SO WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE BOOK?

1. The Once and Future King/Book of Merlyn by T.H. White

2. East of Eden by John Steinbeck

3. Wholeheartedly agree with the OP on The Prydain Chronicles by Lloyd Alexander. They hold up well through adulthood.

Ender's Game - You are one of the smartest humans alive, yet also young and naive enough to be manipulated. You have enough empathy to understand your enemy - a hive-minded alien race to which a normal human could never relate - but also enough hatred to destroy them. Previous commanders failed because they couldn't strike this emotional balance between hatred and compassion, and time is running out. You're the last hope, though your superiors will never admit it - nor will they admit that your entire upbringing has been constructed to help you strike that emotional balance. But what if, after many years of empathizing with your enemy, you eventually find yourself loving and caring for them in their imminent moment of demise? Can you, in good conscience, defeat a beloved enemy when the games end and the war begins? And will your love for the enemy (among other things) cause you to turn on your instructors and superiors as you try to escape your destiny in a fit of childish rebellion? What if...that was the plan all along...?

All Quiet on the Western Front - a scathing indictment of nationalism and trench warfare (and war in general, especially the impact it has on entire generations). Ironically, this was a hugely popular German novel written just years before the Nazis began their censorship campaign. We wouldn't want lots of young Germans to be fearful of marching off to another war, now would we? But yes, reading this will make you understand why WWI was supposedly the "war to end all wars". How wrong they were...and that's what makes this book even more tragic.

Revenge of the Sith (the novelization) - does a better job than the movie at chronicling the fall of Anakin Skywalker. Oh yeah, and Matthew Stover is great at articulating action scenes and character ruminations - both feature prominently in this story.

Reclaiming History: The Assassination of JFK - reality isn't necessarily a James Bond movie or a 24 episode. Not everything has to be a giant conspiracy. Let's be real: nobody wants to believe that one deranged individual can take advantage of a situation and have such a dramatic impact on history. But it kinda sorta happens throughout history. This book helps set the record straight.

The Right Stuff - Ever wanted to work for a company that had brutally high prerequisites? What if you ended up as nothing but a mascot of that company? Early astronauts were the cream of the crop when it came to test pilots, but even that wouldn't cut it. Many were overqualified for the early space missions in terms of theoretical knowledge and raw piloting skills, but they had a combination of other traits needed for such a suicidal endeavor as flying into space - a perfect storm of "qualifications" that is becoming rarer and rarer with each passing generation: perfect health, confidence (even cockiness), obedience, intelligence, patriotism, quick thinking, and, perhaps, a death wish of some sort (without being "crazy" of course!). The early space race wasn't even about scientific exploration; most of that would come after the technology had been fully developed (and if budget permitted, of course). This book will teach you through the characters that, ultimately, the early space race was a propaganda stunt featuring some the world's best pilots as mere patriotic daredevils - much to their own chagrin, perhaps. This book is an honest, testosterone-fueled exploration of celebrity, brotherhood, and the competitive spirit of both the individual and the USA; it doesn't glorify much except the men who became guinea pigs for a space program that would take time before it blossomed into something special.

Killer Show - a graphic summation of the Station nightclub fire, its causes, and the legal/personal reprecussions. It has a clear pro-victim slant, which also makes it a textbook example of how to write a persuasive work. I don't fault the author (a laywer for the victims, who so desperately needed the voice provided here), but it was fun to point out the double standards; the book doesn't try to be neutral at all.

Lost Moon - a great tale of teamwork under immense pressure. A REAL "against all odds" scenario.

Failure is Not an Option - a good leader is, above all else, an excellent motivator. This book will teach you what leadership is all about.

Double Indemnity and The Postman Always Rings Twice by James M. Cain
The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett
Everything ever by Raymond Chandler
Casino Royale by Ian Fleming

Let's see I have plenty of favorites...

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

or if I want a horror fix

Carrie or Pet Sematary by Stephen King (Pet Sematary actually got under my skin when I read it, and still does.

Fantasy, I would have to go with the Harry Potter series, its cliche but its a great series.

Post Apocalyptic wise, I personally really liked The Maze Runner and Scorch Trials, even though I need to get around to the third book at some point.

Dante's Divine Comedy the seymour chwast comic version.

The Catcher in the Rye (probably my favorite book ever written)

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Paper Towns

Looking for Alaska

The Fault in our Stars

All three of those have something in common and that is the JD Sallinger style writing, whom John Green was heavily inspired by when he wrote them.
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Human Nature its a good Doctor Who book and actually a good book on its own. If you like science fiction I would recommend this, even though it would help to know a little about the 7th doctor before hand.


There's plenty more that I like, I can't remember them right now.

Fahrenheit 451

-shot-

You fellas sure ain't into looking at dates, are you?

Well OK but we're going dutch because I'm poor.

"The monk who sold his Ferrari"

I've got to read more someday, especially stories not taught in my school days ;-;. Some of my favorites *books* include The Outsiders by SE Hinton, The Giver by Louis Lowry and unironically, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain. That last one is a story I read in senior year of my own accord; a dream related to it sparked like three quasi-novelette stories I wrote in study hall. If not for those stories I wouldn't have Genevieve, a kitsune character who I'm reusing in the coming days. Yes really.

Aside from books I've finished, I do have respect for some short stories and/or books I've never finished. Redwall by Brian Jacques is one I'd like to finish someday, and maybe get into its sequel and prequel? I also love the Conan the Barbarian stories by Robert E Howard, and I have respect for Neil Gaiman from what I've heard of American Gods and The Sandman. On that note I've read bits of Huck Finn by Twain as well, and wanna read that too. And if not for the ableist rhetoric I'd like The Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon more than I do?