1FF Top 100 Books

mistermagic

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#39 - Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë - 22 pts, 2 lists

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An 19th century English literature classic. Written by Emily Brontë in 1846 & 1847 following the success of her sister Charlotte's success with her own novel, Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights is almost a posthumous success as Emily died a year after her one and only novel was published.
The story is about a farm called owned by Mr Earnshaw, father of two children, Catherine and Hindley. He also adopts another boy named Heathcliff who is mistreated. Mr Earnshaw dies and Hindley becomes the master of the farm and tells Heathcliff that he can stay but only as a servant. Heathcliff subsequently leaves Wuthering Heights and returns a wealthy man a few years later. Thus ensues a love/hate relationship between himself and Catherine. The love is said to be so passionate that readers have the impression that the book takes place in hell only that places and people have English names.
The book wasn't greatly received at first but it is now regarded as the Brontë #1. I might actually read this disregarding my stance on literature (sad, monotonous, makes you want to kill yourself).
 

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The song was better.

 

mistermagic

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#38 - Othello by William Shakespeare - 22 pts, 2 lists

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Written around the beginning of the 17th century, Othello is a William Shakespeare play about love, jealousy, racism and revenge. Othello is a newly-promoted general in the Venetian army and is married to Desdemona, a woman Iago asked the girl's father the hand of which was refused (Iago is also suspicious that Othello used to bang his wife). Iago then pulls out a whole lot of tricks trying to make Othello miserable.
I won't say anymore on this as I'm sure a certain member is dying to tell us all about it.
 

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Bill really should have gone with his working title of 'Honest Iago' with this one, as Othello's antagonist not only has the most to say throughout the play, but also comes out with Shakespeare's most vivid imagery.

"I am one, sir, who comes to tell you your daughter and the Moor are making the beast with two backs." when informing Desdemona's father that she and Lenny Henry are in sexual unison.

and

O, beware, my lord, of jealousy;
It is the green-ey'd monster, which doth mock
The meat it feeds on.
 

Son of Cod

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Bill really should have gone with his working title of 'Honest Iago' with this one, as Othello's antagonist not only has the most to say throughout the play, but also comes out with Shakespeare's most vivid imagery.

"I am one, sir, who comes to tell you your daughter and the Moor are making the beast with two backs." when informing Desdemona's father that she and Lenny Henry are in sexual unison.

and

O, beware, my lord, of jealousy;
It is the green-ey'd monster, which doth mock
The meat it feeds on.
Othello was 15th (?) on my list and Iago is definitely the reason I enjoy it so much. Just a truly manipulatively conniving creation. I struggle to think of any other character across literature, films,.TV and comics that is as good a shit stirrer as Iago. The second quote you've posted is one that I always remember, too. It's not just a near perfect villain that makes this for me though. It's the issues of race (tension cranked up through a black and white polarisation of the characters), gender (and how impact the odd emasculation hits home) and religion (the entire play being an Adam and Eve reference) that caused me to love it. Those observations in brackets probably read like those of an A-level student, but that be because that's how I was introduced to Othello. That such issues were touched upon while seamlessly forming part of a narrative way before the 20th century blew my mind at that time.
 
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IanH

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Othello was 15th (?) on my list and Iago is definitely the reason I enjoy it so much. Just a truly manipulatively conniving creation. I struggle to think of any other character across literature, films,.TV and comics that is as good a shit stirrer as Iago. The second quote you've posted is one that I always remember, too. It's not just a near perfect villain that makes this for me though. It's the issues of race (tension cranked up through a black and white polarisation of the characters), gender (and how impact the odd emasculation hits home) and religion (the entire play being an Adam and Eve reference) that caused me to love it. Those observations in brackets probably read like those of an A-level student, but that be because that's how I was introduced to Othello. That such issues were touched upon while seamlessly forming part of a narrative from way before the 20th century blew my mind at that time.

I certainly can't think of many from literature, films, TV or comics, but I would venture that his namesake, Iago Aspas, evoked such feelings in all Liverpool fans.

 

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On a more serious note, Henry Winter, from Donna Taart's The Secret History would be my vote for a charismatic, manipulative literary figure. Possibly my favourite fictional character ever.
 

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How does he compare with the Telegraph's Henry Winter?
 

mistermagic

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#37 - The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis - 23 pts, 2 lists

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Ok so this is a tricky one. This book is a fantasy book about a series of 7 books written by C.S. Lewis just before he dies (after Larsson and Brontë, I find the amount of authors who find themselves insipired just before dying staggering. Can't you just write terrific stuff when you're healthy?), it is the highest rated one and was written first but should be read 2nd in the chronological order. Meaning that the date of publishing doesn't mean that one book follows from another. What a twisted guy this Lewis guy was...
Anyway, the book is about children being transported in the world of Narnia, a land of talking animals and mythical creatures (think the Lion King with The Stone Age) who are threatened by an evil witch. The four children need to save Narnia from the evil witch!
 

Oaf

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I read most (but not all! :o) of those books as a kid, but I can't really remember much about most of the other books. I actually still own the books... may get around to reading them one day. Somebody (probably the two who voted for it) sell this idea to me!
 

mistermagic

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You mean my review wasn't good enough for you?
 

Oaf

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I kinda need somebody to tell me it's still enjoyable as an adaly
 

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I've read two books chosen by other people in the last couple of weeks - The Perks Of Being A Wallflower and Never Let Me Go. I thought both were excellent, so thank you to the people who chose them for bringing them to my attention. I'm planning to read a lot more books from this list over the coming weeks and months too.
 

mistermagic

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#36 - Last Argument of Kings by Joe Abercrombie - 23 pts, 2 lists

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This novel is the third and final book of Abercrombie's First Law trilogy. A fantasy trilogy which takes place in a fictitious world invented by Abercrombie who doesn't uses maps so telling which is which in real life is hard (it probably wasn't Abercrombie problem to be fair). The protagonists who are at war in this book are the Union (Europe?), the North (Scandinavia?), Gurkhul (which is South of Union so maybe Africa) and Styria (Syria?).
I'd like to tell you more about this book but, to my surprise, there doesn't seem to be much reviews on it. The First Law trilogy does have a page but articles on each and every book (the opening have appeared earlier in this feature btw) are scarce. So I'll let the two people who voted for it sell it to you.
 

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Nice finish for this one. I was one of the two who voted for it.

It's probably my favourite book of the First Law trilogy. It finished the story off perfectly in tone with the series in general. It's hard to get into what exactly I mean by that without getting into spoiler territory... but, for me, it ends how The First Law should end, not how you'd like it to end.

For a summary of the plot, it involves a couple awesome battles, a brilliant political battle for power, ending of old grudges between utter badasses and, most importantly, brilliant characters who you can't help but like even though they're all assholes. And it ties all of it together really well to finish the trilogy off with the strongest book in the series. Again, as I say with all books in the series, if you like fantasy and Game of Thrones and such, you'll most likely love the series.
 

mistermagic

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#35 - All My Friends Are Superheroes by Andrew Kaufman - 23 pts, 2 lists

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This looks like fun. Just like the title says, all of Tom's friends are superheroes. However, on his wedding day, his wife (whose superhero trait is to be a Perfectionist, not quite sure how that makes you a superhero but whatever) is hypnotised by her ex-boyfriend Hypno (again, I wouldn't call all hypnotisers superheroes #butthatsme) and convinces the wife that Tom is invisible.
As she is a perfectionist, she uses all the trauma of having a future husband abandoning her to good effect as she moves to Vancouver. Tom takes the plane and has until touchdown to become visible to her again otherwise he loses her for ever!
 

Ginola14

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Hold up, someone else voted for it?!! I love this book, I nominated it first time around and it still hasn't lost any of it's appeal. Like MM has alluded to, all the superheroes in this book have really crappy powers but it's not really about the superpowers, it's more about love. A humorous and well written book. Love it! I'd also recommended his other books too.
 

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I'm looking forward to adding several of these to my 'to read' list. My new year resolution was to stop using anything with the internet in the bedroom, and the result is that I'm already onto my fourth or fifth book of the year (and considering one of them was 900 pages and another fue escrito en un idioma extranjero, I think that's pretty good going).

None of my choices have been out on the countdown recently, so think a fair few of them were popular choices.

Sadly I forget almost everything about books after a year or so of reading them, and I'm left with more of a vague sense of how it made me feel, which is akin to a cross between a colour from the Dulux colour-chart, a beverage and the mental image of a 90s panini sticker.

For example, the last three books I've finished were:

- Wonder (R.J. Palacio) - Summer Medley 2, Orange Squash, Peter Beardsley 1994.
- Goldfinch (Donna Taart) - Banana Dream 4, Hendricks Gin & Tonic, Paul Scholes 1999.
- One Hundred Years of Solitute (Gabriel Garcia Marquez) - Maraschino Mocha 3, Cuba Libre, Faustino Asprilla 1995.
 

mistermagic

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My new year resolution was to stop using anything with the internet in the bedroom
You got yourself a girlfriend? :fl:

#34 - Matilda by Roald Dahl - 23 pts, 2 lists

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Ok well this one should be familiar to everyone. A child's book by Dahl but one that reads great whatever age you may have.
Matilda is a perfect, sweet little girl who reads a lot (and not just any book: proper Dickens and shit) and basically is a saint and adored by her fellow pupils and by her teacher, Miss Honey. Problem in the book are her parents who are badass crooks and the school dean, Miss Trunchbull.
I'm pretty sure most people on here would have read it so will get straight to it: Matilda is a thoroughly enjoyable book that teaches you a lot in life in general. Respect, hardwork, the works. I really appreciated it.
 

mistermagic

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#33 - Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John Le Carré - 23 pts, 2 lists

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Not a big fan of John Le Carré but I heard that this is by far his best work. It is the first book of a trilogy called the Karla trilogy, Karla being a Russian spy that is a part of the higher echelons of British Intelligence having thwarted quite a few of its plans and that needs to be stopped by George Smiley.
People who read it need to tell me if this is as hard to read as The Honourable Schoolboy or The Little Drummer Girl (the former especially was just incoherent to me). If it is then I won't touch it. If it's not the impossible to keep up with I reckon I'll read it sometime.
 

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I found it hard to read, thought it didn't flow very well.
 
M

Martino Knockavelli

Guest
^^^

It's non-chronological, fairly long, and quite sprawling, with a large cast of characters. I didn't find it hard to follow though - it's lucid and pretty painstakingly laid out, presented (mostly) from the POV of a character methodically piecing together the traces of a conspiracy.

But if you didn't get on with those two then I doubt this one will persuade you. If you're really set on having a go at another of his you should try The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, a lot leaner (and a bit earlier) but more or less the same setting and weltanschauung...
 

mistermagic

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#32 - Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson - 23 pts, 3 lists

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Now we've all seen the movie and seen how twisted this whole drug thing makes people go. Beyond the picture, it is said that Thompson does a very good job at depicting Vegas in general and what it stands in 1970s America. For this Thompson has had many experiences as a journalist going on band tours and describing all the excess that bands actually do.
What I found more interesting when researching this book (some people call this literature, I mean come on bitch please) is that it's a very much a love/hate work. Some people get it and adore this novel and have reread on countless occasions but others can't stand the sight of it and actually go overboard saying that Thompson is a twat and that the book is so immature it's a gigantic waste of space.
In a nutshell, I reckon you need to open mind to read that kind of thing. Over to you, the 3 drugies who voted for it.
 

mistermagic

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#31 - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling - 24 pts, 2 lists

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The second HP book to go out of this list after The Chamber of Secrets which finished only on 6 pts. Order of Phoenix is the 5th installment of Rowling's Harry Potter books and depicts Harry's fifth year at Hogwarts' school of magic wands and flying carpets. During that time Harry is 15-year old and is a petulant little twat which Rowling apparently does well to describe and makes the school's new dean, Dolores Umbridge, a very hatefilled character. Most people that have read the book have hated Umbridge with a passion.
This is the longest book of the series (850+ pages) and most fans consider it to be weakest (which doesn't mean it's bad, just that the other ones are just so, so powerful like. Unless you reckon the whole thing is a sham). However the reviews are positive and I think this book takes its rightful place as 2nd worst HP book in the series.
 

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Don't read a lot of books, but this one is my favorite.
George Orwell - 1984
6a00d8341c034253ef0147e1e28199970b-800wi
 

mistermagic

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#30 - Catch-22 by Joseph Heller - 25 pts, 2 lists (2012: 4th)

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Here's another love-hate novel for you. Catch-22 is the story of an army man named Yossarian (on TFF, we had a United fan who was called Captain Yossarian, good poster) who doesn't want to fly a plane. He's in a dilemma as the only way to be deemed unfit to fly a plane is by being insane and going to see a doctor telling him that you're insane would make you sane. Quite the conundrum.
Again, the reviews are either very good or very bad. The former group treat like a work of art (very much like Fear and Loathing) while the latter find it infantile, immature and not making a whole lot of sense (although they do feel aggrieved when one of the soldiers die). I purchased this very book after it made #4 in 2012 (which was a damned good rating as the people of TFF are one mery book critic bunch) but found myself quite simply confused. I'm not going to say that it's a bad book as I didn't (or rather couldn't) finish it. It just didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. Reading the reviews which included quotes from the book I can remember why I gave up (and I very rarely give up on book as my John Le Carré efforts prove). Some sentences are 100% Catch-22 but I don't see how this makes them great. Impossible situations are there to be solved and the problematic situation that Mr Yossarian finds himself in is one I wanted to see solved, not pestered by other meaningless non-events that cloud the book's story (because there is a story) from start to finish.
 

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I read through about 70% of catch 22 not really enjoying it. And then everything sunk in and loved it towards the end. I can see both sides though why people like or hate it. Definitely worth sticking with
 

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Fear and Loathing was one of mine. Read it a couple of times, and read quite a bit about it and Thompson's gonzo journalism too, which made a big difference to my appreciation of the book now.

Didn't actually think much of it the first time I read it, but that's because I didn't really know what the book was trying to do. After reading about it and then giving it another go, I seemed to get it a lot more the second time round. I understood it more, enjoyed it more, saw more clearly what he was doing and reckon he did it well. Honestly, it probably wouldn't have made my list if I'd not given it any more time after the first time I read it, but I reckon it's great now. I want to do another American road trip (who doesn't), and this book is far more inspiring than On the Road for me with regards that.

Not impressed you gave us the Johnny Depp cover btw, mm. The Ralph Steadman illustrations are pretty seminal.

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Catch-22 can bollocks though. Already said on the old forum. Tried twice to read it, gave up both times. So I've read the first half of it twice and never the second.
 

mistermagic

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#29 - Dracula by Bram Stoker - 27 pts, 2 lists (2012: #20)

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Much of the debate about this book is whether it's a classic or not. What is for sure is that it is the #1 vampire novel in history. Count Dracula takes place in Carpathian Eastern Europe in Transylvania with a group of legal workers summoned to see the goodness in the place. Dracula erupts and does no doubt some pretty nasty things. The story takes us back to England and then back to the Count in Transylvania.
The critics were mainly that the end was a little rushed and predictable and that Stoker confused German with Dutch as he put German words in a Dutch character's mouth (the horror!).
 

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I didn't vote for Dracula, but it is magnificent.

Mistermagic has made his disapproval pretty clear, but I voted for both Fear and Loathing and Catch-22. Both are brill.
 

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