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What is your favorite book of all time?
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
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Oh, wow, Corey, good topic!! Only problem is -- There's no way for me to choose just one book as my favorite! However, I'll mention a few that have stood the test of time. A good book is one that you can read and reread over the years. It's like a good friend - You never tire of their company.
I also like novels which capture an age or moment in history - like how F. Scott Fitzgerald sets the reader down in the Roaring Twenties in "The Great Gatsby," or Harper Lee makes us feel as if we've lived in the South in the 1930's when we read "To Kill a Mockingbird."
I love phrasing that's so beautiful, so descriptive, and so tightly-written that I want to read back over it again and again. Gatsby is also a good example of that.
A good novel needs a strong voice from the narrative - like Truman Capote's in the short story "Children on their Birthdays."
Other novels I love - George Orwell's "1984," John Steinbeck's "Grapes of Wrath," Tolkein's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, Lisa See's stories about China, "Shogun," "Lonesome Dove," Jane Austen's novels (esp Pride & Prejudice)...It just goes on and on...
Wow. This is a difficult question. How to choose? What genre? Fiction or Non-Fiction?
Right now I'd have to say the Holy Bible. It's been a very tough month for me and I've relied heavily on my faith. I often awaken at night besieged by fears and doubts. I have several versions of the Bible on my iPhone, which I keep by my bed at night. I'm able to grab it and read right in bed, in the dark. Psalms has been particularly comforting. I have to say that during daylight hours I still prefer to have a solid book in my hands. I'll probably never spend the money on a Kindle.
For Science Fiction, I'd have to say either "The Lord of the Rings" by J.R. Tolkein or the "Foreigner" series by C.J. Cheryh or the "Dragonrider" series by Anne McGaffrey. I re-read all of them fairly often. Maybe not quite once a year, but often.
For Mystery, I'd choose "One Corpse Too Many" by Ellis Peters. Very well written, good mystery, good plot, excellent characterizations, wonderful prose and I'm a sucker for historical mysteries. It's the second in a series of about 20 books. All worth reading.
I love reading John McPhee. He can take a very complicated issue and break it down where I can understand it. Also, when I was in college and I found an issue that was too difficult to wrap my mind around, I checked to see if Isaac Asimov had written on the subject (he often had). He had a way of explaining things that really resonated with me.
I love the way Michael Crighton can take a snippet of scientific fact (or speculation) and spin a whole fascinating book from it.
Oh my, I wasn't very specific, but I don't see how anyone could let themselves be limited to just one favorite. I'm reminded of the end of "The Time Machine" by H. G. Wells when they ask "what books would you choose to take with you to start a whole new society?"
Angela's Ashes, Christy, She's Come Undone, Of Mice and Men, Watership Down, Rebecca, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, The Pillars of the Earth, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, The Secret Lives of Bees. There are too many to name!
I've got to say my favorite of all time is A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy O'Toole. It won a Pulitzer well after O'Toole's death when his mother found the book and got it published. Come to find out, he killed himself because he'd had such poor luck with finding a publisher.
If you've never read it check it out!
Some books are influencial and others are enjoyable to read. Any novel by Nevil Shute is enjoyable. There are no "bad" people in Shute's books. Even the most dispicable person in any of Shute's books, the Japanese officer in "A Town Like Alice" who crucified an Australian soldier for stealing his chickens, honored the soldier's request for a last meal of chicken and beer. "On The Beach" is about the end of the world due to a nuclear war, but the war was accidentally started, so there was no "bad" guy to pin the end of the human race on.
There is no point in my doubling up upon that which has been offered already - a few extras for consideration;
Alistair Cooke - American Journey.
Richard Ford - Independence Day.
Bill Bryson - everything he has written.
Jeremy Clarkson - irreverent, irrelevant, often wrong, but fun anyway.
Kingsley Amis - Everyday Drinking.
Lynne Truss - Eats Shoots and Leaves.
Joe Bennett - Mustn't Grumble.
I could easily go on and agree that it is impossible to nominate an all-time favourite, (sorry,favorite).
Gotta be, 'My name is Mr Ryan' by Matt Chaney. When I first moved to Stoddard County in 1969 this book caught my attention. Read it completely without putting it down. The story of these young men and their coach is awesome. Puxico has been a great basketball town for years, I remember the days of Kenny Andrews and others that were a joy to watch play the game. Awesome.
The Bible of course is top of the very long list. I read a LOT!! Favorite authors include Ted Dekker, Stephen King, J.R.R. Tolkien, Michael Crighton, Arthur C. Clark. I enjoy just about anything they have written. I also like the old Louis L'Amour and Zane Grey westerns that I have that were my dad's. Oh, and how could I forget...Stephen Hawking...geez...
"Hanging On" By Edmund G. Love is a fantastic book about a young man who goes through the depression in Flushing, Michigan.
The Diary of Anne Frank would have to be at the top of my list. It's the book that made me realize historical events ivolved real people. Before reading that book I simply looked at history class as a very boring subject.