[www.guardian.co.uk]

Largely grim reading - again. Which made me think that I haven't seen a 100 Best Feel Good Book list.

Seems a shame that all "Best of" book lists have to make you feel miserable just by reading the titles, especially on a fforde fforum.

Seems unlikely we'd get to 100 before getting mired in off-topic mirth, but we probably ought to give it a go.

Apart from Jasper's books (don't ask me to decide which one!), I'd certainly include American Gods, by Neil Gaiman, and Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, by Susanna Clarke.

Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy

Fear and loathing in las vegas

aaaaaaaaand i would like to add
something that looks like the colour purple.
no i mean Dracula

I have really been enjoying the Artemis Fowle books by Eoin Colfer, and was pleased to have been familiar with his writing before hearing that he was working on the next in the Hitchhikers books. I would have been a bit nervous otherwise. I'm not allowed in bookstores without my minder (budgetary reasons), and haven't been able to get the book yet... soon, I hope. (It is published, right?)

I adore the Narnia series by CS Lewis, lately The Horse and His Boy is my favorite.

I wish I could add the Harry Potter series, but they are not "feel good" books. They are deep thinking books, especially after the first one.

Anyone here listen to podiobooks?

So geg, are you keeping count? I think I just added 14... unless you want to count them as only 2, for 2 series.

(Welcome, Imaiereh, thank you for joining us! I'm not the newbie any more!) (grin)

<hopes my negative vote for anything JKR can balance out Violetmoon's vote>

While I accept everyone's right to their own choice and am happy to accept that JKR has done more to improve reading standards than almost anyone else in recent times, they are really very poorly written, far too linear and rely on too many McGuffins for serious consideration.

<prepares for severe mauling>

Missing out the obvious ones mentioned in all the other threads on this or similar subjects, could I suggest Tim Powers, James Blaylock and of course, the master William Ashbless as authors worth investigating.

<not interested in mauling, sorry to disappoint.> <grin>

I think this is interesting - we are putting out author names, not book titles. And geg hasn't complained!

SM - just curious - how much of the Potter series have you read? I'm trying to figure out where the "too linear" comment comes from... seriously not arguing, just curious... I know that not all readers love all authors.

I gave up after three, but mrs. SkidMarks (who does like the books) has read them all and agrees that they are linear. To be fair, I am judging them against adult fiction whereas they are written as juvenile/YA fiction.

I would further accept that a lot of my dislike is caused by her publishers and (some) fans who don't seem to know that many of the elements of the stories are not original. This is not JKR's fault, but she does seem to attract a lot of it!

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My computer beat me at chess, but I won at kickboxing

I enjoy the Harry Potter stories but I'd have to agree that they aren't great literature.

I enjoy the Harry Potter stories but I'd have to agree that they aren't great literature.

I've been to a cafe in Edinburgh where she Didn't write a chapter of one of the series!

Indeed, I have read all of the books (for reasons I won't illustrate) but I cannot re-read any of them like I do with most books (though I did re-read book one once).

I don't want to turn this into a knock JKR thread, nor anyone's taste in books. I think if VM agrees we will agree to differ on this subject?

Back to books, I'd definitely be going for Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell. Do they have to be recent or best of all time? I would also include The Wizard of Earthsea Quartet (Le Guin) and perhaps The Chronicles in Amber series by Roger Zelazny.

Does anyone around here read Steven Brust? I read some of his Dragon series and quite enjoyed his book titled "Feng's Space Bar and Grill".

I need some further book recommendations, I have struck a blankness in the mine of books to read. Anyone?

Skids and Violetmoon: I just thought it was interesting how many cafes in Edinburgh claim to have had JK drinking their coffee in little signs out the front and that Artisan Roast coffee house had a sign proclaiming an entire absence of JK. No slight intended!

for something a little different, I can suggest "Bridge of Birds" by Barry Hughart. I also enjoyed the sequels ("The Story of the Stone" and !Eight Skilled Gentlemen") and wish that enough others had for him to finish the series.

<pleased that people here can have an opinion and not feel the need to make everyone else agree - how nice!>

I've been listening to some audiobooks that would not fit on the "best of" anything lists... they are relatively mindless and that's all I can handle lately.

I understood geg to be asking for "best feel good" books, which I take to mean something like lightweight and/or funny books - the kind that are easy to read and don't shift too many brain cells around. Ones that definitely put a smile on your face that pretty much stays after you put the books down.

Understanding that the Nextian principle is to go off topic, I won't expect this discussion to stick to geg's question (that would probably make something break, anyway). However, it would help to know why the books that come to mind are put on the list?

For instance, I love "The Horse and His Boy" because it can be read from different points of view - primarily as a children's book, but there are deeper levels too. But it's the boy-meets-girl with talking animals plot, it doesn't get much better. (grin)

I think I'm going to start the Artemis Fowls books again next, though. They've been known to get me laughing out loud, and I could use a little of that right now! There is the boy-meets-girl in there, too, but no talking animals. A heavy load of sarcasm makes up for it, so it's OK.

I quite agree. You're absolutely right about how wonderful it is that we don't all have to agree on everything.

I have a lot of books/series/authors that I thoroughly enjoy for their creativity, well-craftedness, or sheer entertainment value, that I still wouldn't necessarily count as "best books". Maybe it's because I'm conditioned to think that only books found in the "Literature" section of the bookstore count as literature. An example is Naomi Novik's Temeraire series, which I've been rereading lately.

Ooh, yes, I do like the Novik series. I must admit though, I was drawn to them by those striking black and white woodcut-like covers. Temeraire was sweet in the first book.

Best books for me are The Lord of the Rings books, Red Mars/Green Mars/Blue Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson, the Ringworld books by Larry Niven, and nearly all of Chuck Palahniuk's books. Granted, that's just the tip of the iceberg...

Best books?
Well, there's still a relevent list in my 'Space blog but I'll have to think about if it needs updating...


SkidMarks Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I gave up after three, but mrs. SkidMarks (who
> does like the books) has read them all and agrees
> that they are linear. To be fair, I am judging
> them against adult fiction whereas they are
> written as juvenile/YA fiction.
>
> I would further accept that a lot of my dislike is
> caused by her publishers and (some) fans who don't
> seem to know that many of the elements of the
> stories are not original. This is not JKR's fault,
> but she does seem to attract a lot of it!
-------------------------------------------------------

Reminds me of the time a young man accused Star Trek of ripping off Star Wars, not realizing just how old the TV show was...

It may be the YA thing that you don't like but I'm just glad there aren't shiny vampires at Hogwarts ;)

FWIW, I like the HP series, mostly because I like its world-
you'll find that's a recurring theme with most of the fiction I read...

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I said to a couple of young tackers at work the other day "resistance is futile, you will be assimilated" - and all I got was blank look. TNG wasn't that long ago was?

CannibalRabbit Wrote:
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> I said to a couple of young tackers at work the
> other day "resistance is futile, you will be
> assimilated" - and all I got was blank look. TNG
> wasn't that long ago was?


Well, that depends if you think 1994 was a long time ago.........