Nice

How does Christopher Stasheff hold up over several books?
I have Oathbound Wizard which I remember really enjoying, but I have never seen any others by him. I might try harder to find them if he is consistently good.
I notice you haven't bought the latest Eddings series... Good Choice! It's terrible. Don't bother.

Yes, I agree. It was such a disappointment.

Heh-- that is practically the whole middle school curriculum in the school where I teach. Also add to that the "Watsons go to Birmingham-- 1963" Absolutely hilarious with a serious ending that touches on one of America's darkest moments in history.

I liked the Giver, and Gathering Blue wasn't that bad if you think of it as a separate story :S..Messenger, however, was disappointing.

Yes, in fact I recommended them a couple pages back

For those who like actual literary fiction, I really recommend Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison (not to be confused with The Invisible Man by H. G. Wells). It's fiction but it's a really interesting examination of American society, particularly as it pertains to race, and it's one of the best-written books I've ever had the fortune to read. It's probably a bit less powerful if you aren't American as it's about American society and American racial politics but it's probably still worth a read.

I think she tried to put too much Jesus into her messenger character, but it fell flat. I think if Gathering Blue wasn't obviously connected it would be okay. I think some writers need to learn when to leave well enough alone.

I probably shouldn't have put the entire Eragon collection on there since I've only read the first, and not the rest (only started on the second one). I thought Eragon and the Twilight series were fun reads. I didn't say that everything on my list was great literature. Maybe they were not even favorites come to think of it, but they were fresh in my mind so I added them.

I recently finished Hunters and Sandworms of Dune. Not as good as what the senior Herbert wrote but not a bad finish to the series.

Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein.
The Prince of Nothing trilogy by Scott Bakker.

Heinlein and Bakker are great for social commentary and philosophical/theological commentary mixed in with sci-fi/fantasy.

For poetry Milton and Robert W. Service. Service is known as the Klondike poet or the every man poet. You will not find a lot of flowery language in his works.

Dungeon, Fire, and Sword by John J. Robinson. A history of the Knights Templar that gives equal coverage to their great feats and to the poor tactical decisions of some of their grandmasters. Do not mistake this for a conspiracy or esoteric alternate history book.

Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird is one of my favorite novels.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly: Heart-Pounding, Jaw-Dropping, and Gut-Wrenching Moments in New York Rangers History by Steve Zipay

Also numerous cookbooks, gardening catalogs, and various numismatics resources.

I'd have to agree with Iain M. Banks, he's a damn good read. Probably "Use of Weapons" being my favorite book of his, I read his "Matter" a week ago which was also enjoyable. His other set of books, written as Iain Banks (no M) are just plain strange but thought-provoking.

For dystrophian the ones suggested were fine suggestions. I also loved the books by John Brunner which are all real old but predicted things like Internet worms. The best of his would be "The Sheep Look Up" but I did enjoy "Traveller in Black".

Currently I'm reading "The Nameless Day" by Sara Douglass. It's pretty good but wouldn't say its in my list of faves.