In no particular order:
1. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
Arthur Dent hitches a ride just before the Earth is destroyed but what he really wants is a cup of tea. Adams' book is wonderful, I've lost count of how many times I've read since 2nd year in high school but I still find it funny and every reading beings a new perspective.
2. Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters
The first of the Amelia Peabody stories which I can't recommend highly enough. This volume sees our Victorian heroine head off to Egypt and end up mixed up in an adventure on an archaeological dig site. The author's an Egyptologist so the archaeology is spot on.
The first of the Amelia Peabody stories which I can't recommend highly enough. This volume sees our Victorian heroine head off to Egypt and end up mixed up in an adventure on an archaeological dig site. The author's an Egyptologist so the archaeology is spot on.
3. Flashman by George MacDonald Fraser
Harry Flashman is a Victorian war hero to the public but is really a coward and bully. You shouldn't like him but you do and the stories are brilliant adventures with the added bonus of being historically accurately.
Harry Flashman is a Victorian war hero to the public but is really a coward and bully. You shouldn't like him but you do and the stories are brilliant adventures with the added bonus of being historically accurately.
4. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
The shadow of Maxim de Winter's first wife is long and haunts his new wife when she arrives at his magnificent home, Manderley. It's a brilliant read and was not at all what I had expected.
5. Cat Among the Pigeons by Agatha Christie
Hercule Poirot solves the murder of a PE teacher at a girls school. I love all Christie's work as a rule but this one is a personal favourite.
