Listmania!
Books I should be reading rather than writing this
The Catcher in the RyeThe Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger
Buy new: £4.91 / Used from: £0.90
I know it's on every other list but is a masterpiece
Utopia (Wordsworth Classics of World Literature)Utopia (Wordsworth Classics of World Literature) by Sir Thomas
Buy new: £3.08 / Used from: £0.49
Despite being one of the most powerful people in England he produced an incredibley subversive and inspired tale-a pity they chopped off his head.
Alias GraceAlias Grace by Margaret Atwood
Buy new: £5.49 / Used from: £0.01
A work of concentrated genius you'll either marvel at it, or throw it at the wall in frustration...
Bolivian DiaryBolivian Diary by Ernesto Guevara
Buy used from: £0.01
Despite the difficult conditions and the awful fate awaiting him here is a work that, love or hate him, forces you to admire him.
The Prince (Penguin Classics)The Prince (Penguin Classics) by Niccolo Machiavelli
Buy new: £3.48 / Used from: £1.14
Despite being the first book to be banned by th Catholic church, he does have a point....
Down and Out in Paris and London: Autobiography (Essential Penguin)Down and Out in Paris and London: Autobiography (Essential Penguin) by George Orwell
Buy new: £5.98 / Used from: £2.90
Far more than an account of tramping, Orwell portray's the injustices he see's emotion that creates an articulate piece of non-fiction
The Alchemist: A Fable About Following Your DreamThe Alchemist: A Fable About Following Your Dream by Paulo Coelho
Buy new: £3.98 / Used from: £0.01
Now hugely successful Coelho makes you wonder how much is fiction - it is up to you to decide.
The Odyssey (Penguin Classics)The Odyssey (Penguin Classics) by Homer
Buy new: £5.98 / Used from: £3.20
Gripping, entertaining, fabulous piece of writing - not bad for a translated poem which is the second oldest piece of western literature!
Capital: An Abridged Edition (Oxford World's Classics)Capital: An Abridged Edition (Oxford World's Classics) by Karl Marx
Buy used from: £4.40
With a frankly necessary abridgement, Marx delivers a brilliant and profound critique of the world he saw - hard going yes, but worth it!
On Liberty and Other Essays (Oxford World's Classics)On Liberty and Other Essays (Oxford World's Classics) by John Stuart Mill
Buy used from: £0.84
Some thing to balance it out! Mill who due to utilitarian education had Greek at 2 and a break-down at 21 delivers a brilliant if in places out dated view of an almost ideal world
Heart Of Darkness :Heart Of Darkness : by Joseph Conrad
Buy used from: £0.01
What on the face of it is a physical journey is masterfully turned into a mental journey for our protagonist and a perhaps a shock for the reader.
Arden Shakespeare Complete Works: Student EditionArden Shakespeare Complete Works: Student Edition by William Shakespeare
Buy new: £15.99 / Used from: £14.05
It had to be there! Combining some beautiful and thought-provoking poetry with plays that are so loaded with double meanings and skill that you just marvel at his intelligence and ability,
The Ethics of Aristotle (Classics)The Ethics of Aristotle (Classics) by Aristotle
Buy used from: £0.01
A signpost left to the future that has become almost a self fufilling prophesy such is this colossus of thought's impact on the society of today.
Leviathan (Oxford World's Classics)Leviathan (Oxford World's Classics) by Thomas Hobbes
Buy used from: £2.82
Yes, as the name suggests it is one but well worth it a compelling arguement as well as a great introduction to the ideas he now symbolises.
1984 Nineteen Eighty-Four1984 Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell
Buy used from: £1.19
Orwell put's across an incredibly scary scenario because of it's hopelessness and the fact it could be reality. With a brilliant, if you think about it, predictable twist,
Brave New World (Flamingo Modern Classics)Brave New World (Flamingo Modern Classics) by Aldous Huxley
Buy used from: £1.28
Look I can hardly put 1984 and not add this one can I?-Alternatively, just settle for a cheap amalgamation and watch 'equilibrium'
Catch-22Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
Buy new: £4.98 / Used from: £0.05
Look if you can get through the above you'll have no problem with this- it just rguires you to 'engage brain' Hilarious! - if you like the dark stuff
The Wasp FactoryThe Wasp Factory by Iain Banks
Buy new: £4.98 / Used from: £0.01
Brilliant, Dark, Disturbing an addictive read and trust me- stick till the end.
The Bell JarThe Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
Buy new: £4.76 / Used from: £0.01
Briliantt, glad it was written, but leaves you wondering...Would she be that good if she were stable?
The Perks of Being a WallflowerThe Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
Buy new: £6.99 / Used from: £3.20
I'm sorry, i'll anger many but i think this is better than catcher in the rye, with brilliant style and approach Charlie comes to life and takes us on his journey with an unbelievable resolution
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-timeThe Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon
Buy new: £4.58 / Used from: £0.01
No kids book or coffee table ornament, this is a brilliant portrayl of aspurgers syndrome that is just what is no melodrama just brilliance!