favorite books - top 3

G

guest3

Guest
1.The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter
by Carson McCullers
Fiction: Wonderfully attuned to the spiritual isolation that underlies the human condition, and with a deft sense for racial tensions in the South, McCullers spins a haunting, unforgettable story that gives voice to the rejected, the forgotten, and the mistreated.

2. Out of the Night That Covers Me

by Pat Cunningham Devoto
Ficiton:A powerful drama of prejudice and lost innocence, indomitable courage, and the secret corners of a child's heart.

3. The Honk and Holler Opening Soon
by Billie Letts
Fiction: A sunny look at the dark side, as a poster group Vietnam vet, an Asian immigrant, a Native American, and an African- American widow serendipitously find happiness at an Oklahoma diner.
 

Steely

Active Member
I will post mine soon. Iana, can you also put in a brief description about what the book is about, like fiction, non fiction, sci-fi, etc. I will do the same when I post. Then hopefully we could have a thread that compiled the best of the reads out there.
 

meowbunny

New Member
Dante's Inferno
Poetry. I've always loved this book and re-read it about once a year.

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
Fiction. Another classic from high school. My credo comes from this book, "I swear that I will live for no man nor have one live for mine."

Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein
Sci-Fi. I've always loved this book and, oddly, it helps me see my daughter as a stranger in herself.

I do have contemporary favorite authors and stories, but these are the books that are my comfort food.
 

skeeter

New Member
The Hobbit and Lord of the Ring trilogy - H.R.R. Tolkein
fiction - first read them back in the 70's and have reread them numerous times, including before seeing each movie.

Childhood's End - Arthur C. Clarke
Science Fiction - first read this book as a senior in high school. I've read most of this author's books since then, but still think this is his best.

The Stand - Stephen King
Horror Fiction - while I've been disappointed in most this author has written lately, this book was incredibly good. Great character development, and actually somewhat believable.

I have many favorite authors besides the above mentioned, including Isaac Asimov, Clive Cussler and John Jakes. But if I was stranded on a desert island, I could survive with the above three books (I know, the first is more than 3, but you can find them all in the same book!)
 

DDD

Well-Known Member
Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
Wonderful civil war epic. I love that genre. Andersonville is
still a favorite.

The Clan of the Cave Bear - Jean Auel
First of wonderful series in historical sequence. This book is
the tale of an orphan child raised by a Neanderthal Clan. The
2nd book, written when she is a young girl includes her intro to
sex. Geez, we should have all been so lucky! LOL

The Winds of War by Herman Wock
A fasinating WWII epic that is the first in a series also.

These are three of my favorites. I love to read and could make a
list of at least fifty favorites! DDD
 

Fran

Former desparate mom
I really loved "The Stand" by Stephen King was really good.
"Atlas Shrugged" was surprisingly good too.

"This Much I Know Is True"by Wally Lamb was one of my favorites.
 

envisablepuppet

New Member


Nineteen MinutesBy:Jodi Picoult

Fiction. This book was sad. It was about a boy that took a gun to school and killed several students and at least one teacher. It tells about the boys feelings and what lead up to why he did what he did and the impact it had on all involved. It was an excellent book.

The Wheel of Time Seriesby:Robert Jordan

Fiction. You'd have to google it to get the best idea of what these books contain. I loved these books. I would recommend them for young ppl as well but there are some adult content that would be very inappropriate for young people.

The Talisman By:Stephen King, Peter Straub

Fiction. Read this years ago and loved it. There is also one called Black House that is fairly new that a spin off of The Talisman. It wasnt as good but it was ok.

Most of my other favs have already been mentioned here like The Hobbit series, Clan of the Cave Bear and The Stand. Loved them all and still wondering if the Clan of the Cave Bear series is ever gonna get finished :frown:

Lea
 

Steely

Active Member
The problem is that I have SO many.....it is too hard to narrow them down. But these are some of my top 3.

Angela's Ashes
Frank McCourt
Awesome memoir about growing up in Ireland. Made into a movie, but the movie was pretty lame compared to the book, which is one of the best I have ever read.

I Know This Much is True
Wally Lamb
Amazing insight into mental illness by twin brothers. One of which is Schizophrenic, the other who is not.

The Scarlet Letter
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Just re-read this old favorite, and his message still holds true today - especially for us mom's of difficult children who can relate to being judged and ostracized because of our kids.
 

DDD

Well-Known Member
Geez, Nomad, I clearly remember James Deen in East of Eden. My
parents didn't even want me to go to that movie with my friends!
DDD
 

Marguerite

Active Member
OK, I saw someone else listed a series in the favourites, so I will do likewise:

"Discworld" series by Terry Pratchett.
Fantasy satire: a whole new genre on its own. Something for everyone, on every interest from Shakespeare to rock n' roll to detective stories to philosophy. Some wonderful characters such as the very elderly Cohen the Barbarian (aka "Ghenghiz" Cohen) and his Silver Horde (also all very elderly, including deaf old Mad Hamish in his wheelchair with scythes on the hubs); the tired, streetwise police commander Sam Vimes and his dragon-collecting wife; the three witches Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg and Magrat Garlick (whose parents couldn't spell); Rincewind, the failed wizard (spelt "wizzard" on his hat - he also cannot spell) who spends a lot of time running AWAY from anything potentially dangerous and Death, who rides a white horse called Binky.
It has been described as "Tolkien on acid".

"Brother Cadfael" series by Ellis Peters.
Medieval murder mystery set during the British civil war (King Stephen vs Empress Maud) between about 1135AD & 1145AD. Brother Cadfael is a Benedictine monk who in his earlier years fought in the Crusades and thereby learnt a lot about wounds and how to heal them. He now has charge of the monastery herb garden and the associated apothecary. Because of this he gets out and about the town of Shrewbury as a healer. Of Welsh birth he also acts as a translator when needed in dealings across the border from their abbey in Shrewsbury. Very accurate historically. Well-crafted tales. Also available as a made-for-TV series starring Derek Jacobi (who played the title role in "I, Claudius" back in the 70s).

And I'm sorry, I can't decide on a third. In fact, there are a lot of authors who would come in second - Anne McCaffrey, Isaac Asimov, Arthur C Clarke, Michael Crichton, Jeffery Deaver, Tom Sharpe, Harry Harrison, James Herriot.

Winter is heading your way in a few months. Stock up now.

Marg
 

Steely

Active Member
Thanks guys, I am printing this list off right now, so I can have some ideas for my next book. I appreciate all the helpful hints.
 

Genny

Worlds Best Nana
Dandelion Wine, Ray Bradbury
The writing is so lyrical, you feel like you're there, a kid again, free for the summer.
"World-renowned fantasist Ray Bradbury has on several occasions stepped outside the arenas of horror, fantasy, and science fiction. An unabashed romantic, his first novel in 1957 was basically a love letter to his childhood."

The Red Pony , John Steinbeck
Wonderful writing. The story makes me bawl every time.
""The Red Pony" is a group of four interconnected stories: "The Gift," "The Great Mountains," "The Promise," and "The Leader of the People." Each story focuses on Jody Tiflin, a 10-year old boy growing up on a ranch on the west coast of the United States."

The Garden of Eden, Ernest Hemingway
Can't explain wy I like this one so much. Again, the writing is just phenomenal. "The Garden of Eden is about a young American couple in Europe on an extended honeymoon."
 

Pam R

New Member
Oh, Man, just 3? :smile:

Well, first to come to mind is:

The Chestry Oak by Kate Seredy


The Narnia Chronicles by C. S. Lewis


The Fountainhead or Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand

But also in there:

James Herriot

James Michener

Will James

E. B. White

and dozens more. I went by how often they had been read. I've had to have read the Narnia Chronicles 30+X since I received them in my teens. I have all the Herriot books and I think all the Michener. I have few of Will James as he's been out of print for a long time and I seldom come across his books.

I'll probably think of 6 others I had forgotten as soon as I hit send. :hammer:

Pam R.
 
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