Great books you recommend

[ancientsociety 26]

I'm a bibliophile. I love books. I read like crazy and its one of the few habits I have that is actually beneficial (not that BATting isn't as well). I'm always looking for new books to read and trying to foist my favorites on other people. So I figured, why not have the community share our recommendations? Maybe like a top 10 or 20 list? Hopefully, we'll find something we've never heard of and really enjoy it.

My list:

 

• Guns, Germs, And Steel by Jared Diamond (no really new ideas here, but synthesizes lots of different things like history, biology, archaeology, etc. into one central thesis. Why did some societies perish while others flourished? How did Europe conquer the New World? Answers these questions and many others.)
• The Origin Of Species by Charles Darwin
• War Before Civilization by Lawrence Keeley (somewhat hard to find but ground-breaking work that shows that warfare has been around since the dawn of man, not just the beginning of civilization or agriculture. Also shows how modern anthropologists and historians turn a blind eye to the facts of primitive war.)
• Under The Black Flag by David Cordingly (THE definitive work on the golden age of pirates)
• The Prince and The Art Of War by Machiavelli
• Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes
• Bram Stoker's Dracula
• The Chronicles Of Narnia by CS Lewis
• Lord Of The Rings
• Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain
• Star Wars The Thrawn Trilogy by Timothy Zahn (should have been Lucas' second trilogy)
• Lies My Teacher Told Me (if you ever thought you never got the full story in history class, you were right.)
• A People's History Of The United States by Howard Zinn
• The Iliad and The Odyssey
• any short story by Philip K Dick
• Shakespeare's Hamlet
• Hammer's Slammers by David Drake
• Che Guevara by Jon Lee Anderson
• The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx

[villarule 2]

A brief history of time - Bill Bryson

[ancientsociety 26]

Do you mean A Brief History Of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson (awesome book!)? Or A Brief History Of Time by Stephen Hawking?

[villarule 2]

the first one my mistake

[ginchael 1]

Some books I would reccomend:

The Dark Tower Series by Stephen King. This is Stephen King completely redoing the genre of fantasy, although it does reference many of his other books (Salem's Lot predominately, and others) it is just...awesome.

His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman. A youth series, yes, but it truely is interesting.

America: The Book by the staff of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Satire at its greatest--a high school civics text book about America and its government, complete with activities and questions at the end.

I'll probably think of more later on, but I need to go to work.

[ancientsociety 26]

ginchael: Totally with you on The Dark Tower series. It's really the best of King's work. Although, the ending totally ruined it for me (I think he rushed the last few books and didn't know how to wrap it up)....although it was a great journey getting there, esp. The Waste Lands.

 

Is America really that good? I've looked it over a few times and, while it looks funny, I don't think I could justify spending the money.

[Zelgadis 638]

J.R.R. Tolkien stuff is good.

Of course, LotR, but also Roverandom.

The Neverending Story: Better than the movies. Be sure to get the original type with the green and red ink. It's much more interesting that way.

Macbeth: One of my all-time favorites

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind: Yes, it's a graphic novel, but this one truly is a novel.

Maus: Same as above

Ulysses

Dubliners

etc.

ISF

[Tolomar 5]

Robert Jordan - the Wheel of Time series , little bit long winded, but a good read

 

[pickled_pig 7]

The last set of good books I've read (I am omitting the required reading for my school because I want to highlight books of my own selection)

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini - (wow.  Not only a well-told story, but a relevent, well-told story.  I've met the author at a book signing also; his talking about the process of writing only enlightened me more)

 

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley - (If you can gloss over the fact that he is wtiting in a style best understood more by a 1930's British philosopher then anyone living in 2006, it's a good read.)

 

And on the Bill Bryson thing, I have not read A Short History of Nearly Everything, but I have read The Mother Tongue.  It's a fascinating look at the English language from the standopint of an amateur enthuasiast in the language's roots and history.  Because of him, I have a weird appreciation for the english language (did you know that the Anglo-saxon spelling of whale is hw

[Micah 16]

The Giver (A creepy Sci-fi book that deals with very weird things...)

The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom... about a woman who survived the Holocaust through a strange yet odd miracle.

[justanothersim86 83]

1984 by George Orwell - Classic

Animal Farm by George Orwell - Short read, but great book as well.

War of the Worlds by H.G Wells - Very descriptive and ahead of its time.

 

[vidioman 21]

America the Book is GREAT!!!1 ESPECIALLY page 99!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

No, just kidding. Page 99 is the supreme court judgese naked. and you have to restore their dignity by mathing their uniforms!!! Alito is hung like a gorilla!

Anyway, I recommend pretty much anything by Stephen King, especiallty Desperation/The Regulators (Regulators is by Richard Bachman, tho. ) They're two of the most memorable books Ive ever read, Ill give them that much.

Im actually working on a book report for Desperation/The Regulators right now. It's hard, because.. they're just so.. weird..

[Voar Tok 4]

I recommend the Halo series, but then again, I'm a Halo junkie!

[ginchael 1]

Author: vidioman | Im actually working on a book report for Desperation/The Regulators right now. It's hard, because.. they're just so.. weird..

quote>
Desperation and The Regulators are the same story, but with different focuses. I think Stephen King said it best: Desperation is about God. The Regulators is about TV.

I agree with you, ancientsociety, about Dark Tower: When I first read the ending, I felt gypped. But hey, they're still great books.

One of the reasons I really like America: The Book is that I'm a Daily Show fan. It's the same humor as the show, so if you like that, you should like the book (or the opposite.)
Some more books I would reccomend:

• Let's start with the Stephen King books:
  
  • Salem's Lot--One of the best vampire novels I've ever read, including Ann Rice's Vampire Chronicles
    
  • Misery--A great tense game of cat and mouse.
    
  • The Stand--A great look at the end of the world, plus Flagg.
  
  
• Now for normal ones:
  
  • Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt
    
  • Catch 22 by Joseph Heller
    
  • Slaughterhouse V by Kurt Vonnegut

I think those last three speak for themselves.

[Dupontfan24 0]

I too would have to recomend America, my history teacher even uses it in class. The Daily Show has got to be one of my favorite shows on tv, its usually the only place i get my news from.

also I'd have to recomend anything by Tom Clancy or Larry Bond. The only books I really read are those type of action books, and those two are the best action writers. I also like Mario Puzzo's Godfather books.

[Easy Bakes 253]

Dune by Frank Herbert. ( The  Prelude to Dune Trilogy and Legends of Dune trilogy  by his Son and Kevin Anderson are good reading too)

Incarnations Of Imortality ( All 7)

By Piers Anthony

 

 

Hitchickers Guide to The Galaxy. Doug Addams

 

 

The Gateway Series

By Frederik Pohl

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Meg 368]

I

[Yellowlab 11]

As far as fiction goes, I would recommend Steinbeck's 'East of Eden' and Sinclair's 'The Jungle.' The Jungle is really gruesome, though.

As far as nonfiction, well, that's more personal interest, so I'm not recommending the nonfictions I read (histories, biographies).

[brancra 1,060]

Books I would Recommend

To Kill A Mickingbird by Harper Lee- I consider myself a fairly avid ready. But when I finished this book, I had the strangest feeling of euphoria. It had a strong impact that I had not expected euntil the very end. I simply unfathomable how everything clickes in the end.

 

1984 by George Orwell- Justanothersim86 called it a classic. But there's so much more to it. The book has a profound impact on the way you think. Are we not living in a quasi-1984 socety today? Are we living in Orwell's worst fears? Are we becoming the dystopia that we were warned of years before? Read the book and you decide.

 

Nightmares and Dreamscapes, Four Past Midnight by Stephen King- Great starters into the amazing scope of the prolific Stephen King. N&D is about thirty of ro short stories, and FPM is four stories of 200 pages each.

 

Hiroshima by John Hersey- This is a must read. It will literally blow your mind as you reas about the firsthand accounts of the bombing of Hiroshima in 1945. Pro-nuke people might not care much for this book.

 

Night by Elie Wiesel- When I first read this book, I was so taken aback by the harshness and severity of the Nazis...you her about the Holocaust, and you know it was a terrible event in hisotry, but you know nothing about the Holocaust until you read this book, and then set aside some time to sort through your shock, anger and fear to come to your own conclusions.

[psteverific 8]

Sure, I'd love to add my top ten recommended books... I'll choose to read that as novels.
Some of these have already been recomended, but many are trilogies, so I figure it all evens out

 

In no particular order:

1. LOTR - J.R.R. Tolkien

   I'm not the first to list this, probably won't be the last  

2. The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkien

   I loved it when I was six, and I still loved it when I was thirty six.

3. The Man Who Was Thursday - G.K.Chesterton

    A surreal tale of a secret anarchist society at the turn of the century.

4. The Screwtape Letters - C.S. Lewis  (A bit of a theme so far, eh?)

    short, easy to read, and full of very clever human observation, as seen through the eyes of a junior demon.

5. The Deptford Trilogy - Robertson Davies

   An excellent introduction to Davies, examining lifes successes and failures.

6. Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town - Stephen Leacock

   Acutally, any Leacock is good for a laugh.

7. Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams

   Hilarious Sci-Fi satire, a trilogy of four books.

8. The Vampire Cronicles - Anne Rice

   I didn't think the movie did it justice, the books are very good

9. Trainspotting - Irvine Welsh

    I think it's probably the most accesable of Welshes work (from what I've read)... just watch the language! Definately not a book for youngsters.

10.Kitchen Confidential - Anthony Bourdain

   A very true to life look at life as a proffesional cook... but trust me, not all kitchens are like that. But a book about responsible professionals working harmoniously would make for a pretty boring read, wouldn't it?

This is the story of the degenerates of the trade... come to think of it, this one might be a bit adult as well.

 

[timotheus4 39]

Authors I enjoy include Robert K. Massie (Dreadnought, Nicholas & Alexandra, Castles of Steel, Peter the Great) and Kenneth D. Ackerman (Dark Horse, Boss Tweed). I'm a history nut

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

I can't believe that everyone missed one of the best works of American history ever published. How about Carl Sandberg's biography of Abraham Lincoln?

A History of the English Speaking Peoples by W.S. Churchill

All of Iaaac Asimov's fiction, including the mysteries.

Bob Heinlein's future history series, most currently applicable is Revolt in 2100.

Some oldies but goodies: Edgar Rice Burroughs space operas about John Carter starting with a Princess of Mars. This is an exercise in greatly detailed descriptive writing.

Anything by Randall Garrett and H. Beam Piper.

This is quite a reading list in this thread. You could build quite a nice library.

[Micah 16]

Date: 1/17/2006 6:09:15 PM Author: justanothersim86

Animal Farm by George Orwell - Short read, but great book as well.

quote>

Yes, that was such a great story. Everything from the animals to the animal farm represent something from WW2. I recommend that book to everyone, and if you are too lazy to read, just buy the movie for it with some big names in it (I mean, well known Hollywood stars) which just came out in 2004!

[Praetorian Cohort 0]

Date: 1/17/2006 8:22:46 PM
Author: ginchael

Author: vidioman | Im actually working on a book report for Desperation/The Regulators right now. It's hard, because.. they're just so.. weird..

quote>
Desperation and The Regulators are the same story, but with different focuses. I think Stephen King said it best: 'Desperation is about God. The Regulators is about TV.'
I agree with you, ancientsociety, about Dark Tower: When I first read the ending, I felt gypped. But hey, they're still great books.
One of the reasons I really like America: The Book is that I'm a Daily Show fan. It's the same humor as the show, so if you like that, you should like the book (or the opposite.)
Some more books I would reccomend:

• Let's start with the Stephen King books:
  
  • Salem's Lot--One of the best vampire novels I've ever read, including Ann Rice's Vampire Chronicles
    
  • Misery--A great tense game of cat and mouse.
    
  • The Stand--A great look at the end of the world, plus Flagg.
  
  
• Now for normal ones:
  
  • Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt
    
  • Catch 22 by Joseph Heller
    
  • Slaughterhouse V by Kurt Vonnegut

I think those last three speak for themselves.

quote>
Slaughterhouse V? I can't honestly say I liked that book. Seemed a bit hard to follow in parts, and the plot was a bit too strange for my liking.
Some literary works I enjoyed:
- The Halo Series - not sure about the author
- To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
- Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury
- Julius C

[louisville327 0]

There are some really great books listed in this thread. 

 

I have a couple of favorites:

 

The Rider by Tim Krabbe --- Arguably the best cycling novel ever written.

 

The Foundation Series by Isaac Asimov

 

The Things They Carried  by Tim O'Brien

 

Geography Of Nowhere by James Kunstler --- I mean, come on. Who are you talking to here?

 

 

That's just a very few of my biggest favorites.

 

 

 

 

 

[hummer0328 6]

Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoevsky
War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
The Giver - Lois Lowry
Sword of Shannara - Terry Brooks
The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
To Kill A Mockingbird - Harper Lee
the Hornblower series - C.S. Foster
the Bourne trilogy - Robert Ludlum
Clear and Present Danger - Tom Clancy
The Hunt for Red October - Tom Clancy
The Davinci Code - Dan Brown
The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald
The War of The Worlds - H.G. Wells
the Foundation series - Isaac Asimov
Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
The Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
The Iliad - Homer
The Odyssey - Homer

[hackinosa 29]

I'd like to reccomend Brave New World, that book's amazing

[villarule 2]

i've read a few John Grisham's, they're quite fun to read, keep you on your toes

[brtim2 10]

The Working Poor: Invisible in America by David K. Shipler.

I would have to say this is probably the only book I was required to read for college that I actually read all the way through. If I ever became active in politics, this book would be my manifesto. This, however, is not a historical book, nor is it a political book, but it would still be the foundation of my platform.

[6459978. 106]

Godel, Escher, Bach, an Eternal Golden Braid

Best book ever for anybody who's interested in anything.