I read. A lot. Not as much as I'd like, but still a lot. Here's what I like to read, reread, or just generally recommend. Read them all, if you get a chance.
Russian stuff
- Anton Pavlovich Chekhov - anything. I love everything he's written. Although most famous for his plays (Uncle Vanya, Three Sisters, the Cherry Orchard, etc.,) his short stories are incredible. My favorites are "Lady with a Lapdog" and "Ward No. 6."
- *Mikhail Bulgakov - The Master and Margarita. This book is probably my favorite. It's a story about the Devil's trip to Moscow, and what one woman will do to be with the man she loves. But so, so, so much more. Bulgakov is very Gogol-ish (lots of absurdities), but that only adds to the plot. Definitely worth reading multiple times, as you find a new layer with each reading.
- Honorable mentions: I love Russian literature, especially the late 1800's-mid 1950's eras. So that would be Gogol, Dostoevsky, Solzhenitsyn, and Nabokov. And don't focus on just their novels; their short stories are wonderful too.
Fiction
- Dennis L. McKiernan - tales of Mithgar. Yes, he ripped off Tolkien. And yes, his books are pretty fluffy. But they're still pretty good, especially when you just want a break from reading texts and journal articles.
- Stephen Baxter - Manifold Trilogy. This is a set of books linked by similar characters testing the limits of the universe to discover exactly what it means to be human. The first two are hard science sci-fi, one about our future in time and the other about our future in space, and they have a message similar to that of Clarke's 2001: a Space Odessey. The third, about the origins of humanity, is a bit more anthroplogical. But all in all, incredible.
- Kim Stanley Robinson - The Mars Trilogy. Set in the near future, the books (along with The Martian Chronicles) detail Man's ascent to and conquest of Mars, in a completely plausible manner. Wonderful character development. Not quite as hardcore as what Baxter writes, but still definitely worth checking out.
- Stephen King - The Dark Tower series. What list would be complete without this man? This series is incredibly engaging and brilliant. It effectively ties together most of what he's ever written, including his masterpiece The Stand. It's about Roland, the last gunslinger, and his quest to destroy Flagg? I don't know, the books as of yet have little definite direction. But read them, because they're brilliant.
- Honorable mention:Anne McCaffrey because although she's definitely fluff, and way too positive and unrealistic and fantasty-leaning, she did get me hooked on sci-fi. Her Pern books are probably my favorite, followed by The Rowan.
Nonfiction
- Eric Schlosser - Fast Food Nation. Recommended reading by liberals everywere, I am no expcetion. This book takes a nice, hard look at the fast food industry in America, showing the reader what he or she is actually eating, both in terms of ingredients and the little bit of his or her soul that's lost to corporate America. You'll never look at fast food the same way again.
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