kidsmoke Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 I'm another huge fan of "A Prayer for Owen Meany" And two bobs, you know I love the stuff you've listed! Only somehow I've missed The Phantom Tollbooth, tho' I know my kids have read it. Need to read it myself. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
austrya Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 Were you my freshman year english teacher? Because that looks suspiciously like our reading list. You should see my reading list for the past 6 months. I've probably read about 30 books and probably 5 of them were written after 1900. I love classics. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Synthesizer Patel Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 the coral island - r. m. ballantyne (the greatest adventure book i've ever read. three boys on a coral island. pirates. natives. killing pigs. it's the basis for "lord of the flies" too)tortilla flat - john steinbeck (very funny. and, just like cannery row, it makes you wish you could be just a little like the characters that inhabit the story)if not now, when? - primo levi (a brilliant account of the realities of war on people - and how to survive in such times)the gambler - f. m. dostoevsky (one of his lighter books. very funny in parts. and has a great character - the grandmother. pulling apart the workings of high-society)before adam - jack london (written from the perspective of an ape. showing the evolution from ape to man) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sir Stewart Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 A Prayer For Owen Meany - John Irving (nice to see this one all over this thread!)Breakfast of Champions - Kurt VonnegutGulliver's Travels - Jonathan SwiftThe Catcher In The Rye - JD SalingerThe Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald There are so many honorable mentions, it sucks to leave out some great writers (Peter Guralnick, Paul Auster, Sam Shepard, David Sedaris, Tom Perotta) but there are no books I like enough to replace any of the above. They all made me "feel physically as if the top of my head were taken off." Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lammycat Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 tortilla flat - john steinbeck (very funny. and, just like cannery row, it makes you wish you could be just a little like the characters that inhabit the story)They really are companion books and I've probably read Tortilla Flat more times than Cannery Row. A toss up for me, really, between the two. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dondoboy Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 A Confederacy Of Dunces- J. Kennedy TooleCatcher in the Rye-SalingerOn the Road-KerouacThe Power of Myth-Joseph Campbell And for pure stupid fun: Hammer of the Gods The Led Zeppelin Saga-Richard Cole Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sir Stewart Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 And for pure stupid fun: Hammer of the Gods The Led Zeppelin Saga-Richard ColeDamn! I was considering that one too Quote Link to post Share on other sites
PopTodd Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 The Autobiography Of Malcolm X - Malcolm X/Alex HaleyHarpo Speaks! - Harpo Marx/Rowland Barber9 Stories - J.D. SalingerHaroun and the Sea of Stories - Salaman RushdieThe Tao Te ChingSlaughterhouse 5 - Kurt Vonnegut So, that's 6. So sue me! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
John Smith Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 Greatest books ever? Or the one Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RaspberryJam Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 In no particular order: Jitterbug Perfume: Tom RobbinsPoisonwood Bible: Barbara KingsolverMe Talk Pretty One Day: David SedarisTransister Radio: Chris Bohjalianand whatever I'm reading at any particular moment Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Moss Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 A Confederacy Of Dunces- J. Kennedy Toole I can't believe I left that off. The more I read these the more I want to change my original 5! I'm not sure it's possible to pick just 5. A Confederacy of Dunces is a must read for anybody. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sir Stewart Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 I can't believe I left that off. The more I read these the more I want to change my original 5! I'm not sure it's possible to pick just 5. A Confederacy of Dunces is a must read for anybody. Someday that will hit me the right way and I'll read it (tried twice). Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lammycat Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 Someday that will hit me the right way and I'll read it (tried twice).Precisely ditto on this post for me. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
myboyblue Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 in no order... JD Salinger - Catcher in the RyeJonathen Franzen - The CorrectionsDon Delillo - UnderworldGeorge Pelecanos - The Turnaround Elmore Leonard - Killshot Quote Link to post Share on other sites
PopTodd Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 RE:J.D. Salinger - 9 Stories "A Fine Day For Bananafish" is one of the most heartbreaking things that I have ever read. Kills me every time. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Atticus Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 1. Old Testament -- God2. New Testmant -- God the rest of you are going to burn Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sir Stewart Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 RE:J.D. Salinger - 9 Stories "A Fine Day For Bananafish" is one of the most heartbreaking things that I have ever read. Kills me every time. Yup. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Azzurri Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 1. All the King's Men - Robert Penn Warren2. The Sound and the Fury - William Faulkner3. Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck4. The Brothers Karamazov - Fydor Dostoevsky 5. The Road - Cormac McCarthy Quote Link to post Share on other sites
austrya Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 1. Old Testament -- God2. New Testmant -- God the rest of you are going to burn I've read the Old Testament and it's pretty entertaining. The Red Tent is on my list and that's about the story of Dinah from the book of Genesis. So I might not burn quite as bad as the rest. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
anthony Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 Jitterbug Perfume: Tom Robbins My goodness! How did I forget Robbins! I need to amend my list to include "Skinny Legs And All" as my number one pick. Best. Book. Ever. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lammycat Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dondoboy Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 1. Old Testament -- God2. New Testmant -- God the rest of you are going to burnThat guy is always on the best-sellers list Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sir Stewart Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 1. Old Testament -- God2. New Testmant -- God the rest of you are going to burn I think A Prayer For Owen Meany counts. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ponch1028 Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 The Divine Comedy - DanteThe Brothers Karamazov - DostoevskyPride and Prejudice - AustinWhere the Sidewalk Ends - SilversteinThe Hobbit - TolkienSlaughterhouse-Five - VonnegutThe Old Man and the Sea - HemingwayThe Adventures of Augie March - BellowOf Mice and Men - SteinbeckRabbit, Run - Updike Quote Link to post Share on other sites
NightOfJoy Posted February 6, 2009 Share Posted February 6, 2009 "Sometimes A Great Notion"-Kesey"Confederacy of Dunces"-Poole"Sirens of Titan"-Vonnegut"Moby Dick"-Melville"Icefishing Secrets Revealed, volume 3"-cant recall Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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