Ripping Good Yarns: Book Lover's Hall of Fame

I'm going to go ahead and take a chance.

Earlier, I started a Ripping Good Yarns TV Hall of Fame.  The winner and first entrant into that was M*A*S*H.

Then I started a Ripping Good Yarns Movie Hall of Fame.  The winner and first entrant into that was Star Wars.

Both worthy entries, but the contests did not generate the participation I had hoped for.  Certainly the number of voters that I had did not even match well with the page views on the blog, or the Facebook exposure I gave them.  But I plowed through anyways, because Rome wasn't built in a day, and these things take time to build.

Nevertheless, this one is risky.  But it's something I want to do, and I do know of a number of book fans who are Strait Line viewers and/or Facebook friends.  So here is the next grand Hall of Fame category - BOOKS.

This opening post represents the beginning of the nomination process.  Please comment below your favorite book or book series.  The top five to ten will be selected for the final vote.

The book should be fiction.  No autobiographies, non-fiction, history, self-help, cookbooks, etc.  But don't over think this.  If it's something you like and you're not sure of it's category, go ahead and nominate it anyways.  I will sort that out.

Some of my own nominations follow:

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley and 1984 by George Orwell - great dystopian novels that I read in high school.  Although neither of these visions became completely true, many elements they brought up are ones where  you can see their influence on modern culture.

Salem's Lot by Stephen King - a vampire story the way it should be done.  I ordered this book to complete a list of five free books to join a book club without really knowing what it was.  I started reading this and could not stop until I was finished.  One of the most sensational, intense reading experiences of my life.  Great writing and vampires with real teeth.

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien - the entire trilogy.  Revolutionized the way I look at books and inspired a great deal of my own writing.  Samwise to me is one of the greatest characters in literature.

The Game of Thrones by George R R Martin - a complicated but brilliant and accessible tapestry.  Written on a huge canvas, he draws you in with the multitude of vibrant characters and it's dizzying unpredictability.  I dare you to start the first book, get to about page 75, and then stop reading.  You won't be able to do it.  I have not lost this challenge yet.  The only flaw with this series, called The Song of Fire and Ice, is that it is still ongoing, and the author is maddeningly slow in putting out new books.

The Stand by Stephen King - best post-apocalypse story ever.  A great journey that I have reread a few times, it swirls with well-defined characters, exciting events, and a surprisingly spiritual framework.  It's one of those rare books that I never tire of re-reading.

Looking back over this list, I see that these are all 20th century books, and most of which would not be considered classic literature.  I will go back and mull over some more classic literature and recommend some books from that within the next week.

Meanwhile, I encourage your nominations!  It's okay to nominate books that have already been nominated.  In fact, it may be the only way to sort the top group for the actual voting.

Please nominate by comment here or on Facebook.  I also take private messages, personal conversations, and bribes are welcome (just kidding!).

Let the nominations begin!

(I hope)