Ans: my 'black book' :O

There have been far too many for me, loved them all and named a lot the best.
Taste changes but love of books same.
Reading two volume Banjo Paterson's works now.

Hasbeen: No one needed drugs, when they flooded their body with adrenaline, just living their normally dangerous existence.

If you really want to get your adrenaline flowing. I recommend;

HORATIUS AT THE BRIDGE

Retold in modern English by Adrienne Potter

From the original "Horatius" by Thomas Babington Macaulay (1800-1859) originally published in 1842.

I know we oldies did it at school. That was an abridged version. This is very long. By the end you are really there, cheering him on to safety.
An end note to the poem:
Horatio’s Sister Hysteria
Although the victory of the Horatii was acclaimed throughout Rome, the real victim was the sister of the winning Horatius. She had been secretly engaged to the enemy, Curiatus, and when she learned they had all been killed, her lover included, she cried loudly and only one can imagine, passionately. Horatius lost his patience with her, grabbed his sword and killed his sister for being disloyal to Rome and such a whiner. The people forgave him.

Now you know where we get the word Hysteria from. A day you don't learn something is a day you've wasted.

Anthony I read it many years after the 60s. Probably in the 80s. Saw some interesting commentary on it in a series called Prophets of Science Fiction.

Poirot I'd be interested to hear your reactions to it. I first read it as a fairly conservative christian, not in the 60s nor in the USA so I suspect some of the context was lost on me but enough was there to make it an important part of my life.

R0bert

Dear csteele,

I read "The Prince" when I was at High School, which was indeed a long time ago, during the Vietnam War. Machiavelli's cynical, amoral view of politics and war was a very instructive textbook for a naive teenager during the turbulent 1960s.

I might have formed a different opinion if I'd read the book for the first time in my 60s, but books have a time and place don't they?

My definition of "favourite" doesn't necessarily imply that the book was satisfying or fun to read.
I forgot to mention the "Lucky Country" by Donald Horne.

Here's a few more favourites of mine:

1) D.H. Lawrence, "Women In Love." Very erotic.
2) Jeanette Winterson,"Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit,"
"The Passion," and "Sexing The Cherry." Her books need to
be read and re-read.
3) Thomas Keneally, "The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith."
Very moving read.
4) Patrick White, "A Fringe Of Leaves."
A terrific story. One of his best novels.
5) C.J. Koch, "The Year of Living Dangerously."
A Great Read. Jakarta comes to life - brilliantly
and sympathetically.
6) Khaled Hosseini, "The Kite Runner."
Pulled every string of my heart and made it sing.
7) Paul Theroux, "The Great Railway Bazaar,"
A very entertaining book - for anyone who likes to
travel.