Religion/Spiritual

The Bible
The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ: By Anne Catherine Emmerich
Summa Theologiae: Thomas Aquinas
The Imitation of Christ: Thomas A Kempis
Gods Politics: Why the Right Gets it Wrong and the Left Just Dont Get It

Political/World view

Bias: Bernard Goldberg
The New Thought Police: Tammy Bruce

Political w/humor

Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: Al Franken
Dude Wheres My Country: Michael Moore

Fantasy/Adventure

Interview With the Vampire
Lestat The Vampire
Queen of the Damned

These are by Anne Rice... I couldnt get into the other tales of vampires she wrote, but this trilogy rocks.

so. democrat or republican?

A couple that haven't been named:

LOTR- started the fantasy genre and has yet to be topped.

The Great Gatsby- just a great, classic book.

I had no idea that America just has a two party system.

We landed on the moon by the way.

These are just books which I really enjoy reading and which are not "difficult" to read per se. The first is just an anthology. I am surprised I have not seen there here more.

T.C. Boyle Stories
Joseph Heller Catch 22
John Nichols The Milagro Beanfield War
Don DeLillo White Noise (I actually don't like much of his other work)

For "pop" fiction I really liked Stephen King's The Dark Half.

Oh and for finally having a book thread not on comics. Comics != Books. Comics = Art, but Comics != Books.

Ah, the classics. There are so many of them I have not read. My early experiences with required reading were not good, so I ignored all the books that I “should” read for many years. I tried reading The Bible but just can’t make it through. I never got to the New Testament. David Copperfield, War and Peace, Remembrance of Things Past – I gave up on them all after a few hundred pages.

Last year I did finally read Uncle Tom’s Cabin. I expected it to be dry and boring but it was actually compelling and I didn’t want to put it down. It is the novel that started the American Civil War, according to some.

One book I think of as essential that I don’t hear much about it The Fifth Business by Robertson Davies. I was amazed by it and wished I had gotten to it much sooner than I did. Apparently that is a common reaction.

I also really liked The Catcher In The Rye. I managed to avoid it until recently and was surprised how much I liked it.

well there have already been some excellent suggestions so far.
I would add ayn rand, at least atlas shrugged and fountainhead, possibly fitzgerald's tender is the night, siddhartha and narcissus and goldumnd (mispelled I believe) by herman hesse. I'll have to put some more thought into it though as those are just off the cuff.

For younger folks reading I would say neverending story, wind in the willows, chronicles of narnia, his dark materials.

must have:
the complete far side
and soon to come, the complete calvin and hobbes collection

optional choice:
spy vs spy collection

i'd like to believe you're right. while the independents do occasionally provide an exception to the rule, the libertarians/greens/you-name-its are synonymous with also-rans.

but you appear to be a donkey, and this is neither here nor there

(i wanted to say ass, but want to be clear in suggesting you're a dem, not an actual ass. heh)

(ps, who really wants to have michael moore as a spokesperson?)

i second the bible, by the way. i would say most religious works would be essential reading and substantially relevant. so, the qu'ran would be good here too, and others.

understand these, and you'll understand most everything a little bit better. (insert reference to narnia, paradise lost, shakespeare, canterbury tales, and your favorite book here)

Daddy's Boy - Chris Elliot