of empathy for the protagonist. 

The characters: Ender Wiggin. Peter Wiggin. Valentine Wiggin. And, of course, the Buggers. The book: _Ender's Game,_ by Orson Scott Card. 

To this day, just thinking about the beauty of that novel gives me goosebumps. If only I could aspire to such writing!

Cheers,


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## Renos Babe (Feb 10, 2007)

"Scarecrow" by matthew Reily


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## Aera (Feb 10, 2007)

Yeesh... that depends on whatever I've read most recently. I love every Dean Koontz novel, with _From the Corner of His Eye_ ranking number one, but whenever I read _Phantom_ by Susan Kay, it ranks up there at number one.


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## amprinov (Feb 11, 2007)

Mine is probably Inkheart, or The dream Merchant.


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## S-wo (Feb 11, 2007)

Well I really haven't read that many books only 10 in total that wasn't assigned by a teacher. I do read frequently but it's only the same 6 ones I own. My favorite is Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling.


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## chris54321 (Feb 17, 2007)

_Paradise Lost_ and the _Iliad _are probably my favourite works, though obviously the latter is a translation. Both are absolutely fantastic though. Virgil, sadly, should be dug up and shot.

Out of books written in the last few centuries, I have to say _Shogun_, _His Dark Materials_ and _The Mote in God's Eye_ stand out for me.


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## TornBlackWings (Feb 17, 2007)

Mine would be the Twilight and New Moon series. Awesome books, man!

TBW


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## Puzzler (Feb 18, 2007)

Definately Peter and the Shadow Thieves, no doubt. I loved Peter and the Starcatchers, but Shadow Thieves was amazing.


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## PAGEMASTER (Feb 20, 2007)

My favourite book as of yet has to be the one I've recently finished: Dean Koontz - The Husband.


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## ~Si~ (Feb 20, 2007)

I would have to say Life, The Universe, And Everything by Douglas Adams.


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## irsmart (Feb 20, 2007)

I can't say a certain book, but rather a series.

Then, it is a tie between Harry Potter (Rowling), Shannara (Terry Brooks), and Magic Kingdom (Terry Brooks).


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## Holocoz (Feb 21, 2007)

Mine would be The Long Walk by Stephen King. It's not that great... but it's effective.


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## Taciturn Presence (Feb 21, 2007)

Phillip Pullman's _His Dark Materials _trilogy.


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## Cromulent (Feb 21, 2007)

It's a tie between The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams (I'm including the entire series in that, I would find it impossible to pick one over the others except maybe the last one which was a bit subpar) and The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks. Now that is an incredible book, read it many times when I was 14 / 15 and still read it when I'm feeling bored and want some easy entertainment.


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## GeekGoddessAjax (Feb 23, 2007)

Holocoz said:
			
		

> Mine would be The Long Walk by Stephen King. It's not that great... but it's effective.



I read The Long Walk all in one sitting and literally burst into tears at the end. To this day I could not tell  you exactly why, but for some reason that book hit me hard.

My all time favorite, though (another King novel) is The Dark Half. I fell madly in love with Thad Beaumont and his situation, and I connected with the characters so deeply. It is the only form of media (book, movie, etc.) that has ever caused me nightmares, and I read it the first time at about 16.

It may not be the finest peice of literary work, but it got to me.


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## Varine (Feb 24, 2007)

I would have to say the Silmarillion by Tolkien, simply because it gives so much of a backstory to the world and it has so much information about Middle-earth in the First and Second Ages and then the pre-existince.
Following that would be a tie between CK Lewis' The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and the Harry Potter series.


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## Raphael Kiltron (Mar 5, 2007)

There are a lot of great books out there.
My favorite would probably have to be _Misery_ by Stephen King.

I know many people think the horror genre can be very dry and lacking any literary skill, but I enjoyed how well King was able to take such a gory book and make have so much depth.  I will always admire how he was able to write such a great book, when there are only two true characters, and the main character never leaves the house.


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## Uriah (Mar 5, 2007)

Pilgrim At Tinker Creek - Annie Dillard

It's not fiction but it is the most beautifully written book I've ever encountered.


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## Billy (Mar 6, 2007)

*Stephen Gregory*

Welsh author of three novels - The Cormorant, The Woodwitch, The Blood of Angels.

Gregory's prose is as near to perfection as you're going to get.


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## titocurt (Mar 6, 2007)

*My Favorite  Book EVER!*

I must recommend a very amateur writer which I discovered by accident one day. The JackL writes very real poetry that grabs me and gives me a really good feeling after I've read the book. A thousand Winks of the Sun  By The JackL


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## Poe Clock (Mar 6, 2007)

Uh oh. Warning, long-winded and possibly rambling reply ahead ^^;;

Lolita- Vladimir Nabokov (brilliant writing; the storyline is disturbing, yet darkly funny and thought provoking as well)
American Gods- Neil Gaiman (what can I say? I love Neil Gaiman. His stories are fantastic, he has such an odd way of looking at things.)
Neverwhere- Neil Gaiman (This one's got everything, engaging plot, amusing and relatable protagonist, villians which are genuinly creepy... just a plain ol' awesomeness sandwich. Mmmyes.)
An Invitation to a Beheading- Vladimir Nabokov
Ender's Game- Orson Scott Card (so far the only science-fiction book I can stand-- no offense intended, sci-fi fans)
IT- Stephen King (I just deleted a paragraph long rant about Stephen King when I saw Raphael Kiltron's post, which pretty much sums it up. A lot of people don't take the horror genre seriously, and while I'm not a fan of excessive blood and gore, be it in books, movies or what have you, Stephen King's books, with very few exceptions, are able to pull off some rather violent scenes without coming across as tasteless; scenes that are honestly creepy and make you sleep with the light on for about a week rather than make you sick. The plot and characters of IT are phenomenal, and overall it is a wonderful book. Oh crap, I just replaced the long ranting paragraph I deleted with another one. How on earth did that happen.)


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## Ristaag (Mar 8, 2007)

edropus said:
			
		

> It's pulp and has no literary credibility but James Clavelle's _Shogun_ is the book I've read more times then any other - 6, the second time starting the moment I finished the last page.


 
I'm reading that right now. It's a masterpiece; the type of book that keeps you up 'til 1:00 in the morning reading. Tai-Pan was decent too, but Shogun still takes the cake.


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## Incatnito (Mar 9, 2007)

It's hard to narrow it down but 'To Kill A Mockingbird' is a favorite of mine.


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## TinyMachines (Mar 10, 2007)

1) Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
2) The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
3) The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut
4) The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
5) Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palahniuk
6) Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. (I'm gearing up to read ender's shadow once the semester is over.)
7) Jailbird by Kurt Vonnegut
8]   Survivor by Chuck Palahniuk
9) Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (this could stand to be 5 spaces up and I wouldn't complain)
10) Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling.


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## stupid_dream (Mar 10, 2007)

Fight Club, by Chuck Palahniuk.


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## swimfanatic (Mar 11, 2007)

H.P. and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
Among the Hidden and the rest of the series by Margaret Peterson Haddix
The Pretties and The Uglies by Scott Westerfeld (haven't read the third one yet)
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants books by Ann Brashares
Just Listen and The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen (_amazing!_)
The Clique books by Lisi Harrison
A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks
The Inheritance Trilogy by Christopher Paolini (Eragon and Eldest)

There's probably more than that, but I just can't think of them at the moment.


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## swimfanatic (Mar 11, 2007)

Oh and, hate to burst your bubble, but we're reading Lord of the Flies in English right now and my opinion of it isn't that great. I just don't like it. It's so gruesome and gory that to me, it's just not enjoyable. I'm glad that we're almost done reading it.


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## Der_Parvenu_Meister (Mar 11, 2007)

i abhor to kill a mocking bird, we should read ellis in school instead of that bloody god awful rubbish. we ALL know about the racism that went on in the south back then, but I was so sick of re reading " they gone shot a black man! :cry:" in english class over and over again.

they shot the irish too, but t'was all in good fun! * does a jigg*


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## JPBurns (Mar 11, 2007)

_The Fountainhead_ by Ayn Rand. It's an amazing story with even more amazing characters. Without a doubt, it's my favorite of all time.

Others that I like:
_For Whom the Bell Tolls_ by Hemingway
_The Count of Monte Cristo _by Dumas
_Man's Search for Meaning_ by Frankl


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