14. A Canticle For Leibowitz - Walter M. Miller, Jr.

An amazing novel from start to finish - never a dull moment. Plus I could connect more due to its Catholic motifs. The best scifi read so far.

On a side note it's almost mid December and I'm not even 2/5th done. :(

13. The Spy Who Came In From The Cold - John LeCarre

Purported to be the definitive cold war spy novel, I kind of enjoyed it. Was a much easier read than Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (which I couldn't get past the 50 page mark due to reasons unrelated to the quality of the book).

12. The Big Sleep - Raymond Chandler

A book that I thoroughly enjoyed. And the fact that a friend told me that this was the weakest Marlowe novel only made me infinitely excited. Can't wait to read the rest ! But still Hammett > Chandler :)

11. Altered Carbon - Richard Morgan

Was expecting a fast paced futuristic hard-boiled thriller. It was most of that, but for some reason I found the book boring.

10. Red Harvest - Dashiell Hammett

My second Hammett. And definitely the best read of the year so far. Can a fictional character get more badass than the Continental Op ?

9. One Hundred Years Of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

The blurb compared the book to a dream. It couldn't be much closer to the truth.

8. Animal Farm - George Orwell

Some fine piece of writing by Orwell. It's kind of sad that he passed away so early.

7. The Inimitable Jeeves - P.G.Wodehouse

Enjoyed this one thoroughly - this being my first taste of the genius that is Wodehouse.

6. The Lathe of Heaven - Ursula Le Guin

This is about a man who can alter reality in his dreams. Read this a few weeks after watching Inception. Dream overdose indeed.
"To let understanding stop at what cannot be understood is a high attainment. Those who cannot do it will be destroyed on the lathe of heaven." - Chuang Tzu

5. The Thin Man - Dashiell Hammett

My first Hammett - and what a ride it was! Need to get my hands on Red Harvest soon..

4. Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell

Six stories connected via a weird strand. Terrific book. No wonder this guy has i-dunno-how-many Booker nominations.

3. The Catcher In The Rye - J.D.Salinger

Finally got to read Salinger's classic. Found it extremely interesting at its best parts and mildly amusing at its worst.

2. Contact - Carl Sagan

Could have been published as a non-fictional account of Sagan's philosophical musings, but then we would have missed Ms. Ellie Arroway. Dragged a bit at parts, but provided great food for thought on one's views on science and religion.

1. Y: The Last Man - Brian K. Vaughan

Not exactly a book/novel, but then it had 60 issues - long enough for a novella, text-wise. Great premise and an awesome ending.