What Is Your Favourite Book?

[Scurlogg_Hawkk]

Everything that goes by the name of Sir Arthur (Ignatius) Conan Doyle.
Dragons of Autumn Twilight by y Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman.
The whole Sten Saga/The Sten Chronicles/ by Chris Bunch and Allan Cole .

[luckiest_strike]

American Gods by Neil Gaiman

[Shellhead]

I really despise some of the books mentioned in this thread. I wish people would take the time to explain what they love about their favorite books, it might make me willing to give them a second chance.

My favorite book is The Sign of the Unicorn, by Roger Zelazny. It doesn't work as a standalone book, because it's from the middle of a series of five books. But I love The Sign of the Unicorn because Zelazny writes about really cool ideas with the fewest words possible. In this particular story, there is a murder mystery, and the prime suspects are members of a machiavellian family of dimension-traveling demi-gods. Zelazny excelled at writing intelligent and devious characters, and he was also great at expressing the casual cynicism of characters that have been alive for centuries. The cosmology of the setting is complex but extremely imaginative, and there is an entire chapter dedicated to a side adventure by my favorite supporting character from that series.

[dupersuper]

I really despise some of the books mentioned in this thread.

Which ones?

[Shellhead]

Which ones?

On the Road, by Jack Kerouac, for example. I read the whole book, waiting for it to get good. But the whole thing was a sham, more of a typing exercise than any sort of decent writing. It's possible that Kerouac and his friends had some interesting experiences, but on the page, it comes across an empty, joyless listing of activities devoid of any personality or ideas. Some people have mentioned On the Road as a favorite book in this thread, and I would be interested in hearing why, because then I might give it another try to see what I missed in the first read. Without any explanation of our favorites, this becomes one of those threads where nobody really reads what anybody posted because it's pointless.

[Gaus3000]

The White Company by Arthur Conan Doyle

[carla2013]

Pride and Prejudice - yes, I love romantic books! :D

[airdreams]

Laterna Magica by Ingmar Bergman.

[Addams]

Lot of books, about so many different subjects, universe and people. Some very forgettable, some awful, some good, some great.

But if i really must pick just one then it's the lord of the rings. I first read it when i was 11 and something like 20 years later now i'm still a huge fan and i re-read it at least once every year/2 years.

The poetry, the themes, the universe and all the history behind it, so many interesting and good stuff.

Frodo lives.

[Shaiiria]

Going Postal, Terry Pratchett.

And i'm not even a big Pratchett fan but i just love that book. The cider house rules by john Irving is one of my all time favorite too.

One of those two.

Wow! I just saw "Going Postal" at the store today, the author's name seemed familiar so I bought it :P

[ElectraAlan]

"Bleak House" by Dickens. The only novel that has made me both laugh out loud, and cry. Some books have done one or the other; "Bleak House" did both. The first page and a half is my favorite descriptive passage in any book, ever.

[berk]

"Bleak House" by Dickens. The only novel that has made me both laugh out loud, and cry. Some books have done one or the other; "Bleak House" did both. The first page and a half is my favorite descriptive passage in any book, ever.

I just read this a few months ago - or re-read, actually, but it had been so many years that I barely remembered anything about it beyond the general atmosphere and a few of the characters: all the twists and turns of the plot were, if not exactly surprises (my memory started coming back a bit once I was into it), still as intense and as satisfying as they'd been on my first read 30+ years ago.

My favourite Dickens is probably still the first one I read, Nicholas Nickleby - it was just such a shock, how fantastically engrossing the story was. Next one for me will be Little Dorritt, once I get hold of a copy - was sure I had one already, but cant find it anywhere, if I did.

[ElectraAlan]

I just read this a few months ago - or re-read, actually, but it had been so many years that I barely remembered anything about it beyond the general atmosphere and a few of the characters: all the twists and turns of the plot were, if not exactly surprises (my memory started coming back a bit once I was into it), still as intense and as satisfying as they'd been on my first read 30+ years ago.

My favourite Dickens is probably still the first one I read, Nicholas Nickleby - it was just such a shock, how fantastically engrossing the story was. Next one for me will be Little Dorritt, once I get hold of a copy - was sure I had one already, but cant find it anywhere, if I did.

I haven't read Nickleby, yet. I hope you enjoy Little Dorrit. The Masterpiece Theatre version of Dorrit was awesome. Another of my favorites was his last completed novel, Our Mutual Friend, particularly if you're a mystery reader. A couple of very good, entertaining, eccentric characters in that one. I also loved The Pickwick Papers, which had a much lighter tone and was nearly 100% humor.

Here's a very charming and interesting exegesis of Great Expectations, done by students. Spoiler free!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEuxP5QQ2GA

[T Hedge Coke]

I kinda hate to pick favorites, but I started reading Finnegans Wake again and it's the funniest, saddest, goofiest, smartest, most epic book. I love how it shifts gears absurdly fast.

The only book I can think of not by Flann O'Brien that makes me laugh at least once a page. And while it's making me laugh, when it gets rough, I'm simultaneously chuckling and fighting back that oh god that's sad feeling. Big in scope as hell and heaven, and seven other places, too. The universe under the microscope (with puns).

[Cold Water]

The Little Prince.