Dazzling gripping boggling brain-food. Savour each page, marvel at each chapter. Genuinely and utterly life-changing. (Of the ten most-quoted sources in history, Chomsky is the only one still alive.

A pigeon-step ahead of Smilla in weirdness - is it autobiographical? A paean to a disturbed childhood. Scandinavians weird-out like no one else.

Now the Dutch have a go. Another disturbed hero. Gentle language but sharp observations.

As the back-cover says, ''It takes a baseball bat to the inside of your head''. Double-takes required.

Rich, chewy, zany, barking - first known use of prose as a weapon? makes other books on this illustrious list feel pedestrian! Get Zet!

Russian gangsters, extremist nationalists, layabouts and a dog called "Pussyeater". Not Literature but the near-farcical closing scene makes it a must. Captures the feel of Russia in 1992 perfectly.

Simple, clear, beautiful. Just like Buddhism.

If only for the quality of the English, which is stunning.

The big man speaks - head-thrashing stuff.

Deckchair adversity brambles.

Kick out the jams - one of the few boom-era books to have lasting value.

Things ain't quite how they seem.

But where IS the green parrot? A favourite from my childhood.