Question: What’s your favorite book?
Today we’ve got another discussion question for you. In the future, we’ll probably do this only once a week, but we’re short on other content right now and we had so much fun yesterday.
Question
What’s your favorite book? What about it appeals to you the most? The writing style? Plot? Characters? Has your favorite books influenced your own writing in any way?
Please discuss your responses to this question in the comments. We learned yesterday that there can be some real discussion if you respond to the comments of other contributors. Note: you can respond directly to other comments by clicking the “Reply” link in the bottom right corner of each comment.
(Credit for this discussion question goes to Katie)
March 4th, 2009 at 2:33 am
Depends on genre. Fiction, nonfiction, poetry or other?
Fiction: Koshun Takami’s Battle Royale (far superior to the movie). I like this because it’s Lord of the Flies on crack. You get to learn and care about 50 characters and try to root for them. Until 48 of them die.
Poetry: A House Waiting for Music by David Hernandez. A simple narrative done through a collection of poems. Deals with love (platonic, familiar, erotic and romantic) and does it with a sense of humor.
Nonfiction: It’s a tie between (Not that you asked) by Steve Almond and Dork Whore by Iris Bahr. Both are hilarious memoir-ish narratives. Almond uses short essays and Bahr uses the entire book to talk of their lives and inadequacies.
I find that reading more than what I write (I’m a poetry MFA student) influences me. I want to tell a good story–it that means watching a movie, then so be it. If it means staring at a Degas, then so be it. If it means listening to Cat Stevens while trying to not die on my commute from Riverside to Los Angeles—well, I could do without that one.
March 4th, 2009 at 10:12 am
I saw Battle Royale a couple months ago but didn’t know it was a book. My main issue with the movie was that you had no time to actually get attached to most of the characters. I will definitely be looking to pick it up.
March 4th, 2009 at 4:46 am
I would say my all time favorite book is 1984 by George Orwell. I like classics. I like that its relevancy in politics is pretty much a staple. I like the concepts of doublethink (mind control), big brother, etc. I don’t think it has influenced my writing style but it certainly influences the way I view the world.
March 4th, 2009 at 5:53 am
GOOD book! 1984 is one of my favorites too.
March 4th, 2009 at 8:49 am
“1984″ was amazing. However, it’s best paired up with “Brave New World”. Those two just go hand in hand.
March 4th, 2009 at 3:05 pm
I hated 1984 when I had to read it in school – but when I did so on my own, I was in love
March 5th, 2009 at 6:22 am
I was in this play in 7th grade! They never really explained to us what 1984 really was, so you can imagine it must have been confusing to a 12 year old!
March 4th, 2009 at 5:03 am
I love Echo by Francesca Lia Block. I’ve read it at least ten times, and I just love Block’s poetic writing style. In ways, the story resembles my life–symbolically, of course. It’s about a girl who has a mother that is so beautiful and angellic, and her father is dying, and she must find herself. It’s beautiful. Every time I read it, I realize something new.
March 4th, 2009 at 7:28 am
Those types of books are the good ones. A book that you can relate to and to be able to understand the characters and the writer’s writing style. It is good that you are able to relate the book to your life. Often times some books are written perfectly for one person to the next.
March 4th, 2009 at 5:23 am
Confession: I am a total guilty pleasures reader, so my favorite books are mainly girly novels.
My absolute favorite book is Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. It’s a memoir about her (early) midlife crisis and how she dealt with heartbreak by traveling the world, seeking out a balance between pleasure and devotion.
I love memoirs because you can hear the emotion in the words, and Gilbert does a great job with that (surprisingly, though, I didn’t like any of her other books). It also just hit close to home when I was reading it… it’s a great book to turn to when you’re working through a break-up, or you’re unsure about what you want out of life.
March 4th, 2009 at 7:00 am
Me too! I completely fall head over heels for decent chick-lit. Rather than being my guilty pleasure though, I’d say it is a staple of my reading selections. I hate when people say they are mindless books because they aren’t. In my opinion, intellectual novels stimulate the logic and thinking processes of the mind, while chick-lit stimulates the emotional aspect of the mind. Not that there aren’t hybrids of course. That’s just a general view of mine.
March 4th, 2009 at 9:53 am
I just wanted to say that I like your avatar Ellie. lol I’ve seen it before but still think it’s cute.
March 4th, 2009 at 3:07 pm
Emily,
I just bought Eat, Pray, Love and haven’t read it yet. There was a fabulous quote in that book about not realizing that one has to ‘let go’ of people who have already done their duties in our lives.
It got me through rough times.
This was the push I needed to get into the book
March 4th, 2009 at 10:50 pm
Eat, Pray, Love is definitely on my list of books to read.
March 5th, 2009 at 6:23 am
Me too! I honestly don’t like most classics. I’m a huge fan of chick lit, and I don’t think there is anything wrong with that! Eat, Pray, Love was awesome.
March 4th, 2009 at 5:27 am
My favorite book, or one of them anyway, is Marya Hornbacher’s Wasted. It’s a memoir of her eating disorders.
It has absolutely influenced my writing. It encouraged me to experiment, especially with sentence fragments. It’s probably influenced the way I tell first person stories (blog!) as well.
March 4th, 2009 at 5:55 am
Wasted is probably my favoite book too. I tend to have too many favorites. I love the way Marya writes.
March 4th, 2009 at 7:30 am
The only memoir or narrative I read was about the holocaust and the book was called “Night.”
March 5th, 2009 at 6:24 am
Night is beautifully written.
March 4th, 2009 at 8:15 am
wasted was a GREAT memoir. yes, i know the choppy style you speak of. i thought it was awesome writing. was really impressed. she wrote a new memoir about her battle with bipolar disorder! i really want to read that one as well..
March 4th, 2009 at 10:52 pm
I’ve read it! It’s called Madness. It wasn’t as good as Wasted. It really didn’t even compare. But, I did learn a lot about bipolar disorder.
March 4th, 2009 at 3:08 pm
I’ve never read Wasted.
What’s that smell? Its a trip to Barnes and Noble!
March 4th, 2009 at 5:50 am
Completely agreed with Emily above. I think the book that’s impacted me most is Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. It’s a memoir of the 9 months she spent traveling between Italy, India and Indonesia looking for healing after a harsh divorce.
For starters, her writing is immaculate. It’s smooth, clear, almost romantically written. I couldn’t put it down, and it made me want to mimic her style.
It also hit home for me as I was getting over a devastating break up at the time. In a sense, it was very therapeutic.
March 4th, 2009 at 5:56 am
My mom recommended that book to me. I’ll have to read it.
March 4th, 2009 at 8:17 am
i am reading this book RIGHT now! just started and love it so far. i can also relate because i got through a recent break-up from a five year relationship! all the feelings she described…dead on.
March 4th, 2009 at 5:59 am
It is hard for me to pick a favorite book, I am going to pick one based on what has influenced my writing style the most.
‘Rules for Saying Goodbye’ by Katherine Taylor. This book is not only a great story, but it is wonderfully written. Katherine Taylor’s writing evokes emotion and her descriptions set a scene. I love it.
March 4th, 2009 at 6:25 am
Oh, there is absolutely no doubt what the answer is to this question: On the Road by Jack Kerouac.
It completely changed my life, as it made me realize that I wanted to study literature for a living. I think it’s one of the most beautiful books I’ve ever read, and I think that gets lost sometimes. There are some passages in there that are amongst the most beautiful I have ever read.
OK, there’s probably a entire book that could be written on me and On the Road so I’ll just leave it at that.
March 4th, 2009 at 7:31 am
Sounds like the book gave you inspiration… a motive to do something!
March 4th, 2009 at 6:42 am
Oh I have no idea. Just one? Sheesh, I’ll say Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty. Hard to pick just one really, but her writing style really appeals to me. I love to pick up chick-lit novels, but what I love even more is when those novels have spice, wit, and characters I can relate to. Matter of fact, I still go into the young adults section to check up on some of my favorite authors from when I was young. Does anyone else do this?
One of the most important aspects of writing that I look for when picking books to read is character development. That and the way that the author depicts the surroundings. When I read a good novel I can visualize the characters in their setting, whether it is fiction or not. I also love to get attached to the characters, like I could rip them from the pages and have a conversation with them in coffee shop somewhere.
There are just so many authors that helped to shape my love of literature that I cannot possibly list them all. I certainly have different categories within fiction itself for the books I love. I love each and every book I’ve ever read, except for some I was forced to read for schooling purposes. Who doesn’t dislike some of the classics though?
March 4th, 2009 at 12:05 pm
I love the Jessica Darling series of books! It’s young adult, but it still totally speaks to me as somebody in their mid-20s. McCafferty writes teenagers so well…
March 4th, 2009 at 12:39 pm
I am totally in love with the Darling series!! I can’t wait for her new book to come out.
I actually found that book series with my sister-in-law in the regular fiction section, not the YA. crazy…
March 4th, 2009 at 7:04 am
I have so many favourite books it’s really hard to choose one. I love almost anything by James Patterson or Sidney Sheldon. I really enjoy mystery/police novels. I also LOVE the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. SO good, I read them so quickly.
I adore chick lit and want to pick up some more of it because I’ve mostly just read (and LOVED) books by Sophie Kinsella and Emily Griffin!
March 5th, 2009 at 6:25 am
Love both of the authors you mentioned! Sophie Kinsella is an awesome writer!
March 4th, 2009 at 8:50 am
Since no one has said it yet, I’ll be the guilty one.
I like Harry Potter.
That’s it. I said it. Don’t shun me. =P
March 4th, 2009 at 9:36 am
haha, at least you didn’t say Twilight.
March 4th, 2009 at 10:09 am
Harry Potter is a great story and has gotten A LOT of people to read who otherwise might not have. It deserves its props.
March 4th, 2009 at 10:15 am
I also LOVED the Harry Potter series and have re-read them all at least three times!
I was not a fan of Twilight to be honest. I had high hopes for it since everyone else was raving about it but I found the author’s writing a bit immature and the whole plot a bit nauseating…
Maybe it’s because I saw the movie first though, which I also hated.
March 4th, 2009 at 4:54 pm
Oh man, I was so tempted to so Harry Potter! Definitely a favorite. I’ve connected with so many people through that book, some of them very good friends. I have lost count of how many times I’ve read them…
Twilight, I loved it as well. I read it long before the movie was released and before all the hype started to be nauseating. I realize that can turn people off and that makes me sad. I just love Bella’s character. I could do without so much lovey dovey-ness though.
March 4th, 2009 at 10:53 pm
No shame in that. I love Harry Potter!
March 5th, 2009 at 1:03 pm
I LOVE HARRY POTTER.
Sorry, that was intense. But it’s true!
March 4th, 2009 at 8:55 am
My recent favorite book is “Paper Towns” by John Green. Perhaps I’m biased because I’m a Nerdfighter, but there’s something in that book that just encompasses the youthful adventure that we all seek and wished we did.
I love “Les Miserables” by Victor Hugo. Yes, I read all 1432 pages. The musical was so amazing that I had to read the book. The book was priceless. Though I would warn that if you don’t like history, be wary cuz Victor Hugo does talk about the war in great detail.
March 4th, 2009 at 8:58 am
This is a really hard question to answer. I have so many favorite books and authors. My favorite author is Anne Rice hands down. But if I absolutely had to pick a favorite book I guess I would have to pick Someting Borrowed by Emily Griffin. I just lover her voice and descriptions of things. It is not too much but just enough. I also have a soft spot for chick lit.
March 4th, 2009 at 9:21 am
Well I am a reader, but I really like To kill a mockingbird because it reminds me of myself, being young and always wanting to be like my brother. But my all time favorite is Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury. It’s autobiographical. I love the idealism. It’s about life in a simple America. It’s also about being a child and not really worrying about anything.
March 4th, 2009 at 9:29 am
The best part about this discussion is now I have a whole new list of books to check out!
I can only narrow this down to three – the first being Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. I can’t even count how many times I’ve read this book but I do know that I’ve owned at least 5 copies of it in my lifetime because they always fall apart from so much use. I’m not even sure why I’m so in love with this book, I think in the beginning it was because I always wanted a bigger family than what I had, and the March sisters seemed to have the best relationships with each other…well, mostly, lol.
My second favorite is Milkrun by Sarah Mylnowski. This book is the epitome of chick lit, and Sarah’s way of writing her characters and plots seem so realistic that if you read any of her novels, you will relate to at least one character in there, if not all of them. After any one of my girlfriends goes through a break-up, I hand her a copy of this book because if anything, it’ll have her laughing instead of crying.
And finally, and don’t judge me for this, but my third favorite book? The Monster at the End of This Book. Yes, the Sesame Street book about Grover. It’s the first book I remember being read to me, and the first book I remember demanding being read over and over and over before bedtime. It’s absolutely adorable. I already have a copy stashed away for whenever I have children.
March 4th, 2009 at 10:07 am
I LOVED The Monster at the End of This Book.
I considered a lot of children’s books when thinking about this question. Where the Wild Things Are, Harold and the Purple Crayon, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No-Good, Very Bad Day and all of Dr. Suess. Despite being for little kids, I think everyone has to agree these books played a huge role in sculpting the people/readers we became.
March 4th, 2009 at 9:47 am
OK, I’m going to add more books here since there’s sooooo many good ones. But I still stand that 1984 is my all-time favorite.
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig has been a favorite of mine. I’ve read it two times so far! It’s kind of a heavy philosophical book but it intertwines with a journey /motorcycle road trip. Very interesting.
I’ve always loved Anais Nin’s work. One of my favorites by her is: A Spy in the House of Love. “The book is a fascinating journey into the mind of Sabina, who is assumed by many to be a fictionalized version of author Anaïs Nin herself. The book portrays an adulterous woman working with a therapist to try to come to terms with her dishonest ways. Anaïs Nin wrote the book at a time that she was having many affairs.
The genre is best described as erotic fiction. The story is a character study of a woman in torment.” I just love the psychology behind it, and related to similar feelings/emotions as the character.
And completely not my genre but I loved it so much and it’s a young adult/fantasy fiction: The Ancient One by T.A. Barron.
March 5th, 2009 at 9:04 pm
Yes! Persig’s books is great. At times it can require a bit of zen like patience, but then it bludgeons you with profundity!
March 4th, 2009 at 9:56 am
I’m a glutton for young adult fiction. While I’m an avid reader and fan of the Twilight series, I hate the writing in it. It’s very fluffy and pointless. I love Meg Cabot. Call me a child, but sometimes I just can’t get into “adult” books.
White Oleander is a good book, depressing but good. I like how-to style books like He’s Just Not That Into You (Haven’t seen the movie but enjoyed the book. James Frey’s A Million Little Pieces is good, though I have yet to finish it.
But I have to say, my ALL time favorite book that I can remember from way back when is Jeremy Thatcher Dragon Hatcher. I’m still a child at heart.
March 4th, 2009 at 10:37 am
I love White Oleander! In fact, I just reread it last week. Its such a complex story, and all of the detail put into every single character, I thought it was amazing
March 5th, 2009 at 1:03 pm
Love it. One of my favorites, too.
March 4th, 2009 at 4:56 pm
Meg Cabot is another person who can depict teenage life so accurately. She definitely a favorite stil even though I’m past 20…
March 4th, 2009 at 10:53 pm
White Oleander is a great book.
March 5th, 2009 at 6:26 am
Erin, I’m totally the same. I can’t get myself into “adult” books either. Haha, I love Meg Cabot!
March 4th, 2009 at 10:04 am
As a kid I would have to say Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass were the coolest things I had ever read. My little kid mind was blown.
As an adult, lately I have been pretty into comic books/graphic novels and a few of those have been the greatest things I’ve read in a long time. My favorites there would have to be Y:The Last Man, The Long Halloween series and The Ultimates Volumes 1&2. Despite being comics and having whatever stigma comes along with that, those books are the most thought provoking and touching things I’ve read.
March 4th, 2009 at 12:12 pm
Love the comics! Just finished Y: The Last Man, but not entirely impressed as some of my friends were. But I do love The Long Halloween, and my ultimate, Watchmen. The Powers series (starting with “Who Killed Retro Girl?”) is also great!
March 4th, 2009 at 12:10 pm
My favourite book is probably 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. The passages are completely alive in their descriptions, and there were so many lines in the book I repeated out loud after reading them because they were so eloquent and poetic. I definitely relish in his writing whenever I’m able to.
I also love -
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
Persuasion – Jane Austen
The Time Traveler’s Wife – Audrey Niffeneger
Still Life with Woodpecker – Tom Robbins
The Awakening – Kate Chopin
Also, love this topic – love seeing what others are reading and books to check out!
March 4th, 2009 at 12:43 pm
I love love love talking about books too! Also, Tom Robbins is on my list of authors to read.
March 4th, 2009 at 3:12 pm
the Catcher in the Rye – JD Salinger is probably my favorite book of all time. I think its the sarcasm and wit of the main charachter along with the fact that it is banned from a lot of school reading that keeps me interested. I love the plot and themes as well.
Also, I just got done reading one of those guilty pleasure books. Time Off For Good Behavior -Lani Diane Lane is a great read. It’s written in 1st person, which I love, and also the speaker is just as sarcastic and witty as I am, so it almost feels like I’m reading my own writing.
March 4th, 2009 at 4:48 pm
Lately, I have not had the time to read outside of the academic world; however, for most classes I had taken in middle and high school there were some good books I had the chance to read. I even pressed to read a few books I have not read in a while, but time seems limited if you know what I mean.
March 4th, 2009 at 7:58 pm
hands down it is the giving tree.
March 5th, 2009 at 4:18 am
I think one of my favorite books is Dracula – there is so much meaning under the surface – LUV it.
Also a big fan of Anne of Green Gables.
March 5th, 2009 at 9:08 pm
Gotta agree with you… Dracula, as it was originally written, is loaded with vitality.
March 5th, 2009 at 6:27 am
One of my favorite books that hasn’t been mentioned yet is “Bitter is the New Black” by Jen Lancaster. Jen writes from the first person perspective (which I love) and she is absolutely hilarious. She also includes footnotes as extra commentary and I always laugh out loud when I read her books!
March 5th, 2009 at 1:06 pm
I needed some new book ideas, so thanks everyone!
I really like war stories, which is weird. So I’m a HUGE fan of Tim O’Brien. I also LOVE ‘Johnny Got His Gun’ and ‘Jarhead’.
On the other hand, I can’t get enough of Curtis Sittenfeld or Jennifer Weiner. LOVE THEM.
I would also like to add my favorite husband and wife literary team, Nicole Krauss (The History of Love) and Jonathan Safran Foer (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close). AMAZING!
Good topic!
March 5th, 2009 at 9:12 pm
I read Johnny Got His Gun over 10 years ago and I still “see” certain passages. I want my children to read this (when they are old enough)
March 5th, 2009 at 5:54 pm
Love Harry Potter books =D
By the way, i also LOVE Terry pratchett books, with his very funny sense of humor apparent in his works…especially the Discworld series. And oh, Robert McCammon. Oh, and Neil Gaiman. Hahaha=) The Historian is nice too.
March 5th, 2009 at 6:37 pm
I’m going to have to make a new list of “books to get” after reading these comments!
March 5th, 2009 at 9:18 pm
Two Books.
“Fierce Invalids Home From Hot Climates”, by Tom Robbins. If words could walk they’d line up around the block to be included in his metaphors.
“The Thought Gang”, by Tibor Fischer. If you like informed and compassionate irreverence, this book is for you!
March 6th, 2009 at 9:25 am
My absolute favorite book is The Hobbit. I’ve read it at least once a year since I could read! Yes, I was the weird-o five-year-old learning to read by reading The Hobbit. It is the first bedtime story I remember my Dad reading to me. One chapter a night until we were done. Except for the chapter with the giant spiders, which freaked me out, so we had to read two.
I just love that after all these years, it still completely and totally transports me and transfixes me. There is so much detail and so much love for the world of the Hobbits, and you can feel it in the writing.
Other favorites are: Catcher in the Rye, the Harry Potters, The Mayor’s Tongue and the Wheel of Time series.
I’m also chronicling all the books I read this year (with the goal of reading 52 by year’s end!) on my blog! Check it out!!
March 9th, 2009 at 1:41 pm
Speaking of books, I’ve been meaning to do this visual blog for 5 weeks now and I finally did it. So here’s my VB about books.
http://phampants.wordpress.com/2009/03/09/vb5-books/