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The other day some friends and I were having a discussion about our all time favorite books. You know the ones that even years later you remember and just hearing the title sparks memories. The kind that tug on your soul in some way, or in my case sparked the desire to be a writer. I’ve always been fascinated by how just 26 letters arranged in various ways can conjure so many emotions.

I love hearing about people’s favorite books. The lists are always so varied, and I am often driven to read some new ones just from the excitement of the person sharing their list. For me it’s always difficult to narrow down a list of favorites.

There are many more that I could add to this list, but I tried to keep it short. I also realize our minds have a way of remembering the recent past a bit easier, so a lot of these I have read much more recently, but a few are from my childhood. These are in no particular order.

  • One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey
  • Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
  • A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
  • Dragonsong by Anne McCafferty
  • The Dark Tower by Steven King
  • Snow Crash by Neal Stevenson
  • Velocity Weapon by Megan O’Keefe
  • Jade City by Fonda Lee
  • Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch
  • Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
  • Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe
  • Watership Down by Richard Adams

What are some of your favorite books? Are any of these on your list? Leave a comment and share your list with me. I’d love to see everyone’s list!

About

Thomas K. Carpenter

Thomas K. Carpenter is a full time urban fantasy author with over 60 independently published titles. His bestselling, multi-series universe, The Hundred Halls, has over 35 books and counting. His stories focus on fantastic families, magical academies, and epic adventures.

  • the first four books on your list I have read and loved but I also love the book shadow of the wind by carlos ruiz, and the sevenwaters series by juliette marillier and so many more making it impossible to list here!

  • Yeah narrowing down favorites is difficult. The more you read the more great stories you get across.
    Some of yours I didn’t like, Gideon is still a book I wanna read some time.

    My list will be ignoring all the german titles and I’ll keep it short

    Clive Cussler books, the Isaak Bell ones not all of them
    Harry Potter
    The little princess
    Blood scion-Deborah falaye
    Homegoing
    Dalya series-Katie Zaber
    The storm crow duology – kalynn josephson

  • • 40,000 Leagues Under the Sea
    by Jules Verne
    A traditional fantasy classic, highly recommend!!! The language has aged oddly, so the modern reader needs to identify, then mentally place themselves, in the right year before they start!!!

    • A Game of Thrones
    by George R.R. Martin
    Self explanatory to most by now I think! The book is better because it has 3x more story than the tv series, so if you liked it on tv or not, do yourself a favour and read the books!

    • Magician
    by Raymond Feist
    More Epic, more fantasy; the grown up version of GoT maybe? Eitherway, more magic, more politics, and 3x as many books in the series.

    • The Elenium (3 book set)
    by David Eddings
    The adult fantasy novels I read and loved as a kid. Heavy on simple fantasy trope, so easy reading, but no less enjoyable. Becoming classics now, not likely to go out of print.

    • Dragonsong
    by Anne McCaffery
    -actually I adored the entire series. Dragons bonded to humans, when they hatch.

    • Wild Magic
    by Tamora Pierce
    -ditto adored both series. Amazingly strong female leads, really well written. Medieval fantasy magic, animal centric central character (talks to animals) journey of discovery in magic (coming of age story) YA.

    • Pyramids
    by Terry Pratchet
    -ditto, adored all of Discword comic fantasy by Sir Terry. Discworld is a hilariously written, comic magic universe, a flat world held up on the back of four turtles, who stand on the great A’tuin, mighty space turtle, swimming through the cosmos…

    • Louis McMaster Bujold ‘Vorkorsigan’ saga.
    Technically space opera but with strong elements of fantasy and perfect comedic timing, LMB takes you on a journey with mostly one character Miles Vorkorsigan (with side books for others). The depth and pathos of the moments of gravitas are soul wrenching, yet the books are mainly light hearted, side splitting comedy created with that elegance of perfect timing.

    • Joust
    by Mercedes Lackey
    Whole series
    Escaped slave boy fighting on dragonback, in an ancient Egypt with magic! Woot!!

    • The Last Dragonlord &
    • Dragon and Phoenix
    by Joanne Bertin,
    Superlative storytelling with really well done (shapeshifting) dragons.

    • Green Rider
    by Kristen Britain
    Magic and horses in brilliantly done epic fantasy.

    • Flowers for Algernon
    by Daniel Keys
    (a short story)
    Heartbreaking classic. Tissue box at the ready!

  • Gideon the Ninth was fantastic. The main character is spectacular and I love seeing good cosplay of her.

    I’ll have to check out those recs!

  • Flowers for Algernon is a tear-jerker for sure. Always been meaning to check out the Vorkorsigan Saga on recs from my writer friends who love the series.

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