Favorite Writers / Books ?

[marlowe]

1) "The Talented Mr Ripley", Patricia Highsmith. Great novel about identity. The Matt Damon film version is crap, the French version "Plein Soleil" with Alain Delon is better.
2) "The New York Trilogy", Paul Auster. Good elusive stories.
3) "What Am I Doing Here", Bruce Chatwin. Stories and travelogues of the beautiful and bizarre.
4) " Martin Beck series", Sjowall and Wahloo. If you're into detective fiction this series of 10 novels is the best.
5) "Have Mercy on Us All", Fred Vargas. Whacky detective stuff in Paris.
6) "Contempt", Alberto Moravia. Novel about the precarious nature of love.
7) "Let it Come Down", Paul Bowles. Novel about continual rain and other things.
8) "From the Holy Mountain", William Dalrymple. Good book if you're interested in Byzantine history and eastern christianity.
9) "Winnie-the-Pooh", A.A.Milne. Taoist philosophy from a bear, a piglet, and a donkey.
10) "Foxy Dreamy, Yes Indeedy", Stephanie Gabrielle Talbot. Kids stuff for grown-ups.

[fionahavelock]

The Monogamy Myth, a personal handbook for dealing with affairs by Peggy Vaughn.... whooaaa...

[sesame]

Dan Brown- Da Vinci Code
( This book displays the uncanny power of good writing and research to make bullshit palatable.)

Swami Yogananda- Autobiography of a Yogi
(Great writing, but also a bit biased at certain places)

Swami Rama- Living with the Himalayan masters
(Superb, Top notch, un-put-downable
It describes the lifestyle of Yogis living in the Himalayas)

Paul Brunton- A search in secret Egypt
(Its a very interesting research work; never vexing at any point.
It also describes some really wierd things.)

[ila]

Originally Posted by sesame

Dan Brown- Da Vinci Code
( This book displays the uncanny power of good writing and research to make bullshit palatable.)

That is so very true although I didn't find the bullshit all that palatable. It made me start to gag after a while.

[ila]

My favourite author of fiction would be Robert Ludlum. My favourite book from him is The Parsifal Mosaic. In my view it is a true masterpiece of intrigue.

Another favourite author is James A. Michener. He has written some truly interesting books, both fiction and non fiction.

[ila]

Another favourite authore is Shakespeare. Although he wrote plays and not books I think he is one of the greatest wordsmiths of the English language. I was not interested in his works at first, but then I had an English teacher, many years ago, that really explained what was being said and provided great insight to his works. Since then I have gained a deep appreciation for his writings.

I like mostly history books. I also like fiction in which historical facts can be woven into the story of the fictional characters.

Books on the military are another favourite, but I prefer to read the stories of the common soldier.

I'm not too fond of biographies or autobiographies, but there are some that I will read.

I must not forget one of my favourite reference sources. I like to read encyclopedias. It was a habit I developed when I was very young and these many years later I still read them just for general interest.

[sesame]

Originally Posted by ila

Shakespeare ... ...I was not interested in his works at first, but then I had an English teacher, many years ago, that really explained what was being said and provided great insight to his works. Since then I have gained a deep appreciation for his writings.

Ila, why dont you start a new thread about Shakespeare? Or, you could explain what is being said by Shakespeare in lucid terms...

Pleeeeeeeeease!

[hankhavelock]

Originally Posted by ila

My favourite author of fiction would be Robert Ludlum. My favourite book from him is The Parsifal Mosaic. In my view it is a true masterpiece of intrigue.

Another favourite author is James A. Michener. He has written some truly interesting books, both fiction and non fiction.

Hehe, The Parcifal Mosaic... that's where I got my nickname ;-) And I kid you not :-)

[victornl]

I think i've read all the Michael Crichton books, i really like his writing style.
For the rest i read mostly (action) thrillers

[jimnaseum]

Originally Posted by marlowe

"The Talented Mr Ripley", Patricia Highsmith. Great novel about identity. The Matt Damon film version is crap

I KNEW there was a great book behind that movie, Hollywood has to dumb it down for a bigger box office.

Honorable mention: LeCarre- Smiley's People
Book I've bought like 4 times: Hesse- Glass Bead Game
Nicest surprise in High School: Fitzgerald- Great Gatsby

In college I took a test and it had the weirdest question- "Who is the best writer in Western Civilization?" I shook my head and wrote William Shakespeare, and kept on working. A few minutes later, a student raised his hand in the middle of the test and said "What kind of stupid question is this, doesn't it depend on interpretation and personal taste who's the best writer?"
The Professor answered "There is one writer who is so head and shoulders above all the others that 10 out of 10 literary experts agree that he is the best writer"
At least I got one right.

[TheSkronkDonkey]

Fiction:
Contact - Carl Sagan
2001: A Space Odyssey - Arthur C Clarke
A Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgess
Snow Falling On Cedars - David Guterson
A Passage To India - E M Forster

Some Non-Fiction:
Cosmos - Carl Sagan
The God Delusion - Richard Dawkins
Moab Is My Washpot - Stephen Fry
Last Train To Memphis: The Rise Of Elvis Presley - Peter Guralnick

[CreativeMind]

One of my all-time favorite lines about books was from Steve Martin who said in a comedy routine (as I recall the line): "Oh yeah, I love to read! There's nothing like sitting down and enjoying a great book! And let me tell you, MOBY DICK was fantastic. At the end...when Ahab's rope gets tangled and he's tied to the whale...and the camera pans over to Gregory Peck as they sink into the sea...man, that's just great writing."

Personally, my all-time favorite would be Edgar Rice Burroughs, creator of Tarzan and John Carter of Mars among other things or someone like E.E. "Doc" Smith and his intergalactic Lensmen series. I just have a soft spot for old school pulp adventures because back in the Thirties and Forties it was adventure on a more innocent and grand scale of exuberance, a time where anything seemed possible both then or for the future.

For horror, Clive Barker...For fantasy, like everyone else, Tolkien or Lewis or Rowling...I loved early Crichton when he blurred science more with a fantastical note (Jurassic Park seems to have been his high point). And then there are always case by case books -- like "A Tale of Two Cities" -- which are classic in nature and you just have to love or something silly like "Meg" about a 200 foot shark on the loose which just makes for fun, doofy reading plopped on the couch.