The one book everyone should read?!?

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  • rexzmumu
    rexzmumu Posts: 95 Member
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    .
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,229 Member
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    Personally, I don't read much for fun. But I have. Dean Koontz's books have always been fairly easy to read and good at keeping my attention. I especially like the "Odd Thomas" books.
  • sicoe17
    sicoe17 Posts: 120 Member
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    Farenheight 451 by Ray Bradbury

    Though I wholeheartedly agree with several other suggestions like American Gods by Neil Gaiman, anything by Chuck Palahniuk (except maybe Pygmy), Hitchhickers Guide to the Galaxy, 1984, and A Brave New World.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
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    Has anyone read The Jason Bourne books? The movies are great, but just wanted to know if the books were good as well.

    I liked the books a lot better than the movies... Not that the movies weren't fantastic too!

    Not the last one. It sucks. Seriously sucks. There's a car chase at the end that I swear is 45 minutes with NO DIALOGUE. it was really, really weird.
  • Jhillian
    Jhillian Posts: 185 Member
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    Book Work Here!!

    Books I recommend

    The Catcher in the Rye
    The House of the Scorpion
    Still Alice (I love this book for individuals like me who work in Nursing Homes gives you a great perspective)
    Anything by James Patterson
    Anything by Stephen King
    If you like full on Fantasy Type Novels Love Everything by Piers Anthony

    :) Just to Name a Few
  • eyestylemom
    eyestylemom Posts: 107 Member
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    Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
  • Wonderob
    Wonderob Posts: 1,372 Member
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    List of best selling single volume books of all time

    A Tale of Two Cities - Charles ****ens - 200 million

    Le Petit Prince (The Little Prince) - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry - 200 million

    The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien - 200 million

    The Hobbit J. R. R. Tolkien - 150 million

    Hong lou meng (Dream of the Red Chamber) - Cao Xueqin - 100 million

    And Then There Were None - Agatha Christie - 100 million

    The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe - C. S. Lewis - 85 million

    She - H. Rider Haggard - 85 million

    The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown - 80 million

    Think and Grow Rich - Napoleon Hill - 70 million

    The Catcher in the Rye - J. D. Salinger - 65 million

    How many have you read? A pathetic 6 for me :(
  • shelbyfrootcake
    shelbyfrootcake Posts: 965 Member
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    List of best selling single volume books of all time

    A Tale of Two Cities - Charles ****ens - 200 million

    Le Petit Prince (The Little Prince) - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry - 200 million

    The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien - 200 million

    The Hobbit J. R. R. Tolkien - 150 million

    Hong lou meng (Dream of the Red Chamber) - Cao Xueqin - 100 million

    And Then There Were None - Agatha Christie - 100 million

    The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe - C. S. Lewis - 85 million

    She - H. Rider Haggard - 85 million

    The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown - 80 million

    Think and Grow Rich - Napoleon Hill - 70 million

    The Catcher in the Rye - J. D. Salinger - 65 million

    How many have you read? A pathetic 6 for me :(

    I've only read 5 of them, and wasn't enamoured with 2 of those. Bear in mind what a big seller 50 Shades is, despite it being turgid tripe and a waste of paper (in my opinion).
  • Wonderob
    Wonderob Posts: 1,372 Member
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    List of best selling single volume books of all time

    A Tale of Two Cities - Charles ****ens - 200 million

    A sad indictment that one of THE classic authors gets censored in that way! lol
  • 76tech
    76tech Posts: 1,455 Member
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    All of the Terry Pratchett love makes me happy. I'll throw a few into the mix:
    Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman.
    American Gods and Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman. Oh, and Neverwhere.
  • 3foldchord
    3foldchord Posts: 2,918 Member
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    I keep coming back and reading replies and thinking:

    "OOOOH!! I loved that book, I should have included it on my list, too!!!"
  • Wonderob
    Wonderob Posts: 1,372 Member
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    I've only read 5 of them, and wasn't enamoured with 2 of those. Bear in mind what a big seller 50 Shades is, despite it being turgid tripe and a waste of paper (in my opinion).

    Yes and whilst I confess to enjoying the Da Vinci code, I won't pretend it's a work of literary genius - roundly slated in fact
  • Aquarian
    Aquarian Posts: 1,094 Member
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    It is very hard to pick one book. I read at least two books every week, and I read both fiction and non-fiction.

    If you like non-fiction, then get a good book on the history of your own country... That would be a great value addition to your life. I am not a history buff, but my country's history inspires me and makes me feel very proud of my nationality. Might work for you too. Or, you could try reading the autobiography of someone you respect. I suggest "My experiments with truth".

    As for fiction, perhaps you could start with something small and engaging, like the Mark Twain books.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
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    List of best selling single volume books of all time

    A Tale of Two Cities - Charles ****ens - 200 million

    Le Petit Prince (The Little Prince) - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry - 200 million

    The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien - 200 million

    The Hobbit J. R. R. Tolkien - 150 million

    Hong lou meng (Dream of the Red Chamber) - Cao Xueqin - 100 million

    And Then There Were None - Agatha Christie - 100 million

    The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe - C. S. Lewis - 85 million

    She - H. Rider Haggard - 85 million

    The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown - 80 million

    Think and Grow Rich - Napoleon Hill - 70 million

    The Catcher in the Rye - J. D. Salinger - 65 million

    How many have you read? A pathetic 6 for me :(

    Four, but best-selling doesn't mean quality. 50 Shades has outsold Harry Potter, for example. And Da Vinci Code was just awful. If you want to read Dan Brown, I suggest Angels and Demons.
  • Wonderob
    Wonderob Posts: 1,372 Member
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    Four, but best-selling doesn't mean quality. 50 Shades has outsold Harry Potter, for example. And Da Vinci Code was just awful. If you want to read Dan Brown, I suggest Angels and Demons.

    I enjoyed both
  • bowseramanda
    bowseramanda Posts: 58 Member
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    I would suggest getting an E-Reader of some sort. You don't need the top of the line and you could maybe find one on ebay as the bookworms tend to upgrade. I suggest this because you would be able to check out many books free or very cheap and if you get some friends that also have one you can even "loan" stuff. It would let you experience multiple genres until you figure out what you really like.

    Personally, I got a Nook Color (off HSN or QVC for easypay that way I could try it out for cheap and if I didn't like it I could return it.) It was a big splurge for me and it turned out my husband and kids love it as well. It has magazines on it.. sports and cars and health etc, angry birds for the kids and other games. My husband gets online on it and reads forums, etc. It is way more than an ereader for sure. The nook is a Barnes and Noble product and you get free stuff and discounts on it as well. If you take it with you to the store you can read anything for free for an hour. May be an option if you are close by. If you log in while you are at the store you get some sort of "special" for you.... even in the cafe for coffee and food.
  • SyntonicGarden
    SyntonicGarden Posts: 944 Member
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    Let me preface this by saying that I don't enjoy "chick" books.

    I can't suggest just one book that everyone should read, since most of what I read would offend SOMEBODY for some reason or another.

    If you want "life changing" books, then read "Fish!" or "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People." Both decent books. Otherwise, if you just want "good" books, I recommend two authors: Christopher Moore and Rex Stout.

    I suggest any book by Christopher Moore. His books are light, funny, tongue in cheek, and not that long. I started reading "Lamb" and when I had to put it down for a few days, I could come back, re-read a page to figure out where I was in the story and continue on again. The synopsis may lead you to believe that it's religious, but it's anything but. It does make you think though. If you aren't offended by swear words and innuendo, Moore is your guy.


    If you want something with a little more class, any of the Rex Stout books about "Nero Wolfe" are good as well. They're murder-mystery books set throughout the last century. Not stuffy. Not dull and drab. They're good "brain candy" in a "Oh, that's cool. Didn't see THAT coming" kind of way. I wish I could get my hands on more of them. :)
  • Drunkadelic
    Drunkadelic Posts: 948 Member
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    Ender's Game. Actually, read the whole series.
  • RunningDirty
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    I just finished the Hunger Games trilogy and couldn't put the books down so I'll add that to the list. Pretty good recommendations on here though so I'll have to tackle some of these!
  • ShreddedTweet
    ShreddedTweet Posts: 1,326 Member
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    He's in here asking about books, he's showing an interest!!! I think the very last thing anyone should be doing is deriding his intelligence, what is that going to solve? I also note that you're the only person who had to bring up the spelling mistake and I know the rest of us noticed it. I suggest you're a fairly unhappy person. Self-assured people don't need to tear down people who are trying to make a change and asking for guidance in an area they're unfamiliar with.