by Terry Pratchett
Many, many, many thanks to my pal Jackie for getting me started on Terry Pratchett's Discworld books. She sent me a figurine of Death of Rats, a character from the later books in this series, and I was hooked! (To see some of these figurines, check out the Clarecraft website.) Pratchett likes rats, that's for sure. Starting on page 4 of the first book, The Color of Magic, and running throughout the series, rats keep showing up again and again, sometimes in minor passing references, sometimes playing big parts. While they don't figure very prominently in the first books, Death of Rats, a.k.a. the Grim Squeeker, shows up as a main character in Reaper Man, and he and his partner, Death of Fleas, continue to show up again and again after that.
I'm still working my way through these books, so I can't tell you everything that goes on. (And there's so much that goes on that it would be impossible anyway!) In short, Discworld is a strange planet that travels through space supported by four elephants, who ride on the back of a giant turtle. And that's just the beginning -- it just keeps on getting weirder from there. The world is a combination of twisted fairy tales, legend and politics and is a pretty good, if a bit more distorted and a whole lot funnier, reflection on life in our world. Imagine Earth in a magical dimension with gambling gods, homicidal walking luggage, dragons, bumbling wizards, etc. and you're part of the way there. Discworld has emerged as a very popular fantasy series, sparking a whole bunch of websites, role-playing games, etc. So, if you want to get the flavor of the books before you commit to reading all 23 or so of them, start out by wandering around the web a bit. Discworld Monthly is a very good place to begin exploring.
The Harry Potter Books
by J. K. Rowling
These are great read-aloud-on-rainy-days books or really for anytime you feel a bit down and want a good read and a laugh. Despite what you may have heard, they're not just for kids, and most adults will probably enjoy them more than their children. Rats don't play a huge role in these books, but rat fans will root for Scabbers the rat, Harry's best friend's pet. Unfortunately, Scabbers meets with a strange and seemingly awful fate in the third book, so if you really like his character, don't read that one. But who knows what will happen to him in the upcoming fourth book....
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