Favourite 5 books

O.k at the moment. 1. On the Road - Jack Keruoac. So free and easy to read with marvelous descriptive of the good ole West, an electric main character and the bits about the Jazz bars in New Orleans... after reading this I defy anyone to not want to go on the road. 2. The Gambler, Bobok, A Nasty Story - Fydor Dostoyevsky. Mainly for THE GAMBLER. Amazing. It would take too long to go into why I love this, but Oh - what a story! Masterfull, absolutely masterfull. I'm drooling now, must think about something else! 3. Johny Panic and the Bible of Dreams - Sylvia Plath. Again mainly for the title story which is so original and deeply imaginative and kind of quirky. Angsty and lucid whilst managing to stay on the brighter side of cynical. The story - 'The fifteen Dollar Eagle' I love also. O.k. if you can figure out the meaning of the end, please let me know, but what power she had to record the details and every experience of a given situation managing to creating a wonderful epiphany. 4. Fight Club - Chuck Palinuik (Ok spelt wrong but i'm not at home and don't have time to find the correct spelling!) A wonderful original concept, that looks beyond everyday existance within society, Love the characters the ending in my humble opinion not as good as the film, but still works. 5. Diary of a Madman and other Stories - Nickolai Gogol. Insane, witty and a welcomed break from normal conventional story telling. Oooh those crafty Russians!!! Well I'll leave it there as (I'm sure you all know what I mean) I'm thinking I could revise and hem and haw about this list all day!

"The Master and Marguarita" by Bulgarkov/ Amazing, rich surreal and oh so brilliantly written. "Goodbye to all that" by Robert Graves. Autobiography, incredibly honest and erudite. "Testament of youth" by Vera Brittain Really miserable but compulsive. "Perelandra" by C.S.Lewis, heart wrenching fantasy. "The Joke" by Milan Kundera, I could have picked any of his!

ye gads ... i HATE the master and whatever .... bleeeeeugh

Great idea. My favourite five books change all the time, but these are my current top 5: 1 The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde OK, slightly cliched choice as it's possibly his best known book, but that ending still sends shivers up my spine even though I've read it loads of times. His children's stories are worth reading too. 2 Veronica Tries to Die, Paul Coehe Sounds morbid but actually a very uplifting novel that demonstrates why life is worth living. 3 The Bluebird A gorgeous children's story about the search for the Bluebird of happiness. Works for adults too. 4 The Joy of Work, Scott Adams Deeply cynical book about office life, with fantastic cartoons. Check out http://www.dilbert.com for a taster 5 Stardust Another fairy story - this time written for grown-ups - about a man who will do anything for love. It will make you cry.

Here are my Top 5: 1. Beauty by Lewin Joel This is a book set in and around the modelling world. At the centre it is a very touching love story but it is also a brilliant example of how cruel some people can be, and it certainly dispelled a few myths I had about the world of modelling. 2. Freddie Mercury by Peter Freestone This is a brilliantly written and very honest account by the man who was Freddie Mercurys personal assistant for the last 12 years of his life. It gives a real insight into his personality and day to day life, while also giving a very moving account of his tremedous courage when faced with AIDS. 3. Any of the Jennings books by Anthony Buckeridge I know these books are aimed at children but they are just SO funny! The situations he finds himself in are just brilliant. 4. Past Caring by Robert Goddard All of his books are very well written, but this is the one I enjoyed the most. It's a family saga set against the sufferagate struggles of the early 20th century. It's based around real events, and weaves elements of betrayal and revenge very cleverly. 5. The Rainmaker by John Grisham The master of the courtroom drama. This is one of his best books, and includes well written characters that are highly believable without seeming too flawed. Given the subject (Black man shoots white men who raped his daughter), it would have been very easy to favour one side more than the other. It is to his credit that he does'nt, and creates one of the best books I have read. (I didn't think too much of the film though!)

But have you read Bulgakov's Heart of a Dog? It's about the pituitary gland and testes of a petty criminal being transplanted into a scroungy mongerel called Sharik who's transformed into a lecherous man and purges the city of cats.

eeeeeeeeeeeek! ..... no i haven't!

Like many others my list is shifting sand, but definately worth a mention:- 'The L Shaped Room' -Lynne Reid Banks First read when 17 and re-read +++since then. 'Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit' - Jeanette Winterson, funny quirky and poignant. 'Gathering the Fragments' - Alan Ecclestone, a book of days which is an anthology of rare quality, a collection of passages from prose and poetry, with authors comments as footnote. 'Writing Home' - Alan Bennett.....simply The Best. Alice Munroe - All her short stories. books I tried but couldn't get into, include two already mentioned amongst others. 'The God of Small Things' and Kate Atkinson's books..........and Jane Austin 'fraid I have to echo your sentiments Emily, posted 22/3.

Ivory, 'The Master and Margarita'. is considered on a par with Shakespeare in Russia.

yes good idea ... writers ought to read and READ .. like you emily mine change all the time ... The Blue Flower - Penelope Fitzgerald wonderful short poetic novel that is witty - fictionalises the early life of the poet Novalis ... The Accidental Tourist - Anne Tyler my favourite of hers Behind The Scenes at the Museum - Kate Atkinson the book i wish i had written! Some Rain Must Fall - Michel Faber recent favourite ... gobsmackingly good short stories A Little Book of Meat - Selima Hill fantastic poems (5 is not enough!)

Thankyou, Alison for your list - but that Kate Atkinson book! I wonder. I must admit that I thoroughly enjoyed it as it was so personal and deep but I hated the way it was written. I read her next book - whose name I now forget - and my worst fears were realised. The story was not so enthralling and the sheer clumsiness of the writing drove me mad. Have you tried it? What do others think?

As others have already stated, my favourite books tend to change fairly regularly as I discover new authors and reread old favourites. Angela 1. A Thin Dark Line by Tami Hoag A steamy crime novel set in Partout Parish, Louisiana. Written by an author primarily known as a romance author, A Think Dark Line shows the darker underside of life in a small town. 2. High Five by Janet Evanovich A wonderfully funny black comedy crime novel. It's the fifth in Evanovich's series of books about a bumbling female bounty hunter. 3. The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler One of the best and most memorable of the hard-boiled crime novels of the 1930s. It acts as a brilliant introduction to the errant Knight PI, Phillip Marlowe. 4. New Orleans Mourning by Julie Smith Another crime novel set in New Orleans but this time it features around one young female Police Officer. It gives a great insight into the phenomenon of Mardi Gras and the social hierachy of the South. 5. Blade Runner by Philip K. Dick A futuristic novel based around renegade androids is a brilliant remodelling of the hard-boiled and science fiction genres. It demonstrates the talent of one of America's best science fiction writers.

Like Emily and Alison, I am reluctant to name a favourite 5 of all time because different situations call for different reading material! For the first few months after finishing my English degree, for example, all I was interested in was trashy books with one-word titles and flourescent covers! However, I have had a long love affair with dark and slightly sinister children's stories and here are five of my favourites: 1. Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll The classic duo. If you haven't read them yet, then take a day off and devour them immediately. If you have read them, then I recommend a look at the annotated versions by Martin Gardner - a fascinating study of the hidden satirical references in the texts. 2. The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster If you liked the Alices, then have a look at this brilliant American story about a bored little boy called Milo. With characters such as the Mathemagician and the Terrible Trivium, its perfect for anyone who loves numbers or language. 3. The Melancholy Tale of Oyster Boy by Tim Burton If you are a fan of his films, you will have some idea of the sort of fantasy worlds Burton creates. Accompanied by his own drawings, this book of cautionary verse is a treat, but not suitable for very young children. 4. The Boy Who Kicked Pigs by Tom Baker My favourite Dr. Who writes a sick tale about a nasty boy with sinister pictures. Genius (but again, not for the little ones). 5. Fungus the Bogeyman by Raymond Briggs Some may argue that this isn't really a children's book but I loved it when I was little (and I also recommend the abridged 'plop-up' version). Roald Dahl is another favourite, and Edward Lear and...I could go on for hours. Is there anyone else interested in similar themes?

Oh my god! The Phantom Tollbooth - haven't heard about that for AGES. Yes! That book rocks soooo much (sorry to go all Valley Girl on you!) Roald Dahl is great too - particularly his stuff for adults (although his kids stuff is scarier!) Re: the earlier posting about Emma being the perfect novel - WHY? How come Jane Austen gets so much kudos when she just wrote soap operas? Endless tedious details about posh people's lives. No thank you. Her heroines always seem so bland. Give me Daphne de Maurier any time. At least her heroines had some guts and didn't just swoon at the site of a bloke in breeches!

eeeeek ... i loved the way Behind the Scenes was written ... tho tellingly enough i never got into the next one and i think its still sitting on my shelf glaring at me ... it is one of the few books that made me sob aloud and when i had finished it i had to ring someone up (it was 2 am) to talk to them about it ... luckily i have some long suffering friends ... i forgot to mention Peter Pan ... which i think is a wonderful book ... very sinister and beautifully written ... quite at odds with the romantic and saccharine disney twaddle ... speaking as a parent who is enduring reading harry potter aloud to a goggling eight year old ... i want to say that it somehow leaves me HUNGRY ... it is not rich enough tho is a cracking page turner for the age group ... what does anyone else think of the harry potter phenomenon ??? ... give me Phillip Pullman any day ... Clockwork is a book that every writer should read ... and his Dark Materials trilogy! ... one of those cases of buy it for kids for christmas and snatch it out of their hands as soon as they have unwrapped it ... and just in passing i have long been a fan of john irving since i was 18 and read The World According to Garp twice without stopping ... i fell out with him over Son of the Circus but we have made friends again since i read A Widow for One Year ... yes its too easy to go on and on about the subject of reading so i will stop ... p.s. i shudder to say it but i cant STAND jane austen

My favourite five books, for the remains of the day, are: Translations From The Natural World - Les Murray (Poetry) Man or Mango? - Lucy Ellmann McX - Todd McEwen Deep Probings - Ian MacPherson Taking Off Emily Dickinson's Clothes - Billy Collins (Poetry) (Though why he was wearing Emily Dickinson's clothes in the first place escapes me).

So what's all this about hating Jane Austen? The woman was a genius. All her books are as close to perfection in form and shape as you will ever get. She expresses the enclosed world of her time in the most wry and telling manner- she is able in a phrase to express so much. Don't be put off by the sugary TV and Hollywood adaptations - read the books and shiver with delight! By the way that second Kate Atkinson novel is called Human Croquet - avoid it at all costs!

Wow it's a big question! Mine are probably: Last Exit To Brooklyn by Hubert Selby Junior. He loves people and knows about the dark side. Gives insight without judgement. Recent film of another of his books, Requiem for a Dream, is amazingly moving and powerful, a rarity - the film does the novel justice... William Blakes poems. I love his philosophies and the way he invented his own mytholgy. The Wizards of Earthsea. Le Guin I think? Amazing tales... Manhattan Transfer by John Dos Passos. He evokes the city like no one else I've read. There's a lot of London in his Manhatten. Zen and the Art of Motorcyle Maintenance. It's helped me find a new approach to dealing with my romantic mind! His metaphor is brilliant simple and coherant.

Hi, Folks! It's difficult to know if it's worth taking a question like this seriously, but let's assume that we are, and start by excluding such books as The Bible and The Koran since they belong to an entirely different sphere. These may not be the 5 books of all time, but they have meant more to me than any others: ZEN & THE ART OF MOTORCYCLE MAINTENANCE (Robert M. Pirsig) LES MISERABLES (Victor Hugo) THE LOOM OF YOUTH Alec Waugh SIDDARTHA Herman Hesse THE TIBETAN BOOK OF LIVING AND DYING Sogyal Rinpoche A cursory glance at this list shows how subjective the entire project is, but it is no less worthwhile than that. May I suggest an associated topic: The book that had meant most to me, and why. Now, THAT should produce some memorable contributions! Cheers, Jamie Cameron

and what about ... "the book i COULDN'T read even though everyone else seemed to rave about it???" (captain corelli for 1 in my case ...)

Tony - sorry, but I stand by my earlier comments on Jane Austen. Everyone who's ever done an English Level has read her stuff - I even tried to re-read it five years later to make sure I gave it a fair reading, but even then, none of the characters seemed to have any guts. Her novels just seem... well... dithery! She might be good on form (I don't remember enough about the technicalities of writing to comment) but most of her characters deserves a slap, they're so irritating (like the characters in the first series of Ally McBeal). And that's the ones who've got enough about them to even be worth comment! If anything, the adaptations make her stuff more palatable (not that I've watched any more of them than *that* scene with Colin Firth rather yummily ascending from the lake... ) LOVE the new topics. So, the book that meant most to me, and why. That would have to be The Bluebird (see my earlier comment above) because my (sadly deceased) grandfather read it to me when I was very small and it kick-started a life-long (so far) love of reading. And the book I couldn't read even though everyone else seemed to rave about it has got to be A Clockwork Orange. I've tried to read it so many times and just can't get my head round it. But I won't let it defeat me... one day I'll be able to finish it.

What is WRONG with you people!? How can nobody mention the Lord of the Rings series yet!? 1. Lord of the Rings - J.R.R. Tolkien This is absolutely one of the most well-written series in the world! If you haven't read it go read it now! 2. His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman Another fantasy-esque series that is amazing. It's is completely undescribable and a beautiful work. The three books in the series are "The Golden Compass," "The Subtle Knife," and "The Amber Spyglass." Go get them! 3. Walk Two Moons - Sharon Creech Walk Two Moons was the first book I ever cried over, and it is quite a feet to get me to cry... It's not a very exciting book, but it it so enthralling! It's a simple story about a girl's search for understanding of life and herself. 4. A Wrinkle In Time - Madeleine L'Engle This is a classic children's book. But it's not really a children's book if you read into it... I also highly recommend "Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art" by her. 5. 2001-2061 - Arthur C. Clarke This is another classic series! They're quite confusing and odd at points, but they are definately worth the read!

oooooh stephen .... i think lord of the rings is one of those love it or loathe it type titles ... i loathed it personally ... and in fact know someone who hates it so much she will not go out with anyone who loves it ... an interesting filter for potential lovers ... tho i must agree about phillip pullman ...

Ok, thought I'd contribute my fave 5 books, though it's tough picking just 5... I've not been very original, but then, originality is overrated. The Virgin Suicides - Jeffrey Euginedes Just the perfect novel about youth and childhood really. The title is enough to put some people off but it's actually very funny as well as being tragic (of course.) American Psycho - Bret Easton Ellis Disgusting, horrifying, utterly revolting, and absolutely essential. The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath Steppenwolf - Herman Hesse For anyone who's ever read this, I think I identify too much with the first part of the story and don't understand the second part enough. The Outsider - Albert Camus

Well, I have to say that I really didn't get on well with God of Small Things - it was purported to be so good and was a real let down - just didn't cut it. I do not like Lord of the Flies at all - didn't like that movie either. Some that I liked: 1. East of Eden 2. God on a Harley 3. Coyote's Morning Cry - Sharon Butala 4. Catcher in the Rye 5. Stones in the River - Ursula Hegi 6. Poisonwood Bible 7. Prodigal Summer - 3/4 the way through and love it ... 8. Void Moon - last couple of pages to go Books I read years ago and would read them again; 1) All of Sydney Sheldon; 2) Dear and Glorious Physician; 3) Queen of Atlantis; 4) The Last of the Dragons; 5) Charlie and the Choclate Factory. 6) Below the Root.

1. Arthur Koestler "The Sleepwalkers" Brings to vivid life the history and philosophy of science from the Babylonians to Newton. 2, The Rev. E. Cobham Brewer "The Brewer Dictionary of Phrase and Fable" I never cease to amaze at the depths of fascinating fact in this book. Just open a random page and learn. If Sue Lawley asked me to end my days with her on a desert island I might just take a Brewer. 3. Dava Sobel "Longitude" She's done a fine job on a little piece of forgotten history. 4. Hunter S. Thompson "Hells Angels" The best writing before the gonzo doctor realised he was famous and felt he had to indulge in conspicuous substance consumption. 5. Francis Wheen "Karl Marx" He creeps in because I am just finishing it so it's top of mind. Wheen is affectionate about a man who had a stunning mind but wasted his time with curmudgeon and petty battles with people he (sometimes only) imagined were his rivals. Ooh er... no fiction in there (with the probably exception of Dr. HST).

In no order of preference: 1) Kinky Friedman - Blast From The Past 2) Warpath - Tony Daniel 3) Even Cowgirls Get The Blues - Tom Robbins 4) When Gravity Fails - George Alec Effinger 5) A Catcher In The Rye - JD Salinger

American Psycho is over-rated old tosh. The only bits worth reading are the gory bits, people wrote sicker stuff on the toilet doors at school. Top 5 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy O'Toole The Outsider - Albert Camus The Sirens Of Titan - Kurt Vonnegut V is for Vendetta - Alan Moore The Hounds of Morrigan - Pat O'Shea

Jenny and Emily- The Phantom Tollbooth? I loved that book, in fact any book that is a little bit off-centre seems to me to be able to express ideas that come across as *more* centre than a lot of more 'serious' novels. In fact- what do others feel- do fantasy and sci-fi (the most extreme ends of the 'off centre' group, as I designate them here) or the other books that are often picked up, called 'weird' and left at that, can they say more from the protective layers of their 'expected to be odd' genre, and hence cut to the heart of a matter with greater license than one that is overtly primed as a 'realistic' novel? Sorry- very long sentence there (I can hear my old English mistress screaming in agony). Just take a look at my fav five at the moment: The Princess Bride- William Goldman (better than the movie) Small Country- Charles de Lint (can't quite remember exact title) Anything by: Robert Rankin/ Terry Pratchett (what would I give to have a writing course with them....) Good Omens -Pratchett/ Neil Gaimen (the world bows out -nearly- with a rock and a roll) Nearly Human- Tom Holt (a big influence on my writing) Hmmm... maybe I need some fresh air... nah- fantasy is such fun! I also love the Alice books and the Narnia series, as well as "The Neverending Story" (MUCH better than the film)

Austen is wet- du Maurier is rocking? Have to disagree. Austin strikes me as a witty and scathing author specialising in social satire- heck, there's always so much out there ready to be satirised, and she does it so well for her generation! It makes me laugh thta ththere are still aspects of snobbery and social sneering relevent from her time to the present day- why else was 'Emma' a big cinema hit (apart from having a gorgeous cast, lush cinematography and a well-cast heroine)- the script came from an original that sparkled. BBC TV has also benefitted from the wit of 'Pride and Pred' (and Colin Firth in a wet shirt- granted), and the patience and kindness of 'Persuasion's heroine (Cairin Hinds sdoing the obligatory smoulder). the swooning was all done in the best possible kitsh- ands I feel Austen knew that. I remember reading du Maurier years ago at school and wishing her heroines *would* hurry up and die so we could be free of the agony! Austen's heroines might not kick the baddie in the doo-daas, but they would wither then to pieces with sarcasm, or simply cause them so much 'sweetness' (the lady's perogative), that they'd run away screaming. Du Maurier's lot alsways seem to be fainting and having visions- I'd be a bit scared to ask the way to the market in case they had a fit on me!

Somebody metioned Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintainence. I did try to read that once. While passing through a tricky period in my life, I found this book in a pile at a relative's house with whom I was styaing at the time. I read the cover, and thought "great, it sounds just like what I need!" I managed to stay with it until he and his son are up in the mountains, and it's not so much commentary as a breakdown of extremely high-brow maths, and I became hopelessluy lost! Maybe it would bear out under another reading now, some years later, but it turned out to be disappointing for me- a case of one man's philosophy is another man's confusion? I felt a little inadequate- feeling "so many have read this and say it's great, but I just don't get it". I hope I haven't proved to be a soul-less wretch, but I think I'll stick with the Tao of Pooh!

One novel in particular comes to mind when thinking about "the book I COULDN'T read"..... Tristram Shandy, by Laurence Sterne. I tried to read it several times, and failed! I don't think its just me...I have only ever met one person who has managed to read it from start to finish.

I completely agree with Emily's comment on the writing of Jane Austen being pure soap opera. After having to study Jane Austen both at A Level and Degree Level English I've developed a deep seated dislike for her writing. I understand that they're insightful critiques of society at the time she was writing but they seem to have absolutely no connection with young women in modern society. I've yet to read Du Maurier's work so I can't comment on the differences between the heroines of her work and that of Austen. Angela

Top five books is always a bit tricky but here goes in no particular order: Illywhacker - Peter Carey Bonfire of the Vanities - Tom Wolfe London Fields - Martin Amis James K Baxter (A biography) - Frank McKay Glamorama - Brett Easton Ellis There's a bit of a malecentric selection for you

I read a book once. It was green.

It was blue, yer soft bugger!

The ones I couldn't finish - not many I'm glad to say. Sometimes it's a struggle but normally it's worth it to get to the end. But the truly unreadable must be headed by: Blood and Guts in High School by Kathy Acker but I also gave up on: V by Thomas Pynchon and that's about it!

Well I may as well have my 5 eggs. By the way Human Croquet was wonderful. Emotionally wierd is dreadful though. And Rhys yes the Bell Jar. What a writer. How funny, tender, uproarious and sad. My favourites (which also change) are, in no order 1. Barbara Comyns, Who was changed and who was dead Quirky, horrid, gothic, melodramatic, hysterically funny, unique 2. Shena McKay, The Orchard on Fire Evocative, tender, funny, beautifully written, takes the ordinary and transforms it. 3. Stella Gibbons, Cold Comfort Farm Comfort reading to return to when in the bath 4. Ivy Compton Burnett, A Family and a fortune idiosyncratic power play amidst the doilies 5. David Leavitt, The Secret Language of Cranes and anything else you can think off by him. Wonderful, powerful, poignant, deliberate. Of course Jane Austen is wonderful. Such a bitch. Tomorrow I may have 5 other favourites. 5 books I am proud not to have finished Bonfire of the Vanities The Hobbit Lord of the Rings Catpain Correlli Anything by Martin Amis oooh and what about A.L. Kennedy. Wonderful writer, oh and A.S. Byatt's short stories, and of course Elizabeth Bowen and Elizabeth Taylor.... stop me and what about 5 favourite poets

I've thought long and hard about this and managed to come up with five, though I had quite a few others that could have been in there as well (should be a top twenty!) 1 Lord of the Rings -'Nuff said. 2. From Hell, Alan Moore The most atmospheric, most convincing theory about the real Jack the Ripper ever, by a man who is, quite clearly, a genius. 3. Neuromancer, William Gibson The bible of Cyberpunk. 4. A Confederacy of Dunces, John Kennedy Toole The funniest book in the world, the tragedy being that the author died believing no-one would publish it. 5. The Assassin Trilogy- Robin Hobb Proof that fantasy can be written with involving, realistic characters, she has created a fascinating world to escape into.

Ha! Took me a few minutes to catch on - I entered my favourite books as new topics, like the silly willy I am. Also, I realize now that I can use my name - don't have to use my user name. I am presently reading Prodigal Summer - Kingsolver Just love it I did read Poisonwood Bible Just loved that - hated turning the last page. I'm also reading Over Sixty - Gertrude Story I really like those stories One of the books that really impressed me was by McCourt - Angela's Ashes - I'll never forget that story Another set of books I enjoyed in the past year Ursula Hegi - Floating in my Mother's Palm, Stones in the River and her most recent - I've forgotten the name of it, but I liked it One that I didn't really care for Margaret Atwood - Blind Assassin - couldn't get through it - I know - she's a fellow Canuck, but I don't think she's that great - I like her poetry though Well, did I do more than five?

Too difficult to pick truthfully. Sooo-ooo I have an out of date list that I always put forward instead. "The Plague" by Albert Camus. Fantastic, taut account of an Algerian town in the grip of plague. Dripping with heat, tension and humanity. "The Fall" by Albert Camus (can I have the same author twice?). A long, disturbing monologue by a dillusioned lawyer. "High Windows" by Philip Larkin I have a troubled relationship with this book of poems; I often disagree with the things that the poet says, but can't help but marvel at the brilliant way he says them. "Dubliners" by James Joyce. Far, far, far better than "Uylsses" (and a lot easier to understand). Each of these short stories is a gem and the last one, "The Dead", always makes me want to cry. "Wide Sargasso Sea" by Jean Rhys Poetic, ghostly account of mad Bertha Rochester. A "what if" story that leaves it's parent novel, "Jane Eyre", lurking in the shadows. I will add my voice to the Austen debate and try to be reasonable in my criticism (you might be interested to know that there's an Austen hate site on the web; it's called "Jane Austen must die"[which seems a bit of an obselete title to me]). I sometimes find bits of Austen funny, but I also find a lot of her work really annoying (I've read "Persuasion" and "Mansfield Park"). I don't think it's high satire or art to people your novels with incredibly, hair-wrenchingly stupid individuals and then take potshots at them. Sorry, it just reminds me of the way soap operas have hissable, interfering baddies.

i notice the recurrence of Camus' books in the topic, usually the Outsider/e'tranger but the fall and plague as well. I wonder where most people get the idea to read his books, they are not in any way forced down your neck at school like austen or thomas hardy, but still i find a remarkable amount of people have read them. of his novels, i enjoyed the outsider most and the plague least, the outsider has the most deliciously sketchy lovemaking (although for the character this implies a passion he doens't have). Philip larkin enjoys a queer infamy in poetry circles, perhaps because of his relative success in the 30s other poets were/are loath to quote him as an influence, afraid to be tainted with mainstream concerns, although in my book he said it like it was, and he is on his own bar heaney and mccaig. my five jives are from the time i read this monologous series of poems, i knew i wanted to be a poet in Rimbauds mode, although quickly i realised what sort of things absinthe does to the system after months of bohemian partying! Have a look at my poem "Mainlining" on ABC if you have never ingested wormwood licquer, and you won't want to! In these novels (the castle being unfinished upon his death) there are only cosmetic differences to character hence the blurred boundary. both deal with absurd situations, and as such you might think at first that he is part of the same school as camus, but his writing is so distinct and clipped that it enhances the nightmarish aspects of the plot. very very worthwhile. my favourite american poet, his 1928(?) opus includes the poem "garden abstract" which is quite rightly regarded as the best imagist poem, despite being run a close second by "complete destruction" - wc williams. Cranes life and violently repressed sexuality are a fascinating subject in its own right, and a good copy of his selected or this collection will include a decent size of biography. a classic in both conventional fame and elusive form, the protagonist lacks moral iron despite the crimes he perpetrates in order to rise above the gutters. his lifestyle is again familiar to me as a student, since he often rises above the gutters only to fall back in them! haven't seen a drug novel in the lists so far, hence the obvious selection. far outclasses trainspotting/acid house in its style and tell-it-like-it-is storytelling, which leaves all the moral shading in of the characters to the reader. burroughs' achievement is even more considerable considering he was ingesting all the crap he wrote about at the time, and coupled with minimal talent junky is (rightly so) the best written cautionary tale you could find for your kids :) well that is my list over with, considering i made it up as i went along it looks quite cohesive in themes. it is making me think that perhapsmy life is a little too nightmarish, repressed and yet bohemian at the same time! i'd like to hear what anyone else thinks of these novels, especially of hart crane who is not very well known outside "circles" :) and be honest.

oops, the post seems to have interpreted one of my bracketed titles as html, the rimbaud collection i spoke about was "a season in hell" sorry!

List changes all the time, but here goes. Not in order of merit or preference. 1. Catch 22 - Joseph Heller. Criminally underrated book - capturing the insane humour of desperation, the horror of war and the futility of bureacracy. 2. The Big Sleep - Raymond Chandler. What can you say, language, language language. This man made words move and combine as though they were responding to the crack of a whip. 3. All the names - Jose Saramago. Imagine Kafka, but a Kafka that was actually FOND of people. The smallness of one man's life, but the grandeur that one simple action can bring. Lovely. And barely any punctuation, which appeals to me. Down with commas ! 4. Right Ho Jeeves - P G Wodehouse. As the adverts say, it does exactly what it says on the tin. All you can ask of a comedy is that it makes you laugh so hard that it is not safe to drink, eat or be around other people while you are reading. And again, Plum made language dance to his commands. 5. Lord of the Flies - William Golding. Tough to pick the last book, could have been The Bell Jar, Clockwork Orange, If on a Winters Night a Traveller, London Fields, but in the end, I've gone for a classic. What happens to a microcosm of society if you remove rules - do we revert to savagery ? Genuinely frightening and disturbing and once again, the language shudders with resonance.

Perfume by Patrick Susskind Air & fire by Rupert Thomson By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept by Elizabeth Smart The Reader by Bernhard Schlink A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy O'Toole

In no particular order: The Heart of the Matter - Graham Greene Sabbath's Theatre - Philip Roth Crime and Punishment - Dostoevsky Anna Karenina - Tolstoy Catch 22 - Joseph Heller Books I started but for the life of me couldn't finish: Captain Correlli The God of Small Things