Don't even ask me about this book, just read it!!

A humanizing look at a society of chimps recovering from having been used in science and medical experiments

A fictionalization of George Mallory's I'll-fated Everest attempt in 1924, focussing not only on his obsessive passion, but also on the extreme toll on his wife, trying to hold the family together in his absence

A unique look into North Korea, brilliantly told

Worth buying for the title poem alone

My favourite of PKD's work, darkly funny and ironic, but still plausible enough to make you more than a little uncomfortable

A variety of long articles collected from National Geographic Adventure magazine, covering a stunning array of topics, but all focussing on people who have voluntarily placed themselves in some of the most treacherous positions imaginable

A detailed and fascinating fictionalization of the life of dancer and Russian defector Rudolf Nureyev

A strong poetry collection, both original and accessible

I've tried several of Hayder's subsequent work and found it disappointing, but The Devil of Nanking is brilliant and fascinating. Worth a read and a re-read.

Highly original

A painful story, brilliantly told

Not a book per se, but more of a multi media experiment. Kirshner uses a team of writers, artists, and graphic designers to help people living in areas devastated by war, poverty, crime and illness to tell their stories. I would love to see more work like this

This is my favourite novel. Every word feels critical.

An interesting story on the whole, with some transcendently written passages.

I've re-read this many times. Every time I read it, the first half makes me yearn to climb Everest, and the second half makes me grateful that I'm sitting safely on my couch.

This book pulls the rare trick of both taking you intimately inside an important issue, and also allowing you to see it from an objective distance. You can't read this and not be affected.

A classic, and rightfully so. I think some of Gibson's later work is hit and miss, but this is the one that shows all his skills.

Haunting and atmospheric. There is a level of menace in even the most casual conversations between characters.

Insightful, entertaining, and with some genuine laugh out loud moments