Generation Dead by Daniel Waters
Reviewed by Caroline
'Don't judge a book by it's cover' was proved wrong with this one. The striking cover image reminded me so much of the magnificent Meyer & her 'Twilight' saga that it had to be read & I wasn't disappointed. The difference is that these dead teenagers are zombies. Zombies

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
Reviewed by Caroline
This has all the ingredients of a compelling series: great characters with greater secrets, on the run from the very organizations that they always believed were there for the safety of society. Tally can't wait to turn 16. Like every other kid that's when she'll have 'the operation' &

Marvin Gets Mad by Joseph Theobald
Reviewed by Caroline
When we first met Marvin he was hungrier than a certain caterpillar. Now he's simply very very angry & the consequences are just as disastrous. A great book for those who suffer toddler tantrums, the story begins with a familiar scenario; Molly eats the exact apple Marvin wanted &

My Tango with Barbara Strozzi by Russell Hoban
Reviewed by Robb
An eclectic romance involving opera singers, planetary alignment and baseball bats! Hoban's writing is an effortless mix of humour, sadness and literary genius. The best writer of his age.

Ubik by Phillip K. Dick
Reviewed by Robb
There is more invention in this novel than a truck-load of J.G Ballard's! Dick wrong foots and surprises you at every turn, which is not to say he doesn't create a completely believable and concrete future world of telepath's and precognatives in this sci-fi pulp detective story classic. Very

The Informers by Brett Easton Ellis
Reviewed by Robb
If you don't want to wade through Glamorama or don't have the stomach for American Psycho, this should be your first introduction to Brett Easton Ellis. Set in a Los Angeles saturated with drugs, boredom and commercialism, this is book is scalpel-precise in it's construction and characterisation, flipping between

The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon
Reviewed by Robb
It's difficult to describe exactly what this is about, as it covers so much ground in it's bizarre 127 pages, but it's certainly a psychedelic and chaotic experience as anything James Joyce could muster. It's deep satire is tempered by a rich and brilliant verbal dexterity that is not

The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins
Reviewed by Robb
In the current climate of religious mis-understanding, mis-trust, fear and uncertainty, Dawkins intellect shines bright as he painstakingly dissects the arguments against organised religion of all types, particularly those which set themselves against the rigours of scientific scrutiny and common sense. This is a brave and clever work of

Dawn of the Dumb: Dispatches from the Idiotic Frontline by Charlie Brooker
Reviewed by Robb
Those who've read Brooker's articles in the Guardian and seen his TV shows will know exactly what to expect (this book is taken from his previous writings for TV). For the uninitiated, you've got a whole world of bitter, nasty, rude and hilarious rants against targets - both obvious

House of Sleep by Jonathan Coe
Reviewed by David
This book plays with form and timelines and delves into the still mysterious phenomenon of sleep, its function and dysfunction. As the story progresses the writer takes us further into sleep. The characters are linked with a shared history and different attitudes to sleep. From the narcoleptic to the

House of Leaves by Mark Danielewski
Reviewed by David
This is SUCH an intriguing book. The book itself is wrapped in mystery with notes at the beginning suggesting the first edition had colour plates, brail and coloured text. The standard edition has a labyrinth in it. It's the story of, initially, a strange house. It plays with form

The 13.5 Lives of Captain Bluebear by Walter Moers
Reviewed by David
Follow Bluebear through half of his 27 lives, part sci-Fi, part fantasy, always funny and charming. This inventive story takes you on a journey through beautifully written magical worlds. I leant this to my 38 year old brother, who doesn't read, and he loved it too.

Vera Drake by Mike Leigh
Reviewed by David
Imelda Staunton, Mike Leigh, Phil Davis all work together to bring you this touching story of a woman 'who helps girls out'. This film takes the issue of abortion and looks at it from many different angles. In the middle of all this is Vera, unassuming and humble but

Labyrinths by Borges
Reviewed by David
Borges was a master of the short story. He can fit more ideas into two pages than most writers can fit into two hundred and fifty. Read one of these short stories in the morning and you'll still be mulling it over when you go to bed. Each time

Chambers Dictionary (with Thumb index) by Chambers
Reviewed by David
Everyone should have a good dictionary, all other books plagiarise it. This dictionary is the official scrabble dictionary so it can solve those arguments of whether Syzygy is actually a word (though if you get this word in scrabble you're probably going to win). It comes with or without

Takk by Sigur Ros
Reviewed by David
Oh, the vastness and space of this record; this band. This music reflects Sigur Ros’s native Iceland perfectly as it soars and dips. You could almost be there. If ever I want to relax I put this on and let the beautiful instrumentation and haunting voice take me over

The Worlds Wife by Carol Ann Duffy
Reviewed by David
Duffy is so accessible and in this collection of poems shows her ability to mould words to do her service. It’s a collection of poems about myths. Inevitably these myths have all been centred around men. Duffy takes the female perspective of these stories and gives a humorous insight.

Kafka on the shore by Haruki Murakami
Reviewed by David
I almost feel I should recommend another Murakami book before this one as this is his best, all the rest are ‘just’ brilliant. This has all the classical Murakami devices and styles; the noble isolation, the elegant prose and the view of a world that is different to normal.

The Big Book of Bread by Anne Sheasby
Reviewed by David
Whether you have a bread machine or like getting your hands all doughy this is the book for you. So many breads in here from a quick loaf to croissants (don't try and make these - too much hassle). Also there are brioches, bagels, pretzels and much much more.

All My Friends Are Superheroes by Andrew Kaufmann
Reviewed by Duncan
I absolutely love this book, it's a really quick read but so sweet and romantic. You won't be able to put it down!!