Craig4
Penultimate Amazing
Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow. It's really the only Card that I like though. The rest of it either tries too hard to be weird or is too preachy.
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Books you've read again and again and again...
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Robin
Penultimate Amazing
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Camus' book of short stories "Exile and the Kingdom". I love that book.
When I was a teenager I read Carlos Clarens' "An Illustrated History of Horror Movies" until it fell to pieces (I still have the pieces).
Aleister Crowley's "Moonchild". Jerry Coker's "Improvising Jazz" (in the vain hope that one day I will actually be able to improvise jazz).
Books I don't so much read again and again but dip into quite a lot: T.S Eliot's Selected Poems, The Penguin Book of English Verse, Other Men's Flowers and Kenneth Slessor's Selected Poems and Aleister Crowley's "Konx Om Pax".
When I was a teenager I read Carlos Clarens' "An Illustrated History of Horror Movies" until it fell to pieces (I still have the pieces).
Aleister Crowley's "Moonchild". Jerry Coker's "Improvising Jazz" (in the vain hope that one day I will actually be able to improvise jazz).
Books I don't so much read again and again but dip into quite a lot: T.S Eliot's Selected Poems, The Penguin Book of English Verse, Other Men's Flowers and Kenneth Slessor's Selected Poems and Aleister Crowley's "Konx Om Pax".
Bill Thompson 75
Graduate Poster
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In college I could get any book I wanted at the local used book stores. I read Aldiss's Billion Year Spree to find books that I knew would be quality science fiction. There are no more fulfilling works of science fiction than Way Station by Simak and Earth Abides by Stewart
USSManhattan
New Blood
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- Dec 15, 2008
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Non Campus Mentis by Anders Henriksson. It's a compendium of history flubs by college students. When I first read it, I was on my side and sobbing for over an hour, and if I opened my mouth I'd just start laughing. My copy got so worn from re-reading and lending it around in high school, college and grad school that I had to get a new copy.
Wowbagger
The Infinitely Prolonged
You know, for some strange reason I don't think I ever saw this thread before. Weird.
Anyway... My first answer is: Anything written by Douglas Adams. This includes, but is not limited to, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series. There are only five novels and a short story, as far as I am concerned. The so-called "continuation" from that does not really exist, at least not in any canonical way. I read all his stuff about once every 1.5 years, these days.
I have read Jurassic Park, by Michael Crichton, several times, for some reason. It's the only Crichton novel that seems to (mostly) hold up well, for its age.
I do re-read non-fiction science books, every now and then, but I don't think I can single out any of them out, right now.
I have read The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogy a few times, though it might be a while before I ever get to them, again. Perhaps I will do so right before The Hobbit movie comes out, assuming it ever does.
The only other novels I read more than twice, as far as I can remember, are the Myst series, based on the computer games.
A few classic novels I have read twice are 1984, by George Orwell; and Gulliver's Travels by Jonathon Swift.
And, I read a few Star Wars novels, especially the original Thrawn trilogy by Timothy Zahn, twice.
Anyway... My first answer is: Anything written by Douglas Adams. This includes, but is not limited to, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series. There are only five novels and a short story, as far as I am concerned. The so-called "continuation" from that does not really exist, at least not in any canonical way. I read all his stuff about once every 1.5 years, these days.
I have read Jurassic Park, by Michael Crichton, several times, for some reason. It's the only Crichton novel that seems to (mostly) hold up well, for its age.
I do re-read non-fiction science books, every now and then, but I don't think I can single out any of them out, right now.
I have read The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogy a few times, though it might be a while before I ever get to them, again. Perhaps I will do so right before The Hobbit movie comes out, assuming it ever does.
The only other novels I read more than twice, as far as I can remember, are the Myst series, based on the computer games.
A few classic novels I have read twice are 1984, by George Orwell; and Gulliver's Travels by Jonathon Swift.
And, I read a few Star Wars novels, especially the original Thrawn trilogy by Timothy Zahn, twice.
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The Greater Fool
Illuminator
The Hobbit + Lord of the Rings (About every 10 years since High School)
Rama (Mostly for the first and last books)
Foundation
Rings of Ice (Piers Anthony)
Rama (Mostly for the first and last books)
Foundation
Rings of Ice (Piers Anthony)
fitzgibbon
Master Poster
Umberto Eco "Facault's Pendulum"
Robert Clark "Dark Water"
Michael Ondaatje "In the Skin of the Lion"
Robert Clark "Dark Water"
Michael Ondaatje "In the Skin of the Lion"
I just posted in the series thread, but what the heck...
"Cryptonomicon" Neal Stephenson - Once a year, pretty much.
"Starship Troopers" Robert Heinlein
"The Forever War" Joe Haldeman
"The Stand" (Extended) and "It" Stephen King
"Red Storm Rising" Tom Clancy
"Lucifer's Hammer" Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle
"Cryptonomicon" Neal Stephenson - Once a year, pretty much.
"Starship Troopers" Robert Heinlein
"The Forever War" Joe Haldeman
"The Stand" (Extended) and "It" Stephen King
"Red Storm Rising" Tom Clancy
"Lucifer's Hammer" Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle
Lord of the Rings & Hobbit
Dune, the original 3 books are good
Enders Game & now Enders Shadow, but toss the rest
Starship Troopers is the only Heinlein book I enjoyed start to finish. His others, to me, start out great. Then after the halfway point they seem to flounder. Alas.
Jules Verne's Mysterious Island.
As for Ulyssees, twice I've tried to read it. After only 6-8 pages I'd ask "what the hell?" and give up.
And if Sabretooth wanders back by, do you have other recommendations for post apoclypse books? Some I like: the Stand, Wolf and Iron (Gordon Dickson), Lucifer's Hammer (Niven et al).
Dune, the original 3 books are good
Enders Game & now Enders Shadow, but toss the rest
Starship Troopers is the only Heinlein book I enjoyed start to finish. His others, to me, start out great. Then after the halfway point they seem to flounder. Alas.
Jules Verne's Mysterious Island.
As for Ulyssees, twice I've tried to read it. After only 6-8 pages I'd ask "what the hell?" and give up.
And if Sabretooth wanders back by, do you have other recommendations for post apoclypse books? Some I like: the Stand, Wolf and Iron (Gordon Dickson), Lucifer's Hammer (Niven et al).
I'm no Sabretooth, but have you read "Day Of The Triffids"? Or "The Kraken Wakes"? Both old, but still excellent SF from John Wyndham.
"A Canticle For Leibewitz" is pretty good too.
I don't know if it counts, but "Evolution" by Stephen Baxter eventually gets to the point where humans struggling for survival in a post apocalyptic world evolve new strategies for survival in an environment where intelligence is no longer an advantage.
I have read all of these books more than once, so I'm not even off topic. Yay me!
Fireshadow
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I just thought of a couple of non-fiction books that I have read a few times, and still enjoy:
The Demon Haunted World by Carl Sagan. Really, nothing more needs to be said about it other than: if you haven't read it, do so. It is a wonderful book, and has greatly influenced my way of looking at the world.
Have a Nice Day and Foley Is Good, both by Mick Foley. These are fascinating insights into what drives a person to become a professional wrestler, with applications for how to approach everyday life. Foley's conversational writing style is engaging and makes for a fast read, and he's one of my personal heroes both inside and outside the ring.
The Demon Haunted World by Carl Sagan. Really, nothing more needs to be said about it other than: if you haven't read it, do so. It is a wonderful book, and has greatly influenced my way of looking at the world.
Have a Nice Day and Foley Is Good, both by Mick Foley. These are fascinating insights into what drives a person to become a professional wrestler, with applications for how to approach everyday life. Foley's conversational writing style is engaging and makes for a fast read, and he's one of my personal heroes both inside and outside the ring.
I don't tend to read any books a second time - but I've worn out copies of several of Martin Gardner's books - and purchased new editions of them.
My favorites include his Annotated Alice books and ... well ... just about everything else he wrote or edited.
-- Roger
My favorites include his Annotated Alice books and ... well ... just about everything else he wrote or edited.
-- Roger