Question of the Week (March 13 - March 19) -- Favorite Book

[JazzyCat]

This week's question: What is your favorite book? You know, the one that you have read over and over again and still like it as much the 2nd and 3rd time you have read it!


For me, this would have to be Magic Kingdom For Sale: Sold, by Terry Brooks.
I first stumbled across this book in 1991 or so. It was on a friend's bookshelf, and I borrowed it and could not put it down. The story is about a millionaire who finds a kingdom for sale in an exclusive catalogue. He decides to buy it and becomes the king. He makes quite a few friends as well as enemies during his time as king. One of my favorite characters is Abernathy. He is a man stuck in a dog's body due to an unfortunate mishap by the court magician.

I have read other Terry Brooks books, and I have liked most of the other books in this series as well as one other series. However, this book in particular is the only one that I have reread many times!

Can't wait to hear about other books that you all like!

I enjoy this opportunity I have to get to know a bit about you guys. As a way of saying thanks for participating, I will give a small gift to all who answer my question of the week post during the current week.

Thanks in advance!

[death]

My favorite (and I am already cringing at the criticism I know I'll receive) is Ender's Game. I thoroughly love this book and if I could have one book to read over and over on a deserted island it would be this! The human brain and its compensation for psychological trauma will always fascinate me.

[commandermack]

I'll be honest, I haven't read a book since college, and I honestly haven't read anything that I'd wanna re-read for fun. Reading just isn't something I look at as entertaining when there are things that don't strain the eyes that give the same results like Audio stories on the radio, movies, tv, plays and so on. I probably wouldn't mind a book if i was on said deserted island ALONE though. Then I'd rather have one of those compilation books of short stories. Something that wouldn't seem so repetitive.

[Cowboy]

Under the Dome by Steven King for sure

[Eboli2x4]

Do audiobooks qualify? I liked Paul Hoffman's 'Left Hand of God'. Can't wait for his next book!

[JazzyCat]

Sure, audiobooks qualify. I have a hard time listening to them, as my mind tends to wander and I cannot remember what I had been listening to. I think listening to audiobooks or being read aloud to uses a different set of skills than actually reading a book. And my reading skills are much better (usually) than my listening skills.

My dad told me a funny story related to listening to an audiobook when driving home from a road trip one day. He got so engrossed in the book that he drove past his house. I do not remember how much too far it was, but I know it was quite a bit!

Thanks everyone for sharing already!

[Gobberwart]

My favourite book is actually a seven part epic - The Dark Tower series by Stephen King. I'd be hard pressed to say which of the seven is best but it's something I found extremely engaging and very unlike anything else I've ever read. I'd attempt to describe the story but it's actually really difficult to do. It's even hard to put it into a genre, because the series was written over a 25 year period with a huge break in the middle, and the author seems to have changed his mind completely half way through. It's a sort of medieval western fantasy sci-fi.. thing. Yeah. If you've got a spare week or two, give it a try.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dark_T ... 8series%29

By far my LEAST favourite book is Moby Dick by... Oh I dunno, some idiot whose name escapes me for the minute and I can't be bothered looking it up. It's a stupid book containing lots of tedious facts about whales and whaling, very loosely tied together by a really pointless story about some lunatic obsessively chasing a whale around the world. It took me well over a year to read because it was just so insufferably pointless and boring, and in the end the bloody whale kills everyone anyway, except the narrator which, in my opinion, is a real shame because he deserved to go.

[jupider]

Gosh. Where do I begin? If there's one thing I love to do it's read.
Without a doubt, the most re-readable books I enjoy are Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series. I'm sure I've read Wizard's First Rule at least a dozen times. Other than that, I enjoy Michael Creighton's novels. Pretty much all of them. And if you haven't read them, don't assume the books are as bad as the movies; I haven't seen one decent movie based on a Creighton novel, Jurassic Park included. Hollywood has the uncanny ability to absolutely ruin a good book. And I'm not talking about just making them bad; I mean raping them and leaving them for dead in the ditch.
I also have an old Kilgore Trout book titled Venus on the Halfshell that is fun to read.
And no "Favorite Book" list would be complete without mentioning Douglas Adams. All 5 books in the Hitchhiker trilogy as well as the Dirk Gently books; and even though I prefer Holistic Detective Agency over The Long Dark Teatime of the Soul, they're still both good.
And I've got a few compilation books of Sci-Fi short stories, my favorites being those by Isaac Asimov and Philip K. Dick (again, good stories murdered by Hollywood)
The classic books are also excellent, even if they're difficult to read or understand, like Dante's Divine Comedy and Homer's The Iliad and The Odyssey to name just a couple.
Also, I just picked up copies of the Jane Austen parodies Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Haven't read them yet, so they can't officially go onto a "Best Book" list, but I'll let you know what I think when I'm done with them.
Well, I could probably go on about books for hours, so if I don't stop now, I probably would.

Go read a book.

[sodafett]

Wow.... I really don't know where to start either, the first book I ever read was Star Wars: A New Hope, so that will always hold a special place, I have read The Outsiders hundreds of times, just as I have read Battlefield Earth hundreds of times, heck, I am on my 8th copy of it, I wear them out...lol I love to read, currently am reading a lot of Tom Clancy.

[sallyfox]

The art of war........ probably the best self help book Ive read......... and a book I most likely would have never read.

Sometimes profound logic is pretty darn cool.....

[JazzyCat]

Looks like I need to get to the library soon! Lots of books I have not heard of.
As far as Outsiders, I love that book (and movie). When I was in 7th grade, I did a book report on that book, and dressed up as PonyBoy. Interesting that you like it too, Soda, since I always think of SodaPop Curtis when I see your name.

[sodafett]

lol I remember SodaPop, but truthfully, I was not thinking of the book when I picked my name although it is interesting that you think of him when you see my name, hmmmm, (wonders if that is a good thing)

[unknownZ]

Ah the Outsiders have read like 3 times, forget minor details from it, but it was a great book! I had to do a small play on a chapter for school!

[Cowboy]

Gobb and I have the same author

[commandermack]

Yeah, except he spelt his name right.

[Phantom491]

Favorite book... Being an avid reader I don't know if I can name one single book but There are several series that I've enjoyed & reread.

In no particular order...
The Magic Kingdom for sale...Sold series by Terry Brooks (Mentioned above)
The Harry Potter series
Anita Blake (Vampire Hunter) series by Laurel K Hamilton
Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris
Various D&D books by various authors (Mostly like the Drizzt books by R.A. Salvatore)

[LordCretin]

A novel strays my mind but once
Prose novel nawt, repeats my bonce
Like bad writ poems, whence sences wince
Retread legends, my mind makes mince
(Me)

With apologies for any pain that caused, it expresses how an inspirational book becomes tripe, when I inspect it too closely.


Tolkien is a master of descriptive narrative. As a child, The Lord Of The Rings had me enthralled with its multiple page discriptions of mystical entities embracing the challenge of their uphill battles. As an adult, twice reading a similar passage, it is reduced to nothing more than a three page slog up a staircase. When I read a novel for a second time, too much of the prose is retained in my memory. Each sentence becomes increasingly and painfully predictable as I skip past page after page. Having said that, the LOTR remains my favourite book(s), but I'd rather watch Spongebob on the telly, than read it again.

Movies are another matter. I just turn my brain off and jump on the ride. Each time, loads of Jackson's LOTR trilogy flew past me and I have enjoyed watching through it several times.

When it comes to repeated readings, poetry is my pleasure. The shorter format better allows me numerous engagements with words already known. Robert Burns tops my poll of favourites. His imagination embraces mine, dancing amidst the Scots tongue of my father's kin. Here is an excerpt from his spooky tale, Tam O' Shanter, that I found on www.robertburns.org.uk


As bees bizz out wi' angry fyke,
When plundering herds assail their byke;
As open pussie's mortal foes,
When, pop! she starts before their nose;
As eager runs the market-crowd,
When "Catch the thief!" resounds aloud;
So Maggie runs, the witches follow,
Wi' mony an eldritch skriech and hollo.
(Robert Burns)

[JazzyCat]

I am reading a series right now that I am enjoying quite a lot. The 4th and 5th graders at my school love it! It is called Warriors by Erin Hunter. It is about several clans of cats that live in the wild, and how they get along with each other and the adventures they have. I have definitely gotten sucked in! I have read the first 3 books in the series already.

[Grokly]

If you thought the movie was good...

William Goldman's "The Princess Bride" is absolutely one of my favorite novels of all time.

Although I understand it is now available via the internet site, I was one of those who actually stamped an envelope and mailed off a request for the missing "Reunion Scene". I'll be happy to scan it and send to anyone who would like to see it. (Although now, over thirty years since I mailed that request, it's much easier to Wikipedia the source and get it yourself.)

I hate Kermit Shog.

[jupider]

I'm currently re-reading Dante's Divine Comedy. I'm in the fourth circle of Hell, where the lost souls who have succumbed to greed reside and came across these lines, where Virgil speak to Dante:

"Now see, my son, the futile mockery
Of spending a life accumulating possessions,
Competing with Fortune and men for worthless frippery:
"Take all the gold still lying under the moon,
Add all that ever was and you could not buy
A moment of rest for one of these souls--not one."

I got goose bumps reading that. I urge everyone who hasn't read this to do so.

[Cowboy]

I read jazzy's books when I was like... 10. They were pretty good, but I stopped at the 10th novel or something.