Literature

[Exo-Mike]

Terry Goodkind - Sword of Truth series

My favourite series in my sci fi/fantasy collection (over 100 books at last count!)

Currently reading Elric of Melnibone by Michael Moorcock, very intense and his sword: Stormbringer is the ultimate collectors item, show it too your friends and they may be impressed, but if it decides to eat their souls you may be considered a rude host.

 

[the Dept of Science]

stuff

I'm currently making a point of reading "the classics" as much as possible now because so much of todays culture is based on them. They get referenced, parodied and adapted constantly. I find it helpful to see books in a wider context of influences and movements, and can add some extra depth/enjoyment/understanding to your reading of them. As to the actual quality of the books, I guess that the fact that they are still widely read, discussed and studied hundreds of years after being written shows there must be some merit to them.
Although on the other hand, yes, perhaps our idea of a "classic" is a bit too restricted and there are plenty of modern classics are just as entertaining and, may, in time prove just as influential as the classic classics. And there are even some classics that are apparently just not that good (for example, I've heard very mixed things about Moby Dick and Don Quixote).
Also, "classic" in books could almost be considered a genre in the same way as "indie" in music is. A vast collection of fairly dissimilar things, considered to be together just because thats how they are considered. Perhaps not a great analogy but I think it gets the point across...

 

[Berserker119]

The Call of Cthulu by H.P. Lovecraft is pretty good. I also really like Lord of the Flies

 

[BuyableDoor]

The picture of Dorian Gray of Oscar Wilde is a sublime work

Oscar Wilde is way too much win. I have a book with his most famous quotes at my bedside table. I study English Literature, so we read many good book for that. The last things were Frankenstein, Hamlet, The Tempest and Heart of Darkness. I also love E. A. Poe, Houellebecq and LF Celine.

 

[FranzTyphid]

When our class watched the film everyone started crying even the "hard" ones

It was only me & a blonde girl who cried...
Still, I got a hug out of it.

Finally it pays off for being sensetive

 

[ultrachicken]

Fahrenheit 451. Amazing book, and the scariest part is I know people that act as ignorant as the people depicted in the book.