10 to read before the apocalypse?

pyure · 06-03-2003 10:23pm

"One Day in the life of Ivan Denisovich - Solzhenitsyn,

what a great book (cant be bothered figuring out this quote crap

)

dr jeckyl and mr hyde - cant remember
dracula - stoker

two classics from my youth, loved both of em

funnily enough, jeckyl and hyde was written from scratch in 3 days. but when his wife read it she was so shocked he tore it up and burned the manuscript. then he re-wrote it in 3 days again

useless fact from stephen kings book about the history of horror.

Dr Bolouswki · 11-03-2003 4:12pm

In no particular order

1. Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgess
Crazy view of the future where the protaganists use a made up language - totally understandable, dark, funny and a scathing attack on the loss of individual freedom and the violence at the heart of any modern society.
2. The Untouchable - John Banville
Story based loosely on the Anthony Blunt spy saga - great novel, Banville's a genius - great if you're into Art, pretension, bohemian living, language and feeling like an outsider...
3. Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
Tolkien created a whole world before he wrote these books. Created the languages, historys, and social and cultural millieux for many different races. It reads like no other mythical tale ever written. Phenomonal.
4. Love in the Time of Cholera - Gabriel Gacia Marquez
For any who have known the pain of unrequited love. Beautiful and funny.
5. The Great Shark Hunt - Hunter S Thompson
Thompson was a maverick, drug fueled lunatic who told it like it was. Scathing satirical commentary on all aspects of American life in the 50's, 60's and 70's. I would say 'Fear and loathing in Las Vegas' but the shark hunt gives you so much more - it's his collected writings spanning almost 30 years. Great foundation in contemporary American history.
6. Last Exit to Brooklyn - Hubert Selby Jr.
Horrifying. Very bleak look at New York life in the 50's. Banned for obscenity - won on appeal. Incredible.
7. On the Road - Jack Kerouac
Written on speed in 3 weeks. The blue print for all modern road novels - a big player in redefining of how language, grammer and structure were used in the modern novel. Was the impetous for the whole beat/hippy movement of the 50's and 60's...
8. Naked Lunch - William S Burroughs
Burroughs redefined the modern novel. Experimental madness full of sickening and beautiful imagery.
9. To kill a mocking bird - Harper Lee
Easily accessible story about two kids growing up in the southern states and their relationship with a mysterious neighbour called Boo radley. An allegory for racism and injustice in America. Brilliant.
10. Catch 22 - Norman Heller
Work of satirical genius. Took him 7 years and he never wrote anything nearly as good again. You can never take authority, officialdom or the business world seriously again after you read this story set in a small island off Italy during the 2nd World War. The island is a microcosm of the modern world and Heller cuts us, and our behaviour, apart with relish.

I feel sick with the ones I'm leaving off here, but some other authors you should consider are Tim Page, Oscar Wilde, Charles Bukouswki, Shakespeare, Allen Ginsberg (Poetry - but totally hip!) John Cooper Clarke (punk poet), Thomas Pynchon, early Thomas Wolfe, Brett Easton Ellis, Seth Morgan (only wrote one book, Homeboy - hilarious!), Douglas Adams, Alexander Schivorsky, Joe Simpson (the greatest mountaineering writer ever!)... man I could go on and on...

s8n · 11-03-2003 4:18pm

The catcher in the rye - JD salinger

Caesar_Bojangle · 20-06-2003 1:11am

I was going to compile a list of 10 books but decided against it and opted for the one, which is

The hitch hikers guide to the galaxy - just go read it

mavedic · 21-06-2003 8:51pm

Lord of the Rings as above.
Sophies World - history of philosophy, really makes you think about life. Told through the eyes of a young girl in Norway who is taught through letters left for her by a strange philosopher.
Dune - Fantasy
Snowcrash - great science fiction novel with cool main characters Hyro Protaganist and YT
Watership Down
Wuthering Heights
Phillip Pullman trilogy
Animal Farm
The Alchemist
IT by Stephen King

These are probably not my _top_ten but there the 10 that came to mind. A lot of books on peoples lists seem to be recent enough though, is this due to memory? I know it is on my part.

Caesar_Bojangle · 22-06-2003 4:20pm

Actually you must read this book

Hagakure: Book of the Samurai, its a philosophical book about the samurai code of living which in a sense can be implemented in to everyday life. Boards ninjas should take note

DriftingRain · 22-06-2003 6:20pm

http://www.mondopolitico.com/library/1984/1984.htm

paniniter: This is a good link of Orwell. For his book 1984!

Vlad_Tepes · 25-06-2003 11:14am

Last exit to Brooklyn H.Selby JR
Lord of the Rings Tolkien
Les Misérables, Victor Hugo
Les fleurs du Mal, Charles Baudelaire
all the books by Bret Easton Ellis
Die Hexe von Paris
The Cities of the Red Nights
Junkie
Naked Lunch
by W.S. Bourroughs
On the Road, Jack Kerouac

bringitdown · 25-06-2003 11:44am

no particular order

1984, George Orwell
Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury
On The Road, Jack Kerouac
Nueromancer, William Gibson
The Informers, Bret Easton Ellis
The Man in High Caslte, Philip K. Dick
The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger
Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser
Orwell In Spain (inc. Homage to Catalonia), George Orwell
Catch 22, Joseph Heller

Trebor · 25-06-2003 2:54pm

Originally posted by Caesar_Bojangle
Actually you must read this book

Hagakure: Book of the Samurai, its a philosophical book about the samurai code of living which in a sense can be implemented in to everyday life. Boards ninjas should take note

then they would be boards samurai

anyway samurai are the natural enmy of the ninja as their codes are quite different.

Haven't read enough books to have a good list but here are some that i have read.

Magician
Legend
Sword of truth series, Terry Goodkind
The Farseer Trilogy, The Tawny Man Trilogy by Robin Hobb
Harry Potter

can't remember anymore :eek: so they mustn't be any good

must check out some of the ones that others have mentioned though

Caesar_Bojangle · 25-06-2003 10:59pm

As i was denied admission (well, tbh I was just to lazy to apply) to the ninja board. I feel its my obligation to go samurai on their ass. All i need is a Master to dote upon and a loyal apprentice to educate in the way of the samurai.

Potential candidates should p.m me with their curriculum vitae.

Closing Time Joseph heller.
I reckon to be a superior novel to catch 22, so if you enjoyed the original, you should definitely give the sequel a read.

Also The Motorcycle Diaries - Che Guevara is well worth a read

colster · 26-06-2003 5:54pm

How about

Narcissus and Goldmund - Herman Hesse
Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
The Hobbit - Tolkien
1984 - Orwell
A Clockwork Orange - Burgess
To Kill a Mocking Bird - Harper Lee
The Old Man and the Sea - Hemmingway
The Alchemist - Paulo Coehlo
Foucalts Pendulum - Eco
The Ender Series - Orson Scott Card
Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy
The World according to Garp - Irving
The Grapes of Wrath - Steinbeck

mavedic · 30-06-2003 10:28am

Thats a very good list indeed. I've read the majority of them, but will make sure to read the ones I haven't yet because it looks like you've got similar taste to myself!

Sleipnir · 30-06-2003 11:03am

Papillion - An amazing story of an amazing life.

Band Of Brothers - life in hell.

Schott's Original Miscellany- A tome of the most useless information known to man. a brilliant book.

The Art Of War by Sun Tzu.

The Lord of The Rings.

Lord of the Flies

The Day of the Jackal - Frederick Forsyth - Brilliantly written.

The 4th Protocol - Frederick Forsyth - another excellent one.

Clintons Cat · 30-06-2003 8:36pm

Japanese Literature

"An Artist of the Floating World." By Kazuo Ishiguro

Still with the japanese flavour i would go for "The Sun Goes Down"by Jean Larteguy, as pimped over on the H&H board.

"Mushashi"by Eiji Yoshikawa based on the life of Miyamoto Musashi.Legendary swordsman and developer of of the five rings fighting style style.
His writings were serialised throughout the twenties in various syndications and introduced,idealised and popularised the Bushido Code to a generation of young japanese men .

.......
US Books

Double Cross by Sam (jnr)And Chuck Giancana,The life and violent death of the west coasts most notorious don,Friend of the stars and Cia Fixer Sam Giancana.Its Mario Puzo's Godfather on steriods.

"Soledad Brother"The Prison Letters of George Jackson,

"Sieze The Time" By Bobby Seale,the history of the Black panther party.

"Autobiography of a Pimp" by Iceberg slim,Practically invented the Blaxploitation Genre and whose writings alongside Gil Scott Heron has had the most influence upon the development and direction of hip hop music.

"one flew over the cockoos nest" by ken kessy,Mandatory inclusion in any film/book list thread
"
Sci Fi

"The Planet that wasnt there " by Isaac Asimov,Science Fact from the master storyteller.

....
South American

Kingdom Of the Sun God by Ian Cameroon, History of the Andes 101

Excelsior · 08-07-2003 12:48pm

1. The Bible - God*

2. The Screwtape Letters - C.S. Lewis

3. The Koran - God*

4. The Lord of the Rings - Tolkein

5. Crime and Punishment - Dostoevsky

6. The First Circle - Solzenhitsyn

7. The Republic - Plato

8. The Everlasting Man - Chesterton

9. The Complete Works - Shakespeare

10. Origin of Species - Darwin

Pumpkinhead · 09-07-2003 9:12pm

Well...

10 books would have to be as follows..

01. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man - James Joyce
02. Dubliners - Joyce
03. Ulysses - Joyce
04. 1984 - George Orwell
05. Fury - Salman Rushdie
06. Mrs. Dalloway - Virginia Woolf
07. The Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger
08. Writing and Difference - Jaques Derrida
09. Dissemination - Jaques Derrida
10. The Lord of the Rings - J.R.R. Tolkien

of course its ever changing...

Capt'n Midnight · 19-07-2003 12:53am

The Epic of Gilgamesh
The Prince - very misquoted
All quiet on the western front (a must read for Sven Hessel fans)
A book containing all of Arther C Clarke stuff.
Middle Ages : An Economic History (can't remember exact title)

Sovet Encyclopedia of Space
Richards Bicycle Book
Magician
All you Zombies (Ok it's only a short story)

Two books at the other end of the scale (used to be in DCU library)
a) one million random digits (maybe use for lotto numbers ?)
b) an atlas of finite groups

TeenStar · 08-09-2003 5:36pm

has anyone read the cosmic trilogy by C.S Lewis????

like your opinions please

IgnatiusJRiley · 09-09-2003 12:56pm

Survivor (Chuck Palahniuk) - READ IT!!
A Confedaracy of Dunces (John Kennedy Toole)
Choke (also by Chuck)
All Families are Psychotic (Douglas Coupland)

dudara · 15-09-2003 5:56pm

1. The Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
(first book to make me cry)
2. The Pearl - John Steinbeck
(traditional tale beautifully rewritten by steinbeck)
3. A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
(so funny, the ultimate anti-hero)
4. Tender is the Night - F Scott Fitzgerald
5. Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
6. Vile Bodies - Evelyn Waugh
(Superlative satire)
7. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
(need anything be said)
8. The Forever War - Joe Haldeman
(definitive sci-fi)
9. Hamlet - Shakespeare
(best play ever.)
10. Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Caroll
(Best children's book, completely written for kids minds)

Had some trouble leaving some out
The Go-Between - Hartley
Posession - A.S. Byatt
Slaughterhouse 5 and Galapagos- Vonnegut
and many more

Jaymac23 · 21-09-2003 6:10pm

Anything by Robert Rankin...
Start with the Armegeddon series...
Sort of a Flann O'Brien for the chemical generation.
The Earthsea Trilogy by Ursala K LeGuin.
Pretty much anything by Hunter S Thompson.
The Shining by Stephen King in a class of its own.
His Dark Materials by Phillip Pullman
Pratchett's Oeuvre
The Assassins Trilogy by Robin Hobb.

Eden · 21-09-2003 6:30pm

I don't know if I can come up with ten but here goes...
Wuthering Heights- Emily Bronte
Life of Pi-Yann Martel
The Turn of the Screw- Henry James
His Dark Materials by Phillip Pullman
Alice in Wonderland-Lewis Carroll
Animal Farm-George Orwell
A Lifes Work- Rachel Cusk
Tales of the Unexpected- Roald Dahl
The Chocolate War- Robert Cormier
The Butcher Boy- Pat McCabe
The Bible+The Koran

Samson · 23-09-2003 11:12pm

There are some great recommendations here.
Any chance this thread could be stickied?

The Devil · 07-01-2004 1:11am

my 10

lord of the rings
the hobbit
it
moby dick
the great gatsby
war and peace
crime and punishment
ulysses
hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy
wuthering heights

Tusky · 07-01-2004 8:41pm

Filth - irvene welsh
The Beach - Alex Garland
The Lord Of The Rings - J.R.R Tolkien
A Song Of Ice And Fire(series) - George R.R Martin
A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole

they are my favourite books ( the ones that come to mind anyway )

Q_Elexra · 07-01-2004 10:35pm

I'd have to say

Oedipus Rex (Not a book I know but it's a great play)
Hitchikers Guide To The Galaxy - Douglas Adams
The Truth - Terry Pratchett
The Elder Gods - David & Leigh Eddings
The Eye Of The World - Robert Jordan
An Evil Cradling - Brian Keane
Macbeth - William Shakespear
How Many Miles To Babylon - Jennifer Johnston
Pawn Of Prophesy - David Eddings
Empire Of The Sun - JG Ballard

COULD YOU PLESE DELETE THIS ONE

Q_Elexra · 07-01-2004 10:37pm

I'd have to say

Oedipus Rex (Not a book I know but it's a great play)
Hitchikers Guide To The Galaxy - Douglas Adams
The Truth - Terry Pratchett
The Elder Gods - David & Leigh Eddings
The Eye Of The World - Robert Jordan
An Evil Cradling - Brian Keenan
Macbeth - William Shakespear
How Many Miles To Babylon - Jennifer Johnston
Pawn Of Prophesy - David Eddings
Empire Of The Sun - JG Ballard

Ancient1 · 10-01-2004 12:04pm

Salman Rushdie - all of his books are essential reading.

The Beer Baron · 16-01-2004 1:33pm

The Lost World- that being Arthur Conan Doyle not the Jurassic Park sequel.
1984- I see everyone has it here
Stand on Zanzibar
The Sheep Look Up
The Old Man and the Sea
One flew over the cuckoos nest
Alice in Wonderland
Burning Chrome
2001
Rama
The Forever War
The War of the Worlds
Steppenwolf

and eh...The Cat in the Hat

Samson · 18-01-2004 8:18pm

My 12 (sorry, could not bring myself to leave any of these out) recommendations, at the present juncture are:

Cutter and Bone by Newton Thornburg (top of the list intentionally, best book I've read in years).
American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis.
Lullaby by Chuck Palahniuk.
Catch 22 by Joseph Heller.
The Stand by Stephen King.
The Day of The Jackal by Frederick Forsyth.
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck (read it in one sitting).
Man and Boy by Tony Parsons.
'Tis by Frank McCourt.
Chickenhawk by Robert Mason (funniest war book since Catch 22).
Vernon God Little by D.B.C. Pierre.
One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey.

Much to my shame, I have read (or finished) few of the accepted "classics", hence most of my faves being comtemporary works.
Thankfully this thread is reminding me.

jerenaugrim · 25-01-2004 6:44am

In no particular order-

A Goat's Song, Dermot Healy
The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Milan Kundera
Where I'm Calling From, Raymond Carver
Journals, John Cheever
This Side of Brightness, Colum McCann
Candide, Voltaire (really funny!)
Short Stories, Anton Chekov (Norton or Wordsworth edition )
His Dark Materials, Philip Pulman (God is dissolute)
A Prayer for Owen Meaney, John Irving
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Ken Kesey.

Any thoughts on any of these, anyone?

Typedef · 31-01-2004 9:40pm

1984 - George Orwell.
American Psycho - Bret Easton Ellis.
High Rise - JG Ballard.
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas - Hunter S Thompson.
The English Patient - Michael Ondaatje.
A Brave New World - Aldos Huxley.
Less then Zero - Bret Easton Ellis.
At the Mountains of Madness - HP Lovecraft.
The telltale heart - Edgar Allen Poe.
(Foundation (series) - Isaac Asimov or Lord of the Flies - William Golding or A Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger).

It's a bit difficult to read the last two outside of the box of 'school' (where I had to read them), which is crap.

*bump*

Maybe some more I can't think of.

jerenaugrim · 01-02-2004 12:31am

Is The English Patient any good? 'Cause the film was vacant rubbish. Pretty, but vacant.:dunno:

blondie83 · 02-02-2004 3:19pm

Fantastic Mr Fox - Roald Dahl
Harry Potter - all of them, but especially the goblet of fire. It was really scary!
1984 - bleak book, but brilliant.
Brotherhood of the rose - David Morrell - favourite book of all time.
Remote Control - Andy McNab book, 1st in a series, but in my opinion better than
the rest of them. I just like the way it creates the character
Nick Stone, and shows all his frailities despite the whole
"SAS tough guy" thing
All Quiet on the Western Front - depressingly realistic veiw of war

can't think of any more at the moment, will update later

Typedef · 06-02-2004 1:31pm

Originally posted by jerenaugrim
Is The English Patient any good? 'Cause the film was vacant rubbish. Pretty, but vacant.:dunno:

I *know* you didn't just diss Ralph Fiennes.....

sue123 · 06-02-2004 4:44pm

Now this is very hard

Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Caroll
Wild Swans by Jung Chang
Mila 18 by Leon Uris
Catch 22 by Joseph Heller
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
Bel Canto by Anne Patchett
Veronika Decides to Die by Paulo Coelho
In the Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick

Oh can't decide between 4 others will have a think and come back :rolleyes:

jerenaugrim · 07-02-2004 12:37am

Originally posted by Typedef
I *know* you didn't just diss Ralph Fiennes.....

No, just none of the characters were at all sympathetic...except the guy that was being cheated on. Morally empty, if aesthetically pleasant...:rolleyes:

Typedef · 20-02-2004 3:38pm

The only guy who I wasn't sympathetic to was.. the guy getting cheated on.

Which film did you watch?

graciek · 21-02-2004 8:20pm

1) Franny and Zooey - J.D. Salinger
2) Catcher In The Rye - J.D. Salinger
3) Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
4) The Hours - Michael Cunningham
5) Girl, Interrupted - Susanna Kaysen
6) The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath

in no particular order.........
So many I'm forgetting!! Each has a unique quality, for example Kaysen's style is incredible, a really different way of writing, 1984- I don't need to explain, the same with the Salinger books...... The Hours is beautifully written, and Plath's book is well.....just intoxicating!

Ebony · 29-02-2004 8:45pm

hmm way too hard to put in order so here are my life changing ones off the top of my head

the virgin suicides (shows you how to be a girl in the coolest way)
hidious kinky (beautiful narration from an eight year old)
attonement-ian mc ewan (amazing)
romeo+juilet(the only thing i read in school that wasnt destroyed by teaching)
esiotrot-dahl (the sweetest love story for everyone)

theres so many more but i cant think of now!

irko · 07-03-2004 5:54am

I read The godfather by Mario Puzo.It happened by an accident,when i wanted to check a couple of pages.So it strick me ,i had to read it out.Nikolaj Gogol is a good writer, try reading some of his works.Celine is also good ,i read "The journey to the end of night" or something.Sexus,by Henry Miller.This guy named Heinrich von Kleist wrote some short novels which i liked,story of Michael Kolhaas.Alice in wonderland by Lewis Caroll.Körkarlen by Selma Lagerlöf .Njals Saga is very good.It is a medieval story from Iceland.

Woden · 07-03-2004 6:00am

Originally posted by graciek
Catcher In The Rye - J.D. Salinger

i see a lot of people recommending this and i have to ask why? i read it recently and thought it was nothing special perhaps it just went over my head but he was a whiny fecker.

i usually read nothing of substance but i would recommend:

Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card
The Player of Games, Iain M. Banks

jerenaugrim · 07-03-2004 6:23am

Originally posted by irko
I read The godfather by Mario Puzo.It happened by an accident,when i wanted to check a couple of pages.So it strick me ,i had to read it out.Nikolaj Gogol is a good writer, try reading some of his works.Celine is also good ,i read "The journey to the end of night" or something.Sexus,by Henry Miller.This guy named Heinrich von Kleist wrote some short novels which i liked,story of Michael Kolhaas.Alice in wonderland by Lewis Caroll.Körkarlen by Selma Lagerlöf .Njals Saga is very good.It is a medieval story from Iceland.

Are u Icelandic, irko? 'Cause I've heard there's some great stuff by Icelandic writers (most literate nation in the world, apparently), so can anyone recommend anything?

Catcher... is not Salinger's best. Try Raise High The Roofbeams, Carpenters! (a novella) or A Good Day for Bananafish (short stories).

irko · 07-03-2004 6:39am

No I`m not from Iceland.I Just happened to get my hands on that book.

Ancient1 · 07-03-2004 3:08pm

True, Njal's Saga is a must-read.
Also, get a book called Sagas of Warrior Poets (edited by Diana Whaley) - it contains 5 Icelandic sagas. When you consider when they were written, they're absolutely uplifting.

graciek · 07-03-2004 3:27pm

Originally posted by Dataisgod
i see a lot of people recommending this and i have to ask why? i read it recently and thought it was nothing special perhaps it just went over my head but he was a whiny fecker.

I enjoyed the book, but i do agree it's not salinger's best, i'm making my way through his books and so far i prefer franny and zooey. i lot of people say that it's just pretentious, but i think it's the kinda thing u like, or u don't like! :P

syngin · 10-03-2004 4:35pm

can't beleive that 1894 by George Orwell was not on the list

graciek · 11-03-2004 12:29am

oh yeah! 1984!! good book!

JudasMonkey · 19-03-2004 3:58pm

Requiem For a Dream-Hubert Shelby Jr.
1984- George Orwell
Animal Farm- George Orwell
The Tirlogy Of 5(Hitchrikers guide etc)- Douglas Adams
Salmon of Doubt-Douglas Adams
Catch 22- Joesph Heller
Jingo-Terry Pratchett
Nothing in this book is true, But its exactly how things are-Bob Frissell
Stupid White Men-Micheal Moore
Siddhartha-Herman Hesse

10 to read before the apocalypse?

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