Laurence Sterne, The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman

Laurence Sterne, The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman. A most elaborate autobiography as a set for a series of dick jokes: the jokes are related with such delight and propriety, however, that it would be inhuman not to enjoy them.

Erik Larson, The Devil in the White City

Erik Larson, The Devil in the White City. I thought it was a novel about the world's fair in Chicago, judging by the cover, but instead it was a novelized non-fiction account of a disgusting and ingenious serial murderer operating in Chicago during the world's fair. Maybe it was good, and it was certainly fascinating, but I wanted to bathe in sand and bleach and remove my mind after reading.

Saladin Ahmed, Throne of the Crescent Moon

Saladin Ahmed, Throne of the Crescent Moon. A truly enjoyable swords & sorcery story - the best kind of genre - smart, funny, with a set of evil-fighting wise-cracking mismatched heroes that are fun to walk around a city with. (Chapter one as well as a short story are on the author's site.)

Denis Johnson, Tree of Smoke

Denis Johnson, Tree of Smoke. Why do I keep reading books about the Vietnam war? They all make me want to gouge out my eyes. This one though, is good. In a  (lazy & unable to encapsulate the plot meaningfully) list of adjectives: senseless, horrible, bleak, funny. Like Catch-22 but even more depressing.

James Joyce, Ulysses

James Joyce, Ulysses. A really great reading by John Lee with an accent you can chew on - I found I missed some aspects of the text by listening, but also gained some hilarity by listening to a speaker read the lines. Did I mention that it's funny? Don't let Joyce's reputation scare you -  slide along with with the words and be entertained.