Best book you've ever read

[David in Boston]

That would be "The Call of the Wild" by Jack London.

It was the first serious book I read back in high school.

Opened my mind to the bigger world around me.

 

[justinp]

Great thread, guys

I'm a college student, so I read too much and too little at the same time... I'm always reading something, but usually not what I want to be reading!

A few of my favorites:

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller. Hilarious and heartbreaking satire of human stupidity and cruelty set during WWII.

Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace. Highly recommended to anyone that enjoys big, sweeping novels. In large part a meditation on entertainment and addiction, but it's funny and poignant and beautiful.

The Short Stories by Ernest Hemingway. If you haven't read "Big Two-Hearted River" or "Snows of Kilamanjaro" you owe it to yourself to read them. Positively incredible.

Dune by Frank Herbert

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein (Starship Troopers and The Moon is a Harsh Mistress get honorable mentions here).

Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson (Anathem is a close second)

Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon

And so many others...

 

[andrew98]

If you're into hunting and fishing, The Old Man and the Boy by Robert Ruark is a wonderful read.

I also like anything by Bill Bryson. He has a great sense of humor.

Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch is one of the best books I read last year. I gave it to several people as Christmas gifts.

The Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell is excellent. She manages to turn a potentially prosaic topic (A history of Puritans in the US and how they shaped America) into an insightful and entertaining (often hilarious) read. I couldn't put it down, and I'm easily bored with books that don't grab me. I won't fight through a mediocre read. It's for entertainment and relaxation, after all.

-Andy

 

[Slowhand]

The Road
The Art of War
Game Six - if you like baseball

 

[Smoothshave]

The Collected Short Stories - Roald Dahl

 

[Chadtheguru]

Old Man and the Sea and Too Kill a Mockingbird.

Mine would have to be To Kill a Mockingbird. Maybe I should read Old Man and the Sea...

 

[oc_in_fw]

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller.

"Catch-22" was great, which makes it hard to believe that the same author wrote "Closing Time". If I had to rate them, Catch-22 was a 9.5. Closing time was a -100.

 

[Fer]

I've seen scathing reviews of the new film in both The Wall Street Journal and my local paper. Ironic as Rand worked in Hollywood as a screenwriter.

The movie is absolutely horrible...read the book...don't bother with the movie. I read that more than likely the remaining two movies of the trilogy aren't going to be released due to the failure that the first one has been. They have been working on this script for about 50+ years and they totally ruined it. They should of gotten a respectable person to do the scropt...ie Aaron Sorkin.

 

[Drybonz]

I don't think I could pick out a favorite author, much less a favorite book. Hermann Hesse, Henry Miller, Charles Bukowski, Phillip Roth, Hunter Thompson, Jack Kerouac, Scott Fitzgerald, Jean Genet are a few that I like, off the top of my head.

I was suprised to see a few mentions of Cormac McCarthy in this thread. I guess he has become popular since they made a couple movies based on his books. He is also one of my favorites. I have read most of his books. Blood Meridian would be my favorite.

 

[BingeAndPurge]

Most work but worth it: The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William L. Shirer; took forever to read this monster.

I have this and have started it a few times, but I never get very far.

 

[ekster]

There is no best book for me. There are just too many...

But from a quick poke in my memory...

For fantasy, I would say
The Mistborn Trilogy, Good Omens, and anything from the Discworld by Terry Prattchet, Magician: Apprentice & Master

In Sci Fi,
Ender's Game, Altered Copy (and its sequels), Neuromancer, Spin State, Blindsight, and anything by the Strugatsky brothers.

In the adventure/fiction...
The Three Musketeers and its sequels (I grew up on those books, first read it when I was 4 or 5... and read it a good 20 times ever sense probably), as well as anything else by Dumas. He's pretty much single handedly responsible for sucking me into reading ever since the age of 4.
There is also anything by Charles Dickens is good for me.

I am sure there are a lot more... but considering the amount of books I read, and how early in the morning I had to get up today, this is the best I can remember.

 

[oc_in_fw]

The movie is absolutely horrible...read the book...don't bother with the movie. I read that more than likely the remaining two movies of the trilogy aren't going to be released due to the failure that the first one has been. They have been working on this script for about 50+ years and they totally ruined it. They should of gotten a respectable person to do the scropt...ie Aaron Sorkin.

The book was absolute drivel, can't imagine the movie being much worse.

 

[tvldatsi]

this is a tough question. I want it to be Harry Potter 3 or FellowshipOTR for sentimental reasons, but it's probably more like Germinal or 1984.

let's sayyy The Double novella. yeah it's short, but brilliant. this opinion is subject to change often

*edit* I forgot the beats! I left out everything from Kurt Vonnegut! This is officially an impossible question

 

[justinp]

"Catch-22" was great, which makes it hard to believe that the same author wrote "Closing Time". If I had to rate them, Catch-22 was a 9.5. Closing time was a -100.

Just imagine my surprise a few years ago when I had to do pick an author to do a series of senior 'author papers' about for high school. I picked Joseph Heller, pulled out my trusty ol' copy of Catch-22, reread it, was happy as a clam, and then spent the next month forcing myself to hack through Something Happened and God Knows... what a nightmare.

Some folks only have 1 book in 'em. Heller was one of them, but he wrote 10!

 

[sleekandsmooth]

the Holy Bible

 

[JoshuaNY]

The Magicians Apprentice, by Raymond Feist

I am a huge Raymond Fesit fan. His books got me into reading so they hold a fond place in my heart.

 

[oc_in_fw]

Just imagine my surprise a few years ago when I had to do pick an author to do a series of senior 'author papers' about for high school. I picked Joseph Heller, pulled out my trusty ol' copy of Catch-22, reread it, was happy as a clam, and then spent the next month forcing myself to hack through Something Happened and God Knows... what a nightmare.

Some folks only have 1 book in 'em. Heller was one of them, but he wrote 10!

The only two I have read are "catch 22" (written by a genius) and "Closing Time". Because of your input(and my experience), I probably won't be reading anything else he wrote.

 

[Arkansas]

I found Dan Simmons' "Hyperion" to contain the greatest collection of science fiction ideas, in one book, of all time. His alternate history version of the Illiad, "Illium", is fantastic too.
James Michener. "The Drifters", "Caravans", and many more are decadent reads.
James Clavell. "Tai-pan". "Shogun". "King Rat". "Noble House". All fabulous.
Snow Crash, as someone else mentioned, is really good.
Asimov, Orson Scott Card, David Brin, and a bunch of SF writers.
Grisham is good. "Painted House".
Twain.

 

[Doctor Love]

Time Line Therapy and the Basis of Personality by Tad James

Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

Way of the Peacful Warrior by Dan Millman



Not necessarily in that order...

 

[Linyx]

Well, the KJV Bible would obviously be mine, but seeing as that's probably not what you meant.

1984 and Animal Farm, both by Orwell, are excellent.