 | Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
Buy new: £4.00 / Used from: £0.01 All of Austen's books are highly enjoyable, but this was the first I read and is very self aware.
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 | The Mistress of Spices by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
Buy new: £5.78 / Used from: £0.01 |
 | Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
Buy new: £4.87 / Used from: £0.01 Not entirely accurate, but a great read nonetheless.
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 | Geisha by Liza Crihfield Dalby
Buy new: £5.74 / Used from: £0.01 Factual account of life as a Geisha. If Memoirs... interested you, this is the way to go.
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 | Kimono by Liza Crihfield Dalby
Buy new: £6.73 / Used from: £0.96 Another interesting non-fiction.
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 | The Tale of Murasaki by Liza Crihfield Dalby
Buy new: £5.99 / Used from: £0.01 The culprit that started my longing for Heian literature. Very entertaining fiction.
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 | The Pillow Book (Penguin Classics) by Sei Shonagon
Buy new: £6.79 / Used from: £4.93 Actual Heian lit, which is still accessible to modern, non-Japanese readers. Sei Shonagon is a bit of a snob though.
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 | The Shadow Of The Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Buy new: £3.99 / Used from: £0.01 |
 | Proper Job, Charlie Curnow! by Alan M. Kent
Buy new: £8.99 / Used from: £4.00 Explores the reality of the contempory Cornish youth (I know, I live here...). Those who are offended by excessive profanity might want to avoid, but if you can bear it you will not be disappointed.
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 | Neverwhere: The Author's Preferred Text by Neil Gaiman
Buy new: £5.97 / Used from: £2.90 Neil Gaiman is a master of fantasy, and Neverwhere is one of his best. Don't know about the Preferred Text ed. though...
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 | Mort (Discworld Novels) by Terry Pratchett
Buy new: £5.23 / Used from: £1.45 Sounds grim, but is extremely enjoyable and hilarious.
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 | The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
Buy new: £5.03 / Used from: £0.01 Contemporary retelling/extension of the Dracula myth. A compelling read.
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 | The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory
Buy new: £4.97 / Used from: £0.01 Mixes historical fact with romantic fiction. Gregory's narrative is very engaging.
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 | Ring by Koji Suzuki
Buy new: £4.98 / Used from: £0.01 The Japanese novel which started the film boom. The sequels become increasingly Sci-Fi though.
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 | The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
Buy new: £4.76 / Used from: £0.69 A moving character study.
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 | The Naked Jape: Uncovering the Hidden World of Jokes by Jimmy Carr
Buy used from: £2.47 Interesing look at the development and basis behind jokes. Even if you don't like Jimmy Carr, it's worth a read.
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 | Jane Eyre (Penguin Classics) by Charlotte Brontë
Buy new: £5.21 / Used from: £0.78 No list of great books is complete without a classic. This is mine.
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 | Rebecca (Virago modern classics) by Daphne Du Maurier
Buy new: £5.56 / Used from: £0.29 Du Maurier might have a lot to answer to when it comes to ideas of Cornwall, but she's a great novelist. This is one of her best.
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 | Drawing Blood by Poppy Z. Brite
Buy used from: £0.40 I love Brite's work, but this and Lost Souls are my favourites. If you don't like gore and are against homosexuality this isn't for you though.
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 | Control Freak by Christa Faust
Buy new: £11.57 / Used from: £10.69 A look at the 'darker side' of sexuality, with a murder mystery thrown in for good measure. Again, it may offend some.
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 | The Plays of Oscar Wilde (Wordsworth Classics) by Oscar Wilde
Buy new: £1.99 / Used from: £0.01 King of wit. Love his early plays too (all included).
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 | Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (International Writers) by Patrick Suskind
Buy new: £4.43 / Used from: £0.01 Try and read it before you see the film. Also in the running for one of the strangest endings for a novel ever.
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 | The Haunted Mansion: From the Magic Kingdom to the Movies (Welcome Book) by Jason Surrell
Buy used from: £18.28 I'm not a huge fan of all Disney, but I love this attraction. The book is packed with fascinating facts.
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 | Tipping the Velvet (Virago V) by Sarah Waters
Buy new: £5.97 / Used from: £0.19 A gorgeous period love story no matter what your sexuality. If Lesbianism offends you though, you know the drill.
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 | Emotionally Weird by Kate Atkinson
Buy new: £5.96 / Used from: £0.01 Packed full of eccentric characters, and a plot which keeps you guessing until the end.
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Listmania!
