Thank you. =)  Some of my favorite books include…

Definitely Lord of the Rings.  It captivated me like no other series has.  Tolkien brought me into his world like all good fantasy should.  I believe that a good fantasy book should make the reader wish against all possibility and logic that the place he reads about would cease to be fictional and become a reality.  I wished this of Middle Earth.

I’ve been exploring some of the classics in the last few years.  I have a soft spot for tales of adventure.  Moby Dick was amazing to me.  Such an adventure at sea, and the insights into human nature intrigued me as did the countless literary views you could impose upon the story.  I recently wrote a paper applying Nietzsche’s idea of the death of God to the relationship between the whale and Ahab.  The results that I came upon were not what I expected.

Walden by Henry David Thoreau is near the top of my list of favorites.  I can honestly say that this book changed my outlook on life.  It teaches not only the beauty of nature, but the beauty of simplicity in one’s life.  It’s something that I’ve begun to strive for.

Other honorable mentions include

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

Speak, Memory by Vladimir Nabokov

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

2001 A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clark

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe

Dracula by Bram Stoker

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

1984 by George Orwell

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle

etc.

I do read some more modern authors as well.  I like a little Stephen King from time to time.  I enjoy how intricate and lifelike his characters always are.  I’m not above young adult books either.  Good writing is good writing, and I admit my love for the Harry Potter series and books such as The Giver and The Book Thief.

Those are some of my favorite books that I have read for pleasure.  I just purchased the House of Leaves the other day because it’s supposed to be a good postmodern book.  I’m trying to get more into some more modern literature, because there are writers doing things that haven’t been done before, something I wasn’t aware of until recently.  If you have any suggestions, I’d be happy to take them.