Your favourite books/author

[brewer]

L Ron Hubbard, Joseph Smith, that one arab guy and God.

[The Valkyrie]

L Ron Hubbard, Joseph Smith, that one arab guy and God.

MoPedo?

[arewethereyet]

"God Is Not Great" Christopher Hitchens.

"The God Delusion" Richard Dawkins.

"1984" George Orwlell

"Animal Farm" George Orwell

"Charlotte's Web"

A survey (don’t exactly recall when or who) concluded that about 30% of people who claim to have read ‘1984’ were lying about it.

Not accusing you or anything, just an interesting factlet.

Personally, I’m convinced that 100% of people who claim to have voluntarily read ‘Moby Dick’ are lying about it. It’s the sort of book one only reads under duress.

Boru

I had to read '1984' for a class in high school and actually read 'Moby Dick' for the first time about two years ago.  I must say neither are on my list to read again.

[The Valkyrie]

A survey (don’t exactly recall when or who) concluded that about 30% of people who claim to have read ‘1984’ were lying about it.

Not accusing you or anything, just an interesting factlet.

Personally, I’m convinced that 100% of people who claim to have voluntarily read ‘Moby Dick’ are lying about it. It’s the sort of book one only reads under duress.

Boru

I had to read '1984' for a class in high school and actually read 'Moby Dick' for the first time about two years ago.  I must say neither are on my list to read again.

I've not read 1984 and will likely never do so.

I have a copy of Moby Dick, but the few times I've tried to read it haven't progressed far.

[Ravenshire]

I read (or re-read) over 500 titles in 2020. Normal for be is 150-250 titles/year. Picking a favorite book or author is straight up impossible for me.

Some among my favorites:
Authors (in no particular order):
Neil Gaiman
Brandon Sanderson
Seanan McGuire (aka Mira Grant, aka A. Deborah Baker)
David Baldacci
Terri Pratchett
John Grisham
Jodi Taylor
Tony Hillerman
Rick Riordan
Jack McDevitt

To name a few.
These are authors who have not yet written a book I haven't enjoyed.

Books/Series (also in no particular order):
"Harry Potter" (series)
"October Daye" (serries)
"Jack Ryan" (series)
"A Tale of Two Cities"
"Rivers of London" (series)
"Kingsbridge" (series)
"An Ember in the Ashes" (series)
"Of Mice and Men"
"My French Whore"
"Time Travelers Never Die"
"Jumper" (series)

These are all books, well, mostly series, that I can read over and over.

I've read "1984" twice. Once because I had to in high school. Once because I thought I would appreciate it better as an adult. I'll likely read it once more in comparison to "Brave New World" to confirm my view that Huxley did it better. I also have Moby Dick on my TBR list because, a. it's a classic, and b. it can't be as bad as I've heard.

I read incessantly. I'd even call myself an inveterate and unrepentant book junkie. If I'm sitting still (at home or at work), or walking, or cleaning, or doing yard work, riding a bus/train/plane, driving, etc... and I have attention to spare, I've either got a book in front of me or earphones plugged in.

I primarily read sci-fi and fantasy, and recently I've become absorbed in the worlds of urban fantasy. Honestly, I'll read most anything to fall into my lap. Any genre will do as long as it\s got a good story. Sci-fi, fantasy, urban fantasy, thrillers (legal and political), horror, gamelit, mystery, historical, historical mystery, cozy mystery, sagas, literary fiction (including classics), urban fiction, young adult fiction, children's fiction... I've even found a few romances (no, not bodice rippers) that are more than worth reading. All of them by Gene Wilder. Yes, that Gene Wilder. A great story can be told in any setting and any genre. I've actually lost count of the number of times I've read "My French Whore." I've also read a good number of non-fiction titles, but they probably only account for 1 out of every twenty titles or so.

[Belacqua]

Also, War and Peace (the first half).

You can skip about 80 pages at the end of War and Peace, because it's Tolstoy's theory of history (non-fiction) and not very relevant any more. The rest is good!

Here's my reading log book, since Christmas. Author, title, date finished.

Versluis; Restoring Paradise - Western Esotericism, Literature, Art, and Consciousness; 12/25

Richie; A Tractate on Japanese Aesthetics; 12/25

Gaunt; The Aesthetic Adventure; 12-27

Maritain; Art and Scholasticism; 1/7

de Waal; The White Road [history of porcelain]; 1/10

Trapani; Poetry, Beauty, and Contemplation - The Complete Aesthetics of Jacques Maritain; 1/23

Rogerson; Tales from the Life of Bruce Wannell; 2/16

Falk; The Light Ages [medieval science]; 2/16

Plato; Philebus; 2/28

Rodriquez; Wild Heart [biography of a lesbian American who had a literary salon in Paris]; 3/4

Evangelista; British Aestheticism and Ancient Greece; 3/15

Kripal; Secret Body - Erotic and Esoteric Currents in the History of Religions; 3/27

Peeters; Derrida [biography]; 4/17

Kerr; Another Kyoto; 4/19

Byatt; Peacock and Vine [William Morris and Fortuny]; 4/24

Theroux; In the Plain of Snakes [travel in Mexico]; 4/26

started this morning: Howlett; Marsilio Ficino and His World

[Silver]

I read (or re-read) over 500 titles in 2020. Normal for be is 150-250 titles/year. Picking a favorite book or author is straight up impossible for me.

---

Some among my favorites:
Authors (in no particular order):
Neil Gaiman
Brandon Sanderson
Seanan McGuire (aka Mira Grant, aka A. Deborah Baker)
David Baldacci
Terri Pratchett
John Grisham
Jodi Taylor
Tony Hillerman
Rick Riordan
Jack McDevitt

To name a few.
These are authors who have not yet written a book I haven't enjoyed.

Books/Series (also in no particular order):
"Harry Potter" (series)
"October Daye" (serries)
"Jack Ryan" (series)
"A Tale of Two Cities"
"Rivers of London" (series)
"Kingsbridge" (series)
"An Ember in the Ashes" (series)
"Of Mice and Men"
"My French Whore"
"Time Travelers Never Die"
"Jumper" (series)

These are all books, well, mostly series, that I can read over and over.

I've read "1984" twice. Once because I had to in high school. Once because I thought I would appreciate it better as an adult. I'll likely read it once more in comparison to "Brave New World" to confirm my view that Huxley did it better. I also have Moby Dick on my TBR list because, a. it's a classic, and b. it can't be as bad as I've heard.

I read incessantly. I'd even call myself an inveterate and unrepentant book junkie. If I'm sitting still (at home or at work), or walking, or cleaning, or doing yard work, riding a bus/train/plane, driving, etc... and I have attention to spare, I've either got a book in front of me or earphones plugged in.

I primarily read sci-fi and fantasy, and recently I've become absorbed in the worlds of urban fantasy. Honestly, I'll read most anything to fall into my lap. Any genre will do as long as it\s got a good story. Sci-fi, fantasy, urban fantasy, thrillers (legal and political), horror, gamelit, mystery, historical, historical mystery, cozy mystery, sagas, literary fiction (including classics), urban fiction, young adult fiction, children's fiction... I've even found a few romances (no, not bodice rippers) that are more than worth reading. All of them by Gene Wilder. Yes, that Gene Wilder. A great story can be told in any setting and any genre. I've actually lost count of the number of times I've read "My French Whore." I've also read a good number of non-fiction titles, but they probably only account for 1 out of every twenty titles or so.

---

NERD

[zwanzig]

I consider myself a reader but I average about 50 books per year. I'm ADHD so I consider this an accomplishment. And I mostly linger in urban fantasy and paranormal romance. You know, trash.

[Silver]

When it comes to reading, I have not read anything in years. Just can't find the time, plus not interested. I did all of my reading in my youth. Maybe one day in my old age I will return to it.

[zwanzig]

When it comes to reading, I have not read anything in years. Just can't find the time, plus not interested. I did all of my reading in my youth. Maybe one day in my old age I will return to it.

It's off and on irritating to find good ones available. My local library is a dinky little country place so the selection sucks. So, I mostly read from Kindle Unlimited selection or I look for deals on other books. It might sound entitled and stuck up, but I'm not paying $8-$15 for a book I haven't read. I did that quite regularly in my youth and ended up with a bookshelf of expensive books that I never finished because they sucked. Who wants that? *friends come over and give them a tour of my house* "And over here is the shelf full of books that I don't like but won't give away because they're horrible."

I mostly stick with a strategy of not forcing myself to finish books I don't like. An author has to earn my attention. If they haven't done so within the first 50 pages or if they have annoyed me something awful in the first 10-20, I drop it and move on.