complexity 0 #26 October 11, 2004 Also if you like classics, Edith Wharton books are wonderful. She is a feminist before her time and her stories are often about the constraints of society for women and how they fit it/don't fit in. Excellent. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Snowbird 0 #27 October 11, 2004 What kind of genre? These are a few of my favourite authors. Sci Fi - Larry Niven, Spider Robinson, Charles deLint Wierd - Douglas Adams Fiction - Barbara Kingsolver, Margaret Atwood Historical Romance - Diana Gabaldon Historical Fiction - Jack Whyte Enjoy! Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea. -Robert A. Heinlein Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
airtwardo 7 #28 October 11, 2004 I like the dictionary... it has all the other books in it! ~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Frenchy68 0 #29 October 11, 2004 "A Hundred years of solitude" Gabriel Garcia Marquez "For once you have tasted Absinthe you will walk the earth with your eyes turned towards the gutter, for there you have been and there you will long to return." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lee846 0 #30 October 11, 2004 One more vote for MarquezAnd I forgot the name of writer -- "Generation X". It was the last book i read. Nice. I guess it's a "classic", so it won't be a problem to find this book. About fantasy: Ursulla le Guin is the best. I read her book in russian, so i don't know how to translate the name of the book. But the fans of this jenre might know the name of it. About japanese writers: Ukio Misima is good. Between two evils always pick theone never tried Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dixieskydiver 0 #31 October 11, 2004 Sweet mother, how did I forget J.K. Rowling? If you haven't read the Harry Potter books yet, you should. I was skeptical too, but I had so many friends tell me to read it that I finally bought the 3rd book for the trip to China. Ending up buying them all before I made it from SC to Beijiing. Dixie HISPA #56 Facil Rodriguez "Scientific research has shown that 60% of the time, it works every time." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zep 0 #32 October 11, 2004 The book of Italian war heroes Kept me busy for all of 30 seconds Gone fishing Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lindsey 0 #33 October 11, 2004 I LOVE Tom Robbins....Skinny Legs and All, Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas, Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, and (my favorite) Jitterbug Perfume. I also really like Barbara Kingsolvers books....and of course Anne Rice...especially her Sleeping Beauty books.... linz-- A conservative is just a liberal who's been mugged. A liberal is just a conservative who's been to jail Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sheenster303 0 #34 October 11, 2004 QuoteSweet mother, how did I forget J.K. Rowling? If you haven't read the Harry Potter books yet, you should. I was skeptical too, but I had so many friends tell me to read it that I finally bought the 3rd book for the trip to China. Ending up buying them all before I made it from SC to Beijiing. Totally agree! Harry Potter rocks! I've only read the first 2 books, but I'm getting around to the rest of them. I put a vote in for Stephen King. Read the The Long Walk. That is some messed up shit.I'm so funny I crack my head open! P.M.S. #102 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hooked 0 #35 October 11, 2004 QuoteIts been around for awhile but Memoirs of Ageisha is a wonderful book. Yes, it is!!!! J -------------------------------------- Sometimes we're just being Humans.....But we're always Human Beings. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skychicken 0 #36 October 12, 2004 Hey, thanks for the input guys - you all rock! For those who asked, I will read any genre...whatever I can get my hands on that's interesting. Some of these authors/titles are new to me and the list should keep me busy for awhile (sitting at the dz, you know...hurry up and wait). Some I want to reread now after being reminded of them! Thanks! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I can fly!! - Peter Pan Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JavaHeidi 0 #37 October 12, 2004 QuoteAlso if you like classics, Edith Wharton books are wonderful. She is a feminist before her time and her stories are often about the constraints of society for women and how they fit it/don't fit in. Excellent. The House of Mirth by Wharton is my absolute favorite book. I just finished The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. It was FANTASTIC!! Heidi-Ho http://www.skydivethefarm.com The best lack all conviction, While the worst are filled with passionate intensity. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
uncaged 0 #38 October 12, 2004 Jerzy Kozinsky, "The Painted Bird" some in later years have said it was not authentic, but still worth reading... When the going gets weird, The weird turn pro... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
peacefuljeffrey 0 #39 October 12, 2004 A three-way tie: Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. LeGuin Seventh Son by Orson Scott Card -Jeffrey-Jeffrey "With tha thoughts of a militant mind... Hard line, hard line after hard line!" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JonBonGraham 0 #40 October 12, 2004 Richard Matheson's I am Legend is an absolutely fantastic read, and it's really short so won't take you forever! Durham University Freefall Club Grounds For Divorce website (band I'm in) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
peacefuljeffrey 0 #41 October 12, 2004 QuoteIf you like Vonnegut, you have to try Tom Robbins. Blues, Dave Uh oh... Why? Is he a rip-off of Vonnegut? I forgot to list authors, since the thread actually called for books, but I have to agree with Heinlein, Tolkien, Asimov, Vonnegut, and add H.P. Lovecraft. (He was wayyy ahead of his time!) -Jeffrey-Jeffrey "With tha thoughts of a militant mind... Hard line, hard line after hard line!" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
livendive 8 #42 October 12, 2004 QuoteQuoteIf you like Vonnegut, you have to try Tom Robbins. Uh oh... Why? Is he a rip-off of Vonnegut? Oh no, they just write in a similar style... i.e. sharp-witted, completely irreverent, fantastically developed characters, and plot used mostly as a vehicle rather than a payload. Blues, Dave"I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!" (drink Mountain Dew) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hooked 0 #43 October 12, 2004 I'm not sure what kind of books you want to read, but the MOST compelling books I have ever read were written by Dave Pelzer. There are several and they tell the story of the abuse he suffered as a child by his mother. They are: "A Child Called It", "The Lost Boy", "A Man Named Dave" and "The Privilege of Youth". They are the story you will never forget. J -------------------------------------- Sometimes we're just being Humans.....But we're always Human Beings. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mhartboca 0 #44 October 12, 2004 i'll echo some of the recommendations already given... Asimov - not just the Foundation trilogy (think it's actually 5 or 6 now, isn't it?), you have to include the Empire and Robot trilogies as well to get the full story. BTW, I believe Asimov is the most prolific author ever? Interesting trivia - with the exception of the last 2 (3?) books added to the Foundation trilogy in the last few years, the tri-trilogy was written backwards. As best i recall: Foundation 1,2,3, then Empire 1,2,3, then Robot 1,2,3, then the last Foundation books... If you don't know the whole series, it's essentially a history of earth, humans and the universe, from approximately "now" (whatever that means) to 100's of 1000's of years in the future... i read the trilogies backwards (by accident) and it was still a great read! Heinlein - Time Enough For Love, Stranger in a Strange Land, many, many more Clancy - but only his novels, not the co-authored ones Michener - The Source Walter M. Miller - A Canticle For Leibowitz Crichton - just about any Koontz - especially liked Lightening and Watchers Mary Higgins Clarke - just pick a couple! Ludlum - almost any, but the Bourne books are good *Alison Tyler - Best Bondage Erotica *Gloria Braeme - Different Loving * = not for those with "vanilla" tastes.. so many books, so little time... michaelMichael Hart Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
littlestranger 0 #45 October 13, 2004 The Master and Margarita Mikhail Bulagov (unabridged translation by Michael Glenny) Naked David Sedaris Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jimbarry 0 #46 October 13, 2004 Quotelooking for some new authors. Anything by PJ O'Rourke. Especially Holidays in Hell. And yes, yet another vote for Douglas Adams. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
misskriss 0 #47 October 13, 2004 QuoteThe Master and Margarita Mikhail Bulgakov I love that book. My boyfriend gave it to me quite awhile ago and it is so intoxicating. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fields 0 #48 October 13, 2004 Not sure of my favorite, but off the top of my head I know I enjoyed these- William Gibson Neuromancer Tibor Fischer The Thought Gang or Under the Frog Chuck Palahnuik Survivor or Fight Club Stacey Richter My Date wth Satan William Browning Spencer Resume with Monsters Amy Hempel Reasons to Live and At the Gates of the Animal Kingdom Jonathan Lethem As she Climbed Across the Table and Motherless Brooklyn Ken Kesey One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Neal Stephenson Snowcrash Terry Bisson Pirates of the Universe I subscribe to Granta to discover new authors. Some times I buy the anthologies of the years' best sci fi. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Girlfalldown 0 #49 October 13, 2004 Richard Bach has several that lit my world up a bit. Johnathan Livingston Seagull ( a skydiver's must read) One (made my heart ache) The Bridge Across Forever ( a lovestory) Illusions, The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah These are actually pretty old so they might bore you a bit but it's definitely reading that makes you want to grow. For fun I loved any of the Hitchiker series by Douglass Adams but again those are old. I mostly read Anne Rice now. I have a thing for wanting something untouchable and it seems to go with the theme. Then there's Stephen King. This isn't helping is it? You want new authors.. eh nevermind. -------------- (Do not, I repeat DO NOT, take my posts seriously.) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sheenster303 0 #50 October 13, 2004 When I was in the hospital after I broke my leg, a friend of mine from the dropzone gave me Johnathan Livingston Seagull as a get well gift. I had never even heard of it before then. I loved it so much!I'm so funny I crack my head open! P.M.S. #102 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
