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Breakfast of Champions - Kurt Vonnegut
Slaughterhouse 5 - Kurt Vonnegut
Cat's Cradle - Kurt Vonnegut
(I recommend just about everything by him but those are the top 3.. technically sci-fi which I noticed is being mixed in with fantasy)

Dark Lord of Derkholm - Dianna Wynn Jones
A Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgess
*Bartimaeus Trilogy - Jonathan Stroud



Slam - Nick Hornby
High Fidelity - Nick Hornby
Doing It - Melvin Burgess


Speak - Laurie Halse Anderson
The curious incident of the dog in the nighttime - Mark Haddon
Candide - Voltaire

If you haven't read these books, then go to the nearest bookstore and buy them. Read them. Treasure them.

1) The Book Thief and I Am The Messenger by Markus Zusak: Both delve deep into your minds and question your values. The first one talks about a girl living during WWII as a friend to a Jew they helped. The second one is a journey into life and its meanings.

2) Ysabel by Guy Gavriel Kay: There is no other books on the coming-of-age written as beautifully as this one. Fifteen-year-old Ned Marriner accompanies his famous photographer father, Edward, to Aix-en-Provence's Saint-Saveur Cathedral while his physician mother, Meghan, braves the civil war zone in Sudan with Doctors Without Borders. In an ancient baptistry, the pair are surprised by a mysterious, scarred man wielding a knife who warns that they've "blundered into a corner of a very old story. It is no place for children." But Ned and Kate can't avoid becoming dangerously entangled in a 2,500-year-old love triangle among mythic figures. (summary from Amazon.com. I can't sum it up in only three sentences.)

3) The List of Seven: If you are an occult fan (like me), you will love this book. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle has studied the supernatural in order to connect science with God. Now he is needed to use his knowledge on the occult to save his Queen and country. Luckily, he does not have to do this alone. Instead, he has a powerful ally, not unlike the famous detective he has penned years later...

And, of course, manga...

1) X/1999 by CLAMP: To me it is the best work CLAMP has ever produced. And they didn't even finish it. crying Dealing with the End of the World as it approaches 2000, two sides fight for the safety of either humanity or the Earth. Features beautiful art and heart-wrenching plot line. The same can be said for Tokyo Babylon and any other CLAMP series.

2) Fruit Basket: If you haven't even heard of it, then I will stab you.

3) Gankutsuou: Granted, it's not a manga. But it's something that can only exist in its anime form. Unique animation and point-of-view. Based on the novel The Count of Monte Cristo, told in Albert de Morcef.

Cheers! blaugh heart

I... don't usually finish books, I'm afraid, unless they are really good. I wish I did, considering...

Silent Star by Tracie Peterson
I cried basically through the entire thing, it was so sad. It is about a telegram messenger during WWII, and one of the best stories I have ever read. Best thing is, it's a short read, and powerful.

The Ordinary Princess by MM Kaye
I know, it's a children's book, but I absolutely love it, to this day.

Castles by Tracie Peterson
I loved it. It's an anthology of four stories, set in medieval Europe, and one of the only books I have eagerly devoured fully.

The Sarantine Mosaic, by Guy Gavriel Kay (series, fantasy)
The Lions of Al-Rassan, by Guy Gavriel Kay (not series, fantasy)

Now, I know people are gonna hate me for saying this, but I will anyways:

Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn: Stephenie Meyer
xLove/Romance/Fantasy/x

Children of the Red King (series): Jenny Nimmo
xFantasyx

The Wish List: Eoin Colfer
xFantasyx

Leven Thumps (series): Obert Skye
xFantasyx

Ok, so I got really lazy about putting them all into those first few posts...XD

Wow - so many books. And a load of my suggestions have already been said.
Ok - the best authors to have ever graved this world:

Ursula Le Guin (obviously Earthsea Chronicles, and the Hainish Cycle is brilliant too)
Diana Wynne Jones
Tamora Pierce (The Immortals series must be my favorite, partly because of Kitten the dragon...but read everything!)
Robin Mckinley (esp. Spindle's End)
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Phillip Reeve
Shakespeare!
Zadie Smith
Rhiannon Lassiter (You've probably heard of the Hex books, but Borderland books are also great, and definately watch out for Waking Dream)
Geoffrey Chaucer (attempt to read in Middle English, because it's so much more interesting than any translation I've found)
William Nicholson
Garth Nix (esp. the Abhorsen Series and SHade's Children)
(Him that did the Doomspell Trilogy, who's name I stupidly can't remember)
Alison Croggon


I'll probably think of more later. Sorry if I've repeated some of this - I can't remember everyone's suggestions.