Philip Pullman: His Dark Materials (Golden Compass, Subtle Knife and Amber Spy Glass), JK Rowling: Harry Potter and JRR Tolkien.
First Lord of the Rings reading experience:
In June of 1981, at the ripe old age of 12, my family was in the process of moving from a condo to a house. We stayed one last night at the condo with just a small TV. That night we watched the Rankin & Bass version of The Hobbit. I had been excited by the TV Guide cover promotion depicting Bilbo at his front door. I was so fascinated by the story that the next day I used my allowance to buy The Hobbit and LOTR paperback boxed set featuring cover art by Tolkien himself. I spent that summer savoring Tolkien's famous works with a friend reading chapter for chapter. Ah, memories! I've since re-read Tolkien almost every other year until 2001. I now have a 7 yr old son and feel this summer may be a good time to revisit the written works of Tolkien with my boy.