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[jimbunny]

Let's see...no order whatsoever...

Traveling Mercies by Anne Lamott
[I'm actually in the middle of it right now, but I'm pretty sure this book might just save my faith. Regardless of what you believe, however, she's a great writer and her stories are above all honest, then touching. Definitely my recommendation for those interested in looking at a positive side to modern Christianity.]

If I'm going to list that, then I should probably list

The Irresistable Revolution by Shane Claiborne
[Especially for Christians, this book is a few hundred pages of the most uncomfortable, yet convicting, prose you will ever read. This is the story of a movement to recapture the idea of community that a culture of wealth has lost...by rejecting wealth. Again, a great (and probably unexpected) voice coming out of modern Christianity.]

Heh. Those, and

A Brief History of Time / The Universe in a Nutshell by Stephen Hawking
[Made me think in ways I hadn't ever thought of thinking in before. My mind went - boom!]

Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
[He writes so...beautifully. Egad. The way he used words in this book really made a connection with me.]

Count Zero by William Gibson
[Count Zero is probably my favorite book of his, but Neuromancer, Mona Lisa Overdrive, All Tomorrow's Parties, the man's entire body of work is just awesome. I love him so, so much.]

...

Should be on the list, but not enough space: Against a Dark Background by Iain Banks. Exceedingly dark, but excellent fiction. The ending left me with a void in my gut and a chill down my spine, and all I wanted to do was throw my fist up in the air in the emptiest feeling of triumph I've ever felt. So strange, but so good.

[RobbieOC]

The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald

A read from high school. Loved it then and I'll love it next time I read it.

The Amazing Adventures of Cavalier and Klay - Michael Chabon

A great book. Just wonderfully written.

Understanding Comics - Scott McCloud

A great introduction to the "art" of comics.

The Canterbury Tales - Geoffrey Chaucer

I just finished a class on Chaucer and I loved the Canterbury Tales. Specifically the Prioress' Tale. Just great stuff.

The Chronicles of Narnia - C.S. Lewis

I read these as a kid, and then again just recently and I still loved them. Not for the allegories (though I do love a good allegory), but just for the continuity and the story-telling. I don't know.

[jarska]

Four Years of Struggle against Lies, Stupidity, and Cowardice 

[Oli]

Okay let's see.

Notes From A Big Country - Bill Bryson

This book started my love of Bill Bryson and Bill Bryson esque literature. It is a collection of hilarious essays about American life that he wrote for a newspaper. Unfortunately I lent my copy of this book to a lady and she has stoled it. I'll have to get myself another copy.

American Psycho - Bret Easton Ellis

This was the first Ellis book I read and it sparked a huge interest in his work and similar work for me. It was probably one of the first books I ever seriously evalutated and thought carefully about which is also kind of cool.

Espedair Street & Walking On Glass - both by Iain Banks.

These were two books that my 2nd year (Scottish schooling - I would have been about 12) English teacher recommended/lent to me. They both brought a new love of reading into my life and were two of the first "adult" books that I ever read. I think that if I hadn't read these books I probably wouldn't be as interested in reading as I am nowadays. Also I still love reading Banks so I guess something went right.

and finally Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh.

I've only recently finished this but by God is it good. It is just simply an amazing read and Welsh's style is superb. I guess it might not be for everyone and some people might find it difficult to read due to it being written in a Scots Dialect but being Scottish myself this basically made the book even better. If you've seen the movie you'll have a good idea of what it is about, but the book has infinitely more in it. The movie has a slightly more coherent story line though so if you don't want a jumbled up story this isn't for you.

[Tago Mago]

Critique of Pure Reason,
by Immanuel Kant

The Immense Journey: An Imaginative Naturalist Explores the Mysteries of Man and Nature
by Loren Eiseley

Silent Spring,
by Rachel Carson

Remembrance of things past,
by Marcel Proust

Atlas Shrugged
by Ayn Rand

Can I have your list? 

Immanuel Kant - Critique of Pure Reason
Marcel Proust - Swann's Way
John McDowell - Mind & World
James Joyce - A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
Louis Ferdinand Celine - Journey to the End of the Night

[Ballard]

I'd like to add Howl by Allen Ginsberg to the list.

[LizziL]

3.The 5 People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom
There is actually quite a story behind this book... I was in a bookstore on my birthday and the cute friend of a friend (who i had a crush on and just happened to work there) was teasing me everytime i picked a book off the shelf so in the end exasperated i told him to pick a book for me, and so this was the book he picked off the shelf and purchased for me as a present. I was so blown away at the spontaneous and random act of kindness but when i got home i was even more happy to find his phone number written on the back of a bookmark. By the time I finished the book I knew he was the guy for me .... (lame and totally cheesy romantic comedy moment but oh well were happy)

I adore that book!!!! And, very cute story, it made me 'aw' out loud, which I don't do a lot.

So, let's see...I'm not sure I can think of five!
The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Alborn

Harry Potter (All) - JK Rowling

My Sister's Keeper - Jodi Picoult

Brave New World - Aldous Huxley

I'm currently reading Gone With The Wind, so I'll let you all know what I think of it whenever I finish, and I'd absolutely LOVE to read Les Miserables.