What are everyone's 3 all time favourite books?

[Smiley]

I'll start with mine... this is such a hard thing to pick out though. My all time favourite has to be.. 1.Flowers in the Attic by Virginia Andrews (Based on a true story, so well written, very sad, feels a lot of emotions. 2.Domain by James Herbert. (I love the rats trilogy, Domain is a fave because of the setting in the London underground. It's so British, and a very strong book. 3.Pride and Prejudice Jane Austen. (I was lucky enough to study this for A level, altough I liked it before anyhow. Just a genuinely great classic.

[sft42]

1/ The Stand - Stephen King...a good versus evil tale with a different end of world twist.

2/ The Hicherhickers books - Douglas Adams....bit of a cop out as it's more than one book but a superb work none the less.

3/ Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck...the only book I ever was made to read at school that I actually enjoyed...a classic.

[tartanwiz]

1) 1984 (George Orwell) - a nightmare of the future that can still come true if we don't watch out. 2) A CAnticle For Leibowitz (Walter M. Miller Jr) - set in a monastery in a futuristic Dark Age. 3) Jack Faust (Michael Swanwick) - a historical sci-fi based on the Faust legend.

[andy hughes]

'The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night Time' by Mark Haddon. I know this has had masses of publicity, but I found it in a library about 18 months ago, and loved it from then on, so it feels like 'I was there first!' which is childish, but strangely satisfying! My others are 'The Mind Parastites' by Colin Wilson, a Lovecraft-style gothic horror with philosphy mixed in, my all-time favourite novel ever. My third choice is 'Cider With Roadies' by Stuart Maconie, which I've just read. Stuart has the wit, the writing skill, and the career that I would love to have. Jealous? Believe it!

[Smiffy]

My three best ever books which I read and read again are Gaudy Night by Dorothy L Sayers, The Good Companions by JB Priestley and Good Omens by Neil Gaman and Terry Pratchett. The funniest book I have read for ages is Cider With Roadies by Stuart Maconie; perhaps when Andy gives up the day job to become a music writer he'll get some material together for an equally funny autobiography?

[bernardo]

"Nineteen Eighty-Four" by George Orwell, "Animal Farm" by George Orwell, and "The Collected Works of Enver Hoxha, volume 4 (1966-1975)" (i.e. I can't immediately think of a third)

[darth vader]

Winnie the Pooh (A. A. Milne)
Watership Down (Douglas (?) Adams)
anything in the Discworld series by Pratchett (sorry can't pick any particular one).
ps i agree with sft (that's three times this year) about Of Mice and Men being the best school literature book, but not on my list though.

[darth vader]

ps a late mention (because i don't want to sound like a big kid) for a book called "The Silver Sword" by.... hang on, by Ian Serraillier which i read many times over as a kid which was a wonderful (perhaps not the word for it - moving, not wonderful) book. In fact i have just gone into a nostalgic trance and am heading for Amazon with a mission and a credit card. http://www.readingmatters.co.uk/book.php?id=81

[becks]

the wasp factory, lord of the flies and 1984... oh and memoirs of a geisha if i can have an extra one please!

[andy hughes]

Thanks Smiffy - I already am a music writer, I just need to give up the day job! I do have a fund of stories with which to write a similar book, but it wouldn't be as funny, erudite, or informative as we both know Stuart Maconie to be. Still, I can dream ....

[Janetex]

My complete works of Oscar Wild that I have just reclaimed from my dizzy aunt. Then p'raps The Stand and Animal Farm, but, then again..........

[tartanwiz]

Can I change one of my choices? Make number 3 Lord of the Flies (William Golding), it shows the Beast in us, which we deny at our peril.

[molly]

1) The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame, also the follow-up books by William Horwood.

Aah the sweet innocence of chilhood! 2) The Duncton Cronicles - also by William Horwood

These stories are also about moles, but there the similarity ends. Very dark, you get sucked into the story. He brings the characters ( the good and the evil ones) vividly to life.

3) My third choice is probably not "great" literature, but it's the best laugh I've had for a while. Written by Tony Roper. -- Rikki Fulton's Reverend I.M.Jolly: How I Found God, and Why He Was Hiding from Me.

(and the next one) Rikki Fulton's Reverend I.M.Jolly: One Deity at a Time, Sweet Jesus.

The great Rikki Fulton was one of the funniest men on tv. His death in January was a great loss.

[apricot]

Number One - The Tin Drum by Gunther Grass, a rollercoaster ride of emotion, eroticism and wit, Number 2 -The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton, why did they never make it into a TV series and Number 3 - Perfume by Patrick Suskind another strange and dark novel.

[Picky]

Oh my goodness Darth, I haven't thought about 'The Silver Sword' for many years but it was fantastic. I too have headed towards Amazon, credit card in my hand. My 3 fav books must be: 1) Matilda by Roald Dahl 2)Remains of the Day by Kazou Ishiguro 3)I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

[sarah123]

Maurice by EM Forster, Mansfield Park by Jane Austen, Masquerade by Kit Williams

[darth vader]

the faraway tree was a wonderful book for me too Apricot - and where HAVE you been all week?

[Smiley]

The magic faraway tree! So many childhood memories!! Also, I think I have been lucky with the texts I studied at school.. Romeo and Juliet, Pride and Prejudice, Othello, Dr Faustus, Lord of the Flies, Sons and Lovers, The Colour Purple, Macbeth, An Inspector Calls... and thats just the pick of the best!

[spiff]

1) "Dirk Gentley's Holistic Detective Agency-Douglas Adams. 2)"The ways of a transgressor"-Negley Farson 3)"Travels with Charlie"-John Steinbeck

[davver]

'Sailing Alone Around The World' by Captain Joshua Slocum - the first person ever to do so, he writes with such a sense of modest enjoyment it is impossible not to love. 'Catch-22' by Joseph Heller, which I am surprised has not already been mentioned. Thirdly, 'Decline and Fall' by Evelyn Waugh, probably the funniest thing I have ever read. The Molesworth books are also cracking reads.

[davver]

Oh, hang on - how could I forget 'Tom Jones' by Fielding. Or anything by Thomas Mann, Franz Kafka, Jane Austen, Jonathan Swift, JRR Tolkein, James Joyce, Gabriel Garcia Marquez ... argh! Don't ask me these questions!