What's the best book that you ever read, and recommend?

Vladimir Bartol - Alamut (historical fiction)
Christopher Moore - Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff (humor)
Paulo Coelho - The Alchemist (Adventure, Fantasy) - ending has a nice twist

[badactorinky]

I tend to recommend Christopher Moore's A Dirty Job, and Stephen King's 'Salem's Lot more than anything else.

Best book? Wow. Tough one.

Naming a the best book is not possible, as there are many contenders.

I have a liking for mystery and thrillers, so I will be naming them more.
I will give here my favorites and not the "best book ever"

Stephen King's Misery . In my humble opinion, this slim book has to be his one of the best work.
Salim's Lot is a also my favorite.
His short story graveyard shift is his best short work.

Day of the Jackal by Fredrick Forsyth.

Any fan of detective fiction, worth his salt has to read these three books by John Dickson Carr
Three coffins aka the hollow man. If you insist this is the best book I have ever read. Can not guess the ending, even by chance. I am a big fan of Agatha Christie, but I am yet to read any thing better. This one is far far superior to any of christie's best work, or any writer of detective fiction. Must read before you die.
The Judas window. One of the best court room drama you will ever read. Ridiculously simple solution, to a seemingly impossible, murder.
Crooked Hinge. Another great one.

Agatha Christie's And then There Were None, Murder on the orient express, etc etc
Few books by Sidney Sheldon like Rage of angels and Sands of time.

An ace up my sleeve, Eve, by Jmes Hadley Chase

Various short stories of Frederick Brown.

Books of blood series by Clive Barker

Short stories by Robert bloch, my favourite being That Hell-Bound Train train and Cheaters

Pappilon By Henri Charrière

Falling Angel by William Hjortsberg

Necroscope by Brian Lumley . Have only read the first book in the series

There are many more , that I can not recollect right now.

[Literati]

One of my all time favorite books (although it got mixed reviews when it was released, and was not considered a success) is Mario Puzo's "The Fourth K". Political thriller surrounding the election of Francis Xavier Kennedy, the FOURTH Kennedy, as it were, to enter politics.


I recommend it highly. I've read it about 5 times, and have it both on physical and digital (bought it from Amazon).



info from Wiki:

President Francis Xavier Kennedy is elected to office, in large part, thanks to the legacy of his forebears–good looks, privilege, wealth–and is the very embodiment of youthful optimism. Too soon, however, he is beaten down by the political process and, disabused of his ideals, becomes a leader totally unlike what he has been before.

When his daughter becomes a pawn in a brutal terrorist plot, Kennedy, who has obsessively kept alive the memory of his uncles’ assassinations, activates all his power to retaliate in a series of violent measures. As the explosive events unfold, the world and those closest to him look on with both awe and horror. The novel's emphasis is on the characters. The reader learns about a character's background when he/she has to make a major decision. Critics have stated that, once the book has focused on a particular character, he/she is relegated to the background and never again returns to prominence.

Mario Puzo has stated: "The Fourth K was a [commercial] failure—but it was my most ambitious book."

Name a single book? Not possible!

Some of my best books include:

Jane Austen - Pride and Prejudice
Angela Knight - Magiverse series but Master of Swords and Master of Dragons both get a special mention.
Christine Feehan - All of them, but the Drake Sisters books and Sister of the Heart books are a class apart.
J.R. Ward - Black Dagger Brotherhood series
Alyssa Day - Warriors of Atlantis series

(I may have a slight partiality for paranormal romance...)

A Little Drummer Girl by John le Carre, is definitely worth mentioning.

[jonas007]

The more I think about it, I'd say it would be I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes.

I've never read anything like that one, so captivating and fulfilling... I was clinging to it as long as I could, never wanting it to end.

All the praise the book has received is well deserved and anyone who hasn't read it yet is missing one hell of a story. But at the same time I envy those of you who have the opportunity to read it for the first time and gasp in amazement.

[pjmpjm]

One of them would be Walden by Henry David Thoreau.

I would have to add Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson, the first of the Malazan Empire books.
It completely blew my mind the first time I read it.

The Forever War by Joe Haldeman, it's why I read Military Science Fiction and Space Opera

[highstreet54]

For me its the "Advise and Consent" series by Allen Drury. Very topical too at the moment.

[pjmpjm]

Another one of several of my 'best books' would have to be Owen Barfield's Saving the Appearances.

The Devil Of NanKing by Mo Hayder...great story line and superb ending!
One of thr best I've ever read!

[stillnoar]

Not necesesarily the 'best books', but the books that I have probably re-read the most times:

"Genius" - Patrick Dennis
"Perfect End" - William Marshall
"The Abortion" - Richard Brautigan
"Four Arguments for the Elimination of Televeision" - Jerry Mander

And always enjoyable, any of the 'Maigret' books - Georges Simenon, or Mickey Spilllane's 'Mike Hammer'.