What's your favorite book?

[sestrugen]

The Gay Science

 

[Mikey]

Angels & Demons

 

[shortylickens]

Originally posted by: Vic
Heh. Probably not. Heinlein does strike particular western taboo nerves in his later books, and he made made it all too clear that he was doing it on purpose. That tends to piss some people off.
But that was Heinlein's sarcasm. He liked to shove people's noses into their closed-minded societal taboos. Like the way you'd find out at the very end of a book that the hero wasn't white (as in Starship Troopers and the The Cat Who Walks Through Walls).
So if one is offended by the remarkable amount of sex in To Sail Beyond the Sunset, Heinlein's question would have been, what business of yours is it if it's all between consenting adults?

Once again, I'm lost.

Right in the beginning of Starship Troopers he refers to himself as Juan Rico and says he's from Buenos Aires. Only his mother called him by the nickname Johnny. And there was no Carmen Ibanez in the book, it was Carmencita.
The MOVIE made them a couple of white kids, and turned Dizzy Flores into a female and Rico's love interest.

The Cat who walks through walls was great but I honestly dont remember much of it after this many years.

 

[ProfJohn]

Originally posted by: Mikey
Angels & Demons

Da Vinci Code is MUCH better, at least IMO.

 

[Whisper]

Great Expectations has always been a favorite of mine, along with One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, The Princess Bride, and Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

 

[SlitheryDee]

Originally posted by: shortylickens

Originally posted by: Vic
Heh. Probably not. Heinlein does strike particular western taboo nerves in his later books, and he made made it all too clear that he was doing it on purpose. That tends to piss some people off.
But that was Heinlein's sarcasm. He liked to shove people's noses into their closed-minded societal taboos. Like the way you'd find out at the very end of a book that the hero wasn't white (as in Starship Troopers and the The Cat Who Walks Through Walls).
So if one is offended by the remarkable amount of sex in To Sail Beyond the Sunset, Heinlein's question would have been, what business of yours is it if it's all between consenting adults?

Once again, I'm lost.

Right in the beginning of Starship Troopers he refers to himself as Juan Rico and says he's from Buenos Aires. Only his mother called him by the nickname Johnny. And there was no Carmen Ibanez in the book, it was Carmencita.
The MOVIE made them a couple of white kids, and turned Dizzy Flores into a female and Rico's love interest.

The Cat who walks through walls was great but I honestly dont remember much of it after this many years.

Well I think Vic is right as far his understanding of Heinlein's views about various taboos, but maybe not right in the examples he gives.

Col. Colin Campbell, the hero or The Cat Who Walks Through Walls, was certainly white. This can be inferred from the fact that he receives a replacement foot from Lazarus Long which matches him in all particulars other than the fact that it is obviously from a different person than his other foot. I don't know if Lazarus Long's ethnicity is described in TCWWTW, but it is in Methuselah's Children, where he was described as a white man with an artificial tan. It may not mean much but the cover of the book also has a picture of a white man with an eyepatch (who could only be Col. Campbell) and a woman in a spacesuit (Gwen Novac/Hazel Davis).

Text

Having read Starship Troopers surely you realize that Heinlein was going out of his way to turn your conventions about society, politics, government, and most importantly, the military on their collective ears. What would modern people say if you proposed that they only be allowed to vote after completing a 2 year tour of civil service? What would the soldiers say if you told them that they could not vote until they retired from the military? What if public flogging was allowed as a legal punishment for severe crimes? He gives you a vision of a society that's radically different in ways that seem sure to piss off a lot of people for a lot of different reasons and dares them all to find a reason why it wouldn't work better than the current one. The majority of his books are like that.

 

[TehMac]

Originally posted by: Descartes
The best book I've read in recent years is Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond.

Damn, I was going to post that.

 

[TehMac]

Originally posted by: oztrailrider
So far, Lord of the Rings.

Read the silmarillion.

 

[Balt]

Great Expectations.

 

[Kadarin]

I don't have a specific favorite, but here are a few on the short list:

Heinlein - The Number of the Beast
Daniel Keyes Moran - The Long Run
Glen Cook - The Dragon Never Sleeps
James H. Schmitz - The Witches of Karres

Comment about Heinlein: His later works include a sexual morality that indeed flies in the face of Western custom, in that he advocates open sexuality, polygamy, polyamory, gay sex (not homosexuality per se, but sexual activity between people regardless of gender), "swinging" (wife swapping in To Sail Beyond the Sunset), and even incest (once it's been established that propogation of negative genetic traits is no longer an issue). Heinlein appears to have been a huge proponent of individual freedom, where consenting adults have the right to do whatever they want so long as nobody gets hurt. Here's a quote attributed to Lazarus Long:

?Sin lies only in hurting other people unnecessarily. All other "sins" are invented nonsense. (Hurting yourself is not sinful - just stupid).?

I happen to agree with this.

 

[dug777]

Originally posted by: Auric

Originally posted by: dug777
Any Conrad fans here?

Oh indeed yes by jove. Heart of Darkness is definitely a fave. Also keen on Kipling and Vonnegut. Reading Gravity's Rainbow (Thomas Pynchon) at the mo'. I dig non-fiction too such as The Fatal Shore which is right up your Aussie alley, dug777. Woah, that sounded a bit rude.

The Fatal Shore is indeed excellent

 

[QurazyQuisp]

I've read quite a few books lately, but I have a hard time finding one that beats Everyone Poops, so much truth in just the title.

 

[TitanDiddly]

Originally posted by: shortylickens

Originally posted by: TitanDiddly
I decided last night while reading one of my last Heinlein books before I finish his complete works- that I hate him. If he were alive today, I'd punch him in the face. He was a dirty old man. Dirty, dirty, dirty. Pretty much all his books(not written for kids) included one or more spunky young women that loved to have sex with old men.

Disgusting.

OK dude, seriously, I really can not tell if you're being sarcastic or not.
Starship Troopers (the book) had no actual sex and minimal implied sex, Red Planet didnt seem to have any, unless it was subliminal and I missed it.
The Moon is a harsh mistress had a small amount of implied sex, but Manny was married to Wyoh when they did it. And people could live up to 200 years by being raised on the moon so they were both very young in body and spirit.

As far as dirty goes, he might only have been considered dirty back in the 50's. Last I checked this is the year 2007 (I think), and he is INCREDIBLY tame compared to pretty much all modern authors.


You were being sarcastic, werent you?

With two exceptions, I've read every book Heinlein wrote. He's 100 dirty old man.

 

[JDub02]

Originally posted by: RedCOMET
Sahara by Clive Cussler..ever since i read that book, I've done my best to read all of his other fiction novels, including spin offs... Movie was eh

I can't say they're my favorite, but Clive Cussler novels are quite entertaining. Not much there, just a good, fun story. I've probably read 80-90% of his books.

Ted Dekker is my current favorite. After reading "House", which he co-wrote with Frank Pirretti, I was hooked.

 

[novasatori]

Aside from books required for academia I have not read many for personal pursuit...
Of what I've read I'd have to go with Starship Troopers.


There was also one particular book that was a piece of BattleTech Fiction that I read that was good.

 

[Wuffsunie]

For those that read Starship Troopers, have any of you also read Armor by John Steakley?

 

[Howard]

Originally posted by: TitanDiddly

Originally posted by: shortylickens

Originally posted by: TitanDiddly
I decided last night while reading one of my last Heinlein books before I finish his complete works- that I hate him. If he were alive today, I'd punch him in the face. He was a dirty old man. Dirty, dirty, dirty. Pretty much all his books(not written for kids) included one or more spunky young women that loved to have sex with old men.

Disgusting.

OK dude, seriously, I really can not tell if you're being sarcastic or not.
Starship Troopers (the book) had no actual sex and minimal implied sex, Red Planet didnt seem to have any, unless it was subliminal and I missed it.
The Moon is a harsh mistress had a small amount of implied sex, but Manny was married to Wyoh when they did it. And people could live up to 200 years by being raised on the moon so they were both very young in body and spirit.

As far as dirty goes, he might only have been considered dirty back in the 50's. Last I checked this is the year 2007 (I think), and he is INCREDIBLY tame compared to pretty much all modern authors.


You were being sarcastic, werent you?

With two exceptions, I've read every book Heinlein wrote. He's 100 dirty old man.

What have you got against dirty old men?

 

[Rogodin2]

Bulgakov's Master and Margaritta.

Rogo

 

[Sureshot324]

I don't read much, but one of my favorites is Brave New World. I love books about futuristic Utopias.

 

[Wuffsunie]

Originally posted by: Sureshot324
I don't read much, but one of my favorites is Brave New World. I love books about futuristic Utopias.

Umm... I hope you mean futuristic dystopias.

 

[lokiju]

Originally posted by: JDub02

Originally posted by: RedCOMET
Sahara by Clive Cussler..ever since i read that book, I've done my best to read all of his other fiction novels, including spin offs... Movie was eh

I can't say they're my favorite, but Clive Cussler novels are quite entertaining. Not much there, just a good, fun story. I've probably read 80-90% of his books.

Ted Dekker is my current favorite. After reading "House", which he co-wrote with Frank Pirretti, I was hooked.

I concur with that.

I didn't even list him on my original post since they're never my all time favorites, but non the less, they're always fun reads.

 

[shortylickens]

Originally posted by: Wuffsunie
For those that read Starship Troopers, have any of you also read Armor by John Steakley?

Never even heard of it.
Will investigate next time I'm at Barnes & Noble.

 

[Canai]

Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass

 

[LiquidImpulse]

Originally posted by: RedCOMET
Sahara by Clive Cussler..ever since i read that book, I've done my best to read all of his other fiction novels, including spin offs... Movie was eh

followed by
Battle Royale.
I saw the movie of Battle Royale first, and thought it was pretty bad ass, read the book, and the book was amazing... and it was a damn good adaptation.

isnt Battle Royale a graphic novel? just wondering..
anyways, my favourite would have to be Angels & Demons by Dan Brown followed by A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess.

 

[InflatableBuddha]

Originally posted by: Sureshot324
I don't read much, but one of my favorites is Brave New World. I love books about futuristic Utopias.

:thumbsup: This was my favourite until I discovered Vonnegut. Cat's Cradle and Slaughterhouse Five are two of the funniest and most original and relevant novels I've ever read.

Honourable mentions for 1984 and Animal Farm.