Must read books?

Post » Tue May 22, 2012 9:28 am

At first I thought the OP was disappointed because there came a time in his life where he would have to read a book, glad I read the title wrong!

I've read so many books that to showcase some here would be a disgrace to the rest. Although I still remember finishing the His Dark Materials series and was an interesting outlook on the afterlife and the nature of God.
User avatar
Nikki Lawrence
 
Posts: 3317
Joined: Sat Jul 01, 2006 2:27 am

Post » Tue May 22, 2012 8:47 am

Top 5 for me (in no particular order):

The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
Lord of the Flies - William Golding
A Long way Down - Nick Hornby
Harry Potter series - J.K. Rowling

Not because they are literary masterpieces (although I think they are all great), but just because I found them very entertaining and/or thought provoking without feeling like a slog to read.

How could I forget Lord of the Flies on my list.
That one is a masterpiece, even if Harry Potter is not.

Have you ever noticed that in that entire book there is not one superfluous sentence, not even one superfluous word?
Every single word in there is to advance the plot.
A lot of writers make long descriptive paragraphs about how blue the skies are and how pretty the butterflies, or what happened to someone ten years ago that explains what they are doing now, but in Lord of the Flies there is zero fluff.

Beautiful and direct language, and not one word that can be removed.
User avatar
Pawel Platek
 
Posts: 3489
Joined: Sat May 26, 2007 2:08 pm

Post » Tue May 22, 2012 8:30 am

we would be here for an hour if i tried to recount all the3 books i've read. suffice to say, i can read freakishly fast, and i love it. i'm only fifteen, yet i have read HEAPS more than most 20/25 year olds, i would bet.
some (mostly young advlt/teen) series i suggest:
GONE, HUNGER, LIES, PLAGUE and FEAR, by Micheal Grant
the Maximum Ride series by James Patterson
Harry Potter (JK Rowling)
Artemis Fowl (Eoin Colfer)
the Hunger Games (Suzanne Collins)
The Wheel of Time (warning: huge. 12 very, very thick books with tiny letters, 2 more coming) by Rick Jordan
Percy Jackson and the Olympians (and sequel series Heroes of Olympus) by Rick Riordan
... the list goes on
User avatar
Guy Pearce
 
Posts: 3499
Joined: Sun May 20, 2007 3:08 pm

Post » Mon May 21, 2012 9:14 pm

I really enjoy Chuck Palahniuk's books. For example:
  • Fight Club (although I liked the movie, the book was a lot more interesting)
  • Choke
I enjoyed "Oryx and Crake," by Margaret Atwood, but I'm only recommending the first book, not the second.

Terry Pratchet books I love.
User avatar
Nina Mccormick
 
Posts: 3507
Joined: Mon Sep 18, 2006 5:38 pm

Previous

Return to Othor Games