World Book Day

In celebration of World Book Day care to share your top novels? Here are my current top 10.

1. Lord of The Rings & The Hobbit (Tolkien)
2. Count of Monte Cristo (Dumas)
3. Les Miserables (Hugo)
4. Starmaker (Stapledon)
5. War and Peace (Tolstoy)
6. Mysteries of Paris (Sue)
7. La Dame de Monsoreau (Dumas)
8. Crime and Punishment (Dostoevsky)
9. Brothers Karamazov (Dostoevsky)
10. Wandering Jew (Sue)

https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/world-book-day/

>1 HugoDumas: Great. I also enjoyed the count of Monte Christo and la Dame de monsoreau, which is part of Valois wars: Queen Margot; la dame de monsoreau and forty five. My top 10 novels:

The three musketeers
The count of Monte Christo
Jane Eyre
Wuthering Heights
Vanity Fair
War and Peace
Master and margarita
Frankestein
War and peace
The golden ass

>1 HugoDumas: never read Le Juif errant, but it's my understanding that unlike many other depictions, Sue actually treats Jews with respect. Is that true?

I'd have to think about a top-ten list, but these are on the list

Moby Dick
Heart of Darkness
Canterbury Tales

1. David Copperfield (Dickens)
2. HuckFinn/Tom Sawyer (Twain)
3. Amazing Adventures of Kav & Clay (Chabon)
4. Hitchhikers Guide to Galaxy {series} (Adams)
5. Count of Monte Cristo (Dumas)
6. Tale of two cites/Great Expectations (Dickens)
7. Small Gods (Pratchett)
8. Ship of Theseus (Straka)
9. Brothers Karamazov (Dostoevsky)
10. everything else (except most Jules Verne … I so badly want to connect with the Popular Verne titles everyone else so highly regard … I just haven’t been able to … i’ve been so let down after reading two so far).

top 10 is so difficult … only a top 50 might be able to state all the favorites.

>3 astropi: ... all three of yours are on my 'to read' list ... super excited to get into those.

>2 fancythings: Three musketeers and Frankenstein are also on my list

>1 HugoDumas: Just picked up a copy of Crime and Punishment … have read many ‘mixed reviews’ … but I finally decided to see what it’s all about.

>3 astropi: Moby dick with all the Rockwell Kent illustrations is a beautiful read ... the affordable edition is the Millennium Edition.

The Wandering Jew is a startling anti-Jesuit book, a real nail biter Like Mysteries of Paris. He has tremendous respect for Jews, who in this suspense novel religiously guard a centuries old fortune from voracious evil Catholics.

>1 HugoDumas: I would like for Easton Press to make Wondering Jew and Mysteries of Paris with all the classic illustrations

>5 HugoDumas: I contacted them on this. They have no plans.

>7 HugoDumas: keep pushing and asking for it. Also, EP needs to produce more Dumas books

>4 thisGuy33: Good list. If you liked Brothers Karamazov you will like this brilliant novel.

>1 HugoDumas: >2 fancythings: >3 astropi: >4 thisGuy33:
No, no, no, no! Those are the ones I feel obligated to read before I die because they were on my high school reading list.

My favorite novels - the ones I have enjoyed reading the most - are usually the ones that inspired great movies. The Shining, Jurassic Park, Godfather, Psycho, 2001, To Kill a Mockingbird, Exorcist, Frankenstein, Silence of the Lambs, South Pacific, Jaws, etc.

I guess it shouldn’t be surprising that stories that inspired great producers, directors, and actors should also attract my interest.

I remember posting my list on the FS group several years back, not sure if much changed but in no particular order:

Enders Game
Dune
The Children of Húrin
Lord of the Flies
The Aeneid
The Alchemist
A Game of Thrones
Stardust
Neverwhere
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

>9 HugoDumas: I hope you are right ... my last two reads left me slightly ... 'blah' ... started great ... then faded.

>11 JuliusC: I just finished Stardust ... very fun ride ... the ending ... ehhh ... kinda ok. I felt the same way with American Gods. About to start Graveyard book ... hoping this one will be just as enjoyable but with a better ending (for my liking that is).

and lord of the flies has been staring at me for months now ... I think that one will be soon.

1. David Copperfield
2. The Martian Chronicles
3. The Count of Monte Cristo
4. The Three Musketeers
5. Bleak House
6. The Prisoner of Zenda
7. Beau Geste
8. Jane Eyre
9. The Woman in White (Wilkie Collins)
10. Moby Dick
11. War and Peace
12. Crime and Punishment
13. Flatland
14. Captain Blood
15. The War of the Worlds
16. The Time Machine
17. Ivanhoe
18. The Talisman (Walter Scott)
19. The End of Eternity (Asimov)
20. To Kill a Mockingbird
21. Robinson Crusoe
22. A Tale of Two Cities
23. 1984
24. Ringworld
25. Tau Zero

>13 Betelgeuse: Great list. Many of your books are certainly in my top 50. Tau Zero is my second favorite sci-fi novel.

>14 HugoDumas: Thanks! I had trouble keeping to 25, let alone 10!

>12 thisGuy33: I love reading books that captivates my imagination, where I am immerse it it's world as if I was there and Stardust up there (not in my top 3 but top 10). I would suggest reading Anansi Boys not a sequel to American Gods but somewhat connected if I remember.

>16 JuliusC: Anansi Boys is also staring at me in all its colorful glory. It was next on my list but I decided i would read startdust first. I am looking forward to Anansi Boys ... love the new orleans vibe.

As for the cross/relationship of all these books. I notice that even in stardust ... for a brief moment there is mention of a Mr. Monday ... are these books tied together ... or is there just a nod here and there to characters from different stories?

>16 JuliusC: >17 thisGuy33: never read a Gaiman novel. But I am on my second read of Sandman having just been gifted the set in the glorious Absolute Edition. He is a terrific writer.

>18 HugoDumas: I've only read American Gods and Stardust. I opened American Gods based on all the reviews ... and the most recent series with Ian McShane. Absolutely love Ian McShane!!!

It was a fun read ... but for me there were many moments that absolutely pulled you in. But there were an equal amount of moments that just kinda loosely wandered with no real direction (in my opinion). It made me think the book would've been a much more refined read if some pages were eliminated. Again ... just my goofy opinion. Also if I remember correctly (been about a year since i finished reading it) ... I was kinda 'ehhh' with the ending ... it wasn't bad but it was just ok.

Then I picked up Stardust based on one of my 'art' friends who said he loved the movie ... and he read the graphic novel and loved the artwork. My thoughts ... very fun ... nice story ... but again some empty moments and the ending was good but a bit 'ehh' for me.

All that said ... I love a lot about Gaiman's style ... and am looking very much forward to the only two other titles of his i have on my shelf ... Anansi Boys and the Graveyard Book.

I have had some interest in Sandman as well.

I thought that American gods was poorly written book. I think that Gaiman is below average writer. I also think that he uses foul language way too much. Overall, I hated this book and his writing style in general. Again, this is just my opinion, no offense to anyone here who liked it.

>19 thisGuy33: “ It made me think the book would've been a much more refined read if some pages were eliminated.”

This is a major reason I don’t read more fiction, whether classical or contemporary. Most novels seem “padded” with extraneous prose in order to make them longer. I’ve come to believe that the ideal format for most stories is the novella. Unfortunately, publishers don't seem to agree and so most authors don’t write them.

>19 thisGuy33: It's been 7 years I think since I read American Gods & Anansi Boys and I gave it 4 stars according to my Goodreads account. I think I'm due for a re-read in some Gaiman novels. My least favourite and I must admit I haven't read all of Gaimans work is Caroline, which is why I did not order the EP edition when it came out. Now the OCD side of me is kicking in and wanting to acquire to complete EP's Gaiman books.

>20 fancythings: I felt the same way when I read Prince of Thorns. This was a book that tried too hard in becoming a GoT novel. Just swear words after swear words that I felt wasn't needed. It's part of a trilogy and honestly after reading the first book I wanted no part of the rest. But as the saying goes "different strokes for different folks".

>21 jroger1: Speaking of novellas, I just finished reading War of the Worlds EP's DLE and it was a great reading experience. The story was straight to the point and I did not have to invest too much time into it. Just what I needed.

Speaking of wandering off, I felt the same way when I read LOTR. I'm in the minority and probably considered blasphemous for saying this, but this is those rare case where I enjoyed the film more than the book. Maybe I'll try to read it again and who knows, I might have not been in the mood/mindset the first time around.

>22 JuliusC:
I enjoyed The Hobbit much more than LOTR, which was too much of the same thing.

I also think that H. G. Wells remains the premier sci-fi author who has never been excelled.

>22 JuliusC: I also really enjoyed War of the Worlds EPDLE and Island of Dr. Maurea EPDLE. Great stories and loved illustrations. I have regular EP edition of War of the worlds, which I read but had to reread it in EP DLE to experience all of the incredible illustrations this book has.