Favourite books?
 

Put your top 5 books in here. See if anyone has the same likes/dislikes as you,and maybe find some new favourites along the way.

Othello.
So yeah,everyone's knows who wrote this,good old Will S.
Set in the late sixteenth century, during the wars between Venice and Turkey,it's a story of love, conflict and jealousy.

P.S I Love You
Cecilia Ahern
Girly love story.
" Cecelia Ahern's debut novel, PS, I Love You, follows the engaging, witty and occasionally sappy reawakening of Holly, a young Irish widow who must put her life back together after she loses her husband Gerry to a brain tumour." Very funny,very sad,but very good.

Nineteen Eighty Four.
George Orwell.
"Hidden away in the Record Department of the sprawling Ministry of Truth, Winston Smith skilfully rewrites the past to suit the needs of the Party. Yet he inwardly rebels against the totalitarian world he lives in, which demands absolute obedience and controls him through the all-seeing telescreens and the watchful eye of Big Brother, symbolic head of the Party. In his longing for truth and liberty, Smith begins a secret love affair with a fellow-worker Julia, but soon discovers the true price of freedom is betrayal."
A book everyone should read.

The Five People You Meet In Heaven.
Mitch Albom
Very easy to read,it's about (funnily enough) Five people the lead character meets in heaven. They are five people that he may not have obviously thought about meeting again,but they all, somehow, had a part to play in how his life turned out. Very touching.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time.
Mark Haddon.
Christopher is an intelligent youth who lives in the functional hinterland of autism--every day is an investigation for him because of all the aspects of human life that he does not quite get. When the dog next door is killed with a garden fork, Christopher becomes quietly persistent in his desire to find out what has happened and tugs away at the world around him until a lot of secrets unravel messily.

I hate choosing my five favourite books because I know I'll always miss one out. So I've picked five good books. *nod*.

Once in a house on fire - Andrea Ashworth; It's about the author's abusive childhood. The book starts from when she was very young, and ends when she's in university. Her mother meets up with many men, most of them abusive and horrible, and eventually she becomes an alcoholic, or something. Andrea Ashworth writes about her 'fathers', and how she copes. She talks about her first day at school and how she felt pressured. It's a really touching book and it's written in a fictional way - although abviously it's not.

Noughts and Crosses - Malorie Blackman; I'm pretty sure most people know about this book so I won't go into it. It's sad. I love it.

I can't think of anymore. ¬_¬

Um um um.

My sister's keeper- Jodie Picoult

Scar Tissue - Anthony Kiedis
Prozac Nation - Elizabeth Wurtzel
A Million Little Pieces - James Frey
My Friend Leonard - James Frey
Transpotting - Irvine Welsh

Me too! I love that book.

The entire Harry Potter series. 'Nuff said! Other than HP...

Fight Club- Chuck Palahniuk: the first rule is I must not talk about fight club, the second rule is...

Brave New World- Aldous Huxley: sci fi classic set in a future where people are created right down to their IQ and job description in the world in a test tube.

Interview with the Vampire- Anne Rice: A nice vampire called Louis goes to see a journalist to tell him his life story.

If it weren't for Sebastian- Jean Ure: A sheltered girl called Maggie goes to college and meets the resident weirdo, Sebastian, a socialist, animal rights activist who suffers from depression.

Rachel's holiday- Marian Keyes: Rachel doesn't think she has a drug problem she thinks it's just a little recreational use, but when her loved ones urge her to go into rehab, she does so thinking it'll be a nice wee holiday, but it's not what she thinks and she learns a lot about herself along the way.

Omg I missed out Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy there- how could I forget?? Stick that in your must read's too!

- ALL the Harry Potter books. (Even the seventh, oh yes, I'm that cool!)
I just, love them, they have everything, drama, magic...evil bad guy person and hero!! Haha.

- The Earth Children series by J. M. Auel.
They're fantastic, really well researched books (well, to an extent, obviously it's complete fiction in some aspects) about the humans around in the ice age. Fantastic.

- Goodnight Mister Tom, the author escapes me.
I just, I love it. It makes me want to cry every time I read it. The film is just as good. I loves it. Haven't read it in a while actually.

- Lord of the Rings trilogy by J. R. Tolkien.
It's LOTR. 'Nuff said.

- Never say die.
It's a biography of Gladys Aylward, she was a missionary in China during the second world war, it's basically about how she saved all these Chinese kids, really powerful.

Phantom by Susan Kay ~ story of the Phantom from Phantom of the Opera, his life from when he was born.

I Never Promised You a Rose Garden by Hannah Green ~ Deborah is hospitalised for schizophrenia

Girl Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen ~ Well I think we all know this one..Susanna's story of being in hospital for borderline personality disorder

Other favourite authors include Claire Hennessy, James Patterson, Torey Hayden, Virginia Andrews, Cecilia Ahern, Jodi Picoult etc.

The Harry Potter Series --- Just pure awesomeness.
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath --- "The Bell Jar tells the story of a gifted young woman's mental breakdown beginning during a summer internship as a junior editor at a magazine in New York City in the early 1950s." It has a perfect pace , youre really able to relate to it.
Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palahniuk--- A super model is in a horrible car accident that leaves her face permanently disfigured. Her career is over and shes invisible to everyone. Then she meets Brandy Alexander, who teaches her the art of reinventing yourself.. I love it so much, so many plot turns and memorable quotes.
The Shining by Stephen King --- "Terrible events occur at the isolated Overlook Hotel. It's a place where the guests are deceased but not necessarily departed, high in the wintry Rocky Mountains in the off season. A family checks in so the father can write, and terror lurks behind every door....." One of the greatest horror books Ive ever read.
Interview with a Vampire by Anne Rice --- I just want to live in that book. I love it.

Twilight Children by Torey Hayden - her therapy strategies for a little girl with DID is very moving.

The inner world of trauma by Donald Kalsched - its like he's writing about me. its a book mainly for therapist. but is amazing.

The clan of the cave bear by Jean Auel

Women who run with the wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estes

I have read so many great books, I can't remember them all.

I do, however, remember some books with great memories.

Sword of Truth Series - Terry Goodkind.
Kushiel Series - Jacqueline Carey.
Deverry Series - Katherine Kerr.
Anita Blake Series - Laurell K Hamilton.

And then a myriad of other books I'd pick off my shelves and go "oo" over. But I can't do that anymore, cos books and housefires don't mix.

I always have trouble choosing favourite books. I read an awful lot and I read very fast, so my likes and dislikes change with the wind! [grin] However, here are a few of my all-time favourites: books that have had an impact on me and my life, mostly, things that will always be dear to my heart.

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier is a fascinating book. Altogether now: "Last night I dreamed I went to Manderly again..." I've read it so many times I can't count. It's beautifully written, so ethereal. I still cry every time.

Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery changed my life when I first read it at the age of eight. I've never thought the same way since, and I still have 'kindred spirits'. It's such a good phrase.

A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare is the best poem in the English language. I simply adore this story, and have seen it staged so many times now that I can't count. The first time I saw the RSC do it, it changed something in my head. Really.

Wise Children by Angela Carter re-awakened my lifelong passion for theatre the first time I read it. It's a fairytale and a romance and a heartbreaker and a drama and a fantasy and a thriller all in one, and I adore it. Who says A-Level isn't good for anything? That's how I found this! [grin]

Fire and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones still sucks me in every time. This woman's plotting capability never ceases to amaze and astound me. I've read almost everything she's written and I love it all, but this one is, I suspect, by far the best.

Damn, five already! I could go on and on...

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott- Goodness I love this book, its so lovely, so wonderful! I would love to have been then.

Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens/Peter Pan and Wendy by J.M Barrie- These are just...perfection. Such wonderful stories, so beautiful, so perfect, the perfect fairy tale.

Tamora Pierce books A fantasy world I would give almost anything to be a part of.

Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell The perfect heroine the perfect hero, perfect era, perfect story.

Metamorphosis/The Trial by Franz Kafka I love these stories, such strong imagination and wonderful imagery, Berkoffs adaptions are also wonderful.

A few of mine have already been mentioned, and a few are new.

1) The Harry Potter series
Yes, they're kids books, but it's my little escape from the hard-core reading that comes along with being an English major.

2) Invisible Monsters, Chuck Palahniuk
You just cannot go wrong with the the Princess Brandy Alexander

3) The complete Anne series by L.M. Montgomery
These books are wonderful. Enough said.

4) The Collected Journals of L.M. Montgomery
In addition to her novels, Maud wrote ten volumes of journals. They detail her life from the time she was about 11, until she died in 1942. They're a fascinating read because both a) she says all of the things you'd never expect her to say, and b) both she and especially her husband, suffered from bouts of depression at various points in their lives. Reading about her experiences and feelings in that regard made me feel a little better about what I've been going through.

5) The collected works of Kurt Vonnegut
This man was amazing, and his death was a serious blow to literature. I recommend reading everything of his that you can possibly get your hands on.

I cant believe I forgot To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee which is in fact the most amazing book in the whole wide world. Ever.

American Psycho - Brett Easton Ellis
The Dice Man - Luke Rinehold (sp?)
The Old Man and the Sea - Ernest Hemmingway
Caught in the light - Robert Goddard
Harry Potter series (hehe) - That rich blonde woman!

Birdsong by Sebastian Faulkes - An amazing book that I have read time and again.

A town called Alice - Nevil Shute - One of my Mum's favourite book's from her youth and I love it to.

Harry Potter and My sisters keeper - both mentioned already so they can be combined even though it's 7 books effectively!

The shopaholic series - Sophie Kinsella - A great lighthearted read that is a must for anyone who likes shopping!

A Little Princess - Frances Hodgson Burnett - This I have read over and over again and it's just so good

The Perks of Being a Wallflower - Stephen Chobsky
The story of a 15 yr old in his first year of high school. He writes anonymous letters to an anonymous person about his first year in high school. He deals with things such as: teen drug use, familial death, teen pregnancy, family problems.

Marley and Me - John Grogan
If you have a dog, you'll love this one. Written in first person, an autobiographical piece, tells the story of "the world's worst dog." One instantly falls in love with this crazy dog and loving family.

New Rules - Bill Maher
Simply pure genius! Little pieces of comedy pertaining to modern day and pop culture.

It's Not About the Bike - Lance Armstrong
Even though Armstrong probably did not actually write this book, it is incredibly well written. Armstrong successfully takes the reader through his life with cancer and his life on the bike course. Full of detail and imagery.

Tuesdays with Morrie - Mitch Albom
Tells life's little lessons. An amazing story about an amazing man who inspired many.

My favourites...

1. The Adventures of Alice in Wonderland & Alice Through the Looking Glass - Lewis Carroll

2. Gormenghast - Mervyn Peake

3. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee

4. The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett

5. The Doubter's Companion - John Ralston Saul