This book encapsulates the true essence of Kerouac's writing in terms of the "Beat generation" ethos he inspired.  From the jazz clubs of San Francisco, to the mountains, to the search within which paralleled all the wild and rebellious wanderings, his writing to me represents freedom and inner cultivation through sensory experience.  It's better than the classic On the Road of which the author is most famous for.
 

This is an example of beautifully written prose.  He makes the desolate landscape of the West come alive.  Rich with detailed sensory imagery, the characters, plot, and dialogue were all masterfully crafted.  It is the type of book that brings you into a place, and all the subtle small details are illuminated, making the immersion into this world all the more real.

One of many collections of the stories of H.P. Lovecraft.  Writing in the 1920's he took the horror genre and combined it with science fiction, creating a whole other world of terror, unique at the time and to this very day.  I like the fact that many of his stories are set in Providence and rural parts of New England.  Lovecraft's interests in anthropology and astronomy are evident in the weird and sinister otherworldly mythology he creates.  He was also inspired greatly by Poe.  Lovecraft has significance to me because he inspired me to write supernatural fiction.  He is a clear influence on modern day writers such as Stephen King and Jeff Long, who has written an excellent and very "Lovecraftian" book called The Descent.
 

As one interested in Buddhist studies, this book was an invaluable guide to applying different techniques to my everyday life in order to promote inner awareness.  The author presents his ideas in a very accessible way, using sources from literature to movies to meditative exercises to song lyrics.  He shows inner freedom is possible, through simple techniques and different ways to look at and react to events in life and the emotions that come with them.
 

Tom Robbins is a literary samurai, and this is his best book.  It is full of cosmic humor, satire, outrageousness, skilled prose, wit, and insane use of similes and metaphors.  He writes like no one else can and this book opened my eyes to how writing can be crazy and fun yet highly imaginative, creative, and full of bizarre cultural and social allusions.