So i know there have been many, many threads about books started here on this forum but here is another one…
For 2015, I have set a goal of reading 100 Books. i just completed the 6th today and have a decent reading list already set up, but not 100 books worth.
My question is, what is your favorite book? If you were stranded on a desert island and only had one book to read for the rest of your life, what would it be? (Porn mags don’t count, it has to be an actual book)
You can only choose one. I am vacillating between fiction and non-fiction, so all recommendations are welcome.
I really like all the Jack Reacher books. I have read a lot of them and they never get old, if you haven’t read one I would highly recommend you add them to your list. Author is Lee Child.
I’m just about finished with the Walter Kaufmann translation of Nietzsche’s “Will to Power” and it’s been pretty mindblowing. Hard to say what my favorite book of all time is, but this has been one of the most enjoyable experiences I have had in a while.
Meditations by Marcus Aurelius and The History of Western Philosophy by Bertrand Russell were two that I found constantly engaging and not at all hard work, unlike many of the great works of philosophy.
It won’t fit into a year of 100 books unless you have enormous amounts of free time, but I’ve come to regard Infinite Jest as the one contemporary (i.e., too young to be canon) book that literally everyone should read.
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (and it’s sequels) are good for a chuckle when you want something light. Although if I were stranded with female company I might opt for The Princess Bride (also good for laughs) instead.
The Agony and the Ecstasy by Irving Stone, about Michelangelo Buonarotti. The author lived in Italy for many years, worked in a stone quarry, and apprenticed himself to a sculptor in order to research the book. He also had all of Michelangelo’s letters (495 of them) translated into English.
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao and This is How You Lose Her, both by Junot Diaz.
Like smh, I love DFW but prefer his essays to his novels. A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again is a favorite of mine.
[quote]Dr. Pangloss wrote:
Like smh, I love DFW but prefer his essays to his novels. A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again is a favorite of mine.
[/quote]
I’ve always felt the same way! “Supposedly Fun Thing,” “Tense Present,” and “E Unibus Pluram” are three of my all-time favorite works of non-fiction. About to read “Consider the Lobster.”
However, I reread IJ very recently, and – this is not an exaggeration and I don’t usually describe things in this way – I was pretty much in awe by the time I turned the last page.
[quote]Dr. Pangloss wrote:
Like smh, I love DFW but prefer his essays to his novels. A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again is a favorite of mine.
[/quote]
I’ve always felt the same way! “Supposedly Fun Thing,” “Tense Present,” and “E Unibus Pluram” are three of my all-time favorite works of non-fiction. About to read “Consider the Lobster.”
However, I reread IJ very recently, and – this is not an exaggeration and I don’t usually describe things in this way – I was pretty much in awe by the time I turned the last page.[/quote]
I think you might be right smh_23. I have only read IJ 1.5 times, but some new things were definitely happening in that .5. Life got in the way, though (grad school) and I haven’t made it back yet for the second reading. But I probably will.
Alpha, as others have mentioned, favorites are tough, but one book I come back to very often is W. Somerset Maugham’s The Razor’s Edge.
I’m also a big fan of Dan Brown (Inferno, Angels & Demons, Digital Fortress, etc…). I’m pretty sure I’ve read every book Dan has published and they were all very good.
I’m about half way through Total Recall, Arnold’s biography, it’s really good.
For lighter reading I like the Inheritance series by Christopher Paolini. They’re geared towards a younger crowd, but Paolini tells a very compelling story. I read all 4 books in about a week and they’re not short. You also can’t go wrong with the Lord of the Rings set, but I would avoid anything by George RR Martin (Game of Thrones). Not because they’re bad, but because they’re long and tedious reads that I doubt will fit in your goal.
Not a big fan of historical books, but I did read Revolutionary Summer by Joseph Ellis in 2014 and enjoyed it very much.
P.S. I work for the Publishing company in our area and probably have 200 books I’ve yet to even touch. You’re more than welcome to your pick of the lot. My wife wants to get rid of a lot of them anyway.
2013 was the year of George R.R. Martin for me. Now I’m addicted to his crack, he’s the only dealer on the planet and he’s got us all strung out waiting for the next fix.
2014 was the year of reading everything I could about strength training.
2015 I need to feed my brain with more non-fiction unrelated to the pursuit of strength.
To answer your question, Alpha, the ONE book I’d choose if stranded on a desert island would have to be Dune, by Frank Herbert. I’m fairly sure you’ve read that one already, as I seem to recall some quotes from Herbert in your log.
To recommend a book you may have not read already, I found Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond to be a very thought-provoking and entertaining perspective on the emergence of civilization. I’m probably going to read more of his stuff this year.
Red Storm Rising by Tom Clancy. I not smart like other peoples on this site so me not able to recommend smarty books.
A WWIII book that I had a hard time putting it down. It’s one of the few of Clancy’s to fall outside the Jack Ryan universe. The downside is it’s like 600 pages so it may take awhile to chew through - especially if you’re dumb like me.
P.S. I work for the Publishing company in our area and probably have 200 books I’ve yet to even touch. You’re more than welcome to your pick of the lot. My wife wants to get rid of a lot of them anyway. [/quote]
0_0 What you have books to give away. WTF man
P.S. I work for the Publishing company in our area and probably have 200 books I’ve yet to even touch. You’re more than welcome to your pick of the lot. My wife wants to get rid of a lot of them anyway. [/quote]
0_0 What you have books to give away. WTF man[/quote]
You’re welcome to them also. You’ll just have come get them…
P.S. I work for the Publishing company in our area and probably have 200 books I’ve yet to even touch. You’re more than welcome to your pick of the lot. My wife wants to get rid of a lot of them anyway. [/quote]
0_0 What you have books to give away. WTF man[/quote]
You’re welcome to them also. You’ll just have come get them…[/quote]
0_o thats it, I will get a job site up there just to get these books.
