Favorite Books

[happyjoe68]

Favorite Books

I'm a member of a LGBT reading group and often talk about books we have read outside of the reading list. I'm interested in hearing which books people have enjoyed reading and would consider their favourites and the reasons why. List as many books as you want on any subject with a brief reason why.

Here are some of mine:

1. Arturo Barea, "The Forging of a Rebel".
An autobiographical story of a man from poor circumstances who rises through life to become a success then, following the outbreak of the spanish civil war in 1936, turns his back on everything to follow his principles and his heart. A book that strikes so many chords on so many levels.

2. The Complete Sherlock Holmes stories.
Ok, so I'm cheating since its not one book, but all of the stories, like all detective stories, are really about the detective, not the crimes themselves. The Dark Behemoth is one of the greatest literary creations ever.

3. Ernst Jünger, "Storm of Steel".
Written as a memoir of the German experience in the First World War, the casual, everyday way in which the story is written only underlines the horror of trench warfare.

[ladydelanie]

I love to read!
Though I have not had much time to do so the last year or so!

I have many many favorites!

One of them is .........


THIRTY DAYS HATH APRIL........

A brilliant novel about love and sex. Sex ( joyful, beautiful sex)
and love (love of another and ones self) ....About being in love and loving one another completly, with pleasure and desire on all possible levels!

A MUST READ!.......I think you can get it on Amazon.com ( I have a signed copy!) :)
Oh did I mention it was written by one of our very own members of bisexual.com!?

Drew you must read this!! Perhaps there is a way you can review it? :bigrin:

Just my :2cents:

Ladyd :)

[DiamondDog]

I have too many to list but some favorites are:

Naked Lunch, Cities of the red night, the cat inside, and almost everything else written by this amazing writer including selected letters.

Tristessa, On the road, Visions of Cody, the Dharma bums, some of the Dharma, and selected letters/journals by Kerouac.

All of the stories by Tobias Wolff including his memoir 'This Boy's life'.

Ken Kesey's One flew over the Cuckoo's Nest.

Almost everything written by Philip K. Dick.

Almost everything written by H.P. Lovecraft.

Kafka-The metamorphosis.

Most of the poetry by the following writers: Anne Sexton, Sylvia Plath, Ted Hughes, Rimbaud, Walt Whitman, Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, Thom Gunn, and Burroughs.

Irvine Welsh's the acid house and Trainspotting.

Tom Robbins' Jitterbug Perfume, Even Cowgirls get the blues, and Still Life with Woodpecker.

Fight Club, Choke, and short fiction by Chuck Palahniuk.

The Mysteries of Pittsburgh by Michael Chabon.

The Stranger by Albert Camus

White Noise. It's funny and crazy and shows life in a post modern world.

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

The Inner circle and various short stories by T.C. Boyle

The Virgin Suicides and Middlesex by Jeffery Eugenides

Pat Califia's Macho Sluts

Bret Easton Ellis' Less than zero, american psycho, the rules of attraction, and glamorama.

Certain writings by de Sade.

Pynchon's Vineland.

The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven by Sherman Alexie

Various short stories by Raymond Carver.

Requiem for a Dream and Last Exit to Brooklyn by Hubert Selby Jr.

As far as reasons go I love all of these books because they changed me as a person and influenced me over my life so far. I can't pick a top 3.

[julie]

...I really love anything by Roddy Doyle..

I love the Irishness and the rawness..

.raw characters,
raw sex,
raw language,
raw humour,
raw tragedy.

And NO sentimentality.

My favourites are:-

'The Van', which is part of the Barrytown trilogy (probably best known for the film of 'The Commitments').... its about a guy who sets up a burger van with his mate.... made me laugh out loud :cutelaugh:

and

'A Star Called Henry' which is set during the formative years of the IRA. I learned loads of historical stuff as well as being so deeply moved by the story... Sickening in parts but never exploits this..is always objective and unsensational...just says it as it is.

The only other book that has really stayed with me is:-

'An Evil Cradling' by Brian Keenan. This is his autobiographical account of his time spent in captivity in Beirut. His better known (British) fellow hostages were Terry Waite and John McCarthy. The main focus of the story is of Brian Keenans platonic love and friendship with John McCarthy. Keenan being a raw and passionate Irishman whilst John McCarthy is a cool, refined Englishman.

I found this book breathtakingly moving on so many levels.

I clearly have a passion for Irish writers!

[mistymockingbird]

All time fave:
To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
Read it for the first time the summer between 6th and 7th grade. Aside from the civil rights and tolerance issues raised, I love the way Harper Lee captured the essence of a small town in the south. Speaks to my roots. On many, many levels.

Other novels I love for totally random reasons:
Jonathan Livingston Seagull (Richard Bach)
I like esoteric BS. Its about having a dream and daring to follow it. This is another book I read when I was young and have re-read several times over the years.

Me Talk Pretty One Day (David Sedaris)
If you've ever tried to live in another country and speak the language, this book is a must read. I read it while I was living and working in Germany. He writes in part about setting up house in France. I had tears of laughter streaming down my face as I read this.

Becoming A Man (Paul Monette)
A memoir about a guy from New England, born in the 50s. Described on the back cover as a "coming out story in the classic coming-of-age genre". Honest, poignant, funny, angry. Was fascinating to me from cover to cover.

The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)
There's a character that speaks in palindromes all the time. She has an entire chapter written in her voice. And I come from a very religious family, missionary work included, so themes in the book are relevant.

More novels I'd happily re-read (and have)
The Haunted Mesa (Louis Lamour),
London (Edward Rutherfurd)
Phantom of the Opera (Gaston Leroux)
Le Dame aux Camilias (Alexandre Dumas)
Main Street (Sinclair Lewis)
A Son of the Circus (John Irving)
Cold Mountain (Charles Frazier)

Anything by the following authors
Elizabeth George
Andreus Bach
The guy that wrote Thirty Days Hath April

[Azrael]

Just a few off the top of my head
Irvine Welsh- Trainspotting, The Acid house
Jack Kerouac- On the road, The Dharma bums
Henry Rollins- Eye Scream
Thomas Harris- Red Dragon
Henry Miller- Tropic of Cancer
Franz Kafka- The Metamorphosis

[Dagni]

favorite books, hmm, well since i was on film and drama academy i like to read dramas, but other books are included too.

Actually, i would put Strinberg on first place in front of everyone, because he made complete new standards in theatre approach, and his own unique stile is something special,,,,but here is the whole list:

1. Mika Waltari - Mkael Karvajalka
2. Paavo Haavaikko - Tiet etäisyyksiin
3. Anja Kauranaen - Pelon maantiede
4. Johan August Strindberg - Spöksonaten
5. Johan August Strindberg - Till Damaskus I, II, III
6. Selma Lagerlöf - Gösta Berlings saga
7. Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson - Sinøve Solbakken
8. Alexander Kielland - To Novelletter fra Danmark

[izzfan]

Ah, my favourite books - I have quite a few of these as I tend to read quite a bit. Here goes:

---------------------------------------
OLD BOOKS

- Any of the original sherlock holmes stories - except for perhaps 'The Hound of the Baskervilles' and 'The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes' as these aren't quite as good as the others in my opinion.
-'Heart of Darkness' by Joseph Conrad
-'The Red Badge of Courage' by Stephen Crane [brilliant novel - I have probably read it about 3 times]
- Most stuff by Edgar Allen Poe
-'Moonfleet' by J.Meade Falkner - a thrilling tale of good old fashoined adventure
-'Treasure Island' by Robert Lois Stevenson
- 'Jekyll and Hyde' - also by Robert Lois Stevenson
-'The Picture of Dorian Gray' by Oscar Wilde
------------------------------------------

MODERN BOOKS

- ' Naked Lunch', 'Junky' and 'Cities of the Red Night' by William Burroughs
- 'On the Road' by Jack Kerouac
- 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas' by Hunter. S.Thompson
- Anything by H.P.Lovecraft
- 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?' by Philip.K.Dick
- 'Dress to Kill' - Eddie Izzard's autobiography, not the amazing show
- 'Domain' by James Herbert - one of the few horror novels ever to genuinely scare me
- Quite a lot of stuff by Shaun Hutson is well worth reading [another great horror writer]
'The City and the Pillar' by Gore Vidal
- 'The Rest of the Robots' by Isaac Asimov [has a great story in it called 'Victory Unintentional' with a really ingenious ending]
- 'Nineteen Eighty-Four' by George Orwell - what can I say, its an amazing book and very relavent these days
- 'Dune' by Frank Herbert [I read this novel over a single weekend - it took me a total of 7 hours of reading, well worth it though]
- 'High Rise' by J.G.Ballard
- 'American Psycho' by Bret Easton Ellis [I read this when I was about 14 and it still is, in my opinion, the most violent/disturbing novel I've read]
-'The Godfather' by Mario Puzo [great book, still haven't seen the film of it yet]
-'The Hitchiker's guide to the galaxy' by Douglas Adams
---------------------------------------

That's all I can think of at the moment, as I said I tend to read a hell of a lot of books

Izzfan :flag3:

[Ps; DiamondDog - great to meet another Burroughs, Kerouac, Lovecraft and Philip.K.Dick fan!]

[NorthBiEast]

I must have read the Earth's Children series by Jean Auel 5 times now. I love how she creates these primitive cultures that at the same time are so sophisticated.
I also love George Orwell's 1984 and Animal Farm. He may have been arguing against communism, but his themes hold true for any type of oppression.
Oh, and Harry Potter, just for kicks :tongue:

[innaminka]

Watership Down by Phillip Adams
- I just love it.

Game, Set, Match trio by Len Deighton. (the other 6 add ons were ordinary)

Seven Pillars of Wisdom - T.E. Lawrence

The Once and Future King - T.E White.

Mayor of Casterbridge - Thomas Hardy

the list is endless.

Worst (no not worst -over rated) Da Vinci Code (yawn) How trite!

[TaylorMade]

The Portrait of Dorian Gray

Most things by Edgar Allan Poe- - Poe is dark and haunting. You feel like you need to share his madness,

Orlando: A Biography-- The fluidity of gender Woolf offers is so tempting that many times, I really wish that I simply stop aging and experience EVERYTHING.

A Christmas Carol - -it's classic and simple.

State of Fear by Michael Chricton - -it made me re-evaluate what I knew of history and cliamate and told me that it's okay not to believe the groupthink.

Black Like Me- - It's another novel (Based on true events) of self discovery that takes a white man into the world of Black America and back.

To Kill a Mockingbird

The Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry/Let the Circle Be unbroken series by Virginia Hamilton- - It's a series of three books that follows a black family in the south. You see the dignity through the crushing poverty and degredation that that past entailed.

The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara- - a well rounded look at the battle of Gettysburg that really makes you dispose of your simple and flat boxes that you file everything you think you know about the American Civil War...

American Psycho & Glamorama

*Taylor*

[FalconAngel]

All of the Mercedes Lackey books about Valdamar as well as anything about alternate history and real history.
The Fork-tailed Devil by Martin Caiden
Time Enough for Love by Robert Hienlien
The Forever War
The City and the Stars
The Eyes of Hiesenburg
Shuttle Down
The Minotaur
Flight of the Intruder
everything by J.R.R. Tolkien
Clear and Present Danger
Lies my Teacher Told Me
Lies and the Lying Liers who Tell Them
A Brief History of Time
Starship Troopers

[mouse46]

:bibounce: My favorite books are fantasy.Topics like fairy, elfs, wizards, dragons. Lately tho I've been reading witches and Vampire chroncles. Such authors like Terry Brooks is a great read with his series.I've read The fair Folk by Marvin Kaye.I like Laurell K. Hamilton anything of hers.(Vamipre, Werewolf)I've read alot of Dean Koontz books over the years.Currently I'm finishing up "The Book Of Shadows" By James Reese, a novel that is actually three books in one. An excellent read. I recently joined a Science Fiction book club which is terfific with so many to choose from. I'm in book heaven. :bigrin: Thanks !

[Pensive]

Wow, I saw a few people mention Lovecraft. Kudos to you guys - I love his work!

I have a few new books to contribute:

A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin - I hate a lot of modern fantasy because I think it's trite, but this book is likely different than anything you've ever read. Amazing characters and a complicated plot full of twists that are usually unexpected but not unintelligent.

Sandman by Neil Gaiman - Not technically a book, but a graphic novel. If you can get by the comic-book look of it all, you'll find a touching and deeply philosophical work about the nature of change, life and death.

The Skeptical Environmentalist by Bjorn Lomborg - Getting a bit older now, but still in my opinion an excellent work critiquing the environmentalist movement without attacking or discounting it. Lomborg's use of statistics is amazing, and at the end of his book I felt like a lot of the doom and gloom of many environmentalists is needless, but still wanted to save the planet and all that jazz.

[happyjoe68]

- Any of the original sherlock holmes stories - except for perhaps 'The Hound of the Baskervilles' and 'The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes' as these aren't quite as good as the others in my opinion.
- Most stuff by Edgar Allen Poe
-'Moonfleet' by J.Meade Falkner - a thrilling tale of good old fashoined adventure
- 'Jekyll and Hyde' - also by Robert Lois Stevenson


I initially thought the same of the Hound of the Baskervilles. It took me 3 readings to be begin to understand the story's subtlety and and the brooding darkness within it, and that Holmes had deduced the plot on the very first day.

Moonfleet' by J.Meade Falkner. I remember reading that at school.

'Jekyll and Hyde". I like the way the story is told in retrospect, much like Poe's "The Murders in the Rue Morgue". I love Poe's three Dupin stories



Most things by Edgar Allan Poe- - Poe is dark and haunting. You feel like you need to share his madness

"Never more", quoth the Raven ...

I also like Wilkie Collin's "Moonstone" and the "Woman in White", alongside Poe, the earliest stories in the English Language to feature a detective in the central role.

Any more takers?

[Lorrie]

My favorite books to read are categorized as chick lit and women's studies. I also love biographies and many other non-fiction books. I love reading books by Kurt Vonnegut. I also love Shakespeare.

There's going to be a lot of talk about Jane Austen these days from now until January '08: Two films about her are coming out in August and September, and Masterpiece Theatre will broadcast films on all 6 of her books.

I don't know much about her work, so I've decided to read all her books from now until the end of the year in chronological order.

[kitten]

Something Wicked This Way Comes
Snow Falling on Cedars
Henry and June

[Lorrie]

Henry and June

The film is excellent! It's one of my favorites.

[Lorrie]

I'm surprised this book isn't listed in the Books Section:

The Bisexual's Guide to the Universe: quips, tips, and lists for those who go both ways by Nicole Kristal and Mike Szymanski.

It's different from most of the others in it being more for people who know they are bi and just want a fun handbook to being bi. It's a less serious textbook read.

[kitten]

I love that movie, too. MMMM haven't seen it in awhile...

I will take your book recommendation, thank you!

[wolfcamp]

Watership Down by Phillip Adams
- I just love it.


I agree. Great book. I always wanted to read it to my 2 girls, but never got the chance. It's been a while since I read it. Maybe I'll get it and read it again, especially since my apartment complex is infested with rabbits. :bigrin:

Boy everyone has listed a lot of heavy stuff here. I read mostly nonfiction now. My current read is The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins. I'm only about 50 pages in. My recent favorites are Before The Dawn by Nicholas Wade, The Future Of Life by E.O. Wilson, Annals Of The Former World by John McPhee, The Seven Daughters Of Eve by Brian Sykes. Ethics For The New Millenium (and several other books) by the Dalai Lama. Death Comes For The Archbiship by Willa Cather. Ghost Rider by Neal Peart (drummer for Rush). Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson. I've read everything by Edward Abbey that I could find (The Monkey Wrench Gang is a little dated, but Desert Solitaire is beautiful). Black Elk Speaks. Stephen Hawking, Brian Green. The Whole Shebang by Timothy Ferris. The Tao of Physics.

Let's see, what else? Oh yeah, The Big Sky by A.B. Guthrie, a great classic and highly recommended. Red Cloud's Folk by George E. Hyde. I used to like Trevanian, Michener, Tom Clancy, Dee Brown, Bernard Devoto. I liked The Hobbit, but I didn't care for the Trilogy. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. The Plague Dogs by Richard Adams. Riverworld by Philip Hose Farmer. The Trinity by Leon Uris. And, of course, all the articles in Playboy.