Two Top Ten Lists

TOP TEN TERRY PRATCHETT BOOKS

Probably not in any particular order:

Reaper Man

Mort

Night Watch

Thud!

Small Gods

Good Omens (non-Discworld, with Neil Gaiman)

Guards! Guards!

Witches Abroad

Wyrd Sisters

Soul Music

Fans will of course note the bias toward Watch books. I fully admit to having a huge, unfading crush on Sam Vimes.



TOP TEN FANTASY / SCI-FI BOOKS

This one will be harder, and of course these lists evolve constantly as I read more books, and really from day to day depending on how I'm feeling.

Night Watch, Terry Pratchett

Thud!, Terry Pratchett

Rusalka, C.J. Cherryh

Spirits in the Wires, Charles de Lint

Medicine Road, Charles de Lint

the Lord of the Rings trilogy*

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
          (I actually like all of the Harry Potter books, but #3 is still my very favorite.)

American Gods, Neil Gaiman

Forests of the Heart, Charles de Lint

Good Omens, Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett

Outlander/Dragonfly in Amber/Voyager, Diana Gabaldon
          (Technically I think these are sort of romance-y / historical fiction, but you know what? Chick goes back in time through a set of standing stones. That's pretty much sci-fi. Besides, it's my list.)



*God, cliche...I know. But really, no matter how many times I read them, I still get totally wrapped up in them, and I still cry during the siege of Minas Tirith, because I can't stop thinking about how awful it would've been to be there, and to have no hope, and to have your friends' heads catapulted over the walls, and to still stand and fight the greatest evil your world has ever known, and then poor Faramir has his heart broken and stomped on by his own father...so yeah. I know there are many Tolkien-haters out there, but I'll never be one of them.

I was so caught up in the story that I flat-out bawled through almost the entirety of Return of the King at the theater, and I'm not generally a crier (and we're talking serious-waterworks, tears-streaming, nose-running, chin-trembling, shuddery-silent-sobs CRYING). The whole time, my husband's holding my hand and whispering, "You know that Aragorn is coming! You know the good guys will win! It's okay...Aragorn will be here soon!" and the guy next to my husband is totally trying to be sly but he's totally staring at me like, "Dude, what. a. freak." SO, to conclude. I love me some Lord of the Rings. Except the introduction to Fellowship...I'll admit that it does drag on a bit.