Let me have it. We all have our lists of favorite books, and these are mine thus far.
Judge a man by the size of his library.
The Fellowship of the Ring - J. R. R. Tolkien
Dune - Frank Herbert
The Sword of Shannara - Terry Brooks
The Stand - Stephen King
Split Infinity - Piers Anthony
Lord Foul's Bane - Stephen R. Donaldson
Watership Down - Richard Adams
The Enemy - Lee Child
To the Last Man - Jeff Shaara
Jurassic Park - Michael Crichton
" What do you mean? An African or European swallow?" - King Arthur
You will note that books that eventually become a series I have listed the first book. I do thoroughly enjoy all the Harry Potter books, both written and audio versions, I guess you can throw the movies in there too. It is a challenge to remember every book that I read, and I'm sure I will amend this list once I have that "ah ha!" moment.
Now you are asking, "Why?"
Tolkien amazed everyone from the 60's until now with the Lord of the Rings, and probably will forever. What puts it on this list for me is how he was able to show the friendship of Sam and Frodo, which I believe Peter Jackson captured while making the movies. Middle-earth is a place we wanted to visit.
Dune is a difficult book to read if you are a speed reader, gleaning information as the pages fly by. I read this one summer in Alaska; I'm sure my routine was sleep until noon, go hitting with Nick K., go to our baseball game, come home victorious (go Thunderbirds!), and read Dune. Somewhere in there I did eat and have a couple days off. The novel is fascinating with the different houses and the political landscape collapsing, and the rise of Paul Atreides through the Fremen.
I remember buying The Sword of Shannara at the Cache Bookstore in Anchorage. I remember being in the store and gazing at the cover, wondering if the words are as cool as the cover, I'm in for a treat. Terry Brooks doesn't disappoint, though I agree his books tend to be formulated from the same ingredients. We don't care, we love the books just the same.
The Stand is another book I distinctly remember the day that I bought it. It was raining, gloomy and gray in Cleveland, Ohio, where I had recently finished "It" and I was on a Stephen King reading binge. The book was intriguing and portrayed people I thought I knew personally. That can happen when you buy into a story and suspend a little bit of belief.
Split Infinity brought the worlds of science fiction and fantasy crashing together. These books were read by me before the internet was invented by Al Gore, so I had no forewarning of this amazing twist. You immediately liked or found a connection with Stile, and who couldn't resist the visuals of a world where a lot of people walked around naked.
Lord Foul's Bane, after Lord of the Rings, is probably the best series I have read. Donaldson's unique usage of the anti-hero is difficult to handle as a reader. The world he created is rich and harsh, and throw in impossible tasks that are shouldered by an anti-hero. If you haven't read Donaldson, you should.
Watership Down is about rabbits. Rabbit lore, gods, history, and society. It is a fantasy novel (I'm sure you may have picked up a trend) and doesn't disappoint. A small band of rabbits escape the destruction of their warren and it is about their adventure establishing a new home. I still use "siliflay" when I see rabbits eating our plants. If you don't know what that means, read the book and you will find out.
The Enemy by Lee Child. You could put most of the Jack Reacher novels here. This one stands out because it is a military mystery while Major Reacher is in the army. We learn how he gets busted down to Captain while he solves the mystery among Special Forces spooks who want to kill him. The character of Jack Reacher is extreme and somewhat logical, if we did the things the Reacher way, we would be in jail. If you haven't read Lee Child, you should.
To the Last Man is a historical novel about WW I. I'm fascinated by war and the people in it, and Jeff Shaara's treatment of real people is intriguing. You learn about what it's like to be in the trenches and what it is like to command these soldiers. If you like history, this is a book for you.
No list would be complete without Michael Crichton. Yes, his characters can be two dimensional, but what we love is the blend of hardcore science and adventure of his books. Jurassic Park is a cautionary tale of man going to far with science, and it is an illustration of the notion that things will find a way to survive.
What do you think?
“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” - Oscar Wilde
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