Listmania!
My Humblest Opinion : The Best Books
SeeingSeeing by Jose Saramago
Buy new: £5.86 / Used from: £2.67
Saramago is without doubt my favourite writer, this gentle satire on politics has never been more relevant.
BlindnessBlindness by Jose Saramago
Buy new: £5.96 / Used from: £1.19
Never found a book by this Portugese wizard that disappoints, now a film version is out, hopefully this will bring José to a wider audience.
The DoubleThe Double by Jose Saramago
Buy new: £5.08 / Used from: £3.10
Another gem from José Saramago, a great insight into identity.
The Stone Raft (Panther)The Stone Raft (Panther) by Jose Saramago
Buy new: £4.99 / Used from: £1.19
Close second in my Saramago favourites list, what would happen if Spain and Portugal sailed off into the sunset???
Death at IntervalsDeath at Intervals by Jose Saramago
Buy new: £11.69 / Used from: £7.99
A closer look at lady death and maybe a closer look at our attitudes to life
The CaveThe Cave by Jose Saramago
Buy new: £5.99 / Used from: £2.85
Probably my favourite Saramago novel, hauntingly wise with a wonderful ending.
One Hundred Years of Solitude (Essential Penguin)One Hundred Years of Solitude (Essential Penguin) by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Buy used from: £0.01
Make sure you keep notes on the family tree, totally spellbinding.
Love in the Time of CholeraLove in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Buy new: £5.99 / Used from: £2.20
Romantic and articulate, perfect Marquez. I recommend getting the film soundtrack to accompany you on this journey.
The Autumn of the Patriarch (International Writers)The Autumn of the Patriarch (International Writers) by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Buy used from: £0.01
Pure poetry, the most incredible peice of writing to come from a pen.
Gabriel Garcia Marquez: A LifeGabriel Garcia Marquez: A Life by Gerald Martin
Buy new: £16.49 / Used from: £9.90
Fascinating insight into the life of one of the greatest writers ever.
Living to Tell the TaleLiving to Tell the Tale by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Buy new: £8.09 / Used from: £0.66
Read this one along with the above title for a full insight.
The Shipping NewsThe Shipping News by Annie Proulx
Buy new: £4.87 / Used from: £0.01
The sole American writer since Hemingway to keep me rapt.
Death in the AfternoonDeath in the Afternoon by Ernest Hemingway
Buy new: £5.96 / Used from: £0.41
Perfect journalism, powerful subject, superb writing.
The Old Man and the SeaThe Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
Buy new: £4.94 / Used from: £0.40
A simple yet captivating tale, the purest written words, what reading is all about.
The Annotated LolitaThe Annotated Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
Buy new: £9.25 / Used from: £6.63
Unbelievably good - a text book of obsession - this version helps to identify the spectacular details often missed.
The Tin Drum (Vintage Classics)The Tin Drum (Vintage Classics) by Gunter Grass
Buy new: £6.96 / Used from: £4.61
Simply surrealy brilliant, one of my all time favourites.
The Path to the Spiders' Nests (Vintage classics)The Path to the Spiders' Nests (Vintage classics) by Italo Calvino
Buy used from: £2.99
One of Italy's masters, point perfect tale of a childs of war, start here and read all his work.
Sicilian UnclesSicilian Uncles by Leonardo Sciascia
Buy new: £5.22 / Used from: £2.82
Four novella's from the pen of Sciasa - the best introduction to his work.
The Wine Dark SeaThe Wine Dark Sea by Leonardo Sciascia
Buy used from: £4.00
Wonderful in their simplicity some of his best work lies here.
The Day of the OwlThe Day of the Owl by Leonardo Sciascia
Buy used from: £11.93
Short, sharp and unforgettable
Peeling the OnionPeeling the Onion by Gunter Grass
Buy new: £6.99 / Used from: £4.68
Excellent autobiography from Gunter Grass, the hours slip by - rich and poetic.
Foucault's PendulumFoucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco
Buy new: £6.49 / Used from: £0.92
I learnt more from this novel than any other book, well worth the effort
The HolocaustThe Holocaust by Martin Gilbert
Buy new: £10.88 / Used from: £4.96
The one book I'd want everyone on the planet to read.
Doctor Zhivago (Everyman's Library classics)Doctor Zhivago (Everyman's Library classics) by Boris Pasternak
Buy new: £9.09 / Used from: £2.79
Get in hardback so it will stand up the the re-reading.
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich (Penguin Modern Classics)One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich (Penguin Modern Classics) by Alexander Solzhenitsyn
Buy new: £5.16 / Used from: £0.01
Solzhenitsyn's most economical and poignant study of Stalin's Russia.