Roman Republic: Res publica Romana

Salvete!

So, what is your favorite book ever? Anything, any genre. I'd love to know what you love and why.

Please share! My answer in the comments.

My favorite book ever is Nineteen Eightyfour by Orwell.

The book has so many depths of meaning. From the state suppressing the person, to the person suppressing the self. Big Brother is always watching.

I think, especially in today's world climate, this book has a lot to offer the reader, even after all these years.

And if you're a music lover, the band Muse practically wrote the album Resistance based off this book. Read and listen in tandem, and I assure your mind will be blown.

That is a very tough one... hum... It is like choosing a favorite son lol

In the risk of seeming vain, most of my favorite books are relatively modern and fantastic, hardly tied to the real world. But it is very hard to choose One... I will then put up a small list of favorite books. I find it would do them more justice. Placed in no particular order of merit.

Horror: The Rats in the Wall, by H.P. Lovecraft so far is my favorite Horror book. There is something about Cosmic Horror that is rather therapeutic for me. I myself do not understand entirely why. But the whole knowledge that the protagonist WILL NOT prevail, WILL go mad and will not altar the disturbing horrors lying behind the veil that only do not destroy humanity out of a mere lack of interest is for some reason rather objectifying and humbling. Makes me disconnect and relax. Go figure.

Investigation: The Hound of Baskervilles and A Study in Red, both by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle usually spring to mind as personal favorites here.

Realism: O Grande Mentecapto, by Fernando Sabino and Vidas Secas by Graciliano Ramos are probably two of the only few ""Realist"" novels I like. I detest novels that depict everyone in the story as being people of no redeeming virtue. It tires me fast. These two books are very good because although the world is very hard on the protagonists, you cannot help but like or at least pitty them. They are good books for introspection and reflection.

Fantasy: The Lord of the Rings, the Silmarillion, the Hobbit, all by the legendary J.R.R. Tolkien; all the Harry Potter books, by J.K. Rowling; The Bartimaeus Trilogy, by Jonathan Stroud; and the First Law, by Joe Abercrombie, are all equally in my heart, one way or another. I might even put G.R.R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire as well as Incarceron, by Catherine Fisher, but I believe these two take second stage in my heart of hearts when it comes to fantasy, though I do adore both.

Philosophy Novels: Sophie's World, by Jostein Gaarder, more than any treaty on Philosophy, made me love the subject. This book incentivized me to be more inquisitive and gave me my first good taste on the knowledge of the ancients (something that my Philosophy teacher at school was completely unable to do and actually drove me away from the study while I was learning from her! Horrible woman...)

Historical Legends: Sincerely, this one is a bit harder for me because I had one favorite before but my current reading is threatening to usurp its place. The Saga of Sigurd Dragon-Slayer is an alltime favorite of mine. A great tragedy! But the Stories of Charlemagne and the Twelve Peers of France is quickly winning my heart. I also enjoy a lot the Saga of Gunnlaug Serpent-Tongue and the Saga of Egill Skallagrimsson. A greek one that I enjoy a lot is maybe Œdipus Rex, for his tragic tale is very moving...

Politics: The Prince, by Machiavelli is probably my favorite. I read it many times and find it has matured very well. Running the risk of being even MORE cliché I also have a fondness for Sun Tzu's Art of War.

Utopian Books: I actually dislike most Utopias I have seen and found them all to be disturbingly totalitarian, but as a mental excercise and just as plain entertainment I do enjoy over all others Plato's Republic, for it addresses many philosophical issues of my interest.

For now it is all I believe. But certainly this list will change many times still as I continue to read lol

Sal.

Plutarch's Parallel Lives.

You can learn so much about the virtues and ways to live a life of productivity and maybe even notability in this book. His accounts of the past found in the Parallel Lives are apparent in numerous literary, theatrical, and artistic pieces of the last 600 years. An important source and a solid read from an entertainment standpoint!

Could not recommend it more strongly.

Salvete

Currently reading Plutarch's Lives. It may be the greatest thing I have ever read. The Iliad is probably the best book I've read in full.

Valete

Here's an update:

I'm currently reading the Glass Castle, on recommendation. It's a true story about a girl's dysfunctional upbringing and unorthodox family life. So far, it's incredibly good.

Highly recommend.