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 Outward Bound author of the Seinfeld Thread, who builds his own snowshoes
Troy, MT
USA
3121 Posts |
Posted - 05/18/2006 : 9:41 PM
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lord of the rings, harry potter
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Bryan |
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Port Coquitlam, BC
190 Posts |
Posted - 05/18/2006 : 10:11 PM
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One Hundred Years of Solitude, Gabriel García Márquez
Colombian author and Nobel Laureate,
After I stared working in South America, I made an effort to start reading some translated novels (my Spanish is only good enough to get through newspapers and magazines), .. this is by far my favourite
Anybody else read this book? ... apparently it has sold more then 10 million copies. |
Edited by - fmalmberg on 05/19/2006 12:10 AM |
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Telkwa
1176 Posts |
Posted - 05/19/2006 : 9:18 PM
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| I have - it was wonderful. |
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New Westminster, BC
Canada
173 Posts |
Posted - 05/19/2006 : 9:33 PM
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I read this one, but I didn't like his other work nearly as much. Funny, that.
I just finished my English degree and can't pick just one, so...
Green Grass, Running Water by Thomas King
Possession by AS Byatt
The White Horse (children's) by Elizabeth Goudge
Haroun & the Sea of Stories (children's) by the Satanic Verses guy...
A Song For Arbonne by Guy Gavriel Kay
Actually, I was wondering if anyone could recommend a good 'backpacking for women' kinda book?
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Coffee swillin', wine lovin', Owl fearin' Andie McDowell stunt double, who sports retro gear
Vancouver, BC
5464 Posts |
Posted - 05/19/2006 : 11:04 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Lorien
Actually, I was wondering if anyone could recommend a good 'backpacking for women' kinda book?
I can't think of one, but what does come to mind is the book, "How to Shit in the Woods" which has a short chapter for women's specific issues. It's amusingly written.
As for my favourite book, I have several on the go right now, so I'll let you know what my current favourite is when I've actually finished something. |
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Maple syrup lovin', tree huggin', face paintin' relocated Québécoise who is VERY serious about having fun
Vancouver
Canada
2637 Posts |
Posted - 05/20/2006 : 09:18 AM
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I don't think I have one favorite book but some authors I really like are...
Michel Tremblay
Gabrielle Roy
Jacques Poulin
Guillaume Vigneault (yes, that's Gilles Vigneault's son!)
Stephane Bourguignon
Lorien mentioned Thomas King in a previous post. I had to read Medecine River when I was in school and I really enjoyed it.
We often forget about kids books. Why aren't there more adults who read those books? Is it because they think they won't look smart enough in front of others? Children's literature is awesome... Anyway, here are some of the books I really enjoyed reading.
Picture books:
Weslandia by Paul Fleischman
The Three Questions by John J. Muth (based on a Leo Tolstoy story)
Fiction books:
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
Holes by Louis Sachar
The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis
Kensuke's Kingdom by Michael Morpurgo
Love That Dog by Sharon Creech
Non-fiction books:
Hana's Suitcase by Karen Levine (http://www.hanassuitcase.ca/)
Archers, Alchemists, and 98 Other Medieval Jobs You Might Have Loved or Loathed by Priscilla Galloway
And to all of you parents, here's a great website for you in case you have no idea where to start and what to do when it comes down to reading with your child. Reading is SO important, but loving it is not always easy for some kids. Hopefully you can find some great books out there that will catch your child's interest. And remember, kids love to be read aloud even if they're not in kindergarden anymore!
http://www.planetesme.com/fun.html
Kidsbooks in Vancouver (there's also one in North Van) is also a great place to visit. You'll be sure to find something you like in there. Satisfaction guaranteed!
Happy reading!
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Edited by - SnowSeeker on 05/20/2006 09:19 AM |
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Coffee swillin', wine lovin', Owl fearin' Andie McDowell stunt double, who sports retro gear
Vancouver, BC
5464 Posts |
Posted - 05/20/2006 : 09:55 AM
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| Really? I had to read Medicine River too and I HATED it!! |
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New Westminster, BC
Canada
173 Posts |
Posted - 05/20/2006 : 10:11 AM
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"The Breadwinner" series is excellent. Adults might also really like "The Curious Case of the Dog in the Nighttime" which is marketed for kids but fascinating for grown-ups.
Really, Harry Potter opened the door for children's literature to be taken seriously and some of the best written and most interesting books for adults to read out there right now are aimed at kids.
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Maple syrup lovin', tree huggin', face paintin' relocated Québécoise who is VERY serious about having fun
Vancouver
Canada
2637 Posts |
Posted - 05/20/2006 : 11:09 AM
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I met Deborah Ellis last Saturday at the Red Cedar Book Awards Gala. I was so happy to talk to her, to be able to tell her how much I loved her books. She is super nice and very passionate about what she believes in...
For the second year in a row, she won the Red Cedar Award in the fiction category. This time it was for her book Mud City. Votes were done by kids across the province so it's really cool because they were the ones who decided who the winner would be.
We asked her if there was going to be a fourth book and she seemed to say it could be an option. I sure hope so because I want to know if Shauzia and Parvana will meet at the top of the Eiffel tower in 20 years from now!
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737 Posts |
Posted - 05/20/2006 : 10:11 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Lorien
Really, Harry Potter opened the door for children's literature to be taken seriously ...
Lorien...do you really mean this? And you are an English major? Shame on you! 
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"Ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that."
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New Westminster, BC
Canada
173 Posts |
Posted - 05/21/2006 : 12:05 AM
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Well, yes, I am an English major.
I should have put the caveat in my post that Harry Potter opened the door for children's literature to be taken seriously as a profitable enterprise. Once publishers saw that it was possible for kidlit to make serious dough, a lot more companies expanded their kidlit departments, making room for a lot of great books that might otherwise not have been considered.
HP also opened the eyes of a lot of grown-ups that 'kid books' could be worthwhile reading for adults as well. Publishers rubbed their hands in glee at a whole 'nother demographic to sell/aim/market kid books to.
I personally like/d Harry Potter a great deal, but I really, really like what it did for children's literature.
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Vancouver, BC
Canada
2659 Posts |
Posted - 05/22/2006 : 11:48 AM
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There are several books I could list here but I'm making my plug for Kim by Rudyard Kipling. It is about a young boy, orphaned by his Irish parents in India. He is raised in a brothel but spends most of his days running around the streets of Lahore, where he befriends a Buddhist Lama. Later, he is captured by his father's old regiment, and sent off to private school. He is also trained as a spy! When his schooling is over, he and the monk go into the himalayas on a mission/search for truth. The book touches on the carving up of the middle East which has led to some of the world's current problems.
It is not a long book but the very descriptive language and colourful characters really take you there and give as good a snapshot of early 1900s India and colonialism as one could hope for. There is quite a lot about Buddhism too.  |
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Trail running, bike hucking, fast packing, beer drinking collector of pine cones on a day pass
AKA
Dances with Trees
Forest Gnome Cabin
Canada
13017 Posts |
Posted - 05/22/2006 : 12:06 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by winger
Desert Solitaire by Abbey -- I've probably read it a dozen times.
I am rereading this for the sixth time right now, along with Joe Simpson's Touching The Void
There are so many great reads out there...
I'd also recommend Written By The Wind by Randy Stoltmann, the ultimate book for those cabin fever days |
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Coquitlam, British Columbia
Canada
1727 Posts |
Posted - 05/22/2006 : 5:04 PM
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Favorite books...Terry Goodking's Sword of Truth series...
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culmination point, B.C.
Canada
737 Posts |
Posted - 05/22/2006 : 7:09 PM
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The Silence of the North by Olive A. Fredrickson - This true story of a woman's survival in northern B.C. is one of my favourites not only because my dad knew some of the characters and my uncle in law is mentioned in the book but because it is just simply a great adventure story.
They did a made for tv movie with Ellen Burstyn and although she is an excellent actor, the book was imho ten times better. |
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 Best grilled cheese maker ever
Whitehorse, YUKON
Canada
2142 Posts |
Posted - 05/22/2006 : 7:14 PM
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Pretty much anything by Henry Miller is certified genius considering he stands as one of the greatest, yet most under-appreciated, writers of all time. Hands down, his command of virtually all styles (letters, essays, short prose, long prose, non-fiction, fiction) is unmatched.
Also like:
The Sound and the Fury - William Faulkner
Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
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Langley, BC
Canada
1078 Posts |
Posted - 05/27/2006 : 1:56 PM
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I was in Chapters today and I stumbled accross this little curiosity in the hiking/backpacking section:http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/item/books-978060980402/0609804022
Joking asside, as far as books worth reading while holed up in a tent: Trinity by Leon Uris, Catch 22 (already mentioned), and I always liked Mody Dick.
The Map That Changed the World by Simon Winchester is an interesting read about the early history of modern geology. I've read most of his books, and they have all been interesting. |
Edited by - Matt on 05/27/2006 2:03 PM |
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Hope, B.C.
Canada
726 Posts |
Posted - 06/02/2006 : 10:26 PM
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Matt: have you read Simon Winchester's "The Professor and the Madman"? It is about the formation of the English dictionary - and I know, it sounds dreadfully boring - but it is awfully good. I think that is the title.
"Boy's Life" is also good - particularly if you are from a small town. It rings true.
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Preach the gospel at all times; if necessary, use words.
St. Francis of Asissi |
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vancouver, bc
Canada
145 Posts |
Posted - 06/03/2006 : 11:32 PM
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hey fullofadventure
i would recommend essays by john zerzan - radical neo-primitivist anarchist. this essay is a great introduction to his thought:
http://www.insurgentdesire.org.uk/enemy.htm
some of his pieces are better than others, and some are quite dense, but worth it!
also, books by the interviewer of the piece above, derrick jensen, are worthwhile as well.
and i agree - ishmael is a crucial and great book.
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Coffee swillin', wine lovin', Owl fearin' Andie McDowell stunt double, who sports retro gear
Vancouver, BC
5464 Posts |
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Topic |
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Whats your favorite book?
