A-Z of great reads

[pdurrant]

Here's a thread for another list of books. I'm looking for books* that you really enjoyed reading - books that you remember well, and would be happy to re-read.

But to make creating the list a bit more intersting: in alphabetical order by title†, one book per post, each following on from the last post. I'll list the titles here as people add them:

* Books, i.e. the book title, not the title of some short story or poem in the book.
† "A" and "The" should be ignored. Also "Le" and all other non-English equivalents.

I'll start the thread off with

Alex & Me — Irene M. Pepperberg. A fascinating account of thirty years in the life of parrot and researcher.

Bangkok 8 — John Burdett. Fascinating Buddhist detective & outlandish plots.
Le Comte de Monte-Christo — Alexandre Dumas
Double Indemnity — James M. Cain. Hands down the greatest crime writer ever!
The End of Eternity — Isaac Asimov. One of his most unusual stories.
The From Here to Eternity — James Jones
Gilgamesh — Anonymous
The House of Spirits — Isabel Allende
Into Thin Air — Jon Krakauer. A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster.
Joshua Then and Now — Mordecai Richler. A semi-autobiographical novel.
Kruistocht in Spijkerbroek — Thea Beckman. Crusade in Jeans is the English title.
The Lion of Boaz-Jachin and Jachin-Boaz — Russell Hoban. "One of those absolutely unclassifiable beauties that come along every so often"
Messenger of Truth — Jacqueline Winspear. A female psychologist/investigator in 1930s London. Great if you like historical fiction/mystery or female detectives.
The Neverending Story — Michael Ende
The Odyssey — Homer. The homeward wanderings of an early war hero.
The Prophet — Kahlil Gibran. Poetic essays.
Question Quest by Piers Anthony. Fantasy and Puns.
Rip Van Winkle — Washington Irving. Short and somewhat funny.
The Sparrow — Mary Doria Russell. First contact with an extraterrestrial civilization.
Tai-Pan — James Clavell. A fabulous epic of the Far East.
Under the Dome — Stephen King. Mysterious goings-on.
The Voyage of the Beagle — Charles Darwin. An account of his trip around the world.
The Wind in the Willows — Kenneth Grahame. Mole, Ratty, Badger and Mr. Toad.
The Xmas Files: The Philosophy of Christmas — Stephen Law
You're Stepping on my Cloak & Dagger — Roger Hall
Zorba the Greek — Nikos Kazanfzakis. "one of the great characters of modern fiction"

[poohbear_nc]

Bangkok 8 by John Burdett - fascinating Buddhist detective & outlandish plots.

[Verencat]

Le Comte de Monte-Christo, Alexandre Dumas (you didn't mention the language! )

[Dusty Bottoms]

Double Indemnity - James M. Cain (Hands down the greatest crime writer ever!)

[pholy]

End of Eternity - Issac Asimov (One of his most unusual stories)

[Katti's Cat]

From Here to Eternity - James Jones

[ardeegee]

Gilgamesh.

[Katti's Cat]

House of Spirits - Isabelle Allende

[dreams]

Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer - A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster.

[pholy]

Joshua Then and Now, "a semi-autobiographical novel written by Mordecai Richler"

Wish I had read all these titles I can think of

[Sweetpea]

Kruistocht in Spijkerbroek, by Thea Beckman (Crusade in Jeans is the English name, available at Amazon in Kindle format)

[BenG]

The Lion of Boaz-Jachin and Jachin-Boaz by Russell Hoban

"One of those absolutely unclassifiable beauties that come along every so often, just as you've about given up hope of ever again finding a new book with a human voice behind it and a way of looking at the world that hasn't been predigested and pre-read...I wish I'd written it. It's one of a kind, and those are the only sort of books that mean anything to me."
--Peter S. Beagle, author of The Last Unicorn

The opening lines:
"There were no lions any more. There had been lions once. Sometimes in the shimmer of the heat on the plains the motion of their running still flickered on the dry wind--tawny, great, and quickly gone. Sometimes the honey-coloured moon shivered to the silence of a ghost roar on the rising air."

Unfortunately it isn't legally available as an ebook.

[banjobama]

Messenger of Truth by Jacqueline Winspear.

Available for Kindle and also at the Sony store. I'm not sure where else.

Note that it's 4th in a series, but it is possible to read and enjoy on its own.

It's about a female psychologist/investigator in 1930s London. Great if you like historical fiction/mystery or female detectives.

[Katti's Cat]

Neverending Story - Michael Ende

[pholy]

The Odyssey, of course - by Homer, the homeward wanderings of an early war hero