My Own Great Books

I've been reading entries from various folks who have listed 15 books that are important to them, and I thought, "Hmm. What would mine be?"

So here they are. Some are important because they affected my life; some are important to me because I simply love the story.

1. The Stand -- Stephen King. I first read this book when I was in labor with SonnyeBoy. I finished it in one day. It's still my favorite Stephen King book.
2. The Once and Future King -- T.H. White. This is my favorite interpretation of the Arthurian legend.
3. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass -- Lewis Carroll. It's one of the first books I ever read for myself.
4. Summer Lightning -- P.G. Wodehouse. My favorite Wodehouse book, it makes me laugh out loud every time I read it, and I've read it many times.
5. The Kybalion -- Three Initiates. My equivalent of the Bible.
6. Be Here Now -- Baba Ram Dass. I still have the copy I bought in college for $3.33.
7. Slaughterhouse Five -- Kurt Vonnegut. I found it a little difficult to choose one Vonnegut, but Slaughterhouse Five is the one I read first. It turned me to Vonnegut, so it wins.
8. Fear of Flying -- Erica Jong. While it now seems dated, when FoF first came out it was liberating.
9. Giles Goat Boy -- John Barth. Barth is complex, but I love this book. I read it during my first season of the circus. Darryl Ponicsan, who was traveling with the show to research his own circus novel, was impressed that I was reading it. I said, "Well, I really want to keep my brain alive."
10. Freaky Deaky -- Elmore Leonard. Elmore Leonard is a dialog genius. I read the first two pages of this book in the bookstore and bought it on the spot.
11. Gone with the Wind -- Margaret Mitchell. I read it in seventh grade; my first real "grown-up" book.
12. Autobiography of a Yogi -- Paramahansa Yogananda. Another inspirational book from college.
13. Water for Elephants -- Sarah Gruen. I thought I'd better put in a recent book, and this is it. I love great writing; I love the circus. How could I not love this book?
14. The Vampire Lestat -- Anne Rice. Vampires. I mean, Vampires! Who are not lovesick teenagers!
15. Winnie the Pooh -- A.A. Milne. I remember my older sister reading to this book to me when I was a kid. I still remember her saying "It's Winnie Ther Pooh. Don't you know what 'Ther' means?"

What books would you choose?