World Book Day 2011

[LostTimeLady]

(Sorry if someone's already made this thread but I did do a search.)

It's world book day in the UK and Ireland! Yay!

So in celebration of all things book, fellow Escapists:

What do you think the most important book ever written is and why?

What is the worst book you've ever read and did you manage to finish it?

What makes a really good book in your opinon?

Are you still reading book only on paper or have you started to read books on ipods and kindles etc?

Discuss!

My answers are: the bible because it has influenced more people than possibly any other book also 1984, because I think it is important enough for the whole world to read, and share the terror.

The worst book I ever read was Cold Mountain. I had to study it for A level and it was torture. It's highly praised but I just don't see why.

A good book is one that has a good balance of dialogue, description and action. Too much of any one of those and you just get board.

I've not read any books on an ipod etc yet cos I don't own an ebook type reader. Personally I'd wanna stick with paper. Paper doesn't require being charged up before you can use it.

 

[LostTimeLady]

How can it be the world book day if it's only in the UK and Ireland?

Dunno, it's what the interweb told me. Maybe other countries pick different days of the year to celebrate it on?

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

How can it be the world book day if it's only in the UK and Ireland?

Dunno, it's what the interweb told me. Maybe other countries pick different days of the year to celebrate it on?

Sounds weird when it's the world book day and all.

Like the World Series?

ANYWAY...

Most important book: Two way tie between The Bible and Sun Tzu's Art of War. Less for their content and more for their influence on the world.

Best Book: Don't really have one, but I do love Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

Worse Book: Not actually Twiglet, but Lord Foul's Bane by Stephen Donaldson. Whiny self-insertion fantasy.

There's an easy measure of a really good book. Make yourself a cup of coffee, start reading, promising yourself a drink after Chapter 1. If the coffee's cold, it's a good book.
If someone's tidied your coffee cup away, it's a REALLY good book.

I still use PDF/RTF/e-books at times, but there's nothing as satisfying as a good solid book.

 

[Bloodastral]

Um Root, seriously have to disagree with you about the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant.

Most Important Book: Not sure, something that teaches real knowledge
Best Book: Morning Star by David Gemell or Death Angels Shadow by Karl Edward Wagner
Worst Book: either Warhammer 40K stuff or Wheel of Time series

 

[RedEyesBlackGamer]

Wheel of Time series

Seriously, I LOVE that series.
OP: Most important: The Bible, for better or worse.
Best: In my opinion, Frankenstein, Watchmen, or the Wheel of Time series.
Worst: I stay away from truly bad stuff, but I'll open a can of worms. William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying. Just try getting all of the way through that.
A good book: WAY too subjective for me to try.

 

[TheRealCJ]

Pfft, books are for sissies.

Also, maths is for nerds.

FOOTBALL*





*satire

 

[TheRealCJ]

How can it be the world book day if it's only in the UK and Ireland?

Well, technically it is international book day.

Even if the nations are in close proximity.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

Um Root, seriously have to disagree with you about the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant.

Oh, I know some people really enjoyed them, but the whole "My leprosy's worn off so I can rape someone" made me physically sick. One of the few books I couldn't finish.

 

[KarmaTheAlligator]

How can it be the world book day if it's only in the UK and Ireland?

Dunno, it's what the interweb told me. Maybe other countries pick different days of the year to celebrate it on?

Sounds weird when it's the world book day and all.

Like the World Series?

Damn I wanted to say that...

Anyway, the most important book... Can't really name one but I think it'd be a philosophy treaty, a book that makes people think for themselves.

Best, I'd say either the Wheel of Time (seems pretty popular too) or the Night's Dawn (riveting stuff, I could not pout it down and I nearly cried when I had to wait for the last book)

Worst... Any recent "autobiography" from people who are at most 30.

And nothing will ever replace the feeling of paper in your hand, the smell of old (or new) books, the pleasure of actually turning a page to discover what awaits you there.

 

[Betancore]

Most important book: I'm not sure...the Bible? The Iliad? I only mention the latter because we're studying it right now, and my teacher keeps banging on about how it was basically the beginning of the written word after the whole Greek oral tradition. Or something. I don't know, I'm too busy laughing at all the phallic imagery to actually pay attention in class.

Worst book: I don't think I've ever read a bad book - well, except when I was a kid, but back then, I had no standards. I usually don't continue with books that I don't enjoy.

I think a good book is one that has something to say, and says it in a way that's compelling enough that you'll want to read it. That's all.

I usually stick to reading actual books as opposed to eBooks, but I don't mind reading electronic versions too. Still, there's nothing more satisfying than physically turning pages. Or throwing books across the room when your favourite character dies.

 

[Phishfood]

How can it be the world book day if it's only in the UK and Ireland?

Dunno, it's what the interweb told me. Maybe other countries pick different days of the year to celebrate it on?

Sounds weird when it's the world book day and all.

Miss Universe, World Series, Heck..."World War 1" all wrong. Just go with it.

 

[Floppertje]

not sure which is the most important book ever written...
I'd say the bible is most influential, with "An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations" as a close second.

best book ever: tough one. I think I'd have to go with John Wyndham's "The Day of the Triffids"

worst book ever: Impossible to decide. according to goodreads.com it's Twilight, but it can't be that popular without doing SOMETHING right. I'd say the worst book ever hasn't been read by a lot of people, if at all ('book' means something that's been published. there's probably a worse one sitting on my computer somewhere ^^)

A good book: a book that makes you seriously think about something can't be bad(and I don't mean the 'where's a papershredder when I need one' kind of thoughts). other than that, the coffee test works fine.

 

[Verlander]

What do you think the most important book ever written is and why?

Well, I'd go with the bible. I mean, the impact that book has had, even inadvertently, on the world is huge.

What is the worst book you've ever read and did you manage to finish it?

A book from the black library... was just really difficult to read past the first few pages. Seemed like it wanted to have the complexity of Lord of the Rings, but was just a bit of a mess.

What makes a really good book in your opinon?

Originality. Even a book that references other things, can be original in its construction. Second most important thing is to NOT PATRONISE YOUR AUDIENCE! That goes for all media. Books like this are few and far between though

Are you still reading book only on paper or have you started to read books on ipods and kindles etc?

Paper, but more for monetary reasons

 

[Realitycrash]

What do you think the most important book ever written is and why?

Very hard to tell, in western or eastern world? Western..Probably something by Plato.

As for "most boring book"..Ever read Don Quijote? Trust me, it's not even near the "funneist book ever written".

 

[Togs]

Most important i have no idea, most infleuntial has to be religious texts, (for good or ill being irrelevant here and now).
Worst book has to be this really bad modern retelling of Cinderella I had foisted on me once, I cant remember its name but it was godawful.
My favourite books are generally very dark and introspective bildungsroman, and the main characters are what TV Tropes define as "Guile Heros".
And I personally dont get the point of kindles and ereaders, to me reading a book is as much about the smell and feel of the book as it is about the words on the page, but I guess Im old fashioned that way.

 

[Chrono212]

What do you think the most important book ever written is and why?

The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. Mainly because it lambastes all existing genre types but you still need to think in order to understand the shier complexity of the comical universe Douglas Adams creates.

What is the worst book you've ever read and did you manage to finish it?

Erm...any school textbook and no. Any of those 'young adult' books that just pander too hard to be funny/relatable/good and fail. Kids books written by adult novelists as if for adults actually works. No, I'm not talking about Harry Potter. Things like Maximum Ride and the Cherub series of books.

What makes a really good book in your opinon?

As said above. Know your target audience and then surpass that. If you can appeal to a broad range of people and not get focus grouped to death then you've succeeded.

Are you still reading book only on paper or have you started to read books on ipods and kindles etc?

I'm trying to read The Life of Pi on my iPhone. I've got no issue with the format, it's just the book is really confusing because I don't have the back blurb telling me what the hell it is!

 

[Mr Thin]

I think the most important book ever written is Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica by Isaac Newton. The laws of motion and law of universal gravitation were codified here, and the knowledge of physics has had a profound effect on the world as a whole. I think it's progressed the world a lot more than something like the Bible.

I was gonna say The Bible for most important, but this sounds smarter, so I'll go with that.

Best Book: I know you didn't include this, but I wanna say it anyway. The best books I've ever read were probably the Thomas Covenant series. They're just magnificent. Not my all-time favourite, but certainly up there, and in my opinion, the best.

Worst Book: I usually have a pretty damn good idea of what kind of books I'll like, so it's extremely rare I'll read a book that I find bad.

However, I was surprised by how bad I found The Belgariad series to be. I'm not quite sure why, but I found the characters annoying and the humour painful to read. I genuinely disliked reading those books, and stopped after the third one. That may be the first time I've failed to finish a series.

What makes a good book: I wouldn't have the first idea. Good spelling? Punctuation? Narrative flow? Too many things to list. I know I absolutely love Stephen King's style of writing, so I'll put 'writing style' as the most important aspect I can think of.

As for the last, I only read books on paper, though I've read quite a lot of stuff, including short stories, on the internets. Books are much better, in my opinion.

 

[Jumplion]

Best Book: don't really have a favorite, but the Bible was very influential, so, sure, whatever. Maybe "On the Origin of Species" by Darwin to.
Worst Book: I could not read past the first two pages of "Brisinger" or something from the "Eragon" series, I was just so bored.

Evidently, I don't read as much as I would like to. I always end up getting all these books for the school's summer reading, but I only end up reading one or two of them, and even then I sparknote it sometimes.

 

[Nemu]

What do you think the most important book ever written is and why?
Not really sure, tbh. My FAVORITE book is still Hamlet, but I would say that either Macbeth or perhaps the Gutenberg Bible, though only for historical value.


What is the worst book you've ever read and did you manage to finish it?
Moby Dick. No, I couldn't finish it. God it was awful.

What makes a really good book in your opinion?
Well...it needs to be interesting. I read mainly non-fiction, so I can't just say it needs a gripping story with fun, believable characters... xD

Are you still reading book only on paper or have you started to read books on iPods and Kindles etc?
Yes, I read in both formats. I usually carry my Kindle around in my bag (especially on trips), but I will occasionally pick up a book if I happen to see one in a store that looks interesting. I have downloaded the Kindle ap for my Droid, but have yet to actually use it.