What's the Name of That Book??? discussion

Hi there!
Well I´m in the mood for reading really good books not just good but great. You know what I´m talking about, the books that mean so much to you becuase they were that awesome. You didn´t think about anything else but that book.
It would be great if you told me of your absolute favorite and a little of why. Any type of genre a good book is a good book no matter what type.

One of my favourites is The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein. I know that Heinlein is considered more a "juvenile" author now, but this particular book was very interesting and had great characters. Altho I will warn you, his females tended to be a bit flat. But the STORY is really great. (And I loved his idea in the book about forcing politicians to pay out of their own pockets for any laws that they pass.)

I agree with The Moon is a Harsh Mistress.

Also high on my list is Dune by Frank Herbert. This book had great characters and a great, complex plot. Herbert created cultures and religions in this book, and an epic story. The sequels are, at best, shadows of the first book.

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay is one of my all-time favourites. It's a novel about two young men in New York during World War II who start writing comic books together. One of them is obsessed with Houdini and wants to be a magician. The book follows them both growing up, their involvement in the war (heartbreaking at times!) and their lives afterwards. It's really well-written, funny, sad, fascinating and occasionally off the wall (including a bizarre storyline about a golem and a guest appearance by Salvador Dali).

Graceling, Fire and Bitterblue by Kristen Cashore are at the top of my list. Mostly Fire.

They're beautiful stories with well crafted and consistent characters, some people have complained that there are some liberal-minded themes that get a little preachy, I don't see it because I think I mostly agree with the author on those topics.

It's a traditional fantasy setting, just tropic enough to be familiar and just original enough to be fresh. They're the kinds of characters that I can cry with just because I feel their frustration or struggles like my own.

Edit to add: FLAWLESS foreshadowing and continuity throughout the series. The subtlety in the writing stands up well against pretty heavy scruitiny.

I can never pick just one good book.

YA:
The Road Home: Killer voice and characterization. I love the author's books in general because she presents such complete characters -- they're smart; they're flawed; they're human. In this one the main character is a nurse in the Vietnam War; she signed up in part out of grief and in part out of rebellion, but now she's having a tremendously hard time dealing with new tragedy and with what she sees every day.
Code Name Verity is more recent, about WWII. I loved it so much because the narrator tells you up front that she is committing treason, that she is giving up to spare herself more pain -- and then she makes you ache for her anyway. It's focused on friendship rather than romance, which seems hard to find in YA these days.

Memoir:
Let's Take the Long Way Home: This tells the story of the author's friendship with Caroline Knapp and then Knapp's death from lung cancer. It is -- surprise! -- a terribly sad read, but it's also a wonderful look at a very deep friendship.
Monique and the Mango Rains is the memoir of a Peace Corps volunteer in Mali, but the author made the excellent choice to focus less on her own experience (which has been done, and done again) and more on the life of Monique, the Malian midwife she worked with and befriended.

All-time favourite:
Jane Eyre. Jane's far more independent than many heroines of the time -- it's ultimately a romance, yes, but Jane is determinedly able to care for herself and maintain her dignity. I will add that I think Mr. Rochester is an utter ass, but this is still my favourite book.

I'd second Dune -- the enormous complexity of the universe he creates, complete with politics, religion, technology, science, etc. is pretty nearly unmatched in science fiction.

Ted Chiang's short story collection, Stories of Your Life and Others. A remarkable blend of hard science, religion, and what it means to be human. The title story is a killer, and the last one in the book is a fierce but thought-provoking jab at our appearance-obsessed culture. All of them will make you go "Wow..."

The Summer Tree and its two sequels. The story of five young people (early 20s) who are called from our world into another, where they each find that they have a role to play in saving it from darkness. Memorable for seamless blending of myth/legend/fantasy, vividness of description, quality of writing, crafting of a story that pulls you in, world-building...heck, pretty much everything :)

Anything by Sheri Tepper but especially Gibbon's Decline and Fall, a near-future dystopia/suspense/mystery.

Dracula. The original, still and always a classic.

For non-fiction, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany. Written by a talented journalist who was actually there during the build-up to World War II, it's compulsively readable and hard to put down.

Liralen wrote: "I will add that I think Mr. Rochester is an utter ass, but this is still my favourite book..."

Heh -- I'll second that.

Thanks everybody! Now that´s real book variety, I´m taking your word for it and giving all these books a try (it´ll take time but wht the hell).
Keep them flowing. Also the last time I searched for Jane Eyre in Kindle versión it wasn´t there, is it just me?

The Legend of Eli Monpress: This one has the first three books in it. I just LOVE the characters in here. Eli is so cocky and full of himself. Some of the characters are mysterious. (You know almost NOTHING about one character until book....4? I think it is) I'm really bad at explaining but this is a great series. All of them made it to my favorites shelf

It's very hard to pick just one absolute favorite, but there are a few I push onto everyone I can. ;)

1984 and Animal Farm by George Orwell - These are both classics for a reason and very readable and accessible.

Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes - Be prepared to have your heart broken.

The Scarlet Pimpernel by Emmuska Orczy - Fun historical adventure story

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien - My favorite book of all time. I'm only lukewarm about Tolkien's other work. They're not as fun and whimsical.

I second (third?) Jane Eyre.

Sarbi wrote: "Also the last time I searched for Jane Eyre in Kindle versión it wasn´t there, is it just me?"

You can download Jane Eyre for Kindle here: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1260

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

Beverlyc wrote: "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith"

I was just about to suggest that! But not actually because I've read it. It's just a neat experience I had that really fits this thread. I was reading a book on the bus and a gentleman across the aisle from me said that I seemed to really enjoy my reading, and that I should check out his favourite book in the world because it means so much to him. It's A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and I bought it that day before going home.

I haven't read it yet, but I think about that conversation a lot. I thought I'd pass on his recommendation to the OP in the same random way he approached me :)

The Three Musketeers - action, adventure, comedy, intrigue, romance, mystery, honor, friendship! Everything all in one great story.

**Only the two movies made in the 70s with Michael York and Charlton Heston come close to capturing the true story, all the other versions are crap (though the Disney one with Kiefer Sutherland at least had some pretty faces).**

Also if you don't mind sex and violence, Aztec by Gary Jennings. After Spain conquers Mexico, the priests find an old Aztec man, Mixtli, and write down his version of his life story for the King and court in Spain. He has an amazing and shocking life story, horrifying the priest scribes and titillating the Spanish court with his tale of incest, blood sacrifice, war, learning, exploring, sex, marriage, parenthood, tragedy, trade, invention, religion...I love this book but admit it's not for everyone ;)

Abigail wrote: "Sarbi wrote: "Also the last time I searched for Jane Eyre in Kindle versión it wasn´t there, is it just me?"

You can download Jane Eyre for Kindle here: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1260"

Thanks so much! Finally.

Samantha The Escapist wrote: "Beverlyc wrote: "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith"

I was just about to suggest that! But not actually because I've read it. It's just a neat experience I had that really fits t..."

That a cute story, some of the best reccomendations come like that. I´ll defintely look into it.

Michele wrote: "The Three Musketeers - action, adventure, comedy, intrigue, romance, mystery, honor, friendship! Everything all in one great story.

**Only the two movies made in the 70s with Michael York and Cha..."

Haven´t watch those movies except for some of the Mila J. versión which wasn´t all that good. But it must be a classic for a reason.
Funny you mention Aztec I´ve had it on my shelf for a while and it always manages to catch my eye but for some reason I haven´t read it. Now I know it´ll happen. Thanks!

A Song of Ice and Fire, The Wheel of Time, and the Pendergast novels. All of these are books I think everyone should read.

Kat wrote: "A Song of Ice and Fire, The Wheel of Time, and the Pendergast novels. All of these are books I think everyone should read."

I have read 8 of the WOT books and can't say they are a gem.

Sorry you feel that way, it's one of my favorites.

Kat wrote: "Sorry you feel that way, it's one of my favorites."

Well I can't say they are bad books. I have read them pretty quickly and they are good, but can't say a gem. This is my opinion. I wish to read a song of ice and fire but I think it might be a bit too complicated for my mind. For me is difficult to follow all the characters in the movie and I know the book is more vast.