Anyone know of a charming, perhaps quirky book that's an enjoyable read?

I'd prefer just a one-off book as opposed to an entire series, just a novel you know of that's a nice read, something to sit down and maybe relax with.

I don't really have a care for preferred types or genres, I just know that I'm not a fan of science fiction and affiliated genres, if I were to be specific about types of books I tend not to read.

Would also appreciate just giving a very brief, spoiler free description of any book you might recommend, and why it might be enjoyable to read. I do appreciate the time taken to help :) .

The Communist Manifesto.

Mein Kampf

Lord of the Flies.

The Stand.

Lord of the Flies.

Storm_Marine

American Psycho

[QUOTE="Storm_Marine"]

Lord of the Flies.

Pirate700

Atlas Shrugged then.

Gravity's Rainbow "The narrative is set primarily in Europe at the end of World War II and centers on the design, production and dispatch of V-2 rockets by the German military, and, in particular, the quest undertaken by several characters to uncover the secret of a mysterious device named the "Schwarzgerät" ("black device") that is to be installed in a rocket with the serial number "00000.""

Clockwork Orange.

Anything by Ayn Rand.

Battle Royale.

I Am Legend is short and interesting. It's different from the more recent movie, and focuses a lot on the main character coping with being alone and vampires hanging out outside his home every night. So maybe it's not so much a light story..

..hmm.

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller. I haven't read the sequel, but it's unnecessary... Catch-22 stands alone very successfully.

Something From The Nightside by Simon R. Green. Yes, it's the first book in a series, but it stands alone pretty well. I'd say the same thing about The Colour Of Magic by Terry Pratchett. Both are smart, funny, and a little twisted.

If you want something a little more modern, there's Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams. Pretty much anything by Adams is quirky.

If you want something a bit darker, try Best ServedCold by Joe Abercrombie, or The Incredible Shrinking Man by Richard Matheson (if you can find a copy with some of his short stories, it's a bonus... mine has "Duel" and "Nightmare At 20,000 Feet," both of which were made for television).

I started Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk at one point, and that seemed to be okay... since I knew the ending, though, I couldn't get myself to keep on with it.

Someone mentioned American Psycho... avoid at all costs. It's the worst excellent book I've ever read (as in, it was a very good book that I thoroughly hated... it's nearly impossible to put into words how mixed my feelings are for that book).

Barry Trotter and the Shameless Parody?

"Hogwash School for Wizardry and Witchcrap is the most famous school in the wizarding world and Barry Trotter is its most famous pupil. It's been that way ever since J.G. Rollins' Barry Trotter and the Philosopher's Scone broke publishing records worldwide.

So important has Barry become to the school's bottom-line that it has been agreed that he can stay at Hogwash for as long as he likes. Barry Trotter is 22.

Groupie-laden and scholarship-free, life has been good for the perpetual student, but now disaster looms. The Barry Trotter and the Inevitable Attempt to Cash-In has gone into production and the Marketing Dept. at Wagner Bros. is going into overdrive. Hogwash will be submerged under a tide of souvenir-crazed Muddle fans, torn apart and sold on eBuy, stone by mossy stone.

The movie must be stopped. Forget Lord Valumart--Barry, Ermine Cringer and Lon Measly must try to defeat the most powerful force of grasping sleazoids the world has ever known: Hollywood."