Klaus Nordby's Militantly Dull Homepage:

Novels: Timeless classics

Ayn Rand: The Fountainhead & Atlas Shrugged

These two novels are in a class all by themselves and nothing compares to them, ever. While I may admit that Atlas Shrugged may possibly be literarily better, my favorite is still The Fountainhead. This should be The Bible for all creative people!

William Wilkie Collins: The Woman in White

Aside from Ayn Rand's novels, this is possibly my all- time favorite novel. A fascinating Victorian-age mystery story and some great characters — unforgettable! His The Moonstone is also very enjoyable.

Victor Hugo: Toilers of the Sea

The Hugo novel I have enjoyed the most — could make a great movie! My second favorite by Hugo is Ninety-Three.

Alexandre Dumas: The Count of Monte Christo

I haven't read this since I was 12, but still love my memories of it — and shall reread it soon.

Nathaniel Hawthorne: The Scarlet Letter

On my re-read list!

Henryk Sienkiewicz: Quo Vadis

On my re-read list!

More Novels: Great reads!

Rafael Sabatini: Scaramouche

Fabulous light romantic swashbuckling, set in the early days of the French revolution. A wonderful read! Sabatini wrote a lot of novels, of uneven quality, but of the half dozen I have now read I also highly recommend The Sea Hawk and Captain Blood .

Dorothy L. Sayers: Strong Poison

This is the novel where the charming and clever Lord Peter Wimsey first meets the charming and clever Harriet — good crime mystery, splendid writing! Sayers' other novels are all very well written, though many of her mystery plots fail to grab my interest.

Agatha Christie: misc.

I have gobbled up a lot of Agatha Christie mysteries over the years and find them all very pleasant — though I can rarely remember them!

Jane Austen: Pride and Prejudice

While I have not been able to finish her other novels (too dry and boringly told), this one is very charming.

Poetry

Alphabetically

Frost, Kipling, Keats, Poe, Shakespeare, Shelly, Tennyson, Wordsworth

Plays

Oscar Wilde: Lady Windermeres's Fan & The Importance of Being Earnest

Very well-plotted and sizzlingly written plays — Wildean witticisms galore! His other plays are very enjoyable, too, as is his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray .

Henrik Ibsen: The Lady from The Sea

My justly famous countryman's most loveable play — it even has a happy ending. Sadly, the world has largely ignored this play, focusing instead on his morbid and gloomy plays. Luckily, I can enjoy his great handling of the Norwegian language in the original. :-)

Maurice Materlinck: Monna Vanna

Almost unknown now, this is splendid!

G. B. Shaw: Pygmalion & Saint Joan

Comments coming . . .