Really rather good books

[Keef]

I know we have the what is ed reading thread, but in response to the awful books thread, I thought I'd start this for all time faves.

Hobbit & Lord of the rings has been mentioned in the awful books thread, and it reminded me of my all time favourite in that genre, Magician by Raymond E Fiest. It's great as a stand alone, or as the start of a series. The first few books that followed were also good, although now the books are very repetative (although I still enjoy them).

[jumpinjackflash]

The BGF - Roald Dahl. in fact anything by Roald.

sorry meant BFG!!

[Jah Lush]

Oh God! I could be here all day with this one. Anyway, here's a few.

The Master & Margarita - Mikhail Bulgakov.

The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter - Carson McCullers

A Confederacy Of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole

A Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgess

Saturday Night And Sunday Morning - Alan Silitoe

Fear & Loathing In Las Vegas - Hunter S Thompson

Hangover Square - Patrick Hamilton

To Kill A Mockingbird - Harper Lee

The Magus - John Fowles

The Strange Life Of Ivan Osokin - P D Ouspensky

The Scarlet & Black - Stendhal

Diary Of Madman and other stories - Nikolai Gogol.

[Brendan]

Read, Get Your Cock Out by Mark Manning (a.k.a. Zodiac Mindwarp of Zodiac Mindwarp and the Love Reaction). It will change your life.

Well it will fuck you sense of humor up at any rate.

[Jah Lush]

I did read Bad Wisdom - The Lighthouse At The Top Of The World by Bill Drummond and Mark Manning Brendan which was hilariously bonkers and talking of which and is a very good read is 45 by Bill Drummond, he of the KLF Foundation.

[Jah Lush]

Just been reminded of George Orwell on the other thread and two of my favourites of his our Down And Out In Paris and London and Homage To Catalonia.

[mockney piers]

Despite hating almost every single word of London Orbital, I loved W.G Sebald's Rings of Saturn which ostensibly treads (no pun intended) similar psychogeographic ramblings territory. However I just found it interesting, enlightening and far far far less self indulgent.

[JimmyD]

Jack Reacher - men want to be him, women want to be with him

[SCSB79]

The Da Vinci Code

[SimonM]

Best book I ever read - and re-read many times - by a mile is/was Catch 22

[Jah Lush]

SCSB79 Wrote:

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> The Da Vinci Code

You're being ironic right?

[clare]

Confederacy of Dunces- John Kennedy Toole

Barnaby Rudge- Charles Dickens

[mightyroar]

the secret history by Donna Tartt

The Poisonwood bible by Barbara Kingsolver

The Road by Cormac Macarthy

[ChavWivaLawDegree]

i remember a mad psychological thriller called when the mermaid sings by some McCormack guy. Haunted me for ages.

My favourite book recently tho was alcohol's a gas about turning grass clippings and stuff into fuel but all in a lovely organic and holistic way!

[sanity girl]

The Count of Montecristo - Dumas

[dukesdenver]

The Lymond Chronicles by Dorothy Dunnett (six books really but you can't split 'em).

[snorky]

1984

Barrel fever by David Sedaris

Early Spike Milligan

[mockney piers]

Secret History, good call. Very silly, but great fun and well written

[HonaloochieB]

Brendan Wrote:

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> Read, Get Your Cock Out by Mark Manning (a.k.a.

> Zodiac Mindwarp of Zodiac Mindwarp and the Love

> Reaction). It will change your life.

>

> Well it will @#$%& you sense of humor up at any

> rate.

And Fucked By Rock, by the same, will leave you wanting to wash every time you put it down, only after you feel clean, drawing you back to its depravity.

[Brendan]

Well hellfire and buggery! there is someone else posting at stupidIjustbackfromthepubo clock this calls for some rock n roll

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=pC2AvbL5rCg

[SimonM]

>>i remember a mad psychological thriller called when the mermaid sings by some McCormack guy. Haunted me for ages. <<

I think you mean "The Mermaids Singing" by Val McDermid. She (sic) is a terrific crime/thriller writer...:)

[ChavWivaLawDegree]

Yeh that's the one.

Brilliant book.

[Sue]

His Dark Materials trilogy - Philip Pullman.

All three.

[SteveT]

An inspector calls, Angel Pavement, The Good Companions, JB Priestley

There is a happy land, Billy Liar, Keith Waterhouse

I Claudius, Claudius the god, Robert Graves

Shoes were for Sunday, Molly Weir

The big sleep, To Have and have not, Quay Largo, Raymond Chandler

Kim, The jungle book, Rudyard Kipling

Child of the Jago,

The worm forgives the plough,

[EDOldie]

SimonM Wrote:

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> Best book I ever read - and re-read many times -

> by a mile is/was Catch 22

I got a bit obsessed with Joseph Heller after Catch 22, it was one of those books and I was only 16. But, Something Happened, his second novel, was just wonderful. (Sneaks off to bookshelves to see if it's still there). Also Anthony Burgess, famous for A Clockwork Orange wrote a book called Earthly Powers, read the opening page for the best start to any novel.