What is the best book you have ever read?

Shann said:
Don't know if I can say what the "best" book I ever read is, but "The Princess Bride" by William Goldman is right up there.
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That is a truly wonderful book, I first read it in 7th grade well before the film came out. If you enjoy the movie at all you owe it to yourself to read Goldman's "Hot Fairytale".
 
The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt by Edmund Morris (for Non Fiction)
Battlecry Freedom by McPherson
The Killer Angels by Shaara
A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving (for fiction)
Another Roadside Attraction by Tom Robbins
Any book by Kurt Vonnegut

I guess I'd have trouble picking one.
 
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I was impressed by Patrick O'Brian's Master and Commander series. 21 volumes, 15,000+ pages, written over 31 years and the narrative never failed or waivered. Pure and rich historical fiction at its best. The author passed away while writing the 21th volume (he was 85) and even then he left just enough material for his son to publish the raw notes and drafts which provide a perfect ending to the story.

n2s
 
Philip Jose Farmer will thrill and delight you. His "World of Tiers" series starts off with The maker of Universes where you are introduced to Kickaha the Trickster... you'll model yourself after this boisterous lad, mark my words.

Farmer also wrote the Riverworld series, which starts with To Your Scattered Bodies Go and takes off on a wild ride up-river.

Karl Edward Wagner wrote a batch of books about his anti-hero Kane. You don't need to read any of them in order... Bloodstone, The Dark Crusade, Night Winds... all worth picking up and not putting back down.

I hate to single out any of Edgar Rice Burroughs works, because the body of work is vast and awesome. But since you did ask, I'll suggest The Outlaw of Torn for the epic hero's journey that it is. I downloaded a copy onto the Kindle for like a nickel or something.

Man, I'd love to complete the body of work referenced throughout this thread though... great stuff, fellow knife enthusiasts!
 
Trent Rock said:
Nineteen Eighty-Four (Made me hate totalitarianism)
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I was in awe when I read this book. How did he foresee so many facets of modern society and the modern governmental and corporate methods of controlling the masses.

This book was written as a warning of an horrific future, but it turns out we have almost made his vision into reality.

Even down to monitoring your every move. Every year that passes more and more of this book become reality. Cameras in your living room. Google et al monitoring and correlating everything that you do, monitoring where you go etc. People being prosecuted for some throwaway comment made on twitter
 
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Another vote for the novels of Patrick Obrien. If you are a sailor, enjoy geography, zoology or just love Napoleon period naval history, these are super books and maybe the best fiction ever written in America. More folks than me have said that!
 
Atlas Shrugged -Ayn Rand

Winds of War and War and Rememberance-

Fall of Giants, Winter of the World, Pillars of the Earth-Ken Follett
 
There are many amazing writers, but I am a Tolkien fan first and foremost.

The Hobbit, followed by The Lord of the Rings, followed by The Silmarillion, then repeat.

I have to give an honorable mention to Mark Twain, because similarly to Tolkien, he really pays attention to the linguistics of his characters.

There are so many more, but those two have always stood out to me.
 
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