Amazon keeps recommending Siddhartha to me. Which I think is a fair call (I've read it before), but I believe they have reached it by a misleading route (it's based on a book I bought someone else).
Amazon's recommendations for me are almost always wonky because of gift-buying. You'd think they could factor things like "purchased off someone else's wish list" or "shipped to an entirely different name and address" into their algorithm. Not that I really care, because I don't go to their site expecting to get ideas for what to read next, but as a former Marketing major, I'm puzzled that they don't think it worth their while to refine the system.
The only Amazon recs that ever make sense to me are the ones for things I already own. The others all tend to be recommendations for bestsellers. ("Customers who purchased Farscape, Season 4, Volume 5 also purchased The Da Vinci Code.")
PLEI -- I insent to your profile addy last night.
I value worldbuilding far more than character. I'm sure that's related to the fact that I read mostly sci-fi, but if I don't believe in the book's universe, I'm not going to be reading anything else by that author.
I totally understand this with sci-fi and fantasy -- I'm sure if I read much in those genres, worldbuilding would be key also. Well, like Harry Potter. I *so* totally believe in Platform 9 3/4, for instance.
I can't believe there's no one in here to squee with me over the antique KSM. 1893 people!!! I should try to scan it so y'all can see it.
Setting/worldbuilding comes a very close second to character for me. I like to feel like the characters are grounded in a particular time and place, and that if I were somehow magically transported to Narnia or Anne Shirley's P.E.I. or Terre D'Ange or one of Jack Aubrey's commands, I'd know them almost like I know Seattle and Philadelphia.
That is so. freaking. cool.
It was my turn to ask a question, and he said, "Sunil, dude!" And I, flustered, replied, "Sean, dude!" (Sean (K), if you see this, this is what amused me about my compliment to you in GWW) I don't even remember what my question was anymore; I suppose I could look it up. But you should really check out cloudmakers.org; I think they have a lot of The Beast archived. I think you'll love Laia's meditations (I'm pretty sure that's part of what he wrote as lead writer). And also, there was one day where we had to call a guard at the Statue of Liberty and convince him to save one of the characters, and it turned out Sean Stewart had played the part of the guard.
I should read it.
I keep meaning to.
I also need to get his new book, which is small press, and therefore I shall have to actually order online or something.
Kavalier and Klay
Toni Morrison's Paradise
Maybe IJ although it has a massive WTF? quotient chez moi(what's on the Entertainment, so I could go on with my life? Feel free to e-mail me.)
Seconding Plei's Atwood emotions.
My nominations for canon-worthy evwen in the future-
Alice Walker- The Temple of My Familiar or The Color Purple
John Irving- The Hotel New Hampshire The World According to Garp or The Widow for One Year. I also think Irving would make a good addition to "canon" because of the various similarities that run through his work and then a sort of break from them in his last three books.
