What is your all time FAVORITE book?

[Denver Ditdat]

The Bishop's Boys - Tom Crouch
Chesapeake - James Michener
Fate is the Hunter - Ernest K. Gann
A Man on the Moon - Andrew Chaikin
Nicholas and Alexandra - Robert K. Massie
Peter the Great - Robert K. Massie
The Last Lion : Winston Spencer Churchill - William Manchester
The Sand Pebbles - Richard McKenna
The Sherlock Holmes stories - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Time After Time - Allen Appel
Time and Again - Jack Finney
A World Lit Only By Fire - William Manchester

[Denver Ditdat]

the Hornblower series by C.S. Forester

And don't forget "The African Queen".

[Mr. Mojo]

Hail Eris!

[PJ-Comix]

Stacked Like Me by Christine Jorgenson.

[CFC__VRWC]

The thieves painted it red, didn't they?

BTW, what was the name of the boat - it's been at least 25 years since I read the books. I may have to make a trip up to Maryland to "borrow" my nephew's Hardy Boys books.

[SamAdams76]

Every Christmas we listen to Orson Welles' 1939 radio production of "A Christmas Carol" complete with a vintage commercial for the lone sponsor (Campbell Soups). I must have read the story at least a dozen times over the years. I also recommend Charles Dickens' other works, especially Oliver Twist and Hard Times. He can be difficult to get through for modern readers but the effort is rewarding. He really brings 19th Century England to life.

I don't believe anybody has mentioned Jack London yet. No decent book collection can be without Jack London's short stories about the Arctic. Especially Call of the Wild, the short story To Build A Fire, and The White Silence. If you are really feeling adventurous, try his Prohibition propaganda novel John Barleycorn and his Dickens-inspired People Of The Abyss, based on his observations of poor people in London at the turn of the 20th century.

BTW, all those links take you to the actual text of the works. Yes, they are absolutely free for the taking as the copyrights have expired. The Dickens works are available online for free as well but I don't have them bookmarked. I have a bunch of these "e-texts" downloaded on my laptop so that when I am traveling or otherwise bored, I just fire up my laptop and fill my brain with great literature. If I like what I read enough, I eventually will buy the book and add it to my permanent library (which is getting quite extensive).

[dasboot]

Yep, red!

"Sleuth"

Tony's was "Napoli"

Smiling, thinking about the boys!

[Denver Ditdat]

Hardy Trivia:

What was the name of thei boat?

Was it "The Sleuth?"

Does anyone remember the "Alfred Hitchcock and the Three Investigators" series? I enjoyed those as much as the Hardy Boys.

[Diana Rose]

any book by Suzanne Brockmann (romance)
The Windflower by Laura London aka Tom and Sharon Curtis (romance)

[Mr. Mojo]

Pournelle is a blast at sci-fi cons. ...Or should I say, blasted ;)

[Denver Ditdat]

Every Christmas we listen to Orson Welles' 1939 radio production of "A Christmas Carol" complete with a vintage commercial for the lone sponsor (Campbell Soups).

My favorite film version is the mid-80s George C. Scott production. Very faithful to the Dickens story. The only Scott role I enjoy more is Patton.

[dasboot]

Don't remember those. How 'bout "Tom Corbett, Space Cadet."?

[SamAdams76]

The Hardy Boys bring back some great memories. I think I read every single one of the books (there were about 80 or so when I was a kid). I could only check out 3 per week from the library, and I'd have those three read by the third day. Those four days until I could get the next three were torture! :)

Those were among the first books I ever read. Helped instill in me a lifetime habit of reading. Around the same time, there was a series called The Happy Hollisters which were the very first books I ever read on my own so they have special meaning to me, even though they are very sappy. I found a few on E-bay and got them for my kids to read.

Both my sons now read as much as I did when I was their age. I consider that my proudest achievement of a parent.

[CFC__VRWC]

I don't remember the author, but another book I really enjoyed as a kid was A Wrinkle in Time. I also read Mad Magazine a lot.

[Denver Ditdat]

How 'bout "Tom Corbett, Space Cadet."?

Heard of it, but never saw one. Tom Swift?

[CFC__VRWC]

Both my sons now read as much as I did when I was their age. I consider that my proudest achievement of a parent.

I really feel that the greatest gift a parent can give is a love of reading.

[Denver Ditdat]

I also read Mad Magazine a lot.

Me, too. Looking back on the issues I read in junior high 30 years ago, I'm surprised at how sharp and insightful the political humor was for what was usually thought of as a "kid's magazine".

[dasboot]

Tom Swift. Yep. Read "The Egyptian Cat Mystery", but it never made me want to get another one. Spoiled by FW Dixon.

[stanz]

I'm ashamed to admit I never read Jack London. Now that you have reminded me of my shame, I will get a copy of "Call of the Wild" and start reading.
I'm not much of a novel-reader. I tend to stick with scientific/historical articles and textbook-oriented material (for my own interests)- - no excuse, though. It's so easy to plop in front of the TV or PC and let a mind turn to mush. I wasn't aware of the Welles radio production. Every Christmas, we are sure to watch the 1952 Alistair Sim version of "Scrooge" which I think is the best portrayal of the story.
I also enjoy "Great Expectations" and "Nicholas Nickleby."

[Diana Rose]

A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking