Books Survey

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Doc Creed

Well-Known Member
Nov 18, 2015
17,221
82,822
47
United States
1.) Longest book you've read.

2.) Best book by foreign author.

3.) Book you've probably recommended the most.

4.) Most heartbreaking book.

5.) A book others may be surprise you've read.

6.) A book you read because King recommended it.

7.) Scariest non-horror novel.

8.) Book you thought you'd hate but ended up loving. (Someone recommended)

9.) Best book featuring an animal.

10.) Funniest book. (Fiction or Non-Fiction)

11.) Favorite book over a century old.

12.) Favorite Shakespeare play (or any play).

13.) Favorite Speculative Fiction.

14.) Favorite Western.

15.) Book with best twist. (If you describe, please use spoilers, thanks.)
 

Blake

Deleted User
Feb 18, 2013
4,191
17,479
1.) Longest book you've read- Under the Dome

2.) Best book by foreign author- My soldier Svek

3.) Book you've probably recommended the most- don't know I say Pet Sematary

4.) Most heartbreaking book- don't know most probably cancer book

5.) A book others may be surprise you've read- JePedary

6.) A book you read because King recommended it- I got one some book KIng unlucky recommend.

7.) Scariest non-horror novel- Bambi

8.) Book you thought you'd hate but ended up loving. (Someone recommended)- How to be Playboy centerfold

9.) Best book featuring an animal- Waterdship down

10.) Funniest book. (Fiction or Non-Fiction)- When I wsa thirteen I read Woody Aleen book Duck feathers.

11.) Favorite book over a century old- Dracula

12.) Favorite Shakespeare play (or any play) Julius Ceasr

13.) Favorite Speculative Fiction- I like Theodore Sturgeon

14.) Favorite Western- I like the book of short stories by Elmore Leonard 'Tonto and other stories'

15.) Book with best twist. (If you describe, please use spoilers, thanks.)- ?
 

Spideyman

Uber Member
Jul 10, 2006
46,336
195,472
79
Just north of Duma Key
1.) Longest book you've read. War and Peace/ The Stand

2.) Best book by foreign author. Les Miserables

3.) Book you've probably recommended the most. The Dark Tower journey

4.) Most heartbreaking book. Diary of Ann Frank

5.) A book others may be surprise you've read. Lolita

6.) A book you read because King recommended it. The Goldfinch

7.) Scariest non-horror novel. Gone Girl

8.) Book you thought you'd hate but ended up loving. (Someone recommended) Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

9.) Best book featuring an animal. Chet and Bernie series

10.) Funniest book. (Fiction or Non-Fiction) Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

11.) Favorite book over a century old. Gulliver's Travels

12.) Favorite Shakespeare play (or any play). Romeo and Juliet

13.) Favorite Speculative Fiction. Brave New World

14.) Favorite Western. Bury My heart at Wound Knee

15.) Book with best twist. (If you describe, please use spoilers, thanks.) The Girl On The Train
 

Doc Creed

Well-Known Member
Nov 18, 2015
17,221
82,822
47
United States
1.) Longest book you've read. The Stand and IT.

2.) Best book by foreign author. Zorba the Greek.

3.) Book you've probably recommended the most. The Grass Harp by Truman Capote.

4.) Most heartbreaking book. A Prayer For Owen Meany or The Prince of Tides.

5.) A book others may be surprised you've read. Fortune's Rock by Anita Shreve.

6.) A book you read because King recommended it. The Quiet Game by Greg Iles.

7.) Scariest non-horror novel. The Road by Cormac McCarthy.

8.) Book you thought you'd hate but ended up loving. (Someone recommended) Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett.

9.) Best book featuring an animal. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski.

10.) Funniest book. (Fiction or Non-Fiction) Walking Across Egypt by Clyde Edgerton.

11.) Favorite book over a century old. Les Miserables by Victor Hugo.

12.) Favorite Shakespeare play (or any play). Hamlet.

13.) Favorite Speculative Fiction. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.

14.) Favorite Western. Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry.

15.) Book with best twist. Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane, or Midwives.
 
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fljoe0

Cantre Member
Apr 5, 2008
15,859
71,642
62
120 miles S of the Pancake/Waffle line
1.) Longest book you've read. Under The Dome, The Stand or IT (not sure which one of the three is actually the longest)

2.) Best book by foreign author. One Hundred Years Of Solitude

3.) Book you've probably recommended the most. The Shining

4.) Most heartbreaking book. A Prayer For Owen Meany

5.) A book others may be surprise you've read. Running With Scissors - Augusten Burroughs

6.) A book you read because King recommended it. The Poet (The first Michael Connelly I read was because of SK)

7.) Scariest non-horror novel. The Straw Men - Michael Marshall

8.) Book you thought you'd hate but ended up loving. (Someone recommended) The Great Gatsby

9.) Best book featuring an animal. White Fang

10.) Funniest book. (Fiction or Non-Fiction) Jitterbug Perfume - Tom Robbins

11.) Favorite book over a century old. The Island Of Dr Moreau

12.) Favorite Shakespeare play (or any play). Romeo & Juliet

13.) Favorite Speculative Fiction. Dark Matter - Blake Crouch (I think this qualifies)

14.) Favorite Western. True Grit - Charles Portis

15.) Book with best twist. (If you describe, please use spoilers, thanks.) Fight Club
 

GNTLGNT

The idiot is IN
Jun 15, 2007
87,651
358,754
62
Cambridge, Ohio
....this is going to be rough for me....I have read voraciously my whole life, but in the last couple of decades, mainly focused on King & Koontz-I'll see what I can do....forgive my failing memory.....

1.) Longest book you've read.-any of Steve's concrete block size novels....

2.) Best book by foreign author.-would Del Toro count?....if so, The Strain series...

3.) Book you've probably recommended the most.-The Stand

4.) Most heartbreaking book.-probably Book 7 in the DT series

5.) A book others may be surprise you've read.-the Bible from cover to cover several times

6.) A book you read because King recommended it.-none as yet

7.) Scariest non-horror novel.-any of the historical writings on the Holocaust or Vietnam War

8.) Book you thought you'd hate but ended up loving. (Someone recommended)-To Kill A Mockingbird

9.) Best book featuring an animal.-The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe

10.) Funniest book. (Fiction or Non-Fiction)-Doug Adam's Hitchhiker's Guide series

11.) Favorite book over a century old.-The Red Badge of Courage

12.) Favorite Shakespeare play (or any play).-Hamlet

13.) Favorite Speculative Fiction.-anything Ray Bradbury decided to put on paper

14.) Favorite Western.-Riders of the Purple Sage-Zane Grey

15.) Book with best twist. (If you describe, please use spoilers, thanks.)-The Hound of the Baskervilles
 

skimom2

Just moseyin' through...
Oct 9, 2013
15,683
92,168
USA
1.) Longest book you've read.
At 1153 pages, the uncut The Stand is the longest currently on my shelves. Not sure if Shantaram was longer, though.

2.) Best book by foreign author.
Mothering Sunday (Graham Swift)

3.) Book you've probably recommended the most.
The Handmaid's Tale

4.) Most heartbreaking book.
The Light of the World (Elizabeth Alexander).

5.) A book others may be surprise you've read.
Not sure. Y'all know I read widely :)

6.) A book you read because King recommended it.
Edgar Sawtelle

7.) Scariest non-horror novel.
The Hot Zone (Richard Preston)

8.) Book you thought you'd hate but ended up loving. (Someone recommended)
Lonesome Dove

9.) Best book featuring an animal.
Watership Down

10.) Funniest book. (Fiction or Non-Fiction)
The Grass is Always Greener Over the Septic Tank (Erma Bombeck)

11.) Favorite book over a century old.
The Secret Garden (amongst many others--lol)

12.) Favorite Shakespeare play (or any play).
The Rainmaker is my favorite play. A Winter's Tale is my favorite Shakespeare.

13.) Favorite Speculative Fiction.
The Handmaid's Tale (Never Let Me Go is a close second)

14.) Favorite Western.
Lonesome Dove

15.) Book with best twist. (If you describe, please use spoilers, thanks.)
I just read one called Inside V that had a nifty twist, and very well executed!
 

Doc Creed

Well-Known Member
Nov 18, 2015
17,221
82,822
47
United States
....this is going to be rough for me....I have read voraciously my whole life, but in the last couple of decades, mainly focused on King & Koontz-I'll see what I can do....forgive my failing memory.....

1.) Longest book you've read.-any of Steve's concrete block size novels....

2.) Best book by foreign author.-would Del Toro count?....if so, The Strain series...

3.) Book you've probably recommended the most.-The Stand

4.) Most heartbreaking book.-probably Book 7 in the DT series

5.) A book others may be surprise you've read.-the Bible from cover to cover several times

6.) A book you read because King recommended it.-none as yet

7.) Scariest non-horror novel.-any of the historical writings on the Holocaust or Vietnam War

8.) Book you thought you'd hate but ended up loving. (Someone recommended)-To Kill A Mockingbird

9.) Best book featuring an animal.-The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe

10.) Funniest book. (Fiction or Non-Fiction)-Doug Adam's Hitchhiker's Guide series

11.) Favorite book over a century old.-The Red Badge of Courage

12.) Favorite Shakespeare play (or any play).-Hamlet

13.) Favorite Speculative Fiction.-anything Ray Bradbury decided to put on paper

14.) Favorite Western.-Riders of the Purple Sage-Zane Grey

15.) Book with best twist. (If you describe, please use spoilers, thanks.)-The Hound of the Baskervilles
I haven't read Red Badge of Courage or The Hound of the Baskervilles, yet. Now I'm curious to know what the twist is. Also, I'm glad to know you read To Kill A Mockingbird. I recommended it to a seventy year old bear of a man, a veteran, who only read books about WWII or history books. One day he asked me to suggest something and I told him about the Harper Lee book. To my surprise he came in two weeks later, cardigan sweater and barely shuffling up to the counter. Behind his magnified specs he made eye contact and he thanked me. He loved it. Now I'm wondering if I should have recommended Pet Sematary, lol.
 

danie

I am whatever you say I am.
Feb 26, 2008
9,760
60,662
60
Kentucky
To my surprise he came in two weeks later, cardigan sweater and barely shuffling up to the counter. Behind his magnified specs he made eye contact and he thanked me
I love this. The image you conjured up in my mind brought tears to my eyes. I can see you writing a book about a librarian who makes friends with the old man, and their story from there.
 

Doc Creed

Well-Known Member
Nov 18, 2015
17,221
82,822
47
United States
I love this. The image you conjured up in my mind brought tears to my eyes. I can see you writing a book about a librarian who makes friends with the old man, and their story from there.
Thank you. I certainly have enough material for many character studies...King has a perfect anecdote for writing; he says a writer builds a fire in their imagination and one by one characters begin to come, warm their hands, and talk. May I be a better listener and consequently a better writer.
 

HollyGolightly

Well-Known Member
Sep 6, 2013
9,660
74,320
54
Heart of the South
1.) Longest book you've read. Has to have been It or The Stand or Under the Dome - whichever of those is longest.

2.) Best book by foreign author. I love my British Chic Lit books - Marian Keyes - Is Anyone Out There is probably my current favorite. I don't often delve into heavy foreign reads - though I have read some.

3.) Book you've probably recommended the most. Oddly, I think I've bugged everyone to read When You Reach Me

4.) Most heartbreaking book. Lots, but one that stands out is Alice Hoffman's At Risk

5.) A book others may be surprise you've read Shamefully, Twilight (but I hated it!)

6.) A book you read because King recommended it. I read some Clive Barker books because when Hellraiser (the movie) came out, the commercials baited you with "I have seen the future of horror and his name is Clive Barker" SK.

7.) Scariest non-horror novel. Albatross (SHARKS!) non fiction

8.) Book you thought you'd hate but ended up loving. (Someone recommended) The Bronze Horseman

9.) Best book featuring an animal. I love The Art of Racing in the Rain

10.) Funniest book. (Fiction or Non-Fiction) Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man

11.) Favorite book over a century old. The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton (there must be others, but I can't think of any)

12.) Favorite Shakespeare play (or any play). Any play - because I really haven't seen Shakespeare - are we counting musicals? I loved The Lion King. Anything Tennessee Williams is worth reading.

13.) Favorite Speculative Fiction. The Dark Tower series

14.) Favorite Western. The Dark Tower series

15.) Book with best twist. (If you describe, please use spoilers, thanks.) I'll agree with Doc - Shutter Island caught me!
 

Doc Creed

Well-Known Member
Nov 18, 2015
17,221
82,822
47
United States
1.) Longest book you've read. Has to have been It or The Stand or Under the Dome - whichever of those is longest.

2.) Best book by foreign author. I love my British Chic Lit books - Marian Keyes - Is Anyone Out There is probably my current favorite. I don't often delve into heavy foreign reads - though I have read some.

3.) Book you've probably recommended the most. Oddly, I think I've bugged everyone to read When You Reach Me

4.) Most heartbreaking book. Lots, but one that stands out is Alice Hoffman's At Risk

5.) A book others may be surprise you've read Shamefully, Twilight (but I hated it!)

6.) A book you read because King recommended it. I read some Clive Barker books because when Hellraiser (the movie) came out, the commercials baited you with "I have seen the future of horror and his name is Clive Barker" SK.

7.) Scariest non-horror novel. Albatross (SHARKS!) non fiction

8.) Book you thought you'd hate but ended up loving. (Someone recommended) The Bronze Horseman

9.) Best book featuring an animal. I love The Art of Racing in the Rain

10.) Funniest book. (Fiction or Non-Fiction) Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man

11.) Favorite book over a century old. The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton (there must be others, but I can't think of any)

12.) Favorite Shakespeare play (or any play). Any play - because I really haven't seen Shakespeare - are we counting musicals? I loved The Lion King. Anything Tennessee Williams is worth reading.

13.) Favorite Speculative Fiction. The Dark Tower series

14.) Favorite Western. The Dark Tower series

15.) Book with best twist. (If you describe, please use spoilers, thanks.) I'll agree with Doc - Shutter Island caught me!
I'm intrigued by Albatross. I'm putting this on my library search. I read Peter Benchley's Jaws and loved it.
 

Kurben

The Fool on the Hill
Apr 12, 2014
9,682
65,192
59
sweden
1.) Longest book you've read.
jeepers... IT=1116 pages and The Stand=1135 but the winner is actually The Far Pavilions by M.M. Kaye =1189 pages.

2.) Best book by foreign author.
William Golding Lord of The Flies.
3.) Book you've probably recommended the most.
IT
4.) Most heartbreaking book.
Anne Franks Diary?
5.) A book others may be surprise you've read.
Don't know... You all know i read a lot... Erica Jongs Fear Of Flying?
6.) A book you read because King recommended it.
Paul Tremblay A head Full Of Ghosts. Was a bit disappointed.
7.) Scariest non-horror novel.
Zombie was scary. No Horror but Horrific novel about a serialkiller by Oates. We always see the action through his eyes and always feel what he feels. That total absence of compassion, remorse and understanding is scary and she can write. You never see him from the outside, always the inside and that inside is a scary place. Dont know if it was good but it was scary.
8.) Book you thought you'd hate but ended up loving. (Someone recommended)
Lonesome Dove
9.) Best book featuring an animal.
Watership Down or The Jungle Book
10.) Funniest book. (Fiction or Non-Fiction)
Jerome K. Jerome Three Men In A Boat. It is 130 years since it was written but laugh just as much still.
11.) Favorite book over a century old.
Three Men In A Boat, Captain Courageous by Kipling, Count of Monte Cristo by Dumas, The Mysterious Island by Verne and Call Of The Wild by London and Huck Finn by Twain
12.) Favorite Shakespeare play (or any play).
MacBeth or Hamlet or King Lear. Have always favored his big tragedies.
13.) Favorite Speculative Fiction.
A Handmaids Tale, !984, Kallocain
14.) Favorite Western.
Lonesome Dove
15.) Book with best twist. (If you describe, please use spoilers, thanks.)
Shutter Island