Pajiba

Wuthering Heights. Because for some reason the Pajibaverse Inexplicably hates it and they should be dealt with like children who won't eat their food. Just keep putting the plate in front of them every meal until they realize they have no choice.

Watership Down by Richard Adams

Hunger by Knut Hamsun.

The Long Walk by Stephen King

Stephen King's "The Stand".

To Kill a Mockingbird. Atticus Finch and Boo Radley are my literary equivalent to a security blanket, and they are lovely reminders that in a world where horrible people do horrible things, there is still goodness and beauty. Plus, whenever I think about the book, I get the mental image of Scout in her ham costume from the film version and it makes my day so much better.

Dang. I have to second To Kill A Mockingbird, because if you really want me to go ONE book and one book only, that's gotta be it.

There are some great suggestions up there, though. If some of y'all think those books are "the one," then they're probably worth reading!

One Hundred Years of Solitude, Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury.

Snuggiepants, you are a person of class and taste.

"Women" by Charles Bukowski

A Game of Thrones, always and forever. Maybe it's cheating, but if I recommend this one book, they're sure to pick up the others, right?

Between the Bridge and the River- Craig Ferguson

"Good Omens" by Neil Gaman.

The only book I have ever read that made me smile inside every time I picked it up. Comedic take on the apocalypse? pure genius.
Not a long book, or a deep book - just an awesome book.

The Phantom Tollbooth. Norton Juster. Yes, it's a children's book. It's the one book I can honestly say changed my life, albeit when I was very young and in an educational context. It gave me an appreciation for the art of the pun at a nice, early age. And, I still read it from time to time.

Go ahead, poke the bear. I DARE YOU. (Just kidding. I'll likely be the one who winds up in tears.)

Junglee Girl by Ginu Kamani.

Probably one of the weirdest books on erotica I've read. But it's intriguing enough to stay with me.

Welcome to the Monkey House by Kurt Vonnegut.

A Natural History of the Senses - Diane Ackerman
{non fiction}

Was such a descriptive, rich, engrossing read for me.
Also, it helped me understand more about the sensualist that I am.

Toughie.

Wallace Stegner's "Crossing to Safety"

The Wasp Factory By Iain Banks.

I once said it was my life's mission to turn 100 people on to A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole. I'm up to six. Do help me out, won't you?

Evil ("Ondskan") by Jan Guillou. It'l like Fight Club, only better.

Life of Pi, by Yann Martel. Winner of the 2002 Booker Prize.

Holy fuck, Snuggiepants and greg, I think you just earned my undying love. Most people refuse to believe that Ray Bradbury wrote a sweet, emotional, nostalgic novel that contains my favorite love story ever. "Impossible!" these ignorant people shout. "Idiots!" I bellow back. It doesn't really do much to persuade them, but it makes me feel better.

But all that said, I'm going to recommend Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold. It's technically a sequel (to The Curse of Chalion), but it's fairly self contained and anyone at all inclined towards books should be able to manage. It's got wit and action and romance and a forty-year-old female protagonist and one of my favorite fake!pantheons of gods and characters to die for and everybody should bow down before Lois McMaster Bujold's genius.

OH Dustin you BASTARD....there....I....THERE ARE TOO MANY *fizzes out and breaks*

Everyone Poops - by Amanda Mayer Stinchecum.

My wife bought it for me for our tenth anniversary and I've been far more comfortable with myself ever since.

Or maybe Pandora's Star by Peter F. Hamilton

Stranger in a Strange Land - Robert Heinlein

One of the key elements in transforming my fiance into a speculative fiction fan.

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

Funny. Brutal. Tragic. Relevant. And it's the first novel by which I can remember being COMPLETELY captivated.

No question.

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal - by Christopher Moore. Hilarious, vulgar, AND poignant. One of my absolute favorites.

So many of my suggestions have already been posted so I'll go with a must read, especially for those who haven't drank the kool-aid: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. It's a gateway book.

Breaking several years worth of lurkerdom:

Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard.

I'll third redtuna and Tammy's recommendations of Good Omens - one of my favourite books, by far.

Dustin - I'm actually reading Heartbreaking Work right now, based on your recommendation a while back. So far? I love it. So thanks.

Usually when asked, The Brief History of the Dead by Kevin Brockmeier is my go-to recommendation. It's a beautiful piece of fiction (could almost call it science fiction). Brockmeier is a fantastic writer and I cry every time I read it.

If there's one book in the last 10 years that made me want to stand on a corner & hand out copies to passers-by, it's Perfect Circle by Sean Stewart. On the surface it's just a ghost story, but it's so much more than that if you give it a chance. I've read it at least once a year since it came out.

I may be breaking the rules a bit since this a collection of short stories and not a novel, but I'd recommend The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven by Sherman Alexie.

Well if it has to be only one (crazy talk!), The Little Prince, by Saint-Exupery.

Sharing the love for Dandelion Wine. Most people refuse to believe me when I say that Ray Bradbury wrote a sweet, emotional, nostalgic novel that contains perhaps my favorite love story of all time. "Impossible!" they shout. "Idiots!" I bellow back. It doesn't do much to persuade them, but it makes me feel better.

And yet, I'm reccing a different book. Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold. It's technically a sequel (to The Curse of Chalion) but anybody at all inclined towards books should be fine. It's got wit, action, romance, a forty-year-old female protagonist, characters to die for, and a really great fake!religious system/pantheon of gods.

ONE? ONE fucking book?

Jesus christ. Okay, but... fuck.

I gotta think about this.

The Cider House Rules.

That was painful. I hate you.

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. It is the most beautiful, honest, and engaging book I've ever read, and like several other selections here it is a book for children. I think it gains infinite layers when you read it as an adult, though.

*headdesk*

Forgive my double post. My computer is being a bitch and I though the origianl didn't make it all the way through.

And snuggiepants, someone has to say it, and sine no one else has...

GET USED TO DISAPPOINTMENT.

Snow Crash

A perfect, horrifying vision of the near future that also includes all the adventure and mayhem that one could want out of a summer read.

Seriously, Neal Stephenson might as well be a prophet. I wouldn't be suprised if Snow Crash and a later work Diamond Age don't perfectly spell out the course of human events for the next couple centuries.

What Marra said is the correct answer.

"Hitchhiker's Guide. Like asking if they like Coen Brothers movies or whether or not they find Norm MacDonald funny*, their reaction to it is a good indicator of whether or not we can be friends. Plus, it's just a balls-out awesome book.

*The correct answer to those questions are "yes" and "yes".

Posted by: Marra at June 14, 2010 4:26 PM

I second "Hitchhiker's Guide".

I know it's more childish, and I have read many other more mature works, but none have resonated with me as much as Lois Lowry's The Giver.
I'm sure everyone read it in middle-school, so there's no need for a synopsis. It's just such a wonderful concept of awakening.

And good fuck, that's a hideous header pic.

You couldn't have found one of Megan Fox reading? Wait...what am I talking about?

I'm excited to see all of the Good Omens love, because I just bought it recently for 48 cents on a cart outside the Strand. The price tag, according to all of my fellow literary Pajibans, is probably super offensive. However, I can't wait to read it!

Me Talk Pretty One Day, because it opened the door to funny books for me, and could show someone that reading can indeed be fun and not a punishment. A friend of mine just revealed to me that he has NEVER read a single book beginning to end. EVER. We're 20. What the fuuuuck? Of course, it shouldn't be too surprising, considering that this friend paid me and another friend to do his senior portfolio. I did the book reports, naturally.
And I just love David Sedaris so god damn much.

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. Always a favorite of mine.

And fuck these lists, man. In a good way. I start scrolling through the comments, reading recommendations, think "that sounds good" about a dozen times, then realize there's way too many to count or make note of to read, then I just say fuck it and don't bother to remember any of them. WHERE DO YOU PEOPLE FIND THE TIME.

The Border Trilogy by Cormac McCarthy.
That's how I get around listing just one book. It's both starkly beautiful and remorselessly brutal.

I want to agree with @Neon for Cryptonomicon (so... damn... good...), but I have to go with my gut and say Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susannah Clarke.

The stress of picking just one book is making my eye start to twitch a bit, so I'm just going to go with the last book I recommended to someone - A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L'Engle.

In The Country of Lost Things - Paul Auster.
Because Auster is always spellbinding, manic, and heartbreaking at the same time. And this one is about a dystopian future, which always tickles my fancy.

First off....Rage at having to pick on book. RAGE! now that that's out of the way...
Harp Song by Rilla Askew
It's not my favorite book but it's definitely more universal than alot of my favorites. The writing is flawless, the dialogue is human, and the heart behind the story is unmistakable.

Shopgirl by Steve Martin. I go back and reread it about once a year.

A Soldier of the Great War by Mark Helprin.

Possibly the perfect novel.

Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer. I kind of expected it to sort of unbearably precious and affected. Instead it started out hilarious and ended by breaking my heart.

I third Snuggiepants and greg on Dandelion Wine. What Snuggiepants said exactly. Such imagery! Such characters! It transports me.

Middlesex by Jeffery Eugenides, which has been raved about on this site countless times, but seriously, it's just that fantastic. And of course anything by David Sedaris, but you don't need just one of his books to be content.

Short History of Nearly Everything
By Bill Bryson.

"The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay" by Michael Chabon. Probably one of the best books I've ever read.

Well shitfuckdamn...! Only ONE!!!???!
And each time I think I found one that no one would think of...I forgot it's Pajiba I'm dealing with.

FINE then! I'll go for something less esoteric: Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey.

Scoff away people, but I care not! I love this book!

I would recommend tons of the books people have named so far, but if I have to name only one I'll go with A Room with a View . It's delightful, funny and romantic, and has the best part of E.M. Forster's humanism and understanding of people without the more ridiculous pathos he's known for (the end of Howards End anyone?)
If I have to be honest I want to write lists and lists of books. Damn you, Dustin!

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig.

Despite what a lot of people think, it's actually *not* about feel-good hippie crap (and as the author states, has very little about zen or motorcycles either).

It's about the big questions we face and whether philosophy is a useful tool to help us understand and answer them. The highest praise I can give it is that it's thought-provoking.

Some seriously good books here and several I almost picked (I'm looking at you Good Omens and To Kill A Mockingbird!), and I really want to pick a Vonnegut book, because he's the author I'd recommend first and foremost. But...

Paradise Lost. I've read it three times and I'm still awed by it. It seems impossible not to pick up on something new each time...

Nadine, Nation is SO GOOD. Yay for someone else loving it! Let's be book friends!

That said, I really have to recommend Summerland by Michael Chabon. One of those books that fits into the genre of young adult literature without losing its sheer awesomeness for people over the age of 30 (which, in my mind, is where young adult ends). Seriously. Go buy it. Cannonball it. I've read it pretty much twice a year for ten years, and I still cry every time. I read a lot, I recommend a lot, and this is the one book I've recommended to pretty much everyone regardless of taste, personality, etc. It's got all the humor and adventure of Kavalier and Clay without the contrived ending. Plus, it's one of those books with a map in the front! Who can resist those?

Native Speaker by Chang-Rae Lee
which reminds me, it's probably about time I re-read it.

I'll second the love upthread for Helprin's Winter's Tale. The way he uses language...I expect that I will never encounter anything more beautiful.

(Mandasarah: I just finished rereading Paladin of Souls, and I adore that book for all the reasons you list.)

Of Mice and Men. There's pathos! There's humor! There are puppies!! And racism, WHEEEE!!!

So many great suggestions in this thread -- my Goodreads overfloweth.

evil, to limit it to one. five, i could do without twisting myself in too painful a knot.

Growth Of The Soil, by Knut Hamsun

I second the recommendation for David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest (hi, Sarah).

It could be seen as a pretentious choice b/c when it was first published, it was one of those books that everyone had to own so their friends could see it on their coffee table, like Foucault's Pendulum and Gravity's Rainbow before it.

Like those books, Infinte Jest requires a lot of work. Unlike them, it is completely worth it.

so, like, can I change my name and recommend other books and avoid a bad case of stinkeye? i could be spacemonkey, or orneryoranguatan.

I'm gonna go with "The Cider House Rules" by John Irving. The movie adaptation doesn't even BEGIN to capture the complexity and heartbreak of this book. It's got Irving's usual devices, and while I could easily put "A Widow for One Year" or "The World According to Garp" alongside it, I'm going to have to say I enjoy this work the most.

Ken Kesey's Sometimes a Great Notion.

I've only read it once, in high school (a bajillion years ago), however the story is still lodged in my brain.

Good Omens, for sure. That's my favourite book that I can admit to the general populace. Thanks for giving me an out redtuna.

Only one is not fair, but -
The Princess Bride by William Goldman

Oh Poultice you are so right.

Life of Pi by Yann Martel. My favorite book ever.

I'm way late to the party, and I should have something really impressive, being a fancy pants book reviewer, but I've got to echo Dustin and say AHWOSG. That book changed me forever and I've read it countless times. Literally.

The Westing Game" by Ellen Raskin. (Long-time reader, first-time commentator. You guys drew me out.)

Ooh, I LOVED A Natural History of the Senses - Diane Ackerman!!! Yay yay yay... never even met anyone else who's read it!! Gorgeous, amazing book. The chapter on smell completely changed the way I appreciate scents.

Also loved The Sparrow!!

But I've just got to go with the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. It's the only book that caused me to be sought out and thanked by people after they read that book at my recommendation.

Someone recommended The People of Paper?

couch and pants, your talents are being wasted on your inner monologue. Remove that filter and start participating. It doesn't even need to be on topic, just randomly check in and let us know what you are up to.

Lamb, by Christopher Moore. It makes me want to convert to Christianity. I want it to be true SO BAD.

Nancytribe , that was my favorite book growing up. I must have read it twenty times.

I am sorry, as I voracious reader I can not pick just one. But I can't wait to put some of these on my Amazon wish list. You all rock!

Long time lurker squirming out of the woodwork. Independant People by Halldór Laxness. Its a book I have read many times and each time, I find myself rooting for the characters to change thier lives this time!! There isn't much action, its a very wordy novel. Its so beautiful though, that time flies by. Now, I will burrow back into the woodwork and leave you all to it!

awwww shit... my second post and I spelled Independent wrong!! My apologies.

Truth and Beauty, by Ann Patchett. For ANYONE who has loved a friend unconditionally.

The Elegance of the Hedgehog
by
Muriel Barbery
Hasn't anyone else read this staggeringly beautiful book?
Posted by: carlo_jonzi at June 14, 2010 6:21 PM

OOH! I just bought it and am saving it for vacation! I haven't met anyone who's read it yet, so yay :)

"Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog)" by Jerome K. Jerome.

It is hands down, the funniest novel in the English language.

This is a mean, mean comment diversion.

Glad to see so many people share my love for Dandelion Wine, however.

Since there's been so many good ones, and a few that are making me say "WTF?!!??", I'll recommend that one book I keep at work and at home, because it's guaranteed to take me far away from whatever bothers me. That would be Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino.

Sorry, Nick Harkaway, Matt Ruff, Cormac McCarthy, Ray Bradbury and many others who line my shelves, but Invisible Cities is a beautiful song in the form of a book.

“Black and White on Wall Street” by Joseph Jett. Jett was a former bond trader for Kidder, Peabody & Company which was owned by GE. Jett was accused of fraud and banned from the industry. At the time none of Jett’s immediate supervisors knew of his fraud but yet somehow Jett kept receiving multi million dollar bonuses. Jack Welch was the CEO of GE at the time and claimed to not know that an entire unit of one of his companies was involved in fraud. This is the same Jack Welch that is a frequent guest on “Morning Joe” dispensing financial advice.

Also “Barbarians at the Gate: The Fall of RJR Nabisco” is an excellent book and I highly recommend it.

But for serious, I'll recommend "Into Thin Air," by Jon Krakauer. Even if you have no interest in mountain climbing, it is a relentlessly interesting book (or it was to me). Sad, but interesting. As a study of disaster, not sure it's been done better, but if someone disagrees, feel free to let me know.

If you've ever wanted to climb Mount Everest, and you still want to after reading this book, you are a goddam idiot.

"The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle" Murakami

Lamb: The Gospel According to Bif, Christ's Childhood Pal.

But whoever said Bartimaeus by Jonathan Stroud rules. I bought that book for a quarter at the local library and just ordered the rest of the trilogy from Amazon.

Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell.
"A fantastical mesmerising masterpiece"-Supafly

Sarahcat Again, someone mentioned one of the very few I re-read.

In fact, I will and do re-read (in no particular order):

1. A Short History of Nearly Everything

2. Angela's Ashes

3. Dandelion Wine

4. Howard's End

5. Cold Mountain/Thirteen Moons (same author)

Shantaram.

boom.

(now i go see if anyone said it already.)

Seconding (thirding?) A Prayer for Owen Meany, but it only beats The Cider House Rules by a breath. Homer Wells is a sublime character, but Owen just gets in your head and stays there.

Wow

Seconding 3 men in a boat, Time Travelers Wife, Hitchhikers Guide, Fool, Short History, The Sparrow and piling on for Lamb.

So I'm adding "Lord of the Barnyard" by Tristan Egolf. Check it on Amazon- you can get a used hardcover copy for 13 cents.

Moby Dick!

no really--avoided reading it for years, then when I did I loved it--fascinating look at the world as it was c. 1850

(resumes lurking now--please don't hurt my feelings)

Personally, I love the fact that so many of my favorites have already been mentioned--it helps me to pick something else. And thus:

Jazz, by Toni Morrison. Hands-down her finest work to date, and I pray to God no one ever tries to make a movie out of it, Oprah. The only way I can stop reading it long enough for the language to be new again is to give away my copy and then wait until I can’t stand it anymore and buy it again. I’ve read it piecemeal many times, and in full at least ten or twelve, and there’s always a nuance or a connection or a lyrical moment I see for the first time....crap. I have to go shopping.

gm and Another Kate, word. greg, I’m only not recommending Winter’s Tale because it’s already been done. It is indescribably luminous, so I will stop talking about it now, but run, do not walk, to get a copy. k, more word. A Soldier in the Great War destroyed me.

Well. So many excellent books have been suggested - books I've read and loved, many I haven't yet but expected to...but not the book I love best - The Last Unicorn by Peter Beagle. Sweet, funny, and much more adult than it appears.

*no clue
dammit

Rule of the Bone by Russell Banks
One of the best fucking books ever... a no-good punk kid in the Adirondacks runs away, gets a cheesy bad ass tattoo and comes into his own after meeting amazing people including Iman, one of the greatest characters ever... Up to you Bone!!!

And... Marra ...Hitchhikers is a life changing book, and luckily all 5 books are considered one...

sansho1 ...Confederacy is great... if I wasn't already a convert you could count me in your 100

I saw someone in my lunch room reading Good Omens (Although I liked American Gods even better)... I smiled and started Sandman from the beginning again... fucking great!

jsm Murakami... freaking great... I loved End of the Universe/Hard Boiled wonderland... although it was my first (of many) of his that I read...

I must stop now and keep lurking... and renewing my library card!

"Stranger in a Strange Land" by Robert Heinlein. The greatest deconstruction of Christianity and Christ (and this is coming from a Christian) ever written. Heinlein shows why he's one of the greatest science-fiction writers ever through the character of Valentine Michael Smith, one of the greatest literary characters of all-time. I'll never know why no one has made it into a movie; it could win every Oscar ever. But, alas, it's probably not to be.

winterlong by elizabeth hand

i have taken your challenge and stopped lurking for this one; i wanted to recommend many, many wonderful books, however considering the kind of readers here at pajiba this seems the most appropritate

it's out of print but worth tracking down; a post-apocalyptic novel unlike anything you have ever read; gothic sci-fi if you can wrap your mind around that and i'm not a fan of gothic; excellent writing; over twenty years after it was written i still have not found anything even remotely like it; world-building to put others to shame; characters that are unforgettable;

well, you get the picture

"The Wasp Factory By Iain Banks.

Posted by: frank (aka frank_247 aka the lone Scotsman) at June 14, 2010 4:31 PM"

Don't tell Mr Smith, but I think I love you frank. I was just gonna add my one book to the comments, but thought I would scroll down through the list first... and there it was. All. Time. Fave.

Don't ask why, but my secret nickname is Frank.

Boy's Life by Robert McCammon.

An absolute amazing book and if you don't read it - shame on you all. SHAME!!!

Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

I second the love for Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (a book I've come back to periodically since I first read it 1983. I also agree with Snow Crash-that's one movie I would cheerfully pay full price to see-even if it was suckastic!

As for the zombie Lazarus comment-genius, absolute genius!

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

It is a masterpiece and it touched my life in more ways than I can count.

Kushiel's Dart- Jacqueline Carey

Ah, sin of omission. Dune, by Frank Herbert.

I love so many of the books already listed. To add another amazing, gorgeous heartbreaking book - Crow Lake by Mary Lawson. Amazing Canadian landscape imagery too.

The Long Dark Tea Time of the Soul by Douglas Adams.
Quite possibly better than any of his other books...

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess

I read it about once every two years, it makes me feel when I am at my most apathetic

snuggiepants, it's obvious to me that rajah named his/her book BEFORE reading the comments, or s/he'd have spotted the reference immediately, natch -- it's from The Princess Bride -- which was Rajah's choice.

Inigo, during the duel, says to The Man in Black, "Who ARE you? I MUST know!" To which the Man in Black replies, "Get used to disappointment."

Hence my belated response to YOUR cry in response to your fellow Dandelion Wine lover.

Oh, and while I'm here, I'd like to thank rushmorebeekeeper for finally naming Franny &Zooey -- it was down to the wire for me between that and my eventual choice of The Cider House Rules, and rally, the only reason I did end up going with the Irving was length: if I can only choose one book, it'll be the longer one, so I can drag out the enjoyment. Frankly, that's why I almost went with The Stand... but much as I do love me some apocalyptic King, given a gun to my head, I'll go with life-affirming, choice-touting Irving.

*delurking*

Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay

I'm hooked on the characters and all the shades of grey. I've never been so head over heels for an antagonist as I am for Brandin...

*relurks*

Choosing one book is my nightmare so I'm not going to think about it- I've skimmed the comments and no one seems to have mentioned The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon.
It is gorgeously written, layered, has a fabulous twist in the middle of the book and contains my favourite literary character of all time. It's a stunning novel.

stopthemadness I wanted to be the first to say Shantaram.

Oh, well, you have great taste in books. Shantaram is easily my favorite book ever.

Solaris by Stanislaw Lem. Really. Forget the George Clooney movie.

this diversion is so timely as i got my kindle last month and have not been able to put it down! i've been begging for suggestions from my friends and actually uploading the amazon recommendations without much luck.
but my one and only?
Katherine Dunn
Geek Love

k, no pseudonym, but i have given more copies of Tolstoy's "Resurrection" to GF's than i have of the Hamsun book (though the Hamsun book has been out of print for many decades.)

i really do have 10-20 essential books. so i snuck a second one in

House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski

I don't want to hear your "it's pretentious" or "it's needlessly bizarre" or "horror scares me" nonsense. It's gorgeous from start to finish. Sometimes a song just fills you with yearning--this is the literary equivalent.

@Sara Tonin

Dear god, yes on the Peter Beagle love. For those of you disinclined to read something about unicorns, first of all, WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU? Second of all, try A Fine and Private Place, which is a simple ghost/love story that's just wonderful.

Also, to everybody who has recommended Ender's Game, if you haven't read The Worthing Saga by OSC, please do. (Everyone else read it too!) It's superior to Ender's Game in just about every way. And Ender's Game is pretty damn awesome.

The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson.

Please don't miss out on this book! It seems a little heavy at FIRST, but moves quickly into a fascinating coming of age story about a young girl growing up in the future who stumbles upon this mind-blowingly kick-ass book that becomes her primer for life. It tells her stories and teaches her skills and GOD I wish I had this book when I was a child. The whole story unfolds with excellently interconnected lives, perfect interpretation of our world's possible future, and cleverness. Always the CLEVERNESS with Stephenson. Snow Crash is a close second for better accessibility, but the ride is SO worth it in The Diamond Age!

Awesome thread, there are so many good recommendations by SMART people! I am loving this.

I am just thinking of books that I have read and re-read that really always made me feel good, and brightened my world. I have to say that the works of James Herriot have never failed me. Not great literature, not deeply philosophical, not life changing. But, they are full of humor, and love, and heartache, and kindness. I have had to replace my copies several times over the last 30 years because I read them until they broke to pieces.
So I will pick All Things Bright and Beautiful as a representative of his work, although it is just one piece of a greater collection.

Major Barbara by George Bernard Shaw.
Man could write, but more importantly he could think, and what he said after such thought was usually brilliant.

"A Wild Sheep Chase" by Haruki Murakami.

I was worried he would not make it jsm. :)

I second Matt's mention of Coupland. He is the one author I always mention when recommending books. But as much as I love "Life after god", I would have to chose "Girlfriend in a coma". If your read it at the right time it turns you into a diffrent person(in a good, but also a little saddening way).

Its between Matilda by Roald Dahl or Lolita by Nabokov

Your choice kids!

This was a brilliant idea for a diversion by the way whoever thought of it. Must get to a library forthwith with all these wonderful recommendations.

"The Satanic verses" by Salman Rushdie...if only one could find it on bookshelves anymore!

Neil Gaiman's American Gods.
Though if Skitz completes his magnus opus anytime soon I'm sure it'll top my list. What can I say, my Alpine soul cries out for more yeti...

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Here's more love for Chabon's The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay.

Soraya I also love Shadow of the Wind - it made me cry on the train home from work! It's so brilliant.
And I also read and very much liked Ackerman's A Natural History of the Senses - don't know too many other people with that on their bookshelf.
I'm also going to cheat and recommend a second - The Things They Carried - Tim O'Brien. Because I've read it so many times, and I always find an undiscovered nuance.

Seriously? One?
Gaaaaaaaaaaaaah.
Okay...
The Balloon Tree by Phoebe Gilman. It's a children's story about the love of a father for his daughter, and it is filled with stunning illustrations (Gilman also wrote the Jillian Jiggs books and other gems, but this is by far my favourite).
For adults, my go-to book is The Red Tent. People either love it or hate it, but it completely transports me to a different time and a different world whenever I read it. It's filled with ancient lore, the quiet power of women in a patriarchal society, and beautiful passages about midwifery.

Thank you jackbecomethegiant! I was beginning to worry NO ONE had even heard of Erikson on this thread.

indarchandra I loved The Sparrow so much that I placed it on the special shelf that houses my other faves. However, my mum read it on my recommendation and she absolutely hated it. Sigh.

Wuthering Heights (I'm with PaddyDog on this). It has fantasy, psychological thriller and a tragic and heartbreaking love story. It also has one of the most compelling hero/anti-hero Heathcliff - brooding, passionate, obstinate fella that he is.

White Teeth by Zadie Smith for those that don't want to deal with Heathcliff and Catherine.

so many of my favs listed already but not
The Gate To Women's Country by Sheri Teppler

everyone I have given it to has loved it

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn - Betty Smith

I have read this book at least once or twice a year since I was 12 years old and my mom gave me the falling apart hard covered copy of it that she was given as a girl. Such a good story.

Fuuuuuuuck.....I guess.....

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides. More people need to read that book.

a light in august.

All Over but the Shoutin' by Rick Bragg

I'm bookmarking this SO HARD.

(Also I'm sneaking in another: A Thousand Splendid Suns. I've never cried so hard over a BOOK.)

i gave a suggestion already but it's hard to stop at one regardless of what the editorial board at pajiba thinks or says...

the heart is a lonely hunter by carson mccullers; it is THE saddest book you will ever read; naturally it's for those who like sad stories

But...I...just one...but there's...but then...ack.
Ok.....
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke, because it is deliciously written. I could read it over and over and find something new to enjoy every time. Hey, there's a fun/agonizing diversion. If you could only read five books for the rest of your life, what would you choose?

Also, I love all the love for Good Omens, but let's not forget that it's ALSO by Terry Pratchett. Sorry, but I'm definitely Team Pratchett. I wanted to use "Terry Pratchett's entire body of work" as my one recommendation, but I'm pretty sure that would be breaking the rules and thus open me to the scorn of Pajiba and possibly some sort of ritual sacrifice to the Godtopus.
I will definitely be coming back to this thread.

Empire Falls by Richard Russo

Slightly late, but delighted to see the love for "Into Thin Air" (one of my all-time favorites), "Moby Dick" and "Memoirs of a Geisha".

My recommendation: "Suite Francaise" by Irene Nemirovsky.

If you haven't read "Little Children" by Tom Perrotta, you should.

"Everything is illuminated" by Jonathan Safran Foer. I laughed, I cried, and when I finished I couldn't even pick my next book because I felt like I was cheating on this one.

Dhalgren by Samuel R. Delany
Take a chance and read it!

Ragtime, by E. L. Doctorow, for all you lovers of historical fiction and crazy but intelligible plot intersections.

(And stay away from the Infinite Jest. Just. Don't.)

I made this Pajiba's Book List for myself. Maybe someone else will find it useful.

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin
A Girl Named Zippy: Growing Up Small in Mooreland, Indiana by Haven Kimmel
A Natural History of the Senses by Diane Ackerman
A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving
A Room with a View by E. M. Forster
A Soldier of the Great War by Mark Helprin
A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again by David Foster Wallace
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami
A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L'Engle.
All Over but the Shoutin' by Rick Bragg
All Things Bright and Beautiful by James Herriot
American Gods by Neil Gaiman
Animal Farm by George Orwell
Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
Atonement by Ian McEwan
Between the Bridge and the River by Craig Ferguson
Black and White on Wall Street by Joseph Jett
Bone by Jeff Smith
Boy's Life by Robert McCammon.
Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh
Bunnicula by James Howe
Catch 22 by Joseph Heller
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell.
Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons
Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner
Crow Lake by Mary Lawson
Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton
Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson
Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury
Dangerous Angels by Francesca lia Block
Dhalgren by Samuel R. Delany
Dune by Frank Herbert
Einstein's Dreams by Alan Lightman
Empire Falls by Richard Russo
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
Everyone Poops by Amanda Mayer Stinchecum
Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer
Evil ("Ondskan") by Jan Guillou
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
Female of the Species by Lionel Shriver
Fool by Christopher Moore
Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Franny and Zooey by Salinger
Frog and Toad Together by Arnold Lobel
Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson
Geek Love by Katherine Dunn
Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
Good Omens by Neil Gaman
Growth Of The Soil by Knut Hamsun
Harp Song by Rilla Askew
House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski
Housekeeping by Marilyn Robinson
How I Became Stupid by Martin Page
Howard's End by E. M. Forster
Hunger by Knut Hamsun
Hyperion by Dan Simmons
I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb
In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto by Michael Pollan
In The Country of Lost Things by Paul Auster
Independant People by Halldór Laxness
Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace
Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer
Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino
Ishmael by Daniel Quinn
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
Jazz by Toni Morrison
Jean Baudrillard: Selected Writings by Jean Baudrillard
Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins
Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susannah Clarke
Junglee Girl by Ginu Kamani
Kindred by Octavia Butler
Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain
Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey
Lamb: The Gospel According to Bif, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore
Last Unicorn by Peter Beagle
Le ton beau de Marot by Douglas Hofstadter
Life After God by Douglas Coupland
Life of Pi by Yann Martel
Light in August by William Faulkner
Lord of the Barnyard by Tristan Egolf
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Major Barbara by George Bernard Shaw
Matilda by Roald Dahl
Maus by Art Spiegelman
Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris
Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie
Moby Dick by Herman Melville
Nation by Terry Pratchett
Native Speaker by Chang-Rae Lee
Neuromancer by William Gibson
Neverending Story by Michael Ende
Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell
Not Her Real Name by Emily Perkins
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
On the Road by Jack Kerouac
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster
Paradise Lost by John Milton
Peace Like A River by Leif Enger
Perfect Circle by Sean Stewart
Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie
Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard
Radio Free Albemuth by Philip K. Dick
Ragtime by E. L. Doctorow
Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier
Resurrection by Tolstoy
Riddley Walker by Russell Hoban
Rule of the Bone by Russell Banks
Say You're One of Them by Uwem Akpan
Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts
Shibumi by Trevanian
Shopgirl by Steve Martin
Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
Smilla's Sense of Snow by Peter Hoeg
Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
Solaris by Stanislaw Lem
Sometimes a Great Notion by Ken Kesey
Storm Front by Jim Butcher
Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein
Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky
Summerland by Michael Chabon
The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon
The Balloon Tree by Phoebe Gilman
The Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud
The Bible
The Border Trilogy by Cormac McCarthy
The Brief History of the Dead by Kevin Brockmeier
The Caine Mutiny by Herman Wouk
The Celery Stalks at Midnight by James Howe
The Cider House Rules by John Irving
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Jean Dominique Beauby
The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery
The End of Alice by AM Homes
The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde
The Gate to Women's Country by Sheri Teppler
The Girl with Glass Feet by Ali Shaw
The Giver by Lois Lowry
The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore
The Great War for Civilisation by Robert Fisk
The Happiness Machine
The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by Carson Mccullers
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
The Hours by Michael Cunningham
The Lazarus Effect by Frank Herbert
The Lie by Chad Kultgen
The Lions of Al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint Exupéry
The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven by Sherman Alexie
The Long Dark Tea Time of the Soul by Douglas Adams
The Long Walk by Stephen King
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein
The Once and Future King by T. H. White
The People of Paper by Salvador Plascencia
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
The Princess Bride by William Goldman
The Riddle-Master of Hed by Patricia McKillip
The Satanic verses by Salman Rushdie
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
The Sharing Knife Vol 1- Beguilement by Lois McmAster Bujold
The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russel
The Stand by Stephen King
The Story of O by Pauline Reage
The Time Travelers Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
The Turn of the Screw by Henry James
The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks
The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami
The World According to Garp by John Irving
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog) by Jerome K. Jerome
Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay
Til We Have Faces by CS Lewis
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh
Truth and Beauty by Ann Patchett
Watership Down by Richard Adams
We the Living by Ayn Rand
Welcome to the Monkey House by Kurt Vonnegut
What Dreams May Come by Richard Matheson
Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys
Winterlong by Elizabeth Hand
Winter's Tale by Mark Helprin
Women by Charles Bukowski
World War Z by Max Brooks
Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
Zeitoun by Dave Eggers
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig

A book I've recently discovered and absolutely love is "Read Me - I Am Magical" by Alinka Rutkowska and it absolutely changed my life! It reveals 12 secrets to love, happiness and personal power with incredible wit and sense of humor. It's incredible how you can give so much relevant information and powerful exercises in 1 book. Oh and there's something in it that just makes you feel amazing when you read it. I highly recommend!