Your favorite books:

[XeutonMojukai]

I decided that I should bring a nice thread for book lovers into this area.

Go ahead and write down your favorite books that pop into mind, and give a small synopsis (that doesn't reveal anything too important) to whet the appetite of interested... well... readers.

Anyway, here's my first list:

1) Hyperion: This is a book by Dan Simmons about a mysterious planet after which the book is titled, a mysterious group of seven adults (and one infant) who have never met each other before, and instead of telling the story of their journey only, this book focuses its majority on the backstories of the main characters. These stories are like epics in themselves, no mere vignettes, and range among such styles as film-noir detective, Chthlhu Mythos diaries, and parenthood drama. Yet each of these touches on a universe very horrifically possible in this day and age, and goes into such themes as romance in a politically-charged world, religions and their futures and future incarnations, and often environmental concerns as well. Just part 1 of 4, I've finished it and consider it my favorite book ever, even more than...

2) Shogun: Written by James Clavell, Shogun goes deep into the history of Japan, China, and Europe as it was during the rise of Protestantism. A true rags to riches story, but one that always has the reader on edge, this book never lets go of you, and you never want to let it go. A thick tome of a story, this is something to take with you on vacation and read while the family is out for dinner, and you don't even notice their absence. Spanning four languages, at least three religions, and all levels of the hierarchies of Feudal Japan, it's a story that shows Japan in a light you might never have expected.

I'd go into others, but I'm sure they'll be brought up soon.

Have fun!

[Zukin]

Since you listed fiction books, I'll go ahead and list a couple of my favorite fiction books.

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card (but pretty much everyone loves this book). Plus it has a strong personal development theme in terms of pushing your limits. That may be different than others' interpretations, but I thought that was one way to think about it.

Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger - I know this book is based on a video game, but it was one of my favorite video games of all time and the book is just as good.

Star Wars: Darksaber - On Amazon.com, the reviews of this book are pretty mixed and the story is outrageous (a Hutt crime lord tries to rebuild the death star). If you like over the top science fiction, it's an enjoyable read.

[ericwordelman]

The Power of Now is my personal favorite.

[Dan.Linehan]

Enders Game
Sphere
Just about every Christopher Pike book.

[NotesMaeve]

1) The Bloody Chamber - feminist, sometimes violent, sometimes downright pornographic retelling of traditional fairy tales

2) Video Game Theory - outstanding semiotics book, good overview on how video games are fed by and impacted our culture - love this book and really clarifies the sociological difference between this and TV

3) Principia Discordia (How I Found Goddess and What I Did to Her When I Found Her) - everything you ever needed to know about anything, baby!

[jamestl2]

Sun Tzu's "The Art of War"

[Lisa McGregor]

Some of my favourite books are by a Canadian fantasy writer called Charles de Lint. He has a wonderful imagination and a beautiful style of writing. Does anyone else know his work?

[shivraj]

The Alchemist by paulo coelho
Johnthan seagal..
7 spiritual laws of success
Bhagwad Gita, Bible
Art of computer programming by D. Knuth