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[Grimshot]

 I don't normally read for recreation but so far my favorite would have to be the Dune series. I suppose I would like the The Lord of the Rings and other works by J. R. R. Tolkien quite a bit if I ever read them though.

[ChairmanPoo]

I began to read some novel from RA Salvatore a while ago. I found them terribad. 

[Reelyanoob]

I began to read some novel from RA Salvatore a while ago. I found them terribad. 

Go to a second-hand shop and find some D&D Forgotten Realms books written by other writers. They are far worse. I mean so much worse they will make Salvatore seem like a genius. Salvatore was the best of that whole D&D novel-writing crew by 1000 miles. I've just anti-plugged D&D novels

EDIT: I mainly read the Dark Elf Trilogy by Salvatore, but have maybe read something like 20 other forgotten realms books. I guess we need a word beyond Terrabad for those? Uber-Terrabad? Anyway here a forum thread dedicated to just that topic

[SalmonGod]

People are mentioning authors more than specific works, and the major ones that are worth mentioning have already been mentioned.  So here's what I can constructively contribute.

Tolkien goes without saying for me.  His work was an intimate part of my childhood.  The Hobbit was the first book I ever read, when I was 6 years old.  I don't think I would be anything like the same person if I hadn't grown up with that influence.  My love for Middle Earth goes well beyond any other literature.

Neil Stephenson hasn't been mentioned yet, but he is well known and liked enough that I don't feel I need to promote him.  Snow Crash inspired the name of my first-born (Hiro).

Roger Zelazny doesn't get nearly enough love.  I'm constantly surprised that he's never mentioned in threads like this.  His writing is more wildly creative and fun than anyone else I know.  He throws out crazy ideas like pocket change, dedicating only a few pages to concepts so creative and awesome that lesser authors would have written whole books based off them.  My favorite example is the way he handled time-traveling melee combat in Creatures of Light and Darkness.

[Vector]

I was given the entire Amber series in 7th grade by a well-meaning friend.  Unfortunately, it didn't stick =/

Maybe I'll try to read it again, now that I'm something approaching old enough to enjoy it at all.

[SalmonGod]

I like Amber a lot, but it's considerably toned down in comparison to the rest of his stuff.  I haven't read them since I was 16 so I don't know if I'd love them as much today, but you might try Lords of Light or Creatures of Light and Darkness as some of the best examples of his stand-alone books.

[KaelGotDwarves]

Oh and...

Spoiler: Allow me this one geek-out for the best manga imho. (click to show/hide)

Nausicaa manga. Must read if you're into anything of the sort. I won't tell you where to find it but the images should give a clue.

EDIT: and probably worth noting that I can't stand just about all comics anymore.

[Enzo]

Neil Stephenson hasn't been mentioned yet, but he is well known and liked enough that I don't feel I need to promote him.  Snow Crash inspired the name of my first-born (Hiro).

Snow Crash is damn near my favourite book, and that is awesome. Stephenson's other books, or the one's I've read at least (Anathem and Quicksilver) seem to move at a slower pace, and while they're still masterfully written I enjoyed them less.

Up there with Snow Crash are American Gods and The Great Gatsby, and damned if I could decide which of the three I like the most. The tier below that (amazing but not best evar) includes LOTR, Valley of the Dolls, The Picture of Dorian Gray, much Dickens, and probably countless I've forgotten.

Honourable mention to Asimov for short stories and R.D. Liang for non-fiction.

[ChairmanPoo]

The main reasin I dont read Asimov nowadays is that between the ages of 10 and 17 I read most of his works, many of them several times over, and pretty much know it end to end. Otherwise I'd likely be reading him still. Highly recommendable

[Duke 2.0]

 Everything Redwall. Its weird reading works like Tolken nowadays for the first time after hearing rave reviews on him and being unimpressed. Same with many other authors except Terry Pratchett, who I have not read enough of to provide an opinion of. I also loved the Narnia series as the author working through his faith with those books never bothered me, rendering me quizical when people had beef with it over that.

[Reelyanoob]

Greg Egan: Permutation City. That was the first one I read, I'm about to read Quarantine (which actually came out before the other one). Recommended if you like hard sci-fi or cyber or theoretical physics stuff.

Permutation City asks whether is there a difference between a computer simulation of a person and a "real" person. It focuses on a model of consciousness and reality, the Dust Theory, similar to the Ultimate Ensemble Mathematical Universe hypothesis proposed by Max Tegmark. It uses the assumption that human consciousness is Turing computable: that consciousness can be produced by a computer program. The book deals with consequences of human consciousness being amenable to mathematical manipulation, as well as some consequences of simulated realities. In this way, Egan attempts to deconstruct notions of self, memory, and mortality, and of physical reality.

[Luke_Prowler]

While it might sound stereotypical for a 40k player, my favorite has to be the Ciaphas Cain (HERO OF THE IMPERIUM) series.

[Vector]

I think most of Narnia was always a bit on the simplistic side for me.

Fond of it, though.

[Karnewarrior]

Ender's.

Game.

PERIOD.

[ChairmanPoo]

I only read one of the Narnia books, per teachers voluntary request. I thought it wa meh. Many annoying things which I did not directly attribute to the author,s preachyness because at the time I was not familiar enough with religion to notice.