Favorite Book of All-Time?

Anna Karinna

Gone with the Wind

Cat's cradle

Lonesome dove

Moby Dick

Flatland

Haha, sorry. I've been drinking. A lot. It is Saturday night.

Why would anyone torture themselves "reading" this mess of a book? The book has very few die-hard fans, but not too many.Some David F. Wallace comments and statement about his "masterpiece."He claimed that he needed some way to disrupt the linearity of the text short of making it unreadable.“I saw my relationship with the reader as a sort of sexual one."“It comes out of technical philosophy and continental European theory, and extreme avante-garde sh_t.”

jjjjjjjj wrote: Wallace, Infinite Jest

Bump to revive a good thread! This was one of the better reading/book threads I have seen, though there have been many.

I will throw in anything by Don DeLillo, specifically Underworld. The scope of that book just astounds me. I think it might be time for a re-reading. DeLillo just has such an amazing way of criticizing and deconstructing language and systems.

Come on here, folks! Let's get this thing rolling again!

readNrun wrote:

Non-Running Division: A Separate Peace by John Knowles.

Read "A Separate Peace" many years ago in college and thought it was terrific. Really hit home for me at the time since I was of an approximate age. Would highly recommend for late HS or college age person.

Infinite Jester wrote:

Why would anyone torture themselves "reading" this mess of a book? The book has very few die-hard fans, but not too many.

Some David F. Wallace comments and statement about his "masterpiece."

He claimed that he needed some way to disrupt the linearity of the text short of making it unreadable.

“I saw my relationship with the reader as a sort of sexual one."

“It comes out of technical philosophy and continental European theory, and extreme avante-garde sh_t.”

jjjjjjjj wrote: Wallace, Infinite Jest

I disagree completely - this is one of the best books I have ever read. It is completely accessible, not obscure at all, not unreadable at all. it has clear storylines, something like a plot, and utterly new content.

I call bs on a lot of books - for ex I think all faulkner and Ulysses are hugely overrated. IJ is not like that. it is almost traditional. even though it feels completely fresh and new.

Milo Minderbender wrote:

Catch-22

I go back and read it every few years. Throughout the book it has me going back and forth between laughing out loud and depression (sometimes its just an odd mix of the two) as it weaves humor with tragedy.

It questions and comments on war, the military, religion, capitalism, and over the 2 decades that I've read and re-read it, always seems to be relevant. It was published over 50 years ago, and I'm sure will hold up at least 50 more.

This. I've never enjoyed a book as much as Catch-22 and I've never read a book that has affected me as much as Catch-22. It's so funny, so poignant, and such a brilliant commentary on war and morality.

Any Harry Crews fans on here? I think A Feast of Snakes is the best book no one has heard of.

books wrote:

Either Finnegan's Wake or the hunger games. Both very enjoyable reads. Seriously, it's the grapes of wrath

I know this is probably a joke, but no one likes Finnegan's Wake. Barely anyone can even read it.

As for my list (in no specific order):

The Count of Monte Cristo - Dumas

Midaq Alley - Mahfouz

Ender's Game - OSC (Don't like the guy, but I could not put this book down)

and anything by Salman Rushdie

Everybody Poops

Man, I LOVED Slaughter House 5, but could not stand BNW. Only made it half way thru.

Josh Hamilton's Addiction wrote:

Can only narrow it down to a top-3.

Slaughterhouse Five

Brave New World

Blood Meridian

Tom Hagen wrote:

Keepin it Real wrote:

The Godfather (1969) - Mario Puzo

If you like Puzo, try his earlier books.

When Puzo was younger, he tried to write the great American novel. He crafted Dark Arena and The Fortunate Pilgrim before he decided to just stick to page turners. Dark Arena is....dark, but The Fortunate Pilgrim is so very tightly written that each rereading reveals a little more of his ability as a novelist.

The storylines of Puzo's earlier works weren't as engrossing as The Godfather, but that famous story was written to sell books, not to win literary awards. At that, it was very successful.

I heard the same, that his earlier books were critically acclaimed but only sold a few thousand copies. He had a family to support so he gave up and wrote something that might sell better. He finished it and went on vacation with his family and expected a major rewrite request from his editor upon his return. Instead, they said they loved it as-is and the rest is history.

Probably my favorite book, though it was too obvious that Paulie and Carlo set up the Godfather and Sonny and the side story about female plumbing was bizarre.

Asimov's "Foundation Trilogy"

The Water Method Man

- John Irving

This is an impressively well read bunch.

Mishima “The Sound of Waves”

Forster “Howard’s End”

Garcia Marquez “100 Years of Solitude”

Rushdie “Midnight’s Children”

and my very, very dog-eared Neruda’s “Captain’s Verses”

The Dice Man is the greatest book ever written.

Catch-22 probably the best of the rest.

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