Staff Picks: Cynthia's Ten Favorite Books
 Each month, we ask one employee to tell us about their ten favorite books. This list is no holds barred -- any genre, any size -- whatever they really want to talk about. The only restriction is that the books still be in print so that we can help you find them if they sound good.This month's presenter is Cynthia. "Looking over my choices, I see that they lean towards science-fiction and drama, but that makes sense. I am an escapee from the theatre world, and I like literature that turns life sideways and upside-down so that we can see it more clearly." |
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 The Hobbit The Lord of the Rings  by J.R.R. Tolkien"I guess that this is cheating, since it consists of four separate books, but together they make a complete story. I, like many other people, grew up reading these books once a year for many years. They became my blueprint for what is important in life, emphasizing the power of friendship, the fact that looks can be deceiving, and a belief that anyone, no matter how small, can accomplish great deeds. Tolkien still has the power to totally transport me." |
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 Henry IV, Part 1by William Shakespeare "In this play, Shakespeare manages to combine all of the elements that made him such a genius. Henry IV, Part 1 tells the story of Prince Hal's coming of age, and in addition to being filled with intrigue and action, it has what is likely the funniest character in the English language, Falstaff. Shakespeare's histories are not given the praise they deserve." |
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 Ender's Gameby Orson Scott Card "This is the book that I give to my friends who say that they never read science-fiction because it just doesn't appeal to them. Ender's Game, like all good science-fiction is as real as it gets. It challenges us to re-examine our beliefs, in the guise of a really good story." |
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 Geek Loveby Katherine Dunn "The only down side to reading this book is that there is nothing else available by this author. Enter the twisted world of a family of circus freaks. The patriarch has assured his children of their profession by feeding his wife various cocktails of drugs and poisons during pregnancy. This book must be experienced to be understood--to say 'dysfunctional family story' does not begin to describe this dark, fascinating tale." |
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 The Cloudsby Aristophanes "Aristophanes wrote seven of the handful of extant Ancient Greek plays that we have today, and his are the only comedies. Most people are probably more familiar with Lysistrata, which is a more accessible work. Saturday Night Live, National Lampoon, and the Coen brothers have nothing on Aristophanes. His is a visceral, bawdy, and lewd humor, and it is also the best political satire ever written. The Clouds is an attack on the Sophist movement in Athens. Aristophanes dances a fine line between slapstick and poetry, the obscene and the sublime." |
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 The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbelieverby Stephen R. Donaldson  Book 1: Lord Foul's BaneBook 2: The Illearth War Book 3: The Power that Preserves  "I came across these books at a time in my life when I wanted something more than traditional formula fantasy. I was tired of Tolkien rip-offs. Stephen Donaldson gave me an anti-hero, phobias, psychological srew-ups, bad choices and all. Fantasy for real people." |
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 American Godsby Neil Gaiman "I like everything that Neil Gaiman has done, from the Sandman graphic novels to this, his latest work. American Gods is a big, sprawling novel that takes us on a road trip of American religion. Along the way we see the Old Gods lining up to do battle against the New Gods of the Internet, television, and cellphones. It's part adventure story and part hero quest, and it asks us to question the nature of religion and how it manifests itself in our lives." |
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 Three Men in a Boatby Jerome K. Jerome "Reading this book is like watching your favorite British comedy on the BBC. It was a runaway bestseller when it was published in 1889, and it's still just as funny today." |
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 Perdido Street Stationby China Mieville "Not for the faint of heart. Mieville has created the first steam punk fantasy novel--dark, intelligent, and brutal like nothing you have ever read before." |
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 A Moon for the Misbegottenby Eugene O'Neill "Only Eugene O'Neill can rip your heart out in such a beautiful way. He shows us true love in all of its exquisite, painful glory. The worst of human frailty coupled with the best of human nobility. One is not possible without the other in O'Neill's world." |
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