10 Book Challenge

[TangerineSteve17]

The challenge for me here was getting to 10 books. :/ I am extremely poorly read.

But I have managed to scrape 10, nearly all by the same author mind.

Kesey - One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest
Heller - Catch 22
Paton Walsh - Knowledge Of Angels
Gaiman - American Gods
Gaiman - Neverwhere
Gaiman/Pratchet - Good Omens
Gaiman - Star Dust
Moore - V for Vendetta
Gaiman - The Sandman Series
Gaiman - Anansi Boys

A little bit cheaty as a couple of these are graphic novels, and 1 a collection of short stories. I enjoy reading, I am just very slow at it. I stop reading a book immediately if the first few pages don't grab me and I get frustrated quickly if I don't like the style of the story-telling.

 

[FromPollockToSilva]

Mikhail Bulgakov - The Master & Margarita
John Steinbeck - Travels With Charlie in Search of America
Daniel Keyes - Flowers For Algernon
Milan Kundera - The Impossible Lightness of Being
James Baldwin - Giovanni's Room
Evelyn Waugh - Scoop
Joseph Conrad - Heart of Darkness
Joshua Ferris - And Then We Came to the End
Arthur C. Clarke - Rendezvous With Rama
Graham Greene - Our Man in Havana

That's 10 that I really, really enjoyed. Not necessarily the most profound or complex books I've ever, but 10 that I remember absolutely tearing through.

 

[yerwot?]

The Wasp Factory is getting a lot of references.

I remember looking at it in a book shop and being impressed by the fact that the back cover contained not just the good reviews but the critical ones too.

Its the only Iain Banks book I've read, and its not the sort of stuff I usually read. Some of it was funny, some of it pure genius, but some of it was very disturbing. There's one particular chapter that describes what sent Eric over the edge and it was fucking horrible. Its stuck with me ever since.
I've never had the urge to go out and try another of his books.

I think this could spawn a new list of ''disturbing books'', Irvine Welsh's Marabou Stork Nightmares was in that category for me. Harold Robins' Nevada Smith had some shocking events that left a deep impression, too.

 

[union city blue]

The Wasp Factory is getting a lot of references.

I remember looking at it in a book shop and being impressed by the fact that the back cover contained not just the good reviews but the critical ones too.

Its the only Iain Banks book I've read, and its not the sort of stuff I usually read. Some of it was funny, some of it pure genius, but some of it was very disturbing. There's one particular chapter that describes what sent Eric over the edge and it was fucking horrible. Its stuck with me ever since.
I've never had the urge to go out and try another of his books.

I agree with you about that particular chapter, it stuck with me for a while as well. But The Wasp Factory isn't really representative of the rest of Iain Banks's work. I would seriously recommend you give him another go. Espedair Street is the tale of a fictional rock group and is one of the funniest books I've ever read. I'd also recommend The Crow Road and Complicity. Sadly missed is Iain Banks. A great writer.

 

[jimmy blue shoes]

The Wasp Factory is getting a lot of references.

I remember looking at it in a book shop and being impressed by the fact that the back cover contained not just the good reviews but the critical ones too.

Its the only Iain Banks book I've read, and its not the sort of stuff I usually read. Some of it was funny, some of it pure genius, but some of it was very disturbing. There's one particular chapter that describes what sent Eric over the edge and it was fucking horrible. Its stuck with me ever since.
I've never had the urge to go out and try another of his books.

I think this could spawn a new list of ''disturbing books'', Irvine Welsh's Marabou Stork Nightmares was in that category for me. Harold Robins' Nevada Smith had some shocking events that left a deep impression, too.

American Psycho - Bret Easton Ellis

 

[OB1]

I restricted this to one entry per author, otherwise it might have looked like the work of a constant reader of Stephen King.

Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
The Stand – Stephen King
The Dirt – Neil Strauss & Motley Crue
Crazy From The Heat – David Lee Roth
101 Dalmatians – Dodie Smith
The Weirdstone of Brisingamen – Alan Garner
Less Than Zero – Bret Easton Ellis
His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
A Time to Kill – John Grisham
Red Dragon – Thomas Harris

 

[Hez]

To Kill A Mockingbird Harper Lee
Hitch Hikers Guide To The Galaxy Douglas Adams
Watership Down Richard Adams
Go Ask Alice Anon
Beyond Belief
A Night To Remember Walter Lord
Helter Skelter Vincent Bugliosi
Angelas Ashes Frank McCourt
Dracula Bram Stoker
Christine Stephen King

 

[mackenzie]

To Kill A Mockingbird Harper Lee
Hitch Hikers Guide To The Galaxy Douglas Adams
Watership Down Richard Adams
Go Ask Alice Anon
Beyond Belief
A Night To Remember Walter Lord
Helter Skelter Vincent Bugliosi
Angelas Ashes Frank McCourt
Dracula Bram Stoker
Christine Stephen King

Glad someone else has mentioned Dracula. It really is very powerful and disturbing.

 

[aguero93:20]

The Wasp Factory is getting a lot of references.

I remember looking at it in a book shop and being impressed by the fact that the back cover contained not just the good reviews but the critical ones too.

Its the only Iain Banks book I've read, and its not the sort of stuff I usually read. Some of it was funny, some of it pure genius, but some of it was very disturbing. There's one particular chapter that describes what sent Eric over the edge and it was fucking horrible. Its stuck with me ever since.
I've never had the urge to go out and try another of his books.

I think this could spawn a new list of ''disturbing books'', Irvine Welsh's Marabou Stork Nightmares was in that category for me. Harold Robins' Nevada Smith had some shocking events that left a deep impression, too.

I think all Welsh's stuff can be a bit disturbing but MSN is the strangest alright, still enjoyed it though, only one chapter really unsettled me reading it.

 

[Mozzer]

Mikhail Bulgakov - The Master & Margarita
John Steinbeck - Travels With Charlie in Search of America
Daniel Keyes - Flowers For Algernon
Milan Kundera - The Impossible Lightness of Being
James Baldwin - Giovanni's Room
Evelyn Waugh - Scoop
Joseph Conrad - Heart of Darkness
Joshua Ferris - And Then We Came to the End
Arthur C. Clarke - Rendezvous With Rama
Graham Greene - Our Man in Havana

That's 10 that I really, really enjoyed. Not necessarily the most profound or complex books I've ever, but 10 that I remember absolutely tearing through.

I'm just about to finish Travels with Charley. It's another classic from Steinbeck.