What do I want to read?

mm good authors :) i like most of the fantasy and other authors on there too.

neil gaiman - stardust, neverwhere, anansi boys, good omens (good omens is co-authored with terry pratchett), coraline, american gods - currently my favorite fantasy author :D he writes a lot of dark fantasy, or at least darker than say tamora pierce, but not all the time. and even if you don't like dark fantasy (and how could u not? XD), i think this would give you a new perspective on the genre. a lot of his stuff is the modern world with lots of fantasy added in. stardust, neverwhere, and anansi boys are my definite favorites, but the rest are great fantasy novels too :D

across the wall by garth nix - i dunno how much of garth nix youve read, but if you havent read this one, then you should. this is an anthology of mostly short stories, but my favorite part of this is this sort of interactive story that he wrote called down to the scum quarter (i think). anyway, overall great collection of short stories, especially if you like garth nix.

bartimaeus trilogy by jonathan stroud (the amulet of samarkand is the first book) - lots of humor and fantasy here. takes place in an england where magicians rule using their power to summon demons, who serve them. the main characters include a slightly bratty magician named nathaniel, a demon named bartimaeus, and a rebel named kitty. read the footnotes too! they bring in a lot of humor to the story.

the sword in the stone (also the once and future king) by t. h. white - the sword in the stone is really the nonabridged version of a book thats in the once and future king, but i usually recommend the sword in the stone first because its not abridged. this is a great book, especially if you love those arthurian legends. its about arthur as kid (named the wart) and his life as hes being taught by merlin about all sorts of magical stuff. not the usual way you think about king arthur.

his dark materials by philip pullman (first book - the golden compass) - this series eventually develops a huge cast of characters, but the main ones are two kids named lyra and will. lyra, the main character of the first novel, is a girl living in an alternate world where peoples souls appear as daemons that take the form of an animal. the plot of this series pretty much sucked me in, its that good. don't be discouraged if you saw the movie first, this is way better.

tithe by holly black (also valiant, ironside) - also urban fantasy. this is about faeries, but not the usual kinds that you find in fairy tales like cinderella. these faeries are actually pretty scary once you get to read this book. its darker than most young adult books, but great book. also a bit of romance in here if you like that kind of thing :D

firebirds (anthology) edited by sharyn november - an anthology of short stories written by some of the best fantasy/sci-fi authors out there (i think garth nix and tamora pierce wrote for this one). i really like short stories since theyre fun to read, and you can read them even when youre busy w/o having to take off for like 2 hrs before you finish your novel XD anyway, its the best fantasy/sci-fi anthology that i know of. (also try firebirds rising, the sequel, and faerie reel, which is unrelated)

ella enchanted, the two princesses of bamarre, etc. by gail carson levine - from what ive read by her, she writes a lot of fantasy "parodies," where she takes typical fantasy cliches (cinderella, snow white, etc.) and twists them into a great young adult novel for girls. ella enchanted is probably my favorite by her, but others are also great for a quick read. theres always some bit of magic and also a bit of romance in her novels.

thats all i can think of for now. hope you have fun reading!

(ill come back and edit if i think of more)

I would highly recommend Mary Shelley's, Frankenstein. I could not put it down. She really addresses some deep issues. It has all of the things you say you like.

I would also recommend Fahrenheit 451. Ray Bradbury's work is an amazing work of sci-fi. It is amazingly prophetic. Read it and you will see what I mean.

I like a lot of the same authors as you But there is one of my favs that isn't one you list and if you haven't read her you will love Marion Keyes her stories are hilarious with romance and most of the time (not all ) a happy ending thrown in. ( I am really bummed as have just figured out have read all her stuff :( ) anyway good luck and i hope you enjoy!

Here's a few that I would recommend =) :

Princess Bride

Memoirs of a Geisha

Fall of a Kingdom

Ella Enchanted

The Amulet of Samarkand

So You Want to be a Wizard

if you LOVE scifi, you must read garth nix across the wall series if you haven't already. (sabriel, lirael, abhorsen) they were the best books he's written. His newer books are okay, but not as good.

Stephen King is the best, but his books might spook you out a bit. He's my favorite author though.

The "Pretties" series, by Scott Westerfield, all my friends are loving. I have to finish Breaking Dawn first, and then I will move onto that!! Hope this helps!! :)