As for Stephen King, The Body and then Bag of Bones. Inspired by the guy who loves Anne Rice but thinks King is a horrible writer, which gave me a chuckle. As for contemporary fiction Alistair Reynolds' Revelation Space pile-up (trilogy and universe) still sits atop the heap. Read the trilogy more than thrice. Other things read more that thrice are Colleen McCullough's The Grass Crown, which instigated my infatuation with Lucius Sulla; Jane Austen's Emma as it causes the film version starring my Gwynnies to run in my head -
- and of course the tao.

