₦airaland Forum

Pray tell who is this 'One and Only Boss'?

Recently I've been reading Rushdie's Satanic verses, some Follett, Kafka (died young and had a most vivid imagination), Hugo, Conroy, Dumas, Hiaasen (he's the one who cracks me up the most), you made me go back to Austen's P&P because I read it when I was little. But the book that blew me away recently is Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco. Rendered in English by some guy, I forget his name. I usually read like six books concurrently. When I feel moody I read this, when I feel angry I read that. In my life time, I've been privileged to read some books I really adore, unfortunately, some of them I do not own. To put it simply, if I had to enter a time machine and I could take ten books with me, they'd be; (not in order)

Animal farm by George Orwell
Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky
Native Tongue by Carl Hiaasen
Anna Karenina by Tolstoy
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Dracula by Bram Stoker
Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum
Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco
On Stranger Tides by Tim Stevens (I'm not entirely sure of the name)
Arabian nights

Unfortunately I do not like some 'classics' like Gone with the wind and others but to each his own. I'm looking forward to a number of books but have always been under the impression that ordering books from Amazon implied an unhealthy increase in price. Is this true? That could make my life a lot simpler if not my wallet.

Almost forgot, Dostoevsky is epic, but not in the same sense as Homer. He's sort of like a Russie Dickens. Had a lot of 'issues' like morality and stuff that did not agree with his government at the time. He's great to make a long story short. I've read only Crime nd Punishment but am looking forward to Brothers karamazov. It's a big world out there!

I'm usually not this slow but the point of this thread escapes me.

I'm usually not this slow but the point of this thread escapes me.

Okies. I don't dig romance myself. But I still do not know if I can call you Max. U sure got a peculiar taste for books (esp Rushdie). Ur kind is rare and I find nobody to talk to about these people. You've read any Dostoyevsky or Vernes? I'm looking to get my hands on any Proust but Naija is a limited country. Let's talk shop eh? I can't find any of the books I want here so I settle for the mainstream. Bah!

I did say something like 'I'm biased and it's my teaser, bla bla bla. Anyways, for fear of sounding like a judgemental bastard I'll reserve my reasons. Ayomorocco, you still rank well now. You still rock. At least I learnt the most from you.

That's rare for a girl to say. No dark knight sweeping a fair princess off her feet for you Max (Can I call u Max?). Wanna take over the baton? Anyone?

It appears I gave away too much afterall. But the idea is for somebody to get it sooner or later, huh?

@doyin 13. That's really mature, taking a cheap shot like that. Umberto Eco is correct though. And you my friend have prompted me to give away the answers.

@ Ayomorocco. You seem to be a perfectionist. Anyways, 'the most prolific writer ever' bit was my coinage. I never knew there was even any such award. And I'm sure Mary Faulkner prolly writes with less skill, if she's written so much and never crossed my radar. Same goes for St. John Hamilton. Oldie schmodie! U don't have to scrutinize the Webster's rendition of my words. I meant oldie per her times. She surely never wrote of supercomputers, now did she. Anyway, dearie, you got the three right. Good going.

@Mad_Max. Charles Dickens' family was fairly well to do before his father got sent to jail. And his father got sent to jail due to his ostentatious living. He lived well above his means and it was just a matter of time. In any case, I was not refering to Dicken's aristocracy from just his roots (which isn't lowly at all) but what he became. He laments for the poor folk for he's just an opportuned person to witness it first hand. If his father had been more sensible, he'd have been spared such a hard life.

The answers,

1. Michael Crichton
2. Charles Dickens
3. Barbara Cartland
4. Clive Cussler
5. Umberto Eco
6. Thomas Harris
7. Dean Koontz
8. Sidney Sheldon

So, who's the winner? Mad_Max! Ayomorocco a close runner-up. But I'm most impressed with doyin 13, though I do not care for his vendetta with Bluespice. Biased, yes, but it's my teaser.