5 ONLY books that MUST be read.

[Hullygully]

Any era, any genre.

No crap.

Go.

to kill a mocking bird
little dark thorn
memoirs of a geisha
lord of the flies
the queens blade

Thank you Hully. I was a bit tongue in cheek although ask me again and I'll likely have a different list.

Today I am in my deep southern/tropical mangrove and ghosts phase.

The Grapes of Wrath - Steinbeck. Because it shows the resilience of humans under the worst situations. And because when I read it, at about age 14, it was the first book that ever really moved me with its descriptive writing & made me realise what good writing could do.

The other four I will have to think about & hone a long list & probably post them in annoying dribs & drabs as there are many books I've read that could make the cut.

oh sorry, I forgot my justifications

Lord of the Rings All the book you ever need, actually. So symbolic, allegorical and intricately written. I reread it faithfully every year

Rebecca Because I love du Maurier. I love the richness of her descriptives,

Jamaica Inn again, i love du Maurier. I love the brooding atmosphere and the gathering fear as the book progresses. And I love gothic novels

Madame Bovary a perfect description of malcontent and ennui

Any of the Jennings series by Anthony Buckeridge. If I had to choose one, Jennings' Little Hut would be my choice. Just the thought of some of the passages make me cry with laughter. On the face of it these are children's books. But they are so beautifully written (think PG Wodehouse style) that they transcend the genre.

And then you lot bloody well keep posting more things that I hadn't thought of - just to make the whole job harder.

That is AMAZING. Highly impressive Hully.

Jane Eyre- because she's everything you want to be as a woman and it was written at a time when women weren't encouraged to have opinions etc. also it's allegorical nature fosters a wider understanding of religion in our country in history (I reckon anyway).

Whatever Love Means by David Baddiel- one of my favourite modern novels. Incredibly clever. Also taps in to that whole post Diana hysteria that defined the late 90s.

The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson- an interesting look at post WW2 America and bloody hilarious.

The Time Travellers Wife- a true original.

High Fidelity- universal themes of love and music make this accessible to all.

I had to bump One Day by David Nicholls, The Picture of Dorian Gray and The Secret History there but I stand by my choices.

Let the Great World Spin, Colum McCann
The Wasp Factory, Iain Banks
Cloud Atlas, David Mitchell
No Country for Old Men, Cormac McCarthy
The Stand, Stephen King

I tried not to think too much and just write which books have really stood out to be as being exceptional.

Well done, somedizzy, impressive rigour in choice-making.

Ommmward are you me?

Splendid to find a DWJ fan. I'd have gone with Fire and Hemlock or The Merlin Conspiracy though. F&H is so full of allusion and mystery. Got me reading ballads. And The Golden Bough!

And Mansfield Park rather than Pride and Prejudice. All those flawed characters just come alive

Not heard of your last choice. Mine's The Flounder by Gunther Grass (in translation - I'm not that hardcore).

Bad Pharma by Ben Goldacre - I know he comes at this issue from a particular perspective and I'm sure there are counter-arguments to his assertions, but I think we should all question things a bit more.

The Infinite Book by John D. Barrow-beautiful explanations of a tricky concept.

Notes From A Small Island by Bill Bryson- it's hard to pick just one, but reading Bill Bryson books is like snuggling into a comfy pair of slippers - warming and make you feel much more cheery.

The first four parts of the the Hitch-hiker's Guide to the Galaxy series (but I wasn't overly keen on the 5th, bit inconsistent). Funny and insightful, and also a celebration of the art of the sandwich.

The Greatest Show on Earth by Richard Dawkins- because somehow our world is being run according to the whims of people who believe in various supernatural beings, and as a species we really should face up to the evidence before us and accept evolution rather than invoking deities to justify our actions.

TKAMB - because it teaches all of us to stand up to the wrongs we see in the world.

The Universe Versus Alex Woods - because I loved it, and because it was extremely well written and researched (and covered such diverse topics as epilepsy, social isolation, cannabis growing and euthanasia).

East of Eden - because the characters are so well written that they are still etched on my brain years after the first reading.

The Book Thief - because I loved the concept of Death as narrator and it appealed to such a wide variety of my family. A book for all generations.

I Know This Much is True - again, a very well researched book. The relationship between the twins was a complex one (read it when pregnant with my own ID twin boys), and one which could make me cry now, even thinking about it.

Lolita - it is so beautifully written, like the most exquisite poetry but full of creeping horror and pain. It is absolutely relevant today and arms you against a world that sexualises children.

Brideshead Revisited - it captures the feeling of being on the outside looking into something wonderful. And you can decide if it has a happy or sad ending.

The Road - because it could happen and if everyone read this it must lessen the chances!

The Windup Bird Chronicle - shows what it is to write space and emptiness. Like the best meditation.

Sophie's World - an introduction to philosophy in a totally accessible format.

Can a lurker join in? Am very old therefore have read almost all books ever written. My choices (at the moment) are:

Birdsong - Sebastian Faulkes (how can he have written it and not been there?)
To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee (nuff said)
Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte (what a heroine, such spirit, such character)
Persuasion - Jane Austen (because I defy anyone who has read Austen not to be able to recognise her absolute mastery of the language)
Room - Emma Donahue (controversial one this, but I absolutely could not put it down.)

Catch 22 by Joseph Heller. Because its sad, shocking, hilarious, and totally captures the utter futility and misery of war.
Lord of the Rings by Tolkien. Because its just magical, and though others have tried, nothing else comes close.
The Stand by Stephen King. Because it does post apocalyptic struggle between good and evil brilliantly.
One flew over the cuckoos nest by Ken Kesey. Just fantastic, edges out the wonderful film IMHO.
War of the Worlds by HG Wells. Because its the scariest book ever.

This is impossible!! Only five???

Well, I'll have a go anyway:

To Kill a Mockingbird. Do I even need to explain this choice?
The Grapes of Wrath. Ditto.
Pied Piper by Nevil Shute. Because John Howard is such a good person.
The Woodlanders. I know some people don't like Hardy, but I love him. (Can I have the collected novels as one choice please?)

There are too many contenders for the fifth one. Perhaps Growth of the Soil (fantastic novel), Jane Eyre, The Bell, or ...... I don't know, it's too hard

Last light by Alex Scarrow
Aftermath by Roger Williams
Touching the void by Joe Simpson
Battle for the trees by Merrick
Senseless acts of beauty by George McKay

jacksgrannie Persuasion was my favorite Austen for a long time.
I've had Birdsong on my to be read pile for a while I really must read it soon.

Cold Comfort Farm - because it's one of the funniest books ever written

Handmaid’s Tale - because not only could this happen, but it also has happened and easily could do again

Beloved - because it's one of the hardest books I've ever read but also one of the most wonderful, beautifully written. Heartbreaking and will teach you more about slavery and the way it breaks people and families than anything else could. "She cannot be lost because no one is looking for her."

A big massive book of Greek myths and legends - because most of the stories, poems, plays and films you meet with in your life will derive from these in some way, plus they're raucous, bloody and amazing.

Letters from a Faint Hearted Feminist - because it's a VERY funny but also a great exploration of what it's like being a woman and how your choices can impact on your life.

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (Muriel Spark) - because it is perfect in every way.

The Secret History (Donna Tartt) - because I said elsethread that it would be on my top 5 Desert Island books list, and because I don't like being inconsistent. Also because if you read it at the right time, it will speak to you like no other book.

Bleak House (Dickens) - because of the first chapter and Lady Dedlock.

East of Eden - because my copy was given to me by a stranger on the train who had just finished it and said I had to read it - and he was right. Less depressing than The Grapes of Wrath, too.

Am really stuck on a 5th. Not because I can think of too many, but because I'm finding it hard to think of something else that is a "must read". I do really love Agatha Christie, so I think I'm going to say "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd" because it is so very clever.

oh God yes - The Secret History - I'm allowed to add it Hully because I only had three first time round. So nerr

I might ban TKAM from future 5s...

The Map of Love by Ahdaf Souief.

Probably the best novel ever about the effects of British Imperialism.

And a cracking read!

Flat Earth News by Nick Davies. It explains how and why most modern journalism is rubbish.

Hitch-22. A memoir by Christopher Hitchens. Who wouldn't want to read the autobiography of the pre-eminent polemicist of our times?

The Salmon Of Doubt by Douglas Adams. A collection of articles, essays and speeches, plus the first few chapters of what would have been the third Dirk Gently novel, and very funny it looked to be too.

Every Dead Thing by John Connolly. It's gruesome and funny and will make you want to read the rest of the series.

The Secret Race by Tyler Hamilton and Daniel Coyle. It's an honest account of drug taking within professional cycling which more or less forced Lance Armstrong into admitting doping.