Your best ever read, or the book that changed your mind.

[Lousy Pint]

This thread deserves a bump

Just finished 'Slaughterhouse Five' by Kurt Vonnegut.
Thoroughly enjoyed it. Not sure how to describe it though... a sort of light-hearted look at the firebombing of Dresden?? But, of course, it isn't.
It does include the time-travelling escapades of Billy Pilgrim (that name alone should get you interested).
Funny, sad and thought provoking. Well worth a read!

 

[mervyn]

I’ve only just realised that my best ever read has to be Lorna Doone, which I read aged about thirteen. Our English teacher encouraged us by saying that the book was so good he read it twice a year. It had such an impact that I’ve been scared to read it again, as I don’t want to spoil that memory.

In a similar vein, about ten years ago I read William Boyd’s The Blue Afternoon, and raved about it to friends and family for months afterwards. Tried it again last year and was bored after five chapters. Weird.

 

[justanotherfan]

Sarum by Edward Rutherford and any Stephen King especially the books featuring children, I don`t believe any author has a handle on childhood to the extent that King does.

 

[Old Gunner]

King Solomon’s Mines by Rider Haggard…hugely politically incorrect now but fired my imagination as a teenager. The book that had a huge influence was a self help book called ‘Feel the fear and do it anyway’ by Susan Jeffers.

 

[American Pilgrim]

I have been on a police procedural kick of late and just finished book 3 in Peter Lovesey's 'Peter Diamond' series.All have been phenomenal.

As far as the book that really got me into reading and changed my outlook if you will is Old Man and the Sea by Hemingway.All his books contain deeper meanings and thought provoking prose;truly was a legendary author.

 

[mervyn]

King Solomon’s Mines by Rider Haggard…hugely politically incorrect now but fired my imagination as a teenager. The book that had a huge influence was a self help book called ‘Feel the fear and do it anyway’ by Susan Jeffers.

Loved that book. Remember our teacher reading it to us, and anticipating her reaching the paragraph where a mountain is described as being in the shape of a woman’s breast, which seemed to us 13 year olds as really naughty. Sadly she disappointed us by simply skipping the paragraph! It was a catholic school and she was a nun, so not unexpected.

 

[American Pilgrim]

Sarum by Edward Rutherford and any Stephen King especially the books featuring children, I don`t believe any author has a handle on childhood to the extent that King does.

King is amazing.I swear you could give him the prompt of 'A guy took a crap on the side of the road while eating a pie' and he would expand on that and turn it into a bestseller.😄

 

[Old Gunner]

Loved that book. Remember our teacher reading it to us, and anticipating her reaching the paragraph where a mountain is described as being in the shape of a woman’s breast, which seemed to us 13 year olds as really naughty. Sadly she disappointed us by simply skipping the paragraph! It was a catholic school and she was a nun, so not unexpected.

The Breasts of Sheba as I recall!

 

[unhinched]

I really wish I liked books. Seriously. It's like fishing and golf. I wish I liked them too.
I was as bored in English reading Lorna Doone , The old Man & the sea, Catcher in the Rye etc as I was when I tried to like fishing.
Maybe I am / was ADHD. I prefer pamphlets or, even better, articles.
I know I'm impoverished.
Actually there are two books I actually liked and remember :
Animal Farm - George Orwell
The Screwtape Letters - C.S . Lewis.
And for laughs .. Alan Partridge ' Nomad '.

 

[American Pilgrim]

I really wish I liked books. Seriously. It's like fishing and golf. I wish I liked them too.
I was as bored in English reading Lorna Doone , The old Man & the sea, Catcher in the Rye etc as I was when I tried to like fishing.
Maybe I am / was ADHD. I prefer pamphlets or, even better, articles.
I know I'm impoverished.
Actually there are two books I actually liked and remember :
Animal Farm - George Orwell
The Screwtape Letters - C.S . Lewis.
And for laughs .. Alan Partridge ' Nomad '.

Animal Farm freaked me the hell out when I first read it. Maybe not a good idea to read it mind after partaking in the 'Devil's Lettuce' as my grandma called it haha.

 

[George Willis]

The Magic In The Tin by Paul Ferris . One man's battle with prostate cancer. A beautifully written and brutally honest book laced with humour. I've been down this path with fortunately an easier ride. There were times when I was close to tears and laughing out loud in the same chapter. Well worth the 5 star reviews it is getting.
To quote Alan Shearer, 'Every man should read this book"

 

[George Willis]

I have been on a police procedural kick of late and just finished book 3 in Peter Lovesey's 'Peter Diamond' series.All have been phenomenal.

As far as the book that really got me into reading and changed my outlook if you will is Old Man and the Sea by Hemingway.All his books contain deeper meanings and thought provoking prose;truly was a legendary author.

If you like police procedure books try the 'In Death" series by J D ROBB. Over 50 books in the series starting in 1995 and still going strong. Various Fan clubs on the internet.

 

[Alviverde]

"The Friar of Carcassonne" by Stephen O'Shea. Written in post-crusade Languedoc in resistance to the inquisition.

"Black skin white masks" by Frantz Fanon. Eye-opening analysis of de-colonation.

 

[Lundan Cabbie]

The Red Watch by Gordon Honeycombe, the story of the Worlsley Hotel fire in London that took the life of a young fireman inspired me to join the London Fire Brigade and led me to a wonderful career.

Don’t let people tell you that today is all about a kids film called Star Wars.

 

[santos73]

This thread deserves a bump

Just finished 'Slaughterhouse Five' by Kurt Vonnegut.
Thoroughly enjoyed it. Not sure how to describe it though... a sort of light-hearted look at the firebombing of Dresden?? But, of course, it isn't.
It does include the time-travelling escapades of Billy Pilgrim (that name alone should get you interested).
Funny, sad and thought provoking. Well worth a read!

Just read that one as well and thought it was vastly over-rated. Quite funny but I expected more from it regarding the bombing and living through it.