Listmania!
Great reads
A Prayer for Owen MeanyA Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving
Buy new: £6.71 / Used from: £1.45
I would recommend this to everyone. Masterful
The Handmaid's Tale (Contemporary classics)The Handmaid's Tale (Contemporary classics) by Margaret Atwood
Buy new: £4.97 / Used from: £0.01
I'll always remember this as the book that made me love reading
Rebecca (Virago modern classics)Rebecca (Virago modern classics) by Daphne Du Maurier
Buy new: £5.00 / Used from: £1.53
One of the classic old-school suspense novels. Brilliant
What a Carve Up! (Essential Penguin)What a Carve Up! (Essential Penguin) by Jonathan Coe
Buy new: £6.96 / Used from: £0.01
Made me laugh out loud
The Power of OneThe Power of One by Bryce Courtenay
Buy new: £6.84 / Used from: £4.40
Australian fiction at its best
Wild Swans: Three Daughters of ChinaWild Swans: Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang
Buy new: £6.13 / Used from: £0.01
A history lesson and a heart rending story all rolled into one.
London: The NovelLondon: The Novel by Edward Rutherfurd
Buy used from: £4.78
An epic and truly fine novel telling the history of an epic and truly fine city
Extremely Loud and Incredibly CloseExtremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
Buy new: £5.49 / Used from: £3.13
Most people prefer Safran Foer's Everything Is Iluminated, but this is, for me, the far superior story
The History of LoveThe History of Love by Nicole Krauss
Buy new: £6.49 / Used from: £0.01
Aaah. This book, more than any other, makes you remember the true meaning of love.
The Times Comprehensive Atlas of the WorldThe Times Comprehensive Atlas of the World by The Times
Buy new: £83.71 / Used from: £83.73
If there's one book I'm going back to again and again, it's this beautifully illustrated Atlas. It is money well spent
Cider House Rules - The NovelCider House Rules - The Novel by John Irving
Buy new: £6.72 / Used from: £0.01
John Irving is a genius. Don't be put off if you've seen the (disappointing) film - this is pure, unadulterated entertainment
The Complete Lewis Carroll (Collector's Library Editions)The Complete Lewis Carroll (Collector's Library Editions) by Lewis Carroll
Buy new: £17.97 / Used from: £14.99
Definitely worth investing in a hardback collection of Lewis Carrol's stories - they are timeless
FingersmithFingersmith by Sarah Waters
Buy new: £4.49 / Used from: £0.01
There's something about this book that makes everyone want to describe it as a 'romp' - Fact is, in so many ways, this is a romp of a book suitable for grannies, teenagers and everyone in between
Crime and Punishment (Penguin Classics)Crime and Punishment (Penguin Classics) by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Buy new: £5.01 / Used from: £0.75
I feel a bit pretentious putting this on my list, but it is such a great story and still manages to feel fresh and modern
MiddlesexMiddlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
Buy new: £5.46 / Used from: £0.01
If it weren't for the two unnecessary extra chapters at the end, this would be much higher up. A fascinating read
The Secret HistoryThe Secret History by Donna Tartt
Buy new: £6.89 / Used from: £0.01
If you want a book to totally get you engrossed, that makes you want to read it all in a day, then this is it
Flowers in the Attic (Dollanganger Family 1)Flowers in the Attic (Dollanganger Family 1) by Virginia Andrews
Buy new: £5.49 / Used from: £0.01
Maybe if I read this now, rather than when I was a teenager, this wouldn't make my list - but I still remember it fondly so it must have had something about it. Great for advanced teen readers I'd say
A Suitable BoyA Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth
Buy new: £6.96 / Used from: £0.01
This is a book you can really get your teeth into. Fascinating insight into Indian life during the transition to independence
Great Expectations (Penguin Classics)Great Expectations (Penguin Classics) by Charles Dickens
Buy new: £5.00 / Used from: £1.21
Great for reading on bus/train journeys as its gripping enough to be read in short bursts
SlammerkinSlammerkin by Emma Donoghue
Buy new: £6.99 / Used from: £0.01
There are lots of novels about women in 18th/19th Century prisons but I think this beat's Alias Grace and Affinity in terms of plot