A monumental achievement; travel with the Joads, see the milk of human kindness prevail, even when the American Dream turns sour.

Holden Caulfield, the archetypal teenage anti-hero. Everyone should read this at least once.

A 100-page writing masterclass. Trust 'Papa' to deliver the goods.

I do love Ed McBain's 87th Precinct novels. Nice easy reads. Start here.

A boy's own adventure that even girls (urggh!) can enjoy.

Technically not King's best, but probably his most enjoyable, and my favourite. You will fall in love with these characters.

An absolutely cracking thriller. Ingenious.

'Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul. Lo-lee-ta: the tip of my tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth. Lo. Lee. Ta'.

Short, weird, downright creepy - an exemplary ghost story.

As a series this is peerless. Knocks Prof. Tolkien's little hobbit tales into a cocked hat.

Short, but prose as rich as yer granny's fruit loaf. A dark, hypnotic dream set in the dank bowels of the Congo.

Wow. Dickens's prose makes me sick. With envy, that is. I tore through this, stopping only for the occasional cup of tea and restorative Jammy Dodger. Excellent notes in my Penguin Classics edition.

Wonderful on so many levels. Perhaps my favourite book.