Favourite book you have read...

[anthonyUK]

I forgot to add the Safehold series e.g. Off Armageddon reef.
A sci-fi series set in the near future where the surviving population of Earth have relocated to another planet but during the journey all memories were wiped which resulted in a medieval society. It is written by a naval historian so the warfare systems are very detailed.

 

[dennisdk2000]

I love reading, it was one thing my dad instilled in me, every Thurs he'd go, and still does to the local library. My favourite books of my youth were the Adventure series by Willard Price, two boys globe-trotting collecting animals for their uncles zoo and getting into all sorts of boys adventure stuff, and Roald Dahl of course.

Then It by Stephen King, it was such a book of my teenage years and for such a mighty tome I read it about 5x

A long term favourite is To Kill a Mockingbird, also One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest

The first three books by Louis de Berniere - The War of Don Emmanuels Nether Parts, Senor Vivo and The Coca Lord, and The Troublesome Offspring of Cardinal Guzman are fantastic!

This year I would highly recommend The 100yr Old Man Who Jumped Out Of The Window And Disappeared

I rather enjoyed Captain Corelli's Mandolin.

Dennis

 

[calumscott]

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (5 book trilogy)

+1!! And all the Dirk Gently ones.

Life of Pi (Yann Martell) is a stunning, strange, odd, awesome book.

Iain Banks' "The Bridge" and countless others (my fave author).

 

[doyley]

A difficult one as there are so many good books out there, but I would say that the one I have reread most and have had the most enjoyment out of is "Three Cheers For Me" by Donald Jack. It is about a WW1 Canadian pilot who ends up a renowned air ace but on his way causes havoc with the top brass/politicians. Very funny and well written, I first read this some 45 years ago, since then I have managed to get hold of all of Donald Jack's subsequent novels.
http://www.pippin.ca/bandy/

 

[wezil]

Distant hours by Kate Morton (was reading this while child sitting round the in-laws really didn't think it was going to be my thing ,im more of a sci fi/sorcery man. But I couldn't put it down! Well worth a read!

 

[alawlor66430]

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (5 book trilogy)

5 book trilogy ?

 

[Tim_Crowhurst]

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (5 book trilogy)

5 book trilogy ?

There are four books in Kim Stanley Robinson's "Mars Trilogy": Red, Green, Blue and The Martians.

 

[31bb3]

tried disc world novels really couldnt get into them sorry guys favourites are any of the hannibal books by Thomas Harris excellent author bravo two zero is also an excellent read im a big fan of autobiographies meatloaf to hell and back , ronnie o'sullivan , foggy , barry sheene to name a few and my childish side any roald dahl books

 

[Swazi]

Perdido Street Station by China Miéville, was given to me by a friend while on holiday. Was brilliant.
The Magician (plus the 2 next books) by Raymond E Feist, also good.

 

[dennisdk2000]

Distant hours by Kate Morton (was reading this while child sitting round the in-laws really didn't think it was going to be my thing ,im more of a sci fi/sorcery man. But I couldn't put it down! Well worth a read!

I read her book The House At Riverton and fully expected it to be a bit on the naff side, but I really enjoyed it!

Dennis

 

[stevie1556]

Just remembered that I read World War Z on my last holiday. Amazing book, and from the previews of the film, the book is better. Its about a news reporter, who goes around taking people's stories of how they survived a zombie apocalypse. Each chapter is a new story from someone, from kids to adults, to soldiers. If you like zombie things, then it's a great read!

 

[Russ146]

For an amazing "based on a true story" read try Shantaram.

Its an amazing adventure that is a real page turner, i couldnt put it down but also didnt want it to end which dosnt happen very often

 

[spike418]

If I had to pick just one book then, with no hesitation, it would be Heinleins Stranger in a Strange Land :thumb:

 

[Jeltz]

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (5 book trilogy)

5 book trilogy ?

It was a standing joke there were 3 original books, then when a 4th came out it was billed as the 4th book in the trilogy, then came a 5th which carried the description "The fifth book in the increasingly inaccurately named Hitchhiker's Trilogy".

Just a bit of harmless fun really.....well mostly harmless :mrgreen:

 

[RobWalker]

I can't put down the His Dark Materials trilogy, an epic story, heartwarming and deep. i've read it twice, amazing! other than that, Touching The Void was unreal, made 10x better by the fact it's completely true.

 

[cwiseman77]

Hunter S. Thompson's "The Rum Diary"
Iain Banks "Espedair Street"

Anything by: Irvine Welsh
Ben Elton
Alexander McCall Smith


Loved the Game of Thrones series too

 

[Wezzel]

I loved "Every dead thing" by John Connelly and then his "The book of lost things".

Also anything by Mo Hayder or Michael Koryta.

 

[Moley]

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (5 book trilogy)

5 book trilogy ?

It was a standing joke there were 3 original books, then when a 4th came out it was billed as the 4th book in the trilogy, then came a 5th which carried the description "The fifth book in the increasingly inaccurately named Hitchhiker's Trilogy".
Just a bit of harmless fun really.....well mostly harmless :mrgreen:

And for those who don't understand the pun, the Earth was described in the Guide as “harmless” until that entry was amended to read “mostly harmless” after 15 years of research by Ford Prefect, slightly before the planet was demolished (5 minutes too soon) to make way for a new hyperspace by-pass. It's also the title of book 5.

I rarely seem to be able to find the time to read anymore, there's always too much other stuff to do, but I have all 5 of the HHG2G ‘trilogy’ audiobooks plus all 5 series of radio plays and I must play the whole lot back to back at least twice a year.

Book 1 was the later film tie-in version as read by Stephen Fry but books 2-5 are read by the author.

Interestingly, although Douglas Adams died in 2001 and radio series 3 (Tertiary Phase) was recorded in 2003 and broadcast in 2004, part of the 3rd audiobook was lifted and Adams got to ‘play’ the role of Agrajag posthumously.

I've also got the 6th instalment (“And another thing...”) written in 2009 by Eoin Colfer (the Artemis Fowl bloke) but that's in paperback and I've never seemed to manage to get past about page 20 of that.

 

[Good Ed]

Literary corner hey. :lol:

My favourite book is The Snow Leopard, a book by Peter Matthiessen. Its a travel book about a trek in an area of nepal usually closed to westerners back in the 70's. He teams up with Snow Leopard expert George Schaller. It is fascinating read more about Matthiessen and a spiritual journey than about the snow leopard.

Great book I must read it again.

:thumb: :thumb:

a great book, and if you like this lay your hands on any Barry Lopez books or Robert MacFarlane.

i read a fair bit of fantasy and sci fi; Iain Banks Culture novels are fantastic. Patrick Rothfuss The Name of the Wind and Scott Lynch The Lies of Locke Lamora, both brillant books.

The list of good books is endless really. Lee Child for all the Reacher books, you know what's going to happen but gripping all the same.

 

[narmour]

I recently read "Fatally Flawed: The Quest to be Deepest" by Verna van Schaik. It's not long, only 190 pages or so and I had it finished in a couple of hours but it's a real page turner.

The author is the holder of the Guinness Women's world record for the deepest ever scuba dive (221 metres) and the book is her memoirs from getting involved in the sport, to breaking her record. It's a very tense read, especially her accounts of the various dives she did in the build up to the record, and the record dive itself. She also describes a tragic attempt to recover the body of a colleague who had perished on a previous world record attempt, on which another friend loses his life.

If you ever want to get involved in deep diving, read this book. It should cure you. :shock: