Essential reading

[Bargogirl]

1. The Interlinear Study Bible with the original Greek, Hebrew and English translation and with Strongs Concordance reference numbers above each word for indepth studies
2. Strongs Concordance
3. Jesus Freaks - present day martyrdom
4. The Five Love languages of Marriage
5. Left Behind series (Both adult and teen series) by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins
6. The Rapture by Tim LaHaye
7. Pastor Rays "Let My People Go" from www.Rayofhopeministries.com (also a seminar)

8. Stephen King's "The Stand"
9. Stephen King's "Last Rung on the Ladder" (In one of his collections of short stories)
10. Stephen King's "Mrs Todds Shortcut" (In one of his collections of short stories)
11. Stephen King's "Stand by Me"
12. Stephen King's "The Shawshank Redemption"

12. The complete works of Shakespeare
13. Anything by Edgar Rice Burroughs especially his Mars series
14. Of Mice and Men

There's more especially poetry but I can't think of them right now.

 

[BlindedByScience]

8. Stephen King's "The Stand"

...I wasn't much of a Stephen King fan until I read this. I have the hardcover version (750+ pages) and I couldn't put it down. Incredible book....

B.B.S.

 

[Brickhouse]

Lonesome Dove

In Harms Way: The Sinking of the U.S.S. Indianapolis

 

[LilBastage]

8. Stephen King's "The Stand"

...I wasn't much of a Stephen King fan until I read this. I have the hardcover version (750+ pages) and I couldn't put it down. Incredible book....

B.B.S.

I'm still not a King fan, but I do love The Stand. My wife has read everything he's written (according to her). I just can't get into most of it.

I'll add the complete works of Dr. Seuss to my list. Some others mentioned a couple of his books and I agree wholeheartedly. I'm sure an exhaustive list would include hundreds if not thousands of works for most of us. These short lists are enlightening, however.


Some great stuff on everyone's list. This has gotten a lot more response than I expected in the few hours it's been up. It's actually garnered more responses than the latest Britney thread! :thumbs:

 

[Madmidget]

1984 by George Orwell
Band of Brothers by Stephen E Ambrose
Iliad & Odyssey by Homer

These are a few that came to mind, but several others I thought of have been mentioned.

 

[tsmckenney]

Great topic Alan. I've been putting together a library for my boys. So far, many books by primarily the following authors:

Steinbeck
Hemingway
Orwell
Chinua Achebe
V.S. Naipaul
Aldous Huxley
Cormac McCarthy
Vonnegut

Others:
Native Son by Richard Wright
The Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
Go Tell It On The Mountain by James Baldwin
Catcher in the Rye by Salinger

Overrated and pulled from library:
William Faulkner
Vladimir Nabakov

 

[Wurm]

I avoided adding horror, scifi, and fantasty due to the restrictions in the OP but since we went there anyway...

HORROR

Swan Song by Robert McCammon
Faerie Tale by Raymond E. Feist
Tommyknockers by Steven King
The Dark Tower Saga by Steven King
IT by Steven King
The Shadow Over Innsmouth by H. P. Lovecraft
Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice

SCIFI

Bill, the Galactic Hero by Harry Harrison
Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein
The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein
The Moreau series (AWESOME GET THEM!!!) by S. Andrew Swann
Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke
Splinter of the Mind's Eye by Alan Dean Foster


FANTASY

The Rift War Saga by Raymond E. Feist
Spellsinger Series by Alan Dean Foster
All of the Eternal Champion book by Michael Moorcock
The Earthsea novels by Ursula K. Le Guin
The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis
Redwall by Brian Jacques
Conan the Barbarian by Robert E. Howard
The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever by Stephen R. Donaldson

to name just a few...

 

[JimiHendrix]

Complete Works of Shakespeare
The Stinky Cheese Man and other Farely Stupid Tales
GlennGary Glann Ross by David Mammet
The Iceman Cometh by Neil Simon
Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller
1984

 

[Martin2D]

The Iceman Cometh by Neil Simon

That'd be Eugene O'Neill and it's epic. That and "Long Days Journey into Night." Catch 22 is also one of my favorites.

 

[slcraiders]

I love most things Steinbeck, Poe and Twain.

Gotta add:

George Orwell's: Animal Farm and 1984
Aldous Huxley: Brave New World
Salinger's: Catcher in the Rye
Forget who wrote it: Lord of the Flies

 

[LilBastage]

I avoided adding horror, scifi, and fantasty due to the restrictions in the OP but since we went there anyway...

HORROR

Swan Song by Robert McCammon
Faerie Tale by Raymond E. Feist
Tommyknockers by Steven King
The Dark Tower Saga by Steven King
IT by Steven King
The Shadow Over Innsmouth by H. P. Lovecraft
Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice

SCIFI

Bill, the Galactic Hero by Harry Harrison
Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein
The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein
The Moreau series (AWESOME GET THEM!!!) by S. Andrew Swann
Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke
Splinter of the Mind's Eye by Alan Dean Foster


FANTASY

The Rift War Saga by Raymond E. Feist
Spellsinger Series by Alan Dean Foster
All of the Eternal Champion book by Michael Moorcock
The Earthsea novels by Ursula K. Le Guin
The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis
Redwall by Brian Jacques
Conan the Barbarian by Robert E. Howard
The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever by Stephen R. Donaldson

to name just a few...

No restrictions were intended. Add whatever you'd like that you consider to be "can't miss" or essential works to complete one's literary arsenal.



I'll add the Vince Flynn novels (a guilty pleasure of mine along with Child's Reacher series) and the David McCullough books 1776, John Adams, and Mornings on Horseback.

 

[CaptainContrary]

A Farewell To Arms by Hemingway
Bluebeard by Vonnegut
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
Ham on Rye by Charles Bukowski
Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
ALive by Piers Paul Read
And Jimi is right, I too would have The Stinky Cheese Man on my list. That book is AWESOME!

I agree with whoever said it above -- great post!

 

[Nathan Rahl]

The Sword of Truth series - Terry Goodkind
Wheel of Time series - Robery Jordan
A Song of Ice and Fire - George R.R. Martin
The Faded Sun Trilogy - C. J. Cherryh

I tried reading the first book of Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged, but I just couldn't get into it. I read about 100 pages and just gave up. Right now it is just sitting on my shelf collecting dust. Does it get better furhter into the book?

 

[nicmert]

I'll add...

Killer Angels by Michael Shaara
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
I love all of Kent Haruff's books. Big fan of Richard Ford as well.
A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole. A very funny book.
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
To Kill a Mockingbird goes without saying.
I'm also a big fan of Harry Potter and LOTR.

Steve

 

[khari]

On the Road by Jack Kerouac
Black Boy by Richard Wright
Moby Dick By Herman Melville
The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty

 

[khari]

Also, Of Mice and Men and The Pearl by Steinbeck, Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov, and For Whom the Bell Tolls By Hemingway

 

[khari]

This is a really good thread, Lil Bastage. I really enjoy reading but am often unsure what to get. This is a great way to help narrow down the field.

 

[Infinity]

The South was Right! by 2 Kennedy brothers (i kid you not)
Atlas Shrugged (my all time favorite) by Ann Rynd (sp?)
Under the Bleachers - Seemore Butts

LMAO @ Gator

Very interesting thread Alan.

Brian

 

[KeithS]

The Dark Knight Returns-Frank Miller

War on Crime-Paul Dini, Alex Ross

 

[Kingantz]

Cool thread Alan! Just a few of my favorites...

Piers Anthony
Incarnations of Immortality series
Robot Adept series
Xanth Series

Stephen King
Skeleton Crew (The Mist)
Storm of the Century
Pet Semetary
Misery
Cujo
The Dead Zone
Firestarter
Carrie
The Shining
Night Shift
Tommy Knockers
Christine
Dream Catcher
Thinner
Different Seasons
Secret Window
Bag of Bones
Salems Lot
Black House
Needful Things
The Stand
Four Past Midnight
Desparation
The Dark Tower (series)
Cycle of the Werewolf

Anne Rice
The Mummy
Vampire Chronicles
Taltos
Lasher
Pandora
The Feast of All Saints
The Witching Hour

Clive Barker
Weaveworld
Imajica
The Great and Secret Show
The Hellbound Heart (Hellraiser)

Dean Koontz
The Voice of the Night
The Bad Place
Lightning
Midnight
Darkfall
Tick Tock
The Door to December
The Face of Fear

John Saul
Darkness
Guardian
The God Project
The Unwanted
Creature
Second Child
Sleepwalk
Nathaniel

Peter Straub
Mystery
Floating Dragon
Ghost Story
Shadowland
The Hellfire Club

Ray Bradbury
The Martian Chronicles
Farenheit 451
Something Wicked This Way Comes

Robin Cook
Coma
Outbreak

Michael Chrichton
Eaters of the Dead
The Lost World