Topic: Your 10 favourite books

[Corkboy]

Can anybody recommend any books similar to the Irvine Welsh ones, or any other drug (preferably weed, and not including the Howard Marks ones as i've read em all.

Cheers.

Cannabis Culture

[scatman]

I've been reading a lot of classics and mythology recently, Count of Monte Cristo has become my all time favourite book, it's a big read but damn it made me hope for a better film version then the shite ones I've seen.

Also read a lot of Greek, Roman and Norse myths which I had read previously as a kid. I tried reading the Iliad, a painstaking task to read the poem, the Odyssey was much easier. Dante's Inferno was a ballsache and I gave up on that, will try it again. Next on the list once I finish the Norse myths (just finished Raganarok) will be Jekyll and Hyde

[The Jackal]

Can anybody recommend any books similar to the Irvine Welsh ones, or any other drug (preferably weed, and not including the Howard Marks ones as i've read em all.

Cheers.

Check out some of Niall Griffiths' stuff - Sheepshagger, Grits, etc... similar to Irvine Welsh but set in Wales..

he's a Scouser too, and has written a book about Liverpool (think it's non-fiction though)..

[Veinticinco de Mayo]

I have to mention Dostoevsky in here! I bought 'Notes from Underground', 'Crime and Punishment', 'The Idiot' and 'The Brothers Karamazov' all at once. You can't go wrong with any of those, though 'The Brothers Karamazov' is considered is his masterpiece.

Yeah, but did you read them?  And if so which did you think was his masterpiece?  I think you've been reading Bayard.

[Veinticinco de Mayo]

Other faves of mine : Praying For Sleep ( Jeffery Deaver. . . in fact any Deaver novel) , The Rapture ( Liz Jensen) , The Wasp Factory ( Iain Banks) , and A Prayer for Owen Meany ( John Irving) . All really good reads and recommended.

How was "The Rapture"?  I've read "The Paper Eater" and "Ark Baby" is sat on the shelf.  I like Jensen, she's got a Ballardian eye for weird but believable near futures.

[Angelius]

Started reading Moneyball yesterday. Really enjoying it. Didn't know it was written by Michael Lewis as I enjoyed Liar's Poker by him a fair amount too.

[afc tukrish]

Started reading Moneyball yesterday. Really enjoying it. Didn't know it was written by Michael Lewis as I enjoyed Liar's Poker by him a fair amount too.

The Money Culture, a series of short pieces written while he worked as a financial journalist, is well worth the read.  The New New Thing, about Jim Clark and Silicon Valley, is also very good.

By contrast, Blind Side is a bit too romantic and fairy-tale esque, while The Big Short was a real disappointment, too confusing and esoteric about a subject in which I had real interest, bond and derivative trading and its role in the 2008 market crash.


Lewis may be writing for Hollywood these days, a shame, as his early stuff had real power, wit, and depth...

[ScouseGirl]

Some fantastic books listed on this thread, My love of reading and choice of Books was heavily influenced by my zaidy.
in no particular order

1. The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists     Robert Tressell   
2. From My Zaidys  House                Sholem B. Kowalsky
3. To Kill a Mockingbird                     Harper Lee
4. A Thousand splendid Suns           Khaled Hosseini
5.  Schindler's Ark                              Thomas Keneally
6.  Exodus                                          Leon Uris
7. Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life    John Lee Anderson
8. The Kite Runner                            Khaled Hosseini
9. A Mathematician's Apology           G.H. Hardy
10:  The life of Pi                             Yann  Martel   

its so difficult to narrow the list down  as I have so many more Faves , I also love chick lit too , pure escapism
 
 

[Corkboy]

its so difficult to narrow the list down  as I have so many more Faves , I also love chick lit too , pure escapism

A few of us have adopted the choose a new list whenever approach.

[Myshkin]

Yeah, but did you read them?  And if so which did you think was his masterpiece?  I think you've been reading Bayard.

Yes. I would say 'The Brothers Karamazov' was his best novel, but 'The Idiot' and 'Notes from Underground' mean more to me so I favour those.

Who is Bayard?

[Angelius]

The Money Culture, a series of short pieces written while he worked as a financial journalist, is well worth the read.  The New New Thing, about Jim Clark and Silicon Valley, is also very good.

By contrast, Blind Side is a bit too romantic and fairy-tale esque, while The Big Short was a real disappointment, too confusing and esoteric about a subject in which I had real interest, bond and derivative trading and its role in the 2008 market crash.


Lewis may be writing for Hollywood these days, a shame, as his early stuff had real power, wit, and depth...

I agree with that. I feel he writes to make bestsellers rather than anything else. In the sense, he's a good storyteller but only an above average writer. However, he's very smart, humorous and witty and I enjoyed the book.

[Hazell]

I've been reading a lot of classics and mythology recently, Count of Monte Cristo has become my all time favourite book, it's a big read but damn it made me hope for a better film version then the shite ones I've seen.

I love that novel. Was thinking that just a couple of hours ago I need to re read it. Will probably get onto this week once I've finished Wodehouse.

[Veinticinco de Mayo]

Yes. I would say 'The Brothers Karamazov' was his best novel, but 'The Idiot' and 'Notes from Underground' mean more to me so I favour those.

Who is Bayard?

French academic. Wrote this:


In a cruel irony for Prof Bayard I am talking about his book, but I haven't read it.

[Myshkin]

Why do you think I haven't read them?

[Veinticinco de Mayo]

Why do you think I haven't read them?

It was tongue-in-cheek really but read what you wrote again.  What do you think might have given me that impression

[Myshkin]

Dunno mate, was just recommending people to Karamazov. It's a long read though and Dostoevsky doesn't make it any easier for the reader .

[Les Willis]

I read Crime and Punishment when I was a teenager, but never felt compelled to read any more of Dostoevsky's novels. Way too depressing.

[Myshkin]

I read Crime and Punishment when I was a teenager, but never felt compelled to read any more of Dostoevsky's novels. Way too depressing.

Yeah but there's a lot of positive stuff to take from his writing too. Most of it comes in the form of Christianity in his novels and, although I'm not religious, I think you can apply it in different ways.

I never really 'got' the conflict between Dostoevsky's spirituality/religion and the strong existential themes until I read 'The Brothers Karamazov'. Two of it's characters are pretty much there to play out that very conflict.

[Myshkin]

Is Slaughterhouse-Five worth reading anyone?

Edit: Only got time for one book at the minute. So it's either Slaughterhouse-Five or Kafka on the Shore?

[_tomd]

Is Slaughterhouse-Five worth reading anyone?

Definitely. One of my favourite books, pretty much all of Vonnegut's stuff is worth a read (especially Cat's Cradle)

[Les Willis]

Is Slaughterhouse-Five worth reading anyone?

Edit: Only got time for one book at the minute. So it's either Slaughterhouse-Five or Kafka on the Shore?

Slaughterhouse 5 is a great book, though I haven't read it for donkey's years. Will have to revisit it myself. Another book worth reading by Kurt Vonnegut is Galapagos, which is about us "evolving" on a remote island.

[Les Willis]

Yeah but there's a lot of positive stuff to take from his writing too. Most of it comes in the form of Christianity in his novels and, although I'm not religious, I think you can apply it in different ways.

I never really 'got' the conflict between Dostoevsky's spirituality/religion and the strong existential themes until I read 'The Brothers Karamazov'. Two of it's characters are pretty much there to play out that very conflict.

I'll visit my local library and have a crack at it, although I'm not sure they stock highbrow literature.. 

[Alonso_The_Assassin]

Is Slaughterhouse-Five worth reading anyone?

Edit: Only got time for one book at the minute. So it's either Slaughterhouse-Five or Kafka on the Shore?

Kafka is the business. Not read Slaughterhouse 5 but everyone I know who's read it thinks it's a masterpiece.

Just finished James Frey's "A Million Little Pieces". To anyone who has read it. Your thoughts? I know it gathered a lot of controversy due to the validty of certain events throughout the text, but fuck me, I have to say, it's was pretty engaging and very emotional for the reader at times. Really great read, IMO.

Also finished Breakfast at Tiffany's. Didn't really strike me to be honest.

Also, anyone read Ryszard Kapuściński's "The Shadow of the Sun"? If you haven't, then do so! A really great insight into the civil war in places such as Rawanda and Sudan. A really insightful journey throughout Africa.

[hassinator]

Is Slaughterhouse-Five worth reading anyone?

Edit: Only got time for one book at the minute. So it's either Slaughterhouse-Five or Kafka on the Shore?

they're both brilliant but i'd plump for the vonnegut and also heartily recommend his 'breakfast of champions'

nothing wrong with murakami - i don't think i've read one yet that has failed to delight - but 'slaughterhouse 5' is an important book for me.

[hassinator]

Kafka is the business. Not read Slaughterhouse 5 but everyone I know who's read it thinks it's a masterpiece.

Just finished James Frey's "A Million Little Pieces". To anyone who has read it. Your thoughts? I know it gathered a lot of controversy due to the validty of certain events throughout the text, but fuck me, I have to say, it's was pretty engaging and very emotional for the reader at times. Really great read, IMO.

Also finished Breakfast at Tiffany's. Didn't really strike me to be honest.

Also, anyone read Ryszard Kapuściński's "The Shadow of the Sun"? If you haven't, then do so! A really great insight into the civil war in places such as Rawanda and Sudan. A really insightful journey throughout Africa.

'a million little pieces' reads well and is indeed a harrowing tale but somewhat undermined by the fact that he made it up and still packaged it as biography.  put it this way there was no way i was going to read the sequel about his made up mafia mate vinny or whatever.

'breakfast at tiffany's' on the other hand is absolutely beguiling.  i can't recommend it highly enough.  what didn't you like about it?

kapuscinski is the don.  i read 'shah of shah's' about the secret police in persia nearly 20 years ago now and it left an indelible impression.  wasn't it kapusinski who remarked that the english reference to foreigners as 'so clever' was in fact in an insinuation of unfair use of intelligence as if to suggest it was  form of international gamesmanship?

[hassinator]

off the top of my head and in no particular order

american tabloid - james ellroy

amazeball.  the first ellroy i read and i've consumed the lot.  a drug driven miasma of language that redfines the term 'hard boiled'

blood in the time of cholera - gabriel garcia marquez

charming, lyrical and romantic from the squeezed out sound of a prostate piss marquez builds a beguiling tale of love.

any human heart - william boyd

a book i've given as a present more than any other.  about to be a four part adaptation for channel 4.

i claudius - robert graves

really part of a double pack with claudius the god this is history vividly and cruelly brought to life.

brideshead revisited - evelyn waugh

you should really read everything he has ever done but this is his crowning glory for me.

the bonfire of the vanities - tom wolfe

again i've read everything he's ever done but 'day-glo dickens' pretty much nails it for me.  the ultimate novel of the 80s.

from hell - alan moore

an unbelievable meditation on evil that pushes back the boundaries of how we can tell a story.  simply a stunning piece of work.

breakfast of champions - kurt vonnegut

hard to pick just one from vonnegut but this is my favourite.  the feeling of what its like to be going insane.  amazing man, amazing book.

lsd my problem child - dr albert hoffman

a profound book from the creator of the one truly great mind catalyst of the 20th century.  i can't tell you how wonderful this man is.

ragtime - el doctorow

again it could be anything from doctorow just for the sheer glee with which he deploys beautiful language.

the road - cormac mccarthy

a book that i had to be goaded into reading - what a pompous little prick i can be - this book is as lean and perfect as the great gatsby.

coming back to this list after a few months i'm stunned at some of my omissions.  i mean no ballard?  he had been my favourite living writer of english and still lives on my imagination every time i reach a bleak architectural space.  its made me feel the need to come back with a revised ten for october though i have to say reading time has recently been massively impacted by our new arrival.

high rise - jg ballard

i've loved pretty much everything he's written but i think this best encapsulates his observation of our essential atavism and is dislike of middle class smuggery as a gated chelsea apartment block finds itself at war and its denizens reverting to a primitive state unseen by the outside world.  its almost the logical conclusion of 'crash' and 'the concrete island' and encapsulates the essence of what he expands upon in 'cocaine nights'; 'super cannes' and 'kingdom come'.

the magus - john fowles

i'm currently reading 'a maggot' and finding it equally enthralling as 'the magus' which i also first read 20 years ago when staying in montepellier.  it tells the story of an amoral young man who seems like the successor to the protagonists of the kitchen sink dramas of the 50s.  he's grammar school educated but not rich and when a relationship fails he goes off to teach on a remote greek island.  its here that things start to get weird ultimately leaving the character the reader confused as to what is real and what is not.  fowles has been dismissive of some of the praise for this book but if you enjoyed something like 'lost' then you will love this.

the new confessions - william boyd

i mentioned 'any human heart' in my previous ten but this has to go in to round two.  almost a precursor in that its a fictional auto-biography of a scottish boarding school boy who goes on to direct some classic black and white films.  its about his life and the richness of experience and while its hard for me to put my finger on why its just so special please take my word for it as its a book you won't put down as soon as you've started.

pincher martin - william golding

genius novel from one the greatest ever.  hard to describe without spoiling it starts with a bit of a shit being shipwrecked when his destroyer is torpedoed.  he reflects on his life while he clings to a rock in a storm reflecting on a life that could have been lived better.  a profound exploration of what used to be called the human condition.

bleak house - charles dickens

you have to have love for the big man and this is him at his labyrinthine best.  any novel that features a spontaneous combustion to draw the plot out is ok by me particularly when the sense of space and time so spectacularly well evoked.  the subject of two sublime bbc adaptations - given a choice i would go for the diana rigg version - if you can't be bothered reading it do at least try to watch this wonderful adaptations.

the electric kool aid acid test - tom wolfe

one of my favourite writers of non-fiction i've chosen this from his journalism due to a profound love of the subject matter - lsd and its dissemination through american by ken kesey and his merry pranksters - as much for the genius of his descriptive prose.  to be fair if you want to know about the world of 50, 40, 30 years ago you should really read everything he's done - his essay on the lunchtime mod culture of soho is a peach - but this is a brilliant starting point.

watchmen - alan moore

i've now seen the film about 5 times (its really pretty good) but nothing can compare to the luminescent genius of the graphic novel.  i came on a pilgrimage to buy the original comics from denmark st's forbidden planet as a teenager.  it was a time pre-internet and pre-specialsit comic shops in a 1950s belfast.  it remains cannon for me and one of the definitive super hero texts.  yes i am hassinator and i am a comic geek.

norwegian wood - murakmai

a great place to start with this japanese prose-poet.  i've been a frequent visitor to japan but i feel his novels prepared me for what to expect more profoundly than anything else.  this explores his familiar themes of emotional alienation and the heavy burden of existence for a young japanese couple set against a background of social turbulence.  weapons grade excellence all round.

blood is a rover - james ellroy

its hard to believe that someone could come up with a book as good - if not better - than 'american tabloid' but i do believe ellroy has pulled it off.  his masterpiece and not to be missed if you are in any way a fan.

the road  - cormac mccarthy

yes its in my previous ten but this included to be sure, to be sure.  a book SO good that when i finished i just started it again.  flawless.  read it.  now.

[Veinticinco de Mayo]

Dunno mate, was just recommending people to Karamazov. It's a long read though and Dostoevsky doesn't make it any easier for the reader .

Ach... do you ever regret starting something.  You said "I bought these books" you never said you read them.  You said "Karamazov is considered to be his masterpiece" you never said which you thought was the best or your thoughts on any of them at all.

Anyway getting back on track, @Les Willis, did you not find the ending of Crime and Punishment to be hugely uplifting.

Spoiler

While ill in the prison hospital Roskolnikoff dreams of a plague of nihilism sweeping across Russia but when he wakes and commences his gradual recovery he finally bonds with the faithful Sonya and discovers that love is all that matters.  Or am I just a sad old hippy?

[close]

[Veinticinco de Mayo]

Some great books in those two lists Hass.  I need to read some Fowles, I read an extract of his memoirs in Granta a while back and they were superb.

[hassinator]

Some great books in those two lists Hass.  I need to read some Fowles, I read an extract of his memoirs in Granta a while back and they were superb.

he is ace.  i started with the beguiling magus then read his grimey debut 'the collector'.  genuinely chilling in its two perspectives on an abduction in an era before stalking and the lottery.  i will say no more but a stunning debut.  'a maggot' is similar to the 'the magus' in that he restricts the readers perspective which is a great device for building an increasing sense of mystery.  his prose is unbelievable too - you will not be disappointed big man.

[Myshkin]

Ach... do you ever regret starting something.  You said "I bought these books" you never said you read them.  You said "Karamazov is considered to be his masterpiece" you never said which you thought was the best or your thoughts on any of them at all.

Anyway getting back on track, @Les Willis, did you not find the ending of Crime and Punishment to be hugely uplifting.

Spoiler

While ill in the prison hospital Roskolnikoff dreams of a plague of nihilism sweeping across Russia but when he wakes and commences his gradual recovery he finally bonds with the faithful Sonya and discovers that love is all that matters.  Or am I just a sad old hippy?

[close]

No worries mate.  It went over my head at first so was wondering what you were getting at. 

About the spoiler; Dostoevsky has used the same archetype in everything I've read by him. Sonya in C+P, Liza in NfU, Nastasya in TI and Agrafena in TBK. I read somewhere that Dickens was a big influence and it shows with these characters. Does anyone know of any more similarities between Dostoevsky and Dickens? I'm unfamiliar with him, having only read Oliver Twist ages ago.

[Corkboy]

he is ace.  i started with the beguiling magus then read his grimey debut 'the collector'.  genuinely chilling in its two perspectives on an abduction in an era before stalking and the lottery.  i will say no more but a stunning debut.  'a maggot' is similar to the 'the magus' in that he restricts the readers perspective which is a great device for building an increasing sense of mystery.  his prose is unbelievable too - you will not be disappointed big man.

And you should start with his finest, The French Lieutenant's Woman, which I can't believe you didn't mention, hass. A sumptuous, playful, tragic novel.

[Alonso_The_Assassin]

'breakfast at tiffany's' on the other hand is absolutely beguiling.  i can't recommend it highly enough.  what didn't you like about it?
 

I can't really put my finger on it Hass. Maybe I was expecting it to knock me on my arse from the getgo, due to the acclaim it's received from everyman and dog. I just felt it was a bit anti-climatic and took a bit to sink into. I enjoyed "Summer Crossing" a lot more to be honest.

the electric kool aid acid test - tom wolfe

one of my favourite writers of non-fiction i've chosen this from his journalism due to a profound love of the subject matter - lsd and its dissemination through american by ken kesey and his merry pranksters - as much for the genius of his descriptive prose.  to be fair if you want to know about the world of 50, 40, 30 years ago you should really read everything he's done - his essay on the lunchtime mod culture of soho is a peach - but this is a brilliant starting point.

Couldn't get into this either, mate. I want to get into more Wolfe, but this didn't shroud me in any form of awe. I don't know. Maybe it's a book you need to do acid to in order to experience the optimum of what Wolfe was trying to bring the table? Or am I just talking shite?

Norwegian Wood is the goods. Definitely the most straight forward of Murakami's works. It's just so engagingly beautiful.

[Art Vandelay]

1. Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers - Grant Naylor
It's funny
2.The Race - James Schefter
It's interesting
3.The Art Of Captaincy - Mike Brearley
It's insightful
4.To Kill A Mockingbird - Harper Lee
It's good
5. The Godfather - Mario Puzo
It's mob-riffic
6.The Dark Knight Returns - Frank Miller
It's the goddamn Batman
7.Snotty Bumstead - Hunter Davis
It's a true great
8.Jurassic Park - Michael Crichton
It's fantastical
9.Garfield At Large: His First Book - Jim Davis
It's a cat
10.Pilgrim's Progress - John Bunyan
Never read it, want to sound intelligent.

[Veinticinco de Mayo]

Hmmm.  Tricky

In no particular order:

Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - Robert M Pirsig
The Road - Cormac McCarthy
Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
1984 - George Orwell
On the Road - Jack Kerouac
Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
A Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgess
Trainspotting - Irving Welsh

Ask me tomorrow and it will be a different ten

And todays Ten is:

All the Pretty Horses - Cormac McCarthy
The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
Atomised - Houllebecq
Bonfire of the Vanities - Tom Wolfe
Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie (this will always be in I think)
Last Orders - Graham Swift
Any Human Heart - William Boyd
Girlfriend in a coma - Douglas Coupland
The Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
Slaughterhouse 5 - Kurt Vonnegut

Different again next time I call back.  So it goes.

[Grobbelrevell]

Tough one this. Again, in no real order I'd go for the following:

Shantaram -
The story of Gregory David Roberts, an escaped Australian convict who fled to India. Fantastic book.

The Ice Man -
The story of Richard Kuklinski, a notorious American contract killer.

The Boys from the Mersey -
Best LFC related book I've read.

Managing my life - Alex Ferguson -
Controversial choice I know, but it is a good read.

The constant gardener -
Well written, thought provoking and a great read.

First they killed my father -
First hand account of the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia. Hard to say I 'enjoyed' reading this because its so tragic, but its an period in time that should never be forgotten and I would put this book on the list as it provided me with an insight into the horrors of that time.

The wrong way home -
Humerous travel diary by Peter Moore recounting his overland journey from the UK to Australia - via the likes of Afghanistan.

The Guvnor -
The story of underground barenuckle boxer turned actor Lenny Mclean.

Its not about the bike -
Lance Armstrong autobiography. Inspirational read.

Not sure what its called... -
The story of two sisters from Birmingham who were sent to Iran for an arranged marriage by their father. Heart breaking account of events but brilliantly written and an eye opening insight into the subject of arranged marriage.

[evenflow]

A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
My Traitor's Heart - Rian Malan
The Outsider - Camus
The Crucible - Arthur Miller
Stalingrad - Anthony Beevor
The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho
Hadji Murad -  Leo Tolstoy
Leo The African - Amin Malouf
God of Small Things - Arundhati Roy
To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee

Some interesting reads posted- inspiring- off to pick some up later!

[hassinator]

And you should start with his finest, The French Lieutenant's Woman, which I can't believe you didn't mention, hass. A sumptuous, playful, tragic novel.

haven't read it big man but its next up to bat when i put 'a maggot' to bed.

[hassinator]

Couldn't get into this either, mate. I want to get into more Wolfe, but this didn't shroud me in any form of awe. I don't know. Maybe it's a book you need to do acid to in order to experience the optimum of what Wolfe was trying to bring the table? Or am I just talking shite?

well to be fair i first read it when i first did acid and thought he did a good job of using words to suggest the overwhelming sense of the other that i was experiencing in my weekends off at university.   he's just really fucking clever.  his use of language is flabbergasting but more on point for me is his understanding of sub-culture and its every nuance. 

maybe 'the right stuff' is a better place to start with him if you're not - nor never will be - into psychedelics.  straight up heroism for the gee whiz astronaut generation.  a great book.

[hassinator]

And todays Ten is:

All the Pretty Horses - Cormac McCarthy  -  i've started but left it at the office so picked up 'a maggot' but will be back.  yorky tells me 'blood meridian' is a must
The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald - literally perfect
Atomised - Houllebecq - killer, killer book.  he's like the michael hanneke of ficiton.  i've loved the lot but this is his masterpiece.
Bonfire of the Vanities - Tom Wolfe - day-glo dickens.  nuff said.  its another masterpiece.
Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie (this will always be in I think) - never read it but i've found him heavy going in the past
Last Orders - Graham Swift - haven't read it
Any Human Heart - William Boyd - BANGER.  despite what royhendo has been saying ;-)
Girlfriend in a coma - Douglas Coupland - my mate is turning this into a feature
The Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck - another perfect book.  i don't think i've encountered a better writer of prose
Slaughterhouse 5 - Kurt Vonnegut - maybe my favourite ever american

Different again next time I call back.  So it goes.

we have similar tastes in literature big man

[Yorkykopite]

Fiction
Orwell, 1984
Dostoyevsky, Crime and Punishment
Cormac McCarthy, The Road
Don de Lillo, White Noise
Koestler, Darkness at Noon
Marquez, One Hundred Years of Solitude
Vasily Grossman, Life and Fate
Laurence Sterne, Tristram Shandy
Samuel Butler, The way of all flesh
Tolstoy, War and Peace

Non Fiction
Orwell, The Road to Wigan Pier
Tom Paine, Rights of Man
Albert Camus, Selected essays and notebooks
EP Thompson, The Making of the English Working Class
Alexander Herzen, My Past and Thoughts
Raul Hilberg, The Destruction of the European Jews
Nadezhda Mandelstam, Hope against Hope
Edward Gibbon, Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
Edmund Wilson, To the Finland Station
CLR James, Beyond a Boundary

No Catch 22, no Gunter Grass - mad.