Favorite Novels of all time

[WildThing121675]

K,

I am an avid reader, and I think I've finally narrowed down my favorite fictional novels of all time. Stephen King's The Stand, and The Sum of All Fears by Tom Clancy.

I remember reading both of those years ago in high school and for some reason I LOVE to sit back, and re-read those books from time to time. It's fun to imagine a post-apocalyptic America following a Superflu outbreak, and it's fun to imagine the nuclear explosion at a fictional Super Bowl.

I prefer books that make me think. I prefer novels that make me think about how times have changed, and history has changed as well. I think that's why I'm fond of those two novels.

Does anyone else here have novels that make them think, or that they re-read a lot.

WildThing121675

 

[LittleMonster]

The Stand is definitely one of my favorite novels. I've read it three times. I love it.

The Grapes of Wrath and The Catcher in the Rye are another two of my favorites. They made me think and experience from a different point of view.

And probably my all-time favorite is Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. I could read that book over and over again. I love reading about space and anti-gravity battles and hardcore things like that, haha.

 

[Shredder92]

I'm hooked on some series'

The Alex Rider Series - Anthony Horowitz
The "Young James Bond" series - Charlie Higson

and of course, the classics:
Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Lord Of The Rings - J.R.R. Tolkien

 

[Boogeyman]

1984. Best post apocalyptia ever. Or worst. Depends.

 

[h3g3l]

Peter Wright's Spycatcher. True story about the spy ring broken up in MI-5. Banned from publication in England under the Official Secrets Act, etc.

Good read, brilliantly written.

 

[Asher]

For a graphic novel (if that is to be considered in this category), I would say Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi. Very well illustrated and an excellent story to say the least, and it details life in the revolution-torn Iran in the 1970's with great vividness.

As for a regular novel, I am not sure if I could ever give absolute certainty to just one novel. There have been so many great novels throughout history. However, I would say that my favorite of all time is Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird. Just the story alone is a reason enough that it is one of the greatest novels of all time (in my opinion though). : )

- Asher

 

[h3g3l]

For a graphic novel (if that is to be considered in this category), I would say Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi. Very well illustrated and an excellent story to say the least, and it details life in the revolution-torn Iran in the 1970's with great vividness.

I've seen the movie adapted from the graphic novel, and it was fascinating.

 

[Takashi]

-The Outsiders
-That was then, this is now
-Tex

 

[bobbyjeff]

The stand is definitely a good one. I really enjoy the Dune series, but my favorite books are the ones that most dont like, the 4th through 6th in the series where he gets pretty deep into politics, religion, power, and influence.

I also really loved a series by Jane Auel called Earths Children

 

[Kovy]

A Confederacy of Dunces. Read it. I'm not even joking.

 

[Dawes]

It's hard for me to say my specif favorite, but I've got a few that I know would be books I couldn't live without rereading now and then:

Harry Potter and the... series. Why? Rowling is a master. End of story. Need proof? Severus Snape is a masterpiece all on his own. What any author wouldn't do to have created a character like him.

Five People You Meet In Heaven by Mitch Albom. A bit contrived, but a touching story nonetheless. The first book I ever sobbed after reading.

Edgar Huntly: Or, Memoirs of a Sleepwalker by Charles Brockden Brown. Quite possibly the first truly American piece of mystery literature. Nobody expected a book in the 1790s to be rife with such intrigue, with such mystery, and with such violence. An outstanding book that I can't go on enough about. This is epistolary done right, from the intentional errors in grammar to the narrative tone.

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. I just finished this about a week ago, but it was an immensely engaging story about a traveling circus in Depression-era America. From its Biblical allegories to its twist ending, there's very little that's not to like about this outstanding book. It quickly became one of my favorites.

The Federalist by Publius (John Jay, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison). This was the foundation for the American government, back when it actually meant to do good things instead of just act like an asshole. It's hard to believe that people were once this brilliant.

 

[h3g3l]

The Federalist by Publius (John Jay, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison). This was the foundation for the American government, back when it actually meant to do good things instead of just act like an asshole. It's hard to believe that people were once this brilliant.

Even from the 1930s, great things have changed.

Case in point: I recently read a French train employee's handbook from the '30s. The language used and ideas expressed made me take pause.

 

[Mingus]

1984. Best post apocalyptia ever. Or worst. Depends.

Brilliant. It puts Animal Farm, and even more so Brave New World, to shame. I keep meaning to read The Handmaid's Tale, another renowned dystopia.

-The Outsiders
-That was then, this is now
-Tex

You know she wrote the Outsiders when she was 16? It's a remarkable piece of work given her youth. That was then, this is now is great--I really like the way their friendship is drawn (can't remember their names).

Edgar Huntly: Or, Memoirs of a Sleepwalker by Charles Brockden Brown. Quite possibly the first truly American piece of mystery literature. Nobody expected a book in the 1790s to be rife with such intrigue, with such mystery, and with such violence. An outstanding book that I can't go on enough about. This is epistolary done right, from the intentional errors in grammar to the narrative tone.

The Federalist by Publius (John Jay, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison). This was the foundation for the American government, back when it actually meant to do good things instead of just act like an asshole. It's hard to believe that people were once this brilliant.

What I've read of the Federalist (by no means all of it) is great. I keep meaning to read Democracy in America, which many say is the best book about a country by a foreigner (that's a mugs' game, but still entertaining to play). Both are staring at me forlornly from my shelf... That mystery sounds brilliant, though, I'll look for that.

Personally, it has to be All the King's Men, by Robert Penn Warren. Warren was poet laureate for a while, and he's a remarkable writer. It has one of the best opening paragraphs and opening chapters in American lit. It also features some fascinating commentary on history (Frederick Jackson Turner, the move West), and a fascinating fictional narrative within the novel about a torrid love affair in Louisiana (the narrator's since-abandoned doctoral research). One of the great repeated lines in a novel, too: 'Man is conceived in sin and born in corruption and he passeth from the stink of the didie to the stench of the shroud. There is always something.' I might reread it this summer. Highly recommended, and persevere through to the end of the first chapter--I guarantee you won't be able to put it down. The pieces coalesce late in the novel, but it all fits together, so trust Warren.

Were I allowed to put forward two more, I would nominate War and Peace, because it was just a magnificent book to read, and Absalom, Absalom, because the way the story unfolds is a fascinating meditation on narration and history. Can you tell I'm into good writing and history?

Edit: apologies for the somewhat sad repeated use of 'fascinating'...

 

[dinorider]

For me it has to be Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. It's probably not the best book I've read, but it's the one I remember as being the best looking back to when I read it.

 

[soren456]

At the moment, At Swim, Two Boys by Jamie O'Neill.

My favorites change as I get older and get more experience. But I will never forget the punch of that one.

 

[satyrical]

Mockingbird, of course, makes me cry when I read it. The Giver really blew my mind. All time though would be the His Dark Materials trilogy. No books have ever entranced me as much as they did. I'd love it if Pullman wrote a fourth one.

 

[fuctifano]

All Harry Potter books and 'Trainspotting' by Irvine Welsh. Actually, anything by Irvine Welsh is fantastic.

 

[MixyNyxi]

This is hard. I generally never pick favorites since I can't, but I'll list a few that stand out, not including manga, since it might not work in this category and also the list would go crazy I can't call this "the best of all time" list, but these are some of my favorites:

- LotR - Pretty obvious for a fantasy fan, I suppose
- Deathstalker by Simon R. Green - I'm not a big Sci-fi fan, but I read this because of a friend and it was really good. Reading this lead me to Mr. Green's fantasy series:
- Blue Moon Rising series (also includes the two Hawk and Fischer books, and Beyond the Blue Moon) - really really good and quite funny
- Narnia series - loved it as a kid, and still do
- Sword of Truth series (Terry Goodkind) - some books are better than others, but taken as a whole, very good fantasy.

And one of the less well know vampire series thrown in just for fun:

- I, Vampire; The Vampire Papers; The Vampire Princess - Really good vampire series. The first is the best (I, Vampire). There are more after these three, but there are completely new characters, so I didn't bother (since characters are why I read things, get rid of them all and I hate you ) First two are told through the main character's diary, last one abandons that format and focuses in on another character and her past (while basically the main character is ruined by her). I will warn you, real historical figures pop up and make you go "HUH?!", but it's pretty cool anyway.

And to add some well know, classic novels, I like Jane Austin

 

[LunaCat]

The stand is definitely a good one. I really enjoy the Dune series, but my favorite books are the ones that most dont like, the 4th through 6th in the series where he gets pretty deep into politics, religion, power, and influence.

Definitely. Awesome books.

I pretty much measure all books by Dune >.<

Another one I liked was Memnoch the Devil. Pretty good

 

[dogboy]

Wow, seems like I've done this a short while ago. I had forgotten about All the King's Men", a truly great novel. I also have enjoyed, "Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man", "Lord of the Flies", "Catcher in the Rye", the Narnia series along with the Lord of the Rings trilogy as well as the Sword of Shanarra series. I'm reading Harry Potter at the moment.