Just Curious. Are there books that you find yourself reading over and over again??? Reference books don't count Other than my entire catalog of Vladimir Nabokov books, which I read constantly, on an endless loop.. mine are: The Secret History - Donna Tartt Other Voices, Other Rooms - Truman Capote Swan Song - Robert McCammon One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - Ken Kesey
Neuromancer (or pretty much anything by Gibson) - William Gibson Snow Crash & The Diamond Age - Neal Stephenson If I Never Get Back - Darryl Brock Imajica - Clive Barker
Bukowski- Post Office I used to reread Henry Miller's Tropic of Cancer too, but I left it in England when I came to Japan. That really is about it. If I want to just pick something up to kill 10 minutes it would be one of the collected Judge Dredds or Akira.
"Maldoror" by Lautréamont. The ultimate proto-surrealist FTW book. Found it at City Lights Bookstore in '78 and was happily damaged for life. Get something different from it each time I return. When I was younger I read "Demian" by Herman Hesse a few times. I thought it had so much to say that I hadn't yet found in other western fiction on themes of synchronicity, the ascription of significance, and the nature of the human soul. In retrospect I think of it as a book for intense young people, but haven't re-read it since I was one of those, so I'm not sure. I'm currently considering committing to "The Lord of the Rings" all the way through. Haven't done that since high school. No clue why the vibe feels right now, but it does. The prrrecioussss beckons. There are some really great titles in this thread so far. Keep 'em comin'...
h.p. lovecraft book i have full of his stuff. his stories aren't too long to where it takes days to read, so i think that's one of the reasons why i keep going back to them. that and they totally kick ass.
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, of course (actually, most Thompson). The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe. Post Office, Women, and Ham on Rye, Bukowski. Music: Please Kill Me (still the best book about punk rock) and the immortal Lester Bangs' Psychotic Reactions & Carburetor Dung; an endless source of inspiration. Comics: O'Malley's Scott Pilgrim, and Ben Snakepit's Snakepit books. Oh, and DFW's Infinite Jest. Just kidding on that last one. Still haven't made it through once.
I end up reading Bradbury's The Halloween Tree every Halloween (for reasons mentioned in another thread). I find myself coming back to War of the Worlds and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy frequently. Heart of Darkness by Conrad is in the mutli-read mix, too. Underbeit: How is Swan Song? I've read virtually everything else McCammon has written (Blue World several times) but somehow keep failing to get to Swan Song. I've been wanting to see how it compares to The Stand, which seems to be what everyone else compares it to. Punkin: How does Imajica stack up to Barker's Great and Secret Show? That book has one of my favorite chapter-ending lines: "And with that motion, the beginning of the end began." -- jJ
Imajica is hands down his best work. Barker himself calls it his best work. And Swan Song is pretty much The Stand with nukes instead of Captain Trips. Not that that is a bad thing, but there are definitely similarities. I like them both, but The Stand is better in my opinion.
Yes, the two are compared constantly. It's been my experience from speaking to others that the one you read first is the one you like best. I've never actually read The Stand just because I've been told they are so much alike. Plus generally speaking I'm a much bigger fan of Robert mcCammon than I am of Stephen King. Since I haven't read The Stand, obviously I don't know which is better, but I know everytime I read Swan Song, I really can't put it down until it is over. If you're already a fan of Robert McCammon, I really recommend you give it a whirl..
I think I agree that Imajica will stand the test of time as his best work. For me though, I dont think Clive will ever be able to top that feeling of being absolutely blown away when the first volume of the Books of Blood was released back in the mid 80s... I don't believe I've missed a single word he's published since...
I remember when over at my friends place, I grabbed his copy of Great and Secret Show to read for a few hours. This was when it first released and still on hard back... I only got through the intro and still remember how awesome it was with that guy in the post office... I never bought the book and now I just might!
For the last five years, I basically have spent all my reading time with my daughter, nothing much for myself. These have been on heavy rotation for a while now: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz The Lost Princess of Oz The Patchwork Girl of Oz Mary Poppins Mary Poppins Comes Back Mary Poppins in the Park Little House on the Prairie Little House in the Big Woods On the Shores of Plum Creek Nate the Great (all of 'em) Rainbow Magic Fairies (ugh!) I used to read a lot of Cormac McCarthy. Blood Meridian and the Border Trilogy
I don't believe I've ever read a book more than once in the span of ten years. Too much else to consume than to retread where I've already been.
You know what's weird, is that rereading books often does not feel like rereading a book. It normally feels like reading it fresh for the first time. You should try it. When I read a favorite book a second time, I find that the book totally changes if the story is great.
The Belgariad by David Eddings (get something different from this with every read) Dragon Lance first 2 trilogies by Margaret Weis and Tracey Hickman Most of the Dean Koontz novels I read in the 80's Princess' Bride by William Goldman Pattern Recognition by William Gibson Slowly revisiting every issue of Savage Sword of Conan the Barbarian Heavy Metal Akira (second time in the all color version) The Blood Sword - Jademan comics (re read in Jan when I went back home to Sydney - wanted to take it with me)
I read The Shadow Over Innsmouth every Halloween season, and usually a few other Lovecraft gems. Currently reading The Queen of Bedlam after just finishing Speaks the Nightbird by McCammon. Both are very good. Check out Boy's Life by McCammon. Any suggestions for Halloween reads? I've got Drood by Dan Simmons up next, followed by Mister B. Gone by Barker.
"House of Leaves" by Mark Danielewski - High weirdness. A bit Lovecraftian in its "out of time and space" oddness. Very twisted book, heh heh. or, for more of a fun/light sort of read... "The Strain" by Guillermo del Toro First installment of a new vampire trilogy. Good characters, good drama, creepy vamps, very cinematic (of course.)
Thanks Dean. I read House of Leaves last fall and would also recommend it for the season. Very bizarre how it is printed to reflect the author's madness, some pages having a few words, lists running upside-down along the borders, "windows" where the reader can see the backside of words on the next page. Pretty difficult to read at times and definitely creepy. I enjoy when stories leave a little to the imagination, such as why the house is the way it is. Also read Hogan & Del Toro's The Strain last month. Enjoyed it and look forward to the next 2 in the series. To stay on topic, I've read King's Gunslinger/Dark Tower series a few times as well as Feist's Riftwar Saga. Will probably read both again.
No particular order: Punktown by Jeffrey Thomas Dark Harvest by Norman Partridge Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass by Stephen King The Song Of Ice and Fire series by George RR Martin Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon High Fidelity by Nick Hornby I wholeheartedly agree with the McCammon books listed by the earlier posts. Robert R McCammon rules! Practically every one of his books are great reads. For Halloween reading, the above-mentioned book, Dark Harvest is a fun fast-paced Halloween book.
