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by dylan thomas, if you havn't already read it.

never ever gets old.

short and not very sweet, but good :)

Sharp Teeth - a book written in verse about werewolves in LA

House of Leaves - a really good achievement and a genuinely scary book

World According To Garp - couldn't think of anything to say about it but it's great

by Michael J. Fox at the moment; it's brilliant - talks about his rise to stardom and his life coping with Parkinson's Disease, really interesting!

But hmm, have you read A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry? Or have you had your fill of India for now?

If you like that sort of thing, but better try John Fante.

I'm reading Hunger by Knut Hamsun and it's very good.

by Jeffrey Euginedes, great tone to it and fantastic but not heavy evocation of different eras

Choke by Chuck Pahlaniuk is fun and twisted

The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon is my alltime favourite

by Jeanette Winterson. I had never even heard about the book or her before I had to read it for my course - not English Lit, but it beat the shit out of all the books in that course as well.

It's not the most original story - it's a tragic love story with many twists and turns. What makes this book exceptional is how Winterson uses the language and plays with the words and clichés. It's not very long, just under 200 pages, and the language and general style of the book left me quite breathless. If you want something happy, sweet and cheerful though, this is not the book for you. If you can take a bit of tragedy, it's likely to be one of the most pleasant suprises in a while.

Oh and - try looking for hints as to whether the main character is male or female. I bet you won't be able to come to any conclusion.

is Angela Carter's Book of Fairy Tales. I thought the Bloody Chamber was so dark and beautifully done, I just don't know whether this will be able to come close.

So little time.

Thanks all. i'll enjoy digging these books out!

when it comes to books, I have no book snobbery at all, I like the page turners, the hits and just great stories. So you'll all probably think I'm common. But here's some recomendations:

Culture Clash: Dread Meets Punk Rockers by Don Letts (like having a chat with Letts about punk and london)

Goals of Desire by Tim McGill (short stories, all great)

Kafka on the Shore by HARUKI MURAKAMI (strange but beautifully written and has a cat in it, lots of cats)

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon (page turner, mystery)

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides (reminded me of all the good cases in undergrad psychology, great read)

Enough to Make a Cat Laugh by Deric Longden (if you like cats, you’ll piss yourself)

The Cat Who Came in from the Cold by Deric Longden (see above)

Surely You're Joking, Mr.Feynman! by Ralph Leighton (this is the life story of Richard Feynman, it’s hilarious and also fascinating, set in the 30’s to the 80s, like having a chat with a really interesting grand parent who has packed more into their lives then we could ever hope to)

...what about the Dice Man by Luke Rhinehart?

About a chap who, as a one-off, lists half a dozen options then rolls the die to decide which one he should follow. Soon takes over his life though...

Gabriel García Márquez - One Hundred Years of Solitude

Joseph Conrad - Heart of Darkness

Cicero - De Inventione

as in, actual plays, then I strongly recommend reading some Sarah Kane. Crave and 4.48 Psychosis are the best.

The 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear

michael smith - the giro playboy
charles bukowski - women
billy childish - my fault

Great author. Really good character development, although his lack of verbs in writing can annoy some. Wrote LA Confidential and Black Dahlia. Good noir writing and doesn't generally bother with 'nice' characters.

Probably American Tabloid is the best one by him, based on the run up to the Kennedy Assassination.

about The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen. It focuses on the Lambert family and how they are the sources of each others problems. I read it last summer and it's pretty darned witty.