This was a bit of a struggle, because there are so many others that I could have put on here....but this is what I ended up with....for now:
Infinite Jest, David Foster Wallace, 1997
1,079 pages of pure genius. Thouroughly engrossing, hillarious, and unforgettable.
"The next step in fiction....Edgy, accurate, and darkly witty....Think Beckett, think Pynchon, think Gaddis. Think." -- Atlantic Monthly
Ballad of the Whiskey Robber: A True Story of Bank Heists, Ice Hockey, Transylvanian Pelt Smuggling, Moonlighting Detectives, and Broken Hearts, Julian Rubinstein, 2004
Just plain great and funnier than shit...and true! My most recent favorite.
The Stand, Stephen King, 1978
An amazing epic with King's unique ability to combine fantastic storytelling, richly detailed true-to-life characters, and good vs evil at it's very best. This is one long book that I wished would never end.
A Confederacy of Dunces, John Kennedy Toole, 1987
So good and funny with an amazing story of its own. The author killed himself depressed over not being able to get published. His mother finally got it published 10 years after his death. It went on to win the Pulitzer Prize.
"The hero of John Kennedy Toole's incomparable comic classic is one Ignatius J. Reilly, huge, obese, fractious, fastidious, a latter-day Gargantua, a Don Quixote of the French Quarter. His story bursts with wholly original characters, denizens of New Orleans' lower depths, incredible true-to-life dialogue, and the zaniest series of high and low comic adventures." -- Chicago Sun-Times
Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand, 1957
An absorbing story based around Ayn's fascinating philosophy of "Objectivism".
"The astounding story of a man that said that he would stop the motor of the world—and did. Tremendous in scope, breathtaking in its suspense, Atlas Shrugged is unlike any other book you have ever read."
The Shining, Stephen King, 1977
I know, 2 Stephen King books on this short list...but this was the best ever book that came to life in a movie for me. Both were so good and the movie did the book justice while still keeping both entirely fabulous on their own.
The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien, 1966
The beginning of all fantasy stories for me...and nothing has ever been better!
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, C.S. Lewis, 1950
The first book in the Narnia series, I got totally engrossed in this as a kid....many dreams and fantasies from this. Gave me that tingly feeling.
Assorted Sherlock Holmes stories, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, 1887-1914
Oh how much fun these were when I was young(er)! I can still recall the excitement of starting a new Sherlock Holmes story.
Here is a review on Barnesandnoble.com from someone who seems to have just discovered Sherlock Holmes recently...(gotta love this):
"You must read this book - This must be one of the best books I have ever read in all my life. Sherlock is unbeliveable in the way that he solves his cases. He is like a more adult version of Scooby Doo."