Friday, June 20, 2008

Twenty-six...


I found this idea while stumbling through the internet the other day. I liked it, and thought I would give it a shot.

The object is to list your 26 favorite books. Can I do it? I guess we'll see. My list isn't in order of favorite. I don't think I could narrow it down that precisely.
  1. Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. Hilarious. If you don't laugh out loud while reading this, there's something wrong with you.
  2. Twisted Little Vein by Warren Ellis. Fascinating and twisted. Fun read, and so twisted and bizarre I couldn't put it down, though at times I wanted to.
  3. The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. Anybody surprised? Didn't think so. Next.
  4. Blankets by Craig Thompson. An absolutely beautiful autobiography in graphic novel (kind of like a novel-length comic book) format. It's almost six hundred pages long, and I didn't want to put it down.
  5. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. Such a fun read, stands by itself, while still giving background that leads into the Lord of the Rings.
  6. Dragonsinger by Anne McAfferey. Fantasy story of a girl who loves music so much that, when it is forbidden her by her parents, she runs away to make a life for herself. She learns not to be ashamed of her "joy in music."
  7. The Princess Bride by William Goldman. One of my favorite pieces of metafiction (A story about writing a story). Great stuff. Mr. Goldman has a great voice in this book.
  8. Dead Beat by Jim Butcher. Part of his Dresden Files, which is a great series. Harry Dresden is a great main character, very fun to hang out with. And, really, you can't beat the sheer fun of Dresden resurrecting a Tyrannosaurus Rex in order to combat six necromancers that have invaded Chicago.
  9. Bone by Jeff Smith. What starts out looking like Disney becomes a fantasy very much in the vein of Tolkien. It's a funny, wonderful, fantastic tale! Very recommended!
  10. Dragons of Spring Dawning by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. I've read this book so many times that 5 chapters before one particular death scene, I'm already crying so much I can barely read the page.
  11. Pawn of Prophecy by David Eddings. First book in one of my favorite series. Eddings writes friendships better than almost any other author I've read.
  12. On a Pale Horse by Piers Anthony. What if Death was job title you took over if you killed the previous office-holder? Pretty nifty idea, and the execution is wonderful.
  13. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Yes, this was my favorite in the series.
  14. Memoirs of an Invisible Man by H.F. Saint. Fun read, and probably fairly close to what would happen if someone turned invisible: the government would want them. Oh yes.
  15. The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan. What would you do if you found out that your father was Poseidon. Yes, the Greek god. Very fun melding of Greek myth with modern life. Very cool.
  16. Kingdom Come by Mark Waid and Alex Ross. All the classic DC heroes come out of retirement to save the world one last time. Will they succeed, or just make the situation worse?
  17. Knife of Dreams by Robert Jordan. Penultimate chapter in the Wheel of Time series. After all the nothing that happens in the previous book, this book takes off and just doesn't stop. Leaves you breathlessly waiting for the final installment, which, unfortunately, is being written by another writer. Jordan passed away last year.
  18. Dark Sun Rising by C.S. Friedman. Fantasy set on another world settled by earth people. Can they tame the magic that flows over the world and survive?
  19. The Castle in the Attic by by Elizabeth Winthrop. One of favorite reads when I was a kid, and the story still holds up. A little short for my taste, but a very well-crafted story.
  20. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien. If you've only seen the movie, you owe it to yourself to read the book. The movie holds up well, but the book offers so many more details. It's wonderful.
  21. Heir to the Shadows by Anne Bishop. I love this series. And I love the characters. So easy to hope for the "good guys" and hate the "bad guys".
  22. The Patchwork Girl of Oz by L. Frank Baum. The eponymous title character is brought to life to be a servant, but decides that she is her own person. Very feministic tale, which isn't all that surprising, since Baum's mother-in-law, Matilda Gage, was a very active proponent of equal rights for women, defending Susan B. Anthony when she was placed on trial for voting. Gage even formed the Women's National Liberal Union. Look her up. Fascinating woman.
  23. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. Fun book. Very trippy.
  24. Dracula by Bram Stoker. Very good book. Tried to watch the movie with Gary Oldman, and it doesn't even come close.
  25. Guide to the Gods by Richard Carlyon. Manages to touch on all the major and lots of minor characters in world mythologies. Not afraid to admit that some of the beliefs were a little ridiculous. Fun read, for an encyclopedia.
  26. The Vagina Monologues by Eve Ensler. Fun to read, makes me want to go see a production. And yes, I am manly enough to go by myself.
Whew! I did it! Can you?

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