Now I LOVE tolkien but to be honest the excitement I had prior to reading a new Harry Potter book for the first time is incomporable...so I'll have to say Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows
Herman Hesse's "Steppenwolf" best book that I read in my life, I also like other books that he wrote but this one is absolutely the best.
The only book I've read in my life... 2 States - Story of my Marriage by Chetan Bhagat... since reading it I've become a fan of Chetan Bhagat's writing and bought all his books ... Started with Five Point Someone - What not to do at IIT ... so far so good
Dan Brown writes Deception Point and my favorite book is actually by Dan Brown called Angels & Demons.
It's difficult to choose a favorite when thinking about history books, as that genre makes up the overwhelming majority of my book reading. If I must narrow it down, though, I don't mind naming the following: Doris Kearns Goodwin's Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln. Miss Goodwin's book is a superb biography of Abraham Lincoln, but it is also a decent portrait of the time period and its major players. Also, despite the scope of her subject, the author keeps the writing accessible and thrilling, and has no shortage of intriguing quotations and anecdotes that make the biography and history as much of a page turner as your best mystery novel. Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies. More than an eye-opening presentation of the argument that the rise of civilizations has nothing to do with race but everything to do with environment and location, Mr. Diamond's work is a portrait of humanity and his environment. Walter Karp's The Politics of War: The Story of Two Wars Which Altered Forever the Political Life of the American Republic 1890-1920. Mr. Karp's is a controversial thesis that shines a different light on the major players of the time period between the lead-up to the Spanish-American War to the end of the Great War. I was particularly intrigued by his portrait of Woodrow Wilson, who he considered a treacherous and conniving figure worthy only of our scorn. As for non-fiction, deciding on a favorite is much simpler! Frank Herbert's Dune has a special place in my heart because of how much it has inspired my imagination. The regality, religion, politics—every aspect of it urged me to read on.
"Reminiscences of a Stock Operator" by Edwin Lefèvre. Anyone who has anything to do with the stock markets must read it....
Jon Krakauer writes good books. I finished his Under The Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith a few months ago, and I plan to read his new book, Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman, an account of a man who died under friendly fire serving his country in Afghanistan, and was spit on by the government for his trouble.
I haven't read a good book in quite a while... too busy with other stuff. The first two that come to mind are "Stranger in a Strange Land" by Robert A. Heinlein and "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" by Douglas Adams.