Quoting W0m6at:

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Oscar Wilde - The Picture of Dorian Gray
The titular protagonist wishes to never age, but rather that his portrait shall.  He then uses this gift/curse to do as he pleases to enjoy his life.  Very similar themes to The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde (which could just as easily have gone here, but will have to appear on page 2 I suppose).

I have the BBC production of this - and thats excellent. Although I'm not sure if it is still in print.

Since people seem to be focusing mostly on fiction, I thought I'd throw out a few non-fiction recommendations. And since we're all interested in movies, I'll separate my suggestions into two categories: movie related and other.

Movie Related
The Conversations by Michael Ondaatje
Chronicles a year's worth of conversations between the author and film & sound editing legend Walter Murch. Extremely interesting stuff in here, showing what a unique individual Murch is and how brilliant his intellect is. Also lots of anecdotes about his work on the Godfather movies, Apocalypse Now, Touch of Evil and many others.

Rebel Without a Crew by Robert Rodriguez
Basically Rodriguez unedited journal from the early days of El Mariachi work, covering his time in film school, the shoot, and the craziness that ensued once he sold the movie. Extremely interesting stuff, and hugely inspirational for anyone wanting to make their own movies.

The Man Who Heard Voices by Michael Bamberger
Insightful and revealing examination of M. Night Shyamalan and his work methods and insecuritues. Bamberger was given full access to Shyamalan just prior to the whirlwind of emotion and business complications that ended up being Lady in the Water, so this book is not only a look into Shyamalan in general, but also gives a lot of info about the pre/prod/post work on Lady.

Tarantino by Jim Smith
Very well-written look into Tarantino's career, covering not just his movies but his influences and his other work - such as directing TV and acting. The book is structured chronologically, covering his career from A to Z up until Kill Bll: Vol. 2 and with a final chapter looking ahead at what's to come.

The Story of Film by Mark Cousins
A thorough and interesting worldwide history of film. I empasize "worldwide" because all too often film history books puts too great a focus on Hollywoo and U.S. films, and while they receive their fair share of attention in this book, it also spends time exploring cinema history from around the world. The first chapter starts off in 1895 and proceeds through the decades until present day. Written in 2004.

In the Blink of an Eye by Walter Murch
Perhaps a book mostly appealing to picture editors and those interested in that part of the film artform, Walter Murch's short book chronicling his thoughts on the editing process is very well done, with many intriguing observations and philosophies, and should prove interesting to anyone with a passion for film.

Other Topics
Finding Atlantis by David King
A sort-of biography of Olof Rudbeck, a Swedish scientist and genius active in the 1600's. What makes this book compelling for anyone interested in history is Rudbeck's obsession with the fabled Atlantis and his determination to prove that it once existed in Sweden.

The Road Ahead by Bill Gates
Written in 1995, at the dawn of the popularization of the internet, The Road Ahead was an attempt by Gates to predict what the future may hold in terms of technology and its impact on humanity. It was an interesting read back then, but is doubly so now that we know a lot more than Gates did back then. It's fascinating to see how Gates dreams and predictions have impacted the path Microsoft (and indeed the world) has traveled since the book was written.

On Writing by Stephen King
Intended mostly for writers, King's book on the writing process is interesting for anyone who loves reading and perhaps doubly so for anyone who enjoys a good Stephen King book. Not only is it packed full of information and advice, but it also offers an insight into the writing minds of one of our most prolific writers.

The Mythology of Middle-Earth by Ruth S. Noel
A fascinating look into how J.R.R. Tolkien applied his knowledge of mythology when he crafted the world (and indeed his own mythology) we now know as Middle-Earth and in which the Lord of the Rings books (and others) are set.

The West of Billy the Kid by Frederick Nolan
Perhaps the authorative book on the life and times of Billy the Kid written by perhaps the authority on the same. Nolan takes an exciting part of history and an exciting historical figure and creates a very easy-to-read book full of information, photographs and extrapolations based on what we know, and what we think we know about one of the west's most famous figures.

Well... that's all for now. If I realize I've missed something worth mentioning I'll come back.

KM

Quoting Nadja:

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Everyone needs to read The Dark Tower books by Stephen King. Beyond that it's dealer's choice!

Excellent series .

Might I also suggest Swan Song by Robert McCammon. It's a Post apocalyptic novel ala Stephen King's The Stand.

Quoting dfmorgan:

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Duncton Wood - William Horwood - Romance and religion in Moledom

Read this about twenty years ago and found it quite impressing. Thanks for remembering me. 

Quoting W0m6at:

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Quoting schultzy:

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Starship Troopers - Robert A. Heinlein
Forever War - Joe Haldeman

I've recently acquiews both of these titles, although I've not read either yet.  My gf has read (my copy of) Starship Troopers, and has been reading lots of Heinlein lately.  I grabbed Forever War in the omnibus edition "Peace and War" (which contains the two sequels).  The remaining three are new to me.  Care to elaborate on them?

Starship Troopers - Robert A. Heinlein -> You know about this one and it 1000% better than the movie and in my opinion not even the same thing.

Forever War - Joe Haldeman -> Great book, haven't read the sequel and don't want to. 

Legion of the Damned - William C. Dietz -> Focuses on the Foreign Legion in the future.  Here is somethign from Amazon "At the center of the story is a futuristic French Foreign Legion made up of cyborgs and other societal misfits. The scrappy, chip-on-their-shoulder soldiers occupy their own planet in the far reaches of a contracting human space empire. When a xenophobic alien empire strikes at the humans, the legion becomes the last best hope for human salvation." There are several boosk in this series now.

Old Man's War -  John Scalzi -> This one focuses on a new soldier at the young age of 75.  When people reach the age of 75, they are transfered into a new body for the purpose of being soldiers.  He is then set out to defend the colonies from aliens.  The author has been compared to Haldeman and Heinlein.  There are now a few in this series.

Orphanage - Robert Buettner -> Kind of a mix of Starship Troopers and Forever War.  A guy joins the military after an alien attack leaves him an orphan.  If I remember right he had on option like jail or service.  And because he has no family he ends up with missions that he may not return from.

Lots of stuff i would have mentioned is already here, But...

Animal Farm & 1984 By George Orwell

Brave New World By Aldous Huxley

The Club Dumas By Arturo Pérez-Reverte

And any of Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe Series, The Doorbell Rang being one of my favorites

almost forgot...Fahrenheit 451 By Ray Bradbury

Some great titles mentioned here.

My personal choices would be:

1. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
2. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson
3. The Player Of Games by Iain M. Banks (writing under his Sci-fi Moniker)
4. The Dice Man by Luke Rhinehart
5. Catch 22 by Joseph Heller

.... also Irvine Welsh is worth a look, obviously there is Trainspotting but I particularly enjoyed The Acid House, which is a collection of short stories (The Acid House being one of them) and ending with a novella ... which unfortunately due to forum rules I can't name 

But then again some, if not all of these are probably on the forementioned 'read before you die' lists.... hang about we should do this with films...... 

Right now I'm in the process of reading "Live From New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live." This actually the second time I read this, first time was a few years ago when it came out.

I also recently read "Belushi" by Judith Belushi Pisano and Tanner Colby. If your a fan of John Belushi, you've gotta read this book. It actually brought me to tears when reading what his friends had to say.

I give both these books a