Books you can't live without
POSTED BY: BadgersHat
UPDATED: Thursday, May 12, 2005 14:58
VIEWED: 31206
PAGE 8 of 11
Great, now where did I put my copy of The House on the Strand?
Any book that echoes in your mind decades after you've read it gets 5 stars, no question.
terry
p.s. am I the only one who thinks that the AddAll site is even better than half.com? http://used.addall.com/
Quote:
Originally posted by Malicious:Quote:
Originally posted by Alta:
Daphne Du Maurier: Rebecca
Hi, Alta!
Ever read "The House on the Strand" by Ms. Du Maurier? If not, I HIGHLY recommend it.
Mal-licious
Co-Holder of the Red Bell from Hell
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I'm going to try to not duplicate any of the many fine entries already cited.
This is from memory, sorry if I misspell an author's name or get the title wrong.
1. Tales of The Dying Earth Jack Vance
2. Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
3. Ken's Guide To The Bible Ken Smith
4. Stories from the Thousand and One Nights Harvard Classics Edition
5. The Whys of a Philisophical Scrivener Martin Gardner
6. Reminiscences of a Stock Operator Edwin Lefevre
7. Silverlock John Myers Myers
8. Symbolic Logic Lewis Carroll
9. The American Language H. L. Mencken
10. Reference Data for Radio Engineers
11. Rudyard Kipling Complete Verse
12. The Physiology of TasteBrillat Savarin, love the MFK Fisher translation with her notes
13. Expert C Programming Peter van der Linden, an entertaiing book about programming for programmers
14. The Mythical Man Month F. P. Brooks Jr.
15. The World of Mathematics ed. J.R. Newman
16. any Benchley collection
17. 3:16 Bible Texts Illuminated Donald Knuth
18. Jeeves and Wooster stories PG Wodehouse
19. Bartlett's Familiar Quotations
20. The Story of Philosophy Will Durant
21. A Wrinkle In Time Madeleine L'Engle
22. The Dark Knight Returns/The Complete Frank Miller Batman Frank Miller, The edition I have is a really beautiful example of the bookmaker's art.
Still way too many to actually carry, but all worth re-reading.
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Zoid:
I'll gladly accept the cigar, and the arguments...
Quote:
...The Complete Works of Friedrich Nietzsche ... Seriously? Ubermensch socialism that so appealed to Hitler? Nietzsche was wrong, bass-ackwards: The State exists to serve the People, not the other way 'round. Do you like his stuff as an example of logical folly? I mean, no offense intended to you, but, whoa!
Nietzsche gets a bad rap because Hitler misread him and said he liked him. Have you read zarathustra? Nietzsche hates the state and limiting religion. His work is about becoming your true self...self actualization. Just look at the choice of word mensch. German has a lot of words for man that would better fit the typical interpretation. But he uses mensch which means (colloquially) a decent guy.
The idea of the Ubermensch is meant to mean someone who was freed himself. Zarathustra tries to persuade all men to free themselves from chains to state and religion and other constucted loyalties that make us less than we can be. It is not about the slavery to the state that hitler (and every other authoritarian from plato on) proposes. It is about mental and spiritual freedom.
But in fairness, Nietzche is more literature than consistent philosphy. I'm at work now, but I'll try and bring in some juicy quotes on monday.
-Eli
"If voting mattered, they'd make it illegal."
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Quote:
Originally posted by xenocide:
And of course Farenheit 451. If that book burned the irony alone might kill me.
I love this thread! It's great to see so many old favorites get mentioned, and it's added incredibly to my list of books to read. Thank you everyone!
Packer fans welcome.
All others tolerated.
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Well, I would definitely say anything by Stephen Baxter. He rocks! But I'd most definitely say his new book _Coalescent_ and its sequel _Exultant_. Both of them are top-notch reads!
-Taylor
The Uncharted Outlaw!
Captain of Prosperity (99-K64)
See my Site:
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I've been meaning to respond to this thread ever since El Jefé started it, and even started several lists which became too long and cumbersome, so I'm gonna just mention a few that I absolutely could not live without.
I did read through the entire thread and I am sure no one mentioned the book I consider to be the best I have ever read - Olaf Stapledon's Star Maker.
Robert Heinlein is my all-time favorite author and I would not want to be without any of his books, but most especially The Moon is A Harsh Mistress, Starship Troopers, Friday, and Job: A Comedy of Justice. I am anxiously awaiting the day that Tim Minear's screenplay version of "Moon" is greenlighted, and if Joss directs I might have to assume I have died and gone to heaven.
My favorite of current authors is Gene Wolfe, and his best include The Fifth Head of Cerberus, The Book of the New Sun, and the Latro novels, Soldier of the Mist and Soldier of Arete. I have read The Knight but have not yet gotten its follow-up The Wizard.
I also want to mention a book brought up by Debbiebuk. I believe this is the first time I've encountered anyone else who has read Riddley Walker. I've only read it once, but recall it fondly. It was probably easier for someone in the UK, but for me I had to read a lot of it out loud (with a feeble attempt at a British accent) to understand some of the phrasing.
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I'm sorry, but I instantly read your post with John Cleese's voice in my head!
Mal-licious
Co-Holder of the Red Bell from Hell
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Congratulations on getting the titles right!
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Quote:
Originally posted by zoid:
Nobody's mentioned Frederick Pohl, so I'm gonna lump the Heechee in with Niven's Ring denizens as best of genre.
Ringworld, or Smoke Ring? I loved Ringworld (think he's been slackin' with the sequels (actually, with all of his sequels)), but could never get into the Smoke Ring. The concept is so foreign I just have trouble believing that any of its denizens would have enough in common with me to communicate anything more personal than physics.
Keep the Shiny Side Up
Wutzon: Stones, "Exile On Main Street"
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YT:
Should read, "...Ringworld denizens". Sorry. I always just thought of the place as The Ring.
Since we're on the subject of good reads (as opposed to books we can't live without), have you read Niven's "Destiny Road"? I thought that was eminently readable and novel. Kinda Firefly-like, in that the human settlers just get dropped off in a place, and then the supplies run out and they're left to their own resources. Culture devolves to match the strains of the environment, et cetera.
Very entertaining, I thought.
Respectfully,
zoid
_________________________________________________
"Burn the land and boil the sea, you can't take the sky from me." The Ballad of Serenity
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