Who's yours?
Mine is without question Thomas Hardy. Jude the Obscure, Far From the Madding Crowd, Return of the Native....everything I've ever read by him is spectacular.
I have a few:
C.S. Lewis
Ayn Rand (I don't really agree with the whole of objectivist philosophy, but I tend to side with her economic/political viewpoints.)
Dante Aligheri (I don't know of anything else he wrote outside of The Divine Comedy, but I enjoyed that enough to read through it 3 times.)
Favorite fiction author without a doubt is Clive Cussler. I've been all over the world with Dirk Pitt and Al Giordino. The only Dirk Pitt Adventure I've not read is the latest one. When it makes paperback, I'll grab it.
Favorite Christian writer is Watchman Nee. He's the greatest Christian writer since the Apostle Paul.
i've read all kinds of stuff.
current authors, i like james patterson, jodi picoult, patricia cornwell, candace robb, steve berry, frank perretti, mary kay andrews. i read different stuff. if it looks intersting, i pick it up and read it. i'm not big into classics. i've read a few here and there, but not religiously.
Vonnegut.
For light reading, I love Janet Evanovich. Good fluff and fun to read. I have to read too many text books to get into the heavy stuff.
Chuck Palahniuk, Kurt Vonnegut, Ray Bradbury, Joseph Heller, Jerome David Salinger, or D.H. Lawrence. I have trouble narrowing it down after that. lol
Russian authors (Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, Pushkin, Turgenev, Aitmatov, etc)
Ayn Rand
Salman Rushdie
James Patterson- I have not read one of his books I didn't like- even the "kid" books (Maximum Ride)
Stephen King- except Salem's Lot- that book scares the crap out of me!
John Grisham- except The Innocent Man- I could not get through it at all!
classis authors: George Orwell and John Steinbeck and to a certain extent, CS Lewis
I will attempt to read nearly anything- even the Twilight books- I read the whole 4 massive books one right after the other in 10 days, mainly to see what all the big facination was. I did get hooked on the story, but was unimpressed with the ending. Oh well...
I "discovered" Thomas Cook several years ago. If you like mysteries, you will be hard pressed to find a better writer. I've read every book he's ever written and he's terrific.
Read "Evidence of Blood"...you won't be able to put it down. It's one of those old unsolved murder stories and the ending is a complete surprise.
Steven Hunter
Quote from: transplant on April 02, 2009, 12:49:35 pm
Steven Hunter
Its Stephen Hunter, if your talking about the author of the famed "Bob Lee Swagger" series. A great read, but the last, 47th Samauri, was a bit of a stretch.
I also read W.E.B. Griffin, a master storyteller, with a knack for getting into the everyday vernacular of the military or police. I have read every book, The Brotherhood of War, The Corps, Badge of Honor, Honor Bound, Men at War, and Presidential Agent, for a total of 42 books. I own every one, in hardback. Worth every penny
i have all of james patterson's alex cross series, many signed and all of patricia cornwell's kay scarpetta series. those are my 2 favorite authors.
James Patterson hands down..Alex Cross series is the best and Womans murder club is a pretty good series too. I wish they would make some more movies based off his books.
The Great Lewis McDonald Grizzard - simply a treasure of our time.
Stephen King - The Stand, The Dead Zone, and Pet Sematary are required reading if you like King.
I just finished Pet Sematary for the two dozeneth time a few hours ago. It is the darkest book I have ever read, par none.
Tom Clancy - Besides Red Storm Rising, I've read every book of fiction he's ever written.
Quote from: Uncle Ivan on April 03, 2009, 05:53:17 am
The Great Lewis McDonald Grizzard - simply a treasure of our time.
Stephen King - The Stand, The Dead Zone, and Pet Sematary are required reading if you like King.
I just finished Pet Sematary for the two dozeneth time a few hours ago. It is the darkest book I have ever read, par none.
Tom Clancy - Besides Red Storm Rising, I've read every book of fiction he's ever written.
Go read "Heart of Darkness" by Joseph Conrad.
Quote from: Uncle Ivan on April 03, 2009, 05:53:17 am<br />The Great Lewis McDonald Grizzard - simply a treasure of our time.<br /><br />Stephen King - The Stand, The Dead Zone, and Pet Sematary are required reading if you like King.<br /><br />I <i>just</i> finished Pet Sematary for the two dozeneth time a few hours ago. It is the darkest book I have ever read, par none.<br /><br />Tom Clancy - Besides Red Storm Rising, I've read every book of fiction he's ever written.<br />
If you haven't read Red Storm Rising, you have to get it. It's a little dated now, but it's stil a great read. Another in the same vein is Red Phoenix by Larry Bond. My favorite fiction authors are Tom Clancy,Harold Coyle and Louis Lamour. Nonfiction would have to be Steven Ambrose.
Quote from: The Snowman on April 03, 2009, 12:29:07 am
James Patterson hands down..Alex Cross series is the best and Womans murder club is a pretty good series too. I wish they would make some more movies based off his books.
i just finished "you've been warned" last night. that was a trip.
Quote from: Agent of Chaos on April 03, 2009, 12:59:39 pm
Go read "Heart of Darkness" by Joseph Conrad.
Been meaning to for years, haven't gotten around to it.
I'd tell you how bad of a procrastinator I am, but I'll do it later.
Quote from: Uncle Ivan on April 04, 2009, 10:31:04 am
Quote from: Agent of Chaos on April 03, 2009, 12:59:39 pm
Go read "Heart of Darkness" by Joseph Conrad.
Been meaning to for years, haven't gotten around to it.
I'd tell you how bad of a procrastinator I am, but I'll do it later.
haha, well played.
HoD is probably the toughest book I've ever read, and it's only like, 110 pages. It's so intense and thick, every sentence was pondered over for probably 10-15 minutes.
I HATED HEART OF DARKNESS.
Quote from: Ramblin' Man™ on April 04, 2009, 04:29:14 pm
I HATED HEART OF DARKNESS.
Yeah, it's not on my "to re-read" list, lol.
Quote from: Texarkana_Piggie on April 04, 2009, 10:27:03 am
Quote from: The Snowman on April 03, 2009, 12:29:07 am
James Patterson hands down..Alex Cross series is the best and Womans murder club is a pretty good series too. I wish they would make some more movies based off his books.
i just finished "you've been warned" last night. that was a trip.
yeah thats an i see dead people type of book
Quote from: Women Without Whiskey 7/6 on March 31, 2009, 02:48:35 am
Russian authors (Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, Pushkin, Turgenev, Aitmatov, etc)
Ayn Rand
Salman Rushdie
To a smaller extent, I've been on a Russian authors kick myself recently. I'm reading The Brothers Karamazov (Dostoevsky). Only about 160 pages in and enjoying it.
I also have a book by Tolstoy titled "A Calendar of Wisdom." Each morning I read the thoughts that correspond with the date and try and gain some personal perspective from it during the day. Good stuff.
Back in the day I really enjoyed reading Dean Koontz. :-\
Quote from: CatsRule on April 05, 2009, 03:09:39 pm
Quote from: Women Without Whiskey 7/6 on March 31, 2009, 02:48:35 am
Russian authors (Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, Pushkin, Turgenev, Aitmatov, etc)
Ayn Rand
Salman Rushdie
To a smaller extent, I've been on a Russian authors kick myself recently. I'm reading The Brothers Karamazov (Dostoevsky). Only about 160 pages in and enjoying it.
I also have a book by Tolstoy titled "A Calendar of Wisdom." Each morning I read the thoughts that correspond with the date and try and gain some personal perspective from it during the day. Good stuff.
Back in the day I really enjoyed reading Dean Koontz. :-\
You should check out his book "The Kingdom of God is Within You"...
Pretty epic.
Quote from: Women Without Whiskey 7/6 on April 05, 2009, 04:57:36 pm
Quote from: CatsRule on April 05, 2009, 03:09:39 pm
Quote from: Women Without Whiskey 7/6 on March 31, 2009, 02:48:35 am
Russian authors (Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, Pushkin, Turgenev, Aitmatov, etc)
Ayn Rand
Salman Rushdie
To a smaller extent, I've been on a Russian authors kick myself recently. I'm reading The Brothers Karamazov (Dostoevsky). Only about 160 pages in and enjoying it.
I also have a book by Tolstoy titled "A Calendar of Wisdom." Each morning I read the thoughts that correspond with the date and try and gain some personal perspective from it during the day. Good stuff.
Back in the day I really enjoyed reading Dean Koontz. :-\
You should check out his book "The Kingdom of God is Within You"...
Pretty epic.
Haha. Funny that you would recommend that book. I've also been reading "The Essential Gandhi." Gandhi credits Tolstoy (and that book specifically) as being one of the biggest influences in his life. I'd be remiss not to add it to my reading list.
R.A. Salvatore-Fantasy Fiction
Stephen King. John Grisham.
Quote from: Texarkana_Piggie on March 30, 2009, 09:06:01 pm
i've read all kinds of stuff.
current authors, i like james patterson, jodi picoult, patricia cornwell, candace robb, steve berry, frank perretti, mary kay andrews. i read different stuff. if it looks intersting, i pick it up and read it. i'm not big into classics. i've read a few here and there, but not religiously.
Ooooooo, you and I could book swap ;D I'm on Linda Lael Miller right now, The Montana Creeds. Next up is a James Patterson. Haven't read his lately, and I have the latest of the Cross series to dive into. His Women's Murder Club stuff kept me up all night reading also. I think Janet Evanovich is one of my all time favs though if I just want to read one that makes me lol. All of her Stephanie Plum novels are a hoot. Patricia Cornwell and her Scarpetta Series.... LOVED THEM !
My good friend is basically a book store for me. She buys all the hard back copies, so she has this huge library for me to shop in . I just go to her house, pick up about 10 books and bring back what I got the trip before. It's wonderful! Plus she weeds out the bad one's ! She got me all hooked back on reading a few years ago and now I get a little cranky if I don't have a good book to kick back at night with !
i'm reading american wife right now. it's pretty good.
I'm a big fan of Dostoevsky now. Just finished reading The Brothers Karamazov and between starting and finishing it I read Notes From Underground. Both are very good.
I hear Drama Mama likes those nasty romance novels.
Quote from: CatsRule on June 01, 2009, 07:44:04 pm
I'm a big fan of Dostoevsky now. Just finished reading The Brothers Karamazov and between starting and finishing it I read Notes From Underground. Both are very good.
You read Crime and Punishment yet?
The Devils (or The Posessed) by Dostoyevsky kind of reminds me of a few of my friends. It's a good one.
I've recently been on an Upton Sinclair kick. I'm reading "Oil!" which is the basis for There Will Be Blood. Pretty great stuff.
Quote from: Women Without Whiskey 7/6 on June 02, 2009, 11:03:32 am
I've recently been on an Upton Sinclair kick. I'm reading "Oil!" which is the basis for There Will Be Blood. Pretty great stuff.
I didn't know he wrote anything big outside of The Jungle. That was certainly an interesting read.
Quote from: Chief_Osceola™ on June 02, 2009, 11:24:00 am
Quote from: Women Without Whiskey 7/6 on June 02, 2009, 11:03:32 am
I've recently been on an Upton Sinclair kick. I'm reading "Oil!" which is the basis for There Will Be Blood. Pretty great stuff.
I didn't know he wrote anything big outside of The Jungle. That was certainly an interesting read.
Yeah, he's got quite a few.
I liked The Jungle alot, but Oil! might be better
Notes From the Underground is one of my faves.
Been meaning to read both Oil and the Jungle for years now.
Quote from: Women Without Whiskey 7/6 on June 02, 2009, 12:03:28 pm
Quote from: Chief_Osceola™ on June 02, 2009, 11:24:00 am
Quote from: Women Without Whiskey 7/6 on June 02, 2009, 11:03:32 am
I've recently been on an Upton Sinclair kick. I'm reading "Oil!" which is the basis for There Will Be Blood. Pretty great stuff.
I didn't know he wrote anything big outside of The Jungle. That was certainly an interesting read.
Yeah, he's got quite a few.
I liked The Jungle alot, but Oil! might be better
Ever heard of "Dragon's Teeth"?Its part of a series, but you can get away with reading just that book. Its excellent. I think its better than both of the afore-mentioned Sinclair novels.
Quote from: Uncle Ivan on June 02, 2009, 01:56:44 am
I hear Drama Mama likes those nasty romance novels.
LOL ! I actually like the CSI stuff. Guess that's why I'm into Patricia Cornwell and James Patterson. Give me a nasty crime scene and keep me in suspense on trying to figure out who the killer is !
Quote from: theHammer on June 03, 2009, 09:01:38 pm
Quote from: Women Without Whiskey 7/6 on June 02, 2009, 12:03:28 pm
Quote from: Chief_Osceola™ on June 02, 2009, 11:24:00 am
Quote from: Women Without Whiskey 7/6 on June 02, 2009, 11:03:32 am
I've recently been on an Upton Sinclair kick. I'm reading "Oil!" which is the basis for There Will Be Blood. Pretty great stuff.
I didn't know he wrote anything big outside of The Jungle. That was certainly an interesting read.
Yeah, he's got quite a few.
I liked The Jungle alot, but Oil! might be better
Ever heard of "Dragon's Teeth"?Its part of a series, but you can get away with reading just that book. Its excellent. I think its better than both of the afore-mentioned Sinclair novels.
Really?
No I hadn't checked it out. I might get on that.
Oil! is really, really good by the way.
Short stories by Garcia Marquez
short stories by O.Henry
Quote from: Women Without Whiskey 7/6 on June 11, 2009, 10:26:30 am
Quote from: theHammer on June 03, 2009, 09:01:38 pm
Quote from: Women Without Whiskey 7/6 on June 02, 2009, 12:03:28 pm
Quote from: Chief_Osceola™ on June 02, 2009, 11:24:00 am
Quote from: Women Without Whiskey 7/6 on June 02, 2009, 11:03:32 am
I've recently been on an Upton Sinclair kick. I'm reading "Oil!" which is the basis for There Will Be Blood. Pretty great stuff.
I didn't know he wrote anything big outside of The Jungle. That was certainly an interesting read.
Yeah, he's got quite a few.
I liked The Jungle alot, but Oil! might be better
Ever heard of "Dragon's Teeth"?Its part of a series, but you can get away with reading just that book. Its excellent. I think its better than both of the afore-mentioned Sinclair novels.
Really?
No I hadn't checked it out. I might get on that.
Oil! is really, really good by the way.
All three are excellent. "Dragon's Teeth" is definitely worth a look if you haven't already. I absolutely LOVED it.
Haha I'm not far from finishing Oil!, probably 4/5ths left and I've seen little to no parallels to There Will Be Blood. Yes, there's a father and a son and the son acts alot like the father. Yes, It's about oil and has that cast of the preacher and the poor family. But so far that's where it ends. Maybe it gets more like the movie soon.
Dr. Seuss!
WCD ;D
Quote from: WCD on June 12, 2009, 02:16:46 pm
Dr. Seuss!
WCD ;D
the only one of his i really do not like is the butter battle book. i love the bartholomew cubbins books. and i think i know green eggs and ham by memory now.
I know every single tongue-twister in 'Oh Say Can You Say', and every word of 'Fox in Socks'.
Quote from: Women Without Whiskey 7/6 on June 02, 2009, 11:03:32 am
Quote from: CatsRule on June 01, 2009, 07:44:04 pm
I'm a big fan of Dostoevsky now. Just finished reading The Brothers Karamazov and between starting and finishing it I read Notes From Underground. Both are very good.
You read Crime and Punishment yet?
The Devils (or The Posessed) by Dostoyevsky kind of reminds me of a few of my friends. It's a good one.
I've recently been on an Upton Sinclair kick. I'm reading "Oil!" which is the basis for There Will Be Blood. Pretty great stuff.
Haven't read Crime and Punishment yet. I figure I'll get around to it along with his other stuff at a later time, but for now I'm moving on to Meditations (Marcus Aurelius).
Also, I've been reading a book titled The Heart of Christianity by Marcus J. Borg. It's about progressive Christianity. Pretty interesting. It proposes a different approach to reading the bible than what I was taught being raised as the son of a Baptist preacher.
steven king
George Orwell is my absolute favorite with Chuck Palahniuk coming in a close second.
Some other notables: Kurt Vonnegut, Douglas Adams, John Green.
Quote from: Chief_Osceola™ on March 30, 2009, 11:31:16 am
I have a few:
C.S. Lewis
Ayn Rand (I don't really agree with the whole of objectivist philosophy, but I tend to side with her economic/political viewpoints.)
Dante Aligheri (I don't know of anything else he wrote outside of The Divine Comedy, but I enjoyed that enough to read through it 3 times.)
You may be the only person in the world that likes Lewis
and Rand.
My favorite is Philip K. Dick. Own nearly everything he's ever done.
Quote from: Mike Bonds on August 10, 2009, 09:21:26 pm
Quote from: Chief_Osceola™ on March 30, 2009, 11:31:16 am
I have a few:
C.S. Lewis
Ayn Rand (I don't really agree with the whole of objectivist philosophy, but I tend to side with her economic/political viewpoints.)
Dante Aligheri (I don't know of anything else he wrote outside of The Divine Comedy, but I enjoyed that enough to read through it 3 times.)
You may be the only person in the world that likes Lewis and Rand.
That is quite a difference isn't it? I enjoy Rand because I tend to agree with the Objectivist view toward economics. I enjoy Lewis because of his ability to tell a story with symbolism; i.e. the Narnia series, and the way he can make a person think regarding the spiritual side of things; i.e. Mere Christianity and The Screwtape Letters.
Quote from: Mike Bonds on August 10, 2009, 09:21:26 pm
Quote from: Chief_Osceola™ on March 30, 2009, 11:31:16 am
I have a few:
C.S. Lewis
Ayn Rand (I don't really agree with the whole of objectivist philosophy, but I tend to side with her economic/political viewpoints.)
Dante Aligheri (I don't know of anything else he wrote outside of The Divine Comedy, but I enjoyed that enough to read through it 3 times.)
You may be the only person in the world that likes Lewis and Rand.
Make that people. Love 'em both. ;D
i read thr3e by ted dekker this summer. freaky book. i have a trilogy of his i'm going to start this weekend.
Quote from: Chief_Osceola™ on August 17, 2009, 03:32:29 pm
Quote from: Mike Bonds on August 10, 2009, 09:21:26 pm
Quote from: Chief_Osceola™ on March 30, 2009, 11:31:16 am
I have a few:
C.S. Lewis
Ayn Rand (I don't really agree with the whole of objectivist philosophy, but I tend to side with her economic/political viewpoints.)
Dante Aligheri (I don't know of anything else he wrote outside of The Divine Comedy, but I enjoyed that enough to read through it 3 times.)
You may be the only person in the world that likes Lewis and Rand.
That is quite a difference isn't it? I enjoy Rand because I tend to agree with the Objectivist view toward economics. I enjoy Lewis because of his ability to tell a story with symbolism; i.e. the Narnia series, and the way he can make a person think regarding the spiritual side of things; i.e. Mere Christianity and The Screwtape Letters.
I think Rand is highly overrated. I've never understood why simple raw selfishness should be considered a "philosophy." Plus, the reading is so intentionally dense. Everyone who finishes Atlas Shrugged should get a cash award, IMO.
I've always thought that Objectivism and Christianity were fundamentally irreconcilable.
Now that my anti-Rand rant is over, I love C.S. Lewis, and especially the two books you've cited there. Mere Christianity is so well thought out and delivered, and the Screwtape Letters is one of the wittiest books around.
Quote from: Mike Bonds on August 23, 2009, 08:00:36 am
I think Rand is highly overrated. I've never understood why simple raw selfishness should be considered a "philosophy."
To read John Galt explain it, it actually makes a bit of sense. That said, I've always viewed objectivism as pseudo-philosophy.
QuotePlus, the reading is so intentionally dense. Everyone who finishes Atlas Shrugged should get a cash award, IMO.
That was probably my biggest issue with the book. What took ~1,100 pages could have probably been done in 700 pages. I thought there were a good deal of unnecessary descriptions and/or visualizations into people's thoughts and actions. I can't exactly put my finger on what it is about her work that I enjoy; maybe it's the ultimate triumph of individuality over collectivism. If the events in Atlas Shrugged were to come to being, I'd side with the strikers.
QuoteI've always thought that Objectivism and Christianity were fundamentally irreconcilable.
I've kind of always thought that as well, as it seems impossible to be a Christian and an objectivist at the same time. In fact, true objectivism denies the existence of any deity. Again, I do tend to agree with the objectivist view of economics, and the tenets of personal responsibility, individuality, and achievement.
That said, there is actually a group of 'objectivist Christians'. I hold that they are neither - if a person is a true objectivist, he/she cannot be a Christian, and vice-versa.
QuoteNow that my anti-Rand rant is over, I love C.S. Lewis, and especially the two books you've cited there. Mere Christianity is so well thought out and delivered, and the Screwtape Letters is one of the wittiest books around.
Agree completely.
Quote from: Chief_Osceola™ on August 24, 2009, 11:29:46 am
Quote from: Mike Bonds on August 23, 2009, 08:00:36 am
I think Rand is highly overrated. I've never understood why simple raw selfishness should be considered a "philosophy."
To read John Galt explain it, it actually makes a bit of sense. That said, I've always viewed objectivism as pseudo-philosophy.
QuotePlus, the reading is so intentionally dense. Everyone who finishes Atlas Shrugged should get a cash award, IMO.
That was probably my biggest issue with the book. What took ~1,100 pages could have probably been done in 700 pages. I thought there were a good deal of unnecessary descriptions and/or visualizations into people's thoughts and actions. I can't exactly put my finger on what it is about her work that I enjoy; maybe it's the ultimate triumph of individuality over collectivism. If the events in Atlas Shrugged were to come to being, I'd side with the strikers.
QuoteI've always thought that Objectivism and Christianity were fundamentally irreconcilable.
I've kind of always thought that as well, as it seems impossible to be a Christian and an objectivist at the same time. In fact, true objectivism denies the existence of any deity. Again, I do tend to agree with the objectivist view of economics, and the tenets of personal responsibility, individuality, and achievement.
That said, there is actually a group of 'objectivist Christians'. I hold that they are neither - if a person is a true objectivist, he/she cannot be a Christian, and vice-versa.
QuoteNow that my anti-Rand rant is over, I love C.S. Lewis, and especially the two books you've cited there. Mere Christianity is so well thought out and delivered, and the Screwtape Letters is one of the wittiest books around.
Agree completely.
I agree, pretty much down the line.
Now that I've poked Ayn Rand in the eye with a stick, if you want a good little read from her without being immersed in the 4-point font of Atlas Shrugged or The Fountainhead, Anthem is a pretty good story. It's about 150 pages long, and it's a dystopia.
Rand was a Russian emirgre, so it's not too hard to figure out where her dislike of the collective came from. lol
Have you ever read The Great Divorce by Lewis? Picked it up in the bookstore the other day, and it looked really interesting.
Quote
Now that I've poked Ayn Rand in the eye with a stick, if you want a good little read from her without being immersed in the 4-point font of Atlas Shrugged or The Fountainhead, Anthem is a pretty good story. It's about 150 pages long, and it's a dystopia.
Being an Ayn Rand fan, Anthem is my least favorite book of hers.
If you want a good little read that doesn't have thaaat much philosophy in it, read "We the Living".
David Baldacci.
Jean Auel, Zane Grey, and Louis L'Amour
Quote from: retrorattler on September 18, 2011, 10:07:07 am
T.S. Elliot and William Faulkner
I really like Faulkner. I just finished Absalom, Absalom! His best IMO is Light in August.
Any Wendell Berry fans? I'm currently reading 'Life is a Miracle' and 'Sex, Economy, Freedom, & Community'. Very lucid stuff.
Lot's of mine have already been mentioned. Dostoyevsky and Lewis being my two favorites mentioned so far. Two that I put on par with those two, one of which won't seem to belong, are G.K. Chesterton and David Foster Wallace.
I mostly read the classics. Modern books usually seem to pale in comparison, feeling empty somehow. But Wallace rises above the crowd and stands with the greats in my mind.