Five Inspirational Books I Would Call My Favourite Books of All Time

I always enjoy writing top whatever lists, however the main reason for this list is not purely for the please of doing writing it. I find myself reading lots of mediocre books, and some books that I can't finish due to losing interest. So I thought that looking back at all the books I've ever read, so far as is possible, I can identify my favourite books, and determine which type of books I like the most. Hopefully I can then make better choices in future and read more great books.

Here goes...

1. 'Magician' by Raymond E. Feist. For almost all of my teenage years, this was my absolute favourite book. Despite it's great length (over 800 pages) I must have read it at least 10 times. Magician is the quintessential fantasy book, with elves, dwarves, magic, politics and a whole lot more. The story and the whole fantasy world really draw you in, in a way no fantasy book has before or since. Unfortunately, many of the author's later books were much poorer in comparison, relying too much on the devoted fans his earlier books garnered, but in my world view, Magician remains a fantasy book without equal.
2. 'A Time of Gifts' by Patrick Leigh Fermor. Even among classics, this travel book is a real classic. It is the account of the first part of the author's journey on foot from the hook of Holland to Constantinople in pre-second world war Europe. This is probably the most wordy book on this list, it's not quick or necessarily easy read, but it is magical. You really feel like your are experiencing a lost world, with Leigh Fermor as an erudite, entertaining travelling companion. You will learn a lot along the way, and have a great time doing it.
3. 'On Writing' by Stephen King. For much of my life so far, I've wanted to be a writer, so I've read a fair number of books about writing. None of them, and I truly do mean none of them, come anywhere close to this book. I've read and enjoyed a few of Stephen King's books but wouldn't count myself a huge fan, but this is a book apart. The first half is a sort of autobiography, albeit focusing on his beginnings in books and writing. The second part is the toolkit, which is full of no nonsense advice that is really useful. It is useful, fascinating and a good read at the same time.
4. 'Cold Mountain' by Charles Frazier. This is one of those rare books where I enjoyed every word. The descriptions were beautiful, the atmosphere it invoked was magical. Possibly more than any other book I've ever read, I truly felt like I was there. I could see the places described, smell them, hear them, even taste them. No greater praise can I give a book.
5. 'The City and the Stars' by Arthur C Clarke. This is only a short science fiction novel, but it conveys awe, wonder and grandeur all at the same time. The story tells of Diaspar, the last city in the universe. It has stood unchanged for millions of years, the pinnacle of human achievement. Once the people of Diaspar ruled the stars, but they grew weary of it all and turned inward, building a city to last for all time, forever sealed off from the rest of the universe. Nobody really dies in Diaspar, but no one is born either. Each old generation is reincarnated in the next generation, an eternal cycle controlled by Diaspar's central computer. But then one day an anomoly occurs, a new child is born, the first time in longer than anyone can remember. If you only ever read one science fiction novel, read this one.

Books, whichever format you choose them in and whatever you choose to read are mind expanding. I like best fiction when stretches the limits of my knowledge and more so my understanding of things. I hope you will comment about what kind of books you most like. What you like is as relevant as what you don't like and while I wouldn't want to pick over particular fiction I am not keen on, you might want to.