Best Books Ever

[Cold Warrior]

If we're doing primarily fiction, here's mine:

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald - American rendition of the Aussie/Brit concept of "the tall poppy syndrome"

The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway - The joys and sorrows of manhood as exemplified in Jake Barnes who has lost his in WWI

Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald - Love, sacrifice, control, and eventual loss. Everything you can say about the relationship between a man and a woman

On the Road by Jack Kerouac - Purest expression of post-WWII America and the beat generation with an exuberance for living and loving

The Razor's Edge by Somerset Maugham - The antithesis of the 30 year fixed, 2.1 kids in an SUV, Pleasant Valley Sunday set

[talleyJudy]

This isn't fiction, but a lovely, thought provoking biographical story none the less. Especially for us canine 'fans', you will look at you dog with new awareness.

Merle's door : lessons from a freethinking dog by Ted Kerasote

[IanMartins]

Atlas Shrugged, by Ayn Rand. The book that changed my life in so many ways.
http://www.atlasshrugged.com/

Ayn Rand’s masterpiece. It integrates the basic elements of an entire philosophy into a highly complex, yet dramatically compelling plot—set in a near-future U.S.A. whose economy is collapsing as a result of the mysterious disappearance of leading innovators and industrialists. The theme is: “the role of the mind in man’s existence—and, as corollary, the demonstration of a new moral philosophy: the morality of rational self-interest.”

[Nathan S.]

I have to admit I'm a HUGE sci-fi and fantasy fan. It helps to "escape" in this way every now and then. Top pick? Alastair Reynolds is a great noir, space-opera author. Great stuff.

Robert Jordan's epic "The Wheel of Time" series is a classic in the making for fantasy fans. Those are 'my classics'.:)

[DarkScribe]

Gee, mine are going to seem so trivial compared to most on here, but here goes (keep in mind, this is what I think as best, of course):

Pet Semetary by Stephen King -- the first book of his I'd read and still one of the most frightening things he's ever written.

Watchers by Dean Koontz -- I think this was the 2nd book of his I'd read but left such a huge impression on me. Man and super-smart dog versus mutant killer-thing. What could be better?

The Dark by James Herbert -- the opening scene in this book freaked me out...still does. The British equivalent to King and still writing novels.

Succubi by Edward Lee -- the opening scene in this book hooked me, it being so graphically different from anything I'd ever read in the horror genre. Been hooked by Lee ever since.

The Doc Ford novels by Randy Wayne White -- I grew up in southwest Florida where all his novels are set, especially around the Pine Island, Sanibel and Captiva areas. I breeze through his novels because they are fast, engaging reads, with well-developed characters and twisting plot threads. If they ever made movies from these books I always picture Harrison Ford as Doc Ford, for some reason.

[LogansPapa]

Who Goes There? (science fiction) by John W. Campbell, Jr :eek:

[FeebMaster]

Robert Jordan's epic "The Wheel of Time" series is a classic in the making for fantasy fans. Those are 'my classics'.:)

I just hope Brandon Sanderson doesn't butcher the last book. Which reminds me, I have to pick up some of his work to check out.


My picks:

Almost everything Heinlein ever wrote.

Any of Neal Stephenson's work. Especially Cryptonomicon and Snow Crash. Also The Diamond Age. I really liked the Baroque Cycle as well, but a lot of people seem to think it's too long and rather slow.

Symbols Flow, by George Potter.

Gates of Fire, by Steven Pressfield.

It's hard to come up with a list of bests. There's a lot of really great books out there.

[Ike]

One of my favorites is All We Need of Hell by Harry Crews. I love southern lit, and Crews is one of my favorites. I'm also a big fan of Larry Brown and Flannery O'Connor.

[Zafod]

As a kid, Bunnicula, The Celery Stalks at Midnight, etc. were my favorites.

Now, I tend towards sci-fi/fantasy, books like Armour, Ender's Game, and Starship Troopers are some of my favorites.

Enders Game and pretty much anything Card writes if F-ing awsome.

[DarkScribe]

Enders Game and pretty much anything Card writes if F-ing awsome.

One of my co-workers who is also a writer got picked to attend an invite-only week-long writer's workshop in San Diego by Card...of course he has to pay for air-fare and lodging, but still....pretty cool.