Best book of all time: Chesapeake by James Michener. Best Sci-Fi book of all time: Tie, all 6 books of the Dune series, by Frank Herbert. Best Fantasy book of all time: The Silmarillion, by JRR Tolkien.
Yes, many years ago (before the movie, which turned out better than I expected). I enjoyed it greatly but was not able to get the same buzz off Foucault's Pendulum. Have yet to look at the latest... Baudlino?
Baught it 1st day in the stores...but haven't cracked it open yet...Often do that with books I'm really looking forward to, put them off for a special time...I liked Foucault's Pendulum, but not nearly as much as The Name of The Rose...
I read one of the "classics" of all time for English last....1984 by George Orwell. Now our English class just started reading The Once and Future King by T.H. White(I think). It's like four books in one about the life of King Arthur and Merlyn and the gang. I'm only on like page 77 of like 638 though.
It's interesting, if a tad aimed at younger audiences, but I love each and every Arthur story...the best ones, IMO, are the Mary Stewart ones starting with the Crystal Cave, and the Jack Whyte ones, starting with the Skystone...
Im currently reading a true classic- Playboy magazine. The character development is very intriguing, and the plot truely grabs the reader wanting them to come back for more. The overall theme of big breasts ties wonderfully to the story. The authors perfect use of rhetorical devices truly makes this a read for the ages.
You really don't want to know...but since you asked...I read at least 1,000 pages a week, sometimes more. Here are some right now: Non-Fiction: Nina Schwartz, Spectacular Realities: Early Mass Culture in Fin-de-Siecle Paris (good, but not too far into it yet); Howard Lay, La fete aux boulevards exterieurs (not really a book - it is a dissertation)(great); Gabriel Weisberg, ed, Montmartre and the Making of Mass Culture (good); Patrice Higonnet, Paris: Capital of the World (just started); Margaret Lavinia Anderson: Practicing Democracy: Elections and Political Culture in Imperial Germany (a little dull, but interesting); Warren Breckman, Marx, The Young Hegelians, and the Origins of Radical Social Theory (great)...I'll stop there. Fiction: Huysmans, A Rebours (just started) Eco, The Name of the Rose (just started)
Have you read Bernard Cornwell's Arthur series? Definately aimed at an adult audience and written, not as a fantasy, but as if it might have really happened. The depiction of the remnants of Roman culture are facinating and very believeable. The magic is depicted in such a way that the reader can see it as coincidence and superstition... or not. The first book is "The Winter King".
Hve read...agree...have you read his other historical works? The Sharpe series, Stonehenge, Harliquin, etc?
I was reading The Godfather, but with three books assigned in English, I gave up, and decided to read it later. What kind of teacher has a class reading Hamilton's Mythology, A Tale of Two Cities, and The Iliad at the same time? I am really enjoying A Tale of Two Cities, though.
I can't stress enough how good the George R.R. Martin books are If you like fantasy then you should also try the Runelords series by David Farland. He's got some great ideas. I love the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan. I read the first 4 books of Terry Goodkinds Sword of Truth series and I was disappointed. By the time I finished the fourth book I was pretty bored and decided to go no further. Fiction I recommend: Less than Zero-Brett Easton Ellis American Psycho-Brett Easton Ellis Glamorama-Brett Easton Ellis American Gods-Neil Gaiman Horror I recommend: Anything by Clive Barker. The Mayfair Witches trilogy-Anne Rice Ramses the Damned-Anne Rice Non-fiction i recommend: None. Stay away from the non-fiction. It's better to live in a fantasy world of my own imagination unperturbed by the crushing weight of reality.
I am reading the two towers. Trying to read all three books of the Lord of the Rings series. Finished Fellowship of the rign. Almost done with the Two Towers.
So far this year I've read or reread the Iliad, the Odyssey, The "Good" War by Studs Turkel, The Horse Whisperer, A Beautiful Mind. Reading The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King, too! To whomever was reading WW2 books, The Good War is an selection of interviews with folks from all walks of life who lived through WW2 or were affected by the aftermath.
Rick Riordan. He's got a series of mystery novels with protagonist Tres Navarre...all set in San Antonio or Austin. They start with Big Red Tequila. Very good and very funny.
I've never been much of a reader, but ever since I've come back to Houston, I've made it a goal to start reading more of the classics. I've spent the weekend reading "Treasure Island" by Robert Louis Stevenson, and I plan on following that up with "Catch 22"...
