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Which classic book would you recommend?
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By (user no longer on site) OP
over a year ago
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I'm just starting The Catcher in the Rye, as I've never read it.
As always , I'd recommend To Kill a Mockingbird.
There are numerous other classics to work my way through. Which would you recommend?  |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"Boss, add to your 2 fine examples:
Catch 22
1984
Your avatar distracted me from your post! Just dissected Animal Farm, so 1984 could be next !  "
Apologies  |
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"I'm just starting The Catcher in the Rye, as I've never read it.
As always , I'd recommend To Kill a Mockingbird.
There are numerous other classics to work my way through. Which would you recommend? "
So wanted to read Catcher in the Rye, but read about 50 pages and couldn't go on. Let me know if it's worth persevering with when you've finished it  |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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I'd recommend you go for Conrad's Heart of Darkness, which was the inspiration for Apocalypse Now
Also on a film theme, Chandler's Farewell my Lovely. People often underrate the Noir 
Can anyone spot the connection between the two books ?
Brownie points for those who can |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"Lord of the Flies, William Golding, but then I went to a boys school and lived in the far east, so something ressinates with me, lol"
Whereabouts did you live? |
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By *inaTitzTV/TS
over a year ago
Titz Towers, North Notts |
I guess it depends what you call a classic. Does a book become a classic because it is old, or on the school curriculum, or popular?
I enjoyed The Black Arrow, but then 3 men in a boat is nice |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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Tess of the D'Urbervilles. Most Thomas Hardy is a bit wank but I love that.
Vanity Fair.
Jane Eyre.
I seem to like classics with female main protagonists. |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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Starship troopers.
Some very interesting ideas on politics and government. So much so I believe it's on nearly every US intelligence and military agency's required reading list and many others around the world. |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"
The Grapes of Wrath is very good too."
Blimey that's nearly as dreary as Of mice and men...that was no sodding accident Lennie you perv.
Chekov Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky are hard work, seem to be copied a lot too. |
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By (user no longer on site) OP
over a year ago
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"Lord of the Flies, William Golding, but then I went to a boys school and lived in the far east, so something ressinates with me, lol"
Studied that book for English Lit - great book, but makes you question lots about friendship groups. How we are like pack animals at times. It's uncomfortable reading in parts, hence very well written. |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"Boss, add to your 2 fine examples:
Catch 22
1984
Your avatar distracted me from your post! Just dissected Animal Farm, so 1984 could be next ! "
1984 is good but for me - like animal farm - the message is a bit too sledgehammer and lacks subtlety. I think Orwell was a better journalist than he was a novelist, and I much prefer Homage to Catalonia to both the above. |
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By (user no longer on site) OP
over a year ago
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"To kill a mocking bird too.
I never read the first one..."
I believe Harper Lee is releasing the sequel this summer. I'm sure, I read, she wrote it prior to " to Kill a Mockingbird". I can't think of the title just now! |
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By (user no longer on site) OP
over a year ago
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"Starship troopers.
Some very interesting ideas on politics and government. So much so I believe it's on nearly every US intelligence and military agency's required reading list and many others around the world."
Just looked it up, I like fantasy and science fiction so looks a good read! |
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By (user no longer on site) OP
over a year ago
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"Tess of the D'Urbervilles. Most Thomas Hardy is a bit wank but I love that.
Vanity Fair.
Jane Eyre.
I seem to like classics with female main protagonists."
Of Thomas Hardy's books, I thought Far from the Madding Crowd was a great book too.
Never read Vanity Fair, it's on the list now.
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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so many - our house is full of books and more so as daughter studying english literature and language at uni - she asked for grimms fairy tales for her 21 st birthday - but i couldnt choose one over another |
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"Animal farm
The hobbit
Discworld novels
An inspector calls
The Hobbit is a book that is always on one of my bookshelves somewhere. "
Yea I like to read again every so often.
Love the first chapter! |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"To kill a mocking bird too.
I never read the first one...
I believe Harper Lee is releasing the sequel this summer. I'm sure, I read, she wrote it prior to " to Kill a Mockingbird". I can't think of the title just now! "
Its called go set a watchman, looking forward to reading it.
As mentioned above, it depends what you class as a classic, for me:
Childhood classic - Peter pan
Traditional classic - Great expectations
Modern classic - The outsiders |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"Starship troopers.
Some very interesting ideas on politics and government. So much so I believe it's on nearly every US intelligence and military agency's required reading list and many others around the world.
Just looked it up, I like fantasy and science fiction so looks a good read! "
Nothing like the film I should point out lol |
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By *educedWoman
over a year ago
Birmingham |
I read Wuthering Heights at least once a year. It's my very favourite.
Also most things by Tolkein, Lord of the Rings being my preferred read. I used to spend whole summers just reading that book and teaching myself to write Elvish.
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"I read Wuthering Heights at least once a year. It's my very favourite.
Also most things by Tolkein, Lord of the Rings being my preferred read. I used to spend whole summers just reading that book and teaching myself to write Elvish.
"
I love the Tolkien books although the Silmarillion does take some getting into if you are reading it for the first time |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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Fanny Hill is wonderful titillation and entertaining too, but perhaps not a mainstream classic.
I choose Pride and Prejudice which I read at least once a year. |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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just bought a kindle on ebay and loaded it up with books I down loaded.
got a few classics:
platos republic
comunist manifesto
wealth of nations
heroditus the histories
the prince
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By *dwalu2Couple
over a year ago
Bristol |
"Atlas shrugged by Ayn Rand "
A classic example of books that people should read so they know why they can disregard the opinions of people who admire the libertarian twaddle espoused by Ayn Rand. |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"Atlas shrugged by Ayn Rand
A classic example of books that people should read so they know why they can disregard the opinions of people who admire the libertarian twaddle espoused by Ayn Rand."
you have got to be kidding! Ayn Rand is very much the authoritarian big brother type that current influential people swear by...her book is a handbook to establishing the goals of the elite |
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By *onyneMan
over a year ago
Newcastle |
Decline and Fall and Vile Bodies...both by Evelyn Waugh
Rogue Male ...Geoffrey Household
Ulysses by James Joyce is amazing but you have to really get into it
Nice thread...some of the books on this list are ones I love, and others are books that I really should read. |
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By (user no longer on site) OP
over a year ago
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"Decline and Fall and Vile Bodies...both by Evelyn Waugh
Rogue Male ...Geoffrey Household
Ulysses by James Joyce is amazing but you have to really get into it
Nice thread...some of the books on this list are ones I love, and others are books that I really should read."
I reslly enjoyed Ulysses, I'd had to study The Dubliners and then decided I fancied reading Ulysses. Really enjoyed it. |
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By (user no longer on site) OP
over a year ago
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"To kill a mocking bird too.
I never read the first one...
I believe Harper Lee is releasing the sequel this summer. I'm sure, I read, she wrote it prior to " to Kill a Mockingbird". I can't think of the title just now!
Its called go set a watchman, looking forward to reading it.
As mentioned above, it depends what you class as a classic, for me:
Childhood classic - Peter pan
Traditional classic - Great expectations
Modern classic - The outsiders"
Good choices.
My childhood classic would be Anne of Green Gables. |
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By *onyneMan
over a year ago
Newcastle |
"Decline and Fall and Vile Bodies...both by Evelyn Waugh
Rogue Male ...Geoffrey Household
Ulysses by James Joyce is amazing but you have to really get into it
Nice thread...some of the books on this list are ones I love, and others are books that I really should read.
I reslly enjoyed Ulysses, I'd had to study The Dubliners and then decided I fancied reading Ulysses. Really enjoyed it. "
I enjoyed the collection of short stories as well but the name slips my mind...is it Dubliners or am I mistaken? Just can't remember which is which! I bought it in Galway after inadvertently getting locked out of my hotel and getting two hours sleep in a shop doorway...woke up the went to the shops, bought that and read loads of stories in a cafe.
Whenever I see the book I remember the whole thing...but obviously not the title! |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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possibly the best modern(ish) fiction I've read is The Road, by Cormac McCarthy - although it's a bit of an emotional rollercoaster. Terryfying, Touching, Dark as night and yet somehow life-affirming too. Had me in tears several times... |
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By *onyneMan
over a year ago
Newcastle |
"possibly the best modern(ish) fiction I've read is The Road, by Cormac McCarthy - although it's a bit of an emotional rollercoaster. Terryfying, Touching, Dark as night and yet somehow life-affirming too. Had me in tears several times..."
I really disliked the film though...maybe because I was troubled by it for weeks after! |
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By (user no longer on site) OP
over a year ago
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"possibly the best modern(ish) fiction I've read is The Road, by Cormac McCarthy - although it's a bit of an emotional rollercoaster. Terryfying, Touching, Dark as night and yet somehow life-affirming too. Had me in tears several times..."
That's been recommended to me as a good read and they said it would make me cry. |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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A classic fairytale "the conservative election manifesto 2015" makes for a highly amusing read.
On a true note, trainspotting is a classic to me. I also have enjoyed the LOTR and the Harry Potter books. A classic classic I like is war of the worlds. |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"possibly the best modern(ish) fiction I've read is The Road, by Cormac McCarthy - although it's a bit of an emotional rollercoaster. Terryfying, Touching, Dark as night and yet somehow life-affirming too. Had me in tears several times...
I really disliked the film though...maybe because I was troubled by it for weeks after!"
Well yes both book and film are fairly harrowing! reading the book was even more so for me as at the time my son was a similar age to the boy character, and I just kept imagining it as him and me... |
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By *onyneMan
over a year ago
Newcastle |
"possibly the best modern(ish) fiction I've read is The Road, by Cormac McCarthy - although it's a bit of an emotional rollercoaster. Terryfying, Touching, Dark as night and yet somehow life-affirming too. Had me in tears several times...
I really disliked the film though...maybe because I was troubled by it for weeks after!
Well yes both book and film are fairly harrowing! reading the book was even more so for me as at the time my son was a similar age to the boy character, and I just kept imagining it as him and me..."
I can see how that would happen...I am not good with being psychologically troubled at the best of times...watched the film without reading book and had no idea what was going to unfold... |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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The Singularity is near:
When Humans Transcend Biology
By Roy Kurzweil
Notable Quotes from this book,
`One cubic Inch of nanotube Circuitry,
Once fully Developed, would be up to
One hundred million times more powerful than the human brain".
If this book could be summarized in an Image, that Image would be:
A holographic robot orgy that`s not Actually happening, but the Nanocomputers embedded into the synapses of your brain just make
You think its happening.
Read this book if you are a geek (which I,m not
 ) You want to see why the Internet And smartphone are just the tip of the Iceberg of whats comeing in our Lifetime, or your a ageing boomer who Refuses to see a therapist and needs Something to look forward to. |
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By *andS66Couple
over a year ago
Derby |
"A classic fairytale "the conservative election manifesto 2015" makes for a highly amusing read.
"
Not forgetting the fantasy novel 'Labour election manifesto 2015'... subtitled 'spend it, borrow it, bust it'
Or the feelgood novel 'the liberal election manifesto 2015', subtitled 'harmless to all, clueless about everything'.
Or you can now get the whole trilogy in one bound book. It's title is 'promise the earth, deliver a road atlas' and the subtitle is 'how to lie and cheat your way to power'
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By *B9 QueenWoman
over a year ago
Over the rainbow, under the bridge |
Brave New World
1984
Animal Farm
The Handmaids Tale
Wuthering Heights
Pride and Prejudice
Shirley by Charlotte Bronte which I think is better than Jane Eyre
Oliver Twist
Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy books |
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"just bought a kindle on ebay and loaded it up with books I down loaded.
got a few classics:
platos republic
comunist manifesto
wealth of nations
heroditus the histories
the prince
"
The prince is good. |
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