Five "Must Read" Books

[Ad-Rock]

List five books that you think other people should read. Any genre or age group is acceptable, and they needn't be in order. Give a brief reason for your selections. Discussion is encouraged (as is extensive hyperbole)!

If nothing else it will kill some time :p

My Selections (and yes I have gone right along with some cliches):

1. The Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
Despite inconsistencies with history and within the storyline, this is a fantastic tale of revenge, love and adventure. The episodic nature of each chapter provides constant intrigue and excitement.

2. Kalki - Gore Vidal
Perhaps not the greatest of Vidal's work, however it left a lasting impression on me. I read it nearly a decade ago, so maybe I am looking at it through rose colored glasses...?

3. The God Delusion - Richard Dawkins
Yes, it was controversial. Yes, the author may try to ram his opinion down your throat. However, I think the author makes several very convincing arguments, and I love his style of writing.

4. The Lord of The Rings - J. R. R. Tolkein
This series could be considered the grandfather of fantasy epics. Certainly, it has been a major influence behind numerous fantasy epics. It is not my favorite fantasy series, but I think it's longevity speaks for itself.

5. Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Was that my street cred I just saw sneak out the door? Not great writing, but the "littlies" (and lots of "biggies") love this shit.

[Jickle]

These aren't neccessarily my favourite books, just five that immediately spring to mind.

1. A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole.
....alright, so this one is my favourite. Easily the funniest book I've ever read.

2. Slaughterhouse Five - Kurt Vonnegut
Bizarre, but wholeheartedly enjoyable.

3. Pop. 1280 - Jim Thompson
Another absolutely hilarious piece of work. A story of a seemingly simple town sheriff who sets into motion a curious plan of murder and deceit.

4. It - Stephen King
I've never quite been able to figure out how literary academics feel about Stephen King. For my money he's a flawed writer who often manages magnificent storytelling, and It is his best story. Rather long, but much more tightly packed than many of his works.

5. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? - Phillip K. Dick
The only sci-fi book I've ever really gotten into. Also the only book I've ever read that effectively uses the word 'elevator' as a verb.

[texta]

Off the top of my head I'd probably go something like:

1. American Psycho - Bret Easton Ellis

2. If this is a man - Primo Levi

3. Huckleberry Fin - Mark Twain

4. The Great Shark Hunt - Hunter S Thompson

5. Macbeth - Shakespear

[Daniel]

1) Only Forward - Michael Marshal Smith
Achingly brilliant.

2) Accelerando- Charles Stross
The only book about the singularity that you should read.

3) The Great and Secret Show - Clive Barker
Barker at his very best showing that he can not only craft a wonderful story but has a real knack for words as well. Also shows that at its best horror can not only be frightening but uplifting as well.

4) Satanic Verses - Salman Rushdie
A masterpiece

5) The Giant, O'Brien - Hillary Mantel
A wonderful sad story eulogising the death of verbal storytelling as told through the eyes and words of an Irish giant and the anatomist who wants his bones to study.

No particular order

[Space_Monkey]

Glamorama - Bret Easton Ellis

I'm putting Glamorama in because it's probably Ellis' finest but least known work. It starts out a fairly straight forward story about vanity and the cult of stardom. Although it quickly runs into the surreal and outlandish, whilst the protagonist is so self-involved he is oblivious of a terrorist plot surrounding. Mixed with Ellis' trademark wit, humor and over the top gore its a fantastic read.

Down and out in Paris and London - George Orwell

Again not the authors best work but a fine piece of literature. The first book to be published under the pen name "George Orwell" a short account of George Orwell's time spent in Paris and London as a tramp. There's vivid descriptions of incredible poverty amongst astounding wealth, the exploitation of workers and the struggle of these people to simply eat, it makes Down and Out timeless. Also is effortlessly readable thanks to Orwell's deceptively simple writing style.

Fight Club - Chuck Palahniuk

I've read other books by Palahniuk but Fight Club is sadly still my favorite. Witty, dismal and thought provoking. Plus I can relate to wanting to go on a bloody rampage destroying capitalism in a swell of anarchistic might whilst working behind a maccas register.

A Scanner Darkley - Phillip K Dick

A drug fueled nightmare based on the authors own experiences with the destructive nature of drugs amongst friends.

The Consolations of Philosophy - Alain De Botton

If you haven't read anything on Philosophy it's a great beginners guide, Aristotle to Plato.

[Blue]

1) A Clockwork Orange

2) The Godfather

3) The Great Gatsby

4) Oliver Twist

5) Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?

[Readman]

The Tree of Man by Patrick White

There has been a dearth of Australian books recommended so far, so I'm going to start. Really, any Australian 'top five' list of books has to include at least one Patrick White, or it means you hate Australia. I've gone with The Tree of Man, which chronicles three generations of the Parker family, a rural/suburban family, and their ups and downs over the years.

A History of Civilizations by Fernand Braudel

The best concise 'history of the world' that's around.

Labyrinths by Jorge Luis Borges

I was thinking of listing Collected Fictions, which collects all of his short stories, but the translations of the earlier volumes are apparently much better (I say 'apparently' because I've never read the Spanish originals).

If you haven't read Borges, then do so right now.

The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco

Toss-up between this and Foucault's Pendulum, Eco's other great book.

One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexander Solzhenitsyn and Late Victorian Holocausts by Mike Davis

Putting these together, because they should be read in tandem. Solzhenitsyn's book unveils the hideous reality of life under Stalinist Russia, while Davis' book lays bare exactly what 19th century imperialism spelt for the non-European world.


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[Super Mario]

Harry Potter & The Philosopher's Stone
Harry Potter & The Chamber Of Secrets
Harry Potter & The Prisoner Of Azkaban
Harry Potter & The Goblet Of Fire
Harry Potter & The Order Of The Phoenix
Harry Potter & The Half Blood Prince
Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows

[Vindik8or]

1. Dune - Frank Herbert
Not just the best science fiction, but excellent literature in its own right.

2. Medea - Euripides
An early and masterful insight into the depths that impassioned rage can take a human. Some people find it difficult to believe the actions that Medea takes in response to Jason's betrayal, but her crime has been mirrored time and again in many examples since.

3. Foundation - Isaac Asimov
This and the following two 1950s Foundation books (Foundation and Empire, and Second Foundation) curiously mirror Dune (especially the later sequels) in their themes of social engineering and the immutable predictability of humans. The Mule can very easily be seen as a prototype Kwisatz Haderach. It's also great for getting away from Asimov's friggin robots (for a time, which I why I don't recommend the other Foundation books).

4. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - Lewis Carrol
And, of course, Through the Looking Glass.
In 1931, the book was banned in Hunan, China, because "animals should not use human language" and it "puts animals and human beings on the same level." In Woodsville High School in Haverhill, New Hampshire, the story also was banned, because it had "expletives, references to masturbation and sexual fantasies, and derogatory characterizations of teachers and of religious ceremonies.
Reason enough for me to read it again.

5. The Raven - Edgar Allan Poe
Nevermore! I've endeavoured to keep the members of my list somewhat unlaborious to read, with a few different examples of literature (such as plays, short stories, and in this case, a poem). Get some vague horror up ya!

EDIT: PS. Three American authors! Holy crap, I'm glad I didn't put in Moby Dick instead of Medea.

[Readman]

Medea isn't a book.

My favourite book is the script for the Simpsons episode Marge vs. the Monorail!

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[Vindik8or]

You'd best take that attitude with Macbeth too. Regardless, the bound and printed volume on my bookshelf begs to differ. It sure as shit isn't a deep-sea trench.

[Jickle]

The Consolations of Philosophy - Alain De Bottom

If you haven't read anything on Philosophy it's a great beginners guide, Aristotle to Plato.

Any idea why this text has almost the exact same name as the English version of Boethius' major work? I've read Boethius but not De Bottom.

[D.C.]

Gravity's Rainbow - Thomas Pynchon
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas - Hunter S. Thompson
The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald
Infinite Jest - David Foster Wallace
Blood Meridian - Cormac McCarthy

[Readman]

You'd best take that attitude with Macbeth too. Regardless, the bound and printed volume on my bookshelf begs to differ. It sure as shit isn't a deep-sea trench.

You'll be very happy to learn that I do take that attitude with Hamlet!

Edit: also, the title is must-read, not must-see.

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[Vindik8or]

I've only ever read Medea, never seen it. It was for a Great Books class, I bought it from a book store, it sits on my bookshelf amongst other books between some bookends.

[Readman]

Yeah, I often skip movies and just read the screenplays. Much better that way IMHO.

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[Space_Monkey]

Any idea why this text has almost the exact same name as the English version of Boethius' major work? I've read Boethius but not De Bottom.

De Botton! Sorry fixed.

The title is indeed a reference to the text by Boethius. Where as he explored the consolations of philosophy leading up to his execution De Botten's text explores the consolations of philosophy in regards to modern day problems. Such as unpopularity, feelings of inadequacy, financial worries etc. He does this by writing each chapter as if it were an essay comparing each problem to a different Philosopher and thier Philosophy. So for example Socrates in relation to being unpopular, unpopular to the point of execution as it were.

If you've read Boethius then there's probably no reason for you to read The Consolations of Philosophy as I said it's kind of a beginners guide. A my-first-philosophy if you will but it's what got me into further reading and throughly enjoying studying Philosophy at University.

EDIT: And the titles aren't the same Boethius wrote The Consolation of Philosophy De Botton's book is entitled The Consolations of Philosophy.

[Ali G]

Blood Meridian - Cormac McCarthy

Reading that now, it's amazing.

Anyway, my five:

- One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez
This is his masterpiece. I can't even begin to imagine how one could write such an expansive novel. I haven't read anything since that could really compare (apart from other books by him).

- The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The first time I read this was in Year 11 for English Literature. I liked it then, but I think a lot of it went over my head too. I had sympathy for Daisy! I read it again a month ago and that's when I really noticed its brilliance (and lost the sympathy).

- Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
Despite it not being his first language, I've not seen anyone else manipulate the English language like Nabokov does. It really is astonishing, and that's the basis for putting this in my list.

- The Road by Cormac McCarthy
This may well be the scariest book I've ever read. Not because of what happens, but because of the setting. By never really explaining why the world's so scarred, McCarthy allows us to focus more on the consequences. And really, it doesn't matter how it happened anyway.

- Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami
This is another book that I thought was better on a second reading. Yeah, it's been accused of being pop-literature, and I'm not going to deny that. I'm not sure if that's so bad, either. It's a nice story, and I found it pretty moving.

[JC Henderson]

Here are books you should read to kids-

"A series of unfortunate events" - Great alternative to Harry Potter and every student I have read this series of books can not get enough of it. Just don't watch the movie and have Jim Carey wreck the fantastic Count Olaf.

The Hobbit- Great Story just bring lemon and honey for the reading of the riddles chapter with smeagol.

[buckstwits]

Washington Square - Henry James

Silence of the lambs - Thomas Harris

Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck

Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams

The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde - R.L. Stevenson

George's Secret Key to the Universe - Lucy & Stephen Hawking (this ones for kids)

[Antwandemarco]

Some great books in here!

Not sure i can compile a list of my top 5 books but i'll mention 5 that come to mind as being great.

Call of the Wild/White Fang - Jack London

Ok so two books really, but they may as well be sequels. Great books that can enjoyed by any age group. They explore two dogs (or wolves, whatever) transition from tame to wild and wild to tame respectively. Also an interesting look at french canada at the turn of the century.

Neuromancer - William Gibson

I like the sequel, Count Zero, just as much but neuromancer is the famous one. This book took me three attempts to get through due to the dense writing style. But once you lock into the language it's well worth it. Dystopian science fiction at its best, gritty setting, gritty characters and visceral description. Watch out for the space rasta's!

Filth - Irvine Welsh

Well well well. This is one of the, most disgusting books i've ever read. The story of a scottish cop who manipulates and abuses everyone around him, a real pig as it were. Really well constructed storyline and a great ending. Highly recommended if you have a strong stomach!

Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad

Wish i was eloquent enough to sum this one. Journey into darkest africa looking at the inner(and outer)savage. One of those books i found really hard going at first but eventually sunk into the rhythm and loved...

Ahh i cant be bothered thinking of anymore, at work and i need to get back down to it.

[JimmyKane]

I'll just say To Kill A Mockingbird. Really evocative, at times it seems so real it'll make you cry.

Also, Atticus Finch is fantastic. A friend of mine once described him as "what every father wants to be..or at least should want to be"

[Lazlow]

The real shit thing is half these books aren't kept on shelves anymore. I've searched every bookshop in town for a copy of Neuromancer and A Brave New World.

The SciFi/Fantasy sections are bloated with tween shit and franchise whoring these days.

[Jay]

This is quite a difficult thing to do, but I'll give it a shot:

The Unusual Life of Tristan Smith - Peter Carey

I'm in agreement with Readman (?) who suggested that there's not enough Australian reprazent in the lists so far. Carey is an interesting case, because although his early novels are quintessentially Australian, the later work has a more International flavour (The True History of the Kelly Gang nothwithstanding). White used his expat status to critique and explore Australian-ness from afar, whereas Carey seems to have used it to explore the world. I love almost all of his stuff, but I plumped for this one because it is about theatre and imo it marks his transition from great Australian novelist to great novelist.

Written On The Body - Jeanette Winterson

Although The Passion and Sexing The Cherry might be better books, this one got me at a vulnerable time in my life and totally wrecked me. The opening line - 'Why is the measure of love loss?' - neatly sums up what is to come, and Winterson's amazing ability to be so precise and poetic in one fell swoop is almost unparalleled. Someone once said of her that she writes like a mathematician trapped in a poet's body, and they're not far wrong.

Slaughterhouse 5 - Kurt Vonnegut

The greatest anti-war novel ever? Certainly the craziest. Think Dr Strangelove only weirder and you begin to approximate the kind of absurdity Vonnegut conjures in Slaughterhouse. Aliens who see in four dimensions, a protagonist unstuck in time and one of the worst Allied atrocities of the Second World War collide in this blackly humorous masterpiece.

A Farewell To Arms - Ernest Hemmingway

As a contrast to Vonnegut's acid soaked absurdity, Hemmingway's own anti-war masterpiece is elegiac in tone and devastating in effect. A love story at its core, it humanises the conflict going on around the characters and then smashes you into pieces. A master of the craft who may have slipped out of fashion of late but really shouldn't have.

Hard Times - Charles Dickens

Probably the most important novelist in the English language, and certainly one of its greatest exponents. His verbosity and flowery descriptive techniques have made him less fashionable these days, but his ability to create engaging characters and play out complex (some would say convoluted) plots, all the while underpinned with social commentary and deep themes is extraordinary. I've gone for Hard Times because it doesn't fall into the trap that some of his other novels do of reducing some of his principal characters to charicatures.

Honourable mentions:

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - Robert Pirsig
The God of Small Things - Arundathi Roy
The Unbearable Lightness of Being - Milan Kundera
Catcher In The Rye - J.D. Salinger
1984 - George Orwell
Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
To Kill A Mockingbird - Harper Lee
I Am The Cheese - Robert Cormier
The Tree of Man - Patrick White
Metamorphosis - Franz Kafka
Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevski
The Fountainhead - Ayn Rand
High Fidelity - Nick Hornby

There are more, but it did say five and I think I've outstayed my welcome... :)

[JimmyKane]

I think Catcher In The Rye went waaaaaaaay over my head when I read it. I'm not a fan.

[Jickle]

The real shit thing is half these books aren't kept on shelves anymore. I've searched every bookshop in town for a copy of Neuromancer and A Brave New World.

The SciFi/Fantasy sections are bloated with tween shit and franchise whoring these days.

The Book Depository is your friend. (http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/search?searchTerm=neuromancer&search=search) It has both those books, too.

I know what you mean though, my local Dymocks recently cut their literature section in half. Ridiculous. Borders are still pretty decent (albeit usually horribly overpriced if you don't have a voucher). The best non-online book store I've ever seen is that huge one in Sydney, the name of which escapes me but which the locals will no doubt be aware of.

[Jay]

I think Catcher In The Rye went waaaaaaaay over my head when I read it. I'm not a fan.

First time I read it - at 15 - I think it did for me too, in a lot of ways. Gave it another go at 22. Wow. Shows how much you can grow up in just a few short years I guess.

[BB2K]

World War Z was pretty awesome.

[Readman]

The real shit thing is half these books aren't kept on shelves anymore. I've searched every bookshop in town for a copy of Neuromancer and A Brave New World.

What there needs to be is a global computer network where individuals can set up stores 'online' and sell books that you can't normally get at cheap prices.

If only something like that existed, your problems would be solved!

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[Lex]

I think Catcher In The Rye went waaaaaaaay over my head when I read it. I'm not a fan.

Catcher in the Rye was one of the few books that really impacted me as a teen, I should totally read it again.

[Antwandemarco]

Should have mentioned Dracula in my list, fantastic book. Also wanted to mention Lolita but it's already been mentioned a bunch of times.

People looking for hard to find books just ask the store to order it in for you.

That's how i tracked down a second copy of Neuromancer. Also, second hand bookstores are your friend.

Oh shit! Also has anyone else here read Flashman?? If not then i would highly recommend you go and pick it up. They just reprinted them all as well..

[jawsy]

No Kerouac? You can all go **** yourselves.

[sausage]

1. Lesbian Ethics: Toward New Value, Sarah Lucia Hoagland

2. A Vindication of The Rights of Whores, Gail Pheterson

3. The Dangerous Book for Boys, couple of dutch blokes

4. Photoshop CS4 for Dummies

5. Carrion Comfort - Dan Simmons

[Dorepoll]

George Orwell - 1984
The best book to start your raging against machines. It is a book that teaches a lesson to both the reader and all of society at the same time.

Albert Camus - The Stranger
Absurdism is a wonderful philosophy, whether you agree with it or not. Sheer indifference and bleakness are two themes I love to read about, and Camus threads them through this novel wonderfully.

Joseph Heller - Catch 22
For those who are a fan of good writing, snappy humour and dark satire. Also, slightly insane.

JD Sallinger - The Catcher In The Rye
Still the best portrait of teenage angst.

Ernest Hemmingway - The Old Man And The Sea
Every page of this book is beautiful. Never have I read something so poignant.

Prove me wrong children! Prove me wrong!

Now with descriptions!

[TAT]

JD Sallinger - The Catcher In The Rye
I wanted to laugh heartily. Really, I did.

This totally breaks the thread rules, but **** it:

Five "Must Read" Books:

Dune, Frank Herbert; an utterly brilliant novel grounded in a ficticious universe. The build is slow, but the payoff is amazing.
MAUS, Art Spiegelman; a Holocaust survivor's tale retold by his son through a comic series with anthropomorphic characters. It is a lot more touching and deep than it sounds.
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Five "Must Read" Books Written by Stephen King:

Blaze (by pseudonym Richard Bachman); a slow-witted, small-time crook carries out the unthinkable. There are quite a few of King's novels which could be improved by being cut down to this length, imo.
Different Seasons; a drastic change of pace, these four stories include The Body (which eventually became the coming-of-age movie, Stand By Me) and Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption (yes, *that* Shawshank Redemption).
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TBC

[Jay]

Um...what's the problem with Catcher In The Rye? It's an extraordinary novel.

[TAT]

So people keep saying. I couldn't get on board with it, and I thought Holden came across as moody and arrogant.

[Jay]

Yeah, he totally is. Delusional, isolated, dislocated; a typical teenager. Too many ideas for his brain to handle. You just want to throttle him. But there's something utterly engaging about him too, and I love the way so many things are only hinted at throughout the text. It's like a teen beat novel, skipping through the consciousness like a channel surfer on speed. I love it (though as I said earlier it took a second read to truly appreciate it).

[TAT]

Yeah, and it's not as if I've been unable to relate to characters in books before (Ender's Game pretty much blew my mind, most recently), but I got to a point where I disliked Holden so much that I didn't want to see what happened next.

[grimace06]

The Bachman Books Richard Bachman/Stephen King

Contains three of King's more underrated titles in Rage, Roadwork and The Long Walk and The Running Man



Kane & Abel Jeffrey Archer

Sure it isn't the best written tome around but theres something to be said about the quality of the two main characters and their separate journeys.

[Dorepoll]

So people keep saying. I couldn't get on board with it, and I thought Holden came across as moody and arrogant.

Yeah he is. Just like every teenager. Up until that point, teenagers were mostly written as simply young adults with aspirations, level headed and ready to take on the world. Holden is the shitty teenager in all of us, albeit taken to the extreme.

Come now, don't tell me you didn't have a superiority complex as a 15 year old? Ask any high school teacher and they will tell you this is the hardest age to teach. They think they know it all and are better than everybody. The way Sallinger captures this is astonishing.

[Jickle]

The Bachman Books Richard Bachman/Stephen King

Contains three of King's more underrated titles in Rage, Roadwork and The Long Walk and The Running Man.

'The Long Walk' is definately one of King's best.

Also on-board with the Rye lovin'. Excellent book.

[TAT]

Yeah he is. Just like every teenager. Up until that point, teenagers were mostly written as simply young adults with aspirations, level headed and ready to take on the world. Holden is the shitty teenager in all of us, albeit taken to the extreme.

Come now, don't tell me you didn't have a superiority complex as a 15 year old? Ask any high school teacher and they will tell you this is the hardest age to teach. They think they know it all and are better than everybody. The way Sallinger captures this is astonishing.
Maybe was too old when I read it and didn't give a shit about the petty problems that teenagers go through...

[JimmyKane]

Hey I was 14 and I didn't give a shit.

[JimmyKane]

TBH I think I could learn to appreciate Catcher In The Rye. But I'll check out a bunch of other books in this thread first.

[Readman]

JimmyKane, check out some Australian literature.

I think that out of the entire thread, only two people mentioned books written by Australians. There are some magnificent Australian authors out there and it's somewhat depressing that young people have never heard of them.

[FrozenSoul80]

Enders Game - Orson Scott Card

The Watchmen - Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons

The War of the Worlds - H.G. Wells

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - J.K. Rowling (the best in the series and the only one I actually recommend reading)

Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams.

[Blue]

TBH I think I could learn to appreciate Catcher In The Rye. But I'll check out a bunch of other books in this thread first.It wasn't that good though, hey.

[TAT]

New addition:

MAUS, Art Spiegelman; a Holocaust survivor's tale retold by his son through a comic series with anthropomorphic characters. It is a lot more touching and deep than it sounds.

[Jay]

We have added Maus to our booklist at Year 9 for next year, so I'll get to teach it which is awesome. :)

[StorminNorman]

Its companion series, Barefoot Gen, is pretty great too (The author of MAUS considers his work to be a companion to Barefoot Gen).

I tend to prefer genre fiction to "literature", so keep that in mind with this list...

Irvine Welsh - Trainspotting.
I was probably fifteen or sixteen when I read this, and it just blew my mind. I hadn't seen the film when I read the book (and the film is also pretty great), so I got to appreciate the book for what it is, which is a funny but often disturbing tale of drug addiction in Scotland.

William Gibson - Neuromancer
This is probably my absolute favourite book of all-time. Gibson's writing style, and his dystopian imagery set the tone for all the cyberpunk that would follow, but this book has really never been topped.

James Ellroy - L.A. Confidential
I had to choose between this and American Tabloid, but then I remembered that The Cold Six Thousand is better than American Tabloid, so L.A. Confidential gets it. Again, I read the book before the (very fantastic) movie came out, and loved every moment of it. Ellroy has a really idiosyncratic style that leaves you thinking in two-word sentences for days after you read his book, but that just adds to the punchy charm of his writing.

Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett - Good Omens
I'm including this solely because I have never laughed so much while reading a book. Basically there's a story about the coming of armageddon, but that's not important right now. What is important is that Pratchett and Gaiman managed to combine their formidable writing powers into something that works incredibly well. Worth it for the hilarious footnotes alone.

J.R.R. Tolkien - The Silmarillion
The Silmarillion has always been my favourite Tolkien work. It tells the tale of the first age of Tolkien's world, from the actual creation of that world, through to the great war that shattered the world. Richer and denser than LotR, it tells the story of an entire world, rather than just a small band of characters. This makes it harder to read, but no less engaging.

[sausage]

jimmykane, check out some australian literature.




hahahahahahahahahah

[Readman]

Why did you de-capitalise my name?

edit: and JimmyKane's for that matter?

[Jay]

hahahahahahahahahah

Yes, you're right to laugh. We should instead immerse ourselves in all those great Kiwi novels.

I don't care who you or where you're from, Peter Carey and Patrick White - to name but two - are exceptional novelists.

[buckstwits]

^ also Thomas Keneally

[Super Sleuth]

Tony Martin - Lolly Scramble.

[Jickle]

Shaun Micallef- Smithereens.

[Super Sleuth]

I can't believe I haven't read that!

[Jickle]

It is seriously fantastic. It's just as good as you're now hoping it is in your head.

[JimmyKane]

I've read Lolly Scramble and Smithereens :D.

I should've mentioned Smithereens already.

He lit up a Cuban, who, not surprisingly, ran screaming from the room.

[drzaius]

off the top of my head (and yes, this is technically 16 books)

Mars Trilogy - Kim Stanley Robinson
Baroque Cycle - Neal Stephenson
Enders game (and sequels) - Orson Scott Card
Everything is Illuminated - Jonothan Safran Foer
The Dice Man - Luke Rhinehart

[JimmyKane]

I really want to check The Dice Man out.

[ThePhotoshop]

Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett - Good Omens
I'm including this solely because I have never laughed so much while reading a book. Basically there's a story about the coming of armageddon, but that's not important right now. What is important is that Pratchett and Gaiman managed to combine their formidable writing powers into something that works incredibly well. Worth it for the hilarious footnotes alone.
I just finished reading this yesterday. I got a few chuckles out of it but ultimately found it pretty hum-drum. It's the same kind of humour as Douglas Adams, just not written as well.

[nintendo]

Enders game (and sequels) - Orson Scott Card

Just wondering if youve read his latest? Its meant to be set between Speaker and Enders Game IIRC, but I havent had a chance to go looking for a copy.

I only found out it was out by chance the other day when I was randomly searching for names on one of the computers in this book store.

[igotnewsuper8systemWRONG!]

Hey guys, I don't read a whole lot of books can someone recommend me 5 to read? I'm into most things apart from the whole LotR style fantasy stuff.

[Super Sleuth]

I love you Super8.

[Readman]

Hey guys, I don't read a whole lot of books can someone recommend me 5 to read? I'm into most things apart from the whole LotR style fantasy stuff.

If you read the thread you'll find that, in fact, many people have been recommending five good books ... oh, I see what you did there!

[drzaius]

Just wondering if youve read his latest? Its meant to be set between Speaker and Enders Game IIRC, but I havent had a chance to go looking for a copy.

I only found out it was out by chance the other day when I was randomly searching for names on one of the computers in this book store.

yeah, i've heard about that but didnt know it was actually out...
I'll probably chase it up.
i've read a few of his 'extended universe' sorta books and they have all been pretty dissapointing :(