Who is your favorite fiction author and what is your favorite book of theirs?

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VictoriaF
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Re: Who is your favorite fiction author and what is your favorite book of theirs?

Post by VictoriaF »

Kitty Telltales wrote: Tue Nov 17, 2020 3:13 pm
VictoriaF wrote: Wed Nov 11, 2020 12:11 pm I like British authors, and my favorite is Iris Murdoch. Her language is rich and her plot always has some unexpected turns.

Victoria
Which of her books would you recommend one read first?
Murdoch's novel "The Sea, the Sea" was awarded the Man Booker Prize in 1978. Several of her other novels were nominated for Man Booker including "Bruno's Dream," "The Good Apprentice," "The Black Prince," "The Nice and the Good," and "The Book and the Brotherhood." I think if you start with "The Sea, the Sea," you will develop taste for Murdoch and become motivated to read her other novels.

Happy reading,
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Re: Who is your favorite fiction author and what is your favorite book of theirs?

Post by willthrill81 »

Seasonal wrote: Sat Aug 01, 2020 8:41 am
Halicar wrote: Fri Jul 31, 2020 7:04 pm
PhoebeCoco wrote: Fri Jul 31, 2020 5:30 pm I am in my late 50s - is it too late for me to read and appreciate "Atlas Shrugged"?
Probably. As I mentioned in the "books that changed your life" thread, that book is infamous for being beloved by teenagers. As a manifesto, it's certainly thought-provoking--especially to a young person--but as a novel, it's pretty bad. I would say an adult who has been exposed to a variety of ideologies would be unimpressed.
I'm reminded of one of my favorite quotes about books: "There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old’s life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other, of course, involves orcs."
I haven't heard that one before! :thumbsup

Tolkien really was one of the greatest fiction writers of all time and arguably the very best. The depth of his work was unmatched. There are hours and hours of videos on YouTube that merely summarize certain niches of Tolkien's world. Also, I do not believe that any other author first created multiple languages and then fashioned stories surrounding those languages.

I don't think that anyone has mentioned Jules Verne. He was truly prescient in many of his writings.

Samuel Clemens (aka Mark Twain) was another outstanding writer of both fiction and non-fiction.
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Re: Who is your favorite fiction author and what is your favorite book of theirs?

Post by Baconquest »

#1 pick: Colson Whitehead is incredible. Both The Underground Railroad and The Nickel Boys are unforgettable. No wonder they both earned him the Pulitzer Prize.

Others:
Richard Price is one of a kind. Clockers is the best.
For historical fiction, Colleen McCullough's Masters of Rome series and Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall
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Re: Who is your favorite fiction author and what is your favorite book of theirs?

Post by Nicolas »

mak1277 wrote: Wed Nov 18, 2020 7:45 am Can anyone really *like* Farewell to Arms, though?
I tried to read it and could not finish it, likewise for The Sun Also Rises. But I’m willing to give them another try, because, after all, it’s Hemingway. :D
Last edited by Nicolas on Mon Dec 21, 2020 1:55 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Who is your favorite fiction author and what is your favorite book of theirs?

Post by mak1277 »

Nicolas wrote: Sat Nov 21, 2020 9:35 pm
mak1277 wrote: Wed Nov 18, 2020 7:45 am Can anyone really *like* Farewell to Arms, though?
I tried to read it and could not finish it, likewise for The Sun Also Rises. But I’m willing to give them another try, because, after all, it’s Hemingway. :D

Did you know that Hemingway had a little brother named Leicester? He also aspired to be a writer but was not as successful. This shows the importance of being Earnest.
I love Hemingway. Sun Also Rises, For Whom the Bell Tolls and Old Man and the Sea are all among my favorites. Farewell to Arms is a "great" book, but I don't think you could possibly enjoy reading it.
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Re: Who is your favorite fiction author and what is your favorite book of theirs?

Post by tenkuky »

While waiting for my public library to fulfill Lonesome Dove, I read Rabbit, Run by Updike and The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead in quick succession. Both were superb; it took me a while to get through Rabbit but I was transfixed by Whitehead's novel and read it in one sitting. Can't believe it was written this past decade.
Thanks again to this board for the recommendations.
I am going to try The Sea, The Sea by Murdoch next or The Sound and the Fury by Faulkner. :beer
EDIT: I'm starting Princess Bride instead; the other two I've put holds on and will wait for them to come in.
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Re: Who is your favorite fiction author and what is your favorite book of theirs?

Post by Carousel »

Watership Down, Richard Adams.
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Re: Who is your favorite fiction author and what is your favorite book of theirs?

Post by pezblanco »

mak1277 wrote: Sun Nov 22, 2020 9:09 am
Nicolas wrote: Sat Nov 21, 2020 9:35 pm
mak1277 wrote: Wed Nov 18, 2020 7:45 am Can anyone really *like* Farewell to Arms, though?
I tried to read it and could not finish it, likewise for The Sun Also Rises. But I’m willing to give them another try, because, after all, it’s Hemingway. :D

Did you know that Hemingway had a little brother named Leicester? He also aspired to be a writer but was not as successful. This shows the importance of being Earnest.
I love Hemingway. Sun Also Rises, For Whom the Bell Tolls and Old Man and the Sea are all among my favorites. Farewell to Arms is a "great" book, but I don't think you could possibly enjoy reading it.
I think his short stories (The Old Man & The Sea is more a novela (a long short story?) than a novel) are the greatest and where his fame as a writer truly stands ... I've read Big Two-Hearted River a dozen times I'll bet ... In Another Country, The Short Happy Life of FC, The Snows of Kilimanjaro, etc .... all masterpieces.
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Re: Who is your favorite fiction author and what is your favorite book of theirs?

Post by cheapedy »

Jean Shepherd of A Christmas Story fame. I absolutely love his collection of hilarious short stories in Wanda Hickey's Night of Golden Memories: And Other Disasters

This book focuses more on the teenaged "Ralphie Parker" and his awkwardness, as he deals with high-school crushes, dating, and in the final chapter, his junior prom. It's lighthearted and full of 1940's-1950's nostalgia that even I, as an 80's kid can appreciate.
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Re: Who is your favorite fiction author and what is your favorite book of theirs?

Post by sbq2012 »

I saw an interview with Henry Winkler many years ago & he recommended author, Stephen Hunter.
I read the first three of his books, Point of Impact, Black Light & Time to Hunt. I loved all three!!
Highly recommend....
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Re: Who is your favorite fiction author and what is your favorite book of theirs?

Post by BGeste »

I just finished Berlin Game by Len Deighton. OUTSTANDING!

I plan to read more by Len Deighton.
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Re: Who is your favorite fiction author and what is your favorite book of theirs?

Post by FoolMeOnce »

Author: Jose Saramago
Saramago book: The Gospel According to Jesus Christ. (I think. It's tough to pick)

I'm not sure if that's my favorite novel, though. I really loved Let the Great World Spin (Colum McCann) and The Master and Margarita (Mikhail Bulgakov). And for other novelists, Kazuo Ishiguro would probably be second.
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Re: Who is your favorite fiction author and what is your favorite book of theirs?

Post by nisiprius »

I find it impossible to choose any single favorite author or book, of course, but here goes.

I find the novels of Nevil Shute to be extraordinarily engaging, and it I had to pick just one, it would be The Trustee from the Toolroom. Or maybe An Old Captivity, or A Town Like Alice (aka The Legacy), or No Highway. I have to warn people that I personally dislike On the Beach, even though it's possibly his most famous.

Right now I'm reading a novel by the late Dick Francis, and I have to say he is really one-of-a-kind. In a way, his novels are sort of junky, but he has something extraordinary for a writer of mysteries or thrillers: a sort of superhero character who experiences convincing fear of physical injury. The polar opposite of Robert Parker's wisecracking Spenser, or Lee Child's similar Jack Reacher. Unfortunately Dick Francis has IMHO hard-to-remember titles--that is, the titles are easy to remember but I can never remember which is which, and they are not all equally good. However, Whip Hand is one of the best.

Two of my all-time favorite novels are by Arnold Bennett: The Card, aka Denry the Audacious, and Riceyman Steps.

Everybody knows George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four and Animal Farm and I don't want to come off as one of those annoying reverse snobs who always knows something better than the most famous work, but I love A Clergyman's Daughter and highly recommend it. The part where the heroine gets a job as a schoolteacher in a bad private school is beyond praise.

I like the science fiction of the "Futurians" and John W. Campbell era, and despite a lot of reservations, yeah, I love Robert Heinlein. IMHO his best work, by a good margin, is Double Star. And, of course, his short story, Universe.
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Re: Who is your favorite fiction author and what is your favorite book of theirs?

Post by mak1277 »

pezblanco wrote: Sat Dec 05, 2020 11:46 am
mak1277 wrote: Sun Nov 22, 2020 9:09 am
Nicolas wrote: Sat Nov 21, 2020 9:35 pm
mak1277 wrote: Wed Nov 18, 2020 7:45 am Can anyone really *like* Farewell to Arms, though?
I tried to read it and could not finish it, likewise for The Sun Also Rises. But I’m willing to give them another try, because, after all, it’s Hemingway. :D

Did you know that Hemingway had a little brother named Leicester? He also aspired to be a writer but was not as successful. This shows the importance of being Earnest.
I love Hemingway. Sun Also Rises, For Whom the Bell Tolls and Old Man and the Sea are all among my favorites. Farewell to Arms is a "great" book, but I don't think you could possibly enjoy reading it.
I think his short stories (The Old Man & The Sea is more a novela (a long short story?) than a novel) are the greatest and where his fame as a writer truly stands ... I've read Big Two-Hearted River a dozen times I'll bet ... In Another Country, The Short Happy Life of FC, The Snows of Kilimanjaro, etc .... all masterpieces.
Totally agree. I have a volume of his (complete?) short stories on my nightstand that gets read regularly.
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Re: Who is your favorite fiction author and what is your favorite book of theirs?

Post by straws46 »

For American literature I'm partial to Huckleberry Finn, The American Trilogy by John Dos Passos, Invisible Man, and To Kill a Mockingbird.
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Re: Who is your favorite fiction author and what is your favorite book of theirs?

Post by bertilak »

pezblanco wrote: Sat Dec 05, 2020 11:46 am I think his short stories .. are the greatest and where his fame as a writer truly stands ... I've read Big Two-Hearted River a dozen times I'll bet ... In Another Country, The Short Happy Life of FC, The Snows of Kilimanjaro, etc .... all masterpieces.
I'm with you on that! I have a collection of his short stories that I (re)dip into now and then. It's been a while and you have made me think about dipping into it again.

I think everyone would enjoy reading at least a few of Hemingway's short stories.
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Re: Who is your favorite fiction author and what is your favorite book of theirs?

Post by tenkuky »

Thanks to all on this thread, I am reading "The Lonesome Dove" by Larry McMurtry.
Sad to report he passed away yesterday.
I will finish the last 60 pages left in his honor today. :beer
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Re: Who is your favorite fiction author and what is your favorite book of theirs?

Post by lightheir »

straws46 wrote: Mon Dec 07, 2020 9:32 am For American literature I'm partial to Huckleberry Finn, The American Trilogy by John Dos Passos, Invisible Man, and To Kill a Mockingbird.
I recently re-read Huckleberry Finn and To Kill a Mockingbird.

Hate to say it, but Huck finn was dated and completely terrible. I do understand that at the time it was truly novel in its extensive use of slang (which set quite a few unfortunate stereotypes in media, but that's not why I didn't like it), but the whole novel seemed pointless and devolved in plot. The best moments (and quite a few literature critics apparently agree with me, after I looked up why this book was mentioned) are its portrayal of American in the parts BETWEEN the adventures, which are unfortunately far and few in between. Terrible, avoid at all costs. Just read the wikipedia summary and a few pages of the book for a taste, but otherwise avoid.

To kill a mockingbird was a lot better, and I could recommend it, but wasn't anywhere as good as it was compared to my modern-day standards as when I first read it 30+ years ago. It's borderline hard for me to recommend this book, as there are many other better books regarding race conflicts in small towns nowadays, both fiction and nonfiction.
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Re: Who is your favorite fiction author and what is your favorite book of theirs?

Post by pezblanco »

lightheir wrote: Sat Mar 27, 2021 9:01 am
straws46 wrote: Mon Dec 07, 2020 9:32 am For American literature I'm partial to Huckleberry Finn, The American Trilogy by John Dos Passos, Invisible Man, and To Kill a Mockingbird.
I recently re-read Huckleberry Finn and To Kill a Mockingbird.

Hate to say it, but Huck finn was dated and completely terrible. I do understand that at the time it was truly novel in its extensive use of slang (which set quite a few unfortunate stereotypes in media, but that's not why I didn't like it), but the whole novel seemed pointless and devolved in plot. The best moments (and quite a few literature critics apparently agree with me, after I looked up why this book was mentioned) are its portrayal of American in the parts BETWEEN the adventures, which are unfortunately far and few in between. Terrible, avoid at all costs. Just read the wikipedia summary and a few pages of the book for a taste, but otherwise avoid.

To kill a mockingbird was a lot better, and I could recommend it, but wasn't anywhere as good as it was compared to my modern-day standards as when I first read it 30+ years ago. It's borderline hard for me to recommend this book, as there are many other better books regarding race conflicts in small towns nowadays, both fiction and nonfiction.
I cannot disagree with your opinion of Huckleberry Finn more. I did a quick search for "quite a few literature critics that apparently agree with you" and I could find very very few. The vast preponderance of critics still feel that it is one of the treasures of American literature. It is one of the greatest denouncements of slavery and racism every written in our idiom.

Here is a literary critic (PBS Teacher's Guide Series) that I thought wrote an insightful essay about the book:

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/cultureshock/t ... essay.html and explains perhaps some of the difficulties that you might have had with the book. It is certainly not an easy book to read or teach or completely understand on its many levels.
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Re: Who is your favorite fiction author and what is your favorite book of theirs?

Post by tenkuky »

I finally finished Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry.
Thoroughly enjoyed it, and remarkable that it came out the same year as Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy.
Both great, in different ways.

And I just wrapped up The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead (who wrote the wonderful Underground Railroad).

This board has greatly improved my fiction reading experience, thank you :beer
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Re: Who is your favorite fiction author and what is your favorite book of theirs?

Post by You Know What I Mean »

nisiprius wrote: Sat Dec 05, 2020 8:19 pm I find it impossible to choose any single favorite author or book, of course, but here goes.

I find the novels of Nevil Shute to be extraordinarily engaging, and it I had to pick just one, it would be The Trustee from the Toolroom. Or maybe An Old Captivity, or A Town Like Alice (aka The Legacy), or No Highway. I have to warn people that I personally dislike On the Beach, even though it's possibly his most famous.

Right now I'm reading a novel by the late Dick Francis, and I have to say he is really one-of-a-kind. In a way, his novels are sort of junky, but he has something extraordinary for a writer of mysteries or thrillers: a sort of superhero character who experiences convincing fear of physical injury. The polar opposite of Robert Parker's wisecracking Spenser, or Lee Child's similar Jack Reacher. Unfortunately Dick Francis has IMHO hard-to-remember titles--that is, the titles are easy to remember but I can never remember which is which, and they are not all equally good. However, Whip Hand is one of the best.

Two of my all-time favorite novels are by Arnold Bennett: The Card, aka Denry the Audacious, and Riceyman Steps.

Everybody knows George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four and Animal Farm and I don't want to come off as one of those annoying reverse snobs who always knows something better than the most famous work, but I love A Clergyman's Daughter and highly recommend it. The part where the heroine gets a job as a schoolteacher in a bad private school is beyond praise.

I like the science fiction of the "Futurians" and John W. Campbell era, and despite a lot of reservations, yeah, I love Robert Heinlein. IMHO his best work, by a good margin, is Double Star. And, of course, his short story, Universe.
I wish I had responded more promptly to this. I share many of those thoughts.

Thanks for the tip on Nevil Shute. I read “The Trustee from the Tool Room” and “A Town Like Alice.” Not my usual reading fare, but I enjoyed them both. “Alice” was especially good on courage, perseverance, and individual determination to survive, make her town a better place, etc.

I like all of Dick Francis’ novels, which revolve around horse racing. Even though I don’t know anything about horses, never rode one, and don’t bet on races, he gave me a good appreciation for the sport. I would add that, while many of his protagonists are jockeys, trainers or owners, others like his banker or his architect “heroes” are also good, in my opinion.

I also like that his characters are courageous but not fearless super-heroes like Spenser or Jack Reacher, though I enjoy those characters very much, too. I assume you admire John D. MacDonald’s Travis McGee for similar reasons. I remember his fright after barely surviving a guard-dog attack in “A Deadly Shade of Gold”:

“I bounded up, feeling as cold as if I’d handled snakes. From the instant he bounded at me until he fell to the ground at the base of the wall was perhaps less than two full seconds…. It is possible to age a year in two seconds. Animals that come at you in the night is one of the horror dreams of childhood. You never really get over them.… Suddenly I wondered if they had pair of dogs, and the thought nearly sent me hustling toward my escape line. I couldn’t expect that much luck twice. Few men have given me as much instant fright as that dog gave me.”

https://books.google.com/books?id=lxQuN ... gs&f=false

I like all of Robert Heinlein’s stories, with perhaps fewer reservations, from the youthful “The Door Into Summer” to the more controversial “Farnham’s Freehold” and “Time Enough for Love.” Most of them I like better than his most famous: “Stranger in a Strange Land.”

ETA: one sentence to the quote from "A Deadly Shade of Gold."
Last edited by You Know What I Mean on Sun Apr 11, 2021 8:23 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Who is your favorite fiction author and what is your favorite book of theirs?

Post by BradJ »

pezblanco wrote: Sat Mar 27, 2021 11:44 am
lightheir wrote: Sat Mar 27, 2021 9:01 am
straws46 wrote: Mon Dec 07, 2020 9:32 am For American literature I'm partial to Huckleberry Finn, The American Trilogy by John Dos Passos, Invisible Man, and To Kill a Mockingbird.
I recently re-read Huckleberry Finn and To Kill a Mockingbird.

Hate to say it, but Huck finn was dated and completely terrible. I do understand that at the time it was truly novel in its extensive use of slang (which set quite a few unfortunate stereotypes in media, but that's not why I didn't like it), but the whole novel seemed pointless and devolved in plot. The best moments (and quite a few literature critics apparently agree with me, after I looked up why this book was mentioned) are its portrayal of American in the parts BETWEEN the adventures, which are unfortunately far and few in between. Terrible, avoid at all costs. Just read the wikipedia summary and a few pages of the book for a taste, but otherwise avoid.

To kill a mockingbird was a lot better, and I could recommend it, but wasn't anywhere as good as it was compared to my modern-day standards as when I first read it 30+ years ago. It's borderline hard for me to recommend this book, as there are many other better books regarding race conflicts in small towns nowadays, both fiction and nonfiction.
I cannot disagree with your opinion of Huckleberry Finn more. I did a quick search for "quite a few literature critics that apparently agree with you" and I could find very very few. The vast preponderance of critics still feel that it is one of the treasures of American literature. It is one of the greatest denouncements of slavery and racism every written in our idiom.

Here is a literary critic (PBS Teacher's Guide Series) that I thought wrote an insightful essay about the book:

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/cultureshock/t ... essay.html and explains perhaps some of the difficulties that you might have had with the book. It is certainly not an easy book to read or teach or completely understand on its many levels.
I read Huckleberry Finn for the first time recently and was blown away. I know it may sound odd, but I compared it to watching O Brother Where Art Though (one of my favorite movies). The book was hilarious, thoughtful and hard to put down. Few “classics” earn that title, Huckleberry Finn definitely did.
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Re: Who is your favorite fiction author and what is your favorite book of theirs?

Post by Shalom Aleichem »

BradJ wrote: Sun Apr 11, 2021 8:20 pm
pezblanco wrote: Sat Mar 27, 2021 11:44 am
lightheir wrote: Sat Mar 27, 2021 9:01 am
straws46 wrote: Mon Dec 07, 2020 9:32 am For American literature I'm partial to Huckleberry Finn, The American Trilogy by John Dos Passos, Invisible Man, and To Kill a Mockingbird.
I recently re-read Huckleberry Finn and To Kill a Mockingbird.

Hate to say it, but Huck finn was dated and completely terrible. I do understand that at the time it was truly novel in its extensive use of slang (which set quite a few unfortunate stereotypes in media, but that's not why I didn't like it), but the whole novel seemed pointless and devolved in plot. The best moments (and quite a few literature critics apparently agree with me, after I looked up why this book was mentioned) are its portrayal of American in the parts BETWEEN the adventures, which are unfortunately far and few in between. Terrible, avoid at all costs. Just read the wikipedia summary and a few pages of the book for a taste, but otherwise avoid.

To kill a mockingbird was a lot better, and I could recommend it, but wasn't anywhere as good as it was compared to my modern-day standards as when I first read it 30+ years ago. It's borderline hard for me to recommend this book, as there are many other better books regarding race conflicts in small towns nowadays, both fiction and nonfiction.
I cannot disagree with your opinion of Huckleberry Finn more. I did a quick search for "quite a few literature critics that apparently agree with you" and I could find very very few. The vast preponderance of critics still feel that it is one of the treasures of American literature. It is one of the greatest denouncements of slavery and racism every written in our idiom.

Here is a literary critic (PBS Teacher's Guide Series) that I thought wrote an insightful essay about the book:

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/cultureshock/t ... essay.html and explains perhaps some of the difficulties that you might have had with the book. It is certainly not an easy book to read or teach or completely understand on its many levels.
I read Huckleberry Finn for the first time recently and was blown away. I know it may sound odd, but I compared it to watching O Brother Where Art Though (one of my favorite movies). The book was hilarious, thoughtful and hard to put down. Few “classics” earn that title, Huckleberry Finn definitely did.
I agree completely. I read huck Finn as a kid and reread it a year ago. I was blown away. The writing is so natural and comfortable - he was so skillful that in reading it we all feel “I could write that” which I think is the hallmark of expert writing. The plot, the themes, and of course e grotesque nature of what was normal life - shocking - just made extraordinary reading. I recall being hit across the head when huck asked Jim - iirc - what he’s saving money for - and he said to buy his wife. And I didn’t immediately get it the first second, then realized his meaning - and it was like I was hit across the head.

Extraordinary work, and one as with all classics that influenced an enormous number of people.
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Re: Who is your favorite fiction author and what is your favorite book of theirs?

Post by Shalom Aleichem »

willthrill81 wrote: Wed Nov 18, 2020 10:03 am
Seasonal wrote: Sat Aug 01, 2020 8:41 am
Halicar wrote: Fri Jul 31, 2020 7:04 pm
PhoebeCoco wrote: Fri Jul 31, 2020 5:30 pm I am in my late 50s - is it too late for me to read and appreciate "Atlas Shrugged"?
Probably. As I mentioned in the "books that changed your life" thread, that book is infamous for being beloved by teenagers. As a manifesto, it's certainly thought-provoking--especially to a young person--but as a novel, it's pretty bad. I would say an adult who has been exposed to a variety of ideologies would be unimpressed.
I'm reminded of one of my favorite quotes about books: "There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old’s life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other, of course, involves orcs."
I haven't heard that one before! :thumbsup

Tolkien really was one of the greatest fiction writers of all time and arguably the very best. The depth of his work was unmatched. There are hours and hours of videos on YouTube that merely summarize certain niches of Tolkien's world. Also, I do not believe that any other author first created multiple languages and then fashioned stories surrounding those languages.

I don't think that anyone has mentioned Jules Verne. He was truly prescient in many of his writings.

Samuel Clemens (aka Mark Twain) was another outstanding writer of both fiction and non-fiction.
Re atlas shrugged - from
The previous poster - id say that’s one of those books that if you believe in liberty - like in your bones - you like atlas shrugged. And if you think freedom and liberty are overrated but safety is paramount you deride it as a children’s book. I’m only partway into it. I’d almost say it’s like a religious belief that liberals dislike ayn rand the way conservatives dislike Marx and the philosophies are of course opposite one another. Except that a student of history would say Marxism caused terrible destruction in this world and libertarianism not so much.
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Re: Who is your favorite fiction author and what is your favorite book of theirs?

Post by Shalom Aleichem »

Nicolas wrote: Sat Nov 21, 2020 9:35 pm
mak1277 wrote: Wed Nov 18, 2020 7:45 am Can anyone really *like* Farewell to Arms, though?
I tried to read it and could not finish it, likewise for The Sun Also Rises. But I’m willing to give them another try, because, after all, it’s Hemingway. :D
I read the old man and the sea as a kid and didn’t like it. All that for nothing. I reread it a year ago and was blown away. So I proceeded to the sun also rises and just didn’t care for it. Any other Hemingway you recommend?
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Re: Who is your favorite fiction author and what is your favorite book of theirs?

Post by Nicolas »

Shalom Aleichem wrote: Sun Apr 11, 2021 9:38 pm
BradJ wrote: Sun Apr 11, 2021 8:20 pm
pezblanco wrote: Sat Mar 27, 2021 11:44 am
lightheir wrote: Sat Mar 27, 2021 9:01 am
straws46 wrote: Mon Dec 07, 2020 9:32 am For American literature I'm partial to Huckleberry Finn, The American Trilogy by John Dos Passos, Invisible Man, and To Kill a Mockingbird.
I recently re-read Huckleberry Finn and To Kill a Mockingbird.

Hate to say it, but Huck finn was dated and completely terrible. I do understand that at the time it was truly novel in its extensive use of slang (which set quite a few unfortunate stereotypes in media, but that's not why I didn't like it), but the whole novel seemed pointless and devolved in plot. The best moments (and quite a few literature critics apparently agree with me, after I looked up why this book was mentioned) are its portrayal of American in the parts BETWEEN the adventures, which are unfortunately far and few in between. Terrible, avoid at all costs. Just read the wikipedia summary and a few pages of the book for a taste, but otherwise avoid.

To kill a mockingbird was a lot better, and I could recommend it, but wasn't anywhere as good as it was compared to my modern-day standards as when I first read it 30+ years ago. It's borderline hard for me to recommend this book, as there are many other better books regarding race conflicts in small towns nowadays, both fiction and nonfiction.
I cannot disagree with your opinion of Huckleberry Finn more. I did a quick search for "quite a few literature critics that apparently agree with you" and I could find very very few. The vast preponderance of critics still feel that it is one of the treasures of American literature. It is one of the greatest denouncements of slavery and racism every written in our idiom.

Here is a literary critic (PBS Teacher's Guide Series) that I thought wrote an insightful essay about the book:

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/cultureshock/t ... essay.html and explains perhaps some of the difficulties that you might have had with the book. It is certainly not an easy book to read or teach or completely understand on its many levels.
I read Huckleberry Finn for the first time recently and was blown away. I know it may sound odd, but I compared it to watching O Brother Where Art Though (one of my favorite movies). The book was hilarious, thoughtful and hard to put down. Few “classics” earn that title, Huckleberry Finn definitely did.
I agree completely. I read huck Finn as a kid and reread it a year ago. I was blown away. The writing is so natural and comfortable - he was so skillful that in reading it we all feel “I could write that” which I think is the hallmark of expert writing. The plot, the themes, and of course e grotesque nature of what was normal life - shocking - just made extraordinary reading. I recall being hit across the head when huck asked Jim - iirc - what he’s saving money for - and he said to buy his wife. And I didn’t immediately get it the first second, then realized his meaning - and it was like I was hit across the head.

Extraordinary work, and one as with all classics that influenced an enormous number of people.
+1. I love the book. As Ernest Hemingway said,

“All modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn. American writing comes from that. There was nothing before. There has been nothing as good since.”

https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/161912 ... ok-by-mark
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Re: Who is your favorite fiction author and what is your favorite book of theirs?

Post by willthrill81 »

Nicolas wrote: Sun Apr 11, 2021 9:49 pm
Shalom Aleichem wrote: Sun Apr 11, 2021 9:38 pm
BradJ wrote: Sun Apr 11, 2021 8:20 pm
pezblanco wrote: Sat Mar 27, 2021 11:44 am
lightheir wrote: Sat Mar 27, 2021 9:01 am

I recently re-read Huckleberry Finn and To Kill a Mockingbird.

Hate to say it, but Huck finn was dated and completely terrible. I do understand that at the time it was truly novel in its extensive use of slang (which set quite a few unfortunate stereotypes in media, but that's not why I didn't like it), but the whole novel seemed pointless and devolved in plot. The best moments (and quite a few literature critics apparently agree with me, after I looked up why this book was mentioned) are its portrayal of American in the parts BETWEEN the adventures, which are unfortunately far and few in between. Terrible, avoid at all costs. Just read the wikipedia summary and a few pages of the book for a taste, but otherwise avoid.

To kill a mockingbird was a lot better, and I could recommend it, but wasn't anywhere as good as it was compared to my modern-day standards as when I first read it 30+ years ago. It's borderline hard for me to recommend this book, as there are many other better books regarding race conflicts in small towns nowadays, both fiction and nonfiction.
I cannot disagree with your opinion of Huckleberry Finn more. I did a quick search for "quite a few literature critics that apparently agree with you" and I could find very very few. The vast preponderance of critics still feel that it is one of the treasures of American literature. It is one of the greatest denouncements of slavery and racism every written in our idiom.

Here is a literary critic (PBS Teacher's Guide Series) that I thought wrote an insightful essay about the book:

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/cultureshock/t ... essay.html and explains perhaps some of the difficulties that you might have had with the book. It is certainly not an easy book to read or teach or completely understand on its many levels.
I read Huckleberry Finn for the first time recently and was blown away. I know it may sound odd, but I compared it to watching O Brother Where Art Though (one of my favorite movies). The book was hilarious, thoughtful and hard to put down. Few “classics” earn that title, Huckleberry Finn definitely did.
I agree completely. I read huck Finn as a kid and reread it a year ago. I was blown away. The writing is so natural and comfortable - he was so skillful that in reading it we all feel “I could write that” which I think is the hallmark of expert writing. The plot, the themes, and of course e grotesque nature of what was normal life - shocking - just made extraordinary reading. I recall being hit across the head when huck asked Jim - iirc - what he’s saving money for - and he said to buy his wife. And I didn’t immediately get it the first second, then realized his meaning - and it was like I was hit across the head.

Extraordinary work, and one as with all classics that influenced an enormous number of people.
+1. I love the book. As Ernest Hemingway said,

“All modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn. American writing comes from that. There was nothing before. There has been nothing as good since.”

https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/161912 ... ok-by-mark
Agreed. There are passages that bring a smile to my face just by remembering them, and reading them makes me laugh to this day. But the conflict that Huck goes through involving what to do about Jim was deeply moving, demonstrating that all human beings have value and should be treated accordingly. It's truly an American treasure.
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Re: Who is your favorite fiction author and what is your favorite book of theirs?

Post by Shalom Aleichem »

willthrill81 wrote: Sun Apr 11, 2021 10:02 pm
Nicolas wrote: Sun Apr 11, 2021 9:49 pm
Shalom Aleichem wrote: Sun Apr 11, 2021 9:38 pm
BradJ wrote: Sun Apr 11, 2021 8:20 pm
pezblanco wrote: Sat Mar 27, 2021 11:44 am

I cannot disagree with your opinion of Huckleberry Finn more. I did a quick search for "quite a few literature critics that apparently agree with you" and I could find very very few. The vast preponderance of critics still feel that it is one of the treasures of American literature. It is one of the greatest denouncements of slavery and racism every written in our idiom.

Here is a literary critic (PBS Teacher's Guide Series) that I thought wrote an insightful essay about the book:

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/cultureshock/t ... essay.html and explains perhaps some of the difficulties that you might have had with the book. It is certainly not an easy book to read or teach or completely understand on its many levels.
I read Huckleberry Finn for the first time recently and was blown away. I know it may sound odd, but I compared it to watching O Brother Where Art Though (one of my favorite movies). The book was hilarious, thoughtful and hard to put down. Few “classics” earn that title, Huckleberry Finn definitely did.
I agree completely. I read huck Finn as a kid and reread it a year ago. I was blown away. The writing is so natural and comfortable - he was so skillful that in reading it we all feel “I could write that” which I think is the hallmark of expert writing. The plot, the themes, and of course e grotesque nature of what was normal life - shocking - just made extraordinary reading. I recall being hit across the head when huck asked Jim - iirc - what he’s saving money for - and he said to buy his wife. And I didn’t immediately get it the first second, then realized his meaning - and it was like I was hit across the head.

Extraordinary work, and one as with all classics that influenced an enormous number of people.
+1. I love the book. As Ernest Hemingway said,

“All modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn. American writing comes from that. There was nothing before. There has been nothing as good since.”

https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/161912 ... ok-by-mark
Agreed. There are passages that bring a smile to my face just by remembering them, and reading them makes me laugh to this day. But the conflict that Huck goes through involving what to do about Jim was deeply moving, demonstrating that all human beings have value and should be treated accordingly. It's truly an American treasure.
Agree totally
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Re: Who is your favorite fiction author and what is your favorite book of theirs?

Post by BradJ »

Shalom Aleichem wrote: Sun Apr 11, 2021 9:42 pm
willthrill81 wrote: Wed Nov 18, 2020 10:03 am
Seasonal wrote: Sat Aug 01, 2020 8:41 am
Halicar wrote: Fri Jul 31, 2020 7:04 pm
PhoebeCoco wrote: Fri Jul 31, 2020 5:30 pm I am in my late 50s - is it too late for me to read and appreciate "Atlas Shrugged"?
Probably. As I mentioned in the "books that changed your life" thread, that book is infamous for being beloved by teenagers. As a manifesto, it's certainly thought-provoking--especially to a young person--but as a novel, it's pretty bad. I would say an adult who has been exposed to a variety of ideologies would be unimpressed.
I'm reminded of one of my favorite quotes about books: "There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old’s life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other, of course, involves orcs."
I haven't heard that one before! :thumbsup

Tolkien really was one of the greatest fiction writers of all time and arguably the very best. The depth of his work was unmatched. There are hours and hours of videos on YouTube that merely summarize certain niches of Tolkien's world. Also, I do not believe that any other author first created multiple languages and then fashioned stories surrounding those languages.

I don't think that anyone has mentioned Jules Verne. He was truly prescient in many of his writings.

Samuel Clemens (aka Mark Twain) was another outstanding writer of both fiction and non-fiction.
Re atlas shrugged - from
The previous poster - id say that’s one of those books that if you believe in liberty - like in your bones - you like atlas shrugged. And if you think freedom and liberty are overrated but safety is paramount you deride it as a children’s book. I’m only partway into it. I’d almost say it’s like a religious belief that liberals dislike ayn rand the way conservatives dislike Marx and the philosophies are of course opposite one another. Except that a student of history would say Marxism caused terrible destruction in this world and libertarianism not so much.
Atlas Shrugged is a masterpiece. Hank Rearden to me is what Batman is to young kids. That being said, as a religious person I can’t deny that Rand’s approach can be seen as “cold” at times. The abridged audiobook read by Edward Herrrmann is extremely entertaining.

Just a side note, I found Fountainhead to be good, but not great.
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Re: Who is your favorite fiction author and what is your favorite book of theirs?

Post by grok87 »

DigitalJanitor wrote: Fri Jul 10, 2020 3:00 pm Patrick O'Brian, his Aubrey/Maturin series (starting with Master and Commander). Doesn't get much better. Great characters, great stories, great story arc.
Agree. And i think you’re right not to pick out any one book. It’s just one novel with 21 parts
RIP Mr. Bogle.
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Re: Who is your favorite fiction author and what is your favorite book of theirs?

Post by bengal22 »

jabberwockOG wrote: Sat Jul 11, 2020 6:57 am Saul Bellow - More Die of Heartbreak
John Updike - Rabbit series
Isaac Singer - Gimpel the Fool and other Stories.
Saul Bellow and John Updike would be on my top 5 list. Plus Philip Roth, Ernest Hemingway, and William Faulkner. But best novel would be Great Gatsby.
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Re: Who is your favorite fiction author and what is your favorite book of theirs?

Post by bengal22 »

bengal22 wrote: Mon Apr 12, 2021 2:39 pm
jabberwockOG wrote: Sat Jul 11, 2020 6:57 am Saul Bellow - More Die of Heartbreak
John Updike - Rabbit series
Isaac Singer - Gimpel the Fool and other Stories.
Saul Bellow and John Updike would be on my top 5 list. Plus Philip Roth, Ernest Hemingway, and William Faulkner. But best novel would be Great Gatsby.
Of course that could change next week. PBS series on Hemingway is great
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Re: Who is your favorite fiction author and what is your favorite book of theirs?

Post by HomerJ »

Carousel wrote: Fri Dec 04, 2020 3:43 pm Watership Down, Richard Adams.
What are we willing to risk for freedom, what will we endure for safety? How do we treat our visionaries?
I need to reread that book... It's been 20-30 years... but I read it like 5-6 times back when I was younger.
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Re: Who is your favorite fiction author and what is your favorite book of theirs?

Post by siker »

Wilbur Smith ‘Blue Horizon’ and ‘River God’ are my favorite books of his
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Re: Who is your favorite fiction author and what is your favorite book of theirs?

Post by Carousel »

HomerJ wrote: Mon Apr 12, 2021 3:33 pm
Carousel wrote: Fri Dec 04, 2020 3:43 pm Watership Down, Richard Adams.
What are we willing to risk for freedom, what will we endure for safety? How do we treat our visionaries?
I need to reread that book... It's been 20-30 years... but I read it like 5-6 times back when I was younger.
"My chief rabbit has told me to stay and defend this run, and until he says otherwise, I shall stay here." Makes me cry every time!
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Re: Who is your favorite fiction author and what is your favorite book of theirs?

Post by Carousel »

Shalom Aleichem wrote: Sun Apr 11, 2021 9:43 pm
Nicolas wrote: Sat Nov 21, 2020 9:35 pm
mak1277 wrote: Wed Nov 18, 2020 7:45 am Can anyone really *like* Farewell to Arms, though?
I tried to read it and could not finish it, likewise for The Sun Also Rises. But I’m willing to give them another try, because, after all, it’s Hemingway. :D
I read the old man and the sea as a kid and didn’t like it. All that for nothing. I reread it a year ago and was blown away. So I proceeded to the sun also rises and just didn’t care for it. Any other Hemingway you recommend?
Not the person who originally posted about him, but I would recommend reading 10-12 of his best short stories. You could start with this list (first I found):
https://www.hookedtobooks.com/ernest-he ... t-stories/
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Re: Who is your favorite fiction author and what is your favorite book of theirs?

Post by michaelingp »

A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry. This is still my favorite book of all time, particularly the audio version. I know almost everybody I recommended it to didn't even finish it, saying that it was too depressing, but I found it uplifting and inspiring. Who could go through the travail and humiliation the poor tailors did and still come out with the human qualities of hope, good humor, and, well, humanity? In fact, I think I judge all books I read by how closely they examine the balance of the title, between hope and despair. And there's always the rare moments, when a crack opens in the heavens and a bit of justice pours through (I paraphrase from the book).

I know the O.P. said one book, but I see not many obeyed. So, my second favorite would be The Potato Factory by Bryce Courtenay. This is historical fiction at its absolute finest, with the best dialog I've ever read.
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Re: Who is your favorite fiction author and what is your favorite book of theirs?

Post by sgr000 »

James Branch Cabell, Jurgen: A Comedy of Justice.

Old-fashioned and obscure, but Cabell had a wonderful way with words and a dry humor that gets better the more you know about him and the literary references he's making. Full of wry innuendo, some a bit racy (for the early 20th century).

All sorts of inside jokes with acrostics, anagrams, and such. In another novel (Figures of Earth), I suddenly realized there was something rhythmically odd about a conversation 2 characters were having... and then one of them said: "I never saw the point of iambic pentameter, so let's stop arguing in that form." The whole paragraph was a poem, just typeset in a way to conceal the fact.

A number of late 20th century sf & fantasy novels were patterned after Cabell novels, Jurgen among them.

Once banned in Boston & New York for offending against Comstockery and the Society for the Suppression of Vice, with the usual knucklehead reasons given. After the trial rejecting censorship and permitting publication, Cabell wrote a hilarious (and rude) satire of the trial, starring a charicature of the prosecutor as both a Philistine and a dung beetle.

There's an etext available at Project Gutenberg, though without the brilliant illustrations.
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Re: Who is your favorite fiction author and what is your favorite book of theirs?

Post by Tribonian »

reisner wrote: Fri Jul 10, 2020 9:45 pm some overlooked greats:

Italo Calvino's Baron in the Trees

Sat superque, as Anthony Fauci might say.
It’s a personal favorite, but for this list, I’ll go with Louis de Berniere’s [Captain] Corelli’s Mandolin. His Latin American Trilogy is my favorite Magical Realism in any language. (The War of Don Emmanuel’s Nether Parts, Senor Vivo and the Coca Lord & the Troublesome Offspring of Cardinal Guzman).
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Re: Who is your favorite fiction author and what is your favorite book of theirs?

Post by Artful Dodger »

Carousel wrote: Tue Apr 13, 2021 8:43 am
Shalom Aleichem wrote: Sun Apr 11, 2021 9:43 pm
Nicolas wrote: Sat Nov 21, 2020 9:35 pm
mak1277 wrote: Wed Nov 18, 2020 7:45 am Can anyone really *like* Farewell to Arms, though?
I tried to read it and could not finish it, likewise for The Sun Also Rises. But I’m willing to give them another try, because, after all, it’s Hemingway. :D
I read the old man and the sea as a kid and didn’t like it. All that for nothing. I reread it a year ago and was blown away. So I proceeded to the sun also rises and just didn’t care for it. Any other Hemingway you recommend?
Not the person who originally posted about him, but I would recommend reading 10-12 of his best short stories. You could start with this list (first I found):
https://www.hookedtobooks.com/ernest-he ... t-stories/
For anybody interested, there is a 3 part Ken Burns documentary about Hemingway running on PBS now.

I like Hemingway and have read The Sun Also Rises, For Whom the Bell Tolls, and A Moveable Feast written when he was just married and was living in Paris (and working on The Sun Also Rises).
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Re: Who is your favorite fiction author and what is your favorite book of theirs?

Post by Nicolas »

Artful Dodger wrote: Tue Apr 13, 2021 4:00 pm For anybody interested, there is a 3 part Ken Burns documentary about Hemingway running on PBS now.

I like Hemingway and have read The Sun Also Rises, For Whom the Bell Tolls, and A Moveable Feast written when he was just married and was living in Paris (and working on The Sun Also Rises).
If you like Hemingway you may be interested in seeing the list of the 18 Books Ernest Hemingway Wished He Could Read Again for the First Time
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Re: Who is your favorite fiction author and what is your favorite book of theirs?

Post by tenkuky »

Carousel wrote: Tue Apr 13, 2021 8:38 am
HomerJ wrote: Mon Apr 12, 2021 3:33 pm
Carousel wrote: Fri Dec 04, 2020 3:43 pm Watership Down, Richard Adams.
What are we willing to risk for freedom, what will we endure for safety? How do we treat our visionaries?
I need to reread that book... It's been 20-30 years... but I read it like 5-6 times back when I was younger.
"My chief rabbit has told me to stay and defend this run, and until he says otherwise, I shall stay here." Makes me cry every time!
I have all of Richard Adams' books; Plague Dogs is also heartbreaking, Shardik is epic.
But WD is my fave hands down. “There's terrible evil in the world. It comes from men". So true.
And Guillermo del Toro cites it as an influence.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sN-crgRXV0
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Re: Who is your favorite fiction author and what is your favorite book of theirs?

Post by Finridge »

Artful Dodger wrote: Tue Apr 13, 2021 4:00 pm
Carousel wrote: Tue Apr 13, 2021 8:43 am
Shalom Aleichem wrote: Sun Apr 11, 2021 9:43 pm
Nicolas wrote: Sat Nov 21, 2020 9:35 pm
mak1277 wrote: Wed Nov 18, 2020 7:45 am Can anyone really *like* Farewell to Arms, though?
I tried to read it and could not finish it, likewise for The Sun Also Rises. But I’m willing to give them another try, because, after all, it’s Hemingway. :D
I read the old man and the sea as a kid and didn’t like it. All that for nothing. I reread it a year ago and was blown away. So I proceeded to the sun also rises and just didn’t care for it. Any other Hemingway you recommend?
Not the person who originally posted about him, but I would recommend reading 10-12 of his best short stories. You could start with this list (first I found):
https://www.hookedtobooks.com/ernest-he ... t-stories/
For anybody interested, there is a 3 part Ken Burns documentary about Hemingway running on PBS now.

I like Hemingway and have read The Sun Also Rises, For Whom the Bell Tolls, and A Moveable Feast written when he was just married and was living in Paris (and working on The Sun Also Rises).
A book that pairs well with A Moveable Feast is A.E. Hotchner's Hemingway in Love. I recommend this as a "must read" for Hemingway aficionados. And while reading this, you'll want to revisit Hemingway's short stories, "The Snows of Kilimanjaro" and " A Canary for One." Also worth reading, and especially in connection with The Sun Also Rises (for obvious reasons) is Lesly M. M. Blume's Everybody Behaves Badly: The True Story Behind Hemingway's Masterpiece The Sun Also Rises. In fact any combination of these four books goes well together.
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Re: Who is your favorite fiction author and what is your favorite book of theirs?

Post by Beensabu »

I'm going to go with Good Omens, since it's by two of my favorite authors, because they are/were super awesome really good writers. I need to read that again soon.
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Re: Who is your favorite fiction author and what is your favorite book of theirs?

Post by brian91480 »

Grey Man series, by Mark Greaney.

You won't regret it.
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Re: Who is your favorite fiction author and what is your favorite book of theirs?

Post by Sandtrap »

Saul Bellow
Seize The Day

Others
Literary classic short stories.
(American, Russian, Japanese, Spanish, etc)

Plays/shorts
Waiting for Godot

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Re: Who is your favorite fiction author and what is your favorite book of theirs?

Post by heartwood »

brian91480 wrote: Tue Apr 13, 2021 10:06 pm Grey Man series, by Mark Greaney.

You won't regret it.
As I noted in the What Book are You Currently Reading thread "I've moved on to Mark Greaney's Relentless, the 10th novel in the Gray Man series. As usual in the series, an over the top James Bond type story. "Over the top James Bond", is that redundant? Generally recommended."

I'm almost half way and enjoying it. There's a bit more depth to the story in this one. I'd forgotten how in each, the Gray Man is sort of a smash-the-dummy type of guy. It's hard to imagine how awesome he'd be if he weren't always injured, over and over, in the same story.
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Re: Who is your favorite fiction author and what is your favorite book of theirs?

Post by Oregano »

grok87 wrote: Mon Apr 12, 2021 1:37 pm
Oregano wrote: Fri Dec 11, 2020 6:14 pm Donald Trump, "The Art of the Deal"
Lol
Finally, someone was able to grok this joke.
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Re: Who is your favorite fiction author and what is your favorite book of theirs?

Post by homebuyer6426 »

Dostoyevsky - Crime and Punishment
Hesse - Narcissus and Goldmund
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Finridge
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Re: Who is your favorite fiction author and what is your favorite book of theirs?

Post by Finridge »

Leo Tolstoy. War and Peace (Briggs translation)

Seriously. This book has a "reputation" but give it a try and I expect most will find it more readable and more engaging than they might expect.
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