Best book you've ever read

[no_numb]

I haven't read it for years since I was quite young but Sophies world by Jostein Gaarder. I cant remember too much of it but it changed the way I thought as I was growing up made me question things a little bit more. It may not be the best book to a lot of people (will have to read it again to see what I think now) but it has had a profound effect on my life.

I have read lots of books cover to cover in a day and enjoyed plenty however none have had quite such an effect on me.

[i4000]

I know it's a cliche now because of the films, but many years before that.... The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. I actually read the whole series twice in senior school i.e. I finished The Return of the King and immediately started readin the The Fellowship of the Ring again.

Awesome books, even now far better than the films (which themselves are very good).

[funke_munke]

Critical Path by R. Buckminster Fuller. Lets just say it made me think (and my head hurt a little).


I'm with the posters above though - Night Watch is one of old Terry's best!

[Dragonclaw]

The Beano Annual, circa 1975 ish!!

[stavroshamster]

Night Watch is very good! I am currently working my way through the Discworld series on audiobook read by Tony Robinson - they are great but unfortunately abridged.

Big fan of Kate Mosse's Labyrinth and currently reading Sepulchre by her which seems good but haven't got too far in yet.

Also liked The Time Traveler's Wife, but don't want to see the film as it will be rubbish.

Really enjoy LOTR as well - I have read that 4 times now.

[IBM]

The Valley of Adventure by Enid Blyton

or

The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis.

Read the both when I was 10, and there's nothing like the way books are experienced around that age to just blow your mind and imagination wide open.

After those two books I couldn't be found without my nose in a book.

[Guppy]

I don't read many books but two books from my childhood that I absolutely adored are "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" and "Of Mice and Men". Every time I read "Charlie..." it always makes me want to go eat chocolate, love it.

[Cozwin]

although i haven't read millions of books i would say that the two book lines i am reading at the moment are the best

Silence of Lambs - Hanibal
Alfred the Great series - Bernard Cornwall

However as sad as it sounds i really enjoyed the last harry potter book and finished the book in 3 days which for me is really fast.

[Pob255]

The Valley of Adventure by Enid Blyton

I never "read" it, but had an audio book version on tape.
it was a real childhood shaper, as was the audio book of the hobit.

I cannot say I have any ONE favorate book, any more than I can say I have ONE favorate game or movie.
Different ones fill different rolls.

If really pushed I'd have to say a "dictionary" because without that one book we'd all be pritty much stuffed read any other book.

But if one book stands out - not because it's the best, just stands out - it's my single longest hardest read, Beowolf, original text and direct word for word translation.
If any of you have read/studied Chaucer esp in original Middle english, then Beowolf direct translation is worse, it took me about an hour to read, reread and understand each page.
If you want to read Beowolf get a modern translation.

EDIT: One I'll mention simply because it's not yet been mentioned, Sharpe, the TV series with Sean Bean did an ok job as tv series go but the books are very good.

Nope, no good too many books, over too many genres and sub-geners

[Dareos]

Assassins Apprentice by Robin Hobb, and the following 8 books

Five go to Mystery Moor was a classic, as was The Valley of Adventure

[rox0r]

Always had a soft spot for Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card.

[i4000]

Always had a soft spot for Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card.

I've just been reading the whole Ender's Saga for the first time at age 39!!!! I wish I had discovered these books earlier as they are excellent.

[watforddude]

The Curious Incident of The Dog in The Night-Time - Mark Haddon

[jim]

Probably Hop, Skip and Jump or whatever they were called. I just remember some nonsense about a place where you could only speak in rhyme, and a toffee wall that they stuck saucepans into to climb up it.

Seriously, I don't think I've properly enjoyed a book since I was 12.

I read some Dan Brown stuff recently which was fairly decent, but nothing spectacular. Aside from that exception, I just don't read fiction... I find no enjoyment in it these days.

[no_numb]

This is the best book I've read in recent years

Set this house in order
http://www.amazon.com/Set-This-House.../dp/0060195622

[this_is_gav]

Probably Enid Blyton's Five Go Off in a Caravan (1st Famous Five book) or Roald Dahl's Danny, the Champion of the World.

Both for those in their early teens I guess, but very readable when older too, the latter probably more so.