Poirot

I’m not into fiction.

Only one book comes to mind:

Calvin and Hobbes, ~1990 publication I think!

It is a fascinating and highly humorous journey into the mind and imagination of six-year-old Calvin, in which his toy tiger, Hobbes, plays a big part.

Oh hold on, that IS fiction!

But…but… it seemed so real!! ( :>/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calvin_and_Hobbes

Dear Poirot,

What's my favourite book?
That's a tough one because there were so many
at different stages of my life's journey. I went through
various phases - from the classics of English Literature,
onto Russian Literature, onto American and Australian
writers. There were many books that had a different impact
in their own way.

Apart from novels -
there were biographies that made me laugh
out loud - "The Moon's A Balloon," by David Niven, just to
name one. Then there were ones that shocked -
"Infidel," by Ayaan Hirsi Ali.

I also loved reading all
the Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling - because I guess
I'm a child at heart, and I love imaginative stories and
magic.

However if I have to name just one book that made a huge
impact. A book that even today brings a chill to my spine
It would have to be -
Robert Conquest's, "The Harvest of Sorrow:
Soviet Collectivization and the Terror-Famine."

This book records the full history of possibly
the worst human
disaster in living memory. It is a deeply moving testament
to those who died, and should register in the public
consciousness of the West a sense of the darker side of the
history of the past century. The number dying as a result
of these actions was higher than the total number of deaths
for all countries in World War I.

The sheer excellence of the writing, compel from beginning
to end. Quite simply a great book. One that will live in
my mind forever.

This thread was a good idea, Poirot; it's only been up a few hours and already my reading list has grown by half a dozen titles.
Problem is, it's already unmanageable.
A few years ago, I decided that I wouldn't die until I'd read all the books I wanted to.
At this rate, I'll live forever.
Quite a cunning plan, actually.
Anthony
http://www.observationpoint.com.au

Another great thread to be sure POIROT. Nice to get away from all the daily dramas that seem to continually assault our sensibilities, ad nauseam.

To the topic...shamefully, I'll always head for a local 'remainders' bookshop (near to where I reside) whenever I can, as paying full price kinda goes against my grain to be quite truthful.

One of my favourite NF books is a little paperback titled 'The Surgeon of Crowthorne' by Simon Winchester. Essentially, about a criminally insane (imprisoned) Doctor of Medicine who assisted James Murry in the compilation of the first OED.

An easy, quite flowing read, that isn't too intellectualy demanding for a bloke like me.

And for a good fictional read, I like anything by, Richard North Patterson; Boris Starling (aka Danial Blake); Martin Cruz Smith to name a few.

Generally, I'll read any Non Fiction material, providing it's modestly priced - except anything on the police or the Vietnam War.

Again, a most refreashing thread POIROT, it really is.

Thanks for the topic Poirot,

One's 'favourite book' is rightly a rather ethereal notion.

I think the best we can do is say what one's favourite is at present. It obviously will remain so until another replaces it. That is not to say the dethroned book is not as good or ever better than the usurper since the impact a book can have can fade and personal circumstances and tastes can change.

For instance my current favourite book for quite a few years has been Tim Winton's 'Breath' yet I know there is no way I could have appreciated it had I not been at a particular stage of life.

But significant books from one's past are like memorable friends and sometimes it even seems a little discourteous to put one above the others.

I do agree with the previous comments about favorites but there are a few that come to mind.

Robert Heinleins "Stranger in a Strange Land"
Robert Fulghum's "All I really need to know I learned in kindergarten"
and Barry Lopez's "Arctic Dreams"

All books that have snuck up on me in a way that Instill value.

R0bert