I have to second both the Anne Rice books, and the Midnighters Trilogy. They are very good books. On top of those, I recommend "The Damnation Game" by Clive Barker, "Godslayer"(there are two series by this name, by different authors, both are very good). Also, the obvious Stephen King - Dark Tower was awesome! However, if you're going to read King, you MUST go in chronological order of publication. You see, he wove each and every one of his stories together, with the Dark Tower series as the axle they all grind on.
If you're into intellectual reading, anything by Michio Kaku is good, as well as "Il Principe(The Prince)" by Niccolo Macchiavelli, "Republic" by Plato, and "The Art of War" by Sun Tzu.
I can also point you in the direction of the Word Weavers group, a bunch of unknown authors who contribute works to publish and get their names out there. I contribute to them from time to time, and I have read many of the author's works in the anthologies. They're all pretty good.
Also, pretty much anything by Marion Zimmer Bradley. Don't let the movie "Mists of Avalon" fool you, she's a much better author than they lead you to believe.
If I think of any others, I'll add them of course.
