Poll of the Day > What is your favorite book? What is the last book your read?

(+) Yeah! (+)

What are some good books you'd recommend?

Favourite is Island by Alduous Huxley

Been reading Coming of the Third Reich by Richard J Evans! Read "Look Me in The Eye" by John Elder Robinson before that.

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It's been a long time. Don't think I've enjoyed any book enough to consider it a favorite. I want to try and remember the last book I read though. Might have been catcher in the rye back in 10th grade.

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My favourite childhood book is "Henry's Awful Mistake"

Favourite recent book is Night Watch (Terry Pratchett)

Favourite series is Redwall, which I very much recommend

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Stephen Kings The Stand is my favorite

last one I read was Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince


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Favorite would be tough. I like the memory,sorrow, and thorn books (tad Williams). Best single book (not a series) was probably Faerie Tale by Raymond E Feist - more of a horror/fantasy novel.

I just finished The Secret Chapter by Genevieve Colman. The series is ok - nothing fantastic. Kind of a Fantasy/murder mystery.

FrozenBananas posted...

Stephen Kings The Stand is my favorite

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Right now reading Heinlein's the Pursuit of the Pankera, his alternate unpublished version of the Number of the Beast.

My favorite novel has always been 1984.

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Favorite is either It or Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

Been reading Les Mis on and off for years.

Last one I finished was maybe Will Save the Galaxy for Food

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Favorite book is probably Clive Barker's Theif of Always. It is a young adult book that my dad read to me when I was younger. It is still one of my favorite fables.

Currently reading the Lies of Locke Lamora which is actually becoming my current favorite book. It's so good.

I'm currently reading A Voyage to Arcturus, by David Lindsay. It's described as a "sort of acid-fueled Pilgrim's Progress". You can definitely see the influence this book had on C. S. Lewis' Space Trilogy. It's hard to say if it's science fiction, fantasy, or philosophy.

You can download a copy free from https://standardebooks.org/ebooks/david-lindsay/a-voyage-to-arcturus It's no longer under copyright in the US.

I'm also "reading" the Codex Seraphinianus, by Luigi Serafini. If you'd call it "reading", since the book is basically an alien encyclopedia and is written in an unknown language. But the pictures are interesting and often very bizarre.


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Finch by Jeff VanderMeer, it's part of the Ambergris series so I would read the other two first, I like them all.

He's the author who did Southern Reach trilogy, including Annihilation (which btw the movie was made before the trilogy was finished so they do not have the same ending). I also recommend that trilogy. I just really like this author. But the Ambergris series I like more and it's neat cause each book has different styles in that one.

Need a new book.

Might do The City & the City by China Miville next.

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Finished reading Phantom of the Opera yesterday. Currently reading Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King. I love The Count Of Monte Cristo.

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I've read most the books listed so far! Keep the recommendations coming!

grimhilde00 posted...

I would probably say Finch by Jeff VanderMeer. He's my favorite author and that's my favorite book I've read of his so far. It's part of the Ambergris series so I would read the other two first, I like them all.

He's the author who did Southern Reach trilogy, including Annihilation (which btw the movie was made before the trilogy was finished so they do not have the same ending). I also recommend that trilogy. I just really like this author. But the Ambergris series I like more and it's neat cause each book has different styles in that one.

Need a new book.

Might do The City & the City by China Miville next.

We should talk books more some time. I fucking love Annihilation (and Southern Reach in general) and try getting everyone I know to read it. I haven't read any of VanderMeer's other work aside from Borne, but I've got all his work loaded up on my Kindle. Finch will be the next book of his I go for thanks to this post lol.

The City & the City is fantastic. It does a really good job of putting you in this bizarre world.

I read everything, but weird fiction is a particular favorite genre of mine.

kukukupo posted...

Favorite would be tough. I like the memory,sorrow, and thorn books (tad Williams). Best single book (not a series) was probably Faerie Tale by Raymond E Feist - more of a horror/fantasy novel.

I just finished The Secret Chapter by Genevieve Colman. The series is ok - nothing fantastic. Kind of a Fantasy/murder mystery.

I'm on the last book of Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn and while I like it, it's far from my favorite fantasy. I definitely appreciate its importance and impact it had on the genre though!

GunslingerGunsl posted...

Favorite book is probably Clive Barker's Theif of Always. It is a young adult book that my dad read to me when I was younger. It is still one of my favorite fables.

Currently reading the Lies of Locke Lamora which is actually becoming my current favorite book. It's so good.

I'm looking forward to getting to Lies of Locke Lamora in the future myself!

changes by jim butcher

i just finished yellow jessamine by caitlin starling the other day

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JigsawTDC posted...

Borne

That one was an odd premise lol, I did enjoy it though. He wrote a followup novella The Strange Bird, I have it but have yet to read it.

JigsawTDC posted...

Finch will be the next book of his I go for thanks to this post lol.

I would actually recommend reading it in order for the series! Otherwise you miss a lot of world setup. First is City of Saints and Madmen (how I found VanderMeer, randomly picking this off the shelf while on an island in Belize and was like "oh Ambergris, there's an Ambergris island here, sure that" lol). Second is Shriek: An Afterword. Third is Finch.

JigsawTDC posted...

I read everything, but weird fiction is a particular favorite genre of mine.

saaaame.

I own this and have read a few here and there but haven't nearly finished, it's pretty big. Good for a quick read though every now and then.
https://www.amazon.com/Weird-Compendium-Strange-Dark-Stories/dp/0765333627

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grimhilde00 posted...

That one was an odd premise lol, I did enjoy it though. He wrote a followup novella The Strange Bird, I have it but have yet to read it.

I would actually recommend reading it in order for the series! Otherwise you miss a lot of world setup. First is City of Saints and Madmen (how I found VanderMeer, randomly picking this off the shelf while on an island in Belize and was like "oh Ambergris, there's an Ambergris island here, sure that" lol). Second is Shriek: An Afterword. Third is Finch.

saaaame.

I own this and have read a few here and there but haven't nearly finished, it's pretty big. Good for a quick read though every now and then.
https://www.amazon.com/Weird-Compendium-Strange-Dark-Stories/dp/0765333627

Yeah, I enjoyed Borne for what it was, but it didn't hit me the same way Southern Reach did. Also, I have another sequel (prequel?) to Borne on my Kindle called Dead Astronauts! I know he has a new book coming out soon too called Hummingbird Salamander and that one is on my radar.

I totally glossed over where you recommended starting with the first two initially haha. Also, I think I knew this at some point and forgot, because I know I had been planning on City of Saints and Madmen as my next from him haha.

I'll definitely be checking out that collection! Thank you. Have you read any Thomas Ligotti? He's a bit more on the horror side of weird fiction, but he's one of my favorite authors. I found out about Jeff VanderMeer because he wrote an introduction to a collection of Ligotti's short stories.

JigsawTDC posted...

Thomas Ligotti? He's a bit more on the horror side of weird fiction

Ooh might look into this next, been itching for some horror

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JigsawTDC posted...

Yeah, I enjoyed Borne for what it was, but it didn't hit me the same way Southern Reach did.

Yeah I enjoyed it but it's not one I recommend lol

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Fierce_Deity_08 posted...

Eyes of the Dragon

Underrated

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Siddhartha

early retirement extreme

captpackrat posted...

I'm currently reading A Voyage to Arcturus, by David Lindsay. It's described as a "sort of acid-fueled Pilgrim's Progress". You can definitely see the influence this book had on C. S. Lewis' Space Trilogy. It's hard to say if it's science fiction, fantasy, or philosophy.

You can download a copy free from https://standardebooks.org/ebooks/david-lindsay/a-voyage-to-arcturus It's no longer under copyright in the US.

I'm also "reading" the Codex Seraphinianus, by Luigi Serafini. If you'd call it "reading", since the book is basically an alien encyclopedia and is written in an unknown language. But the pictures are interesting and often very bizarre.

What's weird is I can almost make out the letters, but it could be just paradolia.

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grimhilde00 posted...

Ooh might look into this next, been itching for some horror

In terms of horror he is my favorite author. His writing itself is pretty dark and bleak, and his stories are pretty unique for the most part. Teatro Grottesco was my first read from him, but there's a collection that combines Songs of a Dead Dreamer and Grimscribe that's also a good starting place (that's the one Jeff VanderMeer wrote the intro for). All of those are short story collections. He has a book I haven't read yet called The Conspiracy Against the Human Race that True Detective apparently partly plagiarized.

Metalsonic66 posted...

Underrated

Eyes of the Dragon is both my least favorite Stephen King book and my least favorite fantasy book. Not knocking anyone who likes it, but I can understand why it's not his most popular work.

JigsawTDC posted...

Eyes of the Dragon is both my least favorite Stephen King book and my least favorite fantasy book. Not knocking anyone who likes it, but I can understand why it's not his most popular work.

I liked it when I read it, but I am aware that it is almost universally hated by the Stephen King fandom.

Favorite? Swan Song by Robert McCammon

Currently Reading Stinger by Robert McCammon.

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GunslingerGunsl posted...

I liked it when I read it, but I am aware that it is almost universally hated by the Stephen King fandom.

Interesting

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bump

This book is getting intense. I'm realizing that I'm pretty attached to these characters. I'm looking forward to reading the next books in the series.

GunslingerGunsl posted...

This book is getting intense. I'm realizing that I'm pretty attached to these characters. I'm looking forward to reading the next books in the series.

When you're done you need to let me know if it's more standalone or if the series is continuous.

Think Harry Potter vs. Song of Ice and Fire. Each Harry Potter story, while having an overarching plot, is also a self-contained adventure that you can read on its own. A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones) on the other hand is telling a massive story and the break points in it are kind just different climaxes.

I am fine jumping in on another Harry Potter style series before it's finished. I am not fine jumping into another Song of Ice and Fire situation until it's finished though. You're my inside man. I could be reading Lies of Locke Lamora as soon as this summer if it's a self-contained adventure.

It has been about 20(?) years since I read Eyes of the Dragon. I remember it being ok, didn't realize it was disliked.

It is funny to see what gets a horrible reputation over the years. I used to think Zelda II was absolutely awesome back in the day and I still find it odd how it has become 'universally disliked'. (Same with Super Mario 2)

I really hope George RR Martin finishes A Song of Ice and Fire. I read the 2nd book in 2 days on the beach lol.

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Lokarin posted...

What's weird is I can almost make out the letters, but it could be just paradolia.

People have been trying for decades to make sense out of the writing, but the best anyone has been able to do is figure out the page numbers (which apparently use base-21)

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Favourite: Death of an Ancient King by Laurent Gaud

Last read: The Neverending Story by Michael Ende (Translated by Ralph Manheim)

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ReturnOfFa posted...

I really hope George RR Martin finishes A Song of Ice and Fire. I read the 2nd book in 2 days on the beach lol.

One of the few good things about the pandemic is he's actually been making steady progress this last year. He's posted a few updates to his blog on progress, which is more than he's given us in a while and I take that as a good sign. But he's old. I think we'll get book 6, but getting 7 and 8 seems more and more like a pipedream each day.

JigsawTDC posted...

When you're done you need to let me know if it's more standalone or if the series is continuous.

Think Harry Potter vs. Song of Ice and Fire. Each Harry Potter story, while having an overarching plot, is also a self-contained adventure that you can read on its own. A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones) on the other hand is telling a massive story and the break points in it are kind just different climaxes.

I am fine jumping in on another Harry Potter style series before it's finished. I am not fine jumping into another Song of Ice and Fire situation until it's finished though. You're my inside man. I could be reading Lies of Locke Lamora as soon as this summer if it's a self-contained adventure.

I will let you know. It's funny you mention both of those series though because I was making comparisons to both of them in my head today. I quickly grew invested in the characters like I remember doing with Harry Potter. There are even a set of twins that remind me of George and Fred. The story so far has seemed contained enough, but is definitely doing some world building that can lead up to an overarching story. It's just written in such a clever way that I already want more even though I'm not even done. It can be as brutal as game of thrones is at times too. There are a few parts where I was just like "oh my God, that is horrible," or just kept thinking "no no no no no!" and was literally cringing as I read. I had to force myself to put the book down right now because I have to get ready to do some work. Lol

Edit: to clarify, I haven't read the song of ice and fire series yet but I plan to. I'm just making a comparison with the show.

kukukupo posted...

It has been about 20(?) years since I read Eyes of the Dragon. I remember it being ok, didn't realize it was disliked.

It is funny to see what gets a horrible reputation over the years. I used to think Zelda II was absolutely awesome back in the day and I still find it odd how it has become 'universally disliked'. (Same with Super Mario 2)

I think it might be a bit of people comparing it too critically to his other works. It's a bit unfair. I don't think a book always needs to be the best thing I've ever read for me to enjoy reading it.

oh shit I totally forgot about our book club.

Sorry Ent. I promise I will send you a message with my thoughts when I do read it!

The last few books that I have read were:

Right Ho, Jeeves, by P.G. Wodehouse
Weeds of the Great Plains, by James L. Stubbendieck
Ember's End (The Green Ember #4), by S.D. Smith
Aquarius: The Water Bearer (Written in the Stars #3), by Phil Geusz
The Magical Adventures of Phoebe and Her Unicorn, by Dana Simpson
Tobin's Spirit Guide, by Erik Burnham
City, by Clifford D. Simak
Little Birds, by Anas Nin
The Crack in Space, by Philip K. Dick
Trans Wizard Harriet Porber and the Bad Boy Parasaurolophus, by Chuck Tingle

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Favourite:

The World as Will and Representation by Arthur Schopenhauer

Recently Read:

Nihilism: The Emptiness of the Machine (Philosophy)
Byron: Life and Legend (Biography)
Leonardo's Brain (Biography/Psychology)
To Define True Madness (Psychology)
Leonardo: The First Scientist (Biography)
On Suicide (Philosophy)
Vedanta for Modern Man (Religion)
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I don't really have a favorite book. I read one, it's on to the next. I may strike up a convo with a fellow reader about something I've read recently, but it's not like I'm an evangelist for any particular book.

Last book I finished was "Stranger in a Strange Land" by Heinlein. Great story, but a really unsatisfying ending, which is surprisingly common with the sci fi greats imo. Great stories with terrible endings...and so many near future scifi tales age poorly.

Currently reading Direct Action: an Ethnography by David Graeber. Flipping back and forth between that and Ken Gross' biography of Ross Perot.

I can't wait for the weather to warm up a bit so I can get back to slinging a hammock in a random wooded area and sling up my hammock to read on my days off.

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So I finished the book. I'd highly recommend it and after finishing it, I'd say it is great as a stand alone read. Go for it TDC.

Stranger in a Strange Land is a great. I still have some major Heinlein books and stories to read, but so far that one has been my favorite of his. I don't think I had ever noticed the word before, but after reading it, I started noticing people using "grok" in various discussion forums.

GunslingerGunsl posted...

So I finished the book. I'd highly recommend it and after finishing it, I'd say it is great as a stand alone read. Go for it TDC.

I will bump it up in my stack! It won't be the next book I read, but I'll get around to it sooner now.

JigsawTDC posted...

Stranger in a Strange Land is a great. I still have some major Heinlein books and stories to read, but so far that one has been my favorite of his. I don't think I had ever noticed the word before, but after reading it, I started noticing people using "grok" in various discussion forums.

I will bump it up in my stack! It won't be the next book I read, but I'll get around to it sooner now.

kinda bolsters my point about great story, bad ending. Love the story, hate the ending. "Grok" and "waiting for fulness" is iconic in the same way Orwellian Doublespeak is. I'd been using "Grok" in speech since a decade prior to reading the text it came from just because it infiltrated geek spheres.

it doesn't change the fact that i find the last 5th of SiaSL weak AF. a terribly unsatisfying ending to a great work. like Jester in Asimov's Empire. The last act of Lucifer's Hammer, the end of the second book and the entire third book of Ringworld...

sci fi always disappoints me, even from titans like Clarke, Asimov, Niven...i can get past badly aged tech like "holotapes", but the actual writing always seems to fall apart at the end of a story when its a novel.

like they all wrote incredible short stories, and the short story ending is fine for a short story...but a short story ending on the end of a novel is just ugly.

for some reason, fantasy authors don't always seem to fall into the same predictable rut.

for a great, modern story i highly recommend Joe Abercrombie's First Law trilogy and its related works. I really think our kids and grandkids might View Logen Ninefingers the same way we see Frodo and Bilbo now.

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I don't read books. Last stuff I read was Harry Potter and I didn't even read the 7th one. I read mangas though. Best one is probably JoJo's.

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It is too hard to pick a favorite. I do have some that I read as a teenager that has stayed with me. If I were to read them as an adult for the first time I bet they wouldn't have the same impact. They are all fantasy novels. Anyway the ones I think of right off the top of my head are The Book of the Dun Cow, and it's sequel by Walter Wangerin, The Prince of the Morning Bells by Nancy Kress, Sabriel, and the sequels by Garth Nix, The Orphan and its sequels by Robert Stallman.

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Can't really pick a favorite. When I was younger it'd been "The Black Cauldron" by Lloyd Alexander. However, while I still like that book I don't think it really stands out for me anymore.

Currently going through "Ship of Magic" by Robin Hobb. I finished the Farseer Trilogy a couple years ago and decided to continue with the overarching Elderling series.

The last book I finished was "The Stone Sky" which is the last in N.K. Jemisin's Broken Earth Trilogy. The overall world was very interesting and unique. I also thought the first book had a really cool concept to it, but overall I can't really say I'd recommend the series. Gonna try her Hundred Thousand Kingdoms series eventually though.

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Interesting. I thought Broken Earth was fantastic from beginning to end and would highly recommend it to anyone. We need more unique fantasy worlds that aren't reliant on Tolkienesque tropes.

Neil Gaimen's Neverwhere and Good Omens are also fantastic. I'm about to go to Barnes and Nobles to pick up a book or two. Might get annihilation based on this topic. I need something a little different.

JigsawTDC posted...

Interesting. I thought Broken Earth was fantastic from beginning to end and would highly recommend it to anyone. We need more unique fantasy worlds that aren't reliant on Tolkienesque tropes.

I enjoyed the books well enough. They just didn't leave much of an impression on me other than the first book and the world itself. Its like the Farseer trilogy for me, I liked the books and think the author is a great writer but they just kind of fell short to me.

I'm having the same problem with "Ship of Magic" as well. Robin Hobb's writing is good and there's been some great moments, but I'm not feeling as engaged with the story like with other things I've read.

In all of these cases its the narrative not catching my interest enough. The world, characters, magic systems, and prose are good, but the narrative isn't really my thing.

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