Good Novels

Cnick946 · Post by **Cnick946** » 22 Dec 2008 18:06

I need some ideas on a few new reads and I'm looking for suggestions
Does anyone have any out of this world books they would recommend. I read all types of literature, i'm just out of ideas.

Jeremy · Post by **Jeremy** » 22 Dec 2008 18:26

Do you want to narrow it down a little or do you just want random suggestions?

The best novels I've read lately are;

One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest; Ken Kesey
The Day of The Triffids; John Wyndham
On The Road; Jack Kerouac
American Gods; Neil Gaiman
Crash; J G Ballard

Some others I really like;

Valis, A Scanner Darkly and The Man in the High Castle - all by Philip K Dick
The Rum Diary by Hunter S Thompson (and anything else by HST although I don't know if you'd call his other stuff "novels.")
The House of the Dead; Fyodor Dostoyevsky (I hope I spelt that right

)
The Running Man; Richard Bachman/Steven King
American Psycho; Bret Easton Ellis
Choke; Chuck Palahnuik
Bliss; Peter Carey (actually this is may be my favourite novel of all time).
The Island of Dr Moreau; H G Wells

There's a good list to start with anyway

Cnick946 · Post by **Cnick946** » 22 Dec 2008 18:58

I so have American Gods in my bookshelf!
Never started it.
Was it a fast read?

Cnick946 · Post by **Cnick946** » 22 Dec 2008 19:01

Spouting off random lists is fine.

Jeremy · Post by **Jeremy** » 22 Dec 2008 19:18

Well I read it in about 2 days because I was going to go see Neil Gaiman talk and I'd never read any of his stuff. My copy looked like it was about 300 pages long, but in reality the book is well over 500 (if I had have known this I would have started earlier). Still it's pretty easy reading so you should be able to read it fairly quickly even without the motivation of a deadline

Cnick946 · Post by **Cnick946** » 22 Dec 2008 19:22

I'll probably start it and finish it before the first, because my new years resolution is to read more. I'll try the 50 Book Challenge.
Have you ever read any Joseph Finder novels?

Jeremy · Post by **Jeremy** » 22 Dec 2008 19:54

No, but my reading list is massive. I think my new resolution will be to read all the books I own but haven't read before buying any new ones. That will be a massive challenge. Also to grow a massive beard.

I'm thinking we'll start a new topic for the 2009 50 book challenge, so definitely get on board. I should probably manage to get to 26 for 2008, which is a book every two weeks. Hopefully I'll beat that next year as well. I'm trying to socialise and drink less and be more constructive. I've also just spent a little over $1500 on bushwalking stuff so I plan on doing that a lot more and that will mean more time to sit around and read

JusticeKnuckles · Post by **JusticeKnuckles** » 22 Dec 2008 20:07

i love reading and a few amazing books you might want to pick up are Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane and The Godfather by Mario Puzo.

HG · Post by HG » 25 Dec 2008 13:05

Animal Farm -George Orwell
A Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgess
Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
Siddhartha - Herman Hesse
1984 - George Orwell
The Razor's Edge - W. Somerset Maugham
A Man Named Thursday - Forgot the authors name

bigdirtyfoot · Post by **bigdirtyfoot** » 25 Dec 2008 15:19

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

Neuromancer by William Gibson

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson

There's bunches of books to read but not enough time to get to them all!

Cnick946 · Post by **Cnick946** » 25 Dec 2008 18:40

I had to read Animal Farm for school and didn't particularly like it. I couldn't seem to keep interested. I know it had paralells, but it was too far " out there " for me

King Monkey · Post by **King Monkey** » 26 Dec 2008 07:16

Maybe try '1984' instead? Also by George Orwell. Great to read and think about in light of the way the world has been in the last decade or more.

Tsiangkun · Post by **Tsiangkun** » 31 Dec 2008 10:15

Jack London is KING of the fast reads.
Call of the Wild and White Fang being two of his most popular.

More philosophical than novel, but quick reads
Civil Disobedience and Life Without Principle by Henry David Thoreau
(should be required reading for all Americans)

More quick reads, the stories of Gregory Maguire set in the land of Oz.
Wicked, Son of a Witch and A Lion Among Men

Cnick946 · Post by **Cnick946** » 31 Dec 2008 13:59

thanks to everyone for the replies. I need to finish Eragon by Paolini then I will be sure to go to the library or bookstore.

fool · Post by **fool** » 31 Dec 2008 23:26

Life Expectancy by Dean Koontz is excellent and a quick read.. the way Koontz ties the loose ends of the storyline together is astounding.

hrdcorethndr1 · Post by **hrdcorethndr1** » 05 Jun 2009 05:37

The wheel of time series starting with the Eye of the World is a great read by Robert Jordan.

james · Post by **james** » 06 Jun 2009 01:13

1984, worst book ever

try the apprentice adept series by piers anthony

you guys need to stop spouting off classics and grow some cahoonahs, or however that's spelt

ftr, dawkins is so out of touch with the way of things it's not funny

yes i can easily justify all previous statements...but will i? no

Jeremy · Post by **Jeremy** » 08 Jun 2009 22:44

Ignoring hyperbole, I think 1984 is definitely an over rated book, and barely relevant to today's world apart from its influence on literature.

Your comment about Dawkins is hilarious. I presume you're talking about Richard. Haven't read many novels by him, perhaps you could name one? As for being out of touch - well it's hard to comment without you at least attempting to justify that, but it is clear that since the God Delusion and the End of Faith (by Sam Harris) there has been a massive growth in atheism and criticism of religion. In fact the variations of not having any religious belief is by far the fastest growing religious belief/view in the world, and indeed in countries like Australia, it's the only growing religious belief/view outside of religions that are such a minority that overseas immigration has an impact on their growth. Of course who knows if that's what you're referring to. All his books except one are about biology and science, not religion. Perhaps you're talking about something else such as punctuated equilibrium or group evolution? Only you can answer this though.

BainbridgeShred · Post by **BainbridgeShred** » 09 Jun 2009 09:55

How people find "Choke" or anything by Chuck Palahnuik decent is beyond me. Choke is easily his worst though. And I thought young Jerome was my ally against the idiocies of postmodernism.

Franny and Zooey by JD Salinger (Speaking of postmodern! haha)is a very wonderful little book. Salinger was the best ever at creating a relationship between himself and the reader, and that's the only way to describe this truely underrated book. The symbolism is amazing and the character development of the entire family is some of the best. Plus, if you want to get girls, you should become well-versed in the whole Salinger cannon, because girls absolutely eat his shit up and if they hear that you do too you work is already done.

Jeremy · Post by **Jeremy** » 10 Jun 2009 16:52

I'm not opposed to all post-modernism - just meaninglessness and work that lacks context. I'm not sure I would call Chuck a post-modernist though. I think all his work is ultimately anti-nihilist. It's just a shame that he essentially writes the same story in every book.