What are your "must read" books?

Finally,
If this is a man by Primo Levi

Also,
On the Beach

Down and out in Paris and London,and,
The Day of the Triffids

I think my favourite books that I have read and re-read are

The Children of the Earth Series by Jean M Auel - Well researched books set in the pre-historic times.

Anything by Bill Bryson

Wild Swans by Jung Chang

The Girl With the Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier (enjoyed all books by this author)
The Collector by John Fowles - one of the creepiest books I've ever read that takes you into the mind of a stalker.

Chocolat by Joanne Harris (enjoy all of her books)

Fatal Shore by Ribert Hughes - fascinating read about how Australia was colonised.

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver - about an American family who go to the Congo as missionaries, very very interesting and tells the story from different characters views.

The Millenium Series by Steig Larsson

Let The Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist - story of a little boy who befriends a vampire girl, not a typical vampire story and was very moving.

Dissolution and the Shardlake series by CJ Sanson about Matthew Shardlake a hunchback lawyer set in the medieval times.

Anything by Lionel Shriver, she seems to be able to cut straight to the point on any subject.

The Acid House by Irvine Welsh, sick but funny!

In no particular order (and possibly mis spelt):

Gone With the Wind,

Captain Correlli's Mandolin

The Horse Whisperer

Katherine

Memoirs of a Giesha,

Jane Eyre

Jean Auel's series - Clan of the Cave Bear

The DaVinci Code

Life of Pi

Philippa Gregory's tudor books

Good night Mister Tom,

Jilly Cooper's - Riders, Polo

Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. It gives you a great insight into life in medieval times, so when your little ones come to study this period in history you will have many of the answers at your fingertips.

Ooo and any sherlock Holmes. The short stories are particularly gripping.

Alot of the above but also:
We need to talk about kevin
Silence of the lambs
Girl with the dragon tattoo (all 3)
Any sarah waters books

Moon Tiger by Penelope Lively - I read it as a teenager and it just had huge resonance somehow and I've re-read it many times since and still find it a great book

Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks always leaves me feeling deeply moved for days afterwards

I thought Wolf Hall was just a towering work of genius, the use of language was incredible; AS Byatt's Possession for the same reason

For a lighter read, Jilly Cooper's Riders, Rivals, Polo trilogy always makes me laugh, even though some of it is very anthropomorphic

I love many of those mentioned, but other favourites are:

1000 autumns of Jacob de Zoet
Song of Achilles
Quarantine by Jim Crace
Regeneration by Pat Barker

Will try to think of some more!

Oh, and One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Solzhenitsyn .

A revelation to me in my teens, but still relevant, I think

Also I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb.

A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry

The Observations - Jane Harris

Bel Canto - Ann Patchett

Espedair Street - Iain Banks

Snow Falling on Cedars - David Guterson

The Old Wives' Tale - Arnold Bennett

and Pride and Prejudice is an obvious choice I know .. but it's still great

Is that the 2003 BBC list? Some of the books are timeless, some are ones which were popular at the time and may not actually stand the test of time.

Some of my must-read books include Rebecca, Iris Murdoch's The Bell, Thomas Hardy's The Woodlanders and Nevil Shute's Pied Piper.

Lots of other suggestions, looking forward to adding them to my list of ones to read.

Richman - I did start reading Blood Meridian but found it horrible and stopped. He is a cracking writer though.

I am going to add a few of these suggestions to my 50 for this year I think.

Oh yes I loved Room!

I seem to read books and then forget them, read Memoirs of a Geisha years ago and loved it but forgot about it until reading this post.

Favourites I can think of which stand out are:

IT - Stephen King
The Stand - Stephen King
Lord of the Rings
Room
Fingersmith
The boy in the striped pyjamas

Also recently read The Girl on the landing and Dark Matter but have forgotten the authors. Loved both of those books.

Tried the read the Kite Runner but thought it was awful.

Absolutely love last four on your list so will have to get the first one now!

Just read The Snow Child - vg (title reminded me of Miss Smilla's feeling for Snow, also vg but v different)

Recently enjoyed
One Moment, One Morning
The Two Week Wait

Would add my vote to
Curious Incident
Lovely Bones
Tuesdays with Morrie
5 People

Have enjoyed and might well reread
Never Let Me Go
Cloud Atlas
Making History (Stephen Fry novel)
Gaining Ground (possibly dated but significant part of my feminist education)

Would seriously recommend The Stand by Stephen King which I wouldn't have gone anywhere near if not nagged by DP.

I'm getting out my diary now to write down lots of titles from this thread

A lot of the ones already mentioned and

Lucky Jim - Kingsley Amis
Cutting for Stone - Verghese
anything by Jonathan Coe
anything by Margaret Atwood
Birdsong - Faulks

Also a big fan or Anne Tyler, don't think she wrote a bad book..

Oh, I can't get on with Wolf Hall. Bought both Bring Up The Bodies and Wolfhall to read now I am on maternity leave.

Must reads for me are:

The Poisonwood Bible, or anything by Barbara Kingsolver for that matter.

1984 George Orwell
The Hnadmaids Tale, Margaret Attwood
Oryx and Crake and The Year of The Flood, Atwood again

I have recently enjoyed The American Wife by Curtis Sittingfeld.

I bet there are more. I might be back!

I loved the Poisonwood bible by Barbara Kingsolver.

Also, more light hearted, enjoyed all the Tales of the City books - so easy to read by really enjoyable - they are being dramatised on radio 4 atm.

A Town like Alice - Nevil Shute
My dear, I wanted to tell you - Louisa Young