i can't believe no one has mentioned Gothe's Faust. it's one of the best books that i have read.

Richard Bach's 'The Bridge across forever the lovestory' is another great book..

Anything written by an author with the last name of Hardy, Bronte, Alcott or Hawthorne for me.

The Stone Angel by Margaret Laurence. Dostoevsky's The Idiot. Tolstoy's Anna Karenina. Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis.

My all-time favourites

The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho

Siddhartha - Hermann Hesse

The Holographic Universe - Michael Talbot

A strictly theoretical explanation of, well, literally everything, based on the holographic model.

This book can't be considered any sort of scientific fact, but it's a hell of a read. From time to time you'll just have to put it down, look around you, and say to yourself, "Huh..."

I've just about finished reading Eats, Shoots and Leaves by Lynne Truss. It's the most interesting book about grammar and punctuation that I've ever read!

Add to that


Power Freedom and Grace - Deepak Chopra

You gotta try The Cat Who Walks Through Walls. Its the same crazy style as Stranger. So damn good. Read it in like a day and a half. Thats fast for me...

I just wanted to point out also Shelfari - Welcome to Shelfari! Read, Share, Explore!.

Its like a social site for readers. It's got a real nice tagging and review system. So damn nice for finding new stuff.

If you want recomendations, read my page on there, but before any thing else, I recomend Neuromancer by William Gibson, Crime and Punishment by Dostoyevsky, and Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon. Pynchon can be a tricky read, but its worth it.

'High Fidelity' and 'About a Boy' by Nick Hornby, I would recommended Fever Pitch as well, but it would be confusing to non-UK people because of all the English football teams and place names etc. Robert Harris books are good, but are quite heavy most of the time, dealing with difficult issues like the Holocaust and Stalinism. For a funny book, try 'Yes Man' by Danny Wallace.

Also, if you haven't already, try classic stuff like Orwell and Kafka.

In Dark Places by Michael Prescott. It's about a divorced psychiatrist who comes up with a device that's supposedly supposed to 'cure' violent people. As her first experimental subject she chooses a recently convicted serial killer who escapes during one of their sessions. Excellent thriller that kept me at the edge of my seat till the very end.

The Codex by Douglas Preston. It's about three, totally different from each other, estranged brothers who were summoned by their wealthy, eccentric and even more estranged father only to discover that he along with millions of dollars of art are missing. Great book, full of mystery, adventure and a good ol' fashioned treasure hunt.

Oh boy I am giddy about replying to this thread...hahaha I am such a nerd. While I admire narayan's tastes, I would add 'The Prophet' by Kahlil Gibran if you are looking for spiritual literature.

'The Poisonwood Bible' by Barbara Kingsolver
fiction-follows a baptist missionary family into the Congo and chronicles the challenges to thier faith, identity, and understanding of mankind and the natural world. Very 'Heart of Darkness'-esque, if you have ever read any Conrad, another one of my favorites.

'The Sea Around Us' by Rachel Carson
non-fiction- an environmental writer, Carson is most well known for her more politically charged 'Silent Spring,' and as an environmentalist I appreciate her contributions to the American conscienceness, but as a writer I prefer her subtler works. Yes, this is a scientific look at the ocean, but to read it is like a book of poetry; your entire relationship with the sea will change.

'Grendel' by John Gardner
fiction- a retelling of the epic poem 'Beowulf' through the perspective of Grendel, the monster of the original. Beautiful, sad, enlightening. The classic man vs. beast argument here, examines the real definition of "humanity," its purpose, its rituals, its consequences. It's a quick read, but you will find yourself going back to it again and again.

Well there are so many more, but I am going to cut myself off before I go any further. I think half the fun of discovering new books is the story behind how they entered your life, so I keep my reccomendations brief...have fun!