Assuming fiction only, and my favorites - not the best, my favorites.
These can’t be ordered.
[ul][li]Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen[/li][li]I got the first three Hornblower novels (Beat to Quarters, Ship of the Line, and Flying Colors) together in one book from my dad, so that counts as one - Captain Horatio Hornblower - C.S.Forrester[/li][li]The Maltese Falcon - Dashiell Hammett[/li][li]From Russia With Love - Ian Fleming[/li][li]There is about a twenty-seven way tie for fifth[/ul][/li]
Regards,
Shodan
I truly feel like a geek when I compose my list. I read from so many genres, but fantasy and science fiction just capture my imagination like nothing else.
Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
A compelling story that works today just as well as ever. Well written and clever and thought-provoking and haunting.
Lord of the Rings - J.R.R. Tolkien
My five strongly skew toward fantasy (and if I could expand the list out to more than five, science fiction), and LotR is the giant on whose shoulders all other fantasy stands.
The Baroque Cycle - Neal Stephenson
Though I liked the first two-thirds of Cryptonomicon better, this is just such a sprawling, detailed, amazing world that Stephenson envisioned, while taking nothing away from the real history it mirrors; quite the opposite, it makes the actual history that much more interesting to research.
The Once and Future King - T.H. White
As a child, the Arthurian legend absolutely enchanted me. It waned over time, but reading OaFK brings back that feeling full force every time I read it (about once a year).
A Midsummer Night’s Dream - William Shakespeare
If we can call a play a book. My first exposure to it was in reading Shakespeare’s comedies, then later seeing (and acting in) performances of it. The stories interplay wonderfully, the mundane and magical are woven so intricately, and the play-within-a-play of Pyramus and Thisbe is guaranteed to make me laugh out loud any time I read it.
Well, I take it back. I think I found the review I remember, and there is nothing to suggest that My Losing Season wasn’t accurate. It did say it wasn’t very good, though.
**Watership Down ** is over a 1000 pages about rabbits… and when you read the last word you’ll flip back to page one… I did. It ranks about #6 or 7 on my list… beat out by these restarts:
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to The Galaxy -Adams
Shogun -Clavell (A Children’s Story is in the top 10 too)
Cold Mountain - Frazier
Where the Sidewalk Ends - Silverstein
Don’t Bend Over in the Garden Granny, You Know Them Tatters Have Eyes - Grizzard
I love this thread! You’ve reminded me of so many unread books on my shelves, now moved up in the priority queue.
Among my favorites, these that come to mind or were otherwise highly influential upon my reading life:
Boy’s Life - Robert McCammon
I’m so glad to see it mentioned here, as I buy a few copies at a time to press upon people.
The Jaguar Hunter - Lucius Shepard
This is a starting point, and another one I buy extra copies of. I only just discovered this writer within the last couple of years, and I believe he’s the finest writer I’ve ever come across. He has an extraordinary clarity of insight about people and a social conscience as powerful as his words and his massive mind. He primarily writes short fiction, and this is the first collection he published. Also his novel, An American Handbook of Prayer, is highly, highly recommended.
Neverwhere - Neil Gaiman
He gets an A for sheer imagination, despite a few less wonderful parts. This got me to explore dark fantasy, which I had previously been afraid to try. His scenes of the traveling market and the black bridge still haunt me.
Poisonwood Bible - Barbara Kingsolver
This introduced me to an entire world of contemporary literary fiction.
Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch; Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett.
Live From New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live. I love SNL. What can I say?
IT, Stephen King. I read it when I was 10, which maybe caused it to have more of an emotional impact than it would have if I’d waited until I was older.
A Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine L’Engle. (Surprised?)
I feel like my list is really low-brow compared to some of y’all’s.
That appears to refer to the supplements that are included in some Harper Perennial Modern Classics editions, including the Barbara Kingsolver you linked to. Note the “P.S.” logo in the bottom right corner of the cover illustration. I think their including this in the title listing was probably an error–I don’t see it on others in the series.
I hope you’ll take a look at Thomas Berger’s Arthur Rex, which is a great retelling of Arthurian legend - wry and funny, but essentially respectful. I discovered it in high school and still re-read it from time to time. Berger is perhaps best known for writing Little Big Man, which took on Wild West mythology with a similar approach.
Erdosain, I’d never heard anyone suggest that Conroy’s My Losing Season was fictionalized. If you don’t like it, my apologies. I thought it was very good, and really provided some good insights into his inspiration(s) for The Lords of Discipline.
I just realized that I picked up The Greatest Thing Since Sliced Bread out of curiosity at the bookstore recently and almost bought it on a whim. It sounds great, I’m adding this one to my list too. Enjoy The Brothers K. I’m so jealous of anyone reading this for the first time.
While I’m here, my top 5 non-fiction, in no order:
A Short History of Nearly Everything - Bill Bryson
Hardwired - Walter Jon Williams
I also have to slip in anything by Ursula K. Le Guin, especially her Hainish cycle stories. The only reason she didn’t butt in to the top five is because I couldn’t pick any one book over another.
Oh, Lord yes. I forgot about this one. I could read it a million times over. I know there are some factual errors in it, but the writing is just so good. I think it might be Bryson’s best work.
Sorry, Elendil’s Heir, I must have conflated Conroy with someone else. Now you’re going to make me feel guilty about maligning him erroneously (and without reading him). I won’t read a book that’s been turned into a Streisand movie! I won’t do it!
Soldier of the Great War - Mark Helprin English Passengers - Matthew Kneale The Sea, The Sea - Iris Murdoch Pride and Prejudice - Jame Austen Going After Cacciato - Tim O’Brien
Honorable Mentions: Winter’s Tale - Mark Helprin Dispatches - Michael Herr Rebecca - Daphne du Maurier
In my case, I have several authors who have written more than 5 books that could probably lock up the top 5 all by their lonesomes. So rather than pick one, I’ll just phrase them differently.
The writings of Terry Pratchett
The writings of L. E. Modessit, Jr. (Recluce)
The writings of David and Leigh Eddings
The writings of Tony Hillerman
Atlas Shrugged. Incredibly and frightening prophetic.