favourite books

A friend of mine (harry surya minata) just asked me "What's the best book you ever read in your life?" - and I think that's the first time anyone has ever asked me that question. A very interesting question. And one that excited me. Why? cause it forced me to go over all those wonderful books that have so beautifully transported me somewhere else. I couldn't find one that was the best- well not yet-, but I decided to look at a few. If you haven't read them, you should...

- Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind.
I first got introduced to this book by my brother Kirk. I would normally not read any book with a sword wielding man on a dragon on the cover. I thought it would be trashy - boy was I wrong. I have hungrily searched down every other book in the (sword of truth series) because of how good this book was. I'm now going to buy the last one - number 13. I'm not obsessed, not really... not quite... ok dammit, leave me alone - a brilliant writer is this Terry Goodkind who can weave a tale that permeates your mind and just sits there like a mist at the top of a cold mountain - I could go on, but there are other books...

The Chrysallids by John Wyndham
Beautiful science fiction literature - about a young boy who discovers how different he is because of psychic abilities. The book is a great commentary on intolerance and bigotry --- a rose by any other name is still a rose... Even when the bigotry is about special abilities in a distant future land somewhere else, intolerance is still intolerance. (for those of you who got it - sorry for spelling it out like this)

Interview with a Vampire - Anne Rice
A vampire tells his story to a young reporter about how he became a vampire. I first saw this book when I was a student at Wolmer's Boys School. I went into the library and was just browsing around (now what kind of young man goes browsing around in a library - ok, kinda nerdy, I know). So anyways, I open this book and was captivated, but then the bell rang. I kept the book in my mind and bought it years later.

First Man in Rome - Colleen McCullough
Brilliant historical novel about the Roman empire
By the way, Read anything she writes...
I love another of her books, a moving, sentimental story of a yound mentally challenged man --- the book is called Tim.- Again I say: Read anything she writes.

Will just do a general listing of other favourites now:

Harry potter series - JK Rowling... (good reading fun)

It - Stephen King (this man Stephen King knows how to get into your mind and pull out your own demons to haunt you- He is the grand master of horror. How horrible that must feel for him. All those millions of dollars from telling horrible tales. May my stories be as horrible LOL)

The Agony and the Ecstacy by Irving Stone
Fictionalized story of the life of Michelangelo (Un-put-down-able)

Black Sun Rising - CS Freidman

Time has caught up with me. I just noticed how many of those books are sci-fi, fantasy or horror.