The Best Book That You Have Ever Read ?

[Randochap]

Peter Matthiessen's At Play in the Fields of the Lord.

A story ahead of its time ... timeless in fact. Read it.

 

[raindog]

Tortilla Flat - John Steinbeck

 

[WelshYiddo]

Urban Grimshaw and the Shed Crew by Bernard Hare

 

[Fnaar]

My fave book ever is "Dubliners" by James Joyce. It has everything I want from a book (of short stories, in this case). It isn't challenging, like some of his other works (Ulysses, etc, which no, I've never finished) and it is an excellent snapshot of Dublin life in the early 20th century. I first read it for A level English Lit in about 1980, and I was fascinated by the idea of the epiphanic moment (a moment of deep insight into something). I've probably read it about 12 times all told, including twice in Spanish translation (brag brag aren't I clever )
Just writing about it here and now makes me want to get it off the shelf and read it again.
There's a bit of a connection too (I can identify with certain of the characters in the book) and also my Dad was a Dublin city-centre boy (lived in Chancery Street, if anyone knows it) before coming to UK in the 1950s (although he was born 12 yrs after the book was first published) and I know a lot of the places quite well.

 

[Flying_Monkey]

Peter Matthiessen's At Play in the Fields of the Lord.

He's the greatest living American writer IMHO. Read Shadow Country. I think it's finally the 'great American novel'...

 

[mangaman]

My fave book ever is "Dubliners" by James Joyce. It has everything I want from a book (of short stories, in this case). It isn't challenging, like some of his other works (Ulysses, etc, which no, I've never finished) and it is an excellent snapshot of Dublin life in the early 20th century. I first read it for A level English Lit in about 1980, and I was fascinated by the idea of the epiphanic moment (a moment of deep insight into something). I've probably read it about 12 times all told, including twice in Spanish translation (brag brag aren't I clever )
Just writing about it here and now makes me want to get it off the shelf and read it again.
There's a bit of a connection too (I can identify with certain of the characters in the book) and also my Dad was a Dublin city-centre boy (lived in Chancery Street, if anyone knows it) before coming to UK in the 1950s (although he was born 12 yrs after the book was first published) and I know a lot of the places quite well.

Good call Fnaar, I'd forgotten The Dubliners - one of my faves.

I can remember where I was when I read it (aged 18 - on holiday) which I often find is true of my reall favourite books.

The last story in particular "The Dead" is superb and very moving at the end

 

[gbb]

George Orwell, 1984
Ditto, Animal Farm
Tried several of his others (Keep the Aspidistra Flying etc...they just didnt do it for me at all )

Like Darkstar...Robert Ludlum, The Bourne Identity.

Just finished Anthony Beavors 'Stalingrad'...brilliant read.

Oh...and 'James and the Giant Peach'

 

[Bandini]

Tortilla Flat - John Steinbeck

One of my favourite 'feel good' books. Cannery Row is similar, and also very good.

 

[Flying_Monkey]

I missed something
(how could I? its reading has become ritual)
Hemmingway
A Moveable Feast
Paris! (of course)
and the girl with the hair like a raven's wing
in that good cafe
writing out the rain.

 

[GilesM]

Although I'm not sure if it was the best book I've ever read, it was definately the one that stuck in my mind the longest, A perfect execution by Tim Binding.

I finsihed Callenbech's Ecotopia the other day, that was interesting.

 

[ChrisKH]

If nothing else this thread has given me the perfect shopping list for the library. I hate not knowing about a book that I haven't read. I'll let you know how I get on in about ten years.

 

[Flying_Monkey]

I finsihed Callenbech's Ecotopia the other day, that was interesting.

Ah! Ecotopia...
I've visited so many times, but when I tried to stay
It slipped into the hazy future,
or the lonely past? Which one I couldn't say.
And now we seem to meet
Another traveller on that same road west,
Now tell us, pilgrim - was it for the best?

 

[jimboalee]

My ex Wife's favourite read.

 

[Dave Davenport]

Novel:
Sapphire by Katie Price

Non Fiction:
Torn between; Being Jordan by Katie Price & the March 2008 issue of Heat Magazine

 

[Greedo]

I've read hundereds of good books and couldn't pick a favourite.

There is one in my heart that has never be beaten though for the sheer excitement, wonderment and a fuelling of my imagination quite as much when I was about 10 and read Danny Champion of The World by Roald Dhal.