POLL: What Books Do You Read?

Mmmm... I like so much russian literature (Dostoievski, Tolstoi, Chejov...) and Raymond Carver, who isnt vry famous (he´s dead).
On fantastic literature, I havent read so much, only Tolkien (Lord of the rings, the Silmarilion and the Hobbit) but these three ive read three times each .
Besides this, some time ago i used to read Stephen King, Crichton and Grisham but now i prefer 'ancient' literature like the russians ive said, Oscar Wilde, Kafka...
Oh and there are 2 single books that i like so much: the godfather by Mario Puzo (though the films are much better) and Dracula by Bram Stoker.

[Bahamut]

I never finished a book that isn't Danielle Steel... Steele? Ah whatever! I dunno why... I find it now... weird. Im currently reading 'A Separate Peace' by John Knowles... is for school : ), and 'Hannibal' by Thomas Harris.

[Memnoch]

Ladyzekke, i'm too smashed to think right now, just came home from an all day beach party, its 1 AM and i need to go to work tomorrow (today) but i just wanted to say:

HOW SUCCESSFUL WAS THIS POLL! 30 RESPONSES IN 1 DAY!!

I told u so...

Will answer in detail tomorrow (i had to hit the backspace key 20 times just to type this message!)

[Melusine]

First of all congratulations to the (sadly very limited) number of people who actually read anything other than SF/Fantasy (Penguin Boy, Ertai). Not trying to offend or lecture, but there is a HUGE world outside Fantasy books...it's called literature and it's great fun!
Thanks to ladyzekke for starting this thread!

Second, hi I'm back! I was gone for some time, my computer broke down!

Third, here's my highly abbreviated list:
Lit: A.S.Byatt, I.Banks, A.Desai, U.Eco, Ch. Marlowe, W.B.Yeats, O.Wilde, W.Wordsworth, H.Pinter, T.Stoppard, J.Keats, W.Shakespeare, M.Atwood, G.Chaucer, B.Jonson, R.Frost, E.A.Poe, Th.Pynchon, J.M.Synge, Brontë (esp. Emily), J.Swift, D.Parker, S.Plath, S.Heaney, G.Hill, V.Woolf, J.W. von Goethe, Baudelaire, Mallarmé, de Maupassant, de Beauvoir, Hesse, Kafka, G.Herbert, J.Donne, A.Marvell.......................
SF/Fantasy: Tolkien, Eddings, Jordan. I.M. Banks, Barker, King, Lovecraft, Pratchett

[Zenith]

A truly great series has been missed. The Dragon Prince and Dragon Star series by Melanie Rawn. The title of the first three are: The Dragon Prince, Starscroll, and Sunrunner's Fire. The next three are Stronghold, The Dragon Token, and Skybowl. Every person I've lent the books to has loved them and wanted to read them again (which may be neccesary- they are not brain candy.)

HI Melusine !!!

Yep, I forgot Goethe´s Werther... made me feel very...hmmm...better not say it. Just say that i was in a similar situation to Werther (i was in love with my best friend, and her boyfriend was a friend of mine... all ended wrong and now i talk no more with them...sad).
and i want to read umberto eco´s the name of the rose (?, translated from spanish) but i CANT stand the historic things in the first pages...maybe ill have to start from page 100 or so. And i really want to try someday lovecraft...
Last christmas i got Roald Dahl´s 'someone like you' in english...but its english is SO advanced for me...Ive only read in english 'the man from ST Petersburg' which is very easy to read.
And another book which made me laugh a lot has been 'American Psycho'. It ROCKS !!!

[Yorick]

I read a lot of history, fantasy, theology and biographies. I enjoy pouring over atlas' geographical and photographic books from time to time. I've got various books on different countries in my bookcases.

In the fantasy genre my fav. authors have been, Donaldson, Lawhead, and Feist. Eddings was an early favourite, but after the Belgariad his books started to feel 'sameish' after a while.

C.S.Lewis is an influence of mine - mainly his theological material though. Tolkien Herbert and MacDonald all reside next to John Pilger, Nora Chadwick, Shakespeare and the brothers Grimm.

One of my favourites is a series of little historical atlas' by Colin McEvedy. In five minutes you get a feel for how transient the borders of nations are, how kingdoms come and go and how so much gets forgotten in the scheme of things.

I'm about to read a biography of Keith Green, am periodically referring to a book dealing with divorce by Ken Crispin, and as I got a book by John Stott for christmas will pick that up.

I own a couple of well worn Bibles that get referred to from time to time as well.

Oh yeah, I also enjoy Leunig, Gary Larson, Herge and Goscinny & Uderzo for light relief.

Thanks for the poll Zekke!

[Yorick]

How could I have forgotten the books from the U.S. I got given! These will be a priority of course ladyzekke!

[Moiraine]

Ha, Yorick, you talk like Luc (my husband) about David Eddings. Doesn't keep him from calling his BG II character 'Belgarion' though !
I have loved his last book 'Althalus'. I have even named my recent AD&D thief 'Althala'.
I enjoy the light and optimistic atmosphere of his books, the humour, and the feeling that the characters are all old friends.

[Melusine]

Ertai, yes Werther is fantastic; dripping with pathos and nevertheless it touches you deeply and it tells a story everybody can relate to (as your 'best friend/boyfriend' story demonstrates). Did you know that when the book was published, a whole Werther-trend broke loose! Young men started wearing the exact same clothes as described in the book, talking like Werther and some of them actually killed themselves after his example. In later editions, the book therefore opens with a little rhyme saying that it's just a story and please don't kill yourselves over it you morons!

I think you should absolutely persevere in reading The Name of The Rose, it's fabulous!! My advice: just skip some bits that are too dense or difficult, you can always read the book again and you'll understand more every time you reread it. You said you've difficulties with reading English, may I ask what your mother tongue is?



Yorick your interests sound interesting (???) No seriously, I think you have a diverse and definitely not shallow range of studies. Your theologican(?) knowledge is quite apparent in some of your posts but the other things you read are interesting.