Recommended Books and Authors
Books that I absolutely love and think everyone should read.

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Such a short simple story, but with so many deep concepts, especially about love. It's sad, but heartwarming.

Jennifer Government by Max Barry
I'm a big fan of dystopian fiction. This book is set in a future world which is run by corporations. It's a new take on the classic evil corporation trope and is a fun read. The author's other books are also great.

Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Hands down the trippiest book I have ever read. I have no idea if there are any underlying morals or themes... It's very possible that there aren't. But it's such a fantastic book regardless!

Thus Spoke Zarathustra by Friedrich Nietzsche
Listing this book may seem like a pretentious move, but when I read it for myself, I found that it had some great ideas. It's very easy reading and a short book. I think my favorite concept is the one with the dragon— read it and you'll understand.

The Mouse That Roared by Leonard Wibberly
A funny little book about a tiny nation that declares war on the US. The setting is reminiscent of Dr. Strangelove, but it's less dark.

Tailchaser's Song by Tad Williams
Another trippy fantasy tale about a cat who finds that some evil morbid thinger is endangering his fellow cats and lifestyle. It's very strange but I liked it a lot because it's just so unusual.

His Dark Materials series by Phillip Pullman
I don't even know how to describe this book. It's profound and made me cry. It should be read by all because of the amazing originality, and discussion of themes such as government, love, and religion. Describing the plot would be pointless -- just go read it! By the way, if you're wondering, the movie wasn't great. It took the fangs out of the story.

Philip K. Dick
I love his short stories. They were all written in the '60s or '70s I think so they're different. If you enjoyed such movies as Blade Runner, Paycheck, Minority Report, or Scanner Darkly, you'll enjoy his books. He wrote all of those stories!

Clive Woodall
This guy wrote an interesting book, sort of Redwallish, but set with birds. However, it is not at all a children's book. It is definitely for adults. If you like animal fantasy stories, I recommend him.

Jostein Gaarder
The author of Sophie's World and The Solitaire Mystery, both of which are trippy and interesting. The former is recommended for philosophy enthusiasts, while the latter is just plain odd. It involves anthropomorphic playing cards.

Mercedes Lackey
This woman has written SO MUCH STUFF. I have only read The Mage Wars trilogy and most of The Elemental Masters series. The former is one of the best-known fantasy works involving gryphons while the latter is interesting because it takes old stories such as Snow White or Sleeping Beauty and rewrites them in the context of magicians in Victorian England.

Anne McCaffrey
Renowned author of the Dragonriders of Pern series. A must for anyone who calls themselves a sci fi or fantasy lover. The whole concept of dragon riders and dragon hierarchy by color has been ripped by everyone who came after her.

Rita Mae Brown
The Mrs Murphy mysteries are very cute (but not cutesy, haha). They're basically about two cats and a Corgi who solve murder mysteries. It's set in central Virginia which I find nice to read because I live in Virginia.

Eva Ibbotson
A British children's author who has written a bunch of clever and very sweet stories, many of which have environmental themes. I recommend Journey to the River Sea, Which Witch?, The Star of Kazan, Island of the Aunts, and Dial-a-Ghost.

Laurien Berenson
If you like dog shows, you'll find this author's series of murder mysteries set in the dog show world interesting. The breed of choice is the Standard Poodle.

David Clement-Davies
I have read most of this man's work. It is all quite epic. My favorites are The Sight and its sequel, Fell, which actually made me cry. It's about wolves and is set in the midst of Balkan history in the Middle Ages, interestingly, but there's a healthy dose of trippy fantasy stuff.

Ian Fleming
He wrote the James Bond books! And Chitty Chitty Bang Bang! Need I say more?

Enid Blyton
When I was little, I read a lot of this author's work. All of her stories about little toys that come to life, fairies and gremlins, and the mystery solving children of the Secret Seven and Famous Five are fascinating. She gets a lot of flak now for being sexist, but the way I see it, her books just reflect the culture of the time they were written.

James Herriot
Heartwarming stories of the life of a country vet in rural England. Totally fascinating and a must for aspiring vets. Honest, emotional, and overall seriously fascinating. I think my favorite character of all is Tricki Woo.

Michael Crichton
If you aren't already familiar with this man's work, I recommend it. Maybe you think you're too good for novels with raised print on the cover, but if you like science and technology and thrillers, this stuff is fun to just motor through. Sphere is one of his more thoughtful/trippy works.

Jasper Fforde
Surrealist humor in an alternate reality England is what this series is about. Evil corporations, the ability to jump into stories, and pet dodos abound! Definitely recommended for literature nerds.

Scott Westerfeld
I have read the whole Uglies series, the Twilighters series, and the Peeps series. I love all of it. This guy's books are very original, especially the Uglies series, which is about a dystopia (my favorite!) I've done Halloween as a Special several times.

Graeme Base
This man actually illustrates picture books. I got my first one when I was like, 4. I've only read Animalia and The Sign of the Seahorse, but I should go find more. The artwork is fantastic, especially in Animalia.

H. P. Lovecraft
This guy was a sickly child and died in his 40s. Very sad. He is remembered as being one of America's finest horror writers, and the creator of Cthulhu. His writing style is lovely and detailed.

Cecily von Zeigesar
Author of the Gossip Girl series. Why am I touting Gossip Girl? As a teenage girl, I have read lots of teenage girl fiction, but GG stands out. The characters are well developed and the plot is actually engaging. The TV show is lame -- it is not at all true to the book and became repetitive. The books are so much more interesting and less censored -- Chuck gets a pet monkey from a druggie girl's mom and takes it everywhere, for example.