Book List

[punkguitarist549]

Alright, so in order to increase my literary prowess, I decided to sit down and make a list of books that I think sound interesting. I've come up with a list of about 30, and am going to post it for anyone else to get ideas off of, or give me new ideas. Anyway, here it is:

Reading List

1. Daniel Defoe - Robinson Crusoe
2. Charles Dickens - Oliver Twist
3. Charles Dickens - Great Expectations
4. Alexandre Dumas - The Man In The Iron Mask
5. Scott F Fitzgeral - The Last Tycoon
6. E.M. Forster - Where Angels Fear To Tread
7. William Golding - Lord Of The Flies
8. Earnest Hemingway - A Farewell To Arms
9. Homer - The Illiad
10. Victor Hugo- Les Miserales
11. Ken Kensey - One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest
12. Rudyard Kipling - The Jungle Book
13. George Orwell - 1984
14. John Steinbeck - The Grapes Of Wrath
15. William Faulkner - The Sound and the Fury
16. William Faulkner - Light In August
17. William Faulkner - Absalom, Absalom!
18. William Faulkner - Requium For A Nun
19. David Cordingly - Under The Black Flag
20. Dashlell Hammelt - The Maltese Falcon
21. Tietam Brown
22. J.D. Salinger - The Catcher In The Rye
23. John Wyndham - The Chrysalids
24. Naked Lunch
25. Mark Danielwalski - House Of Leaves
26. Anthony Burges - A Clockwork Orange

If anyone thinks of new books, by all means post them!

[Zakath]

My eyes hurt just reading that list.

[AA-12]

Homer - The Odyssey

[thedeadwalk!]

Tietam Brown is by Mick Foley, and I'm stoked you're going to read it. I've never been more emotionally involved in a book than with this one. But be being so also about crippled me with its ending, which was overwhelmingly disappointing (yes, I realize how stupid it sounds to be so into a book). Check out his autobiography too, Have A Nice Day, it's funny as hell (his second one, Foley is Good, isn't as musch).

From your list, you seem to want to get in to the classics. A lot of them can be found here (http://www.time.com/time/2005/100books/the_complete_list.html) in TIME magazines 100 best English-language novels.

I'd also like to suggest, as long as you're interested in reading, Battle Royale (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/156931778X/qid=1148443479/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/002-6949676-7128030?s=books&v=glance&n=283155) (and the movie too if you want to get a taste without devoting so much time while reading others (it's 600+ pages)), Johnny Got His Gun (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0553274325/qid=1148443621/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/002-6949676-7128030?s=books&v=glance&n=283155), Ishmael (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0553375407/qid=1148443699/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/002-6949676-7128030?s=books&v=glance&n=283155), and Frankenstein (I don't think I need a link for this one).

[AA-12]

What is so bad about the ending?

[thedeadwalk!]

What is so bad about the ending?
Quote for the spoiler.

PS Are you going to post a new movie in the other thread, or what?

[AA-12]

You can post one.

[Kayetan]

Read East of Eden by John Steinbeck. It's quite the book.

[3rdplanet]

Lolita sounds interesting. I'm reading Catch-22 right now and it's pretty darn cool. I want to read Cold Comfort Farm but that'll probably come after Lolita, which will itself come after I've read Catch-22.

[Ducky_72]

We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver is a great book, i just finished reading it. Battle Royale by Koushun Takami is also fantastic.

[deadinholywood]

I would suggest;
Paradise Lost- John Milton (if you can handle the writing style, its not for everyone)
Fahrenheit 451- Ray Bradbury
Jennifer Government-Max Barry (which im reading at the moment which is quite an enjoyable read)

[punkguitarist549]

I would suggest;
Paradise Lost- John Milton (if you can handle the writing style, its not for everyone)
Fahrenheit 451- Ray Bradbury
Jennifer Government-Max Barry (which im reading at the moment which is quite an enjoyable read)

I've not read Jennifer Government, but I've played the game that he wrote, Nation-States. Quite enjoyable.

[Against Miik!]

Alright, so in order to increase my literary prowess, I decided to sit down and make a list of books that I think sound interesting. I've come up with a list of about 30, and am going to post it for anyone else to get ideas off of, or give me new ideas. Anyway, here it is:

Reading List

1. Daniel Defoe - Robinson Crusoe
2. Charles Dickens - Oliver Twist
3. Charles Dickens - Great Expectations
4. Alexandre Dumas - The Man In The Iron Mask
5. Scott F Fitzgeral - The Last Tycoon
6. E.M. Forster - Where Angels Fear To Tread
7. William Golding - Lord Of The Flies
8. Earnest Hemingway - A Farewell To Arms
9. Homer - The Illiad
10. Victor Hugo- Les Miserales
11. Ken Kensey - One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest
12. Rudyard Kipling - The Jungle Book
13. George Orwell - 1984
14. John Steinbeck - The Grapes Of Wrath
15. William Faulkner - The Sound and the Fury
16. William Faulkner - Light In August
17. William Faulkner - Absalom, Absalom!
18. William Faulkner - Requium For A Nun
19. David Cordingly - Under The Black Flag
20. Dashlell Hammelt - The Maltese Falcon
21. Tietam Brown
22. J.D. Salinger - The Catcher In The Rye
23. John Wyndham - The Chrysalids
24. Naked Lunch
25. Mark Danielwalski - House Of Leaves
26. Anthony Burges - A Clockwork Orange

If anyone thinks of new books, by all means post them!


I can say for a fact that the books in bold aren't very enjoyable reads, but thats just me. Also, A Clockwork Orange, although good, is very difficult to follow. At least thats what I heard.

[Pastorius]

I can say for a fact that the books in bold aren't very enjoyable reads, but thats just me. Also, A Clockwork Orange, although good, is very difficult to follow. At least thats what I heard.

MILK*

MILK* MILK* MILK* MILK*!

[Chrizzle fo' Shizzle]

Faulkner pisses me off


Equus by Peter Shaffer is one of the best things I've ever read. It's short, it's a play, and it's weird as hell

[tumples]

read magician by raymond feist, its still my favourite book
even if you arent into the whole medieval fantasy thing, youll love this book, it blows the rest of the genre out the water

[JonG]

I can say for a fact that the books in bold aren't very enjoyable reads, but thats just me. Also, A Clockwork Orange, although good, is very difficult to follow. At least thats what I heard.
Hmm..

It wasn't hard to follow for me.

I printed off the translations of the nadsat language, so whenever I needed a word, I would look on the sheet.

Most of the words you can figure out by context anyways.

[Zakath]

How's the book Battle Royale? Does the movie follow the book? Because I just watched the movie and the ending was gay as hell. It started off great but then the killing slacked off and the ending was pretty much terrible.

[jazzfromhell]

Way to go on the Dickens, one of my favorite authors. I'd also reccomend A Tale of Two Cities and Hard Times. For Fitzgerald, have you read the Great Gatsby? Because when it comes to him, there's Gatsby, then the other three (four? can' remember), if you haven't read that you should read it first. Lord of the Flies is one of my favorites. For Hugo, keep in mind that Les Miserables, while a classic, is 3,000 pages. A solid chunk of those is made up of tons of stuff that my French teacher says you may just want to skip. Bunch of history, background, that sort of thing. Of course, if you're into it, go for it. Be careful with Faulkner....I'm reading Light in August right now, I love it. However, watch yourself with The Sound and the Fury. It's a stream of conscience novel, and has a reputation of being one of the most complex around. It's probably best to read a good many of his other books first, to see if you like him, and see how well you handle some of his less complex work. Clockwork Orange I had no problem following, I thought the language was pretty easy to figure out from context.

[PAJJ]

I would suggest;
Paradise Lost- John Milton (if you can handle the writing style, its not for everyone)
Fahrenheit 451- Ray Bradbury
Jennifer Government-Max Barry (which im reading at the moment which is quite an enjoyable read)
If you like Paradise Lost, and if you haven't already read The Divine Comedy.

One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest - Ken Kesey
I shall keep pushing this book this book until everyones read it as i've enjoyed more than any other, it's infintely greater than the movie.

[Dave de Sylvia]

26. Anthony Burges - A Clockwork Orange
I know A Clockwork Orange is the classic, or whatever, but I prefer his more straightforward fiction. M/F is one of my favourite novels.

You need more John Irving on that list, really.

[Iskandar]

You have some good picks on your list, but man I hate Dickens with a fiery passion wrenched from the depths of damnation.

(Yes, that much.)

Also, I advise you to not read the Odyssey casually. It's more of a project than a book.

You need more John Irving on that list, really.
Hey cool

[thedeadwalk!]

How's the book Battle Royale? Does the movie follow the book? Because I just watched the movie and the ending was gay as hell. It started off great but then the killing slacked off and the ending was pretty much terrible.
The book's like the movie but goes into the history of the characters more, and their situation, along with the bloodshed on the island.

[JonG]

One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest - Ken Kesey
I shall keep pushing this book this book until everyones read it as i've enjoyed more than any other, it's infintely greater than the movie.
Amazing book, one of my all-time favorites.

[jazzfromhell]

You have some good picks on your list, but man I hate Dickens with a fiery passion wrenched from the depths of damnation.

(Yes, that much.)



Well, I guess it'll have to be pistols at dawn. I'll let you choose the location, but don't make it too far away, I want to get back to Faulkner ASAP. :smoke:

[xLE_SABOTEURx]

Chuck Palahniuk, Kurt Vonnegut, Hunter S Thompson, Jack Kerouac (On the road), Edgar Allan Poe

[EonBlueApcolyps]

i got a list on amazon.com and ive got a $50 gift card coming my way so ill be getting these:

Soul Mountain by Gao Xingjian
A Man Without a Country by Kurt Vonnegut
Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut
A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burges
Lost Horizon by James Hilton
The Five People You Meet In Heaven by Mitch Albom
Zen and the art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig
Survivor by Chuck Palahniuk
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
the Bhagavad Gita(Anonymous)
The Upanishads(Anonymous)
The Dhammapada(Anonymous)

[Zakath]

The book's like the movie but goes into the history of the characters more, and their situation, along with the bloodshed on the island.
Hmm sounds good. Maybe I'll give it a read if I ever have time.

[Noyana]

lord of the flies, 1984, a clockwork orange = :)

a clockwork orange isn't hard to read after the first couple of chapters - if you really struggle with it they have direct translations of the made up phrases online.

Ethan Frome and the Crucible (both quick reads)
Frankenstein
A Tale of Two Cities
Wuthering Heights

[MAthiAS]

Jennifer Government-Max Barry (which im reading at the moment which is quite an enjoyable read)
Love that book, still need to get my hands on his new one.

[Against Miik!]

Hmm..

It wasn't hard to follow for me.

I printed off the translations of the nadsat language, so whenever I needed a word, I would look on the sheet.

Most of the words you can figure out by context anyways.

I've never read it, i'm just telling you what I heard. Its not so much the language, just the story is hard to follow...apparently.

[EonBlueApcolyps]

the Crucible


I read that over the summer for school and I really don't reccomend it but that might just be me, it's funny at least.

[CabbageStabbage]

I've never read it, i'm just telling you what I heard. Its not so much the language, just the story is hard to follow...apparently.

The story is very easy to follow. Violence, more violence, etc.

I'd reccomend Franz Kafka. His novels were incomplete at the time of his death, and The Trial (Which I read) does seem kind of incomplete, but it's decent. The Metamorphosis (That famous story about the guy turned into a giant bug) is an excellent read, and short, too: 40 or so pages.

You might want to read the Paranoid Government Standard Books, which are:
Lord of the Flies
Nineteen Eighty-Four
Animal Farm
Brave New World
A Clockwork Orange.

Everyone loves dystopias.

Personally if you want more George Orwell, I'd suggest Homage to Catalonia, about his experience fighting on the Marxist side during the Spanish Civil War.

If you have a LOT of time, a huge vocabulary and a decent brain and dictionary, go read Ulysses by James Joyce, it has the most incredible writing style(s) ever.

[Iskandar]

Well, I guess it'll have to be pistols at dawn. I'll let you choose the location, but don't make it too far away, I want to get back to Faulkner ASAP.
I'll consider the issue settled if you but admit the obvious superiority of Wilde.

[telemore]

K, no Hubert Selby Jr.


Last Exit to Brooklyn would be my pick for a first go through. Or The Demon.

It takes awhile to get used to his writing style, but it's worth it. He has the ability to show so much of the human emotion that it's breath taking. Generally dealing with the darker side of humanity, but he also gives us glimpses of hope that are beautiful.

So yea, give him a go.

[biografiend]

Naked Lunch is good, but a pretty hard read. The lack of a solid, unbroken plotline makes it hard to tell what's even going on in the book, but the metaphors and writing style make it worth it. Plus, William S. Burroughs was tripping out of his mind while he wrote it, so its mostly autobiographical (I believe) for the most part.

[deadinholywood]

If you like Paradise Lost, and if you haven't already read The Divine Comedy.
Hmm i'll have to find it thanks :)
I'd also say check out Fear and Loathing in Los Vegas if you're interested in that sort of thing as well as some Bret Easton Ellis (though i must admit i found american psycho very hard to read!)

[telemore]

I wanted to note this last nite, but I was tired and forgot, but here goes:


If you have a hard time understanding the made up language in Clockwork Orange, I question your intelligence.

Every word is presented in it's correct context, and there shouldn't be any trouble.

To go and print out a list of words with respective translations and meanings is pretty absurd. And hell, that's not even a tough read by any stretch.

/grumble grumble grumble

[benfan]

John Steinbeck-Of Mice and men.........well i enjoyed it
James Herbert-The Magic Cottage

[StrangelyBrewed13]

Catch 22- Joseph Heller

[punkguitarist549]

Wow, I just finished Tietam Brown, and it's amazing. It's easily one of the best novels I have ever read. I highly recommend it.

[thedeadwalk!]

Finally, someone else! Glad you enjoyed it. I love it as well.

[_GanondorF_]

Have to recommend Dune. Dont be put off by the fact that its an SF novel, it is truly great. My favourite book for several years easily. Hannibal is also an overlooked classic, very well written.

Dont know if these quite fit the schematic of this thread, but Dune at least will broaden your horizons somewhat literarly (is that a word?). Got myself a nice list from this thread to bring on holidays with me =)

[Chrizzle fo' Shizzle]

A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole


Best. Comic. Fiction. Ever.