when i was younger (and more academic) i used to love reading. nowadays i only read the occasional Ben Elton book or non fiction work. so none of my selection are particularly current.
Slaughterhouse 5
The Life of Pi
Perfume
The Name of the Rose
Siddharta
I also loved "Life, A User's Manual" by george perec, but i honestly can't remember much about it, and am reluctant to include it in my list, because i thought of myself as a bit of a post modernist back then, and loved stuff that these days i would find painfully dull
