FC was good, but i think his books have got progressively less enjoyable with each book he's written (Survivor was the first). I haven't gotten around to reading Diary yet, but I will.

HOUSE OF LEAVES!!! EVERYONE!!! READ HOUSE OF LEAVES!!! URGENT and KEY!!!

It'll make up the sum total of birthday present shopping for the next 12 months.

Yes Sir, the Tin Drum is a truly great book. recently read something you might like Solderboy, "Hideous Dream", an account of an American Army Ranger in Haiti c1995. Soft skull Publishing.

UPDATED

1. Gunter Grass - The Tin Drum
2. Leo Tolstoy - Anna Karenina
3. Kazuo Ishiguro - The Remains Of The Day
4. Jose Saramago - Blindness
5. V.S. Naipaul - A House For Mr Biswas

Yes, I finally got around to reading it.

One Market Under God, by Thomas Frank.

Struggle to find the words to demean new-right disciples no more.
not only educational, its hiliarious in parts.

A truly great man.

Molly Irvins Anthology.
MalcomX Auto. Crikey, how did I leave this one off. Compulsory reading if such a thing exists.

I really, really like Preacher. The Wellington Public Library seems to be stocking anything Ennis and Dillon touch.

Q, by Luther Blissett,
Yup do believe the hype.

Christopher Hitchens, Regime Change
Fearless, and infuriating. Have a Brandy

The Evidence of things not seen, James Baldwin.
Beauty in verbiage, sorely missed.

Yeah, some band of Milanise Anarchists.
Great read, all sorts of history intermingled with Political Message.
Blissett was a footballer, Watford, then ACMilan, not known for literary prowess.

"Crosstown Traffic" by Charles Shar Murray.
I've recently finished the updated issue, it really is a class act, Murray or Nick Kent for NME's best ever journo?

"Boston Boy" by Nat Hentoff
former Downbeat editor remineces about growing up Yiddish in Catholic Boston. I gave up on Jewish moaning years ago, but shit this was an eyeopener, particulary about how the laiety can follow the cloth. Not enough "Jazz" stories probably dulled it a bit for me, but you can always pick up Village Voice or Downbeat for Musical writings.

Lost Worlds by Michael Bywater

Its sort of a collection of Essays/Thoughts on things the Modern World has lost.
Like Baby's Bottom.
Or Rinso.
Stephen Fry likes it, but don't let that put you off.

Comics, I had a review of the Watchmen, apparantly someone is making a film.

Bruce Jesson "Only there purpose is Mad"

its a guilty pleasure hindsight but by all thats HOLY this Great Man sure nutted the disaster that befall this country. Now this book should be in School Ciriculum with "Never a White Flag" by Jock Barnes.

I see V for Vendetta is now a film. Lets hope it does justice to what was certainly a highlight in the Comic Medium.

I got this collection of Lester Bangs writings.

the Miles Davis pieces are amazing.

it's quite wideranging, should be something for everyone in this book.
"Mainlines, Blood Feasts and Bad Taste".
edited by John Morthland

"How they stole the game" by David Yallop.

hyped as "worlds foremost investigitive journalist" , Iwonder what John Pilger or Ian Wishart think about that, but it's a book on former FIFA President Joao Havelenge and it's an amazing read.
I won't go over the faults, it's worth them to balance out the truly great bits.

Yallop was instrumental in the pardon and release of Arthur Allan Thomas, wrote brilliantly on Pope John PaulI and has done a book on Carlos the Jackal, which I must hunt down.

Like listening to John Farnham, when and where we want too.

It just goes to show what hubris does to people...