Any "Moomins" books by Tove Jansson

Excellent laid-back bedtime reading by a dead Finn.

The Gormenghast Trilogy by Mervyn Peake

Gothic epic about a ritualistic world brought to disaster by a Machiavellian youth. Larger- (or occasionally smaller-) than-life characters gradually realise that their ordered lives in a castle the size of a small city are changing forever.

Doctor Rat by William Kotzwinkle

Told by an insane laboratory rat, there's noting cutsie about this book by the author of "ET". A sort of modern "Animal Farm" but without doing the animals the injustice of turning them into mere metaphors for the human condition.

The Last Unicorn by Peter Beagle

Whimsical and touching fantasy about the struggle to save captive unicorns.

The Dancers at the End of Time by Michael Moorcock

Camp fantasy with a love story across time and dimensions: a bit of a giggle.

Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie

Excellent, strange, funny, tragic, it traces an alternative vision of India since independence, through the fates of superhumans born at the hour of freedom.

The Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela

The great chap's autobiography: amazing insight into the mind of a freedom fighter who refused to believe that his enemies would not one day be his friends. How did he do it?

Harpo Speaks by Harpo Marx

Harpo's autobiography which is frankly incredible: his real life was weirder at times than the Marx Brothers films.

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

This book is many things, a nail-biting detective story, a soap opera, and an insight into French history, sentimental, funny, tragic and at times quite bizarre. Don't be put off by the size of the book or by the fact that its by a foreign author. This book is very accessible and totally gripping.

High Hearts by Rita Mae Brown

The story of a woman who dresses as a man to fight in the American Civil War. (Amazingly, some women actually got away with this in real life!) This is a hstorical novel with a difference!

The Sufferage of Elvira by V S Naipaul

The goings on at local election time in the small Trinidadian town of Elvira. Very funny character sketches of the aspiring big fish in a small pool.

Also, which almost went without saying, being far too obvious, Lord of the Rings by Tolkein and any of Terry Pratchett's numerous offerings, especially the new-ish one "Jingo" which is among his best.