SUXBNME 1,340 Posted April 15, 2006 I know most of you monkeys are illeterite (yes I spelled that wrong on purpose), but for the few of you who aren't, name me some of your favorite authors and / or books. Some of mine: Robert Ludlum James Patterson Rick Rielly Jackie Collins Koontz Ken Goddard Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zen 0 Posted April 15, 2006 Don Delillo William Faulkner Thomas Pynchon David Mitchell Toni Morrison Gabriel Garcia Marquez George Orwell Brett Easton Ellis Supervert Dostoevsky Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MicktheGreat 1 Posted April 15, 2006 Here are some of my favorite works (in no particular order)... 1. Slaughter-House 5 by Kurt Vonnegut If I had to pick my favorite book, this would probably be it. It's one of those books that is impossible to explain to others when they ask "What's it about???" "Well...it's about World War II, aliens, time-travel, multiple dimensions, fate..." It makes no sense to explain it, but it's a GREAT read... 2. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller Probably the most convoluted thing I've ever read. There's not a whole lot going on with the plot...it's more character-driven. However, many of my favorite literary characters are from this book, especially in terms of minor characters (i.e. Major Major Major Major, Dunbar, Aarfy, Hungry Joe, Chief White Halfoat, Major ___ de Coverlay, etc.). VERY funny stuff... 3. The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka About a guy who wakes up one morning to realize he's been turned (inexplicably) into a giant bug. If you can get past Kafka's weird (and sometimes dull) style, then there's a lot to think about in this book... 4. Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis Probably the funniest book I've ever read from start-to-finish. Sadly, lots of people have never heard of it before. The scene in which the main character (Jim) gives a presentation of his academic paper had me crying with laughter... 5. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote Very well-written. Really pulls you in and makes you empathize with the characters. I mean...the name of the book is In Cold Blood, the first section is titled "The Last People to See Them Alive" so you know that they're going to die; but Capote writes in such a way that you're always hoping that somehow they'll escape death at the last minute... 6. Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome Another VERY funny book that nobody's read. It's sorta episodic in terms of plot but has some genuinely humorous dialogue and moments... 7. The Stranger by Albert Camus Slow and Depressing (with a capital "D") but will make you think... 8. The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot I thought that I'd hate this book but actually ended up really liking it. Eliot's writing style has a contemporary feel to it and her characters seem very life-like... 9. Tom Jones by Henry Fielding It's a little too long and the ending is a bit cliche; however, overall, I got hooked into the characters pretty easily, and it's another one that is VERY funny... 10. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck Lots of social commentary at work here and one of the best endings I've ever read... There are more that I could list but these were just some of the ones off the top of my head... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rye & Leaf 0 Posted April 15, 2006 montaigne - essays james joyce - the dead goethe - the sorrows of young werther - elective affinities oscar wilde - the picture of dorien gray gustave flaubert - a sentimental education tolstoy - anna karina kafka - the trial balzac - wild ass's skin homer - the odyssey holderlin - fragments boethius - the consolation of philosophy john kennedy toole - a confederacy of dunces rilke - the notebooks of malte laurids brigge delillo - white noise bellow - herzog saramango - blindness Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jerryskids 5,213 Posted April 15, 2006 Whoever wrote "Proper inflation of tires." Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SUXBNME 1,340 Posted April 15, 2006 Whoever wrote "Proper inflation of tires." Your humor overwhelms me at times Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bno70_1 0 Posted April 15, 2006 Ted Dekker He is the current king of Christian suspense novels. You may have heard of Frank Peretti, Ted is what Frank used to be. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gratefulted 14 Posted April 15, 2006 Whoever wrote "Proper inflation of tires." This should be right up your alley. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mmmmm...beer 691 Posted April 16, 2006 George R.R. Martin Simon R. Green Harry Harrison Glen Cook Robert Jordan John Ringo Frank Herbert Orson Scott Card Steven Erikson Leonard B. Scott Terry Goodkind David Eddings Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
IrishDrunk 0 Posted April 16, 2006 Shakespeare. I win. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JT 137 Posted April 16, 2006 Here are some of my favorite works (in no particular order)... 1. Slaughter-House 5 by Kurt Vonnegut If I had to pick my favorite book, this would probably be it. It's one of those books that is impossible to explain to others when they ask "What's it about???" "Well...it's about World War II, aliens, time-travel, multiple dimensions, fate..." It makes no sense to explain it, but it's a GREAT read... 2. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller Probably the most convoluted thing I've ever read. There's not a whole lot going on with the plot...it's more character-driven. However, many of my favorite literary characters are from this book, especially in terms of minor characters (i.e. Major Major Major Major, Dunbar, Aarfy, Hungry Joe, Chief White Halfoat, Major ___ de Coverlay, etc.). VERY funny stuff... 3. The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka About a guy who wakes up one morning to realize he's been turned (inexplicably) into a giant bug. If you can get past Kafka's weird (and sometimes dull) style, then there's a lot to think about in this book... 4. Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis Probably the funniest book I've ever read from start-to-finish. Sadly, lots of people have never heard of it before. The scene in which the main character (Jim) gives a presentation of his academic paper had me crying with laughter... 5. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote Very well-written. Really pulls you in and makes you empathize with the characters. I mean...the name of the book is In Cold Blood, the first section is titled "The Last People to See Them Alive" so you know that they're going to die; but Capote writes in such a way that you're always hoping that somehow they'll escape death at the last minute... 6. Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome Another VERY funny book that nobody's read. It's sorta episodic in terms of plot but has some genuinely humorous dialogue and moments... 7. The Stranger by Albert Camus Slow and Depressing (with a capital "D") but will make you think... 8. The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot I thought that I'd hate this book but actually ended up really liking it. Eliot's writing style has a contemporary feel to it and her characters seem very life-like... 9. Tom Jones by Henry Fielding It's a little too long and the ending is a bit cliche; however, overall, I got hooked into the characters pretty easily, and it's another one that is VERY funny... 10. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck Lots of social commentary at work here and one of the best endings I've ever read... There are more that I could list but these were just some of the ones off the top of my head... Started reading your post and wondered for a second if I'd responded to this thread already. Haven't read 'The Mill On The Floss' yet, but will have to based on our eerily similar tastes. A couple other classics that I consider must reads: This Side Of Paradise : F. Scott Fitzgerald The Picture Of Dorian Grey : Oscar Wilde Crime & Punishment : Dostoyevsky Animal Farm : George Orwell The Catcher In The Rye : JD Salinger (guess if you're only going to have one published novel, you might as well do it right) And don't forget Mark Twain. "Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" is as well written as anything that's ever been committed to paper. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MicktheGreat 1 Posted April 16, 2006 Started reading your post and wondered for a second if I'd responded to this thread already. Haven't read 'The Mill On The Floss' yet, but will have to based on our eerily similar tastes. A couple other classics that I consider must reads: This Side Of Paradise : F. Scott Fitzgerald The Picture Of Dorian Grey : Oscar Wilde Crime & Punishment : Dostoyevsky Animal Farm : George Orwell The Catcher In The Rye : JD Salinger (guess if you're only going to have one published novel, you might as well do it right) And don't forget Mark Twain. "Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" is as well written as anything that's ever been committed to paper. You may want to browse The Mill on the Floss before you buy it or anything. Like I said, I totally wasn't expecting to like it (since it's nothing like the stuff that I typically read & enjoy), but for some unexplainable reason, I found myself liking it...dunno... Also, there's another Salinger book that's supposed to be really good. It's called Franny and Zooey. I haven't read that one or Catcher in the Rye (I think I'm the only person who hasn't read that). However, a friend of mine who reads alot has read both and actually thinks that Franny and Zooey is a little bit better overall... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
naomi 343 Posted April 16, 2006 John Steinbeck: For storytelling and especially character development. George Orwell: Admire how he thought, not what (disagree a bit there), but how he wanted to understand, wanted to know all the angles to an issue. Outside of that, simply a great writer, expressive and entertaining. John Bunyan: For writing Pilgrim's Progress, allegorical and extremely valuable representation of what's encountered on the journey to salvation. James Joyce: Discovered him as the TDZ lit forum read one of his books, descriptive, captivating insight. Fyodor Dostoyevsky: Same as with Steinbeck and Orwell together. Mona Simpson: Describes mood well, never goes completely into characters on the surface, you have to figure them out based on their actions. No real message, just telling an entertaining story. Carmen Bin Laden: Specifically for writing an autobiographical account of her time in Saudi Arabia as a sister in law of Osama Bin Laden; that was revealing enough to threaten her life, and at the same time just interesting in a really down to earth way. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
swamp dog 0 Posted April 16, 2006 mark twain, faulkner (short stories), hemingway (short stories--especially nick adams stories), jim harrison, annie dillard, joan didion, ray bradbury, pat conroy, flannery oconnor, richard selzer, john mcphee, scott russell sanders, eb white (essays), james baldwin, ee cummings...lots more. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zen 0 Posted April 16, 2006 Steven Erikson Interesting. He's a former mentor of mine. Very cool guy. Very laid back. faulkner (short stories) His novels are a gazillion times better than his short stories. Also I'm surprised at how many people here read literary fiction. That's pretty cool. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
redtodd 7 Posted April 16, 2006 I don't know if I have any favoite authors right now. Just when I get to liking an author, they get old with their writing styles. I used to love Stephen King when I was in High School, but I ended up thinking he started to suck as he entered the 90's. I used to love Grisham, but he stuff got to boring and predictable. James Patterson was a favorite for a bit, but you can just write so many "this is the most brilliant killer ever" novels before you are just rolling your eyes. I also like Michael Crighton, but Prey was God awful. I have his latest one on my on deck circle. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mmmmm...beer 691 Posted April 16, 2006 Interesting. He's a former mentor of mine. Very cool guy. Very laid back. His novels are a gazillion times better than his short stories. Also I'm surprised at how many people here read literary fiction. That's pretty cool. His Malazan books are pretty freakin great. Somewhat complicated if you don't pay attention, but great. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ArnieBragg 1 Posted April 16, 2006 Phil Gordon's Little Green Book Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zen 0 Posted April 16, 2006 His Malazan books are pretty freakin great. Somewhat complicated if you don't pay attention, but great. You mean this Steve Erikson I was referring to this Steve Erickson Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gratefulted 14 Posted April 16, 2006 Garry Jennings Mark Twain Edward Abbey John Steinbeck Kurt Vonnegut Hunter Thompson Carlos Casteneda Jack Kerouac Steven King Tom Robbins Jon Krakauer There's more. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zen 0 Posted April 16, 2006 Carlos Casteneda This man had a profound influence on my teenage acid trips. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
phillybear 364 Posted April 16, 2006 Ed McBain Lawrence Sanders Douglas Adams Terry Pratchett - some really good stuff coming from this guy. While everyone has heard of Douglas Adams and this Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series of books and movie and TV series, Terry Pratchett's Discworld series is 10 times more creative and the subtle humor is much, much funnier. By the 3rd or 4th book, he found a rhythm, and the rest of the books are very enjoyable. He was the bestselling author in Great Britain until Harry Potter came along. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
