is there one particular novel.....

rae121452

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that you ( i hesitate to say are obsessed with) return to again and again?

for me, it's the joan didion novel "play it as it lays". i've been re-reading it periodically since it was published and each time i'm struck by another facet of it. i've recommended it to people and gotten varying reactions. but, for some reason, i can't shake it.

anyone have a similar experience?
 
Yeah, I've got a few...

The Iliad, Beowulf, and the Silmarillion each get read at least once a year. Also up there on the list is At The Mountains Of Madness by H.P. Lovecraft, and Heart Of Darkness by Conrad.

Another one I pick up a lot, especially when I'm very mellow or wooing a nerdy girl, is the Rubiyat by Omar Khayyam. As Romantic Poetry goes, it's a winner, and less pedestrian (if you will) than Sonnets by the Bard.

And Tennyson.
 
I haven't done much rereading, but I could see myself going back to One Hundred Years of Solitude a few times.
 
I cycle back to Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast trilogy every five years or so, I love his mix of the fantastic and the detail of his imagined worlds. I seem to re-read John Le Carre quite often, too. And John Banville. A bit of a mix, there.
 
Oh you guys. So serious. So literary. Although I do like Beowulf. Let's see....

Georgette Heyer - These Old Shades & Devil's Cub
Frank Herbert - Dune
Lois Bujold - The Vorkosigan series
A Conan Doyle - The White Company
H A Covington - The Brigade
S M Stirling - The Draka trilogy
Trevanian - Shibumi

The first time I read Dune I read it cover to cover without stopping and went "wow" at the end and then read it again. Shibumi has got to be another one. Those are the ones that pop up as soon as I think about it. Heinlein would be on the next tier with a whole lot of others.
 
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I recognize mine is at least half nostalgia, but I can't help it. I read Roger Zelazny's could-only-have-been-written-in-the-60s novel Lord of Light when I was 13, and it changed me. It was the first novel that I ever read that so deftly blended religious, mythological, and philosophical themes in a coherent framework into what was otherwise a sci-fi/super-hero story.

I vividly recall staying up half the night to finish it during my first read through, and being unable to sleep for the second, due to my mind buzzing.

I reread it every year or two, and I still find it breathtaking. It doesn't matter that those themes have been addressed more pointedly or richly by other authors. It doesn't matter that many events and things mentioned in the final chapter come out of nowhere. It's still beautiful, and speaks to me in a way I can't quite put in to words, over 25 years later.
 
Oh you guys. So serious. So literary. Although I do like Beowulf. Let's see....

Georgette Heyer - These Old Shades & Devil's Cub
Frank Herbert - Dune
Lois Bujold - The Vorkosigan series
A Conan Doyle - The White Company
H A Covington - The Brigade
S M Stirling - The Draka trilogy
Trevanian - Shibumi

The first time I read Dune I read it cover to cover without stopping and went "wow" at the end and then read it again. Shibumi has got to be another one. Those are the ones that pop up as soon as I think about it. Heinlein would be on the next tier with a whole lot of others.

Defo with you on Dune and Shimbumi by Trevanian. I've met the man who claims to use that pen name, although it was a thousand years ago. Nicolai Hel has inspired a few traits in some of my characters...
 
Finnegans Wake at least every two years. I love the play and sound and flow and thought of the words as their meanings tumble in circles and spirals and surrealist allusions, and, as I learn more in my own life, I find new senses and allusions and cycles each time I read it. Flatly, it is fun and fun again.
 
James Clavell's "Shogun"
Larry Bond's "Red Phoenix", "Vortex" and "Cauldron"
Anne McCaffrey's entire Pern series
 
Not one, but several.

The Dying Animal - Philip Roth
Our Sunshine - Robert Drewe
Ulysses - James Joyce
The Ginger Man - J P Donleavy
Smiley's People - John le Carre
Various - E L Doctorow
Various - Peter Carey
Various - Graham Swift
Oh, and ...
Various - Graham Greene

:)
 
Defo with you on Dune and Shimbumi by Trevanian. I've met the man who claims to use that pen name, although it was a thousand years ago. Nicolai Hel has inspired a few traits in some of my characters...

Trevanian - was Robert William Whitaker. His real name came out in 1998 thx to a reporter. I don't like his other books that much but Shibumi is out there on its own and I've read it so many times.
 
I finally gave it away and I can't remember the name. It was a book about prostitution and was written in the 1950's. Perhaps not exactly a novel as it was a compilation of true stories of women who worked as prostitutes. I did read it several times though.
 
An obvious novel that millions of people have read over and again and have studied is the greatest work of fiction, the Bible.

I stopped reading the Bible when all those priests were accused of child molestation and the Catholic Church covered it all over with prayers and transfers. How dare they?

I stopped reading the Bible after I discovered how the Catholic Church bought all their properties and built their city of gold, Vatican City by lying, cheating, deceiving, and even murdering. How dare they?

In Godfather 3, another great novel, the Catholic Church cared more about money and investments than they did saving people and helping parishioners. How dare they?

Nothing has changed in the Catholic Church since Cardinal Wolsey in the Tudors and centuries before. Shame on them.

In the way that Lena Headey as Queen Cersei in the Games of Thrones was made to make her walk of shame of atonement, all of those priests who abused children, and Bishops and Cardinals who covered it up, should make their walk of shame of atonement.

Nonetheless, the money, the lies, the sexual abuse, and the thievery, the Bible is still the greatest work of fiction I've ever read.

Honorable mention goes to Mario Puzo for the Godfather, Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes, The Odyssey by Homer, Moby Dick by Hermin Melville, every thing written by William Shakespeare, War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Peter Benchley Jaws.

There are hundreds of others, of course, but the above are the ones that come immediately to mind.
 
An obvious novel that millions of people have read over and again and have studied is the greatest work of fiction, the Bible.

I stopped reading the Bible when all those priests were accused of child molestation and the Catholic Church covered it all over with prayers and transfers. How dare they?

I stopped reading the Bible after I discovered how the Catholic Church bought all their properties and built their city of gold, Vatican City by lying, cheating, deceiving, and even murdering. How dare they?

In Godfather 3, another great novel, the Catholic Church cared more about money and investments than they did saving people and helping parishioners. How dare they?

Nothing has changed in the Catholic Church since Cardinal Wolsey in the Tudors and centuries before. Shame on them.

In the way that Lena Headey as Queen Cersei in the Games of Thrones was made to make her walk of shame of atonement, all of those priests who abused children, and Bishops and Cardinals who covered it up, should make their walk of shame of atonement.

Nonetheless, the money, the lies, the sexual abuse, and the thievery, the Bible is still the greatest work of fiction I've ever read.

Honorable mention goes to Mario Puzo for the Godfather, Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes, The Odyssey by Homer, Moby Dick by Hermin Melville, every thing written by William Shakespeare, War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Peter Benchley Jaws.

There are hundreds of others, of course, but the above are the ones that come immediately to mind.

I agree with all of this, except it's not even good fiction.
 
I agree with all of this, except it's not even good fiction.

When you consider that the Bible was written by hand in the 6th century BC, when you consider that there have been more than 6 billion Bibles sold, and when there's been a movie and a miniseries about the Bible, indeed, it's the greatest story ever told, no matter if it's considered good fiction or not, it's the Bible.

Can you imagine JK Rowling or Stephen King writing a book that sold six billion copies? It boggles the mind. If only they had copyright laws then. I can't imagine the money someone would have made.
 
Lots!

Yertle the Turtle, by Dr. Seuss. There is a lot of bad kids lit out there. Fortunately writers like the good doctor set the bar high by tackling difficult topics. At it’s base, Yertle is about the dangers of totalitarian government.

Time Enough for Love, by Robert A Heinlein. RAH wrote challenging sci-fi, with strong women and strong, independent opinions. The Notebooks of Lazarus Long, part of this book, offer some pretty plain-spoken positions on a wide range of topics. It’s hard to place this above “Friday” or “Stranger in a Strange Land” or “The Door to Summer” or “The Cat Who Could Walk Through Walls”, but there you go. Specialization is for insects.There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch.

A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens. If I was a “book” in Fahrenheit 451, it would be Dickens masterpiece. Shakespearean in scope and plot (the ghosts drive the story, like Hamlet, Macbeth and Julius Caesar), and timeless after 150 years.

Different Seasons by Stephen King (Yeah, it’s four novellas: sue me!). King is highly underrated, largely I think, because he writes bestsellers. A hundred years from now, people will still be reading The Skawshank Redemption, and It and 'Salem's Lot and The Stand. In King's own words: he writes salami. This is his best salami. Ok, the Mr. Mercedes trilogy is pretty amazing too.

The Stupidest Angel by Chris Moore. I love some deeply disturbed humour in my sci-fi / fantasy/mystery. Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett, Douglas Adams, Carl Hiassen are among my favourites. Chris Moore's story brings together characters from several other books (like King? Heinlein? Vonnegut?) In Pine Cove California for a terrifyingly fantastic little Christmas.

The Deep Blue Goodbye by John D. MacDonald. Best. Detective. Ever. Travis McGee: Soldier of Fortune, Knight very Errant, Semi-retired salvage consultant who will get back what you’ve lost, for half it’s value. MacDonald was a master of the English Language, who inspired writers as diverse as Stephen King and Spider Robinson. The stories are a mix of sixties hedonism (he lives on a 52 foot houseboat called the Busted Flush that he won in a poker game), the Playboy Philosophy, hard-boiled Noir and South Florida environmentalism (contemporary to Silent Spring). Anyone who has never read one of the Travis McGee novels needs to stop what they are doing and find one now. I'll wait.

Best time I ever had reading a book: reading A Christmas Carol aloud in bed over a week to my wife for our first Christmas together, because our TV was a piece of junk, so we couldn’t watch it.

Second best time reading a book: I had set up camp for my wife and grandson who were joining me the next day. I set up my chair, a light and a side table, poured a neat Laphroaig, lit a Gurkha cigar and read To Have and Have Not by Ernest Hemingway. That was a lot of testosterone.
 
Anthony Trollope: The Warden
Thomas Love Peacock: Headlong Hall
John Buchan: Thirty-Nine Steps
Sapper War Stories (NOT Bulldog Drummond!)
H Rider Haggard: Alan Quartermain
Russell Thorndike: Doctor Syn series
P C Wren: Beau Geste
Raphael Sabatini: Bellarion

And an oddity

Maurice Pons: Rosa

https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/maurice-pons/rosa-4/

I'm not familiar with all of those. Perhaps a trip to the Library or the used book store is in order. A couple of those are due for a good movie remake. I wonder if the Thirty-Nine steps is the only best seller ever written by a representative of the Crown? Buchan was Governor-General of Canada.
 
When you consider that the Bible was written by hand in the 6th century BC, when you consider that there have been more than 6 billion Bibles sold, and when there's been a movie and a miniseries about the Bible, indeed, it's the greatest story ever told, no matter if it's considered good fiction or not, it's the Bible.

Can you imagine JK Rowling or Stephen King writing a book that sold six billion copies? It boggles the mind. If only they had copyright laws then. I can't imagine the money someone would have made.

Well sure in a cultural impact sense it's obviously the king. As Rowling's Ollivander (I don't know how to spell it) said in the movie, "Terrible! But great."
 
One of the hands down most epic tales I have ever read is Blue Horizon by Wilbur Smith.

Wilbur Smith is a fabulous writer.


He wrote many books mostly associated with early Africa.

He wrote another particularly fabulous novel called "Hungry As The Sea"


if you enjoy historically set epic adventures replete with danger, intrigue, and romance - check him out
 
When you consider that the Bible was written by hand in the 6th century BC, when you consider that there have been more than 6 billion Bibles sold, and when there's been a movie and a miniseries about the Bible, indeed, it's the greatest story ever told, no matter if it's considered good fiction or not, it's the Bible.

Can you imagine JK Rowling or Stephen King writing a book that sold six billion copies? It boggles the mind. If only they had copyright laws then. I can't imagine the money someone would have made.

I wonder if you termed the Bible as fiction meaning to be derogatory or if you really believe the Bible is a book of fiction?

I do agree that it is mind boggling the sheer number of Bibles known to have been sold. It is by far the most widely read and revered book ever written. It does contain the greatest story ever told, many examples of danger, romance, intrigue, etc.

Of course, many of us believe that the Bible is actually God's message to us all.
 
An obvious novel that millions of people have read over and again and have studied is the greatest work of fiction, the Bible.

I stopped reading the Bible when all those priests were accused of child molestation and the Catholic Church covered it all over with prayers and transfers. How dare they?

I stopped reading the Bible after I discovered how the Catholic Church bought all their properties and built their city of gold, Vatican City by lying, cheating, deceiving, and even murdering. How dare they?

In Godfather 3, another great novel, the Catholic Church cared more about money and investments than they did saving people and helping parishioners. How dare they?

Nothing has changed in the Catholic Church since Cardinal Wolsey in the Tudors and centuries before. Shame on them.

In the way that Lena Headey as Queen Cersei in the Games of Thrones was made to make her walk of shame of atonement, all of those priests who abused children, and Bishops and Cardinals who covered it up, should make their walk of shame of atonement.

Nonetheless, the money, the lies, the sexual abuse, and the thievery, the Bible is still the greatest work of fiction I've ever read.

Honorable mention goes to Mario Puzo for the Godfather, Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes, The Odyssey by Homer, Moby Dick by Hermin Melville, every thing written by William Shakespeare, War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Peter Benchley Jaws.

There are hundreds of others, of course, but the above are the ones that come immediately to mind.


I really wound encourage any and everyone to not judge God or God's plan for humanity on the Catholic Church or on any church for that matter. Human beings are going to fail and fail miserably - of this there is certainty. Many men (and women) have twisted and perverted God's word and God's intent into self serving motives.
 
I really wound encourage any and everyone to not judge God or God's plan for humanity on the Catholic Church or on any church for that matter. Human beings are going to fail and fail miserably - of this there is certainty. Many men (and women) have twisted and perverted God's word and God's intent into self serving motives.

It makes one wonder at the efficacy of God's word and grace.
 
I really wound encourage any and everyone to not judge God or God's plan for humanity on the Catholic Church or on any church for that matter. Human beings are going to fail and fail miserably - of this there is certainty. Many men (and women) have twisted and perverted God's word and God's intent into self serving motives.

As I see it, as with all religions, the problem is putting men in charge.

As they do in Iceland and many other Scandinavian countries, we need to stop listening to men and listen more to women. Women have the best interests of the people at heart. Women are less prone to being liars and thieves, that is unless being married to a rich and powerful man and wanting a favorable divorce settlement (lol).

Even though men caused the financial meltdown of 2008 in America, no one went to jail. Every banker and investment money man in Iceland were tried, found guilty, went to jail, and they're assets were seized. Now, women are in charge of banks and investment institutions in Iceland

The Catholic Church needs to have women priests, bishops, cardinals, and even a pope. Women need to make an example of men. Only, women can stop the corruption.

Yet, we can't even get a woman president. Women are their own worst enemies. Women won't even vote for other woman.

If every woman in the United States voted for a woman as president, we'd have a woman president. Yet, somehow, the electoral college would wipe that vote away and elect their own male candidate.

I implore all men to vote for their mothers as president.

"God bless America!"

Let's make America great again by putting a pussy in charge instead of a cock.
 
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