Evocare Posted July 22, 2005 Report Share Posted July 22, 2005 I allways try to only read books recommended to me, saves wasting time really reading crap onesSo what's the best books you've read?How to Lose Friends & Alienate Peopleby Toby Young. An excellent stab at New York's Condé Nast elitists through the eyes of the brilliant author who is starting a new job at Vanity fair magazine. A great pisstake, had me in fit's.The Koran.Translated to English.I read this to better understand Islam and muslims, very insightful.The Celestine Prophecyby James Redfield.Not to everyones taiste, needs an open mind, i would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in meta-physicsThe Alchemistby Paulo Coelho.If you've not read this book where have you been? is a must read for all, inspired me in many ways and is written so beautifully, Paulo Coelho is one of the greatest story tellers of the modern dayLife of Piby Yann Martel.My favorite book of all time, i won't tell you anything about it, just make it you next buy and thank me afterwards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lukejones2 Posted July 23, 2005 Report Share Posted July 23, 2005 I realised quite recently that I have read nothing but textbooks, government guidance and magazines since I was about 16 (7 years ago) when I read IT and Christine in quick succession by Stephen King.I therefore joined the library and have taken to reading a completely new type of book for me - a fantasy by Garth Nix called Lirael!I'll let you know what I think at the end! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinman-is-god Posted July 23, 2005 Report Share Posted July 23, 2005 I am into non-fiction more than fiction, and one book i am loving at the moment is 'Dining with terrorists' by Phil Rees, a very good book. I also love anything by Orwell, and have just finished 'Down and Out in Paris and London' and for £3 in HMV, this book was a steal, a great read. I am currently reading Great Expectations, it is very good, but a lot of effort! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zookeeper Posted July 23, 2005 Report Share Posted July 23, 2005 I'd recommend Ghostwritten by David Mitchell, actually I'd recommend any book by him.Just finished Alex Garlands new book Coma which was good but brief. Very different style. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coin-op Posted July 23, 2005 Report Share Posted July 23, 2005 I would reccomend 'the curious incident of the dog in the night time'. This is a fantastic book written in the eyes of an autistic teenager and can be read in an afternoon. Very good indeed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spongebob Posted July 23, 2005 Report Share Posted July 23, 2005 Sleepers by Lorenzo Carcaterra. Fantasticly written and such a horrible but movin life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Colby-Tit Posted July 23, 2005 Report Share Posted July 23, 2005 The Celestine Prophecyby James Redfield.Not to everyones taiste, needs an open mind, i would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in meta-physicsBrilliant book, a book I would recommend everyone to read. I've just finished the last of Dan Brown's books (the Vinci Code, Angels & Demons, Deception Point & Digital Fortress). All very enjoyable, fast paced thrillers.Would also recommend Killing Pablo, the true story of the rise & fall of Pablo Escobar - quite an eye-opener! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spud55 Posted July 23, 2005 Report Share Posted July 23, 2005 Last 3 books i read were,Use of Weapons - Iian M BanksLook to Windward - Iian M BanksThe Hunt for Red October - Tom Clancy.all very good books with the banks ones being ahead of the clancy one, Banks' character development is very good, his ideas are outlandish, near perfect Ai which has it's own personality, feelings and stuff like that. Is really wierd but incredibly well written.At the moment i'm reading Red Storm Rising - Tom clancy.Also like non fiction books, have Services' biography of stalin to read at some point, got a couple of books on Vietnam to read as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redhyde Posted July 23, 2005 Report Share Posted July 23, 2005 I've just gone through the Iain M Banks' Culture novels too. The ones above + Excession(my favorite), Consider Phlebas, The player of games and Inversions.It's an incredible universe he's set up and i love the intertwining threads and strands inside his stories.If you're a fan of not knowing what happens in the end of a book put down the Potter rubbish and pick up a Banks Culture novel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazareth Posted July 23, 2005 Report Share Posted July 23, 2005 My favourite books at Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels. All of them are outstanding.I also love a good detective novel and Iain Rankin writes the best of them around at the minute.Other good books I've read recently are:Skinny dip by Carl HiaasenThe curious incident of the dog in the nighttime by Mark HaddonA Brave New World by Aldous HuxleyThe Cutting Room by Louise Welsh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SW Valleys Red Posted July 24, 2005 Report Share Posted July 24, 2005 The Ragged Trousered Philanthropist by Robert Tressell.A wonderful book that captures the complexities of working life and illustrates the ways in which capitalism operates in the workplace.The Communist Manifesto by Marx and EngelsProbably the most influential political pamphlet ever written. There remains a compulsive quality to its prose as it provides insight into the society in which we live, where it comes from and where it is going:'The need of a constantly expanding market for its products chases the bourgeoisie over the entire surface of the globe. It must nestle everywhere, settle everywhere, establish connections everywhere ... The bourgeoisie has, through its exploitation of the world market, given a cosmopolitan character to production and consumption in every country ... All old-established national industries have been destroyed or are daily being destroyed. They are dislodged by new industries, whose introduction becomes a life and death question for all civilized nations, by industries that no longer work up indigenous raw material, but raw material drawn from the remotest zones; industries whose products are consumed, not only at home, but in every quarter of the globe. In place of the old wants, satisfied by the production of the country, we find new wants, requiring for their satisfaction the products of distant lands and climes. In place of the old local and national seclusion and self-sufficiency, we have intercourse in every direction, universal inter-dependence of nations. And as in material, so also in intellectual production. The intellectual creations of individual nations become common property. National one-sidedness and narrow-mindedness become more and more impossible, and from the numerous national and local literatures, there arises a world literature ...'If this is not a compelling description of (what today is termed) 'globalisation' as we know it then it is hard to imagine what would be. Body and Soul by Loic WacquantA brilliant ethnography of life as an apprentice boxer in a neighbourhood of Chicago's black ghetto. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spud55 Posted July 24, 2005 Report Share Posted July 24, 2005 I've just gone through the Iain M Banks' Culture novels too. The ones above + Excession(my favorite), Consider Phlebas, The player of games and Inversions.It's an incredible universe he's set up and i love the intertwining threads and strands inside his stories.If you're a fan of not knowing what happens in the end of a book put down the Potter rubbish and pick up a Banks Culture novel.←Yea the twists at the end of both Use of weapons and look to windward are very good, the one from look to windward was slightly better i think, you know something is going to stop him, but you never quite know what and it is a shock to find out who it was. Also the bit with the Hub mind chooding to die as well as the chelgrian is really good too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickD Posted July 24, 2005 Report Share Posted July 24, 2005 Any book by Dan Brown (yes, of the Vinci Fame). All supurbly written, clever twists. The longest i've taken to finish one of his novels is two days due to not being able to put the damn thing down! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barman Posted July 24, 2005 Report Share Posted July 24, 2005 I'm another Iain M Banks fan - the Culture series is excellent with 'The Player of Games' being my personal favourite so far (still about four to read!). Iain Banks (without the M - his normal fiction name) is also worth a read, particularly the highly disturbing 'Wasp Factory.' He's definately the best current British author in my opinion.As far as non-fiction goes, I really enjoyed Michael Atherton's autobiography. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbored Posted July 24, 2005 Report Share Posted July 24, 2005 A bit out of date but I haven't read anything better than "Birdsong" by Sebastien Faulks and "Captain Corelli's Mandarin by Louis De Bernieres in the past 10 years.Both war based stories but moving,insightfull and beautifully written.Recently read "The Shadow of the Wind" by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. Pretty god but not a patch on the other two. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
One Team In Keynsham Posted July 25, 2005 Report Share Posted July 25, 2005 My favourite books at Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels. All of them are outstanding.I also love a good detective novel and Iain Rankin writes the best of them around at the minute.Other good books I've read recently are:Skinny dip by Carl HiaasenThe curious incident of the dog in the nighttime by Mark HaddonA Brave New World by Aldous HuxleyThe Cutting Room by Louise Welsh←Just finished Skinny Dip as well. Really rate his stuff.Enjoyed "The Professor and The Mad Man" [uS name], called 'The Surgeon of Crawthorne" back in England. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evocare Posted July 25, 2005 Author Report Share Posted July 25, 2005 Brilliant book, a book I would recommend everyone to read. I've just finished the last of Dan Brown's books (the Vinci Code, Angels & Demons, Deception Point & Digital Fortress). All very enjoyable, fast paced thrillers.Would also recommend Killing Pablo, the true story of the rise & fall of Pablo Escobar - quite an eye-opener!←Yes, great read. I've just started the the Vinci code, and i can't put it down..Another great book is Fear or Fear of you like good thrillers, not a book if you have ANY phobias Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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