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Original poster

What is your favourite book of all time ?

155 replies

Bluetitnest · 04/03/2023 21:36

?

OP posts:
LadyMonicaBaddingham · 04/03/2023 23:41

A Brave New World - Aldous Huxley

Andante57 · 04/03/2023 23:43

The Real Charlotte by Somerville & Ross
The Death of the Heart by Elizabeth Bowen
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
The Leopard

Kentishbornknitter · 04/03/2023 23:47

So so many favourites!
Anne of Green Gables series
War and Peace
The Barchester Chronicles
Station 11
The Long way to a small angry planet
The Magician’s Nephew
and so many more

Trinidading3 · 04/03/2023 23:51

A House for Mr Biswas by Sir V S Naipaul. White Tiger by Aravind Adiga. Love is love by Ingrid Persaud

crackofdoom · 04/03/2023 23:52

Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino.

bluedomino · 04/03/2023 23:56

The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende. The Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks.The Odyssey by Homer. The World According to Garp by John Irving. Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel. One hundred years of solitude by Gabriel García Márquez. The Pursuit of Love & Love in a cold climate by Nancy Mitford. The Arabian Nights. The Portable Door by Tom Holt. The Vacillations of Poppy Carew by Mary Wesley.
These I keep coming back to. Comfort books.

GCAcademic · 04/03/2023 23:56

Retrievemysanity · 04/03/2023 22:14

A fine balance by Rohinton Mistry. It’s one of the few books that I have read more than once.

This is my favourite book too. I’m about to read it again. Nothing comes close to it.

Peckhaminn · 04/03/2023 23:59

If you don't mind me asking, where do you all find these books to read, do you get recommended them, search on the internet or just happen to come across your favourite books?

Lovelyring · 05/03/2023 00:06

FlannelandPuce · 04/03/2023 23:35

Ivanhoe
The far Pavillions
Both Romantic epics

I love The Far Pavilions! So interesting too to learn more about the history of Afghanistan.

I really enjoyed The Three Musketeers.

But if we're basing it on books we keep rereading, it's Harry Potter, and Drina Goes on Tour lol.

There are loads of books on this thread which I've completely loathed to the extent they'd be on my list of LEAST favourite books! Such interesting different opinions.

Lovelyring · 05/03/2023 00:07

Peckhaminn · 04/03/2023 23:59

If you don't mind me asking, where do you all find these books to read, do you get recommended them, search on the internet or just happen to come across your favourite books?

I got a lot of mine from the BBC Top 100 book list.

cassiatwenty · 05/03/2023 00:08

Peckhaminn · 04/03/2023 23:59

If you don't mind me asking, where do you all find these books to read, do you get recommended them, search on the internet or just happen to come across your favourite books?

Usually a librariran recommendation, friend, family member, favourite blogger

It also depends what kind of things interest you at this stage of life

What kind of writing do you like, what kind of do you dislike? I wanted to read Narnia the other day, and then I read a couple of pages and didn't want to explore it further

NextToTheRadio · 05/03/2023 00:09

Memoirs of a Geisha.

Lessstressedhemum · 05/03/2023 00:11

Jude the Obscure
Wheel of Time,
Outlander series

bluedomino · 05/03/2023 00:12

@Peckhaminn Good reads, an app which will give you recommendations. A good librarian will be able to point you to authors you may enjoy. Reading reviews on Amazon.

TheLaughOfRustyLee · 05/03/2023 00:13

Danny the Champion of the World

LeeHarper5 · 05/03/2023 00:13

To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee

SomethingNastyInTheBallPool · 05/03/2023 00:14

A Fine Balance is possibly the best book I’ve ever read. Utterly heartbreaking, though - not sure I’m feeling strong enough for a reread at the moment.

Sid077 · 05/03/2023 00:16

Wuthering Heights
Rachel’s Holiday
Shadow of the Wind

Cryingbutstilltrying · 05/03/2023 00:17

Pride and Prejudice, always.
The Pillars of the Earth was the right book at the right time.
Hunger Games series blew me away and I have to reread them before passing to dd.
More recently, Babel.

I get the kindle deals email daily and buy things on offer, the ‘what we’re reading’ board always has good suggestions, and I subscribe to other email newsletters from Waterstones and the Guardian.
Facebook reading groups are many! Basically I read through all those sources and then when I look at the offers on Amazon, I recognise the titles as something that might be of interest.

ElizaMulvil · 05/03/2023 00:17

Persuasion. Jane Austen
War and Peace / Anna Karenina Tolstoy
Colonel Chabert. Honore de Balsac
Great Expectations. Little Dorrit. Charles Dickens
Three Muskateers . Count of Monte Christo. Alexandre Dumas

Short stories
The tendrils of the Vine. Colette.

Any - Guy de Maupassant

Man's Fate . ( La Condition Humaine ) Andre Malraux
( Not sure I should list this. It terrified me so much on first reading, that I've never been brave enough to re read it. ) You may be stronger than me.

The Plague ( La Peste) Albert Camus.

Experiences ( & Further Experiences) of an Irish RM. Somerville & Ross
Any / all Jeeves and Wooster. PG Wodehouse.

All wonderfully funny.

Lessstressedhemum · 05/03/2023 00:17

Ooh, also the Belgariad and the Redemption of Althalus by Weddings and a book by him called The Losers. Totally different from his fantasy stuff and it really speaks to me.

MerylSqueak · 05/03/2023 00:20

The one I love that hasn't been mentioned yet, I think, is Persuasion.

I have to say that The Lord of the Rings probably saved my life as a very troubled child and when I read it again recently I thoroughly enjoyed it. Probably the book that has supported me the most through giving me a mental escape route

Sid077 · 05/03/2023 00:21

Discworld books - T Pratchett and children’s book Fortunately the Milk

MerylSqueak · 05/03/2023 00:21

Persuasion was mentioned while I was typing!