I agree, it is a valuable addition to my collection of vampire novels. So much research must've gone into that book! My favourite is Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, for having a hilarious surprise in every sentence. I still giggle when I think of the Whale coming to a conclusion that the ground is ground and uses of a towel. The towel bit made me laugh so much I made a student video with that theme.
I don't really have the best book, there are quite a few books I really adore, and like the most depending on the mood I'm in; e.g. I love Kafka and everything he wrote - he was such an amazing person. But then again, Kafka is only good for certain hours and cannot be read in every moment, and it's like that for every single author or book I could name now. I love that book as well, in fact it's my favourite by H. Hesse.
I loved the book White Oleander by Janet Finch Beautifully poetic, melodic, raw and honest. I loved all the short stories written by Oscar Wilde, his fairy tales especially (if you will) Ie: 'The Happy Prince' Also the Northern Lights series was amazing, very clever .. But my favourite novel(s) of all time was the Adrian Mole Series, simply because I liked the character's wry sense of humour and the unusual depth to each installment, also, back in the old days, I used to fancy myself as similar to Adrian, lul.
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott. Fitzgerald Beautiful. Lyrical prose. A doomed Character who doesn't know it. Or he might. Well worth the read. Way better than anything produced today. Better than Hemingway.
I've got a lot, and it seems they've all been mentioned here before. No, I cannot choose between, not even for runners up. Bartimaeous Trilogy for its slapstick humor and great plotlines Phantom Tollbooth because it changed my way of thinking Hitchhiker's Guide series because it furthered that change. Okay, I lied, one runner up: Les Miserables --I loved it, but hated all the history and random detail. I just finished it a few days ago... and now they're forcing us to watch the musical. And though my favorite character from the novel would have to be Gavroche or Cosette, after seeng the musical I feel more sympathy for Eponine.... (Sorry about the rant... )
I just finnished the classic 'The Devine Comady' (Commanly known as Dante's Inferno) it was brilliant! I loved it. And a trip though Hell was really fasinating.
One of the best stories I have read of late is Shutterbug. I had seen some amazing reviews of the novella and decided to give it a read. It was amazingly good. It had such a twist at the end that wasn't too predictable really. It was awesome though. Definatel worth while buying in my opinion.
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - definitely. As it says on the back of the book, it will change the way you think and feel about your life.
Shogun by James Clavell the first novel I've read. It just blew me away. The moment I started the first page, it transported me through space and time. To 16th century Japan. Such rich and enchanting characters and there are dozens of them. Not least the main characters, Blackthorne, Mariko and Toranaga. Great and byzantine plot, superb dialog, beautifully written. It got me into reading. It also started my love for modern Japanese culture. Although there were other books afterwards that engrossed me, the feeling I got from Shogun was never surpassed. I couldn't put the book down. It practically had me thinking "Japan" and "samurai" for a months. And I've re-read it over the years since that first time I've did way back in 1983. I've read it maybe 10 times already and it still captures me as much as it did. It also changed my outlook in life. Since reading that book I've kind of adapted the eastern (Japanese) outlook in life which I find practical, simple and beautiful. Special Mention Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien - the best Fantasy novel Dune by Frank Herbert - the best Science Fiction novel