Top Five Favorite Books
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Originally Posted by Purandara88
I like Cryptonomicon well enough, though it for the most part lacks the consistent playfulness and literary sizzle of his best works (Snowcrash and The Diamond Age). Crypotnomicon represented the first time that overly elaborat plotting really caused one of his novels to drag in parts, and it really downplayed the satirical edge that is his best attribute as a writer (though some of the scenes are still stupefyingly hilarious, most notably excursus on postmodern academic pomposity re: beards and the 'information superhighway.'
Besides, naming your protagonist 'Hiro Protagonist' is the sort of postmodern literary joke that grates on the nerves after a few pages, especially if reading Bret Easton-Ellis/Douglas Coupland novels have already worn down your resistance. That said, Snow Crash is still one of the finest novels of the late-20th century. It's amazing how it can have such thematic weight and still retain a realtively light-hearted tone, plus I learnt some things about ancient Sumeria from it.
That's where I got off the train. I've always loved his structural echoing of some of his master imagery (codes and networking), but by the time the Baroque Cycle had rolled around, it had gone from technique to conceit, and the whole project just collapsed into 'meanwhile, back at the ranch' syndrome. It's not his erudition or attention to detail that get in the way, but rather his growing penchant for excessive plotting and extraneous characters.
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I always took 'Hiro Protagonist' to be a joke at the expense of all the pomo 'Aren't I clever' contrivances.
The Sumerian/talking-in-tongues/intrigue aspect to Snow Crash definitely kept me ploughing through the writing (which seemed pretty heavy-handed in places, from the 'Hiro Protagonist' name on 
). Mad mix of pulp and invention all told tho.
On a Bhagavad Gita kind of tangent, mebe yous will enjoy this playful animation about the Ramayana/Sitayana myths. [It takes an age to load, but the canny mix of 30s blues music and 'disney style' animation works for me]
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Damn, better list some books quick. I know only slightly more than nothing of poetry. Here's five books i've spotted that i've read more than once...
Catch-22
(well it is damn good)
Tree and Leaf
(more an essay by Tolkein, but combines his factual and narrative leanings intriguingly)
Middlemarch
(well, it was education, but i dug the cheeky openended-ness of the story, for the time, and the micro-macro switches)
The Science of Discworld
(Yes, yes, neither a great literary nor scientific treat. But a sweet attempt in its own right)
The Very Slow Time Machine
(Lots of duds here by Ian Watson, but i loved the eclectic sources that animated all his rapturous claybeasts)
). Mad mix of pulp and invention all told tho.On a Bhagavad Gita kind of tangent, mebe yous will enjoy this playful animation about the Ramayana/Sitayana myths. [It takes an age to load, but the canny mix of 30s blues music and 'disney style' animation works for me
]---
Damn, better list some books quick. I know only slightly more than nothing of poetry. Here's five books i've spotted that i've read more than once...
Catch-22
(well it is damn good
)Tree and Leaf
(more an essay by Tolkein, but combines his factual and narrative leanings intriguingly)
Middlemarch
(well, it was education, but i dug the cheeky openended-ness of the story, for the time, and the micro-macro switches)
The Science of Discworld
(Yes, yes, neither a great literary nor scientific treat. But a sweet attempt in its own right)
The Very Slow Time Machine
(Lots of duds here by Ian Watson, but i loved the eclectic sources that animated all his rapturous claybeasts)
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1984 (George Orwell - 1948)
Breakfast of Champions (Kurt Vonnegut - 1973)
The Last Unicorn (Peter S Beagle - 1968)
Survivor (Chuck Palahniuk - 1999)
Naked Lunch (William S Burroughs - 1959)
Breakfast of Champions (Kurt Vonnegut - 1973)
The Last Unicorn (Peter S Beagle - 1968)
Survivor (Chuck Palahniuk - 1999)
Naked Lunch (William S Burroughs - 1959)
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1984 - George Orwell
Lord Of The Flies - William Golding
White Shoes, White Lines & Blackie - Robert. G. Barrett
19 Minutes - Jodi Picoult
Mao's Last Dancer - Li Cunxin
Lord Of The Flies - William Golding
White Shoes, White Lines & Blackie - Robert. G. Barrett
19 Minutes - Jodi Picoult
Mao's Last Dancer - Li Cunxin
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Looking at my previous list, I'll keep Moby Dick, The Box Man and Watt, and drop Lolita and Temple of the Golden Pavillion in favor of two others I've read since the making of said list. Now I'll say:
Moby Dick by Herman Melville
The Box Man by Kobo Abe
Watt by Samuel Beckett
Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco
The Magus by John Fowles
I'd also like to add something by Jane Austen, not sure what though. Of the three I've read (Mansfield Park, Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility) they all have slow parts but are on the whole awesome and things that are worth rereading. I'd also like to include something by Philip K. Dick, maybe Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said.
I guess my "favorites" aren't necessarily the ones that I plowed through in a weekend -- which would include all sorts of books -- but ones that I liked and would be willing to read again for the fun of it. Reading books is time and concentration consuming for me. I'm a fairly slow reader. So while I really enjoyed the Bourne Supremacy novels, The Stand or even a lot of more "literary" novels like Breakfast of Champions or Rabbit, Run, I'd probably choose to find other books that I might find equally engrossing rather than spend my time re-reading those. Something like Ulysses on the other hand, I might re-read out of some sick need to understand it better, but wouldn't go back to just for the sheer enjoyment of reading it. I would easily do that for Moby Dick or any of the other ones listed, however.
EDIT - oh shoot, I just noticed someone else put Breakfast of Champions on their top five. I don't want to be misunderstood that I didn't think that was a great novel or that I'm trying to dis your taste Swedish Chef, I couldn't put that book down. The pictures were such an original touch and that's one of the funniest books I've read. Just, given the time and effort that go into reading something for me, I've gotta be picky when I decide to re-read something. It would have to be something that either a) I didn't really get and want to understand better or b) I would enjoy even more the second time around. Another example of a great book that I wouldn't quite call a favorite is Woman in the Dunes by Kobo Abe. I think on my first reading of that I liked it more than the first time I read The Box Man. But on later readings of both the latter went way up in my estimation while the former stayed the same.
Moby Dick by Herman Melville
The Box Man by Kobo Abe
Watt by Samuel Beckett
Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco
The Magus by John Fowles
I'd also like to add something by Jane Austen, not sure what though. Of the three I've read (Mansfield Park, Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility) they all have slow parts but are on the whole awesome and things that are worth rereading. I'd also like to include something by Philip K. Dick, maybe Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said.
I guess my "favorites" aren't necessarily the ones that I plowed through in a weekend -- which would include all sorts of books -- but ones that I liked and would be willing to read again for the fun of it. Reading books is time and concentration consuming for me. I'm a fairly slow reader. So while I really enjoyed the Bourne Supremacy novels, The Stand or even a lot of more "literary" novels like Breakfast of Champions or Rabbit, Run, I'd probably choose to find other books that I might find equally engrossing rather than spend my time re-reading those. Something like Ulysses on the other hand, I might re-read out of some sick need to understand it better, but wouldn't go back to just for the sheer enjoyment of reading it. I would easily do that for Moby Dick or any of the other ones listed, however.
EDIT - oh shoot, I just noticed someone else put Breakfast of Champions on their top five. I don't want to be misunderstood that I didn't think that was a great novel or that I'm trying to dis your taste Swedish Chef, I couldn't put that book down. The pictures were such an original touch and that's one of the funniest books I've read. Just, given the time and effort that go into reading something for me, I've gotta be picky when I decide to re-read something. It would have to be something that either a) I didn't really get and want to understand better or b) I would enjoy even more the second time around. Another example of a great book that I wouldn't quite call a favorite is Woman in the Dunes by Kobo Abe. I think on my first reading of that I liked it more than the first time I read The Box Man. But on later readings of both the latter went way up in my estimation while the former stayed the same.
Last edited by linespalsy; 02-14-08 at 12:55 AM.
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F I C T I O N
Slaughterhouse-Five or: The Children's Crusade
Kurt Vonnegut
As I Lay Dying
William Faulkner
Catch-22
Joseph Heller
The Gold Bug Variations
Richard Powers
October Light
John Gardner
And a hundred and sixty-two others. I'll do non-fiction, poetry and dramas later.
Slaughterhouse-Five or: The Children's Crusade
Kurt Vonnegut
As I Lay Dying
William Faulkner
Catch-22
Joseph Heller
The Gold Bug Variations
Richard Powers
October Light
John Gardner
And a hundred and sixty-two others. I'll do non-fiction, poetry and dramas later.
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"Film is a disease. When it infects your bloodstream it takes over as the number one hormone. It bosses the enzymes, directs the pineal gland, plays Iago to your psyche. As with heroin, the antidote to Film is more Film." - Frank Capra
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71%
MF: Top Musicals
100%
MF: Top Noir Films
100%
MF: Top Films of 70s
100%
MF: Top Westerns
oh shoot, I just noticed someone else put Breakfast of Champions on their top five. I don't want to be misunderstood that I didn't think that was a great novel or that I'm trying to dis your taste Swedish Chef, I couldn't put that book down. The pictures were such an original touch and that's one of the funniest books I've read. Just, given the time and effort that go into reading something for me, I've gotta be picky when I decide to re-read something. It would have to be something that either a) I didn't really get and want to understand better or b) I would enjoy even more the second time around.
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One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez
The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson
The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty
The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson
The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty
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the secret history:donna tartt
flowers in the attic:v.c andrews
griffin and sabine series:nick bantock
fablehaven: brandon mull
the time traveler's wife: neffinger
flowers in the attic:v.c andrews
griffin and sabine series:nick bantock
fablehaven: brandon mull
the time traveler's wife: neffinger
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Sheesh, just 5 is really tough.
Modern Fiction:
Point of Impact, Stephen Hunter
Flood, Andrew Vachss (sounds like jacks)
The Bannerman Solution, John R. Maxim
Job: A Comedy of Justice, Robert A Heinlein
The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant The Unbeliever, Stephen R. Donaldson
Classic Fiction:
Moby Dick, Herman Melville
Crime and Punishment, Fyodor Dostoevsky
David Copperfield, Charles Dickens
The Mysterious Island, Jules Verne
The Three Musketeers, Alexandre Dumas
There's just so many more, I could go on forever...
Modern Fiction:
Point of Impact, Stephen Hunter
Flood, Andrew Vachss (sounds like jacks)
The Bannerman Solution, John R. Maxim
Job: A Comedy of Justice, Robert A Heinlein
The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant The Unbeliever, Stephen R. Donaldson
Classic Fiction:
Moby Dick, Herman Melville
Crime and Punishment, Fyodor Dostoevsky
David Copperfield, Charles Dickens
The Mysterious Island, Jules Verne
The Three Musketeers, Alexandre Dumas
There's just so many more, I could go on forever...
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We are both the source of the problem and the solution, yet we do not see ourselves in this light...
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I do not like to read.
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Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez - just exquisite.
Wild Swans by Jung Chang - seriously affecting, opened my eyes to life during the cultural revolution in China
A Suitable Boy by Vickram Seth - teeming with life. I never wanted it to end
A Child's Christmas in Wales by Dylan Thomas - the lyrical language of a time just passed by, wonderful.
Cry the Beloved Country by Alan Paton - I learned about apartheid from reading this old novel, it may be outdated now but it's heart is in the right place
Seconding a view from a few posts back, I read a lot but I can never finish Catch 22. Tried at least 5 times.
Wild Swans by Jung Chang - seriously affecting, opened my eyes to life during the cultural revolution in China
A Suitable Boy by Vickram Seth - teeming with life. I never wanted it to end
A Child's Christmas in Wales by Dylan Thomas - the lyrical language of a time just passed by, wonderful.
Cry the Beloved Country by Alan Paton - I learned about apartheid from reading this old novel, it may be outdated now but it's heart is in the right place
Seconding a view from a few posts back, I read a lot but I can never finish Catch 22. Tried at least 5 times.
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Hard to pick five... but for now, I'll go with:
Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee - Dee Brown
To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
The Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
Wisdom of the Native Americans - Kent Nerburn
Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee - Dee Brown
To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
The Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
Wisdom of the Native Americans - Kent Nerburn
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AiSv Nv wa do hi ya do...
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Just 5? We can all have top 100 movie lists but we've got to pick just 5 books
Ok...
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
1984 by George Orwell
Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice
And that leaves out so many of my favourites
Ok...
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
1984 by George Orwell
Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice
And that leaves out so many of my favourites
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Hard to pick five... but for now, I'll go with:
Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee - Dee Brown
To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
The Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
Wisdom of the Native Americans - Kent Nerburn
Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee - Dee Brown
To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
The Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
Wisdom of the Native Americans - Kent Nerburn
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