h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Definately 1984 by george orwell. also walden by thoreaho cant spell grr...and also sphere by michael crichton was amusing...but i read that a long time ago so it was actually prolly crap.

and the reasaon why the first 20 some and me and others disincluded the hitchikers guide to the galaxy was because, its sort a a given since you are ont his web page!

Hey, there is more than the anglo-saxon literature in the world.. one of the best books ever written is "100 Years of Loneliness" by Gabriel García Marquez, try it!

It's difficult to choose and I think it depends on the mood I'm in.

I would say "The Unconsoled" by Kazuo Ishiguro is excellent, but slightly depressing.

"The Last Days of Socrates" by Plato is inspiring (but again depressing, oops, I'm beginning to notice a trend).

"A Place of Greater Safety" by Hilary Mantel (about the French Revolution - another sad story).

My favourite short story is "The Man Who Counts" by Poul Anderson (happily, not too sad).

Stephen.

A book full of wars and the cycle of righteousness and wickedness called the Book of Mormon.

Too many, too many... but here are a few.

"On the Yankee Station" - a book of short stories by William Boyd. Absolute genius.
"A Clockwork Orange" - Anthony Burgess; I know loads of people have already put this one, but it just goes to show, doesn't it?
"The Handmaid's Tale" - Margaret Atwood. Brilliant, but hopefully not prophetic.
"Steppenwolf" - Herman Hesse. Don't read it if you're suicidal, though.
"The Chickens are Restless" - Gary Larson
"Brave New World" and "Brave New World Revisited" - Aldous Huxley
"Breakfast of Champions" - Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
"King Lear" - William Shakespeare

Hmmm....Steppenwolf's an 'interesting' book.

I got the feeling that I missed something in that book...I didn't quite get it. Maybe I'll read it again sometime...

.fishy

i agree. native speaker by chang rae lee is excellent. as is the stranger by alber camu (although you may think that one is cheating as he is still caucasian)

"The chickens are restless?" Why not "Wildlife preserves" or any of the other Far side books. I'd personally go for Gallery no5.

If we're including plays (eg. king Lear) then I'd like to add Othello and Macbeth as well.

Also "Not the end of the World" by Christopher Brookmyre. A book by a Glasgow author, about religion set in LA. It's hysterical, satirical and probably ridiculously blasphemous. Great.

Seven Pillars of Wisdom, by T.E. Lawrence.

In the Country of Last Things, by Paul Auster.

Running in the Family, by Michael Ondaatje.

Well, to be honest, I think Gallery no.4 is one of my favourites, but "The Chickens are Restless", along with "Cows of our Planet", has the catchiest title.

There's only one, it stands out over everything else:

Enemy of God - Bernard Cornwell

Oengus.

The whole trilogy blew me away.

A dead druid is powerful magic.

Dave the ( Best book I've ever read?: Janet and John Play Together. It taught me how to read) Goal Keeper

How about "Foucault's Pendulum" by Umberto Eco - much better than "Name of the Rose" - maybe. Don't forget "the Liar" by Stephen Fry - superb.

"Cats Cradle" Kurt Vonnegut
"The Anubis Gates" Tim Powers
"The Wasp Factory" Iain Banks
and "American Psycho" Brett Easton Ellis (just for the audacity)

I can probably think of about 2 million BEST BOOKS I'VE EVER READ but these are the first that grind to mind.

Well now... The best book ever?? That would be very difficult, unless I was predictable and said the Bible!!

I am reading Gene Kranz's book "Failure Is Not An Option" at the moment, and that is a good one for anyone interested in the space programme. Best ones of the last couple of years...

"Fatherland" by Robert Harris

"Thomas Cranmer - A Life" by Diarmaid MacCulloch

"Voyage" by Stephen Baxter

I'll have to go away and give it some more thought!

Chris

One comment on a Clockwork Orange, it was written almost completely in a horrible slang and it almost made it impossible to understand.

I am sorry, but i thought that Crime and Punishment would be a better storyif people stopped trying to read so much into it.

Finally I have found some one else who has read anibus gates!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

Aha, but the fact that it's written in Nadsat is the whole point of "A Clockwork Orange"...

Bit of ruthless self-promotion, but it does explain my point further - http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/A561304