Whats your favourite book and why?

[TheRealJoeFish]

Additionally, a friend whose opinions on the subject I greatly respect has stated that some Steven King is very well done (The Gunslinger and the rest of the Dark Tower series in particular). I very well may get to that someday; in general, though, his work just isn't really my preferred sort of fiction. I did read Carrie - I found some parts of it to be enjoyable, but I was also turned off by how... simply saturated, absolutely dripping with teen sensuality and angst it was. Also, to be fair, it was his first novel, and first novels aren't always brilliant (anyone read Player Piano? Vonnegut's first, which was certainly very good, but only had seeds of what would be fully in bloom in his later work).

[Thumpalumpacus]

Haven't read them at all then?

No doubt they look smart.

Nice try, but you lost as well.

I'm sure that looked like burnsauce on your screen.

[Whateverist]

But 'evil/crazy religious figure' is a King staple.

He knows his subject well and portrays it accurately.

[Whateverist]

Fannie Hill.


(First porn book.)

My first porn book was something I got from a store in Dupont Circle.

Good lord!  You have 1000 books full of porn?  Give it a rest, man.

[Kernel Sohcahtoa]

One of my favorite books is called The Anatomy of Peace.  I enjoyed this book, because it enhanced my ability to catch myself when I'm starting to handle conflict poorly.  Or put another way, it has increased my awareness of when I'm starting to become a jerk, which enables me to get back on track and be as productive as possible.

[Ravenshire]

Seems like one is making excuses for a horrible writer.

Not a horrible writer, but the King of Purple Prose maybe. In most of his books he uses a page where a paragraph would do, and it's a self admitted failure on his part. It's funny, because he talks at length in his non-fiction "On Writing" about how you shouldn't do that.

[pocaracas]

I just (60 seconds ago) finished the Foundation Trilogy by Asimov, and that's got a solid solid claim to second or third on my list.

Trilogy?!
But.... but... I'm on the fourth book... Foundation's Edge.
And I have Foundation and Earth claiming to be #5.
And #6 is a prequel, Prelude to Foundation.

What Trilogy?! Where in the story did you leave off? Arkady?

[houseofcantor]

tao te ching

[houseofcantor]

As for Stephen King, The Body and then Bag of Bones. Inspired by the guy who loves Anne Rice but thinks King is a horrible writer, which gave me a chuckle. As for contemporary fiction Alistair Reynolds' Revelation Space pile-up (trilogy and universe) still sits atop the heap. Read the trilogy more than thrice. Other things read more that thrice are Colleen McCullough's The Grass Crown, which instigated my infatuation with Lucius Sulla; Jane Austen's Emma as it causes the film version starring my Gwynnies to run in my head -   - and of course the tao.

[TheRealJoeFish]

I just (60 seconds ago) finished the Foundation Trilogy by Asimov, and that's got a solid solid claim to second or third on my list.

Trilogy?!
But.... but... I'm on the fourth book... Foundation's Edge.
And I have Foundation and Earth claiming to be #5.
And #6 is a prequel, Prelude to Foundation.

What Trilogy?! Where in the story did you leave off? Arkady?

Well... yes.  As in, that's considered "The Foundation Trilogy" with capital letters; the three portions of that group were written as a series in 1951, '52, and '53.  I know there are more books in the series written by Asimov, but the fourth wasn't published until 1982 (and it took significant pressure from Asimov's publishers to get him to do so).  I'll definitely read those someday - I'm sure they're great - but I feel justified saying that I've "completed the original Trilogy."