If I had to pick only one...

[Aglaea]

Hi everyone, I think we should have a Best Of list. Some authors are so prolific that it can be hard to know which book to pick, if we only want to choose one by each author. Some of us geek out and want to read the full repertoir, whereas others like to skim here and there, but it isn't as easy to do the latter I think.

One example would be Stephen King, who has popped up several times lately here and who writes across many genres. In general, I'd prefer to hear only a single work, rather than a book per genre, because a story can be solid regardless of genre.

I'd like to volunteer to maintain a master list up here on top, and edit once new books come in, so feel free to add your Best Of in the comments! Please add a link to the book in question in your comment.

[Rachel]

I think it's a great idea, but it would be tricky to put together in practice. Everyone has such different favourites, it would be hard to get a consensus on just one.

[Jody]

I think this is a great idea! Even if we do end up with a few for each author, it would certainly narrow things down a bit. For me, I'd love to give a few different authors a try, but I have no idea where to start - so I'm definitely keen to see suggestions!

My "Best Of":

Stephen King: The Shining
Charles Dickens: Great Expectations
Terry Pratchett: Mort
Neil Gaiman: The Ocean at the End of the Lane
Truman Capote: In Cold Blood
Shirley Jackson: We Have Always Lived in the Castle
Anne Rice: Interview with the Vampire
V.C. Andrews: Flowers in the Attic
Roald Dahl: The Witches
Kurt Vonnegut: Slaughterhouse-Five
John Steinbeck: Of Mice and Men
Agatha Christie: And Then There Were None
Edgar Allan Poe: The Telltale Heart
Jane Austen: Emma
E.B. White: Charlotte's Web

[J]

Terry Pratchett: Small Gods
Piers Anthony: Crewel Lye
Lois McMaster Bujold: Barrayar
Frank Herbert: Dune Messiah
C. S. Lewis: That Hideous Strength
Robert Asprin: Another Fine Myth
Stephen King: The Stand
Isaac Asimov: Foundation and Empire
Ursula K. LeGuin: The Dispossessed
Douglas Adams: The Restaurant at the End of the Universe
John Scalzi: The Ghost Brigades
Iain M. Banks: Use of Weapons