Because I couldn't catch a band-wagon with a timetable and a large net...

The first sentence of my ten favorite books.June 17, 1972.All the President's Men Woodward & BernsteinI used to read this at the end of every semester all through high school and uni, because if I could follow the story, it proved that my brain hadn't been entirely fried.It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.Pride & Prejudice Jane AustenI read this to recuperate after All the President's Men.The bathers of Baden in summer were few and fat.Pawn in Frankinsence Dorothy DunnettThe fourth book in the Lymond series. The hero is the ultimate suavely arrogant, hyper-intelligent yet vulnerable bastard whom everyone, including his sister-in-law, a sultan or two, his arch-enemy, several courtesans, his sister, his best friend, and, naturally, the reader wants to fuck. Dunnett writes the most rewarding historical fiction I've read, and this particular book culminates in one of the best set-piece climaxes ever.To those who remembered him, it was typical that Nicholas should sail into Venice just as the latest news reached the Rialto, causing the ducat to fall below fifty groats and dip against the ecu.Scales of Gold Dorothy DunnettThe fourth book from the Niccolo series. Everything Dunnett was practising in Lymond is realised in Niccolo. If you have even a slight liking for the genre, go read them now. Shoo. Go on. You might miss an essay deadline or three - there are 15 books all up - but you won't ever regret it.The book was thick and black and covered with dust.Possession A S ByattEveryone I've ever recommended this book to has hated it. So, please, don't read it. You won't like it. Go read Dorothy Dunnett instead.It was just on two.Corfu Robert DessaixYou know when you're feeling unsettled about your place in the world, and you call your best friend, and have one of those snarky, comforting conversations that lasts for hours on end? This book is like that, only shorter, and more coherent. And a lot cheaper, especially if the friend in question happens to live in Japan.'Are you awake, Will?'The Grey King Susan CooperThe best book of the series; and eternal gratitude to myalexandria for finding DiR slash.Thundershowers hit just before midnight, drowning out the horn honks and noisemaker blare that usually signalled New Year's on the Strip, bringing 1950 to the West Hollywood Substation in a wave of hot squeals with meat wagon backup.The Big Nowhere James ElroyJust, ouch. Not as broad in scope as LA Confidential, but much bleaker, and slightly less macho, and all the better for it.I was just about to overtake Salvatore when I heard my sister scream.I'm not scared Niccolo AmmanitiMy new favorite book. The 'through the eyes of a child' style usually drives me right up the wall, but this book maintains an childishly unsentimental and amoral viewpoint superbly. A sharp, anxious story.The house stood on a slight rise just on the edge of the village.The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Douglas AdamsWhen I first read this when I was ten, I laughed so hard I dropped the book, which knocked over my glass, which smashed on the floor. I also gave myself a cramp. I have better motor coordination now, but it still makes me grin like a loon. (Slartibartfast!)