The Subtle Knife (His Dark Materials 2), Philip Pullman

It took me a long time to get through this one. Too many other things to do I guess. I was a little disappointed in the second installment of this series, especially since I liked the first book so well. In this story, Lyra Silvertongue is joined in her travels by a teenage boy named Will. They have several hairy adventures, jumping between this world and the next. It must have been character building time during this book because the action didnt really start until the last 100 pages or so. If it hadn't done so, I would not have been interested in getting the last book in the series. I was little puzzled also when the author decided to kill off two of the best supporting players in the last 50 pages of the book. Didn't make sense, not even for shock value. I will let you know how the last book goes, hopefully better than this one. Perseverance. That's all I can say.

Shadowplay (Shadowmarch part 2), Tad Williams

I really can't say any more good things about Tad Williams. He has to be one of the best fantasy writers that I've ever read. The only contemporary that he might have is Neil Gaiman. This book is 650 pages, but I barely noticed them flying by. His characters are rich in detail and all very, very different. You find yourself rooting for the underdog and despising the bad guys, as you should.

Shadowplay is the second installment of the Shadowmarch Trilogy, and, as promised, leaves you hanging at end, because there is third book that will answer all questions. Of course. It's very frustrating, but yet I'll go buy the third book as soon as it comes out in paperback. Soon, I hope.

And so I wait. Again.

:P

The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials 1), Philip Pullman

I thought this was a fabulous book. The story moved fast, the characters were interesting and the pages just flew by. I have no idea why the catholic church was so upset about this novel, come on, it's a fantasy book, relax! Definitely a book that your kids could read, though if they are under 10, they may not get as much out of it as a teenager would.

I recommend the movie, AFTER you've read the book, even though they are very similar. Daniel Craig and Nicole Kidman captured their characters extremely well. And really, how can you go wrong with a movie with Sam Elliot in it? Just look at Roadhouse...LOL. http://www.newline.com/properties/goldencompassthe.html.

I look forward to reading the 2nd and 3rd installments of the 'His Dark Materials' series and I'll get back to you.

Twilight, Stephanie Meyer

I did this one backwards, went to see the movie first, then read the book. I really glad I did it that way, but looking back on it, I dont know that it really made that much difference. The movie was true to the book and vice versa. It was a pretty easy read and the pages just flew by. If you are looking for the steamy stuff that's in the Laurell K. Hamilton books and other vampire series, you came to the wrong place. This book is almost squeaky clean and I'd feel comfortable with anyone over the age of 12 reading this. It's a good story, and for one who loves stories, it was a good pick for me. Enjoy.

Artemis Fowl, The Lost Colony

Even though I jumped into the story in the middle of the series, I thoroughly enjoyed this story. It was a super quick read, but for some reason it still took me 2 months to get through it :P. The story is well thought out and is definitely kid friendly. There's not a bad word or situation in the book that you would worry about your kids reading. Enjoy.

Where The Heart Is

I'm not usually one to recommend books in Oprah's Book Club, but hey, if it's a good story, why not? I got interested in this story after seeing the movie, which is usually backwards to most people's experiences. I have found that if I liked the movie, the book must have been really, really good. Hollywood usually does such a hack job making movies from books, but in this case they did a fairly nice job. The book and the movie follow the same plot except for a few twists that were developed, I'm sure, to keep the story moving.
Both the book and the movie are recommended. The movie has Natalie Portman going for it, so it's a no brainer for me. :P

Drizzt!

This is a fun little series, does not take much concentration to get maximum entertainment. Follow the travels of the legendary Drizzt Do'Urden, the Lone Drow.

The Dragon and the George

I think I read the Dragon and the George four or five times in all and enjoyed it every time. The English Wolf Aragh has got to be one of my favorite characters, the dry humor had me cracking up. A fun book all around.

Quag Keep

Andre Norton is an old school sci-fi and fantasy author whose works like Quag Keep and the Witch World series are unsurpassed for their originality within the genre. Quag Keep is one of the first forays into the role playing realm. I remember this book as one of the ones that really sparked my imagination as a teenager. Enjoy!

Neverwhere

Even though I became a huge fan of Neil Gaiman when I read his Sandman comic book series, this is the book that really cemented it for me. Kind of an off the beaten track book, but I really enjoyed it and it has alway stuck out in my mind as one of the better books I've read. See also Neil Gaiman's Stardust, which was just recently made into a pretty good movie.

Neuromancer

William Gibson's portayal of what the earth of our future could be, struck home for me as I read it. I could see just how things could end up they way this story plays out. It was frightening and not necessarily a flattering picture of our future.

Stone of Farewell

Stone of Farewell, the first in a trilogy, by Tad Williams, is just one of my favorites. I dont know why, but I have to reread it every couple of years and I seem to get something new out of it each time. I know I felt the same way when I re-read the Lord of the Rings trilogy also. His stories are very complex and his plot lines are impeccable. Read this one for pure enjoyment.

Dragonriders of Pern

Anne McCaffrey is a storyteller. She does it so well that as soon as you finish one book you are looking for more. The story follows the young girl, Lessa from virtual slavery to becoming the most important woman on her planet. The imagery of the dragons interacting with 'their' humans is detailed and vivid. The Dragonriders trilogy is not the only books about the world of Pern, Dragonsong is also one of my favorites.

Wheel of Time

The Wheel of Time series, beginning with The Eye of the World is just a great story. Period. It has so many story threads, so many characters, so many great yarns buried in a bigger story, that it's hard to put the book down. I hope you have stamina, because there are now TWELVE books in this series, most of which are 1200 pages. I'm thinking that's about one year of entertainment. Enjoy!

Elric of Melnibone

Elric is the quintisential anti-hero, he does dispicable things but you cant help but like the guy. He is torn emotionally by all the things that everyone else is and everyone can find something to identify with in the story. This whole series is fabulous, unfortunately, this is the only series of books by Michael Moorcock that I can whole-heartedly recommend.

LOTR

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy is the beginning of all reading for anyone who likes sci-fi and fantasy books. All current fantasy books are based on Tolkien's books, I dont care what anyone says to the contrary. He did it first, and better than most have done since then, and is the Benchmark for the genre. I liked his 'prequel' to LOTR, 'The Hobbit', but it never had the complexity or depth that the Trilogy had. To understand some of the motivations behind 'the Ring', you should read the Hobbit. If you turn into a die-hard Tolkien fan, try the Silmarilion also, but it's not something that casual readers would be into.