Best and Worst Books

[MightyEagles]

Every Game Ever Played VFL/AFL Results 1897 - 1997 (S Rodgers and A Browne).

[Magpiespower]

Have recently read...

The Comedy Writer by Peter Farrelly - funny, surprisingly heartfelt.
Teacher Man by Frank McCourt - a little disappointing, comes alive when he writes about his students.
The Late Shift by Bill Carter - behind the scenes account about the battle between Dave Letterman and Jay Leno to replace Johnny Carson as host of the 'Tonight' show.

[ORDoubleBlues]

Thanks for info regarding "Catcher in the Rye" Felicity.
I'll have to go back to the drawing board to find out what book it is that I meant.

[felicity shagwell]

Stop making sense, after all, you are a woman!

Sorry Punk

It's because I'm a chick, not a woman... There's a massive difference...

[therisingblues]

Perfume: Patrick Suskind
Aztec: Gary Jennings
Shogun: James Clavell
A Clockwork Orange: Anthony Burgess
The Stand: Stephen King
Taiko: Eiji Yoshikawa
The Catcher In the Rye: JD Salinger
The First Man in Rome series: Colleen McCullough

A few historical novels there, though I have read some great novels by John Grisham, and stories from other genres, it is usually the historical stuff that sticks in my head for a long time.
Of the above I'd rate "Aztec" as the best. The majority of the book is a recollection of an old Indian's life, as told to Spanish monks, transcribing his story for the pleasure of the Royal Spanish court. Though the monks are horrified by the culture, and belief of the Aztec world, relived in detail through this old Indian's descriptions, the Royal court is fascinated and insists that the monks continue their transcription. My favourite quote from this book is that "The hollow drum beats loud", in relation to the Aztec emperor Motecuzoma, who thought nothing of trouncing his Indian rivals, often in the most horrific and needless of manner, with the vast superiority of the Aztec army, and boasted his nation's strengths throughout Meso-America, only to turn into jelly at the sight of the small party of mysterious visitors that arrived in strange boats one day. Huge slabs of fact included in this historical blockbuster!
"Taiko" is the story of how the Japanese islands came to be united under the one ruler. A great book to read if you have read "Shogun" as the two stories overlap; one being a Westerner's view and actually based on the true story of an Englishman who was washed ashore aboard a Dutch ship, the other being a Japanese view of the same era and much more factual.
The other titles speak for themselves, as they are well known. But a special mention needs to go to "Perfume". Read it if you wnat to spend a few hundred pages wrapped in the world of smells, unbelievably good at times.

[therisingblues]

My nomination for worst book goes to "England, England" by Julian Barnes. Interesting for a while but then becomes so bloody BORING, I felt compelled to tear the pages out and wipe my butt on them after finishing reading each one. The ultimate boomerang book, no matter who I give it to it ALWAYS comes back. No one wants the bloody thing! And it was originally given to me by a Pommy who bloody fled the country shortly afterwards, just to avoid me giving it back to him!

[Magpiespower]

Losing It by Annabel Crabb is an interesting, behind the scenes look at federal Labor in opposition over the past decade.

Don't usually read fantasy books but The Latham Diaries by Man Boobs is a classic.

Halfway through Loner: Inside a Labor Tragedy by Bernard Lagan.

As you can tell, I like reading about politics, particularly the train wreck that is the ALP.

[purch]

actually, im also into true crime books about serial killers...i actually was able to read a book about Jeffery Dahmer which was quite interesting altho the details sometimes freaked me out...

im interested in serial killers like Bundy, Gacy Gein etc...just reading about how ******* freaky these ppl are and how they actually did the things they did is just unfknblvable

Jimmy,

I know its not a true story or anything but try reading "Red Dragon". The movie is crap, but I found it a better read than "The Silence of the Lambs".

Non-Fiction...."Guns Germs and Steel" (Jared Diamond) is a winner

[therisingblues]

actually, im also into true crime books about serial killers...i actually was able to read a book about Jeffery Dahmer which was quite interesting altho the details sometimes freaked me out...

im interested in serial killers like Bundy, Gacy Gein etc...just reading about how ******* freaky these ppl are and how they actually did the things they did is just unfknblvable

Jimmy,

I know its not a true story or anything but try reading "Red Dragon". The movie is crap, but I found it a better read than "The Silence of the Lambs".

Non-Fiction...."Guns Germs and Steel" (Jared Diamond) is a winner

"Guns, Germs and Steel" I very nearly included that in my list Purch. But for non-fiction I can't think of anything else that matches it off the top of my head.

[doggies4eva]

I could make a long list but off the top of my head I read "The Life of Pi" recently and thought it was one of the best books I'd read for years. Keeps you thinking right to the end.

[Pseudo]

I read "The Life of Pi" recently and thought it was one of the best books I'd read for years. Keeps you thinking right to the end.

I thought "Life of Pi" was artsy-fartsy claptrap and a waste of my time. There ain't no accounting for taste.

[duncs7]

My fav books ever read are
1 Animal Farm - Eric Blair! aka GO
2 1984 - " "
3 For whom the bell tolls - Hemingway
4 Bravo two zero - cant remember
5 Literacies and Learners - Green, Campell et al. (uni text book)

[doggies4eva]

I read "The Life of Pi" recently and thought it was one of the best books I'd read for years. Keeps you thinking right to the end.

I thought "Life of Pi" was artsy-fartsy claptrap and a waste of my time. There ain't no accounting for taste.

Thats coming from someone who listed Watership Down as one of their favourites