Fans of George R.R. Martin—author of the Song of Ice and Fire series, among other hugely successful fantasy novels—have seen his imagined worlds brought to the screen in the popular HBO series, Game of Thrones. Martin's ideas have inspired readers to imagine dragons and queens, witches and conquerors, direwolves and White Walkers, dynasties and destinies.

So it's natural to wonder what informed Martin's own imagination—the books that he credits as his own favorites, and that doubtlessly lingered in his mind as he was building worlds of his own.

As part of The New York Public Library's #ReadingIsLit campaign with HBO—which encourages people who love and appreciate stories in all forms to visit their local libraries and read—we asked Martin to recommend books for fans of the HBO series, and he quickly obliged (thank you, GRRM)! The series can be checked out of the Library as DVDs, alongside the books, graphic novels, ebooks, e-audiobooks, and more.  Don't have a library card? Anyone who lives, works, or goes to school in New York is welcome to apply for a library card from NYPL. Apply now.

If you love Game of Thrones, GRRM suggests you try...

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien [ebook]

Watership Down by Richard Adams [ebook]

The Once and Future King by T.H. White [ebook]

Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny

A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. LeGuin [ebook]

Our book experts here at NYPL also recommended five titles for fans of the show (including one of the same books Martin himself picked!).

We also got the chance to ask Martin to go beyond fantasy and name his five favorite books in any genre. Tolkien's masterpiece still made the list, but Martin also named modern and contemporary works of literary fiction.

Martin's favorite books, regardless of genre, in order

We also got the chance to ask Martin to go beyond fantasy and name his five favorite books in any genre. Tolkien's masterpiece still made the list, but Martin also named modern and contemporary works of literary fiction.

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien [ebook]

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald [ebook]

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller [ebook]

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens [ebook]

The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy [ebook]

If you're looking to establish a basic knowledge of fantasy, check out our fantasy genre primer, which has recommendations for more sword-and-sorcery reads (like GoT), but also urban, historical, epic, gridmark, and more kinds of fantasy.

Summer is the perfect time to discover the power of reading. This year, the New York Public Library is partnering with HBO to spotlight great stories and introduce readers to their new favorites. With over 55 million items in its collections, The New York Public Library is one of three public library systems providing New Yorkers with free access to books, online resources, and programming.

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Have trouble reading standard print? Many of these titles are available in formats for patrons with print disabilities.

Staff picks are chosen by NYPL staff members and are not intended to be comprehensive lists. We'd love to hear your ideas too, so leave a comment and tell us what you’d recommend. And check out our Staff Picks browse tool for more recommendations!