My favorite books are:
-Catch 22
-Siddhartha by Herman Hesse
-The Perks of Being a Wallflower
what are yours.
Printable View
My favorite books are:
-Catch 22
-Siddhartha by Herman Hesse
-The Perks of Being a Wallflower
what are yours.
Fiction: Catch-22
Non-fiction: No Picnic on Mount Kenya
Atlas Shrugged
Crime and Punishment
1984
Anthem
Brave New World
and for something lighter, Candide
two very good books right there.Quote:
Originally posted by Silvercord
My favorite books are:
-Catch 22
-Siddhartha by Herman Hesse
what are yours.
-To Kill a Mockingbird
-Catcher in the Rye
-The Great Gatsby
-The Red Badge of Courage
Just a few of my favorites.
I myself like all of james herberts books.
Bit spooky but good.
The Dark Tower Series - Stephen King
Lord of the Flies - Golding
Brave New World - Huxley
Hmm probably my favourite novels are "The Power of One" by Bryce Courtenay, and its sequel "Tandia". I'm also a big fan of Asimov's "Foundation" series.
Mr.Wizard, I had to read The Red Badge of Courage for a Civil War Course I recently took.
Lord of the Rings - all 3
I cant recall the title or author, I read it a few years ago, but it was from the Ravenlof(sp?) series
The Things They Carried
Starship Troopers - Robert Heinlein
( ... and no, the book is not even close to the "Beverly Hills 90210 meets lasergun" movie )
Catch 22
The hitch hickers guide to the galaxy (all 5 books)
The fundation books (the 3 original ones)
The entire Dune series and LOTR are my favorite books.
LOTR (actually its only one book),
the Incarnations of Immortality series by Piers Anthony
1984, Orwell and Fight Club, Chuck Palahniuk.
Satire rules.
The magic faraway tree. (Enid Blyton)
The cat sat on the mat. (Little yellow book)
The Hobbit/LOTR by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy series by Douglas Adams
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas
Watership Down by Richard Adams
The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan
1984/Animal Farm by George Orwell
Well?? Did you like it :DQuote:
Originally posted by MethodMan
Mr.Wizard, I had to read The Red Badge of Courage for a Civil War Course I recently took.
Lord of the Rings - all 3
I cant recall the title or author, I read it a few years ago, but it was from the Ravenlof(sp?) series
The Things They Carried
govtcheez we're reading lord of the flies right now in english. My teacher says the characters are supposed to represent the countries (Jack is russia or something) and that there are 8 philosophical layers of that book. I've also heard my english teacher is a liberal idiot. What's your take on all of this.
EDIT: I really awnt to read the hitch hikers guide to the galaxy as well as the dark tower series, I've heard they are all good. The last book I listed in the first post of this thread, "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" is a veyr recent book, but I think all of you guys would love it.
Hey, sure, whatever your teacher said. I thought it was a neat story. I tend to read books for enjoyment; most of the time I don't freaking care what "the deeper meaning" is supposed to be, especially since most people interpret it differently.
edit: It might also help that I read that book on my own, not for a class. After I finished it, I gave it to my brother to read, and he loved it. A while later, he had to read it for class and now he hates it. It's been ruined by overanalyzing.
A similar thing happened to my now ex girlfriend in high school. They had to watch Star Wars for AP English. The teacher was a fscking loon. She read into EVERYTHING, and usually incorrectly. According to her, Darth Vader is German for "Dark Father". She got ........ed when she was informed she was wrong (I believe it's actually Dutch). You know Dagobah? In her little world, it's spelled "Degoba", so you can rearrange the letters to "Be a God". The was a ton of other crap. Basically, she ruined a classic movie for about 30 people. I hate English teachers.
Next term at school I'm taking "Literature of the Fantastic". If the professor tries to ruin Starship Troopers for me, I'll kill him.
Reading into things is good as long as there is somethign to read into.
Dark Tower Series - Bestist Book eva
Hummmphg still waiting for the last 2 books though ;;;;
Just hope S. King doesnt keel over before he finishes them,
that would drive me nuts ;-)
Govtcheez - you read the right stuff man
> Just hope S. King doesnt keel over before he finishes them,
They're already finished :)
I'm sure he'd keep writing after death or something. He'd be the type to haunt Maine as well as publishing companies long after his death.Quote:
Just hope S. King doesnt keel over before he finishes them
i live in maine
Lord of the Rings Series - Plot and Character
Holes - Complex Storyline and Theme
My Book(Unnamed at the moment) - Plot and Character
>>They had to watch Star Wars for AP English.
All we got was some English ballet production of 'the Tempest'.
>>I hate English teachers.
We used to do transendental meditaion in class.
I suppose it was to help us not fall asleep when reading Browning, Hardy or Lawrence.
Oh, how I hate D.H.Lawrence and his Oedipal complex, let me count the ways....
I sometimes hoped that the things in a Wilfred Owen poem would happen to him......
The Anubis Gates by P Tilley
'Little Miss Splendid Goes To Town' is the one I am reading over and over and over again (on request).
I would like to add
Shogun. A novel of Japan by James Clavell to my list :)
hey govt, you are going to love this
according to my english teacher jack was raped as a child because he is aggressive, and the proof of this is evidently the fact that he didn't kill the pig the first time he saw it. Yes, that's his interpretation...he has aggression because he didn't kill a pig and he was raped...my english teacher is a freaking nut.
CATCHER IN THE RYE
TO KILL A MOCKING BIRD
1) The Riftwar Saga
by Ramond E. Feist
2) The Wheel of Time
by Robert Jordan
3) The Belgariad
by David Eddings
4) My book ...
i wrote a book on Toilet paper ... however ... turned out to be $$$$ !
- The Dark Tower Series - Stephen King
- The Foundation Series - Isaac Asimov
the Wheel of times series
non-fiction: the art of war by Sun Tzu
1) Jurassic Park and any other books by Crichton
2) Salem's Lot, Pet Sematary etc by S. King.
Hi all,
this threads been running for a few days but I thought I'd really like to share my favorite books:
All the books that make up the series from 'The saga of the exiles' to 'The Gallactic Milieu' by Julian May, Mark Remiliard is the best charecter any author has created.
Any book by Douglas Adams R.I.P.
and my current lunchtime read, the books 1-4 of 'Otherland' by Tad Williams, in total about 4000 pages but feels much less cos the plot an charecterisation in so good.
Also on the subject of school study material for RE and English we watched:
'Threads' a horrible drama about nuclear war aftermath.
'Boys from the Blackstuff' Drama about Liverpool during the mid-eighties.
And while speaking about books, don't you know about some free ones? To download at least... because I doubt that someone will send me book, even to my home, for free :)
I like George Orwell, JRR Tolkien, and Klara Jarunkova.. but I want to know who knows her ;)
Check out Project GutenbergQuote:
Originally posted by aerian
And while speaking about books, don't you know about some free ones? To download at least... because I doubt that someone will send me book, even to my home, for free :)
I'm very surprised that we are talking about books here...pleasently surprised thought! Not many people read anymore...around my campus at least! I'm probably the only engineering student that is into literature!
anyhow, here is my list:
Crime and Punishment - Dostoevsky
The Brothers Karamazov - Dostoevsky
Notes From the Underground - Dostoevsky
Love in the Time of Cholera - Marquez
As I Lay Dying - Faulkner
The Prophet - Gibran
and as many of you Catch 22
thats from novels, my favorite philosophical texts are:
Fear and Trembling - Kierkegaard
Beyond Good and Evil - Nietzsche
Everyone should read at least one of the books from this list. I trully recommend any texts from Dostoevsky. Some really, REALLY, good stuff in his writting. Actually, almost all Russian literature since the mid 19th to early 20th cetury is worth reading, from Gogol and Tolstoy, to Turganev and Pushkin...
enjoy READING!!!,
axon
I agree with this, to a point. I've had my share of teachers/professors who maybe not overanalyze texts, whether it be poems, short stories, or books, but put their own spin on the analyzation. Each student finds the meaning of the text that suites their personality/state of mind/ mood, whatever. When a teacher, esspecially in high school destroys that personal interpretation with their own thoughts, in part is destroying the value of the book for the kid who read it.Quote:
Originally posted by Govtcheez
A while later, he had to read it for class and now he hates it. It's been ruined by overanalyzing.
This only applies to people who actually enjoy reading and care. But a few years back, when I was in high school, not many cared...but that is another problem.
Reading really opens up in college/university...if one loves to read and discuss, the playing field is huge. People are more mature, and professors can't destroy one's thoughts on anything. Many times it is the students who could persuade the professor to think differently....
axon
>>Crime and Punishment - Dostoevsky<<
'tis quite good. Raskolnikov has some interesting thoughts, many of which I've expressed before in a somewhat serious manner, especially in Debate. "We should abolish the welfare system because the majority of the people on the system are a drain to society and therefore do not deserve to live." For those of you who get mad when you read what I just wrote, if you haven't participated in any formal cross-x debates, don't bother to comment.
>>Beyond Good and Evil - Nietzsche<<
I disagree here. I hated that. Degradation of women and religion is not good. For philosophy in a form of a novel, Atlas Shrugged is superb. Plato's Republic is pretty nice, although a bit difficult occasionally. Aristotle's work isn't as good as Plato's, IMO. I found it too tedious and a bit boring - Nichomachean Ethics was a book to put you to sleep.
> Degradation of ... religion is not good.
That's a matter of opinion.
This just gave me a thought:Quote:
Originally posted by confuted
"We should abolish the welfare system because the majority of the people on the system are a drain to society and therefore do not deserve to live."
Roskolnikov == Travis Bickle (Taxi driver)
hmmmm....
Brave New World, I do agree with but why 1984. The idea...er theme is interesting, but the book is like a short story, not quite a novel. The characters and plot develops way too quickly and too simply....actually to think about it, 1984 was a short story at first,(called Fireman?). So, 1984 as a short story OK, as a novel - not really.Quote:
Originally posted by confuted
Atlas Shrugged
Crime and Punishment
1984
Anthem
Brave New World
axon
The entire Terry Goodkind series Sword of Truth
I like it for the story and ideas, not because it's a big long book :rolleyes: Anthem is quite short - ~150 pages of large print, IIRC. Still darn good though.Quote:
Originally posted by axon
Brave New World, I do agree with but why 1984. The idea...er theme is interesting, but the book is like a short story, not quite a novel. The characters and plot develops way too quickly and too simply....actually to think about it, 1984 was a short story at first,(called Fireman?). So, 1984 as a short story OK, as a novel - not really.
axon
So if I did not get mad, but have not participated in any formal cross-x debates, am I allowed to comment? And how would it make a difference if one had participated in a cross-x debate? Just curious.Quote:
Originally posted by confuted
For those of you who get mad when you read what I just wrote, if you haven't participated in any formal cross-x debates, don't bother to comment.
Hmm... If you want philosophy, I'd say Plato's Republic, though good and a classic, is a bit difficult. Not in the message or the style, but some of Socrates's generalizations make me think he had a bit too much wine at that party.
If you don't mind Wittgenstein's terse format, or you are a math person, Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus is an excellent book.
Ayn Rand is very good as well. The Virtue of Selfishness is probably one of the more accessible books/collections of essays. Very interesting, especially if you are interested in the objectivist viewpoint.
If you'd done cross-x debating, you'd understand that you say what you need to say to win (providing you can back it up with facts, even if it contradicts standard opinions). It doesn't mean that you actually believe that - it just means you can make the argument and make it logical and based on facts. Seperate yourself from ethical concerns when necessary in debate. I can, and have, defended genocide in debate. That was pushing it a bit, but you just have to understand that the person reflected in a debate is not (necessarily) the real person.Quote:
Originally posted by kermit
So if I did not get mad, but have not participated in any formal cross-x debates, am I allowed to comment? And how would it make a difference if one had participated in a cross-x debate? Just curious.
Hey, lawyers do it all the time....Quote:
Originally posted by confuted
If you'd done cross-x debating, you'd understand that you say what you need to say to win (providing you can back it up with facts, even if it contradicts standard opinions). It doesn't mean that you actually believe that - it just means you can make the argument and make it logical and based on facts. Seperate yourself from ethical concerns when necessary in debate. I can, and have, defended genocide in debate. That was pushing it a bit, but you just have to understand that the person reflected in a debate is not (necessarily) the real person.
I suppose that is a sufficient answer. Never could see why anybody would want to do a debate of such kind where they might have to defend the side that they don't even agree with. I am not a huge formal debate fan, but when i do listen to the odd one, I like the kind where the opponents are thoroughly versed in their own particular specialty and are passionate about what they are talking about.Quote:
Originally posted by confuted
If you'd done cross-x debating, you'd understand that you say what you need to say to win (providing you can back it up with facts, even if it contradicts standard opinions). It doesn't mean that you actually believe that - it just means you can make the argument and make it logical and based on facts. Seperate yourself from ethical concerns when necessary in debate. I can, and have, defended genocide in debate. That was pushing it a bit, but you just have to understand that the person reflected in a debate is not (necessarily) the real person.
Well, you will never be particularly good at getting a point across if you only see your own side of the argument. Looking at the other side of the fence might give you an advantage in your own argumentation.Quote:
Never could see why anybody would want to do a debate of such kind where they might have to defend the side that they don't even agree with.
In line with the original thread title and given where this forum lives, nobody has felt inspired enough to put forward "The C programming language" by Kernaghan and Ritchie, Is this not considered a great book pretending to look shocked or are we sticking to fiction
I believe that the subject of good programming books have been covered many, many times on these boards!Quote:
Originally posted by H&R
In line with the original thread title and given where this forum lives, nobody has felt inspired enough to put forward "The C programming language" by Kernaghan and Ritchie, Is this not considered a great book pretending to look shocked or are we sticking to fiction
For serious. If we want to do it again, I'll throw in Petzold and Jean Labrosse's book on RTOS's.Quote:
Originally posted by axon
I believe that the subject of good programming books have been covered many, many times on these boards!
Of course, but does that stop it being a great book?;)Quote:
Originally posted by axon
I believe that the subject of good programming books have been covered many, many times on these boards!
As a side question, which I don't think needs a seperate thread, and given that Barnes & Noble have recently given up on the ebooks market. Do many of you actuall read ebooks or is it mostly paper? Given that I imagine most people here sit in front of a screen all day I wouldn't expect many use ebooks.
I personally prefer the trditional book, but yes at times I have read an ebook or two...it is well worth it when you need a certain shortstory that can't be found by itself only in an anthology. So istead of going to the library or buying a big anthology an ebook is all you need,Quote:
Originally posted by H&R
Do many of you actuall read ebooks or is it mostly paper? Given that I imagine most people here sit in front of a screen all day I wouldn't expect many use ebooks.
axon
I occasionally read ebooks, but much prefer the real thing.
IMO, yes. To me a great book is a piece of litature that I truely enjoy, love, connect with, whatever. I have read a fair share of programming books (and other technical books) and I do no consider them to be along the same lines as the rest of the books listed.Quote:
Of course, but does that stop it being a great book?
I see programming books and the like as fat instruction manuals. You can skip around chapters and it can still make sense. Read the last few pages of a progamming book and nothing is lost. Read the last few pages of a great book and you'll lose something.
Programming books: Good? yes. Great? nope
I think this goes without saying Thantos, ie shouldn't have been said...oyyyQuote:
Originally posted by Thantos
I see programming books and the like as fat instruction manuals. You can skip around chapters and it can still make sense. Read the last few pages of a progamming book and nothing is lost. Read the last few pages of a great book and you'll lose something.
Programming books: Good? yes. Great? nope
I haven't really had a chance to read many books higher than the level of elementary, save LOTR, Hound of Baskervilles, and Great Expectations, but I'd really love to read the book that the movie K-PAX was based off of. I'd LOVE to find some books on philosophy and physics. Does anybody have any suggestions of good reads on books that basically are a compilation of philosophies and thoughts by a particular person?
for physics try Stephen Hawkins' "Brief history of time" and "a Universe in a Nutshell"...you could buy these as a set which costs like $55 at Borders...but if you ghet lucky Barnes&Noble are discontinuing it and I bought mine for $20! two of them actually, will make for a pretty nice gift someday, hehe. Anyways the books are good as they explain almost everything in very simple language, ie you don't need college math to understand it. Other than the content they are really beautifull books.Quote:
Originally posted by frenchfry164
Does anybody have any suggestions of good reads on books that basically are a compilation of philosophies and thoughts by a particular person?
Another very good physics book is Jao Maguejo (sp?) "Variable Speed of Light Theory" (VSL) book. the book ventures into very risky ground. It is the story, or speculation about what if Einstein was wrong, and the spped of light is actually not constant! This theory, if proven will explain a whole bunch of problems in the universe, for example bigbang! The theory itself is getting a lot of attention from the scientific community. This one is really worth reading...but it is costly, about $30 so rent it.
Philosophy: if you're new to it, buy an anthology of short writtings, essays by various philosophers, starting with classical to contemporary. See what you like and go from there. If you've already been there, then try Kierkegard's "Fear and Trembling" and "the Sickness unto Death". Nietzches' "Beyon Good and Evil" or anything by Spinoza or Sartre...some really good stuff there.
enjoy, axon
I don't know how much physics background you have, but Feynman's Lectures on Physics are rather good... if you can keep up with them. There aren't practice problems, and you'll need to absorb information rather well...partially knowing the stuff would be a good idea.
If you want them, I have all three volumes as pdf files...which I believe are about 30 mb each. I could stick 'em on my website or just send them to you over AIM if you want.
I've taken some physical science classes, never a full-blown physics class though.
Me posted on www.flashdaddee.comQuote:
If you couldn't tell from the title I have a new favorite book and I thought I should share it with everyone. Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield is an awsome book. Great historical fiction tale of the culture of Sparta and the battle of Thermopoly (sp?). Anyone read this?
Oh and I realize I'm sounding like a n00b spammer here - but this book is so good I don't care. Epic! Incredible charectars, plot, discriptions, and best realistic battle scenes I've ever read....If you haven't read it yet do it now! (Oh and the unabridged book on tape is really well done for those of you who can't read. )