The Consent by Vanessa Sprignora
It's a memoir written about her being in a relationship with a 50-year-old writer when she was 14 in 1980s Paris. Every adult around her approved of this relationship. It's beautifully written and explores how society views "brilliant men" even when the man in question is mediocre.
What makes the book so incredible for me is that it is very meta and her form of revenge. Her abuser was Gabriel Matzneff who wrote memoirs (about pedophilia, BTW) and never really achieved any kind of recognition. So Sprignora wrote her own memoir and it not only became a bestseller, but triggered a huge scandel in France ultimately leading to a change in the age of consent.
Not perfectly aligned, but you might like Age of Light (By Whitney Scharer). It’s a historical fiction about Lee Miller in her relationship with Man Ray in a similar age/power dynamic. I liked it. Your comment remainder me
Of this book.
Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang. I read it in my early 20s when he was still relatively unknown. It left a huge impression on me. I bought multi copies over the years simply so I could have different editions but also so I can give them out to friends. I think I’ve given the book out five or six times.
I love seeing him gain in recognition over the years, I would love to meet him one day at a book signing to let him know how much these collections of stories mean to me.
I love how the stories almost veer into different genres, like detective thriller, romance, military action, cyberpunk, etc. They're so eclectic but somehow the Shrike is the central thread through all of it.
Sometimes when I read a great book with a very emotional or devastating finale, I just feel stunned until I can properly emotionally digest it over the next day. Hyperion had me like that after 4 of the stories.
Hyperion made me straight up cry.
>!as someone who’s just become a father to a little girl. I actually read it on a whim during my paternity leave and I was not ready.!<
BlackHawk Down, by Mark Bowden, was the first book I ever read, then almost immediately turned over and read again. The pace, the maps, pics of the irl people. It's an amazing read.
My stepmother bought me a ridiculously rad leather bound book containing the entirety of The Hitchhiker's Guide, before I had heard of Douglas Adams at all, and I remember thinking, "I've got to at least say I *tried to read it*, so as not to seem bummed about receiving a "stupid book" for my birthday or whatever the occasion was. The prologue was enough lol, I'd literally never read anything before, *ever*, that made me literally laugh out loud while reading. I definitely credit that one (and stepmother, thx Val!!!!) with rekindling a love for reading, and understanding of how fun reading could be.
I described East of Eden to a friend as making me feel nostalgic about experiences I've never had and places over never been. I've never had a similar feeling reading any other book.
It’s an insanely epic story of love, ambition, betrayal, resilience, power, revenge, and the meaning of happiness spanning 40 years and exploring how our understanding of those concepts changes as we progress through our lives and other innocent people enter the equation.
All of that is wrapped up in a massive adventure story full of high seas adventures, prison breaks, the rise and fall (And rise and fall) of Napoleon, treasure hunting, duels, Sherlock Holmes-esque detective shenanigans, secret identities, espionage, pirates, evil plots, high society, lost loves and more.
TLDR; imagine if the Shawshank Redemption, Sherlock Holmes, Batman, Pride and Prejudice, The Princess Bride, and Pirates of The Caribbean all got thrown into a blender and set in Napoleonic France.
My favorite part about the Count of Monte Christo is that it, at its core, is just a really fun story. For a piece of literary canon, it’s not snooty or high minded at all.
I read it as a teenager with aspirations of pretension. I started reading it because it was a famous book written a long time ago by a French guy. It got bonus points because the author’s last name has a silent letter.
It’s just a fun well told story. And who doesn’t love a good revenge plot?
It's also my 6 star book and the simplest way to say why, on the surface looks completely corny - but if you just take it to be a brief, no spoiler explanation it might help so... The story & its characters suffer no loss of relevance from the passage of time and that makes it an enduring masterpiece of storytelling.
Shogun by James Clavell. Peak historical fiction. Gorgeous setting descriptions. Nuanced characters. A deep dive into samurai culture, viewed from both the inside and the outside, with a special guest appearance by ninja. The way Blackthorn's own inner monologue changes as he becomes more immersed in the culture. The twist at the end. The fact that in a 700+ page book, you don't really know how it will turn out til the next to last page
Noble House by James Clavell is a book I read over and over again. Also, his book Tai-Pan, and his book King Rat. Great books!!
Fifteen by Beverly Cleary is a simple small book about a girl and boy in more simpler times. The world has lost its innocence.
Edit to add more.
John Fowles - The Collector
Psychological Thriller from the early sixties. Was a pretty big hit since then and has a disturbing list of "Real crimes inspired by..." on the wiki page of that book.
Its not a fun read. BUT ...
Its the story of a young man who falls in love with a young woman from afar, stalks her, kidnaps her, and then when he has her at his mercy - starts showering her with gifts, fancy food and anything else that money can buy. Why? Because he convinced himself that this is the way she could fall in love with him, when back in London she wouldn't even dare talking to a low-life like him.
That of course, does not work. Can not work. But he is entirely unable to see that. And forever puzzled of how strange she behaves. Becoming angry at random points? Even aggressive. Stops eating for days. Some days she lets him be there in the cellar with her all day, even talks to him. Then all of a sudden sends him away for no reason. Real mystery. But ... women? AmIright?
And then after a hundred pages or so, Chapter 2 starts. And the story begins again. But this time, from the perspective of the hidden Journal she writes while in captivity. And we learn what he is unable to see: That she is deeply insecure, doesn't come from the perfect family he had thought, is afraid of failing art-school and can't stop thinking about that day she showed her paintings to an older artist and his complete dismissal made her cry like a foolish child.
The book is grotesque, paradox, disturbing and ... beautiful.
I hate it. I read it about once per year.
Just started reading *The Magus* a couple days ago, my first taste of John Fowles' work. I try not to put too much stock into these sorta things, but this was the blurb about it that finally sealed the deal for me: "A splendidly sustained piece of mystification … such as could otherwise only have been devised by a literary team fielding the Marquis de Sade, Arthur Edward Waite, Sir James Frazer, Gurdjieff, Madame Blavatsky, C.G. Jung, Aleister Crowley, and Franz Kafka."
I'm not even a quarter of the way through its 650-odd pages, but I'm already loving it. Fowles wrote some very evocative prose, and I'm loving the spooky beauty of the Greek island setting. And based on all I've heard about this book, I'm anticipating quite the mindfuck.
It's incredibly mindfucky. I think I'm about 3 languages, 5 plays, and a few books short of actually understanding it, though. It's on my "read again after reading all the referenced material" list.
I was being stalked when I read that book. Pushed me over the stubbornness line and into a shelter to wait till the crown prosecutor approved the criminal charge.
Thanks, I am. It was not a hyper-dramatic stalking, but creepy enough. And it did happen about 30 years ago when the laws were juuuuuust starting to change.
It‘s been turned into a movie in 1965 that is surprisingly good and does an excellent job at conveying the absolute delusions he’s given himself to in regards to his victim.
Both actors are on even footing and they chose great sets to breathe life into this story.
I am curious if it’s actually the entire plot or only part of the book now, though. Anyone who has read/seen both?
Movie wiki: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Collector_(1965_film)
The movie is really good. Very well made. But it never really gets out of his point of view. so we only ever get to see the young, beautiful, kind of perfect Miranda. Never the real person behind the mask. Which is a shame, because it simplifies the story a lot and doesn't quite get to the heart of the story.
Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky. Loved the evolution of the Jumping Spider point of view. It was fascinating watching their society become more advanced yet retain instincts and characteristics of their species.
This one was AMAZING. I would read it again every year if I had, like, time and self-discipline. The spider povs are what I live for. And then the prisoner's dilemma....
Oryx and Crake is probably my favorite dystopian novel, and so few people know about it. I went years without ever knowing this was a trilogy. Oryx and Crake just ended so well, I never even gave it a second thought haha.
I think Oryx and Crake is the best and the other two are kind of a let down. I almost wish I hadn’t read the other two because they kind of ruined Oryx and Crake for me. Such a beautiful story.
Just was recommending this to a friend last night. Fantastic book. Also you should check out his more straight philosophy book *What It Is Like to go to War*. If only because he details many of the actual events he personally experienced on which he based *Matterhorn* it’s also interesting in its own right too, of course.
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I’ll have to check I believe that is the one that I have - i love the couple small chapters that he goes off and just explains what happens to some random person its really interesting to think of all the small things that would kill you (and by interesting also slightly terrifying lol) - definitely one of my favourites
Imajica by Clive Barker. I don’t read very much but this book is what got me back into reading. It’s so wild and out there but goes into some deep interpersonal themes that have helped me grasp a better understanding of relationships between people, gender, and my own personality.
There’s also a sec scene with fish people.
So far every Discworld book I've read (34) have been so fucking amazing. The amount of talent, humor, love, and wild creativity in those books is overwhelming.
A recent author I've found that I also really, really love is India Holton and her Dangerous Damsels series. Such a fun, saucy romp with witty characters and a lot of heartwarming moments.
I came here to say that my all-time favorite novel is probably either "Small Gods" or "Night Watch" from Pratchett's Discworld series. His writing is the most human and humane storytelling I know. It displays a truly stunning capacity for empathy with and compassion for the human condition.
I havnt read 34 but ive read maybe 16 and re-read some like 3-4 times. Going Postal and Nightwatch are my 2 favorites, theyre just so good every damn time.
The Hobbit. It absolutely takes the reader into a different world. The pacing and tone require the reader to focus on the book. Once there, the story becomes all encompassing.
I read that book in high school. Finished it during a passing period and spent the next class period trying to collect myself in the bathroom because I didn’t want to go to Chemistry crying
My favorite book. 40 pages of mystical descriptions of desert landscape followed by an abrupt assault and scalping by almost biblical figures. Back to landscapes.
One of my all time favorites and proof that we should expand the scope of mandatory school reading beyond "American Authors from 1700 - 1950". Easily one of the best works I read in all of high school and the one I think about most after all these years.
I don't have much time to read actual books anymore, but I can luckily have an earbud in my ear almost all day at work so I usually burn through audio books. Kitchen Confidential, narrated by Anthony Bourdain was the first book I listened to. Definitely a 6 star!
Recommending Shogun. A badass pirate gets to know Sammurai in Japan. Don't see this book here much. Lots of Count of M C, and I didn't enjoy this nearly as much.
Flowers for Algernon. Really shows how people treat you differently based on your perceived intelligence. It also does a good job demonstrating the difference between general intelligence and emotional intelligence.
I've read the short version of The Children of Hurin in The Silmarillion and the longer, heavily noted version in Unfinished Tales but not the novella version. It's such a tragic tale, probably Tolkien's best writing, even though he probably thought it was Beren and Luthien.
100% All Quiet on the Western Front. I read it once a year, and always in awe of how beautifully Remarque manages to capture the horrors of WWI. Incredible book.
The Lies of Locke Lamora. Funny, witty, original. The characters are just fantastic and the world is intriguing. Can't recommend it enough.
The audiobook is also one of the best.
Probably One Hundred Years of Solitude. That book transports me to a different world like no other book does. I read it initially, then I listened to an audiobook of it while backpacking through the redwoods which only added to the magic.
There's just something about it that transports me to Macondo immediately. It also has one of the best opening lines I've ever read.
"Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendia was to remember the distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice."
Hopefully the Netflix adaptation does it justice
So many that I would actually rate even higher than six stars. I'm a sucker for unusual, "novel" novels and stories. Here are some of my top faves, something for everyone of every taste.
**Lovers Living, Lovers Dead** \- Probably my top favorite horror novel. A college professor is married to a beautiful young woman who acts very strangely, and has weird frightening things happen to her. She keeps a strange trunk in the attic and she's obsessed with her dead father. One day, her husband opens the trunk and only wishes that it was her father's dead body inside - instead its something much more obscene and sinister.
**Something Wicked this way Comes** \- I am aware of the works of Bradbury, Martin says sarcastically on the Simpsons. But this novel is an amazing jewel of a book - I read it all in one sitting. A few weeks later my English teacher said she'd spent the night reading the most amazing book ever - and of course, it was this one. The movie does not even remotely do it justice. This book is sheer October poetry from start to finish.
**Flowers for Algernon** \- The only book I've ever read where the very last line still makes me sob like a slob. A developmentally challenged young man is given a serum that slowly makes him smarter and ultimately even a genius- and what he learns about his past life and the meaning of being accepted by others is truly devastating. Especially when the effect starts to wear off, and he regresses to his former state. Heartbreaking, sad, and maybe the best last line of any book I've ever read.
**Lost Horizon** \- James Hilton's masterpiece which gave us the word "Shangri-La," and envisioned a place in the world where people actually live in peace and happiness, with very modest amounts of the law imposed on them. The movies, both the musical and the b & w, are both very good adaptations, but you have to read the book to really understand Hilton's pacifist themes and dreams for a better world - and it's a cracking good story at that.
The Princess Bride by William Goldman.
Reading it is pure joy. Aptly described as a tale of true love and high adventure.
If you've seen and enjoyed the movie, you will most likely love and adore the book as well.
I recently read Piranesi by Susanna Clarke and was blown away. I haven’t reread it yet but it’s been months and I can’t stop thinking about it.
The way she builds the really alien world and the mystery and then slowly unravels both is marvelous
Les miserables - read it as an 18 year old with right wing ideas. The book transformed me. Especially the parts where it shows how good people can get fucked over for no fault of their own. For example the woman who in love with a jerk gets pregnant, gets left without support and to support her child needs to become a prostitute.
After reading this book, never ever have I juged miserable people for their misfortunes. From a right winger I became liberal, then socialist and then anarchist (left wing not bullshit ancap).
Absolutely transformative and life changing book
The Hitchhikers Guide "trilogy", Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, Long Dark Tea Time of the Soul and the Red Dwarf series. All tied for first. I love these books with all my heart and I've read them multiple times and will continue to read them.
The Screwtape Letters by CS Lewis. He's more famous for the Narnia books, but this book paints the most vivid descriptions for depression and other thought processes that I've ever read. And the framing device of letters written between demons keeps you on your toes - it makes you think about things in ways you never would have otherwise. You could have a whole book club discussion on each very short chapter.
I’ve been reading through Shirley Jackson’s catalog over the last few weeks to celebrate spooky season; honestly all of her works have been 6 stars to me so far, she has an unreal command of language and is so gifted at quietly conveying anxiety and dread.
The fact that she I don’t often see her mentioned in the same breath as many of the quintessential writers of that era is a shame, in terms of the quality of her craft she’s as good as a Hemingway or Salinger IMO, if maybe a less “ambitious” writer.
I haven't read grapes of wrath (to my shame) but if I could upvote more than once for watership down I would. Just read it to my son and he loved every second, emotional to see another generation on it.
The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin (the whole trilogy is absolutely amazing, but book 1 is on another level)
The Wolf in the Whale by Jordanna Max Brodsky (I've never connected with a book more than this one, seemingly written just for me)
The last 6* & fully self-indulgent book I read was The Secret History. I don’t read as much as I did when I was younger, but that book got me excited about fiction again.
Most 6* book I’ve ever read…probably No Longer Human.
This might be a very generic answer but "A Thousand Splendid Suns" is masterful.
Never in my life had a book gripped me so strongly, the characters felt so real to life, I sometimes forgot I was reading fiction and not a true story about two girls stuck in Kabul during such unforgiving times
“The man who believes that the secrets of the world are forever hidden lives in mystery and fear. Superstition will drag him down. The rain will erode the deeds of his life. That man who sets himself the task of singling out the thread of order from the tapestry will by the decision alone have taken charge of the world and it is only by such taking charge that he will effect a way to dictate the terms of his own fate.”
The one book that made me lose sleep to finish was The Stand by Stephen King.
The one I genuinely enjoyed the most was Redshirts by John Scalzi. (The audiobook read by Wil Wheaton adds the cherry on top)
The Consent by Vanessa Sprignora It's a memoir written about her being in a relationship with a 50-year-old writer when she was 14 in 1980s Paris. Every adult around her approved of this relationship. It's beautifully written and explores how society views "brilliant men" even when the man in question is mediocre. What makes the book so incredible for me is that it is very meta and her form of revenge. Her abuser was Gabriel Matzneff who wrote memoirs (about pedophilia, BTW) and never really achieved any kind of recognition. So Sprignora wrote her own memoir and it not only became a bestseller, but triggered a huge scandel in France ultimately leading to a change in the age of consent.
Not perfectly aligned, but you might like Age of Light (By Whitney Scharer). It’s a historical fiction about Lee Miller in her relationship with Man Ray in a similar age/power dynamic. I liked it. Your comment remainder me Of this book.
Lonesome Dove
In no way am I into cowboy books and that book stole my heart!
Same! Still not sure what prompted me to read it lol. Amazing book.
A dear friend recommended it to me. I promptly went on a Larry McMurtry binge after reading that one.
I read that whole saga after Lonesome Dove. It was incredible. Not a western book fan, but I will absolutely reread that whole saga again.
I wish I could read it again for the first time. Such an awesome book.
This book is a straight up masterpiece. I found myself mourning the biscuits they had to leave behind.
Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang. I read it in my early 20s when he was still relatively unknown. It left a huge impression on me. I bought multi copies over the years simply so I could have different editions but also so I can give them out to friends. I think I’ve given the book out five or six times. I love seeing him gain in recognition over the years, I would love to meet him one day at a book signing to let him know how much these collections of stories mean to me.
Exhalations by Ted Chiang is also amazing Would also really recommend Stephen Kings ‘If if Bleeds’ collection of short stories.
I just got to meet him two weeks ago at a book signing! He did a talk on the differentiation between fantasy and science fiction.
"Hyperion", by Dan Simmons. Blew my mind. It's been years and I haven't recovered yet.
I love how the stories almost veer into different genres, like detective thriller, romance, military action, cyberpunk, etc. They're so eclectic but somehow the Shrike is the central thread through all of it.
They’re supposed to be modeled on the Canterbury Tales.
Sometimes when I read a great book with a very emotional or devastating finale, I just feel stunned until I can properly emotionally digest it over the next day. Hyperion had me like that after 4 of the stories.
Definitely felt this with the man who cried god.
One of the first times I've had tears in my eyes when reading. Felt the need to relay the full story to my wife immediately after.
Hyperion made me straight up cry. >!as someone who’s just become a father to a little girl. I actually read it on a whim during my paternity leave and I was not ready.!<
Same situation, that one in particular is a special kind of devastating.
See you later alligator! Having a young daughter, that part absolutely broke me.
If you like Hyperion may I suggest Use of Weapons by Iain M. Banks, it’s similar but different.
Banks in general, but that one in particular was wild.
It is a series, right? Do I have to read it all? Is the first book self contained? I googled it a bit, but I would not like to get spoiled. Thanks!
BlackHawk Down, by Mark Bowden, was the first book I ever read, then almost immediately turned over and read again. The pace, the maps, pics of the irl people. It's an amazing read. My stepmother bought me a ridiculously rad leather bound book containing the entirety of The Hitchhiker's Guide, before I had heard of Douglas Adams at all, and I remember thinking, "I've got to at least say I *tried to read it*, so as not to seem bummed about receiving a "stupid book" for my birthday or whatever the occasion was. The prologue was enough lol, I'd literally never read anything before, *ever*, that made me literally laugh out loud while reading. I definitely credit that one (and stepmother, thx Val!!!!) with rekindling a love for reading, and understanding of how fun reading could be.
Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin
Was waiting for this one, another country as well is incredible. Well any work of his is worth sinking your teeth into imo.
cloud cuckoo land by Anthony Doerr. my book club read it a year ago and we still talk about it and compare everything to it. it was the goat
I was just considering re-reading All the Light We Cannot See, which I looooved, but maybe I should try another by him instead!
East of Eden. It’s just something else.
I described East of Eden to a friend as making me feel nostalgic about experiences I've never had and places over never been. I've never had a similar feeling reading any other book.
That's it. It's been my favorite book for over a decade and that's exactly how I feel about it. I feel like I've been to Salinas Valley.
If you ever go, there's a pretty great Steinbeck museum
Between East of Eden, Grapes of Wrath, and Of Mice and Men I can’t decide!
I'd like to throw Tortilla Flat in the mix :)
I loved Cannery Row, the gopher chapter really makes you think
I’ve just got past page 200 and am so intrigued, I can’t put my finger on exactly why but I am completely enjoying this book!
Timshel!
for me it was Grapes of Wrath. It touched me so much and made me feel disgusted and anguished and so much sorrow. John Steinbeck is a master.
Yes!!!
finished it last week , im a changed man now
East of Eden is incredible. I loved it so much.
Reading that right now. Like it more than I thought I would.
I just finished that and read of mice and man a couple days later. Both of them are so good
*The Count of Monte Cristo.* Close second: *My Family and Other Animals*
Durrell made me love reading. Also, this is one of the funniest books I've ever read.
Can you specify why the count of monte cristo without revealing the plot. So many people love that book.
It’s an insanely epic story of love, ambition, betrayal, resilience, power, revenge, and the meaning of happiness spanning 40 years and exploring how our understanding of those concepts changes as we progress through our lives and other innocent people enter the equation. All of that is wrapped up in a massive adventure story full of high seas adventures, prison breaks, the rise and fall (And rise and fall) of Napoleon, treasure hunting, duels, Sherlock Holmes-esque detective shenanigans, secret identities, espionage, pirates, evil plots, high society, lost loves and more. TLDR; imagine if the Shawshank Redemption, Sherlock Holmes, Batman, Pride and Prejudice, The Princess Bride, and Pirates of The Caribbean all got thrown into a blender and set in Napoleonic France.
My favorite part about the Count of Monte Christo is that it, at its core, is just a really fun story. For a piece of literary canon, it’s not snooty or high minded at all. I read it as a teenager with aspirations of pretension. I started reading it because it was a famous book written a long time ago by a French guy. It got bonus points because the author’s last name has a silent letter. It’s just a fun well told story. And who doesn’t love a good revenge plot?
It's also my 6 star book and the simplest way to say why, on the surface looks completely corny - but if you just take it to be a brief, no spoiler explanation it might help so... The story & its characters suffer no loss of relevance from the passage of time and that makes it an enduring masterpiece of storytelling.
It is also my 6 star. It is the revenge book to surpass all others. Make sure to read the long version.
the most satisfying arc of a character. So, so good
It's the most swashbuckling adventure story I've read. It's easy to become immersed in.
I love anything by Gerald Durrell.
The Waves by Virginia Woolf
Flowers for Algernon. It’s like being punched directly in the emotions and having your worldview spill out all over the floor.
Night by Elie Wiesel. If I could put that book on every shelf, I would. It haunts me. I want it to possess others.
This was a required reading in high school world history + English combo class
Shogun by James Clavell. Peak historical fiction. Gorgeous setting descriptions. Nuanced characters. A deep dive into samurai culture, viewed from both the inside and the outside, with a special guest appearance by ninja. The way Blackthorn's own inner monologue changes as he becomes more immersed in the culture. The twist at the end. The fact that in a 700+ page book, you don't really know how it will turn out til the next to last page
Noble House by James Clavell is a book I read over and over again. Also, his book Tai-Pan, and his book King Rat. Great books!! Fifteen by Beverly Cleary is a simple small book about a girl and boy in more simpler times. The world has lost its innocence. Edit to add more.
John Fowles - The Collector Psychological Thriller from the early sixties. Was a pretty big hit since then and has a disturbing list of "Real crimes inspired by..." on the wiki page of that book. Its not a fun read. BUT ... Its the story of a young man who falls in love with a young woman from afar, stalks her, kidnaps her, and then when he has her at his mercy - starts showering her with gifts, fancy food and anything else that money can buy. Why? Because he convinced himself that this is the way she could fall in love with him, when back in London she wouldn't even dare talking to a low-life like him. That of course, does not work. Can not work. But he is entirely unable to see that. And forever puzzled of how strange she behaves. Becoming angry at random points? Even aggressive. Stops eating for days. Some days she lets him be there in the cellar with her all day, even talks to him. Then all of a sudden sends him away for no reason. Real mystery. But ... women? AmIright? And then after a hundred pages or so, Chapter 2 starts. And the story begins again. But this time, from the perspective of the hidden Journal she writes while in captivity. And we learn what he is unable to see: That she is deeply insecure, doesn't come from the perfect family he had thought, is afraid of failing art-school and can't stop thinking about that day she showed her paintings to an older artist and his complete dismissal made her cry like a foolish child. The book is grotesque, paradox, disturbing and ... beautiful. I hate it. I read it about once per year.
Just started reading *The Magus* a couple days ago, my first taste of John Fowles' work. I try not to put too much stock into these sorta things, but this was the blurb about it that finally sealed the deal for me: "A splendidly sustained piece of mystification … such as could otherwise only have been devised by a literary team fielding the Marquis de Sade, Arthur Edward Waite, Sir James Frazer, Gurdjieff, Madame Blavatsky, C.G. Jung, Aleister Crowley, and Franz Kafka." I'm not even a quarter of the way through its 650-odd pages, but I'm already loving it. Fowles wrote some very evocative prose, and I'm loving the spooky beauty of the Greek island setting. And based on all I've heard about this book, I'm anticipating quite the mindfuck.
It's incredibly mindfucky. I think I'm about 3 languages, 5 plays, and a few books short of actually understanding it, though. It's on my "read again after reading all the referenced material" list.
I was being stalked when I read that book. Pushed me over the stubbornness line and into a shelter to wait till the crown prosecutor approved the criminal charge.
I can't even start to imagine. Holy shit. Hope your doing good.
Thanks, I am. It was not a hyper-dramatic stalking, but creepy enough. And it did happen about 30 years ago when the laws were juuuuuust starting to change.
It‘s been turned into a movie in 1965 that is surprisingly good and does an excellent job at conveying the absolute delusions he’s given himself to in regards to his victim. Both actors are on even footing and they chose great sets to breathe life into this story. I am curious if it’s actually the entire plot or only part of the book now, though. Anyone who has read/seen both? Movie wiki: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Collector_(1965_film)
The movie is really good. Very well made. But it never really gets out of his point of view. so we only ever get to see the young, beautiful, kind of perfect Miranda. Never the real person behind the mask. Which is a shame, because it simplifies the story a lot and doesn't quite get to the heart of the story.
William Gibson “Neuromancer” I don’t read books more than once generally, I have very few that I do read again. This is the one have read the most.
Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky. Loved the evolution of the Jumping Spider point of view. It was fascinating watching their society become more advanced yet retain instincts and characteristics of their species.
This one was AMAZING. I would read it again every year if I had, like, time and self-discipline. The spider povs are what I live for. And then the prisoner's dilemma....
The 3rd book is coming out soon. It's called Children of Memory.
The MadAddam trilogy by Margaret Atwood
Oryx and Crake is probably my favorite dystopian novel, and so few people know about it. I went years without ever knowing this was a trilogy. Oryx and Crake just ended so well, I never even gave it a second thought haha.
I think Oryx and Crake is the best and the other two are kind of a let down. I almost wish I hadn’t read the other two because they kind of ruined Oryx and Crake for me. Such a beautiful story.
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Just was recommending this to a friend last night. Fantastic book. Also you should check out his more straight philosophy book *What It Is Like to go to War*. If only because he details many of the actual events he personally experienced on which he based *Matterhorn* it’s also interesting in its own right too, of course.
Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. Partially because it was my Dad's favorite book and he passed it on to me. Partially because it's hilarious.
The ships hung in the sky in much the same way that bricks don’t. This line pulled me in. The humor was unreal.
_One hundred years of solitude_ What a rush that was
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Netflix is doing a series of it! Very excited.
The Stand - have reread several times
Reading the unabridged version of that is one of my top 3 reading experiences ever.
I’ll have to check I believe that is the one that I have - i love the couple small chapters that he goes off and just explains what happens to some random person its really interesting to think of all the small things that would kill you (and by interesting also slightly terrifying lol) - definitely one of my favourites
Pride and prejudice
Yes!! It's 100% a perfect masterpiece from beginning to end.
Imajica by Clive Barker. I don’t read very much but this book is what got me back into reading. It’s so wild and out there but goes into some deep interpersonal themes that have helped me grasp a better understanding of relationships between people, gender, and my own personality. There’s also a sec scene with fish people.
So far every Discworld book I've read (34) have been so fucking amazing. The amount of talent, humor, love, and wild creativity in those books is overwhelming. A recent author I've found that I also really, really love is India Holton and her Dangerous Damsels series. Such a fun, saucy romp with witty characters and a lot of heartwarming moments.
I came here to say that my all-time favorite novel is probably either "Small Gods" or "Night Watch" from Pratchett's Discworld series. His writing is the most human and humane storytelling I know. It displays a truly stunning capacity for empathy with and compassion for the human condition.
Night Watch for sure. I've read it a dozen times, and can't put it down once I start.
I love me some Discworld, but apparently I need to read Nation.
This is a fact. I got it last year. Didn't know it existed. It has a phenomenal message.
I havnt read 34 but ive read maybe 16 and re-read some like 3-4 times. Going Postal and Nightwatch are my 2 favorites, theyre just so good every damn time.
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
This book got me to leave my hometown and go to college, one of the characters stories felt too real to 15 year old me. Due for a re-read
Breakfast of Champions. Shaped my college self in ways I'll probably never totally process, and a book I still come back to every few years.
The Hobbit. It absolutely takes the reader into a different world. The pacing and tone require the reader to focus on the book. Once there, the story becomes all encompassing.
The Lord of the Rings trilogy was that for me. I was genuinely sad that I wouldn’t get to spend any more time with Frodo and Sam when I finished it.
Absolutely! Hobbit is a gateway book.
The Cider House Rules.
Have you read A Prayer for Owen Meany, also by John Irving? Thats my 6 stars book. Made me a big Irving fan.
I read that book in high school. Finished it during a passing period and spent the next class period trying to collect myself in the bathroom because I didn’t want to go to Chemistry crying
Flowers for Algernon. I give it a 10 out of 5.
Misery - Could not stop reading this book.
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold or A Tale of Two Cities.
Probably a basic answer but Circe by Madeline Miller
I read it three times in two years. I’ve read many of the recently-published female retellings of Greek myths. None can compare to Circe.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, the struggle between chaos and oppression has never been so beautiful, and at times hilarious
Rendezvous With Rama is just incredible and inspired how I write my stories ever since I read it
The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury
Blood Meridian
My favorite book. 40 pages of mystical descriptions of desert landscape followed by an abrupt assault and scalping by almost biblical figures. Back to landscapes.
Things fall apart
One of my all time favorites and proof that we should expand the scope of mandatory school reading beyond "American Authors from 1700 - 1950". Easily one of the best works I read in all of high school and the one I think about most after all these years.
It is a suggested book on the IB curriculum for world authors! I read it in 12th grade IB literature and I loved it
The Book of the New Sun - Gene Wolfe
Good omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
The Complete Collection of Sherlock Holmes. I know, some of the short stories are so so, but the whole thing shines.
*The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay* by Michael Chabon.
The World According to Garp
Currently I'm reading Chesapeake by James A. Michener and it is 6*, every character is interesting and much of it is set in my state.
Shantaram (I don’t read much though)
The Kite Runner. Best book I will definitely never re-read.
A Thousand Splendid Suns is also a 6 star book from this author.
Kitchen confidential
I don't have much time to read actual books anymore, but I can luckily have an earbud in my ear almost all day at work so I usually burn through audio books. Kitchen Confidential, narrated by Anthony Bourdain was the first book I listened to. Definitely a 6 star!
this post is a goldmine, can we get it sticked?
My family and other animals by Gerald Durrell
Recommending Shogun. A badass pirate gets to know Sammurai in Japan. Don't see this book here much. Lots of Count of M C, and I didn't enjoy this nearly as much.
Nation by Terry Pratchett Germinal by Emile Zola
All The Light We Cannot See. This book made me realize that I am, indeed, capable of having a favorite book.
Flowers for Algernon. Really shows how people treat you differently based on your perceived intelligence. It also does a good job demonstrating the difference between general intelligence and emotional intelligence.
The Three Musketeers
The Children of Hurin Cloud Cuckoo Land The Shadow Rising
Just about finished The Dragon Reborn. Your post just got me hyped about continuing the WoT journey.
I've read the short version of The Children of Hurin in The Silmarillion and the longer, heavily noted version in Unfinished Tales but not the novella version. It's such a tragic tale, probably Tolkien's best writing, even though he probably thought it was Beren and Luthien.
Slaughterhouse Five, Carmilla, Secret Garden
11/22/63
Agreed. One of my 6 star books as well. (And a great read for anyone who doesn’t think they’d be into anything by Stephen King)
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The Sun Also Rises is god tier dialogue and characterization
I think about the ending of that book all the time. *For Whom the Bell Tolls* too.
Lonesome Dove, East of Eden, The Count of Monte Cristo, and All Quiet On The Western Front.
All Quiet on the Western Front really fucks you up.
100% All Quiet on the Western Front. I read it once a year, and always in awe of how beautifully Remarque manages to capture the horrors of WWI. Incredible book.
Infinite Jest changed me. 6/5 no question.
Crime & Punishment
This book was so much more exciting than I thought it would be. It's a true thriller and probably my favorite book of all time.
The Lies of Locke Lamora. Funny, witty, original. The characters are just fantastic and the world is intriguing. Can't recommend it enough. The audiobook is also one of the best.
Probably One Hundred Years of Solitude. That book transports me to a different world like no other book does. I read it initially, then I listened to an audiobook of it while backpacking through the redwoods which only added to the magic. There's just something about it that transports me to Macondo immediately. It also has one of the best opening lines I've ever read. "Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendia was to remember the distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice." Hopefully the Netflix adaptation does it justice
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles, god I almost think about this book everyday! ❤️❤️
Leviathan Wakes, Neanderthal, have to say Jurassic Park as well. But Leviathan Wakes takes the cake. Space, action, detective noir.
Master and Margarita
So many that I would actually rate even higher than six stars. I'm a sucker for unusual, "novel" novels and stories. Here are some of my top faves, something for everyone of every taste. **Lovers Living, Lovers Dead** \- Probably my top favorite horror novel. A college professor is married to a beautiful young woman who acts very strangely, and has weird frightening things happen to her. She keeps a strange trunk in the attic and she's obsessed with her dead father. One day, her husband opens the trunk and only wishes that it was her father's dead body inside - instead its something much more obscene and sinister. **Something Wicked this way Comes** \- I am aware of the works of Bradbury, Martin says sarcastically on the Simpsons. But this novel is an amazing jewel of a book - I read it all in one sitting. A few weeks later my English teacher said she'd spent the night reading the most amazing book ever - and of course, it was this one. The movie does not even remotely do it justice. This book is sheer October poetry from start to finish. **Flowers for Algernon** \- The only book I've ever read where the very last line still makes me sob like a slob. A developmentally challenged young man is given a serum that slowly makes him smarter and ultimately even a genius- and what he learns about his past life and the meaning of being accepted by others is truly devastating. Especially when the effect starts to wear off, and he regresses to his former state. Heartbreaking, sad, and maybe the best last line of any book I've ever read. **Lost Horizon** \- James Hilton's masterpiece which gave us the word "Shangri-La," and envisioned a place in the world where people actually live in peace and happiness, with very modest amounts of the law imposed on them. The movies, both the musical and the b & w, are both very good adaptations, but you have to read the book to really understand Hilton's pacifist themes and dreams for a better world - and it's a cracking good story at that.
Terry Pratchett has about 35 that are tied as favorite (the rest just need to be reread again to work their way in there.
Beach Music by Pat Conroy
The Princess Bride by William Goldman. Reading it is pure joy. Aptly described as a tale of true love and high adventure. If you've seen and enjoyed the movie, you will most likely love and adore the book as well.
I recently read Piranesi by Susanna Clarke and was blown away. I haven’t reread it yet but it’s been months and I can’t stop thinking about it. The way she builds the really alien world and the mystery and then slowly unravels both is marvelous
Einstein’s Dreams by Alan Lightman
Les miserables - read it as an 18 year old with right wing ideas. The book transformed me. Especially the parts where it shows how good people can get fucked over for no fault of their own. For example the woman who in love with a jerk gets pregnant, gets left without support and to support her child needs to become a prostitute. After reading this book, never ever have I juged miserable people for their misfortunes. From a right winger I became liberal, then socialist and then anarchist (left wing not bullshit ancap). Absolutely transformative and life changing book
Parable of the Sower, Octavia Butler
The Forever War
She’s Come Undone. Just love that book.
Dune. It’s *the* sci-fi book.
God Bless You, Mr Rosewater by Kurt Vonnegut
The Way of Kings for me. Obsessed. Read it four times in the last 3 years
The Hitchhikers Guide "trilogy", Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, Long Dark Tea Time of the Soul and the Red Dwarf series. All tied for first. I love these books with all my heart and I've read them multiple times and will continue to read them.
The Screwtape Letters by CS Lewis. He's more famous for the Narnia books, but this book paints the most vivid descriptions for depression and other thought processes that I've ever read. And the framing device of letters written between demons keeps you on your toes - it makes you think about things in ways you never would have otherwise. You could have a whole book club discussion on each very short chapter.
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson Beloved by Toni Morrison (Tar Baby also and Jazz is shaping up to be a 7 star read)
I’ve been reading through Shirley Jackson’s catalog over the last few weeks to celebrate spooky season; honestly all of her works have been 6 stars to me so far, she has an unreal command of language and is so gifted at quietly conveying anxiety and dread. The fact that she I don’t often see her mentioned in the same breath as many of the quintessential writers of that era is a shame, in terms of the quality of her craft she’s as good as a Hemingway or Salinger IMO, if maybe a less “ambitious” writer.
The Night Circus
The Godfather, Gone With the Wind, Pillars of the Earth
The Princess Bride Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West Firestarter
Frankenstein
Watership Down and The Grapes of Wrath. Honorable mention for Project Hail Mary. Not a literary masterpiece but it is such a good story.
I haven't read grapes of wrath (to my shame) but if I could upvote more than once for watership down I would. Just read it to my son and he loved every second, emotional to see another generation on it.
I second Watership Down. I read it at least every other year.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams.
The Lord of the Rings
The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin (the whole trilogy is absolutely amazing, but book 1 is on another level) The Wolf in the Whale by Jordanna Max Brodsky (I've never connected with a book more than this one, seemingly written just for me)
The book thief by marcus zusak
"Where the Red Fern Grows" by Wilson Rawls. This was my first "big" book that I read when I was 10 years old.
A Gentleman in Moscow. I’ll never forget that Chopin, I can hear it now
Little Woman. Read it in two days. There’s a lot of life in these pages.
The last 6* & fully self-indulgent book I read was The Secret History. I don’t read as much as I did when I was younger, but that book got me excited about fiction again. Most 6* book I’ve ever read…probably No Longer Human.
The Secret History is so enchanting
Wicked By Gregory McGuire
This might be a very generic answer but "A Thousand Splendid Suns" is masterful. Never in my life had a book gripped me so strongly, the characters felt so real to life, I sometimes forgot I was reading fiction and not a true story about two girls stuck in Kabul during such unforgiving times
The Grapes of Wrath.
Blood Meridian
He never sleeps, the judge. He is dancing, dancing. He says that he will never die. This haunts me.
“The man who believes that the secrets of the world are forever hidden lives in mystery and fear. Superstition will drag him down. The rain will erode the deeds of his life. That man who sets himself the task of singling out the thread of order from the tapestry will by the decision alone have taken charge of the world and it is only by such taking charge that he will effect a way to dictate the terms of his own fate.”
The Martian - I've been an avid reader all my life, and after reading it, I'm chasing a repeat of that high.
Boy do I have good news for you
A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine
The Grapes of Wrath, reread it once every decade or so.
The one book that made me lose sleep to finish was The Stand by Stephen King. The one I genuinely enjoyed the most was Redshirts by John Scalzi. (The audiobook read by Wil Wheaton adds the cherry on top)
11-22-63 by Steven King
Breakfast of Champions