What's on your bookshelf?

[enfieldwhite]

At the moment I have a few series of books which will forever adorn my bookshelf:

His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman
The Gap Series by Stephen Donaldson
Only Forward by Michael Marshall Smith
Spares by Michael Marshall Smith
The Grail Trilogy by Bernard Cornwell
The Emperor Series by Conn Iggulden
Life of Pi by....er......
Dirk Gently Detective by Douglas Adams
The Brentford Trilogy by Robert Rankin
The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
Armageddon.....The Musical by Robert Rankin
Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkein

As well as a few other classics like To Kill a Mocking Bird, 1984, The Wasp Factory, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest......

If you want a review on any of the above then my literary hours are between 9am and 5pm.....

Amongst my favourites too. Along with Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, Donaldson's @Mirror of her dreams' and some older works. Bram Stoker's Dracula is superb.

[TANGODANCER]

Bram Stoker's Dracula is superb.

Another classic book ruined by forty versions on film, each one dafter than the last. Should just stick to the book, it's still better than all of them.

[Bruce Rioja]

Oh, also on the 'waiting fert be read' pile is Hemingway's Chair by Michael Palin, although I've no idea what it's about or if it's any good or not. In fact, I've no idea how I ended up with it!

[enfieldwhite]

Bram Stoker's Dracula is superb.

Another classic book ruined by forty versions on film, each one dafter than the last. Should just stick to the book, it's still better than all of them.

Agreed, although I think the most recent with Gary Oldman and Keanu Reeves was a decent enough attempt.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Books which are always to hand when I'm sat in a small, peaceful room:

revolution in the head - the beatles' music and the sixties - ian macdonald. The best musical criticism book ever.
love all the people - bill hicks' stand-ups, lyrics, letters. Inspiring stuff, if repetitive due to the editors including the same routines "to see how the treatment changes".
paperweight - stephen fry. might be a fop who annoys some people but the man can write, and this selection of short pieces is as perfect for regular dipping as salsa and guacamole.
mcilvanney on football - hugh mcilvanney. Best football writer ever, and an invaluable history lesson. only trouble is my copy's got the red filth on the front so i have to keep that hidden.
the timewaster letters - robin someoneorother - amusingly pointless correspondence.

Plus the latest issues of The Word and Champions magazines, and any Guardian/Telegraph sports sections I've lifted from work.

I'm a fan of Bill Bryson and Clive James (non-fiction) too.

[Gertie]

the timewaster letters - robin someoneorother - amusingly pointless correspondence

I haven't heard of anyone else who has seen these...

They are brilliant really made me laugh out loud.. Well worth a look

[Apathy]

Neal Stephenson - Cryptonomicon & The Baroque Cycle.
Irvine Welsh - Trainspotting/Porno & Filth.
Iain Banks - Everything he has ever written.
Thomas Paine - The Age of Reason.
Carl Sagan - The Demon Haunted World.
JRR Tolkein - Lord of the Rings.

[communistworkethic]

the timewaster letters - robin someoneorother - amusingly pointless correspondence

I haven't heard of anyone else who has seen these...

They are brilliant really made me laugh out loud.. Well worth a look

Got that for christmas, still not got around to looking at it yet.

[enfieldwhite]

Neal Stephenson - Cryptonomicon & The Baroque Cycle.
Irvine Welsh - Trainspotting/Porno & Filth.Iain Banks - Everything he has ever written.
Thomas Paine - The Age of Reason.
Carl Sagan - The Demon Haunted World.
JRR Tolkein - Lord of the Rings.

Forgot about those. Fantastic grossness.

[norm the jedi]

love all the people - bill hicks' stand-ups, lyrics, letters. Inspiring stuff, if repetitive due to the editors including the same routines "to see how the treatment changes".
paperweight - stephen fry. might be a fop who annoys some people but the man can write, and this selection of short pieces is as perfect for regular dipping as salsa and guacamole.

Have these and Wisden in the lav.. handy pick up read a bit put down again sort of fare..

Have [ a slightly saddo ] complete set of Terry Pratchett first editions... with three or four signed by the great man..

Dracula fans I would recommend The Historian by Elisabeth KOSTOVA a tad on the literary side for my usual, pop corn and explosions taste but quite facinating with stacks of historical context and background for the phenomonen of old Vlad and his cronies... good yarn too...

As a regular commuter with two hours to kill the rest of our house is full of all sorts...
Latest non fiction reccomendations..
The Operators - James Rennie undercover anti terrorist [14th Artillery Company] ops in Northern Ireland
MindHunter - John something or other - Father of FBI Behavioural science and offender profiling
Bloggs 19 - the story of the super grass who was responsible for the capture of those responsible for the Essex Boy [ 3 men in a Range Rover murders ]

I could recommend a few photography titles... have about 300....

I'll get me coat...

[Harry Genshaw]

I rarely read fiction. My bookshelves are full of Lonely Planets. I never look at them after I've been somewhere but am always reluctant to part with them.

Bill Bryson's "A short history of nearly everything" and John Pilger's "Hidden agendas" are ones I dip in and out of along with a book called 'Tor' about German footy.

[Raven]

Only Non Fiction??

mmmm Quite a few on Shamanism, Paganism and the like, a few on panic attacks, agarophobia and the like (partner suffers) one very funny one called Is it me or is everything shit (or summat like that) and some on aromatherapy and herbalism.

Fiction...all of Robert Rankins (including some doubles..yes am a sad geeky fanboy) most of Charles De Lints, LOTR, Stephan Lawhead, Matthew Thomas, the excellent Tom Holland, Robert Holdstock, Michael Scott Rohan and many many many more.

[Raven]

And I agree Stoker's Dracula is very very good, if you like that read Supping (or Sleeping) with Panthers by Tom Holland

[enfieldwhite]

Only Non Fiction??

mmmm Quite a few on Shamanism, Paganism and the like, a few on panic attacks, agarophobia and the like (partner suffers) one very funny one called Is it me or is everything shit (or summat like that) and some on aromatherapy and herbalism.

Fiction...all of Robert Rankins (including some doubles..yes am a sad geeky fanboy) most of Charles De Lints, LOTR, Stephan Lawhead, Matthew Thomas, the excellent Tom Holland, Robert Holdstock, Michael Scott Rohan and many many many more.

Pendragon Cycle. Brilliant. I'd forgotten about them.

[TANGODANCER]

Only started this thread because the wife's gone "minimal" and is always telling me I don't need things and should get rid of lots of stuff. She loves reading but it's all paperback "read it, swop it and get £2 off" stuff. I love my books and will fight to the death to keep them. My love of reading started with Arthur Conan Doyle, Mark Twain, GK Chesterton, W.E.Johns etc and I was a great fan of the "Famous Five" books.

Got a lot of books on Spain (cos I love the place) mostly factual, couple of novels and a trilogy on flamenco.
Odd things I like: "Barrack Room Ballads" and "The light that failed" by Kipling.
An Anthology by Charles Dickens,
Several books of poetry including one by the Bronte sisters writing as Acton, Currer and Bell. (Women had a hard time getting anything published in their day and the wrote as men originally)
Omar Khayyam's "Rubiatt". (Best and most insightful poet ever)
Lots of dictionaries and grammars, Artists and Writers Year book (2000 edition) Large World Atlas etc.
Few classics, "Last of the Mohicans", "The Hobbitt "etc.`
Templar history and stuff.

Oh, all sorts, Martial Arts, boxing, lots of old golf books, Ben Hogan, Sam Sneed etc etc. I could go on for a long time and not even mention novels or paperbacks.

[Bruce Rioja]

My elder brother is in something of a 'book co-operative'. I'm not sure how many people are involved but it basically works on a 'read and pass it on' basis. Sounds quite a good idea really.

[TANGODANCER]

My elder brother is in something of a 'book co-operative'. I'm not sure how many people are involved but it basically works on a 'read and pass it on' basis. Sounds quite a good idea really.

Good idea Bruce, but a paperback Da Vinci Code would be worth more than the "Book of Kells" by the time you posted it to Dujon.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

...along with a book called 'Tor' about German footy.

By Uli Hesse-Lichtenberger - great writer and a very nice bloke.

[FaninOz]

Many books about China, e.g. Wild Swans, Life and Death in Shanghai, Mau's Last Dancer, Empress Orchid, etc, etc.

Shanhara book series by Terry Brooks.

I Robot and Foundation series books by Isaac Asimov.

Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan.

Also some books with magic/magicians as the theme by a new Australian author called Trudi Canavan.

Various books by Dan Brown, Tom Clancy and most recently Matthew Reilly.

Plus one of the best books I have ever read - Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks.

[Super_Kevin_Davies]

Well working in a bookshop has brought me bang up to date with whats hot and whats not in the book world....so seen as Im leaving next week Ive been and bought almost every sodding book in the shop whilst I still get a third off!!

At the moment I'm reading Lance Armstrong's - Every Second counts. Biographies and autobiographies are something I am starting to get into a bit more of late. The 'to read' list include:

The curious incident of the dog in the night
Animals in Translation
A pile of conservation books (going back to uni!)
Everything is illuminated
Hide and Seek
A carnivores Enquiry
and loads more new paperback fictiony types
Oh, and someone gave me Pushkin's autobiography as a gift...im yet to read that one, its massive!

Now just to find the time to read the buggers! !!!