Mines change really often, but here's my best stab:
The Overstory (Richard Powers) - The lives of six or seven different characters before, during, and after they join up to perform an act of corporate vandalism that ends up in a death and the feds on their tail. It's also about trees, and you'll learn a huge amount about them, how important they are, and how under threat they are. Sounds shite, but it's really not.
Growth of the Soil (Knut Hamsun) - Hamsun's Nobel Prize-winner. A masterpiece about the life of a man who settles in the forest, builds his home and farm, and watches his kids grow. There's something so calming and warm about his writing; the worries he articulates through these bumpkin characters from the 1800s still resonate as so human and relatable.
Prestor John (John Buchan) - It's between this and Heart of Darkness for my most-read book. A really good yarn about a Scottish guy who moves to deepest, darkest South Africa and gets caught up in tribal warfare, treachery, and hunting/being hunted by this murderous warlord across the Transvaal. Always thought it would make a great movie.
Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail (Hunter S Thomson) - HST's Gonzo style meets the backhanders and backstabbing of Nixon's re-election. Doesn't hold back on what he sees. Illustration by Ralph Steadman is, as per, outstanding.
What We Talk About When We Talk About Love (Raymond Carver) - A collection of short stories all about characters living through different stages of love (first, last, unrequited, broken, unfaithful etc), and pretty much the reason why I don't try to write creatively. The sparsity of his writing is just a complete masterclass on how to engage a reader.
Honourable mentions:
Heart of Darkness (Joseph Conrad)
The Day of the Locust (Nathanael West)
Raised from the Ground (Jose Saramago)
No doubt left out ones that'll have me revising it later.
The Overstory (Richard Powers) - The lives of six or seven different characters before, during, and after they join up to perform an act of corporate vandalism that ends up in a death and the feds on their tail. It's also about trees, and you'll learn a huge amount about them, how important they are, and how under threat they are. Sounds shite, but it's really not.
Growth of the Soil (Knut Hamsun) - Hamsun's Nobel Prize-winner. A masterpiece about the life of a man who settles in the forest, builds his home and farm, and watches his kids grow. There's something so calming and warm about his writing; the worries he articulates through these bumpkin characters from the 1800s still resonate as so human and relatable.
Prestor John (John Buchan) - It's between this and Heart of Darkness for my most-read book. A really good yarn about a Scottish guy who moves to deepest, darkest South Africa and gets caught up in tribal warfare, treachery, and hunting/being hunted by this murderous warlord across the Transvaal. Always thought it would make a great movie.
Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail (Hunter S Thomson) - HST's Gonzo style meets the backhanders and backstabbing of Nixon's re-election. Doesn't hold back on what he sees. Illustration by Ralph Steadman is, as per, outstanding.
What We Talk About When We Talk About Love (Raymond Carver) - A collection of short stories all about characters living through different stages of love (first, last, unrequited, broken, unfaithful etc), and pretty much the reason why I don't try to write creatively. The sparsity of his writing is just a complete masterclass on how to engage a reader.
Honourable mentions:
Heart of Darkness (Joseph Conrad)
The Day of the Locust (Nathanael West)
Raised from the Ground (Jose Saramago)
No doubt left out ones that'll have me revising it later.