What are the 5 best books you've ever read? (stephen king, characters, author)

[Mrs. H]

I am gonna have to check out Pillars of the Earth...

[BlueWillowPlate]

Excellent choices everyone!
Here are some of my all-time favorites:

* Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky

* The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffennegger

* The Power Of One by Bryce Courtenay

* Cider House Rules by John Irving

* To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

[Jess5]

I'm getting so many good ideas. My library is having a book sale Sat. I'm hoping some of these books will be there.
I see The Time Travelers Wife mentioned a lot. I'm going to have to check on that one. I always assumed it was about a man (in th 1800s, for some reason) who traveled back and forth, and his wife would question him. I'm going to check on that right now.

Oh, I forgot another one of my favorites. Maybe I should have said "10 favorite books". lols
Cold Sassy Tree. Love it.

[ontheroad]

These are five I really like, and would read again (have many more )

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

His Dark Materials Trilogy (The Golden Compass; The Subtle Knife; The Amber Spyglass) by Philip Pullman

The Magus by John Fowles

The Last Temptation of Christ by Nikos Kazantzakis

Women in Love by D. H. Lawrence

[lolagranola]

Originally Posted by Jess5

I know this is a toughie! Mine are: To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
I Know This Much is True Wally Lamb
Pillars of the Earth Ken Follet
The Poisonwood Bible Barbara Kingsolver
Shutter Island Dennis Lehane
Sorry, I HAVE to add 1 The Giver Lois Lowry

How funny. Pillars of the Earth and the Poisonwood Bible are 2 of my very favorite 4 books ever! I also liked I Know This Much to be True alot.

BUT, I didn't particularly like Mockingbird, and have to lie to people and say I did...and didn't care much for the Giver either. I think the Giver is a good read for jr high aged kids...thought provoking.

I just found it very ironic that I felt so strongly, and contradictory, about your books!

[Huckleberry3911948]

Originally Posted by Jess5

I know this is a toughie! Mine are: To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
I Know This Much is True Wally Lamb
Pillars of the Earth Ken Follet
The Poisonwood Bible Barbara Kingsolver
Shutter Island Dennis Lehane
Sorry, I HAVE to add 1 The Giver Lois Lowry

science and health
bible
wind in the willows
hemingway short stories
oscar wilde short stories

[MainStreet]

Originally Posted by MainStreet

1. Rise the Euphrates by Carol Edgarian

2. The Road by Cormac McCarthy

3. {a tie} Choke and Survivor by Chuck Palahniuk

4. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

5. The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother by James McBride

and the one I have to add:

6. Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs

I have add another...can't believe I forgot it:

7. Birds of America by Lorrie Moore (I wish she would write another book!)

[Mooseketeer]

5 is just too little !
Some of my favourites though tough not an exhaustive list by any means:

The Picture of Dorian Gray ( and anything else by Oscar Wilde)
Wind in the Willows ( Kenneth Grahamme)
Boule de Suif ( Guy de Maupassant and any of his works as well)
The Grapes of Wrath ( and most of Steinbeck)
Don Quixote ) Cervantes)
Germinal (and once again anything else by Emile Zola)

[martinez4]

Originally Posted by eyhossenlopp

I am gonna have to check out Pillars of the Earth...

It is a wonderful book!!! One thing....I had it in hardcover, loaned it out(over 15 yrs ago) and never got it back My sweet son was at the bookstore and bought me the paperback because he knew it was my favorite book but the writing is sooooo small. If you can find it in hardcover it makes it a bit better for reading purposes.

[Visvaldis]

Thus Spoke Zarathustra - Friedrich Nietzsche
The Pere Ubu Plays - Alfred Jarry
Tropic Of Cancer - Henry Miller
Walden Pond - Henry David Thoreau
The Banquet Years - Richard Shattuck