Favorite Novel?

[brain]

Again, another request for your help. What is your favorite novel? And why? If you are wondering why I have all these silly projects, it's because I'm taking a media class. The prof wants us to compare the thoughts of others to our own. Thanks in advance.

[Nija]

The Chronicles Trilogy by Margaert Weis and Tracy Hickman

It's actually 3 books but I read them as one, and it was by far my favorite fantasy book. It made me feel as though I intimately knew the characters and I could, easily, picture the surroundings and the events that took place. I felt that it was an exceptionally well written "book"

If I had to pick 1 book tho, I would have to say Stephen King's 'The Stand'. Very intresting read for me. I liked the attention to details, and the myriad of different people that were in the book. Too bad the movie made it overly religious.. but :shrug:

[CornMonkey]

[edit] bah, i thought you said FIRST novel.. my favorite is wuthering heights.

[gear02]

The Hobbit

[Kevster]

Geez... This is a tough question. I like many books - not just one.

Right now I'd have to say East of Eden by John Steinbeck.

As for short stories, I'd have to say To Build a Fire by Jack London is one right now that stands out in my mind.

[Hiro]

Ender's Game.

I enjoy it because it focuses on Military Strategy and Combat Theories.

It is a very good book, and it also gets into some intense theory and speculation.

[brain]

THanks for the replies, but could you also go into detail why these are your favorite novels?

[revil]

Rama II by Arthur C. Clarke, because it's got an excellent plot and is very descriptive without being over wordy. It's like a movie in your head :D. Hell, that whole series was pretty good.

that's as detailed as your gonna get.

[DankNstickY]

"the white boy shuffle" is good. i liked it. its a hip-hop novel by paul beatty (sp?). its super funny too, plus the writing is really good.

[Kevster]

Originally posted by Kevster
Geez... This is a tough question. I like many books - not just one.

Right now I'd have to say East of Eden by John Steinbeck.

As for short stories, I'd have to say To Build a Fire by Jack London is one right now that stands out in my mind.

As for why it is my favorite, there are many reasons:

1) John Steinbeck is one of my favorite authors.
2) I spent a lot of time during my summers growing up in the Monterey/Santa Cruz area visiting my Aunt. My Father took me all over the area and if you read East of Eden, it is both a biographical and fictional novel of the Salinas Valley.
3) Steinbeck has always been extremely descriptive in his novels, and East of Eden is one in which Steinbeck describes the Salinas Valley for you in detail: the sights, sounds, smells, and colors.
4) Steinbeck called this book “The big one as far as I'm concerned. Always before I held something back for later. Nothing is held back here.”. I can't agree more.

As for To Build a Fire (or a close second for me - The Big Two-Hearted River by Hemingway), it is one of London's great classics. Set in the Yukon, he describes in vivid detail the perils of why you should "never travel alone" in the North.

[DaFunkyUnit]

Off the top of my head, I would say Frankenstein. Explores life and death, relations between "father and son," and i just like gothic stuff.


:hehehmm:

[Blitz]

READ THE WHEEL OF TIME! Best series ever! Everyone who has read it agrees its better than the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings...there are 8?+ books out..(Jordan still writin a nother)

I picked it up from a friend one nite and couldn't put it down. I read the first book in two days (summer time) and 4 later within a month. I am on the sixth book......READ.. NOW!:bandit:

[Blitz]

oh yea..

a good translation of Dantes Inferno is good...creepy:eek:

[StonedWheat]

Catcher in the Rye, probably because I really empathize with holden caulfield.

[cactus]

Originally posted by Corsec
Ender's Game.

I enjoy it because it focuses on Military Strategy and Combat Theories.

It is a very good book, and it also gets into some intense theory and speculation.

For fantasy and science fiction, my #1 book is "Ender's Game". It's very easy to read and the story is intense and deep. The story took place in the future, about a boy genius saving the world by leading human star fleet against some aliens that look like giant bugs. The content of the story might be typical science fiction, but the way it's written, the ways many randomly irrelevant things were really related, makes this a book worth rereading and rereading again.

[oblongmelon]

The Life and Times of Mahatma Gandhi-well...because I am a big fan. Tis all about his rise from being a segregated barrister in South Africa to a world leader for peace and non-violence..

[Freelance Superhero]

Hermann Hesse's "Steppenwolf"

i'm a big fan of Hesse. he's very philosophical in general, but this book sorta takes apart the nature of existence and filters it through the experiences of one man. it's thoughtfully written, deep and intellectual at some points and colorful and poetic at others. and it's one of those books that you can read over and over again, and still find new things to marvel at. plus, it's sort of a hopeful story disguised as a gloomy one, which i think pretty much sums up my character too. ;)

[kimchicowboy]

i really enjoyed: galapagos, cat's cradle, and breakfast of champions. all by kurt vonnegut. just a real fun read. makes you think.

also, books by madeleine l'engle. more for children, but written very well and a more mature tone for children's books.

[Showtime]

Art of War-Strategy, gotta have strategy.
The Bible-If not for the religious stuff look for some wisdom here.
LoTR-It sheds light on WWII and the need for heroes. Nazi=Nazgul.
Kingdom Come(Graphic Novel)-All of our superheroes old and forgotten.
Frank Miller stuff-Good British writer:Batman-Robocop
Piers Anthony stuff-Fantasy, a little to flighty for me now but good for the young @ heart:Total Recall, Xanth.

Not all novels, but stuff I read and liked.

-jel:|

[eSDee]

Master of the Game - Sydney Sheldon. Helped me through puberty :blush:

[Tse How]

Originally posted by Blitz
READ THE WHEEL OF TIME! Best series ever! Everyone who has read it agrees its better than the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings...there are 8?+ books out..(Jordan still writin a nother)

I picked it up from a friend one nite and couldn't put it down. I read the first book in two days (summer time) and 4 later within a month. I am on the sixth book......READ.. NOW!:bandit:

Not my favorite, but pretty damn close. Why? Cause Blitz, after the sixth book (my favorite, other than the first), it goes downhill and FAST. It won't pick up until the 9th book which has a TREMENDOUS ending. 10th book is due out January 2003. I can't wait.

As for my favorite? The DARK TOWER SERIES by STEPHEN KING. Book 1 is THE GUNSLINGER. And you know what? Every book after that has been better than the one before. Now, THAT'S what makes books good.

[seqiro]

It would be impossible for me top pick a favorite novel because there are so many different styles and genres of books out there that I love for different reasons. However, one book that comes to mind as extraordinary is one that was leant to me by a friend that I knew nothing about before I read it: Neil Gaiman's American Gods.

This book is no light read. American Gods is a VERY deep and dark look at society, religion, the supernatural, and our perception of reality here in America and how these things are shaping this country. I don't want to go much farther than that because I don't want to spoil even a minor part of the plot for anyone who hasn't read it.

What makes this book so good? Superb multi-dimensional characters is probably the biggest reason. The characters are all real; embodiments of real emotions. These characters are all woven into a wonderful quilt of small stories that together illustrate the ongoing "war" between the dying traditions of the past and the new entities which are replacing them.

The writing style took a little adjusting to. Gaiman did not write overly detailed descriptions of the scenes which was at first disconcerting but after a little while very liberating. Instead of wasting a lot of space getting into what a room looked like, Gaiman's writing allowed the reader to feel what the characters were feeling in their environments and left the details to the imagination. Anyone who has read Dean Koontz (who can spend paragraphs on the glow of a street light) will come to appreciate this, I think.

This was a book that I just could not put down. It really makes you think and even though it is a "fantasy" novel, it is rooted in reality. I highly recommend it.

Paul

[Jeffbx]

Originally posted by Tse How

As for my favorite? The DARK TOWER SERIES by STEPHEN KING. Book 1 is THE GUNSLINGER. And you know what? Every book after that has been better than the one before. Now, THAT'S what makes books good.

:stupid:

Count me in on that one too... the Dark Tower series by Stephen King is the best work he's ever done. You're also absolutely right about each book being better than the previous one.

Why is it good? Well, the obvious reson is the tried & true struggle of good vs. evil - everyone likes to see the good guys win, right? But what makes these books great is the writing style. Stephen King is perhpas one of the best writers of the 20th century (but probably won't be recognized as such until after he's dead! :P ).

The way he writes actually brings you right into the story - you aren't just reading about something, you are experiencing it along with the characters in the book. He makes the writing much more natural and real by including details & sidelines that you don't normally see in most fiction. The good guy doesn't always win... everything doesn't always turn out right... the guy doesn't always get the girl. Some people don't read his work because of this (sure, because of the 'horror' genre he works in as well), but I think it adds such a level of realism that you can't put the book down.